July is coming soon. Autumn is approaching, the weather in Luoyang is still very hot, and it should be similar in Guanzhong.
The Empress Dowager Guo was in the east hall of the Tai Chi Hall early in the morning and accepted the audience of hundreds of officials. There is such etiquette in every New Year's Eve, and she usually does not talk about business. The Empress Dowager Guo did not return to the harem immediately, but stayed in the administrative room on the east side for a while.
The people from the Department of Books came in with some memorials in their hands.
When she saw Changqiu's visitor, Zhang Huan, beside her, she asked casually: "Are the soldiers and horses on the Western Front setting off in early July?"
Zhang Huan bowed and said: "General Wei entered Luo Valley these days."
Of course Queen Mother Guo remembered the time, but she just deliberately used a questioning tone.
She then turned to look at the back window opposite the door, and saw that the sun had just risen next to a palace, as if hanging on the double eaves. Although there was a palace blocking the way here, the terrain was flat and open, which must be completely different from the scene in Qinchuan.
different.
Queen Mother Guo has never been to Qinchuan, but she has heard people talk about it, and she still has some psychological shadow about that place.
At first, she really thought that Qin Liang died in the high mountains, with no bones left!
But this time, Queen Mother Guo still did not stop Qin Liang from leading troops back into Qinchuan. After all, this matter was Qin Liang's own initiative. Of course, she could not deliberately hold back because of fear of danger.
What's more, in today's world, those who really do great things are all involved in the military. This is true for the people of the Sima family, and the same is true for the distant ancestor Cao Shuang.
Just after the Battle of King Qin, Queen Mother Guo hoped that Qin Liang could take power, but the time was indeed far from mature at that time.
Empress Dowager Guo remembered that she had a secret discussion with Qin Liang about the matter at that time. Qin Liang's view was that it would be necessary to destroy the country; but to this day, as long as Hanzhong can be captured, the prestige is not small. This battle is very crucial! It will definitely change the political structure of the government.
.
Queen Mother Guo knelt down behind the desk and opened the bamboo slips, but she still felt flustered and didn't read a single word. She sighed secretly and could only remind herself that she had no other choice but to calm down and wait for the result.
... Troops and horses on the Western Front actually started dispatching at the end of June.
The one who set off early was Deng Ai's army. As the vanguard, in addition to repairing some roads, the key to Deng Ai's army was to occupy the favorable terrain of Xingshi Mountain.
Qin Liang's men and horses have only set off in batches in the past few days. The main force took the Tangluo Road, and the partial force took the Ziwu Road on the east side.
Where Jiang Wei did not break the siege, it was difficult to make any progress on the old road (Baoxie Road) and Chencang Road; Qin Liang only used garrison troops as a feint to attack, but he probably could not deceive Jiang Wei.
For example, the exit of Baoxie Road is called Jigu. The mountain is very steep and you have to walk on a plank road. As long as the nearby Baozhong City sends some Shu troops, the road can be blocked; there is basically no hope.
But no matter what, at least the internal situation of the Wei army this time was better than that of Cao Shuang's attack on Shu.
I don’t know the strength of forwards Deng Ai and Guo Huai because they have never played against each other. But Deng Ai is obviously more reliable against Qin Liang than Guo Huai against Cao Shuang.
Even though there were Wang Jinhu, Wang Shen and other members of the Wang family in the army, Qin Liang and the Wang family had reached some consensus. At this time, the court was in a delicate balance, and the internal conflicts did not escalate to the level in Cao Shuang's era.
As long as Qin Liang wins the Battle of Hanzhong, he can break this balance and occupy a more favorable position. What's even better is that after breaking the balance, he can quickly reestablish it!
Because the results of this battle can strengthen the auxiliary status of the three families, which is beneficial to everyone.
This is a rare opportunity, whether it will work or not depends on this time!
Otherwise, if he continues to wait like this, before his grandfather Wang Yanyun dies of old age, Qin Liang must continue to carefully maintain the relationship and guard against accidents. When Wang Ling, who is in his seventies, dies, because Qin Liang's status is not without controversy, the moment of power change may There will also be risks.
Therefore, neither Du Yu Yanghu’s admonition nor clan brother Asu’s reminder swayed Qin Liang’s decision!
The army has crossed the Wei River, and countless people and horses are heading south along the road. Qin Liang and others are riding horses and climbing up the slope.
Although there are slopes, the terrain at this time is generally very flat, especially looking to the northwest, it is almost endless. The terrain on the south bank of the Weishui River has a "plain" like a ladder. Every time you go up a slope, the terrain becomes higher. Therefore, when people look back at the road, their sight is wider than on the plain.
Not long after, a continuous black shadow suddenly appeared in the south. From a distance, it looked like black clouds on the horizon! The terrain at the northern foot of Qinchuan was indeed abrupt, and Luogukou seemed to be right in front of us.
After seeing the Qinling Mountains, it took most of the day to walk there, and the army entered Luo Valley the next day.
When he first entered the mountainous area, Qin Liang was still a little unaccustomed to it. There were rolling mountains on both sides, which gave him a strong sense of oppression. He really didn’t like going into valleys, and especially resisted fighting in ravines. Because of some uncontrollable factors that were not combat effectiveness, it was different from those on the plains. Compared with the scene of fighting for strength, there is more uncertainty.
However, the section just arrived at Luo Valley is actually very easy to walk. The road follows the river valley, which is relatively spacious, has a small height difference, and there is no shortage of water sources. Apart from the different scenery, it is not much different from marching on the plains.
After walking through the valley for tens of miles, you will have to climb mountains and the road will become narrow.
On the Luogu section of the plank road, on this section of the road, the army marched in a winding formation, with no end in sight, like a long snake.
After walking on the mountain road for another two days, Qin Liang and others arrived at the southern foot of Taibai Mountain and arrived at a place called Dudu Gate. On the south side of Taibai Mountain, a spacious valley stretched from east to west, and the terrain suddenly became clear!
However, the Tangluo Road does not follow this large valley, but passes through it and continues southward into the ravine.
Qin Liang ordered to set up camp and repair in a spacious place overnight before continuing to move forward in the morning.
The group left the camp and walked west along the valley for a while. Qin Liang stood in the valley and looked at the familiar valley, which immediately brought back memories.
"The place where I led my troops to stop Fei Wenwei was right in front." When Qin Liang stopped the horse, he looked back and said with emotion.
Zhong Hui's voice immediately praised: "Five hundred versus fifty thousand, General Qin really uses his troops like a god!"
Qin Liang turned around and said: "The key lies in the terrain. If Shi Ji has the opportunity to go over and take a look, he will know what's going on."
Moreover, Fei Yi's army should not have had 50,000 troops; but because Qin Liang only had 500 troops, there was not much difference between blocking 50,000 troops or 20,000 troops. There was also a time limit for blocking and waiting for reinforcements. In fact, Qin Liang only resisted for two days. , almost died in the ravine!
Zhong Hui sighed: "It is not easy to judge accurately whether Fei Wenwei will come or which way to take."
When Qin Liang heard this, he couldn't help but look sideways and said: "That's exactly it."
Zhong Hui probably hasn't led troops yet, but he does have knowledge about military matters.
At this time, Qin Liang took something from the baggage on the horse and took out a general map. While looking up at the valley in front, he found the marked position on the map. "Judging from the trend of the mountains, Fei Yi must have been there back then." Along the Xushui River in the west, take the trail to the north. The Shu army followed the Xushui River Valley and detoured eastward back to the Tangluo Road. There were actually four roads in total."
Qin Liang pointed ahead, "This is the northernmost road, and it's also the best way to go."
Then he looked at the large mountain range to the south. There were many mountains in it, each one higher than the other. He suddenly thought of Mrs. Lu again. The place where he met Mrs. Lu was in that mountain range.
Time is indeed a very magical thing. Qin Liang recalled carefully that when he first met Mrs. Lu, he didn't have much feeling, and he was just thinking about how to save his life. But as time went by, and he recalled the scene of the accidental encounter at the beginning, It has some more nostalgic meaning.
It's like two people driving down the road together. I even felt a little bored at the time. However, as long as time ferments and I return to that road again many years later, I may start to miss the simple things and the people around me back then.
Qin Liang was silent for a while, and finally calmed down, and continued: "At the southern foot of the big mountain range in the south, there is a ravine that can be inserted into one side of the Tangluo Road. But I sent someone to see it before, and there are thick bushes. The road is inaccessible, so we need to clear the way first.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Zhong Hui and Wang Shen came over to look at the map. But this map is an overall map, and the terrain cannot be seen, it is just marked.
Qin Liang turned around and pointed to the entrance of the Tanluodao Valley in the south, "Tomorrow we will go into the mountains again. It will take about two or three days to walk to Huayangji. Huayangji is also a relatively spacious place. The remaining two paths lead to the ravines of Huayangji."
When he said this, he looked around and glanced at the faces of the subordinate officers and generals.
Zhong Hui asked: "General Qin wants to set up military strongholds on the four roads to prevent the enemy from sneak attacks on the grain roads?"
Qin Liang nodded and said: "There are two main places, one is here and the other is Huayangji. In the valley south of here, only one or two hundred people need to build fortifications in the narrowest place to completely block the road."
Zhong Hui curiously looked at more maps in Qin Liang's bag and said, "The terrain of Qinchuan is huge. Could it be that the general has seen it all and is sure that there are only four small roads that can lead to a sneak attack on the grain road?"
Qin Liang nodded without hesitation: "That's true. Some mountains are so continuous that it is almost impossible for the army to cross them, and it takes too long. As long as you understand the trend of the mountains near the road, you can summarize the situation."
He thought for a while and then said: "In the southern section of Ziwu Road in the east, there are also small roads that can intersect with the Tangluo Road. However, we have a partial division on the Ziwu Road. Once they march to the Golden Valley, it will be impossible for the Shu army to intersect with the Tangluo Road from the Ziwu Road. Luo Dao."
Zhong Hui nodded and said thoughtfully: "The general uses his troops very quickly, but I think that the general's tactics are often more prudent and prudent, and this is also the case."
Qin Liang responded with a smile, without comment, and then generously picked up the baggage: "If Shi Ji is interested, just take it and take a look."
Zhong Huiquan smiled and said, "Thank you very much."
At this time, Qin Liang's eyes stayed on the face of a young man and asked: "Is this Ma Xiaoxing (Ma Long)?"
Ma Long said, "Long pays homage to General Wei. I followed General Xiaoqi to Guanzhong."
Qin Liang immediately decided: "My name is General Pan. I will transfer two thousand soldiers to your command to guard the two roads on the north side."
Ma Long immediately responded: "I will definitely not make any mistakes!"
Qin Liang continued: "After our army marches to the vicinity of Baozhong City, the Shu army will no longer be able to take the Xushui Trail. At that time, Xiaoxing can lead his army south and join the army in battle."
Ma Long cupped his fists and said, "Here!"
Qin Liang turned back again and glanced at the mountains to the south. Of course, he couldn't see the thatched hut and quiet room here. He then looked north at Taibai Mountain, but the terrain here was too low and he couldn't see anything. He then exhaled.