Zhang He approached twenty miles north of Shanggui City and stationed himself on the bank of Changli River.
Tian Fu and others, who had been wandering outside Shanggui City and relentlessly harassing Zhuge Liang, received the news. While sending the news to Shanggui City, they gathered the remaining soldiers and rushed over. After three months of guerrillas, only three thousand cavalry remained.
There are more than 1,300 people, and they look haggard, both men and horses are thin.
Seeing their appearance, Zhang He was surprised: "Are there many casualties?"
Tian Fugong cupped his hands and said with a wry smile: "The right general is unaware of something. There is a reason why we suffered so many casualties."
"Hurry up and talk." Zhang He asked Tian Fu and others to sit down, and asked people to bring hot water and dry food, and then sat on the rocks by the water to communicate.
As Tian Fu said, there is a reason why they suffered so many casualties. The cavalry harassing the infantry was originally a cat-and-mouse game. Although the Shuhan army also had well-organized cavalry, it was still the once famous Ma Jiajun, but the number of Ma Jiajun was small.
, there are only a thousand people, the horses and soldiers are seriously aging, and their combat effectiveness is not as good as before. They are no match for Tian Fu and the others. Tian Fu and the others suffered heavy casualties because the Shu Han army had powerful ordnance.
During the pursuit, he got carried away and fell into the ambush of the Shu Han army, losing more than 500 people at once. If Tian Fu hadn't reacted quickly, the casualties would have been even greater.
But the losses of the remaining more than a thousand people were caused by hunger and disease. They were guerrillas outside the city. Without the logistics supplies in the city, the nearby counties all surrendered to the Shu Han army, and they did not dare to supply them openly.
, they could only go and rob, they would be hungry and full, but there was a lack of medical treatment, and those soldiers who were injured in the battle could not receive timely treatment, which greatly increased the casualty rate. Three
By the end of the month, more people would have died from hunger and injuries than from direct combat.
After listening to this, Zhang He nodded silently. He had been a general for many years and was very aware of the stakes involved. After a fierce battle, there were far more people injured than killed. If they could not get timely treatment, the injuries would be serious.
The loss if not treated will be staggering. If coupled with insufficient food, the sharp increase in casualties is even more reasonable.
If an army goes deep alone and attacks thousands of miles without logistical supplies, it will face such dangers. Zhang He is now in the situation and feels the pressure for them.
"Boy, you still have so many people left. It is a great achievement to restrain Zhuge Liang from attacking the city with all his strength."
When Tian Fu and the other captains heard this, they couldn't help but shed tears. These past few months had been really difficult. All three captains died in the battle. Now Tian Fu was elected as the leading acting captain. He shouldered the responsibility.
The burden is also very heavy. If Zhang He doesn't come, he will collapse.
"You have been fighting Zhuge Liang for so long, what do you think of this man?"
Several captains looked at each other, and finally Tian Fu answered. Tian Fu thought about it and said: "This man is very cautious in using his troops. The camp is well-organized and it is difficult to find loopholes."
As Tian Fu spoke, he picked up a stone and drew a sketch on the ground. He and Zhuge Liang had been entangled for so long, fighting dozens of times, and lurking near Zhuge Liang's camp no less than ten times. He had a thorough understanding of the basic situation of Zhuge Liang's camp.
Know it like the back of your hand.
Zhang He held the water bowl and watched Tian Fu's explanation. He was very satisfied. Not only was he satisfied with Tian Fu's understanding, but he was also satisfied with Tian Fu. As the son of Tian Yu, an important general in northern Xinjiang, Tian Fu was quite like his father.
, train him well and he will be a good general in the future.
"Compared with his caution, what is even more frightening is the speed of his progress, which is astonishing." Tian Fu threw the stones on the ground and sighed in shame: "The general must have seen his current marching formation.
I would never guess that this is just due to his progress in the past three months."
"Progress in three months?" Zhang He was stunned for a moment and asked suspiciously.
"Well, three months ago, there was nothing wrong with his formation, but if compared with the current formation, he was like a baby just learning to walk." Tian Fu said with emotion: "I don't even know it myself.
I dare to believe that there are such smart people in the world. You only have one chance for any flaw. Next time, you will find that he has found a way to deal with it." He smiled bitterly: "To be honest with the general, if we have some achievements,
They were all obtained in the previous month. In the past month or so, I have not even achieved a decent result. Ma Dai is always decorated not far or near, like a sign tied to our bodies, indicating to Zhuge Liang at any time that we are
position. At first we could rely on our horsepower to get rid of him, but later as food became scarce, we could no longer get rid of him."
Zhang He nodded slightly. He knew very well how much damage the lack of food and grass would do to the cavalry. Without physical strength, no matter how good the horse was, it could not take advantage of it. It was not surprising that Ma Dai was attached to it and could not get rid of it.
"He is smart enough and makes rapid progress. In this way, he is indeed a strong enemy." Zhang He sighed softly: "If we don't get rid of him as soon as possible, I'm afraid this person will become a close enemy of my great Wei.
"
Tian Fu nodded and said nothing. He was thinking in his mind that Zhuge Liang was becoming a close friend of the Wei Dynasty, and Wei Ba had become a close friend of the Wei Dynasty. He occupied Guanzhong and blocked hundreds of thousands of troops east of Tongguan.
, even if Zhang He can defeat Zhuge Liang, he may not be able to recapture Guanzhong. He has been with Wei Ba for several months and knows much more about Wei Ba than ordinary Wei people. In his opinion, if Zhuge Liang's progress is running
, then Wei Ba’s progress is flying.
However, Tian Fu did not say that although Zhang He had come, the situation in Longyou had not been truly relieved. Zhang He was now under as much pressure as he was. He did not want to add extra mental burden to Zhang He.
Zhang He looked at the sketch on the ground and pondered for a long time: "Do you know anything about the situation in Yuzhong?"
Tian Fu shook his head: "There is General Hao over there in Yuzhong, and the big families in Jincheng County have not responded. With Ma Di's troops fortifying the city, there will be no progress for the time being."
"From which direction did Ma Su transport his military rations?"
"Of course we go upstream from the Wei River, and then use mules and horses to transport it." Tian Fu laughed: "When we were short of food several times, we made long-distance raids there to seize their military rations and eat them. But now Ma Su has learned the lesson.
Every time we transport food, five thousand people are sent to escort us, and we are not given a chance at all."
Zhang He smiled and asked: "Where do they get their military rations from? Hanzhong or Guanzhong?"
Tian Fu understood: "General, do you want to rob their food route?"
Zhang He nodded.
"Guanzhong." When Tian Fu thought of this, he gritted his teeth with hatred. The grain in Guanzhong was obtained by Xiahou Mao who accepted Wei Ba's suggestion to "gather grain" for farming, but now it was used by Wei Ba to support Zhuge Liang's battles, but they only
He could watch helplessly but couldn't eat a single grain. He shook his head regretfully: "All the grain coming from Guanzhong comes through waterways. After passing through Duan Valley, the cavalry cannot pass at all."
Zhang He looked at Tian Fu and laughed softly: "Hanzhong doesn't transport grain?"
"No." Tian Fu said regretfully: "Zhuge Liang rushed to send troops before the autumn harvest. Suddenly, he robbed the wheat around Shanggui. Although we burned some, he got most of it in the end. Otherwise, he would have lost most of it.
Food must be transported from Hanzhong. The food in Guanzhong alone is not enough to support us."
Zhang He blinked: "Jinjiang, I have a task for you."
Tian Fu immediately stood up and clasped his fists with his hands: "I obey the general's orders."
"Immediately rush to Qishan and the Mumen area, especially check the Yangshui River. If my guess is correct, Zhuge Liang will definitely advance and retreat through this waterway, and will also transport grain through this waterway."
Tian Fu was stunned for a moment: "General...are you sure?"
Zhang He drank the water in the bowl in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said with certainty: "It's not wrong. I think Zhuge Liang must not have expected that Guo Huai could persist for so long. The military rations he brought from Hanzhong, and the military rations Wei Ba transported from Guanzhong,
Coupled with the wheat harvested in Shanggui, it only lasts for four or five months. Now that our reinforcements have arrived, he has only two options, either to retreat or to hold on until our army runs out of food and collapses. But he must hold on.
He must have food for himself. Don’t you think so?”
Tian Fu thought about it, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Zhang He with admiration: "The general is really a very human being, why didn't I think of this?"
Zhang He was very satisfied with Tian Fu's unabashed admiration. He laughed loudly, patted Tian Fu on the shoulder, and said kindly: "Young man, use your brain more, the one who calculates more will win. An army of 80,000 will consume more money every day."
How much grain there is, how much grain there is in Guanzhong, how much wheat there is in Shanggui, these can all be roughly calculated."
Tian Fu was very excited, scratched his head in embarrassment, and laughed innocently.
"Go ahead, I guarantee you will gain something soon."
"Here." Tian Fu saluted energetically, turned around and left. The others also became energetic after listening to Zhang He's words. Zhang He saw the flaws of the Shu Han army, which invisibly strengthened their confidence. They believed that,
Under the leadership of Zhang He, they will definitely be able to defeat Zhuge Liang and achieve unparalleled feats.
"General, what can we do?"
"You guys?" Zhang He looked at the captains who looked embarrassed but their fighting spirit was clearly uplifted, and laughed loudly, "Just have a good rest and wait for your meritorious service to be rewarded. In less than ten days, I will be able to achieve great success."
Defeat Zhuge Liang and regain Longyou."
Everyone was overjoyed and went to prepare one after another. When they walked away, the smile on Zhang He's face quickly disappeared. He ordered his guards to take out the map, spread it on the ground, and look at it carefully. He looked at it for a while, then closed his eyes and thought for a while.
Then he looked at it for a while, shaking his head from time to time, as if sighing, and sometimes smiling slightly, as if he had discovered something.
After a while, he called the captain of the scout camp and gave some instructions. The captain of the scout camp bowed to accept the order. After a short time, dozens of fast horses rushed out of the camp and rushed to the northwest.
Zhang He stared at a place name on the map. After a while, he raised his head, squinted his eyes, and looked at the darkening sky in the distance, his eyes gradually becoming sharp.
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Okay, Lao Zhuang admitted that this chapter was written before eleven o'clock. I originally planned to update it and then write another chapter, but today after sitting in front of the computer all day, my waist, which has never hurt before, actually...
I couldn't stand it anymore, so I made a decisive decision to publish this chapter in the early morning, and then go to rest. The debt owed by Lao Zhuang is true to his word. If one is missing, the other will be repaid twice.
Although I am in debt, I still need a guaranteed monthly pass. After a month of fierce fighting, Lao Zhuang is very tired physically and feels very happy. I don’t know if I will have a chance to compete for a monthly pass this month, but I still need to show my attitude.
Please give me a guaranteed monthly pass! (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!)