Qin Liang and others rode north along the valley, and soon saw fires in the village and thick smoke billowing into the sky!
The group of people followed the direction of the fire and rode into the rammed-earth village. They saw that the pavilion in the middle was already on fire. The smell of burnt wheat was still filling the air, and could be heard from time to time.
"Crackling" sound of wood breaking. The soldiers of the Wei army have occupied the village, but no one went to put out the fire. Once this kind of fire started, relying solely on the speed of drawing water from the well was probably a drop in the bucket. All we had to do was wait for the dige to be burned out, and the fire spread
to be extinguished.
People could feel the heat of the fire even at a great distance. In addition, when the sun came out in May, it was warm above the head, which made Qin Liang feel even more sleepy.
He hadn't slept well in the past few days. He was not only sleepy, but also felt very tired. Qin Liang did not go into battle to fight, except when he galloped his horse to encourage the soldiers, he drew his sword once, but the weapon was never unsheathed.
However, he has been thinking about things, estimating the loss of troops on both sides, the battlefield situation, etc., and his mind has been hanging on it; the fatigue caused by mental activities seems to be more tiring than doing heavy physical work!
Now Qin Liang just wants to find a place to lie down. But he estimates that he still can't fall asleep even if he lies down at this time! It was not easy to fall asleep before because of the huge psychological pressure, but now his spirit is in a state of agitation.
Everyone rode around the burning pavilion and headed north through the village. The open valley soon became much narrower.
Not long after, Qin Liang's eyes crossed the valley and looked into the distance. Jiange Pass and the continuous mountains where it was located had already come into view.
On the other side of Jiange Pass, the mountains on both sides form a
The word "Ya" is like two swords crossing here. This is probably the origin of the name of Jiange! The gate tower was built on the high ground in the canyon.
Qin Liang had personally seen the pass towers on both its north and south sides. The pass was indeed not big, and it was estimated that the 100 people stationed up and down the tower would be too crowded.
Its precipitous situation mainly depends on the terrain. The southern slope is not as steep as the northern slope at all. The key is that on the southern slope, the mountains on the west side are not cliffs, but an open slope.
At this time, many camps, fences and other facilities can still be seen on the slope, which should be the fortifications left by the Shu army, but at this time they have all been occupied by the Wei army soldiers.
At Jiange Pass, if you want to defend the attack from the south with inferior troops, it will be almost impossible to defend against it. Therefore, once Jiange Pass is opened, the Wei army comes to the south of Jiange Pass.
The pass that "one man can pass but ten thousand cannot open it" has lost its effect! The biggest uncertain factor in this war to defeat Shu has also disappeared.
The situation facing Qin Liang also opened up! Qin Liang stopped for a while and noticed that the valley here seemed to have turned into a vent. After the wind entered the valley, it turned into a southerly wind.
The south wind poured into a narrow valley ahead, and the wind became stronger. It carried the smoke from the fire and dispersed it visibly in the air.
The vague white smoke drifted down the wind to the southern slope of Jiangeguan. As the terrain rose, it also spiraled up the hillside.
The wind seemed to have become a visible thing, climbing up the majestic mountains! The faint noise of people and horses in the distance mixed with the sound of the wind, like a symphony of nature.
Qin Liang raised his head and felt the wind here. Suddenly, he saw a group of people approaching from the distance. Most of the people coming from the north were Chen Tai and others. They should have seen the feather flag beside Qin Liang.
After waiting for a while, Qin Liang turned his head and glanced at the fire in the south, and couldn't help but said to the subordinate officials beside him: "Jiang Wei hasn't given up yet! When Jiang Wei withdrew his troops from Hanzhong County, all the Guancheng mansions in Micang Mountain were We didn't have time to burn it, but this time we burned down the Jiange Pavilion." Everyone agreed,
"The general is right." The tired and agitated mood made people impetuous. Qin Liang took a deep breath and tried his best to calm down!
The situation is very good, but the strength of the Shu Han army has not been too seriously affected. The war is not over yet, so the anger in my heart cannot be completely relaxed yet.
We still need to play steadily and take every step correctly until we achieve final victory! Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a pity if such a good situation were to go wrong in an accident?
After a while, the group of people from the north gradually approached. Sure enough, it was Chen Tai and others, as well as City Gate Colonel Wang Jun, General Wang Hun, the military counselor, and Chinese Army Generals Wang Jinhu and Pan Zhong.
People had different expressions. They all turned over and dismounted, bowed to Qin Liang, and saluted with respect: "General!"
"Meet the general..." Wang Jun's voice was a little strange.
"I've been in Jiameng Pass these days, it seems like I've spent years! We finally meet again today, and I'm overjoyed." Qin Liang looked at Wang Jun and said calmly: "Since Jiange Pass is closed, Shizhi should congratulate you. "When several people heard this, they all paid their respects one after another: "Congratulations, General, for overcoming the dangerous pass of Jiange!" Zhong Hui's voice said: "This surprise attack by the General is truly unprecedented and eye-opening!" Wang Jinhu also sighed. He sighed: "When I arrived at Xing'an Pavilion, Zhongming had already set off via the Western Han River. This battle is really admirable, but when we return to Luoyang, your uncle can't blame me for not trying to dissuade Zhongming?" Qin Liang thought to himself He said, the most dangerous time has been passed anyway, why bother to look back?
Now that I bring it up again, I feel a little scared when I think about it! He looked around and showed a forced smile: "Everyone has tried to persuade me, but I can't help it." Everyone could only laugh along with him.
Qin Liang turned his head, pointed to the fire in the south and said: "The headquarters of the front army's central army is on the south side of the village, but we can't focus on gathering to celebrate for the time being. Jiang Wei withdrew on his own initiative, and his army was not defeated. , given time, the troops and horses can regain their fighting strength; there must be reinforcements in the rear of the Shu Han, but due to the short time, they could not reach Jiange Pass in time." Pan Zhong's voice said: "Once Jiange Pass is broken, the Shu Han army will not be able to stop the enemy. General!" Qin Liang said: "The main force of the Shu army is an army capable of conquering and fighting, but we should not underestimate the enemy too much. The officers and soldiers of the front army Zhongba camp, Hanzhong army, Liangzhou army and so on are tired and need to rest and recuperate on the spot, arranging for the injured. Soldiers. Governor Chen gathered his troops first and followed me to pursue Jiang Wei." Chen Tai clasped his fists and said, "I obey the general's order!" Qin Liang looked at Wang Jinhu and said, "The soldiers of the Xiaoqi battalion under Third Uncle must also cross the Jiange Pass as soon as possible. "Wang Jinhu clasped his fists and said seriously: "Here!" Qin Liang looked at Pan Zhong: "Where is Zhang Meng?" Pan Zhong bowed and said: "Go back to the general, he is still behind, and has not passed Jiange Pass." Qin Liang said: "You and me. Zhang Meng also brought the troops over." Pan Zhongyi said: "Yes!" Qin Liang looked at Chen Tai and said: "Uncle Xuan's troops were the first to pass through Jiange Pass. There is no need to stop after going south, and they immediately marched to Huangbai Avenue. , Hande County." Chen Tai said: "I will obey the general's order." Qin Liang's eyes slowly swept over the generals and stopped on Wang Jun's face.
"After I lead my army to the south, I will leave behind a group of elite soldiers from the right camp of the Zhongba camp, plus some garrison troops from Yongliang, under the command of Shizhi. Shizhi will be responsible for garrisoning the Jiangeguan Valley to ensure the supply of our army's food, grass and baggage. Clear the way." Wang Jun immediately took the order.
Wang Jun, the captain of the Chengmen School, had no experience in leading an army in combat, and he was not given many troops. Among them, he only had a man from the Right School Army of the Zhongba Camp, which had good combat capability.
However, the main force of the Shu Han army is near the Jinniu Road at this time. Qin Liang will lead his army to follow along the Jinniu Road today to keep an eye on the main force of the Shu army. In addition, the only army that can threaten Jiange Pass is the enemy in the direction of Langzhong. military.
Therefore, there is no need for too many people to stay here. What's more, Qin Liang has just watched. The reason why Jiange Pass is dangerous is for the troops coming from the north. If the invading enemy is from the south, Jiange Pass will not be so dangerous.
The Shu army wanted to retake the Jiange Pass in order to strangle the Wei army's stronghold, but it is no longer realistic! At this moment, the voice of General Wang Hun said: "The Shu Han has lost the Jiange Pass, and the country must be in panic. Servant I would like to serve as an envoy to Chengdu and persuade the monarchs and ministers of Shu to surrender." When everyone heard this, they all looked at him sideways.
Qin Liang also immediately turned back to look at Wang Hun, and saw Wang Hun's eyes just swept over Wang Jun. Wang Jun's background was not good enough. He had made many meritorious deeds in recent years. Just now Qin Liang asked Wang Jun to guard important areas. Maybe Wang Hun looks a little jealous?
Qin Liang said casually: "This kind of thing is very dangerous. Don't take it too seriously when the two armies are fighting without killing each other." Wang Hun cupped his hands and said: "Since I serve the general, I should give up my head! Besides, the general leads the army to suppress the situation. The kings and ministers of Shu Han dare not anger the general." Qin Liang took a step slowly beside the brown horse and said: "The leader of Shu Han should not be willing to kill the envoys, but if Xuanchong and others are caught by Jiang Wei, then he will not It's easy to say, the possibility of being killed is very high! Xuanchong may not know some trivial matters, I have killed Jiang Wei's envoy!" Wang Hun pondered for a moment and said: "I chose a few Hanzhong people with Yizhou accent as my followers and pretended to be fleeing. How about the common people sneaking into the vicinity of Chengdu first, and then going to see the leader of the Shu Han Dynasty?" His relative Zhong Hui also advised: "A few strong men can easily be exposed even if they are disguised. At this time, Zitong, Fu County, Mianzhu is in the hands of the Shu Han army. On the way to Chengdu, no matter how detour you take, you will definitely run into Shu officials, soldiers and civilians; while Jiang Wei is on the front line, Xuanchong may still fall into Jiang Wei's hands." Qian Qian Si Ku, all officials are well. He gave Wang Hun a few words of advice.
After hearing this, Qin Liang said decisively: "The time is not yet ripe to send envoys, Xuan Chong will wait for now." Wang Hun should have listened to the advice, so he stopped insisting and bowed: "I obey the general's arrangement." Qin Liang exhaled, nodded and said: "Now is not the time to reminisce about the past. Everyone should return to the army and perform their duties according to what was just agreed upon!" The generals bowed and said goodbye.
Qin Liang said goodbye to everyone, took the reins, and got on the horse again. He turned the horse's head and led his followers back to the Chinese army station.
However, Wang Hun's previous idea was quite interesting. Qin Liang immediately called Wang Hun again, slightly changed the plan, and asked Wang Hun to implement it.
Pick two or three clever Hanzhong garrison troops and let them pretend to be fleeing civilians and disperse to Chengdu. If they successfully sneak into Chengdu city, they will go to see Xiahou Ba... tell Xiahou Ba that even Xiahou Xuan is fine; his son-in-law Yang Hu, He also has a good relationship with General Qin Liang.
If he is willing to help persuade Liu Chan to surrender, he can atone for his crime! If Xizuo does not see Xiahou Ba, he can temporarily hide in Chengdu as a refugee.
It was still some time before the Chinese army set off, so Qin Liang chose a tile-roofed house to rest in the station. As expected, he couldn't sleep during the day.