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

Chapter 308 Arrangement of Troops
Wu Zhi knew that according to Sima Yi's original plan, victory would be achieved by waiting until Zhuge Liang ran out of food and retreated.

This is also the optimal solution for the battle situation in Hedong.

However, because the Han army suddenly came up with the idea of ​​selling salt in exchange for grain, and the salt they were selling actually belonged to the Wei army, the date of this victory had to be postponed again and again.

But as winter approaches and the rivers freeze over, both the army's logistics and the movement of merchants will be affected.

In addition, scouts discovered that the Han army's granaries were already mostly empty.

The plan, which had gone astray, has gradually returned to its original form.

And right now, Miwei's troops are indeed very frightening.

However, this is not enough to change the objective reality: the Han army's food supplies have dropped to a dangerous level.

This has a huge impact on morale.

So, wouldn't it be only natural to launch a counterattack while the Han army was exhausted and demoralized and the Wei army still had morale?

Wu Zhi was not unaware of this.

However, as Sima Yi's close comrade-in-arms, he also knew more details of military intelligence.

He frowned and said:
"Will that force from Henan really arrive in Anyi on time and join us in attacking the Shu bandits?"

Sima Yi was visibly taken aback upon hearing this.

But he quickly chuckled:
"Xu Yuanzhi is a hypocrite and a true villain."

"He knew that if I won this battle, he would be richly rewarded."

"On the contrary, others will not criticize him, but they will not give him any benefits either."

"Besides, his future and family are already deeply tied to the Great Wei. How could he possibly turn around and help Zhuge Liang?"

Wu Zhi nodded slightly, but still had concerns:

"And what about Zhang Junyi?"

Sima Yi acted without hesitation this time:

"With Xu Yuanzhi around, Zhang Junyi... has nothing to worry about!"

……

In the tenth month of winter in the first year of Jianxing.

The Wei army, which was stationed along the Shanjin-Dayang line, suddenly crossed the Zhongtiao Mountains to the north and rushed to the city of Anyi in a rapid march.

The battlefield east of the river, which had gradually quieted down due to the long-term standoff and the cold weather, has once again become bustling with activity.

This is not just because this group is operating under Zhang He's name.

It's not just because its military strength reached tens of thousands.

In fact, as early as when Zhuge Liang had just arrived at the Hedong battlefield, he had already learned from Guan Ping that more than 10,000 Wei troops had crossed the Yellow River from Shanxian County and headed north.

It was because of this matter that Zhuge Liang had to write a personal letter requesting Mi Wei to find a way to raise military provisions.

Therefore, the Han army had anticipated the existence of this force.

The unexpected part is...

With the arrival of this force, Sima Yi and Wu Zhi, who had been hiding in the camp, suddenly began to frequently venture out to challenge them.

Even the garrison of Anyi was not to be outdone, launching several night raids in an attempt to breach the Han army's camp.

All indications suggest that Wei's strategy has undergone a major shift.

They began to shift from defense to offense.

The reason is not hard to imagine.

Although the pass at the source of the Sushui River was occupied by Sima Yi's men.

However, the roads near the Yellow River channel remain open.

The inconvenience of transporting supplies did not mean that scouts could not communicate.

Therefore, the Han army quickly figured out that it was Mi Wei's troops who launched a surprise attack from the east, penetrating deep into Sima Yi's stronghold behind the city.

After confirming this crucial intelligence, veteran generals like Zhang Fei instead suggested a defensive strategy to maximize the casualties on the Wei army.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang once again displayed a tough stance, ordering all troops to immediately converge on Anyi and participate in the decisive battle against the Wei army.

Besides Zhao Yun and Feng Xi, who were tasked with guarding the passes and could not be moved easily, even Chen Dao, one of Zhao Yun's subordinates, was recalled by Zhuge Liang.

In an instant, 60,000 to 70,000 Han and Wei soldiers along the Sushui River, centered on Anyi, sprang into action.

They also resumed small-scale contact warfare in order to seize key battlefield points.

By mid-October, both sides had completed the troop assembly.

Among them, the Han army.

After fighting for half a year, Zhang Fei's troops had 15,000 to 16,000 men remaining. Zhuge Liang's main force had 5,000 men, and another 10,000 were transferred from various places, bringing the total to more than 30,000.

As for the Wei army...

After the initial losses, only two to three thousand soldiers remained in Anyi City.

The Hebei troops brought by Sima Yi and Wu Zhi spent most of their time guarding the pass, and their losses were not significant, with about 20,000 still remaining.

In addition, more than 10,000 soldiers from Henan who crossed the mountains from Shaanxi and Tianjin brought the total force to over 30,000.

The two sides are evenly matched.

On the day of the decisive battle, it was dark and there was no snow. Both sides chose to line up their troops on the south bank of the Sushui River.

This is no coincidence.

The Hedong Basin is divided into two sub-regions: the Yuncheng Basin and the Linfen Basin.

Between these two sub-basins lies the western spur of the Wangwu Mountains.

It is on the north bank of the Sushui River.

If the army were to deploy its troops in Subei, the terrain of the mountains would restrict both the deployment and movement of the army.

It is easy for opponents to target you.

Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and even Zhang Fei were all familiar with military affairs and understood their opponents.

Naturally, I wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

Not to mention that Anyi City is located on the south bank of the Sushui River, which is the focal point of this battle.

It's impossible to bypass this place and go to the other side of the river for a decisive battle.

But this does not mean that both sides have completely abandoned the North Shore area.

In fact, just before today's confrontation, both commanders coincidentally dispatched a force of 2,000 cavalry to occupy the strategic points on the north bank.

This is both to seize an opportunity to flank from behind and to prevent the opponent from flank from behind.

The Han army cavalry commander was none other than Guan Xing, the Tiger-General of the Central Army.

The Wei general was Hu Zun, a subordinate general promoted by Sima Yi.

"Zhuge Liang's eagerness for battle shows that Sima Qian's prediction was correct; the Shu bandits were ultimately running out of food!"

Looking across the river at the army formation stretching for miles, banners fluttered like a tide.

Hu Zun, participating in such a large-scale battle for the first time, couldn't help but feel high-spirited.

"The Shu bandits are eager to cross the river before they have a firm foothold in Guanzhong. Now that they have delayed for so long, once they suffer a major defeat, Guanzhong will surely be in chaos."

"At that time, our army will press on in victory and surely defeat Zhuge Liang, capture Liu Shan alive, and save the people of Guanzhong from their suffering!"

As he spoke, Hu Zun reined in his horse and looked west.

His hometown, Linjing County of Anding Prefecture, is located on the west bank of the Yellow River.

"Hedong is Guan's hometown."

Guan Xing raised his spear and slammed it heavily onto the ground.

“My father and brother fled to Henan for the sake of the king, and my brother-in-law General Wei risked his life in Hanoi, but I alone returned safely to my hometown.”

"If I cannot hold this place today, how can I face my father, brothers, and elders?"

"Everyone is destined to die."

"To die for the king, to die on one's homeland, what is there to regret!"

Those on either side responded in unison.

Guan Xing's face had already turned red.

"Don't underestimate the enemy."

Looking at Zhang Fei's formidable army formation, Sima Yi's expression turned solemn.

"Zhang Fei was fierce and brave. When charging into enemy lines, he always took the lead. Even Zhang Junyi had suffered a defeat at his hands."

"Although he is old now, judging from the position of his general's banner, he will probably still personally charge into battle... Ji Zhong!"

Wu Zhi shuddered upon hearing this.

But before the three armies, as a general holding the imperial staff, I could not show weakness, so I straightened my back and stepped forward, saying:
"Zhongda, just tell me your brilliant plan!"

Sima Yi: "It's not a brilliant plan, it's just that I've already seen through Zhuge Liang's weakness."

Before Wu Zhi could ask further questions, he directly gave the order:
"I don't expect you to kill Zhang Fei, but I ask that you hold him off until midday and prevent him from advancing to my main force."

Wu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Wouldn't it be enough to delay until midday?"

“Yes!” Sima Yi replied decisively.

"After that, if your troops are truly unable to defeat them, go across the river to the north and join Hu Zun."

"Until this point, we are only allowed to fight to the death, and no retreat is permitted... Can you do that?"

Wu Zhi thought for a moment and figured that Sima Yi wouldn't go so far as to harm him, so he obeyed the order and left.

After Wu Zhizhi left, he turned to Wang Jun, who had come to await orders, and said:

"Everyone says that General Zuo is a skilled warrior, so I won't interfere with his decisions."

"Have Xu Yuanzhi cooperate well with General Zuo and hold off Zhuge Liang's main force in front of the mountain!"

Wang Jun also obeyed the order and left.

"The Wei army that was carrying the banner with the character 'Zhang' on it had almost no flaws in its encampment, march, and formation; they were truly skilled in warfare."

More than ten miles away, Zhuge Liang, sitting high on the general's platform, looked eastward.

His face remained calm and composed.

(End of this chapter)