Although Zhang Song was executed, the situation of Cao's army suppressing the border would not change in any way because of Zhang Song's death. Liu Zhang then appointed Zhang Ren as general, Wu Yi, Leng Bao, Lei Tong, Wu Lan as deputy generals, and Huang Quan as military advisor.
, led an army of 40,000 to resist Cao Jun.
Liu Zhang heard that the number of Cao's troops was not too large, and hoped that Zhang Ren and others could take advantage of the dangerous mountains and rivers in Yizhou to expel all the enemies who would invade.
After Zhang Ren accepted the order, he was afraid that Cao's army would capture Jiange Pass, in which case Yizhou would be completely undefended. Zhang Ren, anxious, led his army in a hurry, and finally arrived at Jiange Pass before Cao's army.
Jiange Pass originally had 5,000 defenders, and with Zhang Ren's reinforcements, the number of troops in the pass now reached 45,000.
The news reached the ears of Gao Shun, the commander of Cao's army, and he couldn't help but sigh.
Although he tried his best to speed up the march, the mountain roads in Yizhou were difficult to navigate. Gao Shun finally arrived outside Jiange Pass nearly a day later than Zhang Ren. The local soldiers in Yizhou were used to marching on mountain roads, so they could not handle the speed.
Mountains and forests are obstacles, but Cao's army in the north is good at fighting on the ground, but they don't have that ability, even though almost all of the 15,000 soldiers are elite.
Although he captured Jiameng Pass with lightning speed, the number of defenders at Jiange Pass was three times that of Cao's army. In addition, Jiange Pass itself is a dangerous pass. It is impossible to capture Jiange Pass with his own troops.
Possible things.
In this regard, Sima Yi and Lu Xun, the two most important think-tanks in Cao's army, were also worried and had no good way to conquer Jiange.
After all, this is too difficult. Although Jiange Pass is not as tall as Hulao Pass, it is surrounded by mountains and the terrain is extremely steep. In terms of ease of defense and difficulty of attack, Jiange Pass is definitely higher than Hulao Pass. More than 40,000 people
The defenders are nestled in Jiange Pass. Without twice the strength, they will never be able to attack by force.
But let alone twice the number, Gao Shun's troops were only one-third of the opponent's.
If you can't attack by force, you have to outwit it, but it is said that Zhang Ren, the current guard of Jiange Pass, is a famous general in Shu, with both wisdom and bravery, and military counselor Huang Quan is calm and good at planning. It is extremely difficult to outsmart Jiange Pass.
Gao Shun was inevitably a little worried. Could it be that he underestimated the difficulty of attacking Yizhou?
But no matter what, there is no room for retreat now. No matter how difficult it is, Yizhou must be captured!
"If the attack on Jiange fails, Yinping..."
Gao Shun recalled the historical story of Deng Ai sneaking to Yinping and destroying Shu in one fell swoop.
Deng Ai only brought 3,000 soldiers, and successfully sneaked into Yinping, and then made a surprise attack all the way to Chengdu, frightening his lord Liu Chan to surrender immediately, thereby cutting off the Shu Han's kingdom in one fell swoop. Now that he has learned from the past, can he follow Deng Ai's example?
Woolen cloth?
However, the Yinping Trail is extremely dangerous and difficult to navigate, and it is not clearly marked even on Zhang Song's topographic map of Xishu.
Deng Ai mentioned to Zhong Hui that he would lead his troops to Yinping secretly. Zhong Hui praised Deng Ai on the surface as "this plan is very clever." But as soon as Deng Ai left, he immediately told others that Deng Ai was a "mediocre person" and criticized his plan.
Dismissive. It can be seen that it is extremely difficult to secretly travel to Yinping. Even Zhong Hui thinks it is impossible to achieve.
Whether he can successfully cross Yinping secretly? If he fails, not only will the soldiers' lives be ruined in vain, but he will most likely die in the Yinping trail.
Oh, when did he become so fearful? Gao Shun exhaled and his eyes gradually became firmer. He is now the Han Dynasty's Zhendong General, and he is also a world-famous general who is good at fighting! In terms of status, reputation, and ability
, I am no worse than Deng Ai at the end of the Three Kingdoms period. How could I not be able to do what he could do?
What's more, the 3,000 elite soldiers under his command are definitely stronger than Deng Ai's 3,000 soldiers. Deng Ai was able to sneak across Yinping with 3,000 soldiers and destroy Shu in one fell swoop. With these 3,000 elite soldiers, he
Naturally it can be done!
"Everyone, I have a plan..." Gao Shun told everyone his plan to sneak to Yinping.
"This plan is not good." Lu Xun was the first to express his opinion.
"It's too dangerous." Sima Yi added.
Other generals such as Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Zhang He also shook their heads to express disapproval.
"Although Yinping is dangerous, Yizhou's 40,000 troops gathered in Jiange. If I can't do it, how can I win Yizhou?" Gao Shun had expected that his plan was rejected, but Gao Shun was very disappointed.
It's about sticking to your own opinions.
"General, have you ever thought about it? If someone sets up an ambush of about a thousand people in Yinping, it will be enough to wipe out the general's entire army." Lu Xun advised.
If Yizhou cannot be captured this time, the worst thing is to make a comeback next time. Even if Yizhou is not captured, it has the credit of conquering Hanzhong and Jiameng Pass. Cao Cao will not criticize Gao Shun so harshly, so why risk his life?
To steal the Yinping?
With Hanzhong and Jiameng Pass, Cao Jun can attack Yizhou whenever he wants, but if his life is lost, he will not be able to resurrect. In Lu Xun's view, the sneak attack on Yinping was a narrow escape.