My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 593 The End of the Left Curtain
At first, Zhao Wei was somewhat restrained, but the siege was not going well and Huang Quan launched a counterattack. Zhao Wei then simply broke off all pretense and began to conscript soldiers on a large scale. Although this forced conscription angered the people, it also replenished Zhao Wei's forces with more than 10,000 men.

Although Zhao Wei has suffered considerable losses, he still has more than 40,000 fresh troops on the front line, as well as more than 10,000 wounded soldiers, and seven or eight thousand troops have been dispatched along the way.

The main force of these troops is now completely surrounded by Liu Zhang outside Chengdu. The terrain is flat and offers no natural defenses. Forget about running out of food; the moment the army learns their retreat has been cut off, morale will plummet.

Given such a favorable situation, it would be difficult for Liu Zhang to make a mistake.

Once Liu Zhang defeats Zhao Wei and annexes his tens of thousands of troops, his strength will increase significantly, making it much more difficult for Liu Feng to conquer Yizhou.

Especially given the current situation, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong has already extended his reach into Yizhou, even capturing Baishui Pass. If it weren't for his swift action, Zhou Tai's unwavering obedience, and Huo Du's boldness and meticulousness, not to mention Jiameng and Tianxiong Passes, even Jianmen Pass would have had to be retaken in a real battle.

The most troublesome person was not Zhang Lu, but Cao Cao, who was behind Zhang Lu.

The thought that Zhang Lu was showing signs of siding with Cao Cao gave Liu Feng a headache.

Even though times have changed and Liu Feng will no longer accept Cao Cao's strategic blackmail, if things drag on for a year, their advantage will be even greater.

If Liu Feng could safely bring Yizhou under his control, and then cultivate and develop it for another year or two, he would be confident in launching a full-scale Northern Expedition, sweeping across the Central Plains and re-establishing the Han Dynasty within five years.

After much deliberation, Liu Feng made up his mind to rescue Zhao Wei at all costs. However, before issuing the order, he could listen to the opinions of others, perhaps gaining some ingenious strategies.

Soon, everyone arrived one after another. After taking their seats, they were granted permission by Liu Feng to read Zhao Wei's report requesting assistance.

"General, Zhao Wei must be saved!"

After reading the military report, Zhang Wen frowned and immediately bowed, saying, "Judging from Zhao Wei's report, his mind is in turmoil, and he is unsure of his advance or retreat. If our lord does nothing, Liu Zhang will pounce on him like a hungry tiger, devouring his entire army. At that time, Liu Zhang's forces will be even stronger. Sichuan is already fraught with danger, and Liu Zhang will have troops stationed there. If our army tries to launch a strong attack, not only will it delay our advance, but we also risk losing our elite troops and wasting our strength!"

After a moment's thought, he solemnly said, "Although Zhao Wei has been defeated, his troops still remain. If we can rush to his aid in time, we can not only protect our allies but also restrain Liu Zhang, preventing him from taking advantage of the situation to grow stronger. If we miss this opportunity and Liu Zhang takes over all of Zhao Wei's troops, then the situation in Yizhou will be much more difficult for our lord to handle!"

"My lord, Huishu's words are very wise!"

Gu Shao also bowed and offered his advice, his eyes gleaming: "Zhao Wei is now like meat on a chopping board. He will either fall into Liu Zhang's cauldron or be put into ours. If our lord strikes first and takes over his troops, then the gates of Chengdu will be wide open—taking it will be as easy as turning one's hand. This is a golden opportunity!"

Xu Shu suddenly spoke up: "My lord, please use the map."

Liu Feng readily agreed and immediately waved his hand.

Xu Shu stood up, walked to the map of Yizhou hanging behind Liu Feng, studied it carefully for a moment, and then asked, "My lord, how much transport capacity does the Jian River still have available?"

The river Xu Shu was referring to was the Jian River, which Jiang Qin had traveled north along, and which later became the Tuo River.

However, unlike in later periods, the Jian River in the Eastern Han Dynasty was shorter and had more complex water flow. Moreover, if one wanted to reach Chengdu, there was a section that passed through the Longquan Mountains, making the terrain even more complicated.

Therefore, the Jian River was not suitable for direct navigation from Jiangzhou to Chengdu, let alone for transporting grain and soldiers.

Liu Feng shook his head directly: "There are only two routes to Chengdu by waterway. One is to go upstream along the Minjiang River, where it flows into the Chengdu Plain. The other is to go north along the Fushui River from Dianjiang, and then transfer to land travel at Fucheng. The Jianshui River may seem like a shortcut, but it is actually a dead end."

The so-called "dead-end water" means that the waterway can only be navigated up to Niubi County. Although it seems that the Jianshui River can pass through the Longquan Mountains and reach the city of Chengdu, it is actually not a practically navigable route.

Xu Shu suddenly realized, and couldn't help but frown and ponder deeply.

Rescuing Zhao Wei is the generally accepted approach; the challenge now is how to carry out the rescue.

The most common approach was to lead Huang Gai's naval forces, supplemented by some army troops, and head north from the Fu River to Fucheng before switching to land-based rescue operations.

The plan was conventional, but it also had many problems. First, the road was too far. Even with convenient waterways, it would be virtually impossible for a large fleet of boats to reach Fucheng from Jiangzhou in less than seven to ten days.

Moreover, Luocheng has now been captured by the Shu army, and Mianzhu is also in imminent danger.

If Mianzhu also falls into the hands of the Shu army, then the reinforcements will inevitably have to attack the two fortified cities of Mianzhu and Luocheng, and the timeframe for that is unpredictable.

Suddenly, Xu Shu asked again, "My lord, is there any news regarding the Bo Road?"

Liu Feng laughed; Xu Shu had finally gotten to the heart of the matter.

"The city has not yet fallen."

Liu Feng's first words made Xu Shu's vision darken.

But then Liu Feng continued, "However, we can leave at any time."

After a moment, Xu Shu suddenly realized what Liu Feng meant.

In reality, although the Bodao Pass is fortified, given the strength of the Left Army, it would only take them a month or two at most to capture it; it's far from being delayed until now.

The reason for not taking it was twofold: firstly, to give the troops the opportunity to hone their skills and experience in capturing fortified cities; and secondly, to give Liu Zhang the illusion that the Bidao Pass was impregnable and difficult for the Left Guard Army to take, so that Liu Zhang could concentrate his forces to fight against Zhao Wei.

If the Bidao Pass falls, only Wuyang will remain south of Chengdu. Even if Liu Zhang is extremely anxious, he will still be able to send more than 10,000 troops to reinforce Wuyang. Wouldn't that give Zhao Wei an opportunity to take advantage of the situation?

Therefore, the Bodao Pass cannot be captured too quickly; as to when it can be taken, it depends entirely on one's own needs.

Now is the time to take down Bidao, and not only that, we must also launch a major offensive against Wuyang and Guangdu.

Once the Left Guard Army occupies Wuyang and Guangdu, Zhao Wei will have a chance to escape from a desperate situation.

With Liu Zhang's forces, there was no way to stop Zhao Wei's army from advancing southwest, bypassing Chengdu, and joining forces with the Left Guard Army. In this way, Zhao Wei's army would be able to regain its food supplies, at least avoiding a complete rout.

Just as everyone was agreeing with the plan, another urgent report was sent in.

Liu Feng opened the report and frowned immediately.

This report was none other than the plan devised by Zhou Tai and Huo Du.

After reading the report, Liu Feng immediately passed it on to everyone for review.

Upon seeing this, Gu Shao, Zhong Yu, and others paled, while Zhang Wen, Xu Shu, and others showed surprise and delight. "My lord, this plan is too risky."

Zhong Yu frowned and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "With the strength of Zhou Zhonglang's troops, as long as they hold Jiameng and Tianxiong Passes, no matter how large the Hanzhong army is, they will be powerless to cross Niutou Mountain. But if we take this risky plan, once the Hanzhong army breaks through Jiange and Zitong, there will be no strongholds to defend."

Chen Tai also agreed from the side, saying, "What Zhishu said is very true, my lord. To the south of Zitong is Fucheng. If Fucheng is lost, then the Fu River waterway will be cut off. If the Hanzhong army and the Shu army coordinate from afar, then our army will be trapped instead."

"Xuanbo, you are mistaken!"

Lu Ji rose with a flourish, his voice booming: "Zhou Zhonglang's military report clearly states that Jiameng Pass is an impregnable natural fortress, and has always been under our control. Even if the Hanzhong army were to escape Jiange and seize Zitong by chance, they would be like hungry rats stealing grain—what would they gain? To our army, it would be nothing more than a minor ailment! You must know that their lifeline is always in our hands. As long as Jiameng Pass does not fall, we can cut off their supplies at will. At that time, no matter how they try to maneuver, they will be trapped like turtles in a jar!"

Xu Shu, who had been listening intently, immediately stood up after Lu Ji finished speaking and said passionately, "Gongji's words are exactly what I think. My lord, in my humble opinion, if the Hanzhong army is holed up north of Jiameng Pass and dares not cross Leiting even half a step, that's fine. But if they really dare to seize Tianxiong and send troops out of Zitong, then they are simply courting death."

When their army enters Fucheng, my lord need only order Zhou Zhonglang to strike swiftly, recapture Tianxiong, cut off their supply lines, and sever their retreat. At that time, even a hundred thousand strong in Hanzhong will be like thin frost under the scorching sun—”

At this point, he suddenly swept his sleeve across the teacup on the table, and the porcelain cup fell to the ground and shattered.

"That's how ice melts and frost dissipates!"

"it is good!"

Liu Feng laughed heartily. To be honest, he really didn't take the Hanzhong army seriously. If Zhang Lu hadn't shown signs of surrendering to Cao Cao, he wouldn't have needed to think so much about it.

After listening to everyone's opinions, Liu Feng had made his decision.

He issued five military orders in succession.

The first military order was issued to the troops in Bidao, instructing Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun to immediately capture Bidao, and to send Gan Ning and Wei Yan's troops as the vanguard to advance on Wuyang. Once Wuyang was captured, troops were to be divided to attack Guangdu and Jiangyuan counties, with Guangdu County being of particular importance.

The second military order was to dispatch two thousand naval troops under Su Fei to escort military equipment, supplies, and provisions directly to Wuyang, using Wuyang as a forward base.

The third military order was sent back to Zhou Cang and Huo Du, granting their request and ordering them to defend Jiameng to the death, with no possibility of the place falling.

The fourth military order was to order Quan Cong's 2,000 troops to remain in Niubi County, while Jiang Qin's 6,000 naval troops were to return to Jiangzhou.

The final military order was to appoint Xu Chu as the commander-in-chief, Xu Shu as the military advisor, and Zhou Fang, Zhou Jun, and Sun Jiao as generals, along with 3,000 personal guards and 2,000 naval troops under Su Fei, to set off immediately, heading north along the Fu River to Guanghan, to guard against the Hanzhong army taking Fucheng and then turning south.

At the same time, Liu Feng sent an order to He Qi, instructing his troops to speed up their march and rush to Jiangzhou.

After receiving the news, Zhuge Liang immediately invited Lu Xun and others to discuss the matter.

Half an hour later, Gan Ning and Wei Yan returned to their respective units to prepare their soldiers.

An hour later, although it was already dusk, the army still boarded the ships and set sail without regard for the darkness, crossing the Bo Road, going up the river, and heading towards Wuyang.

Even if those on the city wall of Bodao witnessed this scene, they were powerless to do anything about it.

All three city towers of Bodao were destroyed, and none of the catapults deployed at the watchtowers and horse-faced points inside the city survived. They could only watch helplessly as Gan Ning and Wei Yan sailed through Bodao in their warships and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun distributed wine and meat to the army to reward the entire troops.

The next morning, the army set out from the camp and launched a general attack on the Bodao.

The garrison in Bodao City has been reinforced by four batches of able-bodied men, totaling more than 3,000 people. Even the elderly, women and children have been organized.

Even so, the Bodao region had reached a dead end. Of the original 5,000-plus garrison troops plus the additional 3,000-plus able-bodied men, there were now less than 2,000 with fighting strength.

If it weren't for the resolute will and prestige of the commander Yan Yan, who had already given away all his wealth, coupled with the ulterior motives of the Zuo Mu army, this city would have fallen long ago.

Just half an hour after the battle began, the Zuo Mu army successfully scaled the city walls on the east and west sides.

Yan Yan hurriedly dispatched elite personal guards to counterattack, trying to drive the Zuo Mu army off the city wall. However, after a long and fierce battle, they failed to succeed. Instead, more and more Zuo Mu soldiers climbed the city wall and, after gaining a foothold, began to organize their forces to storm the city gate.

Soon, in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the city gate was breached.

The already dilapidated gate was slowly opened, completely announcing the fall of Bodao. The garrison commander Yan Yan ordered the troops to surrender, while he himself committed suicide in the county government.

After entering the city, Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun quickly tidied up the situation and reassured the people.

Subsequently, with Lu Xun as the main general, leading Lü Meng, Lü Dai, Wen Pin, and Ling Tong, a total of 12,000 men from five tribes and other tribes in Yizhou, they marched north along the Yangtze River to Wuyang to reinforce the tribes of Gan Ning and Wei Yan.

Zhuge Liang, along with Zhang Nan and Feng Xi, temporarily stayed in Bodao, and after the situation was stabilized, he would lead his troops north.

**
Outside Jiameng Pass to the north, after several days of observation, Zhang Wei and Yan Pu discovered that the military strength in Tianxiong Pass was becoming increasingly weak. After two or three days of attacking the city, only three hundred Shu soldiers remained to guard Tianxiong Pass, and the entire Zuo Mu army had been transferred to Jiameng Pass for defense.

Zhang Wei and Yan Pu were overjoyed.

The two carefully selected two thousand brave and skilled warriors who were adept at mountain warfare. Under the cover of night, they quietly ascended Niutou Mountain from the north slope and launched a surprise attack on Tianxiong Pass.

Meanwhile, fearing that Jiameng Pass would reinforce Tianxiong Pass, Yan Pu suggested selecting a thousand archers and deploying them on the Niutou Mountain ridge to block the reinforcements from Jiameng Pass.

After the agreement was reached, Zhang Wei left Yan Pu in charge of the main camp and personally led his elite troops to attack the pass.

Things went very smoothly. The garrison at Tianxiong Pass was very lax and did not expect the Hanzhong army to attack the city from the steep north slope. In just a quarter of an hour, Zhang Wei's elite warriors had successfully scaled the city walls, defeated the garrison's counterattack, and opened the gates of Tianxiong Pass.

The Hanzhong soldiers, who had been waiting outside for a long time, rushed in, and Tianxiong Pass was immediately lost.

After the garrison at Jiameng Pass discovered the strange occurrences at Tianxiong Pass, they indeed sent troops to reinforce the area. However, it was already too late, especially since there were archers from the Hanzhong army sniping and obstructing them along the way.

Seeing that Tianxiong Pass had fallen and there was no way to send reinforcements, the garrison at Jiameng Pass had no choice but to retreat again.

In this battle, the Hanzhong army successfully launched a night attack on Tianxiong Pass, but only suffered six dead and more than twenty seriously wounded. However, they killed thirty-seven Shu soldiers and captured more than one hundred alive. Only about one hundred escaped from the west gate of Tianxiong Pass and headed towards Jiange.

(End of this chapter)