(On the last day of April, your monthly vote will be invalid if you don’t vote. Captain, I’m asking for your vote last, thank you)
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the river breeze was mixed with a bit of heat and humidity.
More than hundreds of warships are taking advantage of the wind to sail against the current of the Han River.
Yan Liang stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the green mountains on both sides of the river in the distance, his eyebrows slightly narrowed, and a hint of murderous intent flashing in his calm eyes.
Behind them, hundreds of warships carried nearly ten thousand elite Jingzhou athletes, various siege equipment, and hundreds of thousands of grains.
In addition, there are more than a hundred empty ships.
Obviously, this was a large-scale expedition.
The fleet had left Xiangyang for several days, and it had just left Yin County in the early morning, which was hundreds of miles away to the north of Xiangyang.
The Han River originates from the Qinling Mountains, and its upper reaches can be traced back to Hanzhong. This water system goes eastward from Hanzhong, passes through the counties of Shangyong and Fangling, then returns south and downstream through Jingzhou, and finally merges with the Yangtze River.
All the officers and soldiers in the army knew that this time they would go out to conquer the three counties of Shangyong, Fangling and Xicheng that refused to surrender.
These three counties were originally subordinate to Hanzhong. In the early years when Zhang Lu separatized Hanzhong, due to geographical reasons, the three counties gradually broke away from Zhang Lu's rule, forming a separatist trend led by Shen Dan and Shen Yi.
Although these three counties bordered Nanyang, they had very few troops and few generals, so they could only protect themselves, so Yan Liang had not taken action before.
Half a month ago, Yan Liang, as the shepherd of Jingzhou, wrote a letter to brother Shen Dan and ordered his brother to surrender to the three counties and send his children to Xiangyang as hostages.
The Shen brothers refused to obey the order, so Yan Liang became furious and decided to personally lead the army to conquer.
"Cao Cao and Liu Bei are no match for our lord. What the hell is this guy named Shen? He dares to disobey orders and refuse to surrender."
"That's right, the man named Shen is really a coward. When we attack the three counties this time, we will definitely cut off the heads of his brothers and present them to the lord."
…
On the deck, the soldiers were talking privately, and their fighting spirit was very high.
It's no wonder that after experiencing the victories in the Central Plains, the officers and soldiers of the Yan family have built up strong self-confidence and respect Yan Liang like a god. Who dares to disrespect Yan Liang? They volunteered to go through fire and water for Yan Liang to teach those who disobeyed.
disciples.
"My lord, the fighting spirit of the soldiers is very strong. Looking at this western expedition, the three counties will definitely be defeated."
The veteran Huang Zhong beside him sighed with confidence.
Yan Liang glanced at Jia Xu on the other side. The two principals and ministers exchanged glances and each smiled secretly.
…
The boat was moving faster and faster, and half a day had passed before I realized it. Village houses gradually appeared on both sides of the bank in front of me.
Yan Liang raised his hand and pointed far away and asked: "Old General Han Sheng, what is the boundary ahead?"
Although Huang Zhong has lived in Jingnan for a long time, he is still from Nanyang. He spent dozens of spring and autumn years in Nanyang when he was young, and he knows the topography of Nanyang counties very well.
Huang Zhong looked up into the distance and recalled in his mind for a long time, "Ahead of us should be Jun County. This county is the intersection of Dan River and Han River. After passing this county and following the Han River to the west, you can enter Shangshan in a few days.
Within the realm of mediocrity.”
"Hmm."
Yan Liang was thoughtful, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Then pass the order. The whole army will rest in Jun County tonight, and then we will march westward tomorrow morning."
Yan Liang's order made Huang Zhong feel a little suspicious.
He raised his head and glanced at the sun. It had just passed the zenith at this time, and he still had half a day to travel. To stop at the shore to rest so soon seemed to delay the march too much.
Huang Zhong then said: "My lord, it's still early in the morning, so I'm afraid it's too early to rest now. It's better to continue westward. The general estimates that we can reach Wudang County at the western end of Nanyang County by dusk, and it won't be too late for the army to rest there."
"The soldiers have worked hard all the way and are not in a hurry. At this moment, please pass on the order and rest here in Jun County." Yan Liang said disapprovingly.
Yan Liang's order was passed down, and Huang Zhong couldn't say anything more, so he had to follow the order.
In a short time, the order to dock for rest was quickly spread throughout the army.
Half an hour later, the fleet sailed into Junxian County, and more than ten thousand soldiers disembarked from the ship and set up camp.
After hearing the news, the county magistrate of Jun County hurriedly led the squires from the county to come to work for the army with wine, meat, fruits and vegetables.
Yan Liang personally met with the officials and gentry of a county, inquired about the people's livelihood, and explained the purpose of this western expedition to these local officials.
All the officials and gentry had long known that their lord was going to conquer the three counties, so everyone respectfully wished Yan Liang a victory and an early triumph.
After meeting the local officials and having a banquet, night had fallen.
When Yan Liang announced the crusade against the three counties with great fanfare, and followed the labor force of the officials and gentry, drinking and eating meat, the shadow in Huang Zhong's heart became heavier and heavier.
He vaguely felt that Yan Liang seemed to have changed a bit since his expedition.
In the art of war, the most taboo thing is to let the enemy know your intentions in advance. When Yan Liang left Xiangyang, he announced with great fanfare that he wanted to conquer the three counties of Shangyong. This was already a taboo in the art of war.
Now in Junxian County, close to the enemy's territory, Yan Liang openly revealed his war intentions to the local officials and gentry. Such behavior was even more taboo.
You must know that although Jun County belongs to Jingzhou, it is close to the three counties of Shangyong and has many private contacts. The squires who came to work today are probably friends with the Shen brothers. After today, there must be some among them.
Will secretly pass the news to the Shen brothers.
Even though the three Shangyong counties have few soldiers, they are located in poor mountains and rivers, so they still have geographical advantages. Now that the news is revealed, the Shen brothers will naturally make preparations in advance, and then they will rely on the advantage of their military strength.
, being able to finally capture the three counties will inevitably cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Yan Liang's actions made Huang Zhong feel that his lord was too confident, and this confidence seemed to be turning into arrogance.
"Could it be that my lord was dazzled by the great victories in the Central Plains and began to become arrogant and arrogant? If this is true, it is really a dangerous signal. If it continues, the consequences will be disastrous..."
The more Huang Zhong thought about it, the more uneasy he became. All kinds of worries were weighing in his heart, and he couldn't express his anger. He thought about it for a moment, gritted his teeth, and went straight to the Chinese army's tent.
In the Chinese army's large tent, Yan Liang had just dismissed the local officials and gentry, but the food and wine had not yet been removed from the tent.
When Huang Zhong walked into the tent and looked at Yan Liang, who smelled of alcohol and looked leisurely and contented, he couldn't help but frown secretly on his old face.
When Yan Liang saw Huang Zhong entering, he smiled and said: "Old General, how come Shanshan came late and missed this small banquet? The wine brewed by Jun County is really good. I left a jar for the old general. Old General
You can try it.”
"When you are in battle, you never drink." Huang Zhong's tone was a little stiff and he rejected Yan Liang's kindness.
Yan Liang saw how keen he was and immediately heard some dissatisfaction in Huang Zhong's tone.
He didn't think it was strange, he just smiled and said, "Old General, it seems that you have something to say, just say it."
Huang Zhong paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I'd like to inform my lord, I do have some things to say. I don't want to say them out loud because I'm afraid of offending my lord."
"Does this general look like the kind of dim master who can't listen to advice?" Yan asked with a smile.
Seeing Yan Liang's attitude, Huang Zhong had nothing to hesitate and simply decided to vomit out all his unhappiness.
"My lord wants to attack three counties, but he reveals his intention so easily. This is a taboo. But the soldiers are very fast. My lord should have marched quickly and unexpectedly killed the three counties. But now he marches slowly, walking for half a day and resting for half a day.
Another taboo. Although our army is strong, the geographical advantages of the three counties should not be underestimated. However, the lord underestimates the enemy too much. This should be another taboo. With these three taboos, the general will think that the lord has indeed become a little bit lately.
…”
Huang Zhong scolded Yan Liang for a long time, but the last word "arrogant" was a bit difficult to say.
After all, Huang Zhong is a subordinate. As a subordinate, he accuses his lord of being "arrogant", which is really suspected of committing an offense against his superiors.
Yan Liang, however, kept an indifferent expression from beginning to end, as if he wasn't surprised at all, and just smiled and asked, "What's there?"
Huang Zhong gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "I feel that my lord has become a little arrogant. This is my advice. If my lord is angry, I can punish him as much as possible."
He is indeed a loyal and courageous veteran...
Yan Liang secretly praised, the leisurely look on his face faded, and he gradually became more appreciative and admirable.
"Among the generals, there are probably many who have doubts about me. But now only the old general Han Sheng dares to speak out and give advice. The old general is indeed a courageous man, which makes me very pleased."
Yan Liang's praise meant that he listened to Huang Zhong's advice.
Huang Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, couldn't help but look happy, and said hurriedly: "My lord can accept your loyal advice, it is really a blessing for us as ministers. My lord, I think that we should break camp at night and march westward overnight. In this case, maybe
There is also a chance to catch the enemy off guard."
"It's okay to break camp, but it doesn't mean marching westward." A sly smile appeared on Yan Liang's lips.
Huang Zhong was startled. Just when he was doubtful, the curtain was lifted, and Jia Xu and Liu Pi entered one after another.
Liu Pi cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the empty boats are all covered with flags, and the surrounding trees are covered with straw men. Everything has been done according to my lord's instructions."
Yan Liang nodded, "After dawn tomorrow, you will lead a hundred empty ships to continue westward along the Han River. Remember, you must march slowly."
"General, I will obey your orders." Liu Pi responded with his hands in hand and took the order and left.
Huang Zhong next to him couldn't help but become more suspicious when he heard Yan Liang's order, and said curiously: "My lord, are you going to..."
Before the words came out of his mouth, Yan Liang said seriously: "Old general, hurry up and order the whole army to prepare. At the third watch, we will board the ship and set off. The whole army will march north to Danshui."
"Going north to Danshui?" Huang Zhong was shocked, and his mind suddenly became confused. "My lord wants to attack the three Shangyong counties in the west. Why did he go north to Danshui, but let General Liu lead an empty ship to the west to go west to Hanshui?"
Yan Liang smiled and said nothing, and glanced at Jia Xu, who was also smiling.
Jia Xu just stroked his white beard and said with a faint smile: "General Huang, don't you understand? My lord's attack on the three counties in the west is fake, but the attack on Wuguan in the north is real."
Take Wuguan from the north!
Huang Zhong's thoughts were racing, and he suddenly realized. (To be continued.)
