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

Chapter 271 Divide the enemy
The arrival of the spring and summer rainy season brings numerous benefits to the Wei army.

First and foremost, it allows for the maximum utilization of the convenience of river transport, providing a continuous supply of resources to Chang'an.

Half of the Xiaohan Pass between Guanzhong and Luoyang follows the Heluo Waterway.

The saying that "eight rivers surround Chang'an" is not just a figure of speech.

Secondly, the natural waterways can be used to separate the various units of the Han army as much as possible, creating opportunities for a future counterattack.

Could this convenience also extend to the Han army that had already entered the pass?
The answer is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Because apart from Zhao Yun's Longyou army and Guan Ping's Jingzhou army, the main force of the Han army, the Yizhou army, entered Guanzhong via the Shu Road.

This means that logistical supplies also have to travel through the Shu Road.

Among these, Baoxie Road was the widest and most unobstructed, and was known as the "flat road" by people at the time.

However, flatness is only relative.

This route generally extends north and south along the Baoshui and Xieshui (Wugongshui) rivers.

However, the river channels are treacherous and narrow amidst the vast Qinling Mountains.

In many places, people have to build plank roads on the cliffs to get around.

The boardwalk is prone to damage once the rainy season arrives.

If it goes wrong, it will affect the transport of supplies for the Han army.

This, in turn, affected the Han army's ability to sustain combat operations.

As the attacking side that has come from afar, the logistical pressure must be greater.

The newly acquired land in Guanzhong has undoubtedly delayed spring planting this year.

The idea of ​​"obtaining food from the enemy" was merely wishful thinking.

Therefore, for the next year, the Han army that had already entered the pass could only rely on Hanzhong and Shu in the rear to supply its military needs.

However, Guo Huai, or rather Cao Zhen, considered more than just these factors in determining the outcome of the battle.

As mentioned above, the Han army was actually divided into four major legions to enter the pass and fight.

The four-pronged advance certainly caused the Wei army in Guanzhong to be exhausted and unable to cope, as they were left with only the left and right sides to defend, resulting in them being unable to attend to all aspects.

However, objectively speaking, this also led to a situation where the Han armies became independent and responsible for their own logistics after the start of the war.

In fact, it wasn't just after the start of the war.

Over the past few years, it has been a well-known fact that Zhang Fei controlled Longnan, Zhao Yun controlled Longyou, Wei Yan controlled Hanzhong, and Guan Yu, his father, son and son-in-law controlled Nanyang and ruled Jingzhou.

This situation of each fighting their own battles could naturally be kept under control and prevented from escalating into chaos while Liu Bei was alive.

But what happens after Liu Bei dies?

And isn't the reason why our side is betting on Liu Bei's death this time precisely for this benefit?

Didn't Cao Zhen previously use the rabble of Wang and Zheng's troops to test whether Zhuge Liang could truly control Wei Yan?
So after a thorough deliberation, Guo Huai quickly caught up with Cao Zhen's line of thought.

As expected, after Cao Zhen finished laughing, he said bluntly:

"To break through the artillery formation, we must first divert the defending troops as far as possible."

"Currently, Zhao Yun is tied up by the Xianbei people north of the Wei River, while Zhang Fei and Guan Ping are tied up east of the Ba River."

"Apart from Liu Bei's central army, only Wei Yan's force is the strongest."

"Our spies have discovered that Wei Yan's baggage is mainly distributed in Wugong and Huxian."

"Because he currently has to take extra care of the consumption of Liu Bei's central army, he has recently moved a large amount of grain and supplies to Hu County, which is closer to Chang'an."

Cao Zhen paused slightly.

"Guo Boji, Lord Guo, I'll give you two thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry. Can you hold off Wei Yan for two days?"

"Three days!" Guo Huai added more difficulty to his task without saying a word.

"If Wei Yan cannot be held in Hu County for three days, there is no need for the general to use military law; I will die on the battlefield to repay the emperor!"

"Great! That's satisfying!"

Cao Zhen laughed heartily, and then personally wrote out the transfer order and handed over the military tally.

After Guo Huai handed over the reins, he suggested:
"The only way to quickly destroy hundreds of artillery pieces is by burning them."

"There is some lamp oil stored in the old palace of Chang'an, which was originally intended to supply the ever-burning lamps in various temples and mausoleums. I will go back and order someone to transport the lamp oil to the general's camp to help with the fire!"

During this period, Cao Zhen also observed the Han army's artillery formations and knew that the Han army had certain fire prevention measures.

Hearing this, he was naturally overjoyed.

……

After the disastrous defeat in Longyou, Guo Huai remained depressed in Guanzhong for many years.

He had always longed to avenge his previous humiliation. But Liu Bei and his ministers never gave him any chance.

Sometimes Guo Huai couldn't help but think, if the late emperor had passed away a few years later, how could the Shu bandits have been allowed to run rampant like this?
Fortunately, Liu Bei, whom even the late emperor feared, is finally going to die.

Guo Huai finally got his chance for revenge.

Cao Zhen's strategy, to put it bluntly, was a plan to divide the enemy.

It's not particularly clever.

The main point was to exploit the enemy's vulnerability caused by Liu Bei's impending death.

In short, with everything prepared, Guo Huai traveled upstream from Chang'an, advancing on foot and cavalry, heading straight for Hu County.

However, it seems that fate played a little joke on him.

When his troops arrived at the border of Fufeng County, a spring rain came unexpectedly.

The light rain of early spring was not enough to stop the army's advance.

In particular, Guo Huai was rushing behind enemy lines at breakneck speed, and naturally could not stop because of this.

The problem lies in the fire attack strategy.

The Han army had already covered those hundreds of wooden frames with fireproofing.

If the skin gets wet from the rain, it will be difficult to dry completely without three or four days of sun exposure.

If the soil isn't completely dry, the effectiveness of the fire attack will be greatly reduced.

Guo Huai's forces were essentially there to create a window of opportunity for Cao Zhen to break through and ignite the artillery formation.

All actions must then revolve around that final fire.

Upon realizing this, Guo Huai had no choice but to immediately stop setting up camp.

They even recalled the scouts who had already advanced to the border of Hu County.

To avoid alerting Wei Yan's men too early and letting him discover the flaw.

However, this puts Guo Huai in a very awkward position.

They had just escaped the cover of Cao Zhen's troops in Chang'an, but had not yet fully entered the designated combat zone.

Behind them, on the north bank of the Wei River, Zhao Yun's troops were still active.

If they are not careful, they could be surrounded by the Han army from both sides.

It was even more dangerous than the battle in Longyou back then.

It was like walking on thin ice.

But this time, luck seemed to be on Guo Huai's side.

Zhao Yun's troops, separated by a river, either failed to notice Guo Huai marching on the south bank, or were preoccupied with the roaming Xianbei people.

According to scouts, Zhao Yun's banner has been moved to the vicinity of Qi County on the upper reaches of the Jing River.

It's two or three hundred miles away from here.

Although Guo Huai couldn't understand why Zhao Yun suddenly ran so far away.

But thanks to this, the rain stopped two days later, and the sky cleared up for another day.

Guo Huai's forces remained untouched by any attacks.

Guo Huai knew that his good luck wouldn't last forever.

They gritted their teeth and persevered through another night, then quickly set off again under clear skies, heading towards Hu County once more.

Just as Guo Huai's infantry approached the county town and set up camp, the vanguard cavalry had already engaged in battle with the Han army's knights.

As time went on, the Han army commander probably finally realized that a Wei army force had suddenly cut in from behind.

Reinforcements from the direction of Chang'an arrived one after another.

By the morning of the second day, the Han army's reinforcements had surpassed Guo Huai's forces.

At this point, Guo Huai hadn't even had time to launch an attack on Hu County.

They barely managed to stabilize their position.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Attacking Hu County was not his primary objective.

In the afternoon, a huge banner with the character "Wei" was clearly displayed under the bright sun.

Guo Huai, who was already surrounded and had been suppressing his emotions for several years, was now trapped in a tight encirclement.

A long-lost, unrestrained smile finally appeared on his face.

Wei Yan, as expected, was drawn over!
(End of this chapter)