Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 175: The First Battle of the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang Conquers Qishan (6K)

In the winter of the third year of Zhangwu (223 AD).

Qishan City.

Hundreds of Wei soldiers were tied up.

Wei Yan carried a heavy spear and looked down upon the captives like chickens and dogs.

There was another general with a resolute face, squatting and interrogating the Wei prisoners. He was Zhang Yi, the prefect of Zi Tong.

The two generals followed Zhuge Liang's military order and went north along the West Han River from Xiabian to launch a surprise attack on Qishan.

When passing through Li County, the county magistrate Jia Kun directly changed the flag and requested to return to the Han Dynasty.

The words were beautiful: I am neither a traitor to Wei nor a capitulator of Han. I was originally the county chief of Hanli, but had no choice but to become the county chief of Weili. Now that the Han army has arrived, I can finally return to the embrace of the Han.

In order to express his sincerity in returning to the Han Dynasty, Jia Kun pretended to deliver food and supplies to Qishan City, helping Wei Yan and Zhang Yi capture Qishan City without bloodshed.

This made Wei Yan and Zhang Yi sense something unusual: the capture of Qishan was too smooth!
Therefore, after capturing Qishan City, Wei Yan and Zhang Yi began to interrogate the Wei prisoners in order to obtain more information.

for a long time.

Zhang Yi stood up and said, “Like the officials in Li County, the families of the Wei soldiers in Qishan City are all in Ji City.

Ma Zun, the governor of Tianshui, did not trust the officials of the counties or the soldiers in the county. He often called them "thieves" and detained them in Ji County with their families as hostages.

As long as we can capture Ji County, not only can the counties in Tianshui County be conquered by issuing an order, but the troops in Tianshui County will also obey the order!
This is God helping you and me to accomplish this great feat!"

Zhang Yi was a little excited.

Although the staggered labor service system and hostage system implemented by Cao Wei strengthened control, they also caused dissatisfaction among officials, soldiers and people in Tianshui County.

after all.

As long as you make a mistake, your family will be implicated. Living under high pressure all day long, few people can bear it.

Wei Yan couldn't help but sneer: "How can a mediocre person like Ma Zun become a governor?"

A man who neither trusts the county officials nor the soldiers in the county actually holds the position of prefect. Wei Yan even suspects that Ma Zun was bought to be the prefect.

Ridicule is ribbing.

Wei Yan did not forget his main business. He called Jia Kun, the county magistrate of Li County, and asked Jia Kun to persuade hundreds of Wei soldiers in Qishan City to "return to the Han Dynasty."

Persuade as much as you can!
Ji County is more than a hundred miles away from Qishan City, and there is also a Xi County at the foot of the mountain. In order not to alert the enemy, it is most appropriate to make good use of the surrendered soldiers.

"It will take three days for the Prime Minister's army to reach Qishan. Should we take Xi County first, or wait for the Prime Minister's army to arrive?" Zhang Yi suppressed his excitement.

Although they were both governors of the same county, Wei Yan was the General Zhenbei and the main commander of the surprise attack on Qishan. Zhang Yi had to obey Wei Yan's orders in military matters.

Wei Yan only hesitated for a moment before making a decision: "Speed is of the essence in war! There may be secret sentries outside Qishan City. If the news leaks out and Xi County is prepared in advance, once the city gates are closed, you and I will not be able to break into the city."

This surprise attack on Qishan was a matter of luck. Wei Yan and Zhang Yi only brought two thousand soldiers as the vanguard, and they were all lightly equipped.

Not to mention attacking the city, if the confrontation with the Wei army lasted for a long time, Wei Yan and Zhang Yi would have to retreat due to lack of supplies.

How to complete the surprise attack as much as possible under limited supply conditions is the key to this battle.

The Wei captives in Qishan City did not have strong resistance to "returning to the Han Dynasty".

Firstly, the Wei captives were dissatisfied with Cao Wei’s high-pressure rule and did not have a strong sense of belonging; secondly, Ma Zun’s Tianshui County was too abstract, and guarding against soldiers and officials was like guarding against thieves.

This brings us to Liu Bei's consistent attitude towards Cao.

Now, the person who is at odds with me is Cao Cao. When Cao is impatient, I am lenient; when Cao is violent, I am kind; when Cao is cunning, I am loyal. Only by opposing Cao can things be accomplished.

Whenever Cao Cao did something that displeased officials and the people, Liu Bei would do the opposite.

If you want to use the system of alternate labor and the system of hostages to forcibly restrain officials, soldiers and civilians, then I will use benevolence and righteousness to win the hearts of officials, soldiers and civilians.

Wei Yan, the General Zhenbei who was taught by Liu Bei himself, naturally understood this principle well.

A burst of praise for Liu Bei made the Wei prisoners see a completely different future!

They all serve in the army to make a living, and the most real thoughts of the Wei soldiers are whoever they follow to help them survive.

忠？
Cao Wei is unkind, how can he be loyal?
Loyalty is something that only officials like Guo Huai and Ma Zun, who are treated well by Cao Wei, need to consider.

Less than half an hour.

There were dozens of Wei captives who wanted to fight for a rich and noble life again.

The rest of the Wei captives hoped that the rule of Tianshui County would not be as oppressive as that of Cao Wei under the Han Dynasty, but they were also afraid that the Han army would not be able to completely occupy Tianshui and would drag down the families of Ji County.

In this regard.

Wei Yan didn't force it.

Not everyone would have the courage to resist Cao Wei with their family members as hostages.

Most people only dare to compromise and keep backing down, thinking that if they give everything, they will gain the mercy of the cruel and powerful.

However, cruel and powerful people are always indifferent. The more you retreat, the more they will think about taking your life.

Wei Yan left five hundred soldiers to garrison Qishan City.

When Jia Kun first surrendered, there were still hundreds of Wei prisoners in Qishan City, so Wei Yan did not dare to be unprepared.

If the deceptive city attack failed and the retreat route from Qishan City was cut off, Wei Yan's two thousand vanguards would be trapped.

Simultaneously.

Wei Yan also sent people to deliver battle reports and follow-up plans such as surprise attacks on Xi County and Ji County to Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang in the rear.

It is easy to launch a surprise attack, but difficult to defend a city.

In order to deal with the counterattack that might occur at any time in Tianshui County, Wei Yan must have a backup plan.

Even though he despised them, Wei Yan would not really believe that there was no one capable in Tianshui County.

The winter in Longyou is quite cold.

Zhuge Liang chose to send troops in winter in order to catch the enemy by surprise.

West County.

Four guards at the city gate, with their necks hunched, paced in the cold wind to keep warm and chatted with each other.

"The officers were hugging their women in their beds, while the soldiers were starving and freezing in the cold wind. They didn't even bring us a bowl of hot soup."

"Send us hot soup? Didn't such a cold wind wake you up? We are just a few lowly soldiers, and you still want an official to send us hot soup?"

"Humph! Can't you even think about it? Is it a sin to think about it? I think you are just old and timid! Recently I heard a storyteller say that there was a man named Chen Sheng who said that anyone can be a general."

"That's called 'Kings, princes, generals, and ministers, are they of different species?' You can't even remember that, and you still want to be a general?"

"So what if I can't remember? I have big fists, and I will definitely be a general in the future! Eh? Isn't that Zhang Quchang from Qishan City?"

Drinking and talking.

But dozens of Wei soldiers came to the city gate in the cold wind, led by Zhang Qing, the newly surrendered Wei prisoner from Qishan.

"Captain Zhang, are you going into the city to buy wine again?"

Obviously.

This was not the first time Zhang Qing came to Xi County to buy wine.

"Well, Qishan City is too cold. Brothers can't stand it, let's buy some drinks and go back to keep warm." Zhang Qing greeted skillfully.

A soldier envied: "You guys are still lucky. You still have money to buy drinks. We can only stand here in the cold wind."

Zhang Qing laughed and said, "If you want to drink, just tell me. When have I not shared some with you?"

While talking.

Half of Zhang Qing's dozens of men have already entered the city.

Suddenly, he heard a voice saying "action", and Zhang Qing's dagger was already on the shoulder of the soldier at the city gate who was talking to him.

"Captain Zhang Qu? What are you doing?" The soldier widened his eyes and looked at Zhang Qing in disbelief.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I'll treat you to a drink after I take over Xi County. Just stay here honestly and don't move or shout, otherwise I will kill you with my sword." Zhang Qing said coldly.

Another person took out the black flag in his arms and waved it vigorously in the distance.

"Zhang Qing succeeded! The defense of Xi County is more lax than I thought!" Wei Yan sneered.

Don't miss out!

No matter what caused Xi County's lax defense, Wei Yan would not miss this opportunity.

More than a thousand elite soldiers rushed forward and quickly entered Xi County and controlled the four gates. Not a single official, soldier, or civilian of Xi County escaped!
And at this time.

Xi County Magistrate Hu Lin was still in bed, hugging his new concubine for warmth.

Seeing the armored Han soldiers appear in the house, Hu Lin was shocked and terrified: "Who are you?"

Wei Yan looked at Hu Lin with disdain, holding his sword in hand, and asked, "Who are you?"

Being pointed at by the cold knife, Hu Lin felt extremely ashamed: "How dare you be so rude! I am Hu Lin, the magistrate of Xi County!"

Wei Yan sneered: "I'm arresting you, the magistrate of Xi County! Take him away!"

Upon interrogation.

Wei Yan then learned:

Because Wudu Yinping was captured, Guo Huai was defeated by the generals of Dongchuan in Jianwei in the south of Li County when he led his troops to support.

Therefore, Guo Huai judged that Li Yan, the governor of Dongchuan, was very likely to invade Tianshui.

therefore.

Guo Huai deployed 500 soldiers in Qishan City in the north of Li County, and another 500 soldiers in Mumen Road in the north of Qishan for precautionary purposes.

In the rear, troops were also stationed in important cities such as Shanggui, Jixian, and Linwei, with Tianshui prefect Ma Zun in charge of unified dispatch in Jixian.

Never thought.

First, Jia Kun, the county magistrate of Li County, was dissatisfied with the high pressure of Cao Wei, so he directly surrendered the city and requested to return to the Han Dynasty; then, Hu Lin, the magistrate of Xi County, thought that the Han army would not send out troops in winter, so he was careless and hid in his concubine's nest in broad daylight, thus allowing Wei Yan to easily break the defense line deployed in one mountain and two cities in the south of Mumen Road.

Upon learning that there were Wei soldiers guarding the Mumen Road, Wei Yan could not help but frown.

I thought that after taking Xi County, I could launch a surprise attack on Ji County, but I didn't expect Guo Huai to be so cautious!

Mumen Road is a dangerous and narrow canyon with high mountains and dense forests on both sides. There is only one navigable path in the middle. It is the key obstacle leading from Qishan to Ji County.

If you take the Mumen Road, the distance is only over a hundred miles, and you can reach Ji County in two days of quick march; if you don't take the Mumen Road, you need to take the Gui detour, which not only doubles the distance, but also makes it easy to be blocked by the Wei army in Shanggui.

Zhang Yi analyzed: "With the current military strength, it is extremely difficult to force our way through the wooden gate. Even if we pass through, the losses will not be small, and it will be difficult to pose a threat to Ji County.

It is better to strictly guard the main roads of Xi County and prevent the news from leaking out. When the Prime Minister's army arrives, we can then use the main force to go to Shanggui and the surprise troops to enter Mumen Road. By advancing from two directions, we will definitely be able to capture Ji County."

Zhang Yi's analysis was exactly what Wei Yan had thought. Although Wei Yan was not afraid of taking risks, the purpose of taking risks was to win, not just to surprise.

If we want to launch a surprise attack on Ji County via Mumen Road, we need the main force to go to Shanggui for cooperation.

Think of this.

Wei Yan sent more people to deliver the victory report while blocking all the important roads to prevent the news from leaking.

And at the rear.

Upon learning that Wei Yan and Zhang Yi had captured Qishan, even the usually calm Zhuge Liang could not help but be surprised.

Zhuge Liang's main purpose of this winter military operation was to test Cao Wei's reaction. If it succeeded, it would succeed; if not, he would look for another opportunity.

Originally, Zhuge Liang was thinking that if he could not capture Qishan, he would divide his troops and take a detour to Shanggui.

No one thought that Wei Yan would be able to capture Qishan, an extremely important stronghold, so easily.

After carefully reading the victory report sent back by Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang had a more accurate judgment on Tianshui County: Cao Wei’s prestige in Tianshui County has not been established!

"The army is heading to Qishan!"

Zhuge Liang did not dare to delay and urged his troops to march quickly.

en route.

Zhuge Liang received a second victory report from Wei Yan: Xi County had been taken, and Guo Huai had stationed troops on Mumen Road.

Meng Da was jealous of such a smooth offensive.

If Li Yan was the one holding the sword seal, the position of vanguard would have fallen into Meng Da's hands even if Wei Yan competed for it.

however.

After Zhuge Liang took control of the sword, the choice of whether the vanguard would be Meng Da or Wei Yan was determined by drawing lots!

Meng Da tried to grab first, but caught nothing and could only watch Wei Yan go as the vanguard!

Zhuge Liang wanted Meng Da to be Wei Yan's deputy general, but Meng Da was angry and refused, so Zhang Yi took advantage of the opportunity.

Meng Da didn't know how to describe his mood at this moment.

There seemed to be a little man in my heart, raging: Mine! Mine! Mine!

"Prime Minister, I am willing to lead the troops to take Mumen Road!" Taking advantage of Wei Yan's absence, Meng Da hurriedly asked for orders.

Otherwise, after arriving in Xi County, whoever goes to take the wooden door will have to draw lots. What if he draws nothing again? Wouldn't it be a waste of time to cooperate with Wei Yan to achieve great success?

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly and declined Meng Da's request: "The Mumen Road is difficult to take. If we go there rashly, we will only lose soldiers and generals and will not benefit morale. Let's make plans after we reach Xi County."

Seeing that Meng Da was still unwilling to accept the defeat, Liu Chan tried to appease him: "Don't worry, General Meng. You will have more opportunities to make contributions."

Seeing that Liu Chan had spoken, Meng Da sighed secretly and remained silent.

The troops marched quickly.

When they arrived at Xi County, Wei Yan apologized to Zhuge Liang with a serious face: "Prime Minister, the news that I occupied Xi County has leaked out. I didn't expect that Guo Huai not only stationed troops at Mumen Road, but also asked the magistrate of Xi County to send people to Shanggui every day to report the situation."

Wei Yan was very depressed.

I could have handed in a full score, but due to carelessness I didn't fill in the answer sheet.

"Qishan has been taken. Some news leaked out, so don't worry about it." Zhuge Liang did not blame Wei Yan.

Being able to capture Lixian, Qishan and Xixian in such a short time was better than expected even if the news leaked.

Zhang Yi took the opportunity to propose dividing the troops into Mumen Road and Shanggui to jointly capture Ji County.

However, this proposal was rejected by Zhuge Liang.

For generals like Wei Yan, Zhang Yi, and Meng Da, walking through the wooden door path was dangerous but surprising, and it was normal for some people to die; but for Zhuge Liang, the consideration was to minimize the losses as much as possible.

There were only more than 10,000 troops sent out this time.

When you are outnumbered, you cannot take risks easily.

If too many troops were lost, even if they managed to capture Ji County, they would still be unable to resist Cao Wei's counterattack.

Being able to capture a city is only half a skill; being able to defend the city after capturing it is the real skill!
After comprehensive consideration, Zhuge Liang decided to take a detour through Gui to Ji County.

Although the distance is twice as long as taking the wooden door path, it is safer.

And in Shanggui.

The defending general Zhou Tai has already noticed something is wrong.

Xi County hasn't sent anyone to report safety for three consecutive days.

As a young general promoted by Guo Huai, Zhou Tai would strictly obey Guo Huai's military orders.

Two months ago, Hu Lin, the magistrate of Xi County, felt that winter was approaching and the Han army would definitely not send troops this year, so he stopped sending people to Shanggui to report safety every day.

Zhou Tai immediately took his men to Xi County and nearly shot Hu Lin to death. In the end, it was the governor Ma Zun who stepped in to mediate and resolve the conflict.

For the next two months, Hu Lin no longer dared to stop the relationship without permission. He just hugged his concubine secretly while cursing and imagining that the concubine was Zhou Tai's female relative.

"General, how about I send scouts to Xi County?" suggested the deputy general.

Zhou Tai pondered for a moment and said, "It will take two to three days for the scouts to go back and forth. If something really happened in Xi County, the Han army might have almost reached Shanggui. Let's send someone to Ji County to report the military situation to Governor Ma first."

There was a pause.

Zhou Tai felt uneasy again, and ordered: "Send another person to Chencang to look for Envoy Guo."

Although Guo Huai was the governor of Yongzhou, his seat of government was still in Chang'an.

Since Yongzhou was vast and had many counties, Guo Huai would usually inspect the counties, such as Tianshui, Nangan, Anding, etc., and then return to Chang'an along the Wei River downstream.

It was now the end of the year, and it was time for Guo Huai to return to Chang'an to report to Cao Zhen. He had just inspected Shanggui a few days ago, so Zhou Tai knew Guo Huai's whereabouts.

On the second night after Zhou Tai sent the messenger, a group of panting Wei soldiers arrived at the foot of the city and shouted to open the gate.

The military officer on duty at the top of the city wall did not dare to be careless and shouted, "The city gates are not opened at night. This has always been the rule. Who are you serving? How come you don't know the rules?"

A Wei soldier under the city shouted, "I am Zhang Qing, the chief of Qishan. The Han army instigated the magistrate of Xi County, Hu Lin, to rebel and attack Qishan. Now Qishan and Xi County are both controlled by the Han army!"

The military commander on the city wall was horrified: "How is this possible? Hu Lin is a disciple of Lord Ma, how could he be instigated by the Han army to rebel?"

Zhang Qing said angrily, "How can I know what Hu Lin is thinking? Open the door quickly. I want to see the general. If I miss the military situation, can you afford to be offended?"

The military marquis did not dare to be careless: "I will send someone to inform the general of the state. You stay outside the city. If you dare to move, don't blame me for being ruthless with my bow and arrows!"

Seeing the military commander on the city wall being so cautious, Zhang Qing couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Compared with Xi County Magistrate Hu Lin, the military marquis in front of him is seven times more powerful.

[It is difficult to cheat in Shanggui]

Zhang Qing was secretly worried.

Not long after.

Zhou Tai hurried to the top of the city wall and looked at Zhang Qing, the chief of Qishan, who was standing below the city wall. Zhou Tai shouted, "Zhang Qing, where is Shi Chong, the chief of Qishan?"

Zhang Qing was furious: "He has been killed by the Han general Wei Yan. General Zhou, you must avenge Captain Shi!"

Seeing Zhang Qing complaining outside the city, Zhou Tai laughed: "Even Shi Zhong was killed, how could a mere Qu Chang like you escape with your life? Do you really think I, Zhou Tai, am a fool? Archers, shoot this traitor!"

Looking at the arrows flying from the top of the city wall, Zhang Qing's face changed drastically and he ran away with his head in his hands.

Zhang Qing was so angry that he yelled, "Zhou Tai, I wanted to persuade you to surrender to the Han Dynasty, but you are so stubborn!
Listen up, everyone on the city wall: Now, the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty has led an army of 50,000 to take Yongzhou. If you are smart, surrender early and you can make up for your crime with merit. If you resist stubbornly, you will die without a burial place!"

Zhou Tai was surprised.

The prince of the Han Dynasty?
Liu Bei's son Liu Chan?
How can it be!

Zhou Tai originally thought that it was Li Yan, the governor of Dongchuan appointed by Liu Bei, who led the army to attack, but he never expected that it was actually Liu Bei's crown prince Liu Chan who attacked?
Li Yan's attack and Liu Chan's attack are two different concepts.

Li Yan was the governor of Dongchuan and a frontier general. It was normal for frontier generals to attack.

Liu Chan was the crown prince and the heir to the throne. The fact that Liu Chan was not in the imperial city of Jiangling but led his troops to attack Qishan changed the nature of the situation!
When the Wei soldiers on the city wall heard that Liu Bei had sent Crown Prince Liu Chan to lead an army of 50,000 to attack Yongzhou, they were all shocked.

"Fifty thousand troops? How can we defend?"

"Even the prince is here, he must be trying to take Tianshui by force!"

"No wonder he was able to instigate a rebellion against the West County Magistrate. Even if I were the West County Magistrate, I wouldn't dare to stop him!"

"The Shanggui garrison only has over a thousand men. If we can't defeat them, we will die!"

"."

For a while, the people in Shanggui City were in panic, and some were so scared that they couldn't even hold their weapons steadily.

Zhou Tai glared at him and shouted, "Zhang Qing, don't be so arrogant! Yongzhou has the General Zhengdong leading a hundred thousand troops to Chang'an. Why should we be afraid of a little Liu Chan? When I capture Liu Chan alive, I will hang his head on the city wall to show the might of Wei!"

Looking at Zhou Tai on the top of the city wall, Zhang Qing turned away angrily and went to find Wei Yan to apologize and cry about his grievances.

Seeing that Zhang Qing still had an arrow on his arm, and hearing Zhou Tai humiliating Liu Chan, Wei Yan flew into a rage: "How dare a mere nobody humiliate the prince? You are courting death!"

Wei Yan no longer hid, and led his army to the city of Shanggui, holding his spear and riding his horse, shouting Zhou Tai's name: "General Zhenbei Wei Yan is here! Zhou Tai, dare to come out of the city and fight!"

Hearing the challenge, Zhou Tai sneered from the top of the city: "Wei Yan, don't be so arrogant! I have already sent people to ask for help from Envoy Guo. If you know what's good for you, leave early. If you don't, I will capture you alive!"

Wei Yan laughed loudly: "Guo Huai, a defeated general, dares to say he wants to capture me? Zhou Tai, I'm thinking that you are from Nanyang, so I'm trying to give you a good advice. Don't be so ungrateful!"

Zhou Tai was even more fearless: "As the saying goes, a biting dog doesn't bark. If you could really capture Shanggui City, you wouldn't be arguing under the city. Without an insider, you wouldn't be able to capture the city, right?"

Seeing that Zhou Tai refused to budge, Wei Yan's face also turned gloomy.

If you want to capture a city without an insider, you can only storm it, and to storm it you have to build siege equipment, which can't be built in a day or two.

Since ancient times, direct siege of a city has always been a method chosen as a last resort.

"Zhou Tai, you are right. Without an insider, I really can't capture Shanggui City. But you can defend Shanggui to the death, and Ma Zun may not defend Ji County to the death. It just so happens that you shot Zhang Qing with an arrow, so you might as well guess whether Ma Zun will come to rescue you!"

Wei Yan's words hit Zhou Tai straight in the heart.

Li County, Qishan County and Xi County were lost one after another, and Shanggui was surrounded again. Ma Zun, the governor of Tianshui, would definitely lead troops to rescue!

Zhou Tai was conflicted. He wanted Ma Zun to come to the rescue, but he also wanted Ma Zun to defend Ji County.

"Hmph! Wei Yan, talk to us first if you can do it!" Zhou Tai stopped arguing with Wei Yan and ordered all the soldiers to guard the city strictly.

Wei Yan took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and told Zhang Qing: "If I am right, Zhou Tai should have sent the military report to Ma Zun in advance, and Ma Zun should have guessed that something had happened in Qishan.

You go to Ji County and lure Ma Zun out of the city. If you succeed, I will speak well of you in front of the prince! If you make contributions in the future, you can also be made a marquis and a general, which will be worth your martial arts skills."

Zhang Qing was overjoyed. He surrendered for the sake of wealth and honor. How could he not take the wealth and honor right in front of him!

"We will fulfill our mission!"

(End of this chapter)