Late Han Zhao Tang

In April, on the Micang Road, at Shanyin Pavilion (present-day Nanjiang County).

Man Chong led his army from Nanzheng, trekking more than 300 li and crossing rugged mountain roads before finally arriving at Shanyin Pavilion, where the terrain was slightly flatter.

Located in the Daba Mountains, Shanyin Pavilion experiences abundant rainfall, though the weather isn't particularly hot. Therefore, when the army first arrived at Shanyin Pavilion, a sudden downpour began. Considering the muddy and difficult terrain due to the rain, Man Chong decided to camp on the banks of the Ba River.

Outside the tent, the rain poured down relentlessly, the sound of it pattering against the tent walls crisp and clear. The cool air carried by the rain seeped into the tent, bringing a refreshing sensation.

"The rain is very heavy. I wonder how the army is doing with the flood control?" Man Chong asked.

"Reporting to the General, the General's storehouse has been repaired on higher ground, and a small canal has been dug to prevent waterlogging. All the army's provisions, arrows, cloth, and other supplies have also been stored in the storehouse," said Quartermaster He Jin.

Man Chong nodded and said, "It's getting late, I'll patrol the warehouse camp with you."

"As ordered!"

He Jin responded and quickly signaled to his subordinate to return to camp and prepare. After all, Man Chong was known for his strictness in the army, not only in the enforcement of military law but also in every detail. If the warehouse or camp was found to be in disrepair during the later inspection, the lightest punishment would be beatings, and the heaviest would be beheading.

While Man Chong was learning about the military deployment, a scout wearing a straw raincoat came to the tent to request an audience.

"Have you gathered any military intelligence yet?" Man Chong summoned the scouts into his tent and asked.

"Reporting to the general, after our investigation, we learned that the Shu people have stationed heavy troops in Jiange and Langzhong, and now only a few thousand soldiers are defending the city of Hanchang." The scout said, "The commander is Gan Ning, formerly a Jin Fan bandit, who joined the Sun family and is known in Yizhou for his bravery and strategy."

What is the terrain like in Hanchang?

"The north is high and the south is low, sloping from north to south, which is why the Ba River can flow through Hanchang. The county is mostly plains and hills, especially from Hanchang onwards, there are few steep mountains around, but the mountains are layered one after another, which is the key to going south to Bazhong," the scout said.

Kirby said, "Hanchang is a crucial point on the Micang Road. Why are the Shu people stationing troops in Langzhong now?"

Man Chong paced to the map, pondered for a long time, and said, "Langzhong is a transit point in Shu, connecting Hanchang to the east and Jiameng to the west. The enemy's encampment in Langzhong is nothing more than a cause for concern about my rear, preventing me from crossing Hanchang to enter Ba."

"The distance between Nanzheng and Hanchang is six or seven hundred li, making the transport of supplies for the army inconvenient. At that time, our army was besieging Hanchang, and the enemy was constantly changing their tactics, making it difficult for us to concentrate on attacking the city. If we were to suffer setbacks under the city walls and the situation dragged on for a long time, our supplies would run out, and without food, our army would have to retreat!"

Man Chong had done his homework thoroughly on the geography of northern Sichuan. Now that he knew the deployment of the Shu army, he could understand the Shu people's military intentions.

For example, Langzhong is located between Jiameng and Hanchang, and Hanchang is a crucial pass on the Micang Road. Therefore, it would be difficult for the Tang army to bypass Hanchang when it marched south. If it could bypass Hanchang, then the troops in Langzhong could cut off the Tang army's retreat route if they marched east.

To eliminate any potential threats from the rear, the Tang army had to first eliminate Gan Ning's forces, who were holding Hanchang. However, Langzhong was not far from Hanchang, so they could first wear down the Tang army's morale, and if necessary, then march east to fight the exhausted Tang army to the death.

Furthermore, if the Tang army were to capture Hanchang and advance along the Ba River to Dangqu, the troops in Langzhong could then intercept the Tang army at Dangqu by moving southeast. Alternatively, they could take Hanchang to the east, forcing the Tang army to turn back to reinforce it. If the Tang army were to capture Hanchang and then take Langzhong to the west, the people of Shu would be able to confront them using the Jialing River as a defense.

Therefore, if Langzhong were not a strategically important location, why would the seat of the Bazhou prefecture have been located there?

"The enemy is using Hanchang as bait to garrison troops in Langzhong. I wonder what strategy the general has?"

Understanding the Shu army's intentions, Kirby looked at the numerous passes on the map, frowned slightly, and asked a question.

Man Chong shook his head slightly and said, "We haven't reached Hanchang yet, so we don't have a strategy to deal with it."

As he spoke, Man Chong looked at Zhang Lu and asked, "I have heard that when you governed Hanzhong, many of your troops were in Bazhong, and the Ba barbarians Du Hu, Pu Hu, and Yuan Yue all submitted to you. The Cong people are brave and warlike, and naturally fierce. If they could join our army, conquering the Three Ba ​​regions would be a piece of cake! Now that you have returned to your old territory, can you gather your old troops to support our army?"

When Sun Ce launched his northern expedition against Hanzhong, Zhang Lu rallied his troops to resist. After defeating Sun Ce's forces, Zhang Lu submitted to the Tang Dynasty.

At that time, Yuan Shu, along with Yuan Xi, Yuan Tan, and other Yuan clans, occupied the Central Plains, so Zhang Yu could only send troops and appoint officials to the two commanderies of Hanzhong and Shangyong. As for the Ba Yi people who remained in Bazhong, Zhang Yu was unable to attend to them, so he sent someone to appoint Du Huo as the governor of Baxi, Pu Hu as the governor of Badong, and Yuan Yue as the governor of Ba Commandery.

Sun Ce could not tolerate the Ba Yi's occupation, so he sent troops to suppress the three. The three were defeated and fled, leading their followers to Hanzhong, where they sought refuge with Guo Huai. Now, when Sun Ce launches a southern campaign against Ba and Shu, the three have led several thousand troops to follow him, serving under Man Chong.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lu rose from his stool and said, “General, Du, Pu, and Yuan are chieftains of the Ba people, and their reputations are well-known in Bazhong. Li Hu of Dangqu and Li Hei of Xuanhan are on good terms with the three of them and are devoted to Lu’s teachings. If we order the three of them to pacify the two Lis and the other Ba people, the Ba people will surely raise an army in response.”

Man Chong murmured for a moment and said, "I will trouble Lord Zhang to send someone to handle the matter of attracting the Ba people."

“There may be rulers among the Cong people who are greedy for fame and fortune. I wonder if the general could allocate funds and provisions, or bestow upon them official titles?” Zhang Lu asked. Man Chong replied without hesitation, “A title of Marquis, an official position of General of the Household, and a thousand gold pieces—would that be enough?”

"That's enough!"

Zhang Lu said, "With gold and official positions, how could the Ba people's rulers not submit to our Tang Dynasty!"

"good!"

Not to mention Man Chong's garrison at Jiangyin Pavilion, Sun Quan has now adopted Fa Zheng's plan and led 20,000 newly recruited soldiers to Langzhong to oversee the military affairs at the front.

Langzhong, a prefecture.

"My lord, Xu Huang's army has reached Baishui Pass, and the vanguard has now advanced to Jiameng. Commander Xu Kun and his generals are stationed between Jiameng and Jiange."

Wu Jing pointed to the map and said, "Tang general Man Chong has arrived at Shanyin Pavilion and is guarding Hanchang from Gan Ning, blocking the vital route to Micang. If the enemy attacks Hanchang, the army in Langzhong can come to its aid. Bo Hai (Sun He's courtesy name) and I intend to use the strong city of Hanchang to wear down the enemy's morale, and when the enemy is exhausted, we will send out our elite troops to attack them."

Sun Quan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is Gan Ning trustworthy?"

"Believable!"

Sun He added, "The strategy of defending Hanchang to block the Tang army was a plan proposed by Gan Ning, who also requested to be sent to garrison Hanchang."

Sun Quan was not very knowledgeable about military affairs, so he looked at Fa Zheng and asked, "What are your thoughts, strategist?"

Fa Zheng frowned and said, "I just heard that Zhang Lu is with the army. Zhang Lu is the master of the Celestial Masters sect, and most of his troops are in Bazhong. So although the two generals' plan is good, I am afraid that the Tang people will incite the Ba people to rebel. If the Ba people rebel, Bazhong will be in turmoil; if Bazhong is in turmoil, it may endanger Hanchang."

"This~"

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment. When they were considering the arrangements, they only took into account the geography and passes, and paid little attention to the Ba people. After all, the Ba people who had previously been loyal to Zhang Yu had been wiped out.

"I am willing to listen to the strategist's guidance!" Wu Jing asked.

Fazheng pondered the map and said, "The Cong people are easily provoked to rebel. To deter the Cong people in the mountains, we can send troops to Dangqu to oversee them."

Fa Zheng then looked at Sun Quan and said, "With Dangqu intact, Hanchang in hand, and the army of Langzhong as reinforcements, the Tang army will certainly not dare to attack lightly. When the Tang army marches south, Your Majesty can divide your forces to go north and plunder the grain supply routes. If the grain supply routes are lost, the Tang army will surely be defeated if it holds out for too long!"

"I will follow the strategist's advice completely!"

Fa Zheng continued, "My lord, although Jiameng is the confluence of the two rivers and a strategic location, the terrain between Jiameng and Jiange is complex, with numerous narrow paths. In my opinion, my lord would be better off ordering General Xu to abandon Jiameng and focus on defending Jiange."

"If we hold our ground, we will be able to hold Jianmen Pass, but the mountain roads are rugged and there is nowhere for our troops to land. At that time, our 40,000 troops were stationed on the narrow paths, and even if the enemy had 100,000 men, they would not be able to pass."

Sun Quan pondered for a moment and asked, "If we abandon Jiameng, wouldn't the Tang army be able to advance directly to Jiange? If Jiange falls, then Shu will be in grave danger!"

“My lord, you may not know this, but if we hold Jiameng, it is a hundred miles away from Jiange by mountain road. If the Tang army takes a shortcut and cuts off the connection between Jiameng and Jiange, and sends troops to attack the pass quickly, then I fear Jiameng Pass will be difficult to defend.” Fa Zheng pointed to Jiange on the map and said, “If we defend Jiange, it will be different. Because the mountain road is a hundred miles long and rugged, it will be difficult for the troops to set up camp. If the Tang army captures the pass, it will be of no use to them.”

"If our 40,000 troops guard Jiange, then the 100,000 Tang troops will not be able to pass. At that time, several thousand of the 40,000 troops will be divided to guard the passes, and the rest will be stationed in the strategic locations in the mountains. The enemy will not be able to plunder the side paths. Their troops will suffer setbacks at Jiange, and when they run out of food, they will have to retreat. When the Tang army retreats, the two passes of Jiameng and Baishui will be isolated in Shu. You can take them back by sending troops."

Fa Zheng's military planning abilities were among the best in the late Han Dynasty, perhaps even comparable to Xun You and Jia Xu. His suggestion that the Tang army could bypass the mountain pass between Jiameng and Jiange Pass and defeat the Shu army defending the pass was not impossible. When the Song Dynasty conquered Later Shu, the Song army employed a similar strategy, ultimately defeating the Later Shu forces entrenched at Jiameng Pass.

After some consideration, Sun Quan said, "Let's follow the strategist's advice and order Xu Kun to retreat to Jiange, and cede Jiameng to the Tang army!"

"promise!"

After a pause, Sun Quan encouraged his men, saying, "Although the Tang army is said to number 500,000, in reality, the number of soldiers and civilians they command is only two or three hundred thousand, with the total number of officers and soldiers being around 100,000. If 100,000 of them march south, and we send 80,000 to defend our territory, how can we not repel the enemy?"

"A letter arrived from Kuang Feiguan, saying that Liu Bei had agreed to send troops. Now, he is traveling east with Liu Bei's envoy to pay homage to Cao Cao and request his assistance in the Central Plains. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei were to send troops, the combined forces of the three would number no less than 200,000. The army in China numbers only 200,000 to 300,000, and half of them are currently in Yizhou. If there is any disturbance in the Central Plains, the Tang army will surely flee due to internal troubles." (End of Chapter)