flstandardbreds Chapter 181 Liu Bei Stations Troops at Wuzhangyuan
Chapter 181 Liu Bei Stations Troops at Wuzhangyuan
From the moment he was ordered to support Guanzhong, Zhang He's future was deeply tied to the safety of Guanzhong, so the defense of Guanzhong was definitely something he had to worry about.
Zhang He didn't want to end up losing Guanzhong instead of Longxi; wouldn't that be incredibly awkward?
Zhang Ji explained, "General, rest assured, if Liu Bei really feigns an attack on Guanzhong, he will only take the Chencang Road and the Baoxie Road. As long as we defend Chencang and Mei County, the Shu army will not be able to get through."
"I have already set up hidden sentries on Chencang Road and Baoxie Road. As soon as the Shu army appears, the sentries will immediately report it."
"As for Tangluo Road and Ziwu Road, they are not suitable for large-scale troop marches at all. The possibility of the Shu army passing through them is very small. However, in order to prevent small groups of Shu troops from infiltrating, I have built fortified villages and strongholds at strategic locations on both roads. If attacked, even if the garrison in the strongholds is no match for the Shu army, they can hold out for a few days until we send troops to support them."
Zhang He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and continued to ask, "What about Chencang and Mei County? Have they sent troops to support them?"
Zhang Ji laughed and said, "Don't worry, I have ordered Generals Hao Zhao and Wang Jing to lead 5,000 troops to guard Chencang. If Chencang is attacked, their abilities are enough to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"Meixian is even less of a problem. Don't forget that Meixian was fortified by Dong Zhuo, and its city defenses are no less than those of Chang'an."
Mentioning Dong Zhuo, the generals' expressions all turned strange. They never dreamed that they would be able to benefit from Dong Zhuo's position as Grand Tutor in their lifetime.
When Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang and retreated to Guanzhong, the first thing he did upon arriving in Chang'an was to send people to Mei County to build Meiwu. He also moved all the gold, silver, and grain he had plundered to Meiwu, intending to retreat there and wait to die when the allied forces attacked and he was no match for them.
There were rumors that the grain stored up in Meiwu was enough for twenty years. Dong Zhuo's storage of so much grain clearly indicated that he planned to stay in Meiwu for the rest of his life. However, before the allied forces could attack, the poor Grand Tutor Dong was stabbed to death by his eldest son.
Zhang He knew that Mei County's defenses were strong, but he still said, "Even the strongest defenses need people to guard them. We are facing Liu Bei, so we can't let our guard down just because the defenses are strong."
Zhang Ji laughed and said, "General, rest assured, after the meeting, General Fei Yao will personally return to Mei County to take charge. I have also transported a year's worth of grain to Mei County. Even without reinforcements, Mei County can hold out until the end of the year."
"Even if Liu Bei really breaks through Mei County and marches on Chang'an, I'm still here. I will personally guard Chang'an. Even if I mobilize the people to defend the city, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. I will never be like Zhang Zhao, whose Chang'an was easily stolen by the Shu army."
"Hahaha..." The generals burst into laughter upon hearing this. Zhang Zhao's loss of Jianye had become a joke in the Central Plains. While they laughed at Zhang Zhao, they also took it as a warning.
After everyone finished laughing, Zhang Ji said, "Go and prepare. If you need anything, let me know and I will take care of it."
The generals bowed and took their leave, but before they could even leave the palace, they heard someone outside shout, "Report..."
The generals, about to cross the threshold, turned around in unison and returned to their original positions.
Just as he stood still, a messenger rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee before Zhang Ji, and said, "Lord Shi, the Shu army has appeared on Baoxie Road and has now reached Jigu."
Although the generals had anticipated this, they were still taken aback when they heard the confirmed news. Zhang Ji asked impatiently, "How many men are there in the Shu army, and who is leading them?"
The messenger replied, "Judging from the flags, there are at least fifty or sixty thousand men. Liu Bei is personally leading the troops, and the flags of Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Quan, Ma Chao, Wei Yan, and others are all there."
Upon hearing this, the generals all gasped in shock. Any one of these men could keep them up at night, and now that they were all coming together, not only they, but even Cao Cao would have to be on high alert.
Du Xi frowned and said, "Fifty or sixty thousand troops should be the main force of the Shu army, right? And Liu Bei is personally leading them. It doesn't look like a feint attack at all."
"Do you think Liu Bei might know that we know his intention to feign an attack on Guanzhong to seize Longxi, and that he might do the opposite, trying to lure our main force to Longxi before launching a full-scale attack on Guanzhong?"
The generals hesitated collectively, saying, "This..."
Don't tell me, it's really possible.
You have to choose between Guanzhong and Longxi, each with a 50% chance of success. If you choose the wrong one, you're doomed.
Zhang Ji was somewhat undecided and looked at Zhang He, saying, "Junyi (Zhang He's courtesy name), what do you think?"
Zhang He frowned and pondered for a long time before saying, "No, if it were really a feint attack on Longxi to launch a main attack on Guanzhong, Liu Bei should have appeared only after the fighting in Longxi started and all our troops had arrived there. We haven't even gone to Longxi yet, and the big-eared thief has already appeared in Jigu. This is clearly not logical, and the order is wrong."
Zhang Ji frowned and said, "Junyi's words make sense, but there is still a problem. Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Quan, Ma Chao, and Wei Yan have all appeared in Jigu. If the Shu army really attacks Longxi, who will lead the troops?"
“This…” Zhang He fell into self-doubt.
Although the Shu army had many generals, there were actually very few who could lead troops independently. Guan Yu was in Jiangdong, while Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, and Wei Zhongxian were all in Jigu. The Shu army truly had no generals who could lead troops independently.
It couldn't possibly be Huang Zhong, could it? I heard that old man is so ill he's barely clinging to life, he can barely get into bed, let alone go to the battlefield.
Who could it be, Zhuge Liang?
It's even more impossible. Zhuge Liang was a strategist similar to Guo Jia. He was good at devising strategies and handling government affairs, but leading troops into battle was a bit of a departure from his expertise. If Liu Bei really wanted to focus on attacking Longxi, how could he possibly entrust his elite army to such a newcomer?
It's important to understand that Liu Bei didn't have that many troops for Zhuge Liang to practice with.
As everyone frowned in worry, Sima Yi spoke up, saying, "The Shu army still has a great general who is fully capable of taking on the responsibility of commanding troops."
Everyone asked in unison, "Who?"
Sima Yi replied, "Guan Yu's eldest son, Guan Ping, is a calm and composed man with the demeanor of a great general. He has also participated in the Northern Expedition with Guan Yu and encountered the Wu army's encirclement and suppression in Jingnan. His ability, experience, and prestige in the army are all beyond question. With Zhuge Liang accompanying him to assist him, he will have no problem leading the army into battle."
Upon hearing this, all the generals' expressions changed, and they couldn't help but sigh, wondering how they could have forgotten about this kid.
They were all focused on the first generation of the Shu army and didn't pay attention to the second generation. It was only after Sima Yi reminded them that they remembered Guan Ping was the leader of the second generation of the Shu army and was definitely capable of taking on the heavy responsibility of leading troops on his own.
Zhang Ji stared at the messenger and asked, "Does Liu Bei's army have any banners with the character 'Guan' on them?"
The messenger shook his head.
Zhang Ji then asked, "Are you sure Liu Bei's army has fifty or sixty thousand men? Are you sure it's not just a show of force by raising many flags?"
"This..." The messenger was unsure. He hadn't gone into the Shu army to count them carefully, so how could he give an accurate number?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji made a decision and immediately said, "I judge that the main direction of the Shu army's attack is still Longxi. Junyi, you should follow the plan and support Longxi. I will stay in Guanzhong. If the judgment is wrong, I will bear all the responsibility."
"Yes..." The generals bowed and took their leave.
As they left the main hall, Zhang He said to Cao Zhen, “General Cao, if the Shu army wants to attack Longxi, they can only take the Qishan Road. The exit of the Qishan Road is Xixian. If the Shu army wants to enter Longxi, they must take Xixian. Similarly, as long as we hold Xixian, we can block the Shu army in the Qishan Road and prevent them from advancing an inch. Do you understand?”
Xixian County belonged to Tianshui Prefecture and had another name, Lucheng.
Cao Zhen nodded and said, "This subordinate understands."
Zhang He said, "The garrison in Xixian is small, and I'm afraid they can't hold it. You should immediately send a messenger with an urgent message to Tianshui Prefect Ma Zun to send reinforcements to Xixian. Then lead 5,000 troops as the vanguard and rush to Xixian to provide support as quickly as possible. I will arrive shortly after."