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

Chapter 260 Zhang He's Withdrawal from the Three Campaigns
Six or seven thousand well-organized Han cavalrymen launched a surprise attack on the flat ground.

The disorganized Xianbei cavalry dared not approach and harass them.

Not to mention a head-on confrontation.

However, the Xianbei people did not come to cause trouble.

Instead, Zhang Fei took the initiative to order Zhao Yun and Wei Yan to deploy on the two flanks and drive the Xianbei people eastward as much as possible.

This is to reduce the threat to the supply lines behind them.

The effect is, of course, immediate.

But it only lasted for a short time.

As Jiang Wan had previously analyzed for Zhang Fei.

The Xianbei people of this era largely inherited the nomadic warfare tactics of the early Xiongnu.

When there is an advantage, they gather like birds; when there is an disadvantage, they scatter like clouds.

Unless Zhao Yun and Wei Yan maintain a constant posture of driving them away.

Otherwise, the Xianbei people would eventually be able to sneak behind the Han army cavalry and harass their supply lines.

But Zhang Fei could no longer consider the long term.

The army made its raid a day later.

Zhang Fei ordered Zhao and Wei's troops to move closer to his central army.

He personally led the charge and conquered the small town west of Huaili in one fell swoop.

That town was also known as Xiaohuaili.

It was the new seat of Fufeng County after Yang Fu moved people from Wudu County in Longnan to Guanzhong.

Before Zhang Fei marched north out of Dasanguan Pass this time, he had been concurrently serving as the Prefect of Wudu under the Ji Han dynasty.

From this perspective.

This battle finally brought an end to the "disagreement" over the seat of Wudu County.

From then on, only Wudu County remained as the capital of the entire country.

Of course, at present, the gain or loss of a small town has no fundamental impact on the overall war situation.

It merely provided Zhang Fei's small force of about ten thousand men with a temporary foothold.

The key is the subsequent attack on Zhang He's troops.

Wei Yan had already had a brief encounter with Zhang He three years earlier during the feigned attack in support of the Guanzhong region, and was familiar with Zhang He's temperament.

Upon arriving at Xiaohuaili, he spoke frankly to Zhang Fei:
"Zhang He was a veteran general under Cao Cao, capable of discerning changes on the battlefield, skilled in deploying troops, and able to assess changing circumstances."

"Seeing our army's fierce advance, he may not come out of the city to meet the enemy."

"If he chooses to defend the city, what can the general do?"

Zhang Fei's gaze towards Wei Yan was rather complex.

Strictly speaking, there were some "old grudges" between the two.

After the victory in the Battle of Hanzhong, everyone thought that Zhang Fei would become a general stationed in Hanzhong.

Even Zhang Fei himself thought so.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei surprisingly promoted Wei Yan to the position of General in charge of Hanzhong and appointed him as the Prefect of Hanzhong.

Instead, Zhang Fei retreated to the Ba County, which was located in the second-line defense zone.

I was quite depressed for a while.

Now, times have changed, and Zhang Fei's reputation has surpassed Wei Yan's.

Naturally, they wouldn't hold grudges over old scores.

But deep down, there's an inevitable competitive spirit.

So he raised his whip and pointed to the great city to the east, saying:
"When Zhang He left the city, I defeated him outside the city."

“If he doesn’t leave the city, I will destroy both the people and the city.”

Wei Yan was immediately astonished:

"General, are you perhaps planning to have these six or seven thousand knights dismount, carry soil to fill the moat, and then swarm the city like ants?"

Zhang Fei sneered:

"Why dismount? Just have a thousand or so brave soldiers ride down to the city walls and hurl fire arrows inside."

"The winter snow is far from melting, and the dry climate here is perfect for fire attack."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan was even more astonished.

He also pointed to Huaili City to the east and said:
"This city is the seat of Fufeng County. Its walls are high and strong. Ordinary cavalry archers and crossbowmen shooting upwards from below the city walls would probably only be able to reach the top of the walls, not enough to burn down the houses inside the city."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei turned his head, looking impatient.
How will you know it can't be done if you don't try?

Wei Yan finally realized what was going on.

Zhang Fei was actually unhappy with his questioning.

Or to put it more bluntly, Zhang Fei was unhappy with him personally.

As a general, Wei Yan certainly had a temper.

He immediately turned his head to the side and scoffed:
"This humble general is of limited talent and lacks strategic acumen, so I will refrain from going into battle and making a fool of myself. I will simply watch from here as the general's thousand cavalrymen capture the city in a magnificent display!"

Snapped!
Zhang Fei cracked his whip and spurred his horse back to camp.

Wei Yan's face darkened, and he spurred his horse and rode away. The stalemate continued until midnight.

Suddenly, a deafening battle cry erupted from the east side of the two Han army camps.

The two generals were completely bewildered and rushed out of their camp one after the other.

But the fortified city, which had been under strict defense during the day, was now engulfed in flames.

A large number of Wei soldiers fled the city.

Someone, covered in smoke, jumped directly into the frozen river.

Most fled eastward.

Without a doubt, this county town, which had caused so much trouble for the two of them and was the last stronghold west of Chang'an, was about to be reduced to ashes at this moment.

It was no longer possible to stop the Han army's advance on Chang'an.

The two men stopped their horses on one side and remained silent for a long time.

It wasn't until a banner bearing the character "Zhao" was slowly revealed before his eyes that he realized what was happening.

It turns out that Zhao Yun took advantage of their quarrel to seize the city first!

Compared to Wei Yan, who joined during the Jingzhou period, Zhang Fei undoubtedly had a better relationship with Zhao Yun.

Ignoring the fact that the other party hadn't recognized my command, I stepped forward and asked:
"How did Zilong burn the city? Could there have been an inside agent within the city?"

Wei Yan also looked at Zhao Yun with curiosity.

Zhao Yun said calmly:

"There were no spies; we simply used crossbows to fire arrows into the city while the enemy was off guard at night."

As he spoke, he turned around and pointed to a crossbow behind him that was half a meter long and looked like a bed.

"Over the past two years, Mi Shishan and Zhang Junsi have been working in Jingzhou to improve and refine bows and crossbows, making many improvements. Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, who is known for his ingenuity, often communicates with the two through letters, and they have both benefited from each other's work."

"The 'Yuanrong Crossbow' used tonight was made by the Prime Minister."

"This crossbow is inconvenient to transport, but its advantage lies in firing ten arrows at once. If we were to use fire arrows instead, we could set houses ablaze in an instant. It would be perfect to use it tonight."

"The former prime minister, fearing that the war would be prolonged, specially ordered someone to transfer this crossbow to our department."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei and Wei Yan reacted differently.

Wei Yan spoke first this time:
"Does Zilong mean that the Prime Minister also thinks our advance is too slow?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun's gaze deepened, and he said in a solemn voice:
"The Prime Minister showed no intention of urging us to hurry."

"When I received this batch of new crossbows, I heard that he was going to Hanshou to meet the Emperor, and afterwards he would go north to Hanzhong with His Majesty to oversee the battle."

"If the war goes well, he may lead his entourage through the Baoxie Road into the pass."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned serious.

Both the emperor and the prime minister were to enter the pass.

No one understood this better than the three generals.

The pressure suddenly increased.

Zhang Fei is undoubtedly under the most pressure. Urgent question:

"Have you caught Zhang He yet?"

Zhao Yun's expression changed:
"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"The reason the burning of the city went so smoothly tonight is not only because we caught them off guard, but also because Zhang He wasn't even in the city!"

Was Zhang He not in Huaili City?
Zhang Fei and Wei Yan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then Zhao Yun speculated:
“Although our three routes rushed for a whole night, Zhang He must have received the news long ago because we drove away the Hu cavalry in unison.”

"If one lacks the resolve to hold firm, one can simply flee in time."

"But as a general in Guannei, his resolute departure must have been at the behest of Cao Zhen or even Cao Pi."

"I fear that the Wei army has ulterior motives."

Upon hearing this, both Generals Zhang and Wei showed thoughtful expressions.

Zhang Fei's primary objective in this raid on Huaili was to defeat Zhang He's Wei army.

The next step was to capture Huaili City.

The former has higher military value than the latter.

Because once the main force of the Wei army is defeated, the remaining cities and the Xianbei people can all be taken over.

Conversely, as long as the main force of the Wei army remains intact, no matter how many cities are captured, this war cannot be considered a victory.

This is the significance of the decisive battle between the main forces.

After a moment, Zhang Fei looked up at his generals and said:

"Regardless of what the Wei people are planning, now that the imperial carriage is about to enter the pass, we must quickly consolidate the four borders of Fufeng to prevent the Wei soldiers and Hu cavalry from disturbing the imperial carriage."

"Zilong, your troops continue sweeping north to the northern mountains. Don't let the Xianbei people have any opportunity to take advantage of this!"

"Wen Chang, your troops will head south and continue the attack on Hu County, and also keep Weinan under control!"

The two generals solemnly accepted their orders.

Because of the righteousness and affection of welcoming Liu Bei into the pass.

At this moment, all the generals temporarily put aside their personal grudges and grievances.

(End of this chapter)