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

Chapter 278 Xu Yuanzhi is truly a strategist of state.
pat!

Zhang He kicked over the tables in front of him and stormed off.

Sima Yi stared in disbelief, seemingly too angry to utter a sound.

Shortly afterward, someone reported that Zhang He went to the military camp to muster his troops, saying he was going to Tongguan to meet the enemy and receive the emperor. This angered the emperor so much that he cursed Zhang He on the spot, saying that Zhang He was recklessly using troops and ruining his overall situation.

However, Xiahou Mao saw this and couldn't help but feel a little confused.

It is clear that Sima Yi misjudged Zhuge Liang's methods, or rather, Liu Bei's arrangements for his own future.

The Wei army in Guanzhong was already in a precarious situation; what was the point of talking about the overall situation?

But why is this Sima Gong, who claims to be the emperor's confidant... putting on an act to provoke Zhang He into heading south to Tongguan?
It should be noted that the emperor entered the pass from Hongnong, and Tongguan was a necessary passage.

Conversely, if the imperial carriages were to be protected, Tongguan would be the most important fortress.

This was destined to be the focus of the Han army's subsequent attacks.

The pressure and responsibility they bear are immense.

Could it be...

Just as Xiahou Mao was pondering this in his heart, Sima Yi suddenly turned his head to look.

At that moment, Xiahou Mao felt a chill, as if he were being watched by a vicious wolf.

My hands and feet started shaking involuntarily.

But seeing the suspicious look on Sima Yi's face, he could only suppress his unease and speak:

"The Left General disobeyed orders. As the Emperor's military supervisor, why not punish him according to the law?"

Sima Yi then lowered his eyes and sighed:

"General Zhang is renowned for his bravery and fierceness. If I forcibly bind him, I fear it will damage the morale of the troops and be even more detrimental to the overall situation!"

"Indeed, Liu Bei was cunning, going so far as to fake his death as the ruler of the state... Speaking of which, when you were in Chang'an, did you find out what illness Liu Bei had?"

When Xiahou Mao heard that the other party still characterized the matter as "faking death," he realized something.

He then deliberately feigned hesitation and said:
"They said they haven't had any water or rice for many days."

"However, after Zidan's death, the situation suddenly became chaotic. I then fought and retreated, and had no time to inquire about Liu Bei's movements..."

Sima Yi's gaze sharpened slightly, and he suddenly bowed, saying:

"The general personally covered the rear of the army, which can be described as brave and valiant!"

Xiahou Mao felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

But his hands and feet stopped shaking, and he bowed and said:

"Maokong has loyalty and courage, but lacks military strategy and wisdom. Whether the imperial carriage and the royal army can be saved depends entirely on Lord Sima!"

Sima Yi immediately beamed with joy: "General, you flatter me!"

……

Zhang He regretted it as soon as he left the camp.

But it wasn't out of fear of war.

As he himself said.

His generation of generals followed Cao Cao in his campaigns, and what kind of grand scenes hadn't they witnessed?
He was only concerned about the large number of knights under his command.

Taking the route through Pubanjin to the relatively open area east of the river would be more suitable for cavalry to maneuver and maneuver.

However, taking the Tongguan Pass into the Xiaohan Pass would inevitably put one at a disadvantage.

But having already made that gesture, they couldn't bring themselves to back down.

We had no choice but to continue heading towards Tongguan.

A day later, Zhang He successfully arrived at the foot of the pass.

To his surprise, Guan Ping's Han army only reached the foot of Mount Hua before stopping.

They didn't even try to seize Huayin County north of the mountain.

Zhang He immediately deduced that Guan Ping's troops were likely responsible for a feint attack to distract the enemy.

This further suggests that the main direction of the Han army's attack should be along the Linjin City-Pubanjin line.

Thinking about it this way, heading south actually meant escaping danger sooner?

In any case, consolidating the fortified city first is always the right thing to do.

Zhang He entered Tongguan that very night.

At this moment, the emperor's messenger from Hongnong behind them finally arrived.

He was an official from Hedong Commandery named Wang Jun.

He was a subordinate of Xu Shu, the Commandant of the Capital Region.

Wang Jun: "General of the Left, the Emperor has issued a warning: Guanzhong is a strategically important and fertile land, and once lost, it is difficult to regain."

"I will soon arrive at Tongguan to oversee the three armies. All generals should do their utmost to protect Chang'an and not worry about its safety."

Upon hearing this orally dictated imperial admonition, Zhang He was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

The good news is that the current emperor is, after all, the son of the late emperor, and still retains his fighting spirit, so he won't cower in the face of battle.

The bad news is that this fighting spirit came a little too late.

He then spoke frankly to Wang Jun:

"Please return to the Emperor immediately. Chang'an has fallen, Cao Zidan is dead, and although Liu Bei is dead, his influence remains. The enemy is now overwhelming, and Guanzhong is beyond recovery. We must hold the river to the death in order to preserve Luoyang!"

He had expected the young state clerk to be shocked and bewildered upon hearing this.

However, the latter only paused for a moment before continuing:
"Before I set off, Xu Sili asked me to pass on a message to the general."

"If it is impossible, we should prioritize the safety of our soldiers." "With the wealth of Guandong, and by combining the strength of You, Bing, Ji, Qing, Xu, Yan, Yu, and Huainan, we can still support an army of 200,000."

"If we try to divide Sun and Liu, make good relations with Liaodong and the Northern Hu, and then ally with Wu to resist Han, we may be able to continue to compete with Liu in the future."

"Lord Xu has already prepared enough ferries at Xijin and Shanjin to pick up the army as it returns eastward at any time!"

Zhang He remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Only after Wang Jun took his leave did he sigh:

"He considered defeat before victory; Xu Yuanzhi was truly a strategist for the country!"

"Tell him that Zhang will not fight recklessly, but Sima Zhongda is still in Guanzhong, so the situation will not be so dire."

Wang Jun responded and withdrew.

In the following days, Zhang He did his utmost to strengthen the defenses of the pass.

After Guanzhong changed hands, Tongguan became the gateway to block the Han army from entering Luoyang.

Back when Han Sui and Ma Chao led 100,000 troops from Guanzhong to rebel against Cao Cao, Cao Ren held firm here, buying precious time for Cao Cao's reinforcements to arrive.

Zhang He followed Cao Cao into Guanzhong during that battle and was well aware of the strategic value of this formidable pass.

Don't dare to relax at all.

During this period, scouts continuously reported on the movements of the Han army.

It is said that Guan Ping's troops were clearly marked, their camps were well-organized, and there was no sign of slackening.

But they stopped attacking eastward.

They seemed determined to keep an eye on Zhang He and Cao Pi from here.

Zhang He, having already gone this far, decided to go all the way.
He then ordered the garrison at Huayin to drive wooden stakes and set up rope barriers on the Wei River and the Cao Canal (Guanzhong Canal).

This was to prevent the Han army from using it to penetrate the river channel.

This also serves to provoke the Han army into taking action.

However, after Guan Ping discovered the Wei army's plan, he withdrew directly from the Hongnong Commandery.

They retreated westward all the way to Zheng County, which was under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhao Yin (the Prefect of the Capital), before finally stopping.

Now Zhang He was in a bit of a dilemma.

He had just asked Wang Jun to tell the emperor that the Shu bandits were coming with great force.

As soon as Wang Jun left, Guan Ping retreated immediately.

Doesn't this make Zhang He look like the one who's afraid to fight and doesn't want to advance?

I was torn about this for several days.

Seeing that Tongguan was almost secure, Zhang He could no longer sit still and decided to personally lead a contingent north to explore the route.

After all, to protect the Heluo region, simply defending Tongguan Pass is not enough.

At the very least, we must also block Pubanjin upstream to prevent the Han army from escaping into Hedong.

Logically speaking, if Sima Yi had no intention of fighting to the death in Guanzhong, he would either have retreated to Linjin or already reached Pubanjin.

It was just in time for his men to cross the river.

However, Zhang He traveled north all the way until he reached the outskirts of Linjin City, but he still could not find Sima Yi and Xiahou Mao.

On the contrary, a large number of Xianbei knights gathered in this direction.

Zhang He immediately sent someone to make contact and soon learned that they were men from Kebineng and Suli's tribe.

The two men stated frankly that after the Han army received reinforcements from the Lushui Hu tribes who marched south, the number of cavalry alone had exceeded 30,000.

Without the support of the Wei army, they were no match for the combined Han and Hu forces.

They are currently out of food and are requesting Zhang He to provide some provisions to tide them over.

Zhang He, of course, did not believe it.

It wasn't until Kebineng personally delivered Sima Yi's letter that the Xianbei were allowed to stay and hold off the Han army until the Wei army had all crossed the river before they were allowed to retreat.

Zhang He was so angry he laughed.

Although it was only a matter of time before the army withdrew to Hedong.

But you, Sima Yi, can't just run away without firing a single arrow!
Shouldn't we at least put up a fight in Linjin?
Do you really expect the Xianbei people to be loyal and devoted to defending the borders for the Great Wei?

Despite his anger, at present, apart from the Xianbei people, there was really no one else in Guanzhong or Hexi (as opposed to Hedong) to lend him.

He then ordered the garrison of Linjin to move half of the city's grain and fodder out.

Giving it to the Xianbei people is better than letting the Shu bandits benefit from it, isn't it?
That night, Zhang He summoned the leaders of various tribes and personally discussed how to prevent the Shu bandits from crossing the river.

The Xianbei people received the provisions and were all smiles; they were all very easy to talk to.

Zhang He, confident in his command of elite troops, had no suspicions.

He let the Xianbei people camp on the outskirts of the city, and then led his troops into the city to rest.

The next day, at cockcrow, just before dawn, the sky was about to brighten.

Suddenly, the sound of thunderous hooves came from outside the city.

Zhang He, thinking the Han army was attacking, quickly donned his armor and went into battle.

However, just as they reached the city walls, in the faint light of dawn from the east...

But then they were shocked to see the various Xianbei tribes that had originally camped below the city.

They had already broken camp and headed east.

Not a single piece of armor left.

(End of this chapter)