Wuguan, also known as Qinnanguan, is located in the west of Nanyang, on a steep hillside in the north of Wuguan River. Together with Dasan Pass, Hangu Pass and Tong Pass, it is called the four stops of Qin. The south of Guannan is the steep Shaoxi Mountain, and the north is the Wuguan River, which are all natural barriers. Moreover, the roads in Kansai are flat, suitable for large armies to be stationed or walked, but the roads in Kanto are rugged, which is not conducive to the attack of large armies. With this natural advantage, Wuguan, like Hangu Pass and other Guancheng, is also a one-man pass. The entire Guanzhong region, under the guard of these four gates, is really like an iron-shelled turtle. In addition, the Guanzhong Plain is a grain production base, and in the past, it was said that the pre-Qin, Liu Bang and others occupied Guanzhong and won the world. Historically, Zhuge Liang's Longzhong pair was also one of the important strategies to occupy Guanzhong.

One of the reasons why Cao Ying only left 50,000 horses in the entire Yongzhou was that he had the natural advantages of these four major cities and Qingni Pass, which were enough to resist thousands of troops. The second is naturally because Liu Bei occupies Runan and is too close to Xuchang, so Xuchang needs to be heavily guarded. Although it is said that Liu Bei is now short of food and grass and cannot afford a big battle, and considering that Liu Bei is a member of the Han family, it is unlikely that he will attack Xuchang, where the emperor is located. But Cao Ying has never been a person who pins his hopes on others, let alone such a fateful matter.

Zhu Ling, the general of Wuguan, is also an old subordinate who has followed Cao Ying for many years since Chen Liu's army, and his loyalty is no problem at all, and at the same time, his ability to be a mere Wuguan Taishou is also enough to be a mere Wuguan guard. The defenders of Wuguan are only 3,000, but if you want to win Wuguan by hard attack, you need to take at least 30,000 or 40,000 lives, and the premise is that you are ruthless enough to do whatever it takes to cost casualties, this kind of thing Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu can't do.

"Kong Ming, why are you in a hurry to seize Wuguan now?" Guan Yu was a little surprised by Zhuge Liang's decision. "Look, the land of Nanyang is a plain. Cao Ying occupies the land of Yongzhou, and can attack the hinterland of Nanyang at any time, and then threaten Jingxiang. In the past, when Liu Jingsheng sat in Jingxiang, it was because Wancheng and Wuguan were occupied, so Nanyang County could only occupy the small counties of Fancheng. If we don't take Wuguan, then Nanyang County will be too passive. Nanyang has a population of 500,000 and is rich in products. If Nanyang is unstable, then Jingxiang's loss will be great. Zhuge Liang explained carefully.

This is true, and now Cao Ying occupies Wuguan, just like he occupied Taishan County in Xuzhou. He can only beat me, but I can't beat him, it's a real headache. Guan Yu thought of what he said, and he also agreed very much. In fact, since Zhao Feng blackmailed Taishan County from Lao Cao, this Xuzhou has been much more peaceful.

"Moreover, at the moment, Cao Ying's army is fighting fiercely with Yanzhou and Yuan Shao, and the Yongzhou garrison is empty, if you don't take this opportunity to take Wuguan, it will be too late to regret it!" Zhuge Liang said again.

"This is true, but Kong Ming, there was a lot of loss of money and grain in the fierce battle in Jingbei before, and there was a great drought in Jingbei last year, and the current grain and grass are not enough to provide a large army to fight." Although Guan Yu is not a person who manages civil affairs, he still knows some about these things.

"Don't worry, the prince and the prince flooded Jiangling before, although the granary was also submerged, but after salvage and exposure, there are still four or five percent of the grain stored to be preserved. At present, the army is not enough, but it is more than enough to send 30,000 or 40,000 horses to capture Wuguan. Zhuge Liang smiled. He is now engaged in Jingzhou Diannong, and he is in charge of almost all the civil affairs of Jingzhou. Specifically, we must grasp the allocation of money and grain, and the logistical support of soldiers and horses.

"Since this is the case, then I will lead the army to personally knock on the Wuguan!" Guan Yu has no consciousness as a Jingzhou pastor at all, and he has always been on the front line when he encounters wars.

"Junhou, this battle is not about the number of people, why should Junhou go out in person. In Liang's opinion, it is better to let General Liu Pan lead an army of 30,000 troops out of Nanyang and knock on Wuguan. Zhuge Liang said with a smile.

"Huh?" Liu Pan on the side was also quite surprised when he heard this, why would Zhuge Liang hand over this kind of thing to him? But I heard Zhuge Liang continue: "Although the Wuguan is dangerous, there is a drawback, that is, the defense outside is not the inside, and the defense of the rear pass is extremely weak. If the general can bypass the Wuguan and attack from behind the pass, the Wuguan will be broken. ”

"This is true, but Kong Ming, Wuguan occupies a dangerous place, how can he go around behind it?" Liu Pan asked a little uncertainly.

"Hehe, General Liu has forgotten that my Jingzhou naval army is sharp, as long as you go up from the Wuguan River, it is not difficult to go around to the back of the pass." Zhuge Liang smiled and pointed to the Wuguan River on the map.

"I see, Kong Ming, you sent Gan Xingba to lead people to reconnoiter various rivers, just for this battle?" Guan Yu remembered what happened a few days ago, and immediately understood Zhuge Liang's intention to do this.

"Exactly, Marquis. According to Gan Xingba, due to the severe drought this year, the original turbulent water of the Wuguan River has been flattened, and it is not difficult to go upstream. Cao Ying did not have naval talents under his command, so he naturally couldn't think of guarding against the natural barrier of the Wuguan River. General Liu can lead a large army to be stationed in front of the pass, and at the same time order an elite army to raid behind the enemy, and under the attack of the two sides, the Wuguan will be owned by me. Zhuge Liang said with confidence.

"Exactly!" After Liu Pan looked at the map, he was also excited, who doesn't like the opportunity to make meritorious contributions? Listening to Zhuge Liang's words, it seems that it is already easy to win Wuguan, which also makes Liu Pan extremely excited. After a few hurried discussions with Guan Yu, Liu Pan impatiently reorganized the military horses.

"Kong Ming, why did you want to let Liu Pan go to this battle?" After Liu Pan left, Guan Yu asked with some confusion.

Knowing the meaning of Guan Yu's words, Zhuge Liang also sighed lightly and said: "Junhou, this General Liu Pan is Liu Jingsheng's nephew. Although he was quite dissatisfied with our entry into Jingxiang, he did not have any objection at first; Second, if we first arrive in Jingxiang, if we are too blatantly squeezing out their people, it will inevitably make Jingxiang's old ministers feel uneasy; Third, General Liu is quite brave, he is a rare general, and talents are rare. However, most of General Liu's cronies were in Jingnan, so the lord named him General Yangwei and asked him to be stationed in Jingbei with us, just to transfer him out of Jingnan. Now send it to attack Wuguan, and after the matter is completed, the lord will transfer it to Xuzhou in the name of reward. ”

"This is the best, with the eldest brother only, it is enough to control his people." Guan Yu didn't want to fight all day long, although Liu Pan was a little unruly, he was also more inclined to use this milder method.

Not to mention that Liu Pan led the army out of Nanyang and marched westward, at this time Ganning's sailors also assembled in Jiangxia, and then took Xiangshui, then to Zheshui, and finally sailed into the Wuguan River. This time, Gan Ning dispatched more than 50 sturdy ships, each of which was equipped with dozens of elite soldiers in addition to the sailors, totaling 3,000 elite soldiers. Just wait to bypass the martial pass, and launch a surprise attack behind the opponent. Although this strategy was simple, Cao Ying and his strategists would never have expected it. There is no other reason, because they are all complete laymen in water warfare, and they would never have imagined that the Wuguan River, which they rely on as a barrier to Wuguan, would become a broad road for the Jingzhou army to advance.

"This martial pass is really majestic!"; Liu Panjiu has been in Jingnan for a long time, and although Wuguan is very close to Jingbei, it is the first time he has come here. Seeing that on the rugged mountain road, a pass city is connected to a high mountain on the left, and a deep valley and a long river on the right, which is really a rare Xiongguan in the world. Liu Pan is also a battle-hardened person, and he knows at a glance that such a steep Guancheng is afraid that it will have no effect if he smashes it with a trebuchet. There is no other reason, but because the field in front of the closure is only enough for a maximum of twenty trebuchets, and the effect of smashing it is limited.

Let the soldiers force the key pass to fill it? He couldn't do that kind of thing. At that moment, Liu Pan also set up camp in the five miles before Wuguan, putting on a posture of preparing for a protracted war.

"General, the defenders of Guannai did not challenge, but just held on." After the camp was settled, Tan Ma came to report.

"Got it, pass the order down, and be careful about the movements of Wuguan. Estimating the itinerary, General Gan's sailors will be able to arrive after Wuguan in the second half of the night today at the latest. Liu Pan waved his hand. In the evening, Gan Ning's 3,000 elite soldiers quietly crossed the Wuguan Pass and landed about 20 miles upstream to find a relatively flat terrain. Gan Ning ordered the soldiers to eat a little dry food to replenish their physical fitness, and then marched at full speed to attack the back of Wuguan.

Twenty miles of land is even an infantry, and a surprise attack is a matter of time. But Gan Ning's character must have exploded today, and he had just finished assembling the team by the river, and he reported that there was a baggage team rushing to Wuguan through the Qingni Pass, with about 300 people.

"Wuguan does not produce grain, presumably it is the grain and grass allocated for Wuguan in the hinterland of Chang'an." Gan Ning quickly came to a conclusion and immediately ordered a raid on the baggage team. What is the concept of three thousand people ambushing three hundred? The concept of ten to one. In addition, this is the hinterland of Yongzhou, and the baggage team is mostly composed of county soldiers and even Tuntian soldiers, and its combat effectiveness is far from that of the regular army. So the battle lasted less than half an hour, and the baggage team was settled. More than 300 people, except for more than 10 people, fled back to the interior of Yongzhou with relatively fast steps, and the rest were either annihilated or captured.

"You're in charge of transporting grain and grass?" Gan Ning looked at the captured marquis in front of him and asked. "Yes, the villain Xue Ze is a military marquis under Zhong Tai's tent, specializing in transporting grain and grass for Wuguan." This Xue Ze looked at Gan Ning, who was fierce and vicious in front of him, and said tremblingly.

"It's very good, help me open the gate of Wuguan later, and there will be a lot of rewards. If you dare to make a ghost, you will be cut off! Gan Ning shouted. Xue Ze was so frightened that he couldn't possess his body, so he had to nod his head again and again. Gan Ning ordered all the captives to take off their military uniforms, together with a total of about 300 pieces of the deceased, and he led more than 300 elites under his command to put them on, disguised as a baggage team, and at the same time let the deputy general lead the rest of the men and horses to follow.

After the group came to Wuguan City with genuine baggage grain and grass, Xue Ze familiarly inspected the documents with the guards, and then the defenders put down the drawbridge and opened the city gate to let the baggage team in. When more than 300 people were about to be killed, Gan Ning roared violently and suddenly attacked, pulled out his waist knife and hacked to death the captain who came to receive grain and grass, and the rest of the people also pulled out their weapons and fought in a scuffle. After Zhu Ling learned the news, he hurriedly led people to check, but was hacked to death by Gan Ning, and the rest were all defeated. At the same time, Liu Pan in front of the pass heard the sound of killing in the pass, and hurriedly sent troops to attack the city immediately. Liu Pan sent someone to take over Guan Fang, and at the same time sent someone to report to Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang.

Two days later, Jingzhou sent Hao Zhao and 8,000 elite soldiers to receive Wuguan, and after Liu Pan and Gan Ning handed over Chengguan, they led the army back to Jingxiang. To the surprise of the two, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu actually went north to Xiangyang to welcome their triumphant return.

(To be continued)