My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 635: Covering others’ eyes
Lu Xun, Xu Shu, and others also agreed with the plan.

The saying goes, "The quality of an army is more important than its quantity."

On the western front, the Left Guard Army primarily engaged in offensive operations, with its strength lying in field battles; naturally, elite troops and skilled generals were more effective. Conversely, on the eastern front at Jiameng Pass, the elite troops selected by Zhao Wei found their place.

Although they had undergone a winter of training, at best they were only at the level of elite Shu troops like Huang Quan. This was because Huang Quan was not highly regarded by Liu Zhang and did not have many elite weapons and armor.

If Zhao Wei's elite troops were to encounter Cao Ang and Cao Ren's direct forces in open battle, they would be doing so well if they could hold out for even an hour, as it would be a testament to Liu Feng's kindness in providing for them.

However, if these troops were transferred to the eastern front, with the formidable passes and strongholds like Jiameng Pass and Tianxiong Pass as their base, their combat effectiveness would be completely transformed.

Not to mention Huang Quan's troops, they could even put up a fight against Cao Cao's elite troops personally led by him.

This is the value of fortified cities and strategic passes in ancient times.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Left Army seems to have cheated at fighting; that's because they truly did. They were equipped with counterweight catapults, the very same ones the Mongols used to sweep across the world a thousand years later. The advent of these devices directly changed the way and course of warfare, greatly promoting the evolution of firearms.

In addition, the Left Army's weapons and armor were the best in the world, its soldiers had been fighting for many years and were extremely experienced, and its generals were all famous generals of the time. With Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, Taishi, Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, Jia Kui, Gao Shun and other great generals and commanders, only world-famous cities such as Wucheng, Chengdu and Xiangyang could slightly hinder the Left Army's offensive.

Moreover, the defense of Jiameng Pass was not entirely dependent on Zhao Wei's troops, but was mainly composed of the Left Guard Army of Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, and Huo Du, supplemented by Wang Ping's Cong soldiers and Zhao Wei's elite troops. This undoubtedly greatly enhanced the resilience of Zhao Wei's forces.

Besides the advantages of location and popular support, even the timing of the heavens was on Liu Feng's side.

Now that it's May, the snow-capped mountains are melting, the glaciers are cracking, and large amounts of snowmelt are flowing down the mountains and into the great rivers, bringing the entire Yangtze River system into its high-water season.

Sailing down the river at this time of year is like having a smooth journey. Not only can one travel a thousand miles a day with the wind, but due to the high water season, a large number of medium-sized ships can also sail to the waters near Wuyang, greatly improving the Zuo Mu Army's transportation capacity and efficiency.

After reaching an agreement, Lu Xun, Xu Shu, Gu Shao, and others began to formulate a transfer plan, while Cao Cao's envoy Sima Lang retraced the plank road, passing through Guanzhong and Hanzhong, crossing Baishui Pass, and arriving outside Jiameng Pass.

Upon learning that Sima Lang was an envoy of the imperial court, Zhou Tai immediately wanted to send him to Shu.

But at that moment, Huo Du grabbed him.

"General, you mustn't."

A look of surprise and confusion flashed across Zhou Tai's face; he didn't understand why Huo Du would object.

Although Sima Lang was in fact an envoy of the Cao family, he was officially recognized as an imperial envoy. His trip south was clearly intended to seek peace.

As for Zhou Tai, he didn't care whether it was war or peace in the end; that was Liu Feng's decision. He just needed to do the tasks Liu Feng assigned him.

"What does Bo Cheng mean by this?"

Zhou Tai explained very seriously: "Sima Lang is an envoy of the imperial court. Our lord respects the emperor, and we should follow suit. We must not tarnish our lord's reputation."

Huo Du knew that Zhou Tai had misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "General, you have misunderstood me. What I meant was that Sima Lang must not be allowed to enter Shu via the Golden Ox Road, not that it was his intention."

Zhou Tai was steady in character but lacked quick wit and still didn't understand Huo Du's hint.

Fortunately, Zhou Tai was a very honest and simple man. He asked when he didn't understand: "Jinniu Road is the main road into Shu. Sima Lang also entered Shu from this place before. Why can't it be done now?"

When Sima Lang entered Shu before, he traveled through Jiameng City, then turned onto the northern foot of Niutou Mountain, and secretly climbed the mountain under cover of night. He traveled lightly and bypassed Jiameng Pass before entering Tianxiong Pass.

Now even Tianxiong Pass is in the hands of the Left Army. Unless Sima Lang has to cross the mountain passes, he can forget about entering Shu.

Sima Lang went to Shu only as an envoy for the Cao family, not as a model for Deng Ai, so there was no need for him to travel over mountains and rivers.

Seeing that Zhou Tai couldn't understand, Huo Du simply stated the matter directly: "The area west of Jiange in Shu is entirely under the control of Cao Cao's army. If Sima Lang takes the Jinniu Road into Shu, he will surely meet with Cao Ang, which will definitely be detrimental to our lord. In that case, why not use the pretext of treating the imperial envoy with courtesy to ask Sima Lang to travel by water, from Jiameng down the Yangtze River, directly to Jiangzhou, and then turn west into the Dajiang River?"

Zhou Tai then realized that, in this way, Sima Lang could forget about meeting Cao Ang to exchange intelligence and share resources.

Zhou Tai grinned and slapped Huo Du hard on the shoulder: "Bo Cheng, the lord once praised me for being rough but meticulous and steady in my work. In my opinion, you are more deserving of the lord's praise than I am."

Although Huo Du was not tall, he was extremely strong. When Zhou Tai's huge hand slapped his shoulder, he did not feel any pain at all. Instead, he became somewhat embarrassed after hearing Zhou Tai's words.

"I dare not accept the general's praise."

Huo Du immediately flattered Zhou Tai, saying, "Our lord is good at recognizing and employing talent. He knows that you are steady and meticulous, which is why he placed you in such a strategic location as Jiameng Pass. With the success of this major event in Shu, your contribution will surely be among the top three."

Zhou Tai smiled憨厚ly and promised, "How can this be solely my achievement? Bo Cheng and Zi Jun also deserve much credit."

Under the arrangement of Zhou Tai and Huo Du, Sima Lang, despite his strong request to enter Shu via the Jinniu Road, was politely refused. He was then arranged to board a boat at the ferry north of Jiameng Pass and travel south along the Jialing River, heading straight for Jiangzhou. At the same time, Zhou Tai set off ahead in a small boat to Jiangzhou to report the matter to Zhuge Liang.

Cao Cao was extremely anxious as his eldest son was trapped in Shu with no way to advance or retreat.

Xun Yu and Xiahou Dun did their utmost to prepare money, food, horses, mules, and carts for Cao Cao's army in just over half a month. At the same time, they would also transport more than 200,000 shi of grain and military equipment to Chang'an in the next six months to supply Cao Cao's army with supplies.

In mid-May, Cao Cao secretly set off from Luoyang, while his army had already been gathering in Guanzhong in batches, with the vanguard even reaching Baima Pass in Hanzhong.

This arrangement was made intentionally by Cao Cao.

Now that Cao Ang is trapped, Cao Cao is about to lead his elite army to his rescue, leaving many areas vulnerable. Furthermore, most of his key military forces have been redeployed, making Cao Cao's move a risky gamble. However, Cao Cao is also in a difficult position; he knows he is taking a risk, but he has no choice. In this situation, a grand rally would seem extremely foolish and inappropriate.

The last group to accompany Cao Cao on his expedition consisted of two thousand medium-armored cavalrymen, plus six thousand elite warriors.

After arriving in Chang'an in Guanzhong, these people will join more than 20,000 troops in the city and continue south. The vanguard will rest for several days at Baima Pass to replenish their food and supplies before reinforcing Baishui Pass.

The vanguard was commanded by Xiahou Yuan, whom Cao Cao trusted implicitly, delegating all authority over the battle to him. The reason Cao Cao sent Xiahou Yuan with over ten thousand troops to advance was because he was deeply concerned about the safety of Baishui Pass.

At this point, Cao Cao actually hoped that the Left Guard Army could continue north and capture Baishui Pass. Although if Baishui Pass fell, Cao Cao's army would be in an even more passive position.

Baishui Pass was built against the mountains and beside the water. Not only was the city wall high and the moat deep, and the terrain precipitous, but there was also a large space inside the city, enough to accommodate 20,000 to 30,000 troops.

If the Left Guard Army were to recapture Baishui Pass, Cao Cao's army would have to break through four lines of defense: Baishui, Jiameng, Tianxiong, and Jiange.

Even if Cao Cao had great confidence in his personal guards, he still showed signs of despair.

Even so, Cao Cao still hoped that the Left Guard Army could march north.

Yang Huai still had several thousand troops at his disposal. Although Baishui Pass was not as advantageous as Jiameng Pass in both the north and south, the southern pass had city walls to rely on. As long as Yang Huai could hold out until Xiahou Yuan arrived, he would have the opportunity to severely damage the Zuo Mu army in the open field.

At that time, Cao Cao will lead his main force to reinforce the area, giving him the initial advantage.

After all, the road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven.

The journey itself was already so difficult, let alone the treacherous passes they had to overcome. Even the Left Guard Army would have a headache, let alone Cao Cao's army.

Although the idea was good, Zhou Tai remained unmoved in reality. No matter how Yang Huai tried to entice him, he remained unmoved and even indifferent to the ownership of Jiameng City.

Yang Huai tentatively sent a thousand soldiers to seize the city, but Zhou Tai completely ignored it, not even sending troops to drive them away, allowing Jiameng City to be recaptured by the Hanzhong army.

If it were more than half a month ago, Yang Huai would have begged Zhou Tai not to pursue him, fearing that the Zuo Mu army would follow and he would not be able to defend Baishui Pass, and would have to retreat all the way back to Baima Pass.

But now Xiahou Yuan has arrived at Baima Fortress and has given him orders to lure Zhou Tai out.

Even though Yang Huai was a famous general in Hanzhong, he really couldn't do it.

Left with no other choice, Yang Huai could only relay the situation in Jiameng to Xiahou Yuan while ordering the thousand soldiers who had entered Jiameng City to try to provoke the enemy. Anyone who could lure the Left Army out of the city would be credited with a great achievement.

In stark contrast to the battlefield of Jiameng, the senior generals of Cao Cao's army in Chengdu were all smiles.

Although the Left Guard Army had been taking action for half a month to try to thwart Cao Cao's transport plan.

However, Chengdu controlled the two rivers, so Sima Yi suggested setting up two water fortresses along the two rivers north of Chengdu, specifically to defend against the Left Army's naval forces crossing the river under cover of night.

As Sima Yi had predicted, Gan Ning personally led a team to cross the river by stealth, but they were blocked by the water fortress and were defeated before dawn.

Since they could not gain any advantage under the walls of Chengdu and could not break through the barriers of the two rivers to stop Cao Cao's army from transporting supplies.

Following this, Sun Ce's cavalry, stationed in Luocheng, also launched an operation after receiving orders.

At dawn, Sun Ce's forces split into three groups and launched a major offensive, each heading south in a surprise attack. However, Cao Cao's previous defenses proved effective, and Wang Shuang, stationed in Xindu, took the initiative to leave the city to meet the attack.

As mentioned earlier, all the rivers on the Chengdu Plain had entered their high-water season at this time, and the rivers that could be crossed in winter were no longer passable.

Wang Shuang led his troops to guard several crossing points, blocking Sun Ce's southward cavalry north of the Jian River.

In the direction of Fancheng County, after receiving reinforcements of 3,000 cavalry from Cao Chun, Cao Xiu also took the initiative to attack, setting up an ambush 30 miles east of Fancheng County, almost trapping Sun Ce's main force.

Fortunately, although Sun Ce was bold in his military tactics, he often had a backup plan, and he eventually succeeded in breaking through the encirclement.

In this battle, both sides suffered more than two hundred casualties, but strictly speaking, the Left Army suffered the greater loss.

However, considering that Cao Cao's army was more than three times the size of Sun Ce's army, and had half as many cavalry, it should have been a draw.

All of Zuo Mujun's actions were actually feints.

The total strength of the Left Guard Army in Shu now exceeds 100,000, and it has separated the allied forces from Hanzhong, dividing them in Shu and gaining a huge strategic and tactical advantage.

Therefore, Liu Feng did not restrict Sun Ce and others from performing their duties, but instead issued combat missions in accordance with normal military orders.

If Sun Ce, Gan Ning, and their troops fail to achieve their tactical objective of blocking the enemy's transport, then Liu Feng can not only continue with his planned strategy, but also perfectly achieve the effect of deceiving the enemy.

If Sun Ce and Gan Ning were to prove to be more skilled and deliver an unexpected surprise, Liu Feng would naturally have a backup plan to deal with the sudden change in the situation.

If Cao Cao's army runs out of supplies and immediately regroups and retreats eastward, Liu Feng will not hesitate to advance eastward with his main force to pursue them, and will absolutely not allow Cao Cao to retreat safely to Fucheng.

If Cao Cao's army were to turn to defend Chengdu, Liu Feng would be even happier. He could immediately switch the main attack to the Fucheng line, allowing Zhou Yu and He Qi's main forces to capture Zitong and Fucheng first, thus further encircling and dividing Cao Cao's army.

It must be admitted that Sima Yi's military skills were quite remarkable, and the generals of Cao Cao's army were all capable and skilled in battle.

The ability to fight tenaciously even when clearly at a disadvantage, and to demonstrate a strong will to fight, already exceeds the basic requirements for a strong military.

In other words, Cao Cao's army was significantly inferior to Zuo Mu's army in terms of weaponry, and his soldiers were also less experienced and trained than Zuo Mu's army, which led to the difference in combat strength between the two armies.

The Cao army in this current timeline, while far superior in manpower and weaponry to its counterpart in the original timeline, suffers from a lack of combat experience among its soldiers. After all, this Cao Cao has missed a series of major battles, including the three campaigns against Xuzhou, the pacification of Yuan Shu in the south, and the Battle of Wancheng.

The army, due to its rapid expansion, recruited many new soldiers. Combat experience cannot be gained through training alone; it must ultimately be acquired on the battlefield.

Just as Liu Feng, Lu Xun, Xu Shu and others predicted, the Left Army's high-intensity attacks, harassments and raids not only perfectly concealed the signs of troop movement, but also gave Cao Ang, Cao Ren, Sima Yi and others a great sense of relief.

For Cao Ang, Cao Ren, and Sima Yi, the large-scale invasion by the Left Guard Army, and even the risky attack by Sun Ce's forces, stemmed from impatience. And the Left Guard Army's impatience precisely proved the correctness of Cao Cao's strategy.

(End of this chapter)