Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 239 Strategic Detour
"Bah!"

Horse hooves whizzed past, and Guanxi cavalrymen galloped along the river bank, waving their swords and spears, taking the lives of Bingzhou soldiers fleeing on the river bank.

"Yide, take the soldiers aboard!"

Seeing that the rebels from Guanxi continued to appear and attack his own soldiers, Guan Yu picked up his long spear and galloped out, rushing towards the Guanxi cavalry who were hacking at the soldiers.

"it is good!"

Zhang Fei organized the fleeing soldiers and beat the soldiers who rushed to board the boat with his spear to maintain order in the chaos. Now, with Zhang Fei's reorganization, the soldiers regained some order and climbed onto the boat using their hands and feet.

After a while, Liu Bei and Xu Huang took boats to meet the soldiers. With Liu Bei's help, Zhang Fei's troops successfully climbed onto the boats.

Guan Yu, who was at the rear, led more than a dozen elite cavalrymen and fought on the river bank to contain the Guanxi soldiers who were attacking the army.

The enemy cavalry came roaring, Guan Yu swung his long spear, pushed away the spears, and stabbed them to death with the spear.

Soon, another spear came from the side, Guan Yu was quick, grabbed the spear with one hand, and then pulled it over. As the horse galloped, the enemy lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Yun Chang, don't fight any more!"

Xu Huang took a small boat to the river bank and ordered his soldiers to load their crossbows and arrows, preparing to cover Guan Yu's retreat from the battle on the shore.

"go!"

Guan Yu stabbed a rider to death, and seeing Xu Huang bringing archers and crossbowmen to support him in a boat, he led his cavalry to gallop into the river.

How could the Guanxi rebels allow Guan Yu to escape? They took out their horse bows and chased him on horseback.

Horses galloped, water splashed, and arrows flew through the air.

Guan Yu was hit by several arrows on his back, but fortunately his armor was strong and his skin was not hurt. However, due to the narrowness of the boat, Guan Yu and his cavalry could only leave their horses behind and climb onto the boat to save their lives.

Xu Huang shot an arrow back with his bow, but saw that the cavalrymen from Guanxi had stopped their horses on the shore and did not dare to cross the river to pursue him. Xu Huang then felt relieved and led the boats back to the east bank.

Looking at the retreating Bingzhou troops, Guo Si stopped his horse and sighed, saying, "Bingzhou really has many brave generals. First, Lu Bu was extremely brave, and now another brave general is guarding the rear. It's a pity that our troops were not able to arrive in full to cover the retreat of the infantry and cavalry."

After receiving the order, Xu Huang and Liu Bei marched quickly along the river. When they reached Longmen Ferry, Xu Huang gathered boats and crossed the river, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as the vanguard.

When Guo Si received the military order from Li Jue, he was worried that the Han army would cross the Yellow River first, so he led his cavalry to march day and night. Finally, when Guan and Zhang led their troops to cross the river, he arrived at the battlefield first.

Therefore, when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led a thousand men to the river bank, Guo Si ordered the Guanxi cavalry to charge out suddenly and attack them halfway across the river. As a result, the Bingzhou troops were attacked and immediately defeated, and Guan Yu was left behind.

When Xu Huang and Liu Bei returned to the east bank by boat, they counted the soldiers and found that only half of the thousand people who crossed the river first survived, and five hundred soldiers were killed.

Looking at the surging river, Xu Huang sighed and said, "The enemy army saw through our strategy and attacked us halfway across the river. Now it will be difficult for us to cross the river from Longmen!"

Liu Bei was in a heavy mood because most of the casualties were his own men. He said, "We must report the defeat at Longmen to you and see if we can find another place to cross the river. Otherwise, the enemy will station troops at Puban and block our way at Longmen. We will be left with nothing but sighs at the sight of the Yellow River!"

"That's all we have to do!"

Xu Huang's face was filled with depression. He had originally wanted to use his advantage of understanding the geography to achieve success in this war, but unexpectedly his actions were guessed by the Guanxi Army.

Longmen is three or four hundred miles away from Puban. Zhang Yu received the news on the second day after Xu Huang was defeated at Longmen.

Seeing that Xu Huang's attempt to smuggle failed, Zhang Yu immediately summoned all the generals to discuss countermeasures again.

Inside the big tent, Zhang Yu looked normal. Seeing that everyone was present, he asked, "There is a wise man in the Guanxi army. He saw through our plan to sneak across Longmen. Guo Si led the infantry and cavalry to camp at Longmen and attacked our army halfway across the river. Now Gongming and Xuande are unable to cross the river. What do you think?"

Guo Tu blushed. He had confidently proposed the plan to sneak across Longmen, thinking that it would not be discovered. However, Jia Xu saw through it. Although Zhang Yu did not blame him, Guo Tu felt deeply ashamed.

Xin Pi pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, since we cannot cross Longmen now, why not adopt General Li's plan and cross the river from Caisangjin and go around to Yaxian (now Baishui County)?"

"From Caisangjin to Yaxian, there are many gullies and hills along the way. Supply is the key issue after crossing the river. Moreover, Yaxian has penetrated deep into Zuo Fengyi. If the enemy detects our movement and defends the dangerous place, our army will be defeated!" Lu Fan said worriedly.

Zhang Yang said: "I wonder if we can take the Fengling Ferry, cross the river from Fengling Ferry, and after crossing to Tongguan, first conquer Tongguan and then go straight to Chang'an."

Hao Zhao objected, "It is too dangerous to cross the river from Fenglingjin. Even if we can sneak across to Tongguan, if Tongguan refuses to surrender, our army will be in dire straits. Moreover, it is difficult to hide the soldiers from Tongguan when crossing the river from Fenglingjin." Seeing Hao Zhao's rebuttal, Zhang Yang's tone became heavier and he said, "We can't cross Longmen now, and since there is a large army in Puban, why don't we try crossing from Fenglingjin!"

Man Chong surveyed the terrain, coughed, and said, "Because the Wei River meets the Yellow River, the river is turbulent. If we want to cross from Fengling to Tongguan, we may need a large ship. But our army only has small boats, and it is difficult to go upstream into the Wei River."

The navigation of the Wei River and the Yellow River is a national problem. The water conditions of the Wei River are complex, the river water is sandy, and the flow is deep and shallow, making water transportation very inconvenient. Therefore, the Western Han Dynasty built a canal to transport grain from the Yellow River to Chang'an.

Historically, when Liu Yu conquered Qin, Wang Zhen'e led a large army but was blocked at Tongguan. In order to bypass Tongguan, he geniusly used large ships to sail upstream into the Weishui River, thus defeating the Qin army and helping Liu Yu capture Guanzhong.

Therefore, Zhang Yang's plan to bypass Tongguan from Fenglingdu and go upstream along the Weishui River into Guanzhong is actually not impossible. It just requires a large ship and a little bit of luck.

Seeing Man Chong refute him based on the water situation, Zhang Yang curled his lips but said nothing more.

Zhang Yu frowned in deep thought, looked at Li Song and asked, "If we cross the river from Caisangjin, what will the specific situation be like?"

Li Song sorted out his thoughts and said, "Caisangjin is connected to Beiqu County in the east, and going west you can reach Danyi (Yichuan County), which was under the jurisdiction of the old Dingyang County. Then go south from Danyi to Ya County. Because the road is deserted, the distance may be hundreds of miles, or eight or nine hundred miles. The details are beyond Song's knowledge."

The route provided by Li Song is the Qinglan Expressway section between Jixian and Yichuan County, and the Yulan Expressway section between Yichuan County and Baishui County. It is almost a detour, entering Guanzhong from the southern section of the Loess Plateau.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. After the failed attempt to sneak across Longmen, he actually preferred to take the Caisangjin route to enter Guanzhong. The route might be a little roundabout, but it was the safest way to enter Guanzhong.

Zhang Yu had known the characteristics of the Mongols in his previous life, so he often drew on their strategic thinking. The biggest characteristic of the Mongols was that they knew how to outflank when they encountered a tough opponent.

Now that he had suffered setbacks in Puyang and Longmen, the worst that could happen was that he would follow the example of the Mongols, bypass Yaxian and rush to Guanzhong, catching the rebels in Guanzhong by surprise.

"From Caisangjin to Guanzhong!"

Zhang Yu patted the armrest and said in a deep voice: "Since ancient times, few people have been able to take Guanzhong through Caisangjin. Now I will take a chance. Although there are many hills and gullies, they can conceal our tracks. We will march with mixed infantry and cavalry, and use horses and camels to carry baggage. We should strive to win in one blow."

"It is feasible to cross the river from Caisangjin, but I am afraid that the rebels in Guanzhong will notice it!" Zhang Liao said.

Man Chong hesitated for a moment and said, "Bluff and raise a lot of flags to make the enemy unaware of our movements!"

In order to make amends, Guo Tu suggested: "Sir, Ma Teng has been reluctant to raise an army. Why not tell Li Jue that Ma Teng will raise an army to take Chang'an so that he can support our army in attacking the armies in Guanzhong. Li Jue and Ma Teng are not of the same mind. When he learns that Ma Teng is in contact with our army, he will definitely be suspicious."

"If Li Jue doesn't believe it, you can write to the righteous men in the court and tell Li Jue about Ma Teng's rebellion. One person's rumor can spread three people's rumor. Li Jue will be worried and will definitely send people to attack Ma Teng. Your Excellency, you can make a big show at Longmen and sneak around in Caisang, which should make it difficult for the enemy to detect you."

"What a plan!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Yuan Gonglu has sent troops to Wuguan. Our army is bluffing in Hedong. Ma Teng is causing chaos in Guanzhong. Li Jue is too busy to attack Guanzhong. We should be able to make it difficult for the enemy to detect us."

"I wonder how you plan to use your troops?" Li Song asked.

Zhang Yu stood up and paced, saying: "Our army wants to defeat the enemy and take into account the supply along the way. I want to leave 10,000 people in Hedong to bluff and confuse the enemy. I will lead 28,000 infantry and cavalry, take the mulberry picking route, and march into Guanzhong!"

"Our army has less than 30,000 soldiers, while the enemy has more than 100,000. The two armies are greatly outnumbered. Your Excellency's trip is in danger!" Li Song said with a frown.

"otherwise!"

Zhang Yu emphasized to everyone, saying: "Although the Guanxi army has a total of more than 100,000 troops, only 50,000 to 60,000 of them are truly elite. The right army of Longyou in the west has 40,000 troops, the imperial guards in the capital have more than 10,000 people, and the remaining tens of thousands of soldiers in Guanzhong and Henan are mostly old and weak."

"Moreover, among the 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and horses, the troops belonged to various generals, and the crime of disrupting the country was only on Li Jue and Guo Si, so there were few people who were willing to fight to the death with them."

After a pause, Zhang Yu said in a deep voice: "When two armies clash on the battlefield, the victory or defeat depends not only on the number of soldiers and horses, but also on the military strategy of the generals. Li and Guo are brave but lack strategy. Our generals and officers are both brave and strategic. How can we be inferior to Li and Guo!"

Zhang Yu encouraged everyone and their morale rose. Zhang Liao was the first to stand up and said, "I am willing to follow you, my Lord!"

"We are willing to follow you, my Lord!" everyone said in unison.

The confidence and courage of an army's soldiers are closely related to their generals. The soldiers led by a courageous general will never lack courage, and their combat effectiveness will inevitably be stronger than those led by a cowardly general.

Regardless of whether Zhang Yu was arrogant or self-confident, he believed that if he rushed into Guanzhong with more than 20,000 elite soldiers, he would have a chance to defeat the more than 100,000 rebels in Guanxi.

Of course, Zhang Yu was forced to lead a small army against a large one. Although he had nearly 40,000 soldiers, some of them were old and weak. Moreover, if he wanted to contain the enemy, he had to leave troops in Longmen and Puban. If the enemy noticed that Hedong had few soldiers, Li Jue would march eastward, and Hedong would be captured!
ps: There will be another update in the evening

(End of this chapter)