Ma Chao did not fully adopt the strategy suggested by Zhao Yun - first, it did not conform to his personal style of using soldiers, and second, his command Duoxi Liangqiang cavalry, relying on perseverance, it was difficult to exert its inherent power. So Ma Mengqi thought about it repeatedly and discussed with the generals, and then assigned his duties to guard the cities, but he personally led 8,000 soldiers and horses to the west and galloped to the west to help Shiquan.

At the same time, Ma Chao also wrote a letter to Gan Ning, who was guarding Bazhong, asking to send troops north to aid Hanzhong - you don't plan to get involved in the dispute between the two Liu, but you can't defend Hanzhong, right?

However, Ma Chao hurried and hurried, but he was still one step late, and only arrived in Akasaka, that is, he had to report that Shiquan had been lost. He consulted with Ma Dai: "If I set up camp in Chihan and are sandwiched by the corners of the city, even if there are tens of thousands of Wei people, I can also be an enemy." However, I am afraid that it will follow the southern road and take the city solid, but what? ”

From Shiquan County to Hanzhong Basin, there are two roads in the north and south. The first is to go north and then west, and follow the water to the front of the thin Akasaka. Akasaka is located at the eastern end of the Hanzhong Basin, with mountains in the south, and there are still more than ten miles of gentle slope to the north, which is convenient for cavalry to gallop. Ma Chao wanted to go south and set up camp behind the mountain, if the whole division of the Wei army came to attack, the defenders of Chisaka could disturb their rear road; If the Wei army attacked Chisaka, or divided the army into two, the Ma cavalry could attack and trample on the gentle slope. Ma Mengqi is still very confident in the cavalry under his command and his ability to ride generals, and it is estimated that the Wei army will attack in a hurry, and it will take a steep road like the coast of the river or the Meridian Valley, and the number of cavalry will not be too much, even if he is outnumbered, he has a considerable possibility of victory.

However, it was also possible to send troops from Ishisen, first west and then north, directly interspersed with the southeast of Jogu to the west of Akasaka - although the road was more precipitous, but the road was shorter. It may not be that the Wei people will not take this shortcut. Once the Wei army besieged the city. The west can be directly taken from Nanzheng. Ma Chao had to rush back from Akasaka, so the host and guest changed the situation, which was very disadvantageous.

According to Zhao Yun's suggestion that day, the reason why he planned to abandon Shiquan for the time being and defend the western front as far as Chihan was because it had entered the Hanzhong Basin, which was convenient for the Ma cavalry who had just come to help. If Ma Chao can reach Shiquan first, although the road is narrow and the mountain is dangerous. The cavalry is difficult to use, but if the Wei army can be blocked west of Shiquan, the cavalry will dismount and defend the city, even if the casualties are large, and the Wei people can not enter the peace, it will be considered a victory. But now that Shi Quan is not in a hurry, then he must consider giving full play to the mobility and impact of the cavalry - whether to help plug the pass, or simply let the enemy in to fight? What's more beneficial?

Ma Dai said, if you want to put the Wei army into the basin to fight, you will inevitably abandon the defense of Chihan - you must still block it in Chihan. What if people take the south road? Then the defense can only focus on the fortification. However: "The Wei people are in the mountains, and they are easy to fight." If you get into peace, you can only rely on the headquarters of three thousand horsemen, and the disparity between the numbers is too great......"

The strength of the Shu army is mountain warfare, not plain warfare, once the Wei army enters the peace, cut out the 3,000 cavalry, and those foot soldiers remain, especially the original Han Chinese army, whose elite has been emptied, I am afraid that they will not be their opponents-" The old brother thought that it was still better to defend Chihan. "As for the south road, I had to send a force to block the pass.

Ma Chao said that it was okay, so he immediately set up camp in the north of Chisaka City, sent an envoy to pass on Nanzheng, and ordered Lieutenant General Du Lu to lead 2,000 foot soldiers to aid the city, and cut off the road on its south side.

In fact, at the same time, after the capture of Shiquan, the Wei army also launched a big debate about whether to follow the northern road or the southern road. Cao Zhen suggested taking the southern road: "I entered Han in a hurry today, and I don't know when the backup will be, so I have to use dangerous ears." Hearing that the enemy has come to the aid of Chihan, if you can highlight Nanshan and besiege the city, you can block it in the east of the city, and the other army can go to Nanzheng in one day and one night. ”

The key question is that Fa Zheng's deployment in Hanzhong has long been transmitted to Chang'an through spies, and Cao Zhen couldn't help but have a headache when he saw it, and said in his heart that these heavy cities rely on each other, how many lives do you have to fill in to open a path? So as soon as he got the news, the civil strife in Shuzhong, Liu Feng and Huang Quan transferred a considerable number of Hanzhong troops to the south, and then Zhang Fei was also assassinated by the generals, he felt that it was really a godsend. As soon as Cao Cao's military edict arrived, Cao Zidan was reluctant to set off with his army - almost like his steady posture in Goguryeo that day.

Of course, this is because of the invasion of Goguryeo that day, Cao Zhen didn't have much motivation, so he felt that victory was useless, and defeat was shameful. Now is a rare opportunity to destroy Shu, but I am afraid that if I am one step late, the situation will change again, not only will it be difficult to take Hanzhong, but even the 20,000 horses under my command will be destroyed - when it is time to take a risk, we must also take a risk.

Because according to the intelligence of the spy, the infantry defense of Hanzhong mainly faces the north, from the mouth of each valley to the line of Nanzheng and its left and right Yangping, Chuyang, Huangsha, Chenggu, Chihan, and Shiquan, and is defended like an iron bucket. However, for the southern side of the Hanzhong Basin, the defense was relatively negligent - on the one hand, it was difficult for the Wei army to copy the southern line, and second, the Shu Han could not come up with more soldiers and horses to set up a fortress in all directions.

Therefore, the mountain pass on the south side of Chenggu was originally undefended, so Cao Zhencai wanted to take the risk of going from the south road, highlighting the mountain road in one fell swoop, and taking Chenggu directly.

However, Niu Jin, the general of Jingzhou, opposed Cao Zhen's strategy and advocated going from the north. His reason is also very good: the spy did not detect it, and it may not be that there was really no defense south of Chenggu. Originally, that place really didn't need to be defended, but since we took Fangling County and directly threatened Shiquan, the Shu people should consider that once Shiquan is lost, it will be a big flaw south of Chenggu. Okay, take 10,000 steps back and say, there was nothing there, so how do you know that the Shu people will not send an army to block it now?

Cao Zhen said that it is precisely because of this possibility that we have to move forward from the south road quickly. Now that Hanzhong has insufficient troops, it may not be able to send many people to defend the south of Chenggu, and even if it is sent, it will not be able to stand firm in a hurry. If the military plane is delayed, and they really let them erect the bar, we will no longer have a gap to take advantage of.

Niu Jin shook his head and said that if there is no gap, don't take advantage of it. The biggest danger of taking the south road is that it is not easy to transport grain and grass, and once the mountain pass is blocked, I am afraid that there is no basis for entering and retreating, and it will definitely suffer a big defeat. It is much easier to take the northern road, and you can continuously transport grain and grass from Jingzhou through water. Cao Junhou, you don't take the right path, but you want to take risks, it's really hard for me to understand.

Cao Zhen said that it is precisely because of the lack of food and grass that we have to take the risk, even if we take the north road, the main force of the Jingzhou army will probably go up the river and go to Ba County, but we will not be able to give us too much food.

The two generals insisted on their own words, and no one could convince anyone. The key is that Cao Zhen was ordered to command all walks of life in Guanzhong after Cao Cao left Chang'an, but Niu Jin was a Jingzhou general, and Cao Zhen couldn't control him at all. As for Sima Yi, the main general of the Jingzhou side, he may not have been able to reach Nanjun yet—even if he did, Cao Zhen would not have that much time to write to him to discuss. As for the commander-in-chief of the whole army and the governor of the capital, Shixun, who has just received the report and has entered Chang'an-if he goes to fight in front of Shixun, it will still be in a hurry, then it is better to listen to Niu Jin's words directly.

Cao Zhen looked left and right, Xu Huang and Shen Yi didn't speak-if Lu Ziming was here, he might be able to help me. It's a pity that after Lu Meng was originally scheduled to merge, he was summoned away by Shi Xun only halfway through the race-it was Xun who pondered that I was fighting with two knives, and a competent staff officer must be set up by my side, although I sent someone to summon Fu Zhi, but unfortunately I couldn't catch up, since Lu Meng had just entered the Meridian Valley after the merger, it was better to summon him to his side.

While arguing, he overheard a man say: "The north road is stable, but the south road is also indispensable." ”

Niu Jin glanced at it, this person was not him, it was the one who had made great contributions in the process of seizing Fangling County in the past, and Qin ordered him to refer to Ma Tan Ma Youchang in the soldiers of Nanjun. Niu Jin couldn't help frowning, and said in his heart, where are you? How do you help the people in Guanzhong speak?

Ma Tan first apologized to Niu Jin, and then pointed to the map: "If our army wants to go to Nanzheng, then Nanxiang must not take it." Do you know that Pakistan and China will not send troops to help? ”

From Shiquan straight to the west, there is also Nanxiang County, the county seat is very small, it is estimated that there are more than 500 households, even if you add the surrounding people, there are not 5,000 people. The key is that there is a small road in Nanxiang, which can reach Xuanhan County in Brazil County in the south over the mountains. If Gan Ning sends an army from here, no matter whether we take the south road or the north road, it will be easy for the enemy to copy the back road.

The reason why Cao Zhen and Niu Jin did not consider this danger was because this road was too difficult to walk, and the distance was too far, and they were in danger from Hanzhong, so they sent an envoy to Bazhong for help, and Bazhong sent troops again, even if it would take thirteen or four days at the earliest. Cao Zhenxin said that I won't be able to surround the city for half a month, so I'd better roll it up and go home; Niu Jin also thought that if Banyue couldn't break through the Chisaka defense line, it was estimated that there would be problems with grain transportation, so it would be better to retreat to Shiquan.

But Ma Jian said, no one dares to guarantee that Gan Ning did not receive Zhang Fei's order earlier, asking him to send troops to help defend Hanzhong, maybe this time Gan Xingba is already on the way, so what should I do? Therefore, our army must send a force of troops and horses to seize Nanxiang City first-"Please lead the army to defend the flank for the two generals." ”

If Xun was here, he would definitely nod: "What you said is very true." Then he immediately shook his head: "However, you are often not in battle, so you can't go." "Just kidding, it may be a bit too much to say that you are "talking on paper", but you are strategizing, you are all right, commanding in battle, and there are many mistakes and omissions, which is clearly recorded in history - Zhuge Liang dares to use you, I dare not use you!

However, Cao Zidan and Niu Jin did not know each other like this. Niu Jin had seen this young man's strategic vision and personal courage, and immediately agreed, and Cao Zhen took a look - of course you are familiar with your person, you said yes, then he. So he immediately sent Ma Tan to lead an army of 4,000 to take Nanxiang. After thinking about it for a long time, Cao Zhenzhen couldn't convince Niu Jin, and finally had to agree to go from the north road.

So he collided with Ma Chao in person. (To be continued.) )