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

Chapter 175 The Three Passes of Yiyang
Guan Yu squinted at Yang Yi.

The latter's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said:

"As everyone knows, the northern cavalry are strong and their horses are swift as the wind. The southern people can only rely on their river and naval forces to compete with them."

"After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun's several northern expeditions were mostly launched during the spring and summer when the water was plentiful, which was due to favorable timing and location."

Seeing that Guan Yu's expression had eased slightly, Yang Yi continued:
"Now that you, General, are holding Xiangfan and fighting for Wanluo, although you still have water resources to rely on, you will ultimately have to win with infantry and cavalry."

"As for Yi and Liang provinces, whether they cross the Qinling Mountains or the Longshan Mountains, they cannot take Guanzhong without relying on knights."

"But the time for warhorses to fatten up for winter happens to coincide with the rainy season."

"In terms of timing, our dynasty and Jiangdong are not entirely in sync!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu shifted his gaze and looked out the window.

After a few breaths of contemplation, he said:

"Does Lord Wei mean that the Sun family's decision to launch a northern expedition against the prevailing trend is a rare opportunity that should not be missed?"

"That is exactly what I meant!"

Having served Guan Yu for two years, Yang Yi was already familiar with Guan Yu's temperament and knew that he was interested. He continued:
"The court prioritizes Guanzhong, and this general principle cannot be changed."

"But specifically regarding Xiangfan, there are only two ways to cooperate with the Yi and Liang armies to enter the pass in the future."

"First, we will travel from Nanxiang up the Dan River northward to Wuguan, thereby containing one of the Wei armies."

"Now that Pan Chengming (Pan Jun) has been cultivating the southern region for two years and has won the hearts of the people, why doesn't the general take this opportunity to send troops north and seize the Danshui River Valley?"

Guan Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

"If it's just about cooperating with Pan Chengming to take Nanxiang, one detachment is enough, that's fine."

Yang Yi was secretly pleased and continued...

"Secondly, the general will personally lead the army north to Wancheng, controlling Nanyang nearby and deterring Luoyang and Ying in the distance, so that they cannot fully support Guanzhong in the west."

"But if the general intends to advance north with all his might, he must not leave any trouble behind!"

Guan Yu raised an eyebrow:

What is there to worry about?

Yang Yi said:
“The land of Nanyang is flat in the center and surrounded by mountains on all sides.”

"But unlike Guanzhong and Shuzhong, which are surrounded by four strategic passes, there is no need to worry as long as a few passes are blocked."

“Nanyang has passageways in all directions, so I can go there, and so can the enemy. It’s impossible to defend against them.”

Guan Yu nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

He had lived in Jingzhou for more than twenty years since following Liu Bei to join Liu Biao in the south in the sixth year of Jian'an.

They were already familiar with the surrounding terrain and passes.

As Yang Yi said, the Nanyang Basin is well-connected in all directions.

However, this "basin" has too many holes around it, causing it to leak air everywhere.

From the defender's perspective, this is not a good thing.

In particular, the gap in the Fangcheng area of ​​Ye County, northeast of Nanyang, is quite large, enough for cavalry to travel freely.

Therefore, during the pre-Qin period, the State of Chu specially built walls and fortifications here, which became known as Fangcheng Pass.

It has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists.

Why did Zhuge Liang say that the generals of Jingzhou should head towards Wan and Luo?

Because once Guan Yu conquered Wancheng in Nanyang and established a firm foothold...

He could then lead his army smoothly through the large opening in the northeast, enter the land of Henan, and intimidate Luoyang.

But the other way around.

As long as Wei generals such as Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang firmly defend the core area of ​​Nanyang.

That way, reinforcements from Luoyang and Yuzhou could be obtained continuously through that gap.

It is precisely where I can go, and where the enemy can go as well.

Thinking of this, Guan Yu couldn't help but ask:

"Before autumn, I asked you to send letters to the chieftains of the mountains of Luhun, Liang, and Jia, to arrange a time for them to come down from the mountains to contain the Wei army. Have you received a reply?"

Yang Yi patiently replied:

"It is inconvenient to send messages in the mountains, and the governor of Runan, Man Chong, is stationed north of Wan County. The generals may not dare to easily descend to the plains. Unless the general personally leads a large army to besiege Wan City."

Seeing Guan Yu nod, Yang Yi then said:

"General!"

"The problem that the lower official mentioned does not lie in this!"

"The entrance to Fangcheng is too large to be blocked, nor is it necessary to force it. If the Sun family of Jiangdong and the Liangjia bandits can restrain the Wei army in the Central Plains, then we can say that we have a good chance of winning!"

"The problem we face today is not in Nanyang, north of Xiangfan, but in Jiangxia, south of Xiangfan!"

"If that breach is not sealed off soon, when the general launches a northern expedition in the future, it is hard to guarantee that the Wei army will not follow the example of Sun Tzu (Sun Wu) of Wu in the past!"

……

"The Three Passes of Yiyang?"

At Ma Liang's welcoming banquet, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they inevitably began to discuss the military affairs of Jingzhou.

Mi Wei looked at the topographical map of the passes that the other party had brought. He immediately spotted three passes in the mountains north of Jiangxia.

It's also very difficult to miss.

As is well known, Jiangxia County is actually divided into three parts.

The Jiangnan region had already been acquired by Sun Quan, so there's no need to elaborate further.

Jiangbei is further divided into the lower reaches of the Han River in the west and the upper reaches of the Huai River in the north.

Of these, apart from Xiakou, which leads from the Han River to the Yangtze River, the former had already been acquired by the Shu Han state.

The current prefect is Deng Zhi.

Mi Wei also served as a captain for more than half a year.

The latter, however, came under the control of Cao Wei after Cao Cao marched south to Jingzhou in the thirteenth year of Jian'an.

The prefect was Wen Ping, the general of Wei who was tasked with suppressing rebellions.

The reason why the Jiangbei area is so clearly divided is not only because each part has its own river source.

The main reason is...

Between the two lies a vast and majestic mountain range.

Specifically, it is the junction of the Tongbai Mountains and the Dabie Mountains.

Tongbai is in the west, and Dabie is in the east.

The two have been a natural geographical dividing line since ancient times.

From this perspective.

The northern part of Jiangxia, where Wen Ping was based, and Runan County of Yuzhou to its north, were more like a single geographical unit.

After all, one is in Huainan and the other is in Huaibei, separated only by a river.

Jiangxia West, on the other hand, is far away in the mountains, like someone else's child.

So no matter who it is, as long as they look at the Jiangxia map, they can't ignore that large mountain range in the middle.

However, as long as you keep your eyes on that mountain, you can't ignore the three passes blocking the middle passage.

As soon as Mi Wei spoke, he saw that everyone was somewhat bewildered, and he knew that he had made a common mistake that time travelers often make.

Because history had changed, Cao Pi had no chance to separate Yiyang Commandery from Nanyang.

Where did the saying "Yiyang Three Passes" come from?

Fortunately, although Yiyang Prefecture no longer exists, Yiyang County did exist long ago, and it happened to be located in the northern part of the Three Passes.

So everyone was only slightly taken aback before accepting this explanation.

Then Ma Liang casually said:
"The Three Passes are important gateways connecting the Han River and the Huai River region."

"Although it is not as large as the pass at Fangcheng in Ye County, it is still large enough for troops to pass through."

"In the past two years, General Guan has been stationed in Xiangfan, preparing his troops and horses. The Wei army has not dared to move south, so it doesn't matter whether the pass is blocked or not."

"But if the army marches north in the future, Jiangling will inevitably be left vulnerable in the rear."

"If the Northern Expedition is delayed for too long, we must be wary of Wen Ping advancing south from the Three Passes and striking directly into the heart of Nanjun!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

Unfortunately, Ma Liang's hypothetical marching route, though seemingly far-fetched, actually puts a real test of a general's command and strategic imagination.

But who can blame them when someone in history actually succeeded in pulling off such a bizarre feat?

Who told that person to be named Sun Tzu?
Anyone who commands troops in battle must know this name!
The Battle of Baiju between Wu and Chu in history contained many commendable strategic and tactical elements.

For example, the famous general Wu Zixu built canals and dams, which flooded the capital of Chu.

Mi Wei had already witnessed the traces of that battle in the northern suburbs of Jiangling.

For example, the Wu state rulers and ministers successfully defeated the main force of the Chu state at Baiju by feigning a retreat to exhaust the enemy, achieving a military miracle of defeating a stronger enemy with a weaker one.

That's how the Battle of Baiju got its name.

However, among the rulers and ministers of Wu, the one with the most strategic imagination had to be Sun Tzu, the strategist.

At the beginning of the campaign, the Wu army marched north up the Huai River. When they reached the area of ​​present-day Yiyang and Pingchun, Sun Tzu believed that sailing against the current was slow and went against the principle that speed is of the essence in warfare.

Therefore, it was suggested that Wu Zixu abandon the boat, go ashore, head south, cross three passes, and head straight for the capital of Chu.

The objective of catching the enemy off guard has been achieved.

Subsequent events proved that Sun Tzu's unconventional move did indeed disrupt Chu's defensive plans, thus gaining an advantage for a subsequent great victory.

Now let's get back to the present.

Since Sun Tzu's masterpiece is already there, even if later generations lack the imagination of geniuses, they can still follow the book, right?

Not to mention, compared to Wu Zixu and Sun Wu who went on expeditions thousands of miles away, Wen Ping was currently stationed on the banks of the Huai River in northern Jiangxia.

We can head south at any time.

It's fine if I didn't expect it.

Since we've thought of this, we should take precautions.

"That may be true, but the three passes are located deep in the mountains, so they may not be easy to obtain!"

One of the people in the room suddenly spoke up.

(End of this chapter)