SFS Chapter 182 Zhuge Liang's Expedition to Qishan
Chapter 182 Zhuge Liang's Expedition to Qishan
Zhang He had experienced Liu Bei's prowess firsthand when he worked under Yuan Shao, so he dared not be negligent in the face of the big-eared scoundrel.
Even if Liu Bei didn't personally lead the Shu army in Longxi, the combination of Zhuge Liang and Guan Ping was enough to make him worry and give it his all.
Therefore, Zhang He dared not rest at all, wishing he could sprout wings and fly to Longxi right now.
Cao Zhen, also aware of the gravity of the situation, bowed and said, "This humble general will depart immediately."
Before he could even step down the steps, Zhang He pulled him back and instructed him, "If you really can't hold Xixian, or if Xixian has already fallen by the time you arrive, then settle for holding Jixian. If you still can't hold Jixian, then take another step back and hold Jieting."
"You must hold Jieting for me. As long as we hold Jieting, we can take back Tianshui. If we lose Jieting, we can only watch helplessly as the Shu army devours Longxi."
"Understood, sir!" Cao Zhen turned and left, quickly returning to the military camp to muster five thousand soldiers. He then took five days' worth of provisions and rushed to Tianshui at a frantic pace.
Five days was enough for them to reach their destination and then gather food locally.
Zhang He led his army to follow closely behind, while Sima Yi stayed behind to escort the grain supplies.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei led his army through Jigu Valley to the south bank of the Wei River, where they camped on a small plain.
This plain has a name that resonates deeply with later generations, yet also evokes a sense of unease.
Wuzhangyuan.
As soon as Liu Bei's army set up camp at Wuzhangyuan, Zhang Fei asked impatiently, "Brother, what should we do now? Should we take advantage of the Wei army's lack of preparation and cross the Wei River to attack Mei County?"
Liu Bei shook his head and said, "No, the Baoxie Road is difficult to travel. The army has been marching for so many days and is exhausted. It urgently needs to rest. In addition, Mei County was fortified by Dong Zhuo. The city is well-defended and not suitable for a direct attack. Let's wait and see how the Wei army reacts while we rest."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei couldn't help but curse, "That despicable Dong Zhuo, he's been dead for so many years and he's still causing trouble for people."
Liu Bei also hated Dong Zhuo to the core, but what could he do? The man had been dead for so many years, he couldn't very well drag him out and whip his corpse, could he?
While ordering his army to set up camp for defense, Liu Bei also sent out scouts to gather intelligence on the Wei army, hoping to find an opportunity to attack.
Given the right opportunity, his feint attack force might just turn into the main attack force. The battlefield is ever-changing, and feint attacks and main attacks can be switched at any time. There's no need to always follow the plan.
……
On the winding and rugged Qishan Road, Zhuge Liang led his army forward with great difficulty.
While advancing, they did not forget to call upon Cheng Ji, Guan Ping, and Zhao Lei to discuss the war.
Zhuge Liang called the men to his side and said, "You should all have memorized the topographical map of Longxi by now. The exit of Qishan Road is Lucheng. Once we take Lucheng, we'll have a foothold in Longxi."
"On the contrary, if we fail to take Lucheng, we will be stuck in the Qishan Road, exposed to the wind and sun, and may even have to retreat due to insufficient food supplies. I don't need to say more about the importance of Lucheng."
As we all know, even the longest road has a beginning and an end. The Qishan Road starts at Yangping Pass and ends at Lucheng.
Once the city of Lu is captured, the army can rest and regroup at their leisure, and may even be able to obtain supplies from the area surrounding the city.
If you can't take it, it's like being stuck on a highway in later generations, with nothing to eat or stay in.
Guan Ping nodded and said, "Does the general mean that we should send a vanguard to take Lucheng?"
To facilitate Zhuge Liang's command of troops, Liu Bei specially appointed Zhuge Liang as Left General and Guan Ping as General Who Conquers the West before their departure.
The Left General was one of the Four Generals, and more importantly, Liu Bei once served as the Left General.
In other words, the position of Left General, like the Heavenly Strategy General of the Tang Dynasty in later times, had a strong exclusivity. Although it was not as prestigious as the Heavenly Strategy General, it was still enough to attract the attention of all Shu generals.
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "That's right. Lucheng is just an ordinary small county town. There won't be too many troops stationed there. The spies reported that the general guarding Lucheng is named Han De. He is unknown and of average ability. There are only two or three thousand troops in the city, which is not a concern."
"You shall immediately select three thousand elite troops to set off first, and arrive at and capture Lucheng as quickly as possible. Then, while holding the city and waiting for me, you shall send out scouts to gather intelligence on Shanggui County and even Jieting. Once the main army arrives, I will need to know all the information within Tianshui County."
Guan Ping clasped his hands and said, "No problem, but General, the Wei army has probably already guessed our intention to attack Longxi, and they also know that Lucheng is an important town. They will definitely send troops to support us. If we go now, the Wei reinforcements may have already arrived in Lucheng."
Zhuge Liang said, "Therefore we must be quick and take Lucheng before the Wei reinforcements arrive."
"So what if the Wei army guesses our intention to attack Longxi? Doesn't it take time to travel from Guanzhong to Longxi? It's 600 li from Chang'an to Jixian, and 200 li from Jixian to Lucheng. How many days would it take to travel 800 li?"
"Although the Qishan Road we are taking is difficult, it is close in distance. If we set off at the same time, who knows who will arrive at Lucheng first? So your task now is to race against the Wei army."
"If you enter the city before the Wei army, we will have gained the initiative and won the first victory in the Northern Expedition. If the Wei army enters the city before you, we will have to pay several times or even ten times the price to take Lucheng. Do you understand?"
Guan Ping clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Understood, I'll go right now. Xingguo, come with me."
After speaking, he returned to the army, mustered three thousand soldiers, and set off for Lucheng. Among these three thousand soldiers, eight hundred were Liu Bei's personal guards, the White Feather Soldiers.
Indeed, in order to secure victory in the Northern Expedition, Liu Bei entrusted Guan Ping with command of the Han army's absolute trump card, his personal guard, the White Feather Army.
After Guan Ping left, Zhuge Liang said to Cheng Ji, "Ji Ran (Cheng Ji's courtesy name), after we arrive at Lucheng, we will split into two groups. I will lead 30,000 troops to block the Wei army's reinforcements in Tianshui County to buy you time. You, along with Generals Ma Dai, Ma Cheng, Feng Xi, and Zhang Nan, will lead 10,000 troops to attack Longxi County and Jincheng County, quickly seize the area east of the Yellow River, and then wait for my orders."
Ma Dai was Ma Chao's cousin, and Ma Cheng was Ma Chao's son. Ma Chao had five younger brothers and three sons, but now only Ma Dai and Ma Cheng are dead.
Zhuge Liang led his uncle and nephew on this expedition for two reasons: first, he wanted to use the Ma family's prestige in Liangzhou to quickly stabilize the situation; second, he also wanted to cultivate reserve forces.
As for sending Cheng Ji to attack Jincheng in Longxi, it was naturally to seize territory, troops, and provisions.
After capturing the two prefectures, the Han army could not only collect provisions nearby, but also recruit the local garrison to surrender, allowing Ma Dai and Ma Cheng to select elite troops to form a large Xiliang army.
Cheng Ji bowed and said, "General, rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations."
Zhuge Liang said no more and led the army to continue their journey. As they went, he recalled the resumes of officials in various counties of Liangzhou and the Qiang and Hu chieftains, quickly analyzing who might surrender, who would remain neutral, and who were loyal to Cao Wei and needed to be severely punished.
While overseeing the administration of the Shu Han state, Zhuge Liang also controlled its intelligence network and had long coveted Longxi, so he naturally had a clear understanding of the basic situation in Liangzhou.
While Zhuge Liang was pondering how to outwit his men, Guan Ping and Zhang Bao led three thousand elite soldiers on a trek along the rugged mountain road. After two days of trekking, they finally reached the exit of Qishan Road and saw the outline of Lucheng.
Upon reaching this point, Guan Ping dared not proceed further, but instead ordered Zhang Bao to lead a dozen scouts to investigate.
Two hours later, Zhang Bao returned, looking worried. "General, the Wei reinforcements have not yet arrived, but the garrison commander of Lucheng seems to have received news of our northern expedition. Not only are the city gates tightly closed, but there are also sentries every three steps and five steps on the city walls. The defenses are extremely tight, and we have no chance to launch a night attack."
"Under these circumstances, continuing the nighttime attack as planned would be suicide. The only way to take Lucheng is through a direct assault, but we only have three thousand men and no siege equipment, so we can't launch an attack at all. What should we do?"