The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 141 The Opportunity to Conquer Hexi

Before the first winter snow fell, Liu Bei's yellow canopy and left banner finally entered Xi County.

The process of tackling the problem was unremarkable.

It was nothing more than building ramparts, constructing wells, filling in the trenches, and then having soldiers swarm up.

If there were any highlights in the process...

That was when Meng Da, during a lull in the siege, went alone to the north to persuade Jicheng, the capital of Tianshui County, to surrender.

To his surprise, the attempt to induce surrender failed, and he was instead chased for dozens of miles by a young general named Jiang Wei, almost never making it back.

In the end, it was Zhao Yun who heard the news and went to rescue the person, thus saving their life.

Yes, Meng Da failed to win over any city in Longyou by relying on his father's former subordinates.

The young general named Jiang Wei, without even hearing the name of Liu Bei's envoy, immediately abandoned Wei and returned to Han.

Miwei was not particularly disappointed by this.

This, on the contrary, gave them a clearer understanding of the situation in Longyou.

In short, with the capture of two important strongholds north of Qishan...

At this point, the enemy situation north of Qishan and south of Jixian became clear.

The Wei army from the Jincheng and Guanzhong directions never even arrived.

There was not even a sign that troops were sent to provide support.

The previous attack on the Di people was purely the work of the local garrison in Ji County.

At this time, with the Han army occupying Xixian, they had retreated back to the city and were holding out for reinforcements.

Liu Bei, naturally, did not mince words and immediately ordered Zhao Yun and Feng Xi to each lead a contingent of troops northward to keep an eye on Jicheng and Shanggui on the south bank of the Wei River.

To create a passage that at least appears safe enough for the various Di tribes migrating south.

He then sent envoys to Jicheng, demanding that the city return Fu Jian's clansmen, or else he would attack the city.

Of course, besieging a city is impossible.

It's just a pretense of toughness to appease people.

But to be fair, Liu Bei's reputation was still quite formidable after the Battle of Hanzhong.

The other side quickly agreed to return the prisoners in batches.

However, at the same time, they demanded that Liu Bei withdraw his troops.

They would return a batch after retreating ten miles.

Of course, Liu Bei couldn't just retreat.

We should wait until most of the Di people who migrated south have left before making any decisions.

So the two sides quickly got into a stalemate.

And right now.

Good news suddenly came from Ma Chao and Wu Yi's side.

It is said that they defeated a force sent south by Su Ze in the river valley north of Lintao.

Then they learned from the prisoners.

Su then planned to retreat to Longyou, so he left Zhang Ji to guard Yuzhong and led more than 10,000 troops south to Didao.

Unexpectedly, Ma Chao and Wu Yi arrived even faster than he anticipated.

After this defeat, Su Ze's main force had less than 8,000 troops remaining.

Ma Chao has already contacted a group of Qiang people to cut off the road between Didao and Yuzhong.

He and Wu Yi continued their northward advance, launching a rapid attack to keep Su Ze's forces at bay as much as possible.

At the same time, it was suggested that Liu Bei come west to join forces and use superior troops to encircle and annihilate Su Ze at Didao.

Once Su Ze is defeated, it will greatly damage the morale of the Wei army in Liangzhou.

Moreover, in a short period of time, Liangzhou was left with only Zhang Ji's isolated army.

The conquest of Hexi is just around the corner!

As the winter snow fell heavily, walking on it, everyone's face turned red and they were sweating profusely.

This is definitely something to get excited about!

The Hexi region is not only a traditional horse-breeding area.

Furthermore, there are roads leading to the Western Regions, enough to enrich oneself through trade.

Even without considering these factors, as long as we can take over Hexi...

Then the Shu Han dynasty could turn the tables and encircle Longyou and Guanzhong.

Of course, there are risks involved.

The most obvious question is: if Liu Bei's main force moved to Hexi, how would Cao Cao's army from Guanzhong defend against them?

Even if the Guanzhong troops don't come, aren't there local troops from Tianshui, Guangwei and other counties right in front of us?

Once an opening is exposed, the enemy will take advantage of the situation to advance south to Wudu.

Wouldn't all our previous efforts have been wasted?
Moreover, the Hexi region cannot immediately provide a continuous supply of soldiers, horses, and goods once it is captured.

Why did Su Zezhang have no choice but to withdraw from Jincheng?
Isn't it because the Hexi region has been in chaos for many years, and has refused to submit to the emperor's rule for many years, that it has become a heavy burden on the central government?

This matter cannot be resolved simply by relying on Ma Chao's personal reputation.

It cannot be solved by simply bestowing extraordinary rewards.

The key to solving this problem lies in rebuilding the legal system.

This process will likely take about ten years.

This applies regardless of who governs Liangzhou. Even without considering that long-term perspective, purely from a military standpoint...

After defeating the main force of the Wei army in Liangzhou, it will still take a considerable amount of time and manpower to recover each prefecture and county one by one.

This is by no means something that can be accomplished in a year or two.

In other words, once the strategic focus shifts to Hexi...

That means that investment in Longyou will decrease accordingly at least next year.

Whether to choose Hexi or Longyou, and how to weigh the gains and losses, became a topic of intense discussion among officials and commoners.

But as the saying goes, opportunity knocks but once.

No matter how heated the discussion, there must be a conclusion.

Ultimately, Liu Bei made his decision.

Join forces with Ma Chao and conquer Hexi!

With the general direction set, the next step is to consider how to defend Longyou.

Huang Quan analyzed:
"North of Qishan, near the Wei River, it is easy for Cao Cao's army in Guanzhong to move west, but it is not easy for our army in Yizhou to move north. This is advantageous to the enemy and disadvantageous to us."

"Only the Shannan-Xihanshui passage presents roughly equal challenges for both sides in terms of providing support."

"If Wudu recovers its strength in the future, it may be possible to march north to Qishan and compete for Longyou."

"Therefore, I suggest that a valiant general be sent to guard the Qishan camp and protect Wudu."

"At the same time, troops from Brazil or Zitong were dispatched north to Wudu to guard against unforeseen circumstances."

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly and then asked:

"How many troops do you think should be left to guard the area if we divide our forces?"

Huang Quandao:
"To be on the safe side, there should be five thousand, but no less than three thousand."

"Three thousand to five thousand..." Liu Bei frowned slightly.

He seemed to be calculating how many troops he could bring to conquer Hexi.

After a moment, he stared intently at Zhao Yun:
"Zilong, if I leave you three thousand soldiers, can you defend Qishan to the death for me?"

Zhao Yun immediately stepped forward and said:
"I am not afraid of death! But since it concerns matters of state, I dare not presume to act recklessly!"

"If Your Majesty can annihilate the Su and Zhang forces before the spring floods thaw, three thousand soldiers will be sufficient to hold the line!"

"If I cannot, I can only repay Your Majesty with my death!"

Upon hearing this, everyone from Liu Bei down was moved.

Of course, Zhao Yun was not only loyal and brave.

He specifically emphasized the condition that the river thaws in the spring.

This clearly takes into account the possibility that the main force of the Wei army in Guanzhong might march west to Longyou.

This was precisely Liu Bei's biggest concern regarding his westward journey.

Liu Bei then looked at Mi Wei:
What is your explanation?

Miwei was also taken aback by the sudden appearance of the fighter jet.

He did indeed have the idea of ​​taking a risky gamble.

I just didn't expect this chestnut to be so big and so tempting.

It turned out to be the entire horse-breeding area in Hexi!

After pondering for most of the day, he had a plan in mind.

sidewalk:

"Wei Zheng marched north from Xiegu to Weinan, which was the first line of defense against Guanzhong."

"Later, Zhang Cheqi arrived at Wudu, and from the old road he passed through Sanguan, looking towards Chencang, which was the second route."

"Back then, Your Majesty fought so hard for Hanzhong, wasn't it precisely because the Shu Road offered both offensive and defensive advantages? Although we didn't have the strength to seize Qin Chuan, we could at least contain them; there are always ways to achieve that."

"If that's still not enough, why not have the Great General (Guan Yu) travel north along the Dan River from the south to intimidate Wuguan?"

He paused slightly, then continued:

"Therefore, I believe the key to this battle lies not in the enemy's reinforcements in Guanzhong, but in whether the royal army can pacify Liangzhou as soon as possible."

"To pacify Liangzhou as soon as possible, the two key factors are whether we can quickly defeat Su Zezhangji and whether we can quickly divide the prefectures and counties."

"The two complement each other."

"With Su and Zhang gone, the various prefectures will lose their leaders and can be easily subdued."

“With each prefecture divided, Su and Zhang will lose their external support, making it difficult for them to gain momentum and making them easier to attack and destroy.”

"Your words are insightful!" Liu Bei nodded slightly.

And finally, I made up my mind:

"With Huang Quan as the vanguard commander, Feng Xi as the central commander, Zhang Nan as the rear commander, and Mi Wei as the supervising officer, the three armies will advance simultaneously, heading straight for Didao!"

"Zhao Yun was appointed as the commander of Qishan, leading 3,000 troops to resist Cao Wei in the north and attack the Di tribes in the south!"

"He also ordered Zhang Fei to lead the army northwards and outwards, granting him the authority to make decisions independently!"

“Send a letter to Jingzhou as well…”

Military orders were issued one after another by messengers on horseback, like a flowing stream.

For a while.

Centered on the emperor's temporary residence.

The entire Ji Han central army, numbering tens of thousands, surged westward like a dragon wagging its tail!
(End of this chapter)