In the summer of 221 A.D., after two years of silence, a fierce war broke out again in the Yellow River Valley.

After two years of recuperation and secret planning, the Jiangdong power clique burned the flames of war to the north of the Yellow River overnight.

Under the suggestion of Pang Tong, Zhang Liao, the governor of the Shandong front, issued several golden orders, transferred 50,000 troops to General Gao Shun, went out of Mount Tai, and went straight to Le'an, and began to prepare to cross the Yellow River north and attack the Jieshi area, in order to contain the forces in the Nanpi area of Cao's army. Under the strategic control of Pang Tong, Zhang Liao commanded an army of 100,000 out of Jinan and put pressure on the northern area of Jibei, preparing to go north to Hebei and You, and sweep the north. And the guard general Jia Xu did not dare to slack off, even the pass was guarded, and the camp went to the village, waiting for the battle. At the same time, Sun Quan escorted a steady stream of grain and grass from the Huai River along the Wenshui River to supply the front line.

The battle situation is involved and the whole body is launched, once there is any wind and grass on the Shandong front, Zhang Lang, as the middle road army, can wait and see the changes? At Guo Jia's suggestion, the general Wei Yan led 50,000 troops out of the official and prepared to attack the Yanjin Ferry and open up the main road to the north; Huang Xu led 50,000 troops to Dongjun to firmly control the hub of the Central Plains of the Yellow River Valley, and Xiao sent Quan Cong out of Guandu to Muye, preparing to encroach on the defensive points around Liyang, and cut off all the passages from Hanoi to Liyang, and isolated Sima Yi. At the same time, the main force of 100,000 troops led by Zhang Lang and Guo Jia entered Guandu, preparing to fight Hanoi with Sima Yi.

Only Zhou Yuhu, who won Hongnong County, lived in Longpan, stood still, peeped into Hedong, coerced Hangu, and watched the changes.

The two fronts came out hand in hand, the momentum was huge, and there was no need to break through any way, which was enough to support the overall situation, turbulent Jizhou, and threaten the north.

At this time, Zhuge Liang had pacified the Southern Barbarians, collected troops back to Yizhou, and rectified Bashu.

After nearly two years of continuous consumption of troops and continuous battles, Liu Bei finally opened and closed the gate of Zhongzhong, captured Sanguan, choked Chencang Dao, and opened the door to invade Guanzhong. Guanzhong four stops, east, west, north and south each have dangerous passes and evil ridges for the obstruction of the portal, and the scattered pass is the west gate, once Liu Bei occupies its pass, he will take a high position, peep at Chang'an. It's just a pity that Liu Bei is in a hurry, but he forgets the geographical situation of Si Li's outer four stoppers and thousands of stacks inside, although the gate of the invasion of Guanzhong has been opened, but the layers of checkpoints inside are still difficult for people to move an inch. In the end, under the advice of Fa Zheng, the pace of marching into Guanzhong could be slowed down. Bingtun Wuzhang Plain, waiting for a good opportunity.

Liu Bei's strong advance, obviously some shake the foundation of Guanzhong, plus Zhou Yu's 100,000 Jingzhou soldiers seem to set their sights on Hedong, with the merger of states as the aggressive goal, Zhong Harrier after a few thoughts, forced to reduce the strength of the first line of Zihan Valley and Tongguan, and transferred tens of thousands of horses to Yongzhou, preparing to meet the second war of the Shu army, and at the same time ordered the Shangdang Taishou Deng Ai and the Beidi Taishou Wang Ping to lead the troops to the south quickly, in case Zhou Yu suddenly attacked Hedong.

A large-scale war broke out again on both sides of the Yellow River, shaking the entire Central Plains, and what the final trend would be determined by the situation of the entire Central Plains. After decades of turmoil, all the people thought that the world would be one, and that they could live a peaceful and stable life, and everyone was concerned about the final development of the war situation.

Guandu is located in the upper reaches of the chasm, on the verge of Bianshui. The chasm canal connects the tiger prison, Gong and Luo Yao Pass in the west, and goes down to Huaisi in the east, which is the barrier of Xuchang north and east, and is the springboard in the north and enters the Guanniu in the west. Once Guandu is firmly controlled, it can threaten the north at all times, and it can also enter Guanzhong by water, and its strategic location is self-evident.

Zhang Lang immediately set out to march into Liyang after taking Guandu, but before invading Jizhou, he must also solve a difficult problem, that is, to pull out Sima Yi's 100,000 horses in Hanoi.

Since ancient times, whether a regime can unify the whole country depends to a large extent on whether it can unify the north. In the process of unification of the north, the pivotal position is the annexation of states. In the chaotic situation of division in the north, it was easy for Guanzhong and Hebei to establish local order. Most of the forces in the north originated in these two regions. And Bingzhou is like a huge wedge, wedged between Guanzhong and Hebei, facing the Central Plains. No matter which side wants to annex the other, unify the north, and then unify the world, it must first gain control of the annexed state, otherwise it will not be possible to open up the situation. Whether or not they can gain control of the mountainous terrain of the state is an existential matter for both sides. Control and annexation of states, in terms of attack, is enough to stretch its flanks and envelop the Central Plains; In terms of guarding, it is enough to ensure the safety of its flanks.

For Zhang Lang, it is inevitable to enter the Guanzhong sooner or later, but how to seize the Guanzhong and firmly control it in his own hands is still very knowledgeable. Similarly, Zhang Lang's two-way front went to Hebei to compete with Cao Ying, and he also needed a strong entry point. Zhang Liao's army came out of Shandong, not the main battlefield, but only for containment. The 200,000 soldiers led by himself and Guo Jia are the biggest bargaining chips in Hebei.

It was these reasons that made Zhang Lang have to make a comprehensive plan, and after careful consideration, Zhang Lang decided to take the state first, then go to Guanzhong, and finally plot Hebei. When this plan came out, everyone didn't understand why Zhang Lang had such a step. Only Guo Jia agreed: "The lord is really far-sighted, looking at the ancient and modern people who have pacified Hebei, there are no more than two situations." One is from Henan, and the other is from the state. Those who come from the direction of Henan focus on the portal, and those who come from the direction of the state focus on fighting for the Taihang barrier, among them, especially the danger of the enemy from the direction of the state, because the Taihang barrier is lost, the portal and the center are lost, and the whole territory of Hebei is penetrated. ”

Zhang Lang said in a deep voice: "That's right. If he crosses the official crossing into Hebei, even if he crosses the Yellow River, Zhangshui and other dangerous obstacles, and takes Yecheng, Cao Ying can still retreat to Xindu and Youzhou, and then draw Handan and Xingtai as the gateway, and Changshan and Hejian as the center, if he does not conquer these important strongholds, he will not dare to continue to go deeper; Even if these strongholds are conquered, they must gradually go deeper, and attack one city and one pond in order to conquer the hinterland of Hebei. On the other hand, if you can occupy Taiyuan and go out of Taihang Mountain, you can go straight through Hebei and set Jizhou. ”

Cheng Yu realized: "My subordinates understand. It turned out that the lord intended to follow the process of unifying the world between the Qin and Western Han dynasties. When it was in the battle of Qin to destroy Zhao, Qin sent two armies to attack Zhao, and one army went out of Taihang to attack the north of Handan; An army went out of Hanoi and attacked the south of Handan. After the destruction of Zhao, the Qin army went north, and the troops were in Yishui. Yishui fought a battle and broke the Yan Dynasty coalition army. The remnants of Yan retreated to Liaodong. The entire Hebei region was incorporated into Qin's territory. The Western Han Dynasty slightly determined Hebei, and Lai Hanxin led the army north into the state to destroy the Wei and Ping dynasties, and broke the main force of the Zhao army led by Chen Yu in Jingcheng, so he was able to go east to Taihang, pacify the Zhao State, and force the Yan State. ”

Zhang Lang nodded and said, "Although this is not all the case, it is not far off." ”

Cheng Yu said in a deep voice: "Then there is still no need to take Guanzhong?" ”

Guo Jia smiled: "There is this necessity, if you can take the barrier from Bingzhou to Taihang, and the entire Hebei overlooks, then Guanzhong is bound to fight." Because whether Cao Ying or Liu Bei occupy the four places in Guanzhong, they will inevitably form a huge threat to Bingzhou. ”

Cheng Yu pondered: "In this way, it will inevitably start a war with Liu Bei, but I am afraid of ......"

Zhang Lang suddenly laughed, not worried at all: "As long as I can firmly control the Taiyuan barrier, Hebei is actually in control." Cao Ying said that he could not recapture the checkpoint of the important town of Bingzhou, and he could not go south with peace of mind. Even if I turn the gun to fight against Liu Bei and fight for Hanzhong, Cao Ying still has to fight for the state. What's more, the terrain of Bingzhou is high, Hebei is located in the plain, it is more difficult to counterattack from Hebei and merge with the state, but it is easier to cross the Jingcheng east to Hebei from the state. ”

Cheng Yu let out a sigh of relief, his brows relaxed, and he said easily: "My subordinates understand." ”

Zhang Lang and the strategists set the whole overall battle situation, but they began to have a headache about how to implement this plan. Sima Yi studied the art of war deeply, and was old and calculating, and the land of Hebei was not Jiangnan after all, the north wind was fierce, and there were many war horses, no matter the time, location, and people. If you want to take all the states, how easy is it?

After several people discussed, Zhang Langliu's veteran Huang Zhong led 20,000 horses to guard important checkpoints such as Xingyang and Bishui, and he led the main force to go north to Guandu and attack Juan County. After succeeding, the troops were divided into two routes, one was Sun Ce with 10,000 horses and 10,000 horses to Nanji County, strengthening the connection with the Quancong army. At the same time, he led a large army to Vu Duc, forced into Hanoi County, and prepared to fight with Sima Yi in Huai County, Hanoi.

After a short battle, Sima Yi unexpectedly did not fight Zhang Lang, but led the main army to retreat from the Taihang Mountains and defend Tianjing Pass. Tianjingguan is also known as Taihang Road, on which there is the Changzhi Basin. The terrain of Changzhi is high, like a fortress, overlooking Hebei and Henan. Among them, there are important towns such as Changzhi and Huguan, all of which are dangerous checkpoints. Taihang Road has another into Zhangshui, Hebei, and its important pass has a mouth; Guannan is the sheep intestine mountain road of Taihang Mountain, which is extremely dangerous.

Invaded and merged with the state from the south of the Yellow River, Taihang Road is a battleground and a key point of attack and defense. Sima Yi hit the nail on the head to catch the most critical rib in the battle between the two armies, and at the same time, Zhang Lang began to fall into another major problem in sweeping Hebei.

Wude County, at the foot of Taihang Mountain.

Countless flags fluttered in the wind, and all the soldiers stepped up their training to charge in the array, and there was a lot of noise.

Compared with the lively atmosphere outside, the Chinese army Dazhai was silent, Zhang Lang looked at the general distribution map of Bingzhou, bowed his head and pondered. Guo Jia carried his hands on his back, and kept stomping back and forth in the middle of Dazhai, sometimes pondering, sometimes looking at Zhang Lang, with a dignified face, obviously encountering a lot of problems. And Cheng Yu stood beside Zhang Lang, staring at the map for a long time, occasionally his eyes flashed, and he fell into confusion. And several henchmen, Ling Tong and Lu Meng, also stood quietly on one side, obviously pondering the problem.

I don't know how long it took, Zhang Lang broke the silent atmosphere in the tent with a sigh and said: "Sima Yi is really extraordinary, let us do everything we can to plan, they just don't go out of the Taihang Road, they could have made surprise troops, but because the Taihang Mountains are undulating, they are full of treacherous mountains, and they are also stationed on the Ban Road, which is really leaky." It's really hard to do right now. ”

After Guo Jia heard Zhang Lang's words, he stopped and said: "If you attack Tianjing Pass, it is really a strategy. This pass is thick and natural, the high cliffs on both sides, the sheep intestine path in the middle, can be described as a ghostly workmanship, a husband is a pass, and ten thousand people are not open. For today's plan, the only way is to first seize Huaixian, Yewang, Qinxin and other places, and then take the waterway to bypass the Tianjing Pass and take Changzhi, and take Sima Yi. ”

Cheng Yu nodded when he heard this: "This is not a way." It's just that there are two rivers of Qinshui and Zhangshui, I don't know which one is more reasonable? ”

Guo Jia shook his head and said: "I am also thinking hard about this problem, whether it is Qinshui or Zhangshui, its difficulty and effect are almost the same, and now I am worried that with Sima Yi's current shrewd methods, I am afraid that they will have already arranged for it on the water, and they will not let us succeed so easily." ”

When Lu Meng heard this, he said with some disapproval: "This Sima Yiping has never heard of it, why should the military advisor grow the ambition of others and destroy his own prestige?" If he is really so talented, I'm afraid that Cao Ying won't use it now. ”

Cheng Yu said with a serious face: "Don't be careless, just by fighting with him for a few battles, you may not be able to see the depth of this person, but at such a critical moment, Cao Ying still trusts this person so much, you can know what his ability is." ”

Zhang Lang pondered: "Since it's normal for spies to come and say one, why don't you send two men and horses to explore the way first?" ”

Guo Jia smiled: "It's okay, throw stones and ask for directions." Let's get to the bottom of it first. ”

Cheng Yu said: "Why don't you let Zhou Yu transfer part of his troops, let him cross the Yellow River, open the gap from Jiguan, pass through Wangwu and Taihang Ershan, and go straight to Jincheng, the capital of Gao. If we can't break through Sima Yi's defense, we can also let him cut in diagonally from the side and flank the Taihang Road. ”

Lu Meng's eyes lit up, he looked at the map carefully, and said with some excitement: "Master Cheng's plan is wonderful. ”

Guo Jia glanced at Zhang Lang, smiled and didn't say anything.

Zhang Lang said categorically: "No, Zhou Yu's troops will not move him unless they have to." Since our army is preparing to go north to Taiyuan, then his men and horses should wait for the best opportunity to march into Guanzhong anytime and anywhere. In addition, from the Ji concern, although we can protect the flank of our army, if Guanzhong suddenly attacks and cuts off their route, I am afraid that Zhou Yu's troops who have penetrated deep will encounter unprecedented huge trouble. ”

Lu Meng was a little deflated and said, "Then what is it like now?" ”

Zhang Lang said in a deep voice: "Lu Meng, you go and order 5,000 men and horses, and go up along the Zhangshui early tomorrow morning, be sure to find out the enemy situation for me, if this road is feasible, you will meet the open road, meet the water and build a bridge, and be ready to meet my main army to the north at any time." ”

Lu Meng straightened his chest and shouted, "My subordinates understand." ”

(To be continued)