Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 193 Wu Army Blocks the Way, Only One Battle Remains

Hanzhong.

The border between Dingyuan and Xicheng.

Liu Shan, leading his young generals Mi Wei, Zhao Guang, Jiang Wei, and more than 300 elite cavalry, after more than ten days of trekking, finally spotted a Han army escorting supplies eastward after emerging from the narrow passage of the Han River.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

At the mouth of a narrow valley to the north, a stone stream flows into the Han River in the Xicheng Basin.

"Your Majesty, this is the Ziwu Valley!"

Among the generals, Zhao Guang, the only one familiar with the terrain of Hanzhong, pointed north.

Liu Shan then stopped his horse and took a look.

The so-called Ziwu Valley is named so because its northern entrance is located on the meridian line of Chang'an's central axis, and because it runs roughly in a straight north-south direction.

Its north entrance is called Zikou, and its south entrance is called Wukou.

Initially, Liu Shan planned to enter Hanzhong directly through the Ziwu Valley.

This is because it is the shortest route connecting Guanzhong and Hanzhong, only about 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers).

But he was eventually dissuaded by a group of civil and military officials.

It is said that the Ziwu Valley is a treacherous and extremely dangerous place, with steep cliffs and precipices along the way. There are few intact plank roads in the three hundred miles, and the Han Dynasty did not repair them.

One wrong step and you'll fall off a hundred-foot cliff and be smashed to pieces.

After the Han Dynasty captured Chang'an, Xiang Lang, who was stationed in Hanzhong, sent a messenger through the Ziwu Valley to deliver a message, but there was no reply.

The imperial court sent a letter to Hanzhong, asking Xiang Lang why he had not sent a message to Chang'an every half month as required. Only then did Xiang Lang realize that the messenger had disappeared.

The Xicheng Basin is very similar in terrain to the Xiegu Valley where Liu Shan flooded Cao Zhen. Both the north and south are high mountains and steep peaks, with the widest part being no more than five or six li and the narrowest part being only two or three hundred paces.

According to Zhao Guang, the Xicheng Basin is more than 150 li long from east to west.

It's getting late now, and it will probably take another five or six days to reach the foot of the western city.

Because once they ventured deep into the Xicheng Basin, the safety of Emperor Liu Shan would be compromised, so they could no longer lead more than two hundred cavalrymen into the area alone, and had to advance eastward with the supply convoy.

After Meng Da was beheaded, the Han generals Zheng Ta and Yao Jing, who were stationed in the Ziwu Valley to guard the western entrance of the Xicheng Basin, surrendered to Sima Yi with their more than 7,000 troops.

The Zheng and Yao families were powerful clans that had operated in the Xicheng Basin for hundreds of years, second only to the Shen family between Xicheng and Shangyong in terms of influence.

Zhao Yun recently sent a messenger to inform that these two families, upon seeing the Han army pass through their territory, have already pleaded guilty and surrendered to the Han.

However, Zheng Ta and Yao Jing, along with their parents and wives, had already been relocated by Sima Yi to Shangyong and Fangling.

Due to the urgency of the situation, Zhao Yun didn't have time to consider how much of what they said was true or false.

He only ordered the two families to send their sons as hostages, and then led his army eastward.

Therefore, the emperor must be extremely careful after entering the basin, as the Yao and Zheng families are not the only ones with restless intentions.

Zhang Yi, the Guanghan Commandant in charge of transporting grain, was unaware that the Emperor would come in person. So when Zhao Guang, the General of the Dragon Cavalry, showed him the Emperor's tokens, he was greatly surprised.

"This humble general, Zhang Yi, the Commandant of Guanghan, greets Your Majesty!"

On the banks of the Han River, Zhang Yi led a group of civil and military officials to respectfully bow to the emperor.

The civil and military officials here are of low rank and insignificant position. None of them have ever seen the Emperor of Han, nor do they dare to imagine that they could meet the Emperor of Han here.

Liu Shan was slightly surprised when Zhang Yi introduced himself, and slowly asked:

"You are Zhang Boqi, the magistrate of Guanghan?"

"After I personally led the expedition to Wuzhangyuan, I heard that there were mountain bandits in Guanghan and Mianzhu prefectures who stole military supplies and robbed officials and civilians. You should lead troops to suppress them. It will be quelled in no more than ten days."

"Guanghan is a vital route for the Han Dynasty's northern expedition. You have rendered great service to the country. I originally intended to summon you to Guanghan after returning to Shu, but I never expected to meet you here."

The Xihan River, which connects the grain routes between Sichuan and Hanzhong, as well as Jianmen Pass and Jiameng Pass, are located within Guanghan County.

The so-called mountain bandits were not necessarily real mountain bandits, but rather pawns of those who wanted to cut off the Shu roads while Liu Shan was away from Shu.

Zhang Yi raised an army to attack the bandits, but worried that they would scatter like birds and be difficult to capture and kill. So he pretended to make peace by arranging a marriage alliance, set a time, and held a grand banquet.

When the wine was flowing freely, Zhang Yi led his men and beheaded more than fifty bandits, wiping out all the mountain bandit leaders.

Zhang Yi then led his men into the mountains to search for the remaining members of the species.

In just over ten days, the county was at peace.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Zhang Yi and the civil and military officials behind him were all flattered and overwhelmed.

Zhang Yi and Zhang Boqi, whose original names were revealed by the emperor and whose merits were listed, were especially honored.

After his personal campaigns resulted in a series of great victories and the complete recapture of Guanzhong, the news of the Han capital's return to Chang'an spread to Shu. The emperor's power was comparable to that of the late emperor, and the local scoundrels dared not cause any more trouble.

What merit or ability did he, a mere military officer of Guanghan, possess to be remembered by this emperor?
For a moment, Zhang Yi was at a loss as to how to respond to the emperor's words.

Liu Shan looked at the Guanghan Commandant before him, who was just over seven feet tall and whose appearance was not unattractive, and saw that he seemed somewhat uneasy. He then asked:

"Does the Commandant of Guanghan know where Zhao's army should be today?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi spoke solemnly: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Zhao's army was more than 30 li away from Xicheng yesterday, and should be west of the Han River today."

The Han River does not flow through the Xicheng Basin, but instead makes a large bend southwards through the mountains, finally emerging from the southwest corner of Xicheng County.

In other words, Zhao Yun's army will be able to see Xicheng today.

However… if we want to bring the enemy to the city gates, we still need to cross the Han River.

Liu Shan frowned slightly.

A few days ago, Zhao Yun's messenger met him in Nanzheng.

The letter stated that Wu's army might be able to cross the Han River and prevent the Han army from reaching Xicheng.

He also told Liu Shan that once Sun Quan learned that the Han army was continuing its eastward advance despite warnings, he would definitely send another elite naval force up the Han River.

Alternatively, when Sun Quan sent Zhuge Ke to Nanzheng for talks, he had already anticipated that the Han army would advance eastward and had already dispatched his navy to sail upstream.

So the question was asked to Liu Shan: if the Wu navy truly prevented the Han army from crossing the river to the east, should they wait on the west bank of the Han River or directly attack Wu and cross the river to the east?

Liu Shan's meaning was very clear.

With the war between Sun Quan and Cao Wei at Xiangfan still ongoing, he would not easily send his elite navy westward before knowing the Han Dynasty's clear stance.

Therefore, Zhao Yun was asked to find a way to cross the river before Sun Quan's reinforcements arrived.

If the Wu Kingdom obstructs us, we can certainly fight them.

Before setting off, Liu Shan had drafted a letter with the Prime Minister, sending Minister Chen Zhen with imperial credentials to Baidi, ordering Yong'an Governor Chen Dao to make a gesture of advancing eastward with the current.

At the same time, spies were dispatched to spread the news that the alliance between Han and Wu might break down due to the three eastern commanderies in the three directions of Tongguan, Hedong, and Wuguan.

Although the strategists within Cao Wei would have some idea of ​​what was going on even without spreading the news, actively spreading the news to them would undoubtedly strengthen Cao Rui's resolve.

As for whether Cao Wei will take the opportunity to launch a counterattack on Guanzhong?
How can it be!

Husband fights with courage.

A group of defeated soldiers, with more than 200,000 weapons and armor left in Guanzhong, and 40,000 to 50,000 lost cattle, horses, grain carts and shipping boats, could not possibly regain any fighting power without one or two years of recuperation and a major overhaul.

If it weren't for the natural defenses of Tongguan Pass and the Yellow River, the Han Dynasty could have easily taken over Hedong and pushed the battle line all the way to Shanxian County.

Therefore, with Cao Xiu's 100,000-strong army tied up in Xiangfan and Hefei and unable to spare any more troops, Cao Wei had no choice but to try its best against Sun Quan.

We must exert our strength.

If we don't put in more effort, the three eastern counties will be lost as well.

In addition, Cao Wei had to find a way to cause the Han-Wu alliance to break down.

Otherwise, if the alliance between Han and Wu were still in effect and they agreed to divide the three eastern commanderies, Cao Xiu would likely have spent the rest of his life in Nanyang, defending Xiangfan, and would no longer have been able to attend to Hefei.

Fancheng.

Marquis of Guannei and Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, Dian Man, led by Cao Xiu's personal guards, ascended the city wall and came to Cao Xiu's side.

"Commander of the Imperial Carriage, Man, greets the Grand Marshal!"

Dian Man, who was imposing and strong and bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his father, bowed respectfully to Cao Xiu. His voice was also similar to that of Dian Wei.

Facing this close advisor of Emperor Taizu and envoy of the emperor, the arrogant Cao Xiu did not show any contempt and personally stepped forward to help him up.

After Dian Wei's death, Emperor Taizu wept. He recruited spies to retrieve the body and belongings for the funeral, and then wept at the tomb. He buried Dian Wei in Xiangyi and appointed Dian Wei's son, Dian Man, as a court official.

Afterwards, whenever Emperor Taizu's carriage passed through Xiangyi, he would offer sacrifices to the central deity. When he was prime minister, he missed Dian Wei and appointed Man as prime minister's chief advisor and brought him into his close service.

Because of his young age and lack of military achievements, and because Dian Wei had no noble title, he was never granted a marquisate. However, when Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he disregarded the rule that no one could be granted a marquisate without merit and granted him the title of Marquis of Guannei.

However, he had no heir, so Emperor Wen was reluctant to send him on campaign. Now that his son is over three years old and war has broken out again, the current emperor has sent him out to learn military affairs.

Dian Man handed the emperor's edict to Cao Xiu, saying, "His Majesty commands Jia Yuzhou to obey the Grand Marshal."

Cao Xiu nodded upon hearing this, inwardly scoffing.

He had a long-standing feud with Jia Kui, who, despite his powerful background, was arrogant and dared to look down on him and his generals.

Now that the emperor has ordered Jia Kui to obey him, he intends to thoroughly humiliate that fellow.

After reading the imperial edict, Cao Xiu said to Huan Fan:
"Yuanze, through spies, discovered that Wu's traitor Pan Zhang had led several thousand naval troops to the western city."

"What do we do now? Just wait for Jia Kui?"

Huan Fan straightened his back, pondered for a moment, and looked southeast, saying:
"I believe that we should agree on a date and order Hu Lie, the governor of Jiangxia, to lead the navy to intercept the river."

"After that, another infantry and cavalry force was ordered to sneak from Runan to Suixian, and then emerge from Suixian behind the Wu army."

"Once Jia Yuzhou's navy arrives, we will attack from both the north and south, and the Wu army will surely be alarmed and flee."

Cao Xiu pondered for a moment, then happily said, "Let's follow Yuan Ze's plan!"

...

Xicheng Basin.

A river called Yueshui runs through the area from west to east, serving as the lifeline of the Xicheng Basin. It flows into the Han River at Yuekou, west of Xicheng.

Twenty li west of Yuekou.

Wu's Left General Zhuge Jin dispatched a force of about four thousand men to set up camp north and south of the Yue River in order to cut off the Han army's supply lines.

When they saw the Han army marching eastward in a mighty force, ignoring the Wu army's obstruction and continuing their advance, both captains of this force were terrified.

These two captains were originally in charge of farming and had never seen anything like it, nor were they authorized to mobilize troops to stop the Han army.

One of them quickly boarded a fast boat and sailed eastward to report to Zhuge Jin.

"General Zuo, when Zhao Zilong of Shu Han saw that we were blocking the Yue River, he ordered all the provisions, armor and soldiers he was carrying to go ashore, and then... then he led his army eastward!"

Zhuge Jin frowned, his tone displeased:

"Why did you only come to report after the Han army had already arrived and made their move?!"

"Didn't either of you send scouts upstream to investigate?!"

The captain, Zhou Ran, had never seen the renowned Left General, known for his elegance and refinement, so enraged. He was first taken aback, then quickly shook his head and explained:

"General Zuo, that's not the case!"
"Zuo Hua and I scouted out the Han army thirty miles away this morning."

"But... but I really didn't expect that when I led my troops to stop them from landing and advancing eastward, those Han soldiers said that if we didn't want to break the Han-Wu alliance, we should quickly make way..."

The military officer named Zhou Ran recounted in detail to Zhuge Jin what had just happened on the banks of the Yue River, his face full of indignation.

After a long while, Zhuge Jin, having understood the whole story, frowned deeply.

"General Zuo, what should we do now? What if we strike first and break the Wu-Han alliance? What if His Majesty holds us accountable?"

Zhuge Jin spoke sternly and solemnly:
"You go back to camp first. You and Zuo Hua must guard the camp carefully and make sure nothing is lost!"

"I'll go find General Right now."

Captain Zhou Ran felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and after receiving the order, he hurriedly left the camp and headed west.

After the man left, Zhuge Jin ordered his personal guards to beat the drum to summon the generals in the camp. He then convened an emergency meeting to inquire how the generals should deal with the unruly Han army.

Among the generals in the army, some spoke of war.

Some also say that the alliance between Han and Wu should not be broken lightly without the emperor's authorization.

Some people also said that if the Han army broke the alliance first, then the Wu army would have to retaliate.

After half an hour of intense discussion, Zhuge Jin finally decided to consult with the Right General, who was knowledgeable in military affairs.

After arranging matters in the camp with his generals, Zhuge Jin left the southern camp and went to the Han River dock, where he boarded a boat and sailed downstream.

At this time, there were already more than a hundred Han cavalrymen on the west bank, surveying the terrain along the Han River, seemingly looking for a suitable place to set up camp.

The view is as far as the eye can see.

Four or five miles away, a vast Han army, whose head and tail could not be seen, marched eastward in a mighty procession.

The two camps of Wu's army, one in the north and one in the south, were only twelve or thirteen miles apart.

Zhuge Jin sailed downstream and arrived in no time.

Upon meeting Bu Zhi, without exchanging pleasantries, he immediately delivered the momentous news to him:
"Zishan, Zhao Zilong, the chariot and cavalry commander of Shu Han, has led the Han army to the west bank of the Han River."

Bu Zhi was taken aback by Zhuge Jin's words.

After a moment, he asked:
"Didn't Ziyu already order Zhou Ran and Zuo Hua to control the upper reaches of the Yue River?"
"At Yuekou, there was also a navy that used boats to cross the Han and Yue rivers."

How could the Han army have reached the west bank of the Han River?

As they talked, Bu Zhi finally thought of a possibility, and was immediately taken aback:

"Could it be... that they abandoned the supply route?"

Zhuge Jin nodded:
Indeed.

“Zishan, in terms of military strategy, I am far inferior to you, and the army I command is not elite.”

"The reason why His Majesty sent me to this place is simply because I am the elder brother of Zhuge Liang, in order to make the Han army think twice."

"Yuan Xun led Deng Bomiao to see the Emperor, but there has been no news of them yet."

"Now that the Han army has reached the Han River, I'm afraid they will build a pontoon bridge to cross the Han River and head east before His Majesty's order arrives at Xicheng."

"Once the Han army reaches Xicheng."

"Firstly, I fear that the western city may not belong to the Great Wu."

"Secondly, there is the fear that the alliance between the two kingdoms of Wu and Han may be disrupted by the destruction of the western city."

"What do you think we should do, Zishan?"

Bu Zhi was related to Sun Quan by marriage. His cousin, Bu Lianshi, was Sun Quan's favorite concubine, and they had two daughters, Sun Luban and Sun Luyu.

During the siege of Xicheng, he was the Right General. Although his official rank was slightly lower than that of Zhuge Jin, the Left General, he arrived with imperial credentials and was the commander-in-chief.

Upon hearing Zhuge Jin's words, Bu Zhi hesitated and found it difficult to make a decision.

"Ziyu, no matter what, let's stop the Han army from crossing the Han River to the east!"

"If the Han army strikes first, then we will have no choice but to fight!"

(End of this chapter)