The words of admonishment from Cao Cao Yan Pu ended.

Zhang Lu thought for a moment and already had the answer in his mind.

"However, Master Shi, I still suggest you act according to the situation. If you can rely on Yangping Pass to defend the strong troops, then you don't need to rely on anyone."

A series of words fell down.

Zhang Lu made up his mind and put all his hopes into Yangpingguan, the key place in Hanzhong.

And as Cao Cao has mobilized his troops to march south, the battle reports are quickly gathering in Bashu like a tide.

It has been in preparation for several months.

At this time, Liu Bei had just recruited tens of thousands of elite men who were going north to fight for Hanzhong, and had collected several months' worth of rations and other ordnance and logistical materials in Zitong County.

After hearing the news that Cao Jun went south.

Liu Bei knew that the moment of war was coming and could not delay it any longer.

It was also a moment when the mind was made up.

Send troops north immediately.

Immediately afterwards, he made the following arrangements.

He personally led his troops to go north to defend against the enemy.

Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Chen Dao, Wu Yi and other generals accompanied the army.

General Yangwu and the prefect of Shu County assisted him in military affairs.

The strategist general Zhuge Liang stayed behind in Chengdu to take charge of the overall situation and handle various affairs.

After that, the war situation in the Nanzhong counties was also considered.

We are worried that when the war breaks out, the Southern Barbarian tribes will rebel again.

Think about it.

Liu Bei appointed Li Hui, a local man, as the governor of Xijiang, stationed in Wei County, and in charge of the affairs of Nanzhong counties.

It also successively changed Yizhou County to Jianning County, abolished Yuejun County, and divided it into Jianning and the other two counties.

Lu Kai was appointed as the prefect of Yongchang, and Wang and his wife were appointed as the prefect of Jianning. They were responsible for assisting Li Hui in maintaining the management of the relationship between Han and barbarians.

He also ordered Meng Huo, who had a strong reputation among the Yi people, to take up a post in Chengdu.

Later, Li Yan was ordered to station in Jianwei County.

Arrange this item of affairs.

Liu Bei had just marched towards Baishui Pass with his main troops in high spirits.

Before departure.

Fa Zheng showed a serious look and solemnly offered his advice: "My lord, if you want to occupy the entire territory of Hanzhong, both Cao's army and our army will focus on fighting for Yangping Pass."

"This is the key to Hanzhong. If this place is not broken, we will never be able to enter the Hanzhong Plain."

These extremely firm words fell.

It also naturally established the combat intention of the main force heading north this time.

Fight for Hanzhong!

In an instant.

Following Cao and Liu, both sides were gathering in large numbers at Yangping Pass.

Suddenly, the entire land of Sichuan and Sichuan seemed to be caught in a turbulent situation.

The eyes of the world are gradually gathering here.

Yangpingguan seems to have become the center of the whirlpool.

When the main force of the Yizhou Army marched northward.

The other departments also took new actions accordingly.

General Huo Jun, who was stationed in Baishui and was always paying attention to the development of the war situation, took his troops out of the pass first and marched to Yangping Pass along the Daba Mountains.

Zhang Fei's troops were gathered at the border between Jiameng and Hanzhong, mobilizing the people to repair the burned plank road.

It is hoped that it can be built before the Yangping Pass is broken.

only.

The terrain here is so steep.

It’s easy to burn it down, but how difficult it is to rebuild it?

Even under Zhang Fei's personal supervision, the construction schedule was not slow.

But looking at its progress, it cannot be completed in a short time.

Watching all this.

Zhang Fei also looked as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

"Quick, quick, the war is about to break out. If the plank road to Hanzhong cannot be repaired, then our army will not be able to participate in the war to gain meritorious service."

Throughout the day, he appeared at the scene urging and encouraging.

With his knowledge, he naturally knew that this battle would definitely be a peak showdown with Cao Jun.

And his position is also extremely critical.

If Cao's army breaks through Yangping Pass first, then he will have to lead his troops to Hanzhong to resist Cao's army from engulfing the entire territory of Hanzhong.

But if the plank road cannot be repaired.

Then there will be no way to suppress the situation with a large army.

This move will delay the war effort, and may even affect the overall situation.

In terms of self-interest, if he cannot build the plank road, then he will station his troops in Jiameng, and I am afraid that he will not have much use in the next war.

Now Baishui, Jiangyou and Liangzhou are on the same line.

All the generals on our side had disputes with Cao Jun.

With Zhang Fei's competitive nature, how could he be willing to be second to others?

As day after day continues.

They went straight south from Wudu, and no one in the Di tribe along the way dared to stop the murderous Cao army.

Xu Huang and Lu Zhao's vanguard troops have advanced to the foot of Yangping Pass.

However, Xu Huang has always been cautious and calm, and did not choose to launch a strong attack on Guancheng when he first arrived.

Instead, they first chose a place to camp, and then sent out scouts to explore the terrain around Guancheng.

And he himself also personally led a group of personal guards and Lu Zhao to patrol outside Yangping Pass.

Arrive outside the Pass.

At a glance, I saw that the terrain on both sides was steep and the roads were narrow. Guancheng was built between two mountains, and the Han River passed through it.

It can be said that it is built close to mountains and rivers.

It is too difficult to break through this level by force.

"Alas, before we went south, the scouts kept returning to report to the army that Yangping Pass was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know that what they said is true!"

Xu Huang looked at the majestic pass standing between the two mountains and sighed sincerely.

After listening to it from the side road, he couldn't help but agree: "Yes, this pass is really a barrier that cannot be opened by one man. It is not an exaggeration to call it the barrier of Hanzhong!"

The two of them communicated while quickly scanning the surroundings.

After a while, before the defenders could respond, they left immediately.

Follow closely.

The scouts who went to investigate the surrounding areas returned one after another.

"Reporting to General Xu, according to the investigation of the little men, there are already Han soldiers stationed in the Beishan Mountains to the north of Yangping Pass. There are more than ten camps one after another, one after another."

"If our army attacks the key point directly, I am afraid that the enemy army will condescendingly attack our army from the flanks."

After the scout said this, someone else raised his hand and continued to report: "Yes, there are two mountains connecting the north and the south outside Yangping Pass. One side is to defend against threats from the north, and the other side is to guard against the Bashu land."

"These two mountains form the external defense line of Yangping Pass."

"This also makes Yangpingguan's defense indestructible!"

Between the words.

The scouts one after another truthfully reported the military information they investigated.

Wait for Xu Huang to listen.

He immediately tilted his head to discuss with Lu Zhao who was accompanying him: "General Lu, now that the prime minister has not arrived with the main army in person, it may be difficult for us and other front troops to conquer Yangping Pass alone."
To be continued...