In April 200 AD, the fifth year of Jian'an, Liu Zhang gathered a large number of troops outside Chengdu. After some impassioned speeches, he vowed to march north to Hanzhong.
Liu Zhang personally led Taishi Ci, Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Zhang Ren, Gao Shun, Wu Yi, Pan Feng and nine battalions of 75,000 soldiers and horses, as well as 30,000 barbarians under the command of Zhu Meng, Fengya, and Wu Gu to go out to the expedition.
The four top wise men Xun You, Lu Su, Liu Ye and Pang Tong are the masterminds!
After Liu Zhang was ready to go north, he, together with Huang Zhong and Wu Sheying who were stationed at Yangping Pass, sent troops north to Liangzhou.
This is the first battle of the Yizhou Liu Zhang Group after five years of silence. The momentum, scale, and number of troops mobilized are no less than the much-anticipated Battle of Guandu!
Liu Zhang's main battle soldiers this time exceeded 100,000, and the number of civilians who fully supplied them also exceeded 100,000!
The entire Yizhou is like a huge machine, which has been fully operational under Liu Zhang's order.
Grain and grass from all the prefectures and counties in Yizhou are being shipped crazily by land and water, with only one destination, Hanzhong!
The news that Liu Zhang had entered Hanzhong with an army of 100,000 people spread like wildfire, instantly making all the princes in the world tremble.
Everyone couldn't help but have a question in their hearts. Could it be that the sleeping tiger finally woke up? Is he about to reveal his claws to the world at this moment?
After two months, Liu Zhang led his army to Yangping Pass. In order to save time, he had no intention of going to Nanzheng.
After two months of crazy transportation, the granaries in the frontline counties of Hanzhong County have long been full, and now the grain inventory exceeds five million dan!
The transportation has not been completed yet, and food from all over the country is still pouring into Hanzhong like crazy.
With the overall control of the Chamber of Commerce, the state pastoral office can easily detect the overall food reserves, which is enough to meet the needs of the people for a year.
With such a complete logistical guarantee, Liu Zhang's army could conquer Liangzhou for three years without having to worry about food and grass issues.
Yangping Pass could no longer accommodate such a large army, so Liu Zhang stationed all his troops and horses ten miles outside the pass.
Liu Zhang had never seen a joint camp of hundreds of miles, but at this moment, the joint camp was tens of miles away, and it was very easy to get lost while standing in the camp.
In the commander's tent of the Chinese army, Liu Zhang gathered all the military advisers and generals to discuss the specific strategy of advancing the army.
"Everyone, now that our 100,000-strong army has sent troops to the north, everyone's attention in the world has shifted from Guandu to Hanzhong!"
"The Battle of Guandu, in everyone's eyes, is a battle without any suspense, because Yuan Shao's strength is several times that of Cao Cao!"
"But I want to tell you that Yuan Shao will be defeated! Cao Cao will eventually defeat the strong with the weak! And we are just like Yuan Shao now. If we are careless, we will undoubtedly repeat Yuan Shao's mistakes!"
"We have deployed almost all our strength in this battle. All generals must move forward bravely. Never underestimate the enemy or underestimate any enemy!"
All the civil and military personnel stood up and assured Liu Zhang with firm eyes.
"We will obey your Lord's orders!"
Hearing the determination of his subordinate Wenwu, Liu Zhang waved his hands with satisfaction, and his serious expression faded away.
"Okay, everyone, please sit down first."
"This battle is a time to show the world the results of our Yizhou Group's five years of hard work. It is also the most important step for us to strive for world hegemony and revive the Han Dynasty!"
Liu Zhang stood up on his own initiative and pointed to the map behind him.
"Our purpose this time is also very clear, to occupy Yongzhou and Liangzhou, and then completely occupy Guanzhong! Follow the example of Emperor Gaozu when he established the Han Dynasty, and once again restore the glory of the Han Dynasty!"
Liu Zhang's voice was full of pride and ambition, which made people's blood boil, as if these states and counties were already under their control!
"Lord, give the order, I will be the first to be the vanguard!"
Dian Wei stood up, stretched his palms into the air, and clenched them loudly.
After years of recuperation, Dian Wei has long been waiting for it!
"When evil comes, sit down first and don't be anxious! You will fight the battle naturally!"
Liu Zhang looked at the four military advisors, who were also the four most important wise men in this Northern Expedition.
"Gongda, Zijing, Ziyang, and Shiyuan, I have already stated the overall strategic direction. Now it is up to you to carry out detailed planning."
The four men beside him are the top wise men in the world, both strategists and tacticians. Liu Zhang will not be as headstrong as Yuan Shao.
"..."
The result was completely different from Liu Zhang's imagination. He thought that the four people would express their opinions, but unexpectedly they all sat in silence.
Is it mutual humility?
Liu Zhang never believed that the four of them were helpless against the situation in front of them. They couldn't be at the end of their rope before they sent out troops, right?
"Shiyuan, tell me!"
In fact, these four people were indeed showing humility to each other, and the one who least wanted to take the initiative to speak was Pang Tong.
Pang Tong had just joined Liu Zhang's command not long ago, how dare he steal the limelight from these seniors.
"Lord, I'm..."
Pang Tong hesitated, looking at Xun You, Lu Su, and Liu Ye, and hinted to Liu Zhang that they should speak first.
Liu Zhang pretended not to understand what Pang Tong meant and instead glared at him.
"If you have any ideas, just say it. Don't look forward or backward! Have you forgotten how you taught Huo Jun a lesson?"
Pang Tong was extremely embarrassed. Now that the words had reached this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet.
First, he walked to the center of the big tent, gestured with his hands, and then walked to the side of the map.
"Generals, the dangerous place in Hanzhong County has the Qinling Mountains as a natural barrier, but on the other hand, the natural barrier has also become a huge obstacle to advancing troops."
"Now that the rivers have changed their course, the transportation of grain and grass can only rely on civilians. Therefore, even if we have a mountain of grain, we cannot afford uncontrolled consumption. Therefore, we cannot fully adhere to the strategy of steady advancement."
Liu Zhang couldn't help but smile in his heart, he was indeed Pang Shiyuan, he seemed to have liked taking risks since he was a child!
"Please see, there are four roads in Hanzhong leading to Guanzhong. The end of Chencang Road can lead directly to Chencang, but there is Dashan Pass as a barrier. The Tangluo Road can lead directly to the Wei River from Tanggu and Luogu. However, the road is extremely difficult and dangerous. The army
It is difficult to pass. The Ziwu Road can go directly from Hanzhong to the foot of Chang'an City. Although the road is the shortest, it is winding and difficult to travel. There is also a Baoxie Road, which leads directly to Yi County out of the Xie Valley."
"There is only one Qishan Road from Hanzhong to Liangzhou. It goes out of Yangpingguan, passes through Wudu County, and then passes through Qishan to reach Tianshui County."
Watching Pang Tong explain the terrain so seriously, Liu Zhang felt a lot of comfort.
Pang Tong, who had never been to Yizhou before, was able to understand the main channels between Hanzhong and Guanzhong so well, so he must have put in a lot of effort in the past few months.
However, Pang Tong intended to shift his primary target from the land of Yongliang, so Liu Zhang quickly warned him.
"Shi Yuan, my idea is to attack the land of Yongliang first, and then use Yongliang as the foundation to gradually encroach on the land of Guanzhong."
Pang Tong nodded and immediately understood what Liu Zhang meant.