My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 565: Dingjun Mountain, Battle with Xiahou

July 20, late at night, Cao's army camped on Dingjun Mountain.

Because it is located in the heart of Hanzhong, it has not encountered the enemy for a long time. The sentries on the mountain are inevitably a little slack, and it has become normal to doze off during night duty.

"What's that sound? Captain, listen quickly. Is it an enemy attack?" A relatively young sentry suddenly felt a series of noises coming from the direction of the road coming down the mountain. Out of nervousness, he couldn't help but wake up the captain who was leading the patrol.

The commander of Cao's army was already an old hand. He was a little annoyed when he was woken up. After listening carefully for a while, he couldn't help but scold: "You are so troublesome! In this season, it is very common to see many wild animals at night. Last year when we followed the general to defeat Zhang Lu, there were still deer that raided the camp at night!"

The recruit was reprimanded, and after listening carefully, it seemed that the herd of animals really had mistakenly entered the antler area, so he relaxed his vigilance.

In history, during the battle between Cao's army and Zhang Lu, Zhang Wei's camp was attacked by thousands of large deer at night, causing the entire army to explode. Then, Xiahou Yuan's army followed the deer herd and attacked, and the camp was severely defeated.

In this life, although due to various changes in history and the butterfly effect, Zhang Wei was finally defeated by Jia Xu's strategy of luring the enemy, rather than being defeated by a group of deer kicking the camp. However, the natural characteristics of Hanzhong in this era, such as good ecological environment and abundant wild animals, have not changed.

In the more than one year since Cao's army entered Hanzhong, the garrisons in various throat camps in the wild have encountered large groups of wild animals such as deer, roe deer, and muntjac approaching the camp at night to look for food. There are even groups of animals rushing into the hay field and eating the hay and bean feed left for the horses without paying attention to others.

Because they were used to it, Cao Jun didn't think much about it and quickly relaxed again.

However, this time was different, and they soon paid the price for their slackness.

With a series of whistling sounds, dozens of poisoned featherless crossbow arrows suddenly shot out from the darkness. The Cao army sentinels were caught off guard and soon fell down with a muffled cry of pain.

Afterwards, the Bandunman soldiers led by Wang Ping put their crossbows back, picked up their scimitars, and used their round rattan shields to launch an upward attack on the camp wall.

Some soldiers also threw out hooks tied to thick hemp ropes to hook deer antlers or chevaux de frise, and then several people worked together to pull open and pull down the fortifications.

"Kill! Seize the camp and kill the bandits!" Wang Ping shouted loudly, and rushed forward with his sword in hand, leading hundreds of warriors to swarm through the mountain pass and block the throat of the main road leading up the mountain from behind.

Afterwards, Wei Yan led more Danyang soldiers and attacked upwards along the main road leading up the mountain.

The defenders in Cao's camp on the top of Dingjun Mountain quickly organized a counterattack after discovering that Wang Ping had seized the gate to the main road leading to the mountain. However, since the offensive and defensive situation had changed, Cao's army had no geographical advantage at all, so how could they counterattack in a short period of time?

Wang Ping only held out for a cup of tea or two before Wei Yan's troops rushed up through the front mountain road.

As the total number of Liu Bei's troops on the top of Dingjun Mountain surpassed that of Cao's troops, the battle had completely lost its suspense.

After a fierce battle that lasted for a stick of incense, the two thousand Cao troops in the camp were completely wiped out, with hundreds killed or wounded, hundreds captured, and hundreds fleeing.

……

Just half an hour after Dingjun Mountain changed hands, Xiahou Yuan was hastily awakened by his subordinates in Mianyang County, fifteen miles north of Dingjun Mountain.

Mianyang County is considered the hub of Hanzhong, second only to Nanzheng, the county seat, in importance.

Mianyang is located to the east of Yangping Pass and north of Dingjun Mountain. It is the confluence of the Mian River from the north and the Han River. It is also an important grain storage area for the Yangping Pass defenders.

Because of the protection of Yangping Pass, Mianyang County did not build city walls, and relied on the pass to provide one-sided city defense.

The Mian River comes from the north, passes through a mountainous area of Baoxiade, flows out of the Qinling Mountains from Jigukou, flows into the Hanzhong Basin, and merges into the Han River here.

Before this, Xiahou Yuan himself often stayed in Nanzheng, or personally went to Yangping Pass to inspect the defense, and rarely stayed in Mianyang.

The reason why he happened to be stationed in Mianyang County in recent days was because Xiahou Yuan received news that Cao Xiu and Xun You's 30,000 reinforcements would soon enter Hanzhong from the Baoxiang plank road to reinforce him, so he came to Mianyang to provide support.

Unexpectedly, this contact allowed him to witness the tragic scene of the south gate of his old nest being stolen for the first time.

"General, look! There is a faint fire on the top of Dingjun Mountain in the south!" After waking up Xiahou Yuan, the general pulled him out of the yard and climbed up to look to the south, regardless of his confusion.

"What? Could it be that the defenders started a fire? Dingjun Mountain is located in the heart of the country and is invincible all around, so how could there be a fire? Send someone to scout!" Xiahou Yuan was so anxious that he pulled out his horsewhip and whipped the pillar in anger.

His scouts were immediately sent out, dozens of them, galloping at full speed. It only took the galloping cavalry an incense stick of time to reach the foot of the mountain after a short distance of fifteen miles, and after finding out the enemy situation, they came back to report after another incense stick of time. So in just half an hour, Xiahou Yuan confirmed the bad news.

Xiahou Yuan was furious: "Dingjun Mountain was actually lost? Wei Yan and Wang Ping crossed the Mi Cang Mountain to enter the Hanzhong Basin and launched a surprise attack? You are a bunch of rubbish! How many people can the enemy bring to climb over such a dangerous place? You can't even defend this place!
"Invite the troops! Invite the troops quickly! Call Feng Kai here and tell him to recapture Dingjun Mountain tomorrow morning! Also, find out where there is a gentle slope valley on Mi Cang Mountain that can be crossed over, and completely block that valley that has a loophole!"

The close followers and generals beside him dared not resist and could only pass on the order immediately.

Fortunately, there were some sensible people around Xiahou Yuan. After just a few cups of tea, Xiahou Yuan's military advisor Jia Xu arrived first and tried to dissuade him:

"General, don't be reckless! Captain Feng is stationed at Yangping Pass recently, which is also the most important place. How can we leave easily? Moreover, our army is weak at the moment, and the reinforcements of Master Cao Xiu are about to arrive but have not yet arrived. If we gather too many troops and go south, what if Liu Bei lets Zhang Fei and Gan Ning attack Yangping Pass? Can the few people left by Captain Feng still hold it?"

Xiahou Yuan calmed down a little after being persuaded by Jia Xu. "So what do you think we should do now? God is not on my side! How could Liu Bei's army find a way to get in such a steep place like Mi Cang Mountain? Moreover, Liu Bei suddenly dared to do this. Could it be that he fought against the Prime Minister's army outside the pass and defeated the Prime Minister? Otherwise, if Liu Bei's troops were not strong enough, how could he dare to send troops to deal with me?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu's heart trembled, thinking to himself that this statement made sense. He had never expected that General Xiahou had such a keen sense of the battlefield that he could actually infer from the latest movements of Liu Bei's army that the Prime Minister's main force might have suffered a setback on the battlefield of Chencang Road...

In fact, it had only been less than ten days since the great battle on Chencang Road. Xiahou Yuan was not aware of Cao Cao's defeat for the time being, as Liu Bei's army blocked the way and prevented the news from being passed on. Cao Cao himself was not eager to let Xiahou Yuan know such embarrassing bad news, so he did not force the information to be passed on at all costs.

But Jia Xu soon realized that the more critical the situation was and the more unfavorable the friendly forces might be, the more he had to hold steady and must not rush to counterattack at this time.

After thinking it through, Jia Xu sincerely advised: "The current situation is indeed critical, but the more critical it is, the more you have to stay calm. Why don't we send troops south tomorrow morning to block the entrance to the Mi Cang Valley, and then surround the road down the Dingjun Mountain. Temporarily build high fortifications and deep trenches, and surround but do not attack.

In two or three days at most, the 30,000 reinforcements from Master Cao Xiu will arrive. When this fresh force joins with us, we will have enough manpower to strengthen Yangping Pass, Dingjun Mountain camp, or Nanzheng. But before Master Cao Xiu arrives, please be patient and hold your ground! "

"Hold your ground and refuse to fight! Hold your ground and refuse to fight again!" Xiahou Yuan cursed a few times, but he could do nothing about it. He knew Jia Xu was right.
"Well, let Feng Kai continue to guard Yangping Pass. Our army is short of manpower. With so few men, we have to block the roads leading down from Dingjun Mountain and Mi Cang Mountain. Only I can personally supervise the battle! If I change someone else, who can control such a situation?"

Xiahou Yuan made up his mind and ordered the defenders of Mianyang County to prepare for the attack. They set out from the city at five o'clock in the morning and headed south to block Dingjun Mountain.

……

Just two hours later, it was the end of the morning hour.

The Cao army arrived quickly after only 15 miles. When daybreak came, Xiahou Yuan had personally led 5,000 vanguard troops to the foot of Dingjun Mountain.

To be precise, we arrived at the foot of the mountain, northwest of Dingjun Mountain and just north of the entrance to Migang Valley.

This location is backed by Dingjun Mountain on one side, and the road to the south blocks the exit of Micang Valley Road.

When he came, Xiahou Yuan had thought about the enemy situation in his mind. He thought that Wei Yan would divide his troops and set up camps. For example, he would send out a part of the troops to set up camp at the entrance of Micang Valley to protect the exit of the mountain road.

But after arriving and observing with his own eyes, Xiahou Yuan found that this was not the case.

"Wei Yan fought his way out of the Mi Cang Valley, then immediately headed east to climb Dingjun Mountain and seize the commanding heights? He didn't even leave any soldiers to camp at the entrance of the valley? That must be God's help!
Although Dingjun Mountain is steep, our army didn't store much food before. The troops stationed on the mountain have to go down the mountain occasionally to get water, and the springs on the mountain are not enough. As long as I surround this mountain, I can starve Wei Yan to death with thirst in a short time!"

It turned out that Xiahou Yuan discovered that Wei Yan and Wang Ping did not divide their troops to "camp on the road", but stationed all of them "on the mountain". How could a famous general like Xiahou Yuan not notice this weakness?

Historically, when Ma Su faced Zhang He in the Battle of Jieting, he also made this kind of low-level mistake, and was directly surrounded by the mountain - of course, the difference between the two is still very obvious. In the Battle of Jieting, Ma Su's troops were obviously less than Zhang He's, and he could only have a chance by setting up camp on the road to block the entrance. If he went up the mountain, Ma Su would not have the power to actively counterattack, and could only defend to the death.

But now, Xiahou Yuan's total military force in the Hanzhong Basin is less than 20,000, and the remaining 30,000 troops have to wait for the arrival of reinforcements from Cao Xiu and Xun You.

Xiahou Yuan's 20,000 men also had to ensure the defense of Yangping Pass, Nanzheng City, and Dingjun Mountain, which made them even more dispersed. In theory, Nanxiang County downstream should also be stationed, because Huang Zhong and Liu Qi's troops were stationed in Xicheng County downstream of Nanxiang County all year round.

Therefore, when Xiahou Yuan made the decision to "surround Dingjun Mountain with the entire army", Jia Xu frowned and reminded him:

"General, don't be too aggressive. If we insist on surrounding Dingjun Mountain, our troops will be dispersed. What if Wei Yan rushes down the mountain and attacks us? We may not have as many troops as Wei Yan."

Xiahou Yuan insisted on his own opinion: "Even if we are outnumbered, we can make up for the lack of manpower by simply surrounding the enemy without attacking and occupying the advantageous position of the defending side.

As long as we build more antlers and dig more trenches when we surround the mountain, and build them faster, we won’t give Wei Yan time to react. When he makes up his mind to go down the mountain to attack, our antler trenches will be completed, and it will not be a problem to stop him. "

(End of this chapter)