My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 636 Fucheng Besieged
Only then did Cao Ang, Cao Ren, Sima Yi, and others feel at ease.

Although Sima Yi's previous strategy was quite reliable and could be called a brilliant plan, Cao Ang, Cao Ren, and even Sima Yi himself were somewhat uneasy, worried that the Left Army might have some ingenious schemes that would ruin their plans.

But now it seems that the Left Army has run out of ideas.

Cao Ang and his men were relieved. Although everyone in Chengdu, from the powerful clans to the common people, was full of complaints, what did that have to do with Cao's army?

I help you with demolition and moving; it's none of your business.

As the first demolition company in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Cao family had been in this business for many years. They were extremely experienced and skilled, and their track record was well-documented. From Xuzhou to Yanzhou, everyone knew about them.

Yizhou is located in a remote area and is unaware of the stories of the Central Plains. Today, Cao Ang will help the people of Shu learn about current events.

After discovering that the Left Guard Army was helpless, Cao Cao's army accelerated its actions again. At the same time, it instigated Liu Zhang to declare martial law in Chengdu, impose a curfew, and send a large number of Cao Cao's core troops to keep an eye on the major clans in the city.

The Left Army was powerful and colluded with local strongmen, launching numerous night raids to seize cities in a coordinated attack.

Cao was a master of night raids, so he naturally wouldn't be careless about this.

Currently, over one million shi of grain in the city has been 80% transported away. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of shi of military equipment, armor, weapons, flags, drums, ironware, carts, cloth, well salt, Shu brocade, precious items, sugar, snow salt, and many other supplies have also been largely transported away. Although hundreds of thousands of shi remain, they are considered negligible and can be abandoned.

After consulting with Cao Ren, Sima Yi, and Yang Xiu, Cao Ang resumed his command.

First, the troops stationed in Pixian, Guandi, and Fanxian will remain in place, and more troops will be added.

Most of the Allied forces' food and supplies have now been transferred to Guanxian, a crucial location for logistics, and it is imperative to ensure its safety.

In contrast, Wang Shuang's troops were transferred to Guandi to reinforce Xindu and returned to Cao Ren's command. Meanwhile, Huang Quan's 4,000 troops were sent to take over the defense of Xindu.

Xindu was originally a transportation hub, a major town connecting Chengdu and Luocheng, and controlled the Jinniu Road, which was originally the best passage for the allied forces to retreat eastward.

Unfortunately, Luocheng has now been captured and the Jinniu Road has been cut off, forcing the allied forces to head north and detour through Guandi. Moreover, the confluence of the Tianfu River and the Jinshui River is located in Guandi, which has naturally become the new gathering place for the allied forces' supplies.

The new capital city, in turn, became less important and relegated to a secondary region.

Once all the supplies from the irrigation area have been transferred to Fancheng, Xindu will no longer need to be defended. At that time, its proximity to Chengdu and distance from Fancheng will make it a dangerous salient.

Over the past half month, Cao Jun has transported a million shi (a unit of dry measure) of supplies from Chengdu. Half of these supplies were stockpiled in Guandi, and of the remaining half, 70% were in Fancheng and 30% in Shifang. This speed was quite remarkable, and even though Cao Ang and his men were extremely anxious, they could not find fault with it.

After adjusting the troop deployment, Cao Chun was appointed as the main general, leading the troops of Cao Xiu and Li Liang, totaling 11,000 infantry and cavalry, and under the jurisdiction of the two cities of Fancheng and Shifang.

Li Liang, a subordinate of Li Zheng, led 1,000 soldiers from the Li family, 1,000 soldiers from Hanzhong County, and 1,000 soldiers from Hanzhong, totaling 3,000 troops, to garrison Shifang County. Their purpose was to defend the city and prevent the Luocheng Left Guard Army from launching a surprise attack.

Now, Cao Cao's army has a good understanding of the strength of the left flank army in Luocheng. There are four thousand cavalry under Cao Chun, plus four thousand troops under Cao Xiu stationed in Fancheng (selected from the elite troops of Yizhou) threatening the flank. It is difficult for the Luocheng defenders to expand to Shifang and Mianzhu.

After all, the two sides' battle lines were intertwined at this moment. Lu Meng, Sun Ce, and Quan Cong captured Luocheng, threatening the soft underbelly of the allied forces. However, this also meant that they were now deeply surrounded by the enemy.

Cao Chun's main task was to continue transporting supplies to Mianzhu and eventually transfer all the supplies to Fucheng.

Correspondingly, there was Cao Ren's main force in Guandi, leading the troops of Niu Jin and Wang Shuang, plus 3,000 cavalry under Zhang Xiu, totaling 15,000 men.

Their mission was to guard the Allied forces' food and supplies, and then, from here, to unload the supplies from the ships by water and transport them to Fancheng by carts, wheelbarrows, horses, and mules.

The remaining troops remained holed up in Chengdu to resist the Left Army, buying time for supplies to be transported to the north.

According to Sima Yi and Yang Xiu's calculations, the allied forces could withdraw from Chengdu in a week at the latest. By then, essential war supplies such as grain, weapons, armor, and fuel, as well as some lighter goods and fabrics, would have already been transported away. What remained were mainly tens of thousands of shi of old grain, hundreds of thousands of shi of straw, timber, building blocks, earthenware, and other supplies, all of which were heavy and of low value or of little use in war preparation.

Regarding Cao Cao's army's deployment, Liu Feng and the Left Guard Army maintained their original level of harassment, but no longer took risks. In particular, Sun Ce's cavalry retreated back into Luocheng to rest and reorganize.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days have passed.

By mid-May, most of the war supplies in Chengdu had been transported, with the remaining supplies being minor items that could be abandoned at any time.

Seeing that the Left Guard Army showed no signs of launching an offensive against Chengdu, Cao Ang and his men patiently continued the transport. As long as they held Chengdu, they could contain the main force of the Left Guard Army's northward advance, making the transport to the north safer and faster. If possible, Cao Ang wished he could pack up everything and take it all with him until all the supplies reached Fucheng before withdrawing from Chengdu.

During these ten days, not only were nearly 200,000 shi of supplies transported from Chengdu, but a large amount of supplies were also transported eastward.

However, Sima Yi sensed something was amiss and was about to go find Cao Ang when he happened to encounter the people Cao Ang had sent to invite him.

Sima Yi's heart sank. When he saw Cao Ang, he found that the other man's face was very ugly, and he was accompanied only by Yang Xiu. Cao Ren had returned to Guan County yesterday and was not in Chengdu.

Upon seeing Sima Yi, Cao Ang's eyes lit up, and he quickly handed the silk scroll to him: "Zhongda, Fucheng is under siege, and the Left Army may have reinforced its troops as well."

Sima Yi remained calm and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In his view, it was only a matter of time before Fucheng was besieged.

The Left Guard Army currently has a numerical advantage. If they don't act near Chengdu, they will inevitably make their move along the Fu and Zi lines. If the Left Guard Army truly holds back, Sima Yi will be even more worried.

The fact that the Left Army is attacking Fucheng, threatening the allied forces' best base, seems like bad news. But in reality, it puts Sima Yi at ease. However, he cannot say this to Cao Ang.

"Zhongda, according to Li Zheng's letter, the number of the left-wing army besieging the city is as high as 20,000. Moreover, after setting up camp, they began to cut down trees and make weapons. It seems that they do not intend to besiege the city."

Cao Ang's expression was solemn, with a hint of anxiety flashing across his face. There were originally eight thousand Li Zheng troops in Fucheng, plus several thousand soldiers and instructors from Hanzhong County.

Because Li Dian was able to hold out in Zitong, and He Qi's troops outside the city had not launched a fierce attack, Li Zheng not only did not send troops to relieve Li Dian, but also transferred two thousand of his own troops and two thousand of Hanzhong County soldiers and instructors to reinforce Mianzhu and Shifang respectively. Now the city's troops are less than ten thousand.

This sounds ridiculous. Ten thousand people defending a city, yet they're afraid of twenty thousand attacking it.

Li Zheng was no mediocre general; his abilities were no less than Li Dian's, and his martial prowess was even superior.

With his soldiers being loyal followers of the Li family for many years, and a large city like Fucheng to rely on, it should have been an impregnable fortress.

But who could blame them when the attacking forces outside the city were the Left Guard Army?
The reputation of the counterweight catapult had spread from the Shu army to Cao Cao's army, which was quite wary of it. Moreover, the only truly strong fighting force in Fucheng was Li Zheng's main force of six thousand men, and the Hanzhong army's fighting strength could not be relied upon too much.

"General, we should immediately send cavalry to provide reinforcements."

Yang Xiu said impatiently, "Fucheng must not be lost. General, you must make a decision quickly."

After the fall of Luocheng, Fucheng became the largest city in the hands of the allied forces besides Chengdu. Moreover, with Chengdu destined to be abandoned, Fucheng was not only close to Zitong, but also a large city that could stockpile a large amount of supplies and troops. It was unanimously recognized by Cao Cao's senior generals as the most suitable place to hold.

If Fucheng falls, Cao Cao's army will face an extremely difficult situation, either holding the line from Mianzhu to Fancheng to the death, or simply holding Chengdu to the death.

Regardless of which of these two decisions is made, it will take one far away from the northwest passage of Shu, and four or five hundred miles away from the relief force personally led by Cao Cao.

Normally, it would take ten days to half a month to travel these four or five hundred li, let alone during wartime.

Moreover, the situation is shifting, and if the main force of the allied forces can successfully reach Fucheng and Zitong with abundant supplies, they will not only have a strong support for themselves, but also be able to send troops to threaten the rear of Jiange.

Compared to Jiange, Jiameng and Tianxiong are hardly dangerous places.

At that point, Cao Cao would only need to break through Jiameng and Tianxiong, without even facing Jianmen Pass, to establish contact with Cao Ang. Conversely, if Fucheng were lost, even if they could hold Mianzhu to the death, Cao Cao would most likely be unable to save them.

"Duke Dezu, please calm down."

In contrast to Yang Xiu's anxiety, Cao Ang calmed down and asked Sima Yi for his opinion again.

Sima Yi pondered for a moment before calmly saying, "General, it is time to retreat. We cannot linger in Chengdu any longer."

After listening, Cao Ang slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air: "What Zhongda said is very true."

Seeing that Cao Ang agreed with his opinion, Sima Yi was greatly encouraged: "General, the troops in the city are already prepared and can withdraw at any time. In my opinion, we can order General Zixiao to send Wang Shuang's troops to Fancheng to take over the defense, and send Generals Zihe and Wenlie to lead troops to reinforce Fucheng."

Immediately afterwards, Sima Yi advised, "Several thousand usable soldiers should be left in Chengdu to cover the rear and burn abandoned supplies, while the main force should head north as soon as possible. After the main force from Chengdu reaches Guan, Pixian and Xindu can be abandoned, and the troops can be concentrated along the Guan-Fan line."

Cao Ang took the map and examined it carefully for a long time before finally nodding emphatically, accepting all of Sima Yi's advice.

However, at the end, he remembered something and asked, "Zhongda, do you have anyone to recommend for the person left to cover the rear?"

Sima Yi had already anticipated this, and immediately volunteered, saying, "I am willing to share the general's burdens!"

"What? Zhongda, you want to stay behind personally?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ang immediately became anxious and shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, this is not acceptable."

Yang Xiu, who was standing to the side, saw this scene and felt a mix of emotions.

Cao Ang's high regard and trust in Sima Yi made him envious, but he also understood that Sima Yi's military strategy was indeed far superior to his own.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Xiu took the initiative to persuade him, "Zhongda, after our army retreats, Chengdu will be vulnerable and in a dangerous situation. A good general can cover the rear, so why should you take the risk?"

Sima Yi said solemnly, “General, Dezu, you may not know this, but it’s not that I don’t understand these things. It’s just that I personally planned the burning of supplies. In the rush, I handed it over to someone else, so it cannot be carried out safely and there may be unexpected changes. This matter is extremely important. Our army has become isolated in Shu and is being pursued by the Left Army. If we cannot stop the Left Army’s advance in Chengdu, we may suffer heavy losses on our eastward retreat.”

Cao Ang and Yang Xiu had complex expressions; they naturally understood what Sima Yi was saying.

From the very beginning, Sima Yi emphasized that transporting supplies was a two-pronged strategy, not only to increase his own time and resources to hold out, but also to weaken the Left Guard Army, or at least to slow down their advance.

If this cannot be achieved, the allied forces will be in a very dangerous situation. Don't forget that the Shu army is extremely resentful about the withdrawal from Chengdu.

Even with Liu Zhang in hand, Cao Ang could not guarantee that no one in the Shu army would betray him.

Although Cao Ang was reluctant to put Sima Yi in danger, as the other party had said, the task of covering the rear could not be entrusted to anyone else.

After a long silence, Cao Ang finally nodded in agreement with Sima Yi's suggestion. However, Cao Ang then grasped Sima Yi's hand and said earnestly, "It is my fault that you have been put in danger. I only regret my incompetence..."

At this point, Cao Ang was almost in tears, and Sima Yi and Yang Xiu, moved by his words, also had red eyes.

After a moment, Cao Ang composed himself and continued, "Shi Gong Liu is a retainer of my father. He is known for his loyalty, courage, and perseverance, and is capable of handling affairs. His troops are well-trained and deeply admire his virtue, making them a valuable asset to you. In addition, I will leave two hundred personal guards to protect Zhongda's safety, as well as one thousand personal soldiers, one thousand Chengdu naval troops, and five hundred small boats to assist you in your endeavors."

Sima Yi was filled with gratitude and immediately bowed deeply, wanting to thank Cao Ang, but the latter grabbed him and stopped him, saying, "Zhongda, you must know that I am waiting for you in Guandi. If things succeed, all is well. If things change, you must prioritize your own safety. Remember that I am waiting for you in Guandi."

(End of this chapter)