Three Kingdoms

In the west of Jizhou, in the land of Zhongmu, among the high mountains of the Taihang Mountains, a group of people and horses were meandering along the mountain roads. The Taihang Mountains run across the north and south, blocking traffic. Only the eight passes of Taihang are passable. However, not all of these eight passes can be passed by the army. The ones that are more convenient are Junduxing, Jingxing, Fukouxing, and the rest. Like Feihuxing or something like that, just by looking at the name, you can tell how difficult Shanxing is.

In the mountainous areas, the natural temperature has dropped a lot. It is still autumn in Jizhou. Once you enter the mountains, you will already see a scene of wind and frost. You can even see some white snow on some mountain tops, and the biting mountain mist can be seen between the stone walls of the valleys. Howling, wishing to scrape the stones into pieces.

Taihangxing is in Hanoi, and Junduxing is close to Youzhou. Although Fukouxing is okay, it is a little far from Yecheng, and for the sake of concealment, the senior officials did not go to Fukouxing with their troops. Instead, walk along Baixing, also known as Mengmenxing, which is the section that passes through the Yangchang Slope Road.

Although this section is the most dangerous, it is the shortest from Yecheng. After exiting the Yangchang Slope Road, there is Huguan Changye. If it is conquered, it will open the door to Shangdang Taiyuan.

This team of people and horses was winding on the mountain road. There were only about four or five thousand people, but it was a long way out. There were still some civilians who were transporting food and grass outside the mountain and did not follow them. Even so, The length of the marching procession is astonishing. If you are in the middle of it, you can only see more than a hundred people around you, but the head and tail of the group are not visible.

It is different from the ordinary march on peacetime, where the army moves forward without using food and fodder. This time, it is not mixed with the baggage and baggage, but the main soldiers advance into the mountain, while the civilians and auxiliary soldiers keep moving up the mountain from behind. Transport grain and grass. After all, the more people entering the mountain, the greater the amount of food and grass needed, and those civilians and auxiliary soldiers are not very effective in combat. Even if they enter the mountain in advance, if they are blocked by the opponent, not only will they not have any effect, but they will also cause harm. Something big happened.

Therefore, the regular soldiers entering the mountain not only need to carry their own weapons and armor, but also need to carry some dry meat, food and other things. The soldiers are pressed down like mules and horses, with their hands and feet on the ground. Climbing on the mountain road, moving forward step by step.

The war horse was also exhausted, breathing out long white breaths, and struggled to climb the mountain road. The war horses were also exhausted from walking. Even with the help of manpower, their hooves would slip from time to time, and they were surrounded by dangers.

The front of the team was already halfway up a steep mountain. The mountain path was carved out of mid-air according to the cliff. The width is only about the width of a carriage. It is usually a road opened by small-scale traders who only seek wealth and no regard for life and death, that is, those traders who travel to and from the border and sell tea and horses. But even merchants who are accustomed to taking dangerous roads are competing with God for their lives by taking such a mountain road. Needless to say, most of these Jizhou soldiers have spent half their lives wandering on the plains and have never climbed such a mountain road.

I believe that the vast majority of people in the Han Dynasty did not know that some people have acrophobia. These people with acrophobia are no different from ordinary people when they are on the flat ground. The same, but once they reach a certain height, these people who are afraid of heights will start to beat faster, their faces will turn pale, and their hands and feet will tremble...

The key is that these people who are afraid of heights do not have any uniform external characteristics. Tall, short, strong, and thin may all be afraid of heights, and these guys whose hands and feet tremble when they stand at high places further delay them. The whole queue was slowed down, and they were so anxious that they jumped up and down.

Even so, both people and war horses were moving forward cautiously, and dangers still occurred from time to time. As I walked, I heard several short exclamations from the middle of the team, accompanied by the hoof of a war horse. Sliding, Chang Xi screamed and fell from the mountain path, tumbling down the mountain stream. A Jizhou soldier was also brought down and almost fell down the cliff. Fortunately, he grabbed a clump of grass and vines on the edge of the mountain road and stopped his fall. He was beaten by several other soldiers. After being pulled up, everyone's face was paler than the pile of snow on the top of the mountain.

There was a muffled sound.

Then the screams stopped, leaving only a few echoes that collided back and forth between the mountain walls and gradually disappeared.

After a moment of silence, the shouts and orders of the middle and lower-level sergeants leading the team began again. The headless team slowly began to squirm forward step by step.

On a stone platform on the mountain road, senior officials and a group of generals, protected by personal guards, were wrapped in large cloaks and looked down at the long and rugged queue at their feet.

Gao Gan is from Chenliu, and his ancestors have produced many famous people with good reputations. Therefore, he is married to the Yuan family. In terms of seniority, Gao Gan is still Yuan Shao's nephew. This time he came with the intention of occupying Shangdang's land in Taiyuan. Before leaving, Yuan Shao also announced in public that he would appoint Gao Gan as the governor of Bingzhou. Of course, whether the governor of Bingzhou can be implemented from the official seal will depend on Gao Gao. Fuck yourself.

In the fight between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, all the limelight was stolen by Ju Yi. If Yuan Shao hadn't deliberately balanced it, Ju Yi wouldn't have had his nostrils knocked to the sky. Under Ju Yi, there was a battle between Lu Bu and the Black Mountain bandits. Three hundred cavalry defeated ten thousand people. It makes people excited to talk about it. It is a pity that the people of Jizhou cannot tolerate Lu Bu...

However, it is precisely because of these small tricks done by the Jizhou people behind the scenes that Yuan Shao is now unwilling to place all his bets on the Jizhou people, so he decided to lead an army on his own and move out of Bingzhou from the left.

The high-ranking cadres thought that although they were not at the level of famous generals, they were at least different from those reckless men like Yan Liang Wen Chou. Now Yan Liang Wen Chou had gained a lot of meritorious service in the battle against Gongsun Zan in Youzhou in the north, which made How can a high-ranking cadre feel open-minded?

After all, we want to let these guys know how powerful a certain person is!

Huguan is a city with one pass. Therefore, senior officials did not hesitate to take this Yangchang Slope Road just to avoid Huguan! As long as Huguan County is taken, then Huguankou to the south will become a tree without roots and water without a source!

Once we take Huguan, Shangdang, and Taiyuan, we will be within the range pointed by Bingfeng...

…………………………

Regardless of the fact that a large city means more soldiers, it seems that it should be better defended, but in many cases it is just the opposite. A large city is often easier to attack and difficult to defend. Because the city is large, more soldiers need to be arranged for defense, and the number of soldiers is higher. A little worse means there will be big holes in the city defense.

Moreover, big cities are often not located in dangerous places. Instead, they are mostly located in places with convenient transportation. Otherwise, the population of the city would not be large enough. There must be many surrounding villages and towns. Just like the satellite cities of later generations, they rely on the big cities to survive. Therefore, once the city is besieged and fought, the attackers can even choose to plunder these villages around the big city, which can more or less support part of the army's consumption, and the materials in these surrounding villages will be relatively sufficient, at least they can collect enough Wood, etc. to build siege engines and so on.

At the same time, the population consumption in the big city is also very large, and logistics and food supplies are a huge problem. Once it is completely besieged, the daily consumption in the city will be huge...

Therefore, from these aspects, a small but strong city fortress built on a difficult and contested terrain can better avoid the above weaknesses than a large city, and a small city does not need many soldiers to be enough. use. The terrain is steep and there is not much support around. It is difficult for the enemy's army to be trapped on the outside for a long time, and the siege equipment cannot be put away or used. It only needs to accumulate a certain amount of food and military supplies to support the small defenders for a long time. .

If Huguankou is a dangerous pass, then Anyi City can be regarded as a big city.

For so many years, Hedong has not suffered any large-scale military disasters. Even the Xiongnu and Bai Bo, for various reasons, have been operating in the periphery and have not been near Anyi. Therefore, Anyi is The city, as its name suggests, was indeed quite comfortable during this period of time.

But it's different now. When General Zhengxi's troops left Pingyang and slowly headed south, the Wei family in Anyi got the news...

The old man of the Wei family stood on the Anyi city wall, silently looking to the north. After a long time, he exhaled a long and faint breath, which turned into a sheet of white air in the autumn cold, just like the current prospects of the Wei family, illusory and vague.

Wei Kai stood behind Mr. Wei and said after a while: "According to the itinerary, we should have arrived in Linfen..."

Pingyang goes down along the Fen River to Linfen. After passing Linfen, it is Wenxi County, and beyond Wenxi, it is Anyi...

"Linfen..." Wei Kai paused and said, "Guanqiu led his troops north and looted a lot, so it may be difficult to defend... When the Western Expeditionary Army arrives, most of them will surrender soon..."

Previously, Yang Biao sent Guan Qiuxing to lead his troops north to Pingyang. Everyone thought that this time the Yang family would definitely win. However, they did not expect that Fei Qian, the general of the expedition to the west, came to save the situation, which immediately embarrassed the Wei family.

Linfen, when Guanqiu Xing went north, served as the supply base closest to the frontier. Whether it was soldiers or civilians, as well as grain and grass supplies, etc., they all either took the initiative to send them to Guanqiu Xing's army, or Guanqiu Xing ordered to mobilize them Therefore, Guanqiu Xing was defeated, and Linfen also had not many county soldiers and supplies to defend.

Therefore, when the soldiers of the Western Expedition marched south, Linfen, which was the first to bear the brunt, had no choice but to surrender if they did not want to suffer the same fate.

Mr. Wei half-turned his head, glanced at Wei Kai coldly, and said, "Kail, are you afraid?"

"..." Wei Kai remained silent, not daring to say no, let alone yes.

Wei Kai spent far more time on the text of the classics than on other aspects. His calligraphy, classics, and essays were all top-notch, especially calligraphy, seal script, and cursive. There are people in Hedong who are willing to travel long distances just to get a word.

However, no matter how many achievements he made in literature, they could not be temporarily converted into experience in the art of war. When he heard that the army was coming to conquer the west, Wei Kai, who repeatedly encouraged himself and asked himself not to show any cowardice, felt somewhat uneasy.

Mr. Wei was old and mature, so how could he not understand what Wei Kai was thinking? He sighed slightly, turned to the north again, and said slowly: "Kail, the more critical the situation, the less likely it is to be chaotic. Our own position... If we mess up, we will definitely be in doom for a long time..."

Although Mr. Wei said that he enjoys glory and wealth now, after all, he grew up with the Huns, Qiang, Xianbei and other barbarians who disrupted the Northland. At that time, the Northland was still heroic and loyal, and followed the Han Dynasty's army into a bitter cold place. To fight against the barbarians, the battle formations he had seen were much stronger than those of Wei Kai, who basically grew up in a honeypot.

Mr. Wei was silent for a moment and then spoke, perhaps to himself, or to comfort Wei Kai: "There is no retreat now, only a fight! March southwest, pass Linfen, Wenxi, the battle line It’s lengthy. If you keep your troops, they will scatter. If you don’t keep your troops, haha... so the outcome is not yet known!"

Mr. Wei knocked his cane on the city wall and said sternly: "When a certain young man went into battle, where was the expedition to the west? This is the foundation of the ancestors of the Wei family, how can we give it away? The heroic spirits of our ancestors are above us, please protect us. Win in one fell swoop!" Mr. Wei said passionately, and the surrounding Wei family's private soldiers were also inspired. They raised their arms and shouted loudly, and their momentum was not much different.

"Tai Gong's lesson is right!" Wei Kai said, cupping his hands, "We should put the Wei family's foundation first and conquer the west under the city!"

Mr. Wei gave a signal and asked the soldiers guarding the surrounding area to move away a little. After leaving a distance, he whispered: "Kail has this ambition, I am very relieved... However, Kai'er has a strategy, so we might as well Speaking of which..."

"This..." Wei Kai's eyes widened and he blinked a few times, unable to say anything.

"..." Mr. Wei glared at Wei Kai, sighed, and said directly without saying anything else, "... The first thing is to strengthen the walls and clear the country! Move all the people and things from the manor and fortress in the north of Anyi to the city, and then burn them Of……"

"Ah?" Wei Kai was stunned for a moment and then said, "Grandpa, it's almost the time of autumn harvest. Burn... burn it? Wouldn't it be a pity..."

"What a pity?" Mr. Wei wanted to use his crutch to hit Wei Kai, who had extraordinary attainments in literature but had some problems in military matters. "If the expedition to the west comes to the city, will we harvest the crops outside the city or will it fall to the expedition?" The hand of the West? Even if there is no harvest this autumn, it is better than using it to help the enemy!"

"..." Wei Kai was silent for a long time before nodding.

"Secondly, a certain person has sent someone to contact Mr. Yang. Kai'er should publicize this matter widely to reassure people..." Mr. Wei continued, if it weren't for his age, he would not be able to travel outside, and he would also need to erect With the image of Wei Kai, he can do these things by himself...

"Kai noted it down..." Wei Kai nodded and said.

"Third, when contacting the various tribes in Hedong, you need to know how the generals can be attached if there is no skin left!" Old Master Wei said through gritted teeth, "Give up the original Wei family property in exchange for the help of the tribes in Hedong! The cavalry in the expedition to the west is strong, but then How can the cavalry attack the city? In the past, when thousands of barbarian cavalry invaded the border, didn't they just return in defeat? When the Western troops are exhausted and exhausted below the city, this will be our chance to win!"

The strong wind howled and rolled over the city, pushing the dark clouds from the sky over, like an army pressing down on the country.

It's the time when the storm is coming!