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

Chapter 185 Cutting Off Jingyang
According to the intelligence provided by Zhuge Jin.

While Miwei was on high alert in western Jiangxia.

After Wen Ping's troops left the three passes of Yiyang, they quickly headed south along the passage east of the Yun River and west of the Tongbai Mountains.

Then, it suddenly turned east on the north bank of the river, crossed the Ju River, and entered Qichun County, which is next to Jiangxia.

As Mi Wei looked at the concise descriptions on the bamboo slips, he continuously simulated the marching route in his mind.

In the end, one can only sigh that Wen Ping truly deserves to be a renowned general in history.

Bold yet meticulous.

In terms of boldness, this was indeed a long-distance maneuver that penetrated three or four hundred miles behind enemy lines.

Both courage and ability are indispensable.

It is considered meticulous because at this time, this passage east of the Yunshui River...

It was actually located in a buffer zone between the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Wu.

Or rather, a no-man's-land.

If the opportunity is seized, it is possible to conduct covert marches.

Thinking about it this way, the Wei army that had previously encountered Deng Zhi was very likely a flanking force sent to cover the main force's southward advance.

I just didn't expect to run into Deng Zhi.

Even so, they still managed to defeat Deng Zhi.

How strong would his main force be?
Thinking of this, Mi Wei put down the concise report and looked at Zhuge Qiao:
"How many troops did Wen Ping bring to Qichun? Who is the Wu army's garrison commander?"

Zhuge Qiao said:

"My uncle has been very secretive about this matter, perhaps it involves military secrets of the neighboring country to the east."

"However, I am acquainted with the messenger who delivered the message, and I managed to get some information out of him privately."

After a slight pause, Zhuge Qiao said in a deep voice:

“Wenping’s troops number three to four thousand, only slightly more than the garrison of Qichun.”

"However, Jin Zong, the garrison commander of Xikou, killed the prefect and betrayed Wei, allowing Wen Ping's troops to easily turn east and establish themselves north of the Yangtze River..."

"It is said that Emperor Jinzong had secretly pledged allegiance to Cao Xiu, but after Cao Xiu's defeat, he changed his mind and pledged allegiance to the Han in order to save himself..."

"General Sun is loyal to Hefei and is wary of making enemies on two fronts. He has not yet dealt with Jin Zong, which has instead sown the seeds of future trouble..."

As Zhuge Qiao continued to recount "rumors," Mi Wei's expression gradually became serious.

Although rumors are also second-hand information.

However, by combining this with Zhuge Jin's letter requesting assistance, reliable intelligence can be deduced from it.

First, there's the matter of Emperor Jinzong's betrayal.

In fact, the Wei and Wu states had been locked in a standoff for many years, and defections along their borders occurred frequently.

Why did Cao Xiu so easily believe Lu Xun's plan to lure the enemy?

From Cao Wei's perspective, such things were nothing new.

One more Lu Xun wouldn't make a difference, and one less Lu Xun wouldn't make a difference either.

After all, in this timeline, Lu Xun is not the same Grand Commander of Jiangdong who could defeat Liu Bei!
He was just a deputy governor who assisted Zhu Ran.

Not to mention that Qichun County, as a prominent part of Jiangbei, was separated from Sun Quan's other territories by mountains and rivers.

On the contrary, it is closer to the western part of Jiangxia, where the enemy territory is located.

It is quite normal for someone to have ulterior motives and be bribed.

Even if it weren't for Jin Zong, there would have been someone else.

Mi Wei vaguely remembered that the Jin Emperor had indeed rebelled in his previous life.

Although the timeline is incorrect, it is enough to corroborate this intelligence.

Therefore, the rebellion of Emperor Jinzong is not worth mentioning.

What truly deserves attention is another crucial piece of information hidden behind this incident.

This needs to be considered in conjunction with Wen Ping's sudden southward tactical maneuver.

Why did Wenping suddenly head south to the Yangtze River?
If Mi Wei previously had no idea of ​​the other party's specific movements, he only had vague guesses.

Now that the other party has undeniably appeared in Qichun, their purpose becomes obvious:
Divide the two provinces of Jing and Yang!

This prevents the military forces on both sides from providing support from the east and west!
As is well known, mountains and rivers are natural geographical dividing lines between states and counties.

Among them, the blocking power of mountains, especially long mountains, is even greater than that of rivers.

As for Jingzhou and Yangzhou.

This dividing line.

The northern part of the river is the Dabie Mountains.

The southern part consists of the Mufu Mountains and the Luoxiao Mountains.

Considering the level of productivity and development of the Jiangnan region at that time.

These mountain ranges are largely inaccessible for military passage. This is incomparable to the Qinling Mountains and the Shu Road, or the Eight Passes of Taihang, in the north.

Therefore, the only passage between Jing and Yang prefectures was the Yangtze River waterway and the narrow land passage along the southern foothills of the Dabie Mountains and the northern bank of the Yangtze River.

Qichun County is located right on this passage.

Once you understand this point, it's not hard to guess Wen Ping's intentions in this military adventure.

The key information hidden here is:
The defection of Emperor Jinzong, or rather, the bribery of Emperor Jinzong by Cao Wei, actually occurred before Wen Ping's southward journey.

According to Zhuge Qiao's "inside information," he had been in contact with Cao Xiu at least as early as last year when Cao Xiu was on his southern expedition.

In other words, isolating Jing and Yang was very likely Cao Xiu's original plan!
Wen Ping's move to the south was very likely part of the plan.

As long as we capture Qichun and Wancheng to its east.

Sun Quan's Jingzhou army, including his "ally" Han army, would then find it difficult to sail eastward to provide support.

In this way, Cao Wei's Yang and Xu armies could act freely on the local battlefield of Huainan.

Even if it's not enough to destroy the Wu Kingdom, we are quite confident that we can drive Sun Quan back to the south bank of the Yangtze River and take over all the land north of the river!

of course.

With Cao Xiu's crushing defeat and capture, this plan has failed.

The problem is, since it has already failed...

Why should Wenpin continue with the plan?
Mi Wei couldn't help but recall his earlier speculation about Zhang Liao's motives.

My instinct tells me that these two things are related.

If Zhuge Jin hadn't insisted that "the other units were all slow to arrive," Mi Wei would have already been mourning for that King of Wu of Wei.

Of course, it's still the same.

Second-hand information should not be fully trusted.

Separated by the Dabie Mountains, thousands of miles away, and the Jingjiang River, which flows eastward after summer, intelligence could only be relayed from other sources.

Who knows how much of it is true and how much is false?

However, Wen Ping and Jin Zong, who were in front of them, were only a step away from their own location in western Jiangxia, even though they were in Qichun County.

You can't help it.

After careful consideration, Mi Wei immediately summoned his subordinates to discuss military strategies in order to get rid of Wen Ping, this troublesome man, as soon as possible.

After some discussion.

Mi Wei decided to lead his army westward from Huarong and board Xi Hong's Han River fleet near the old city of Jingling.

Then they continued eastward down the Han River, joining forces with Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun's Jiangxia army at the Yangtze River.

This route will allow us to avoid the muddy and difficult-to-traverse lake and marshland on the north shore and reach the battlefield as quickly as possible.

However, this would mean that the Han army would have to enter Xiakou (Hankou), Sun Quan's only remaining military stronghold in northern Jiangxia.

This will inevitably require coordination between the two parties.

Therefore, Mi Wei simply dispatched Zhuge Qiao as an envoy to travel south to meet Zhuge Jin.

……

Not to mention how Mi Wei mobilized his troops and actively prepared for war.

Zhuge Qiao, carrying a set of paper copies of the "Fayan" and a box of "Mishi paper," boarded a boat at a ferry crossing in Jingling and sailed eastward down the Han River.

A day later, they arrived at Lushan City, near Xiakou.

It is worth mentioning that Xiakou often appears as a place name.

But in reality, as the confluence of the Han and Jiang rivers, this place is naturally divided into three parts.

Moreover, all three locations have fortified cities and strongholds.

They are:
Yanyue City on the north bank of the Han River;

Lushan City on the south bank of the Han River;

And across the river lies Xiakou City.

Among them, Yanyue City has the longest history and is a building that is half city and half fortress.

Huang Zu once garrisoned this place and fought against the Sun brothers for many years, but was ultimately defeated.

The Crescent Moon City also fell into ruin.

Lushan City, located on the opposite bank of the Han River, is better preserved due to its strategic location.

However, it had also fallen into disrepair over the years.

On the other hand, Xiakou City on the opposite bank of the river has recently been repaired by Zhuge Jin, the governor of Jiangxia (appointed by Sun Quan), and is gradually taking on the appearance of a fortified city.

After entering Lushan City, Zhuge Qiao intended to say hello before continuing his journey south across the Yangtze River to E County.

However, as soon as they entered the city, they saw a familiar face.

Zhuge Ke.

(End of this chapter)