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

Chapter 146 Successful sneak attack
"The night before, I heard from the military officer who was urging the grain supplies that as soon as Huang Gongheng's (Huang Quan's) vanguard arrived in Nan'an, the prefect surrendered."

Meng Da replied.

"At this moment, the carriage has entered the Nan'an County seat of Huan Road."

"The vanguard may have already reached the border of Longxi."

Wei general Su Ze marched south to Didao, which is located in the northern part of Longxi Commandery.

In other words, we're not far from our goal!
This is undoubtedly good news.

The generals were completely energized, including Miwei.

Since Liu Bei's army had no worries about its rear.

Those who remain should then consider their next move.

Some people are considering it from the perspective of logistical support.

It is recommended that Mi Wei immediately cover the remaining supplies as they evacuate from Luomen and head west to join Liu Bei's central army.

Because there was a lack of food in Longyou.

Even if Nan'an has been completely captured.

Local areas may not be able to reliably supply the needs of tens of thousands of troops.

However, some people believe that Nan'an County has a long and narrow terrain and lacks defensive depth in the east and west directions.

It was a newly conquered territory, and the people's hearts were unsettled.

Large quantities of supplies should not be transported there rashly.

Instead, the allocation should be carried out in batches as needed.

They were all arguments about trivial details.

The general consensus was that they should go and join Liu Bei.

Only Meng Da proposed a completely opposite approach:

“I observe that Zhang Ji’s military tactics are both rough and meticulous, and he may not have been unaware that the imperial carriage had already gone west.”

"Knowing that the imperial carriage was not at Zhuwei Mountain, he still insisted on heading south, which shows that he had already planned to go east first and then west, which is exactly the opposite of our army."

"Now the royal army is vying for Liangzhou in the west, while Zhang Ji is securing Longyou in the east. Whoever achieves victory first will seize the initiative."

"The 1,500 knights under the command of the Left Commander, if they go west, will not be enough to increase the chances of victory for the royal army."

“Leaving them behind would be enough to tie down the enemy forces in Longyou, preventing them from supporting each other in the north and south, or coordinating their efforts in the east and west, thus exhausting Zhang Ji and reducing their chances of victory.”

Upon hearing Meng Da's words, Mi Wei did not hold any prejudice due to Meng Da's past misdeeds.

On the contrary, they wholeheartedly agreed.

To put it bluntly, this time the two sides had a hasty encounter and exchanged "homes".

And don't be fooled by Zhang Ji's slight delay and apparent passivity.

In reality, as he retreated eastward, his supply lines shortened because he was closer to Guanzhong.

In contrast, the Han army was deployed from both Liu Bei's and Ma Chao's directions.

After arriving at Didao, their supply lines far exceeded those of the Wei army.

The only force that can currently counteract the opponent's advantage is...

One is Zhao Yun's Qishan army.

The other one is the cavalry under Miwei's command.

Zhao Yun still had the responsibility of protecting Wudu, so he couldn't be moved lightly.

So only the elk remains.

So he asked Meng Da:

"What suggestions does Military Advisor Meng have?"

Meng Da had been waiting for this question, and excitedly asked:

"We'll storm Jicheng tonight!"

“That is the seat of Tianshui County, a thoroughfare in all directions. Attacking it will intimidate the local powerful clans and magnates, preventing them from supporting the enemy.”

"Moreover, Zhang Ji's main force has already crossed the river to the south, leaving the area north of the Wei River completely vulnerable. This is the perfect opportunity to pass through quickly and unexpectedly!"

"Besides," Meng Da paused slightly, a smug look on his face.

"Although my previous attempt to persuade them to surrender failed, I took the opportunity to find out the defenses around Ji County and now know their strengths and weaknesses!"

……

Mi Wei chose to trust Meng Da's strategic judgment.

But I don't believe he has figured out the details of the defenses around Ji County.

Therefore, on that day, scouts were first sent down the Wei River to the east to investigate the enemy's situation, while the entire army rested for one night.

The next day at dawn, the scouts returned and confirmed that the area north of the Wei River was not "completely empty".

But there were indeed not many troops stationed there.

Only then did he lead his army to cross the Wei River to the north again.

But this time we won't go deep into the plateau.

Instead, they rode swiftly along the flat terrain of the Wei River valley.

And clear out enemy strongholds along the way.

Ma Zhong was also sent to command a separate force to remain on the south bank, while Ma Dai was sent to command a separate force to venture slightly deeper into the northern plateau.

Then the three routes advance in parallel, supporting each other.

In the afternoon, the Miwei headquarters arrived at the open river valley where Ji County was located and immediately eliminated the westernmost outposts.

Although the enemy was on guard, they were outnumbered and were captured in an instant.

Shortly thereafter, Ma Zhong, who had detoured around the south bank, sent someone to report.

It is said that Ji County is heavily guarded, with the city gates remaining tightly closed even in broad daylight, leaving no opportunity for attack.

Meng Da was extremely embarrassed.

However, Mi Wei instead tried to comfort him:

"Jixian County has clearly received reinforcements from both the east and west, yet it remains holed up inside the city. Either the reinforcements are insufficient, or the main force of the reinforcements is not here. What Military Advisor Meng said is roughly correct."

Immediately, under Meng Da's grateful gaze, he ordered the beacon towers that the enemy had not yet lit to be lit to be set on fire.

He then ordered Ma Dai and Ma Zhong's troops to cautiously detour to the eastern rear of Jicheng. If the city's defenders launched an attack, they would seize the opportunity to leave the plateau or cross the river to launch a rear attack.

And then the beacon towers were lit.

The garrison of Jicheng reacted swiftly.

In an instant, thousands of soldiers gathered on the city wall and formed a defensive formation around a crescent-shaped fortress.

According to Ma Dai, this fort was commissioned by Yang Fu when he served as the Prefectural Governor, and was created by his cousin Yang Yue.

At that time, Yang Fu led more than a thousand members of his clan and other families to resist Ma Chao's army of more than 10,000 for more than half a year in this city.

Miwei wasn't there to tackle a tough challenge; he didn't intend to bite off more than he could chew.

Instead, they provoked us directly with a small force.

Whether the raid succeeds or not, it will damage the enemy's morale and facilitate his subsequent plans.

However, just as the smoke of war was about to die down, a force of over a thousand armored soldiers suddenly emerged from the city and formed ranks.

This group also included more than one hundred knights.

Judging from their clothing and attire, they are likely a mix of Han and non-Han peoples.

Meng Da rode forward and said:
"Left Commander, that cavalry general is Jiang Wei, who was defeated by Zhao Yi's army. He is a scion of a prominent local family!"

Meng Da pointed to the enemy general and introduced him.

However, they cleverly omitted the reason why Zhao Yun defeated Jiang Wei.

Mi Wei was too lazy to expose him, and only focused on observing the "last great general of Shu Han".

But it looks good from any angle.

I couldn't make out the shape of any famous seed.

On the contrary, I feel that this person is probably not a hothead.

He was genuinely stunned.

Upon seeing the location of his general's banner, the enemy abandoned his infantry and led his hundred cavalrymen in a charge.

It seems they're planning to stage a scene where they take the head of a general from among a million soldiers?

Although there are no million soldiers here.

Moreover, because Miwei deliberately feigned weakness, he didn't even qualify as a thousand riders.

However, there was still a gap of more than five times in cavalry strength.

How dare he?

"Wang Zijun, go and meet him!"

Out of basic respect for the "Great General," Mi Wei directly named Wang Ping, his most valiant and courageous subordinate.

Without saying a word, Wang Ping led his two hundred-plus cavalrymen to meet them.

In an instant, the two sides' cavalry clashed.

Some struck successfully, while others fell from their horses on the spot.

More often than not, it just ends in disappointment.

Jiang Wei had fewer troops, so naturally he suffered greater losses.

However, confident in his agility, he managed to break through the Han army's cavalry formation with the cover of his personal guards and continued his assault on Miwei's main camp.

Wang Ping wouldn't allow him to be so presumptuous. He turned around, drew his bow, and shot the horse, hitting it with a single blow.

Jiang Wei's mount went berserk in pain and became uncontrollable, so he had no choice but to switch to a guard's horse.

Before he could continue his charge, Wang Ping had already caught up and thrust out with his spear.

Jiang Wei, unsteady on his feet, barely managed to parry and nearly fell off his horse.

Wang Ping missed his first thrust, but took the opportunity to kill Jiang Wei's personal guard. He then calmly rallied his men, formed ranks again, and launched a surprise attack.

At this moment, Jiang Wei finally realized the disparity between the two sides.

He immediately ordered his men to turn back and had his personal guards wave flags to signal the rear infantry to come forward and provide support.

But the formation had just started and had only taken about ten steps.

Two groups of Han cavalry suddenly charged out from the rear flanks.

Each of them was roughly the same size as Wang Ping's unit.

It was Ma Dai and Ma Zhong's troops who had been lying in wait for a long time.

Seeing this, Jiang Wei realized that he had underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly, falling into an enemy ambush.

However, it was no longer realistic to ask the infantry to retreat at this point, so the only option was to send the signal again and have the infantry hold their ground.

He then signaled to the garrison on the city wall to come out and provide support immediately.

However, the garrison inside the city remained unmoved.

The tightly packed infantry formation that has already been formed cannot be stopped at will.

Not to mention that when the infantry heard the rumbling of hooves behind them, they instinctively quickened their pace.

But in the end, they couldn't outrun the four-legged cavalry.

Before Jiang Wei could make any further arrangements, Ma Dai and Ma Zhong's cavalry had already inserted themselves diagonally into the infantry formation from behind.

Like two sharp blades stabbing into the lower back.

The Wei army's infantry formation was cut in half and instantly divided into three parts.

The two horses then quickly turned around and, like scrapers, continuously cut through the routed Wei infantry.

However, a moment later, the enemy infantry completely collapsed!

Seeing this situation, Jiang Wei knew that defeat was inevitable, so he could only try to escape to the side before the enemy could completely surround him.

As he fled, the words Guo Huai had spoken that day kept echoing in his mind:

It's not that we're afraid of battle, but we regret that we don't have enough soldiers.

in case.

We have more cavalry at our disposal today.

Will they succeed in capturing the enemy general and seizing the flag?

(End of this chapter)