Late Han Zhao Tang

Jiameng Pass, the central tent of the Tang army.

“Man Boning wanted to divide his troops to conquer Dangqu, while leaving his main camp to besiege Hanchang. He intended to lure the Langzhong army to attack his camp, and take the opportunity to defeat the Shu people and break down the defense line of Ba.”

Xu Huang handed the letter to his men to read and asked, "This plan is good, but I'm afraid the enemy will see through it. If the main camp is breached, the southward army will be cut off from its return route, and the detachments will be defeated and forced to retreat. Our army will be unable to hold out alone and will also have to retreat."

"What are your opinions?"

"General!"

Guo Huai cupped his hands and said, "The current situation is critical. Our army is blocked at Jiange and cannot advance into Shu. If we have no way to defeat the enemy, our army will have to retreat sooner or later. Therefore, I think the deputy governor's plan is feasible. Our army may be able to take advantage of the attack on the deputy governor by the army in Langzhong, and secretly send out elite troops down the river to capture Langzhong City, so as to support General Man."

"inappropriate!"

Zhang Feng said, "Although the Jialing River is navigable, the current is swift and the road is treacherous. If we do not achieve victory, the return journey will be very difficult. It would be better to send troops to aid the Vice Governor."

Zhang Feng was Zhang Yu's cousin. When Zhang Yu led his army on expeditions to various regions, Zhang Feng was in charge of military affairs in the capital region for many years. Now that the world is relatively peaceful, in order to allow Zhang Feng to make meritorious contributions and be granted a title, Zhang Yu sent Zhang Feng to accompany the army on expeditions.

"The road is treacherous, and the enemy cannot predict our moves, so we are bound to win if we attack," Guo Huai retorted.

“Langzhong is a high city. If we cannot take it in time, the Jiange troops will arrive, and our army will surely be wiped out!” Zhang Feng retorted.

"quiet!"

Xu Huang gestured for the two to be quiet, then looked at the military advisors Tian Feng and Guo Jia and asked, "Gentlemen, you are both very wise and resourceful. What are your thoughts?"

Tian Feng stroked his beard and recited, "The terrain of Shu is not comparable to that of the Central Plains, and the advantage of our troops is not as great as the advantage of our terrain. In the past, I believed that we should play it safe in military operations, but now that we have suffered setbacks, we should take risks in order to defeat the Shu army. Therefore, I believe that the Deputy Commander's plan is feasible, but we may need to study the specifics in more detail."

As for our army~

After hesitating for a while, Tian Feng said, "I have no good plan at the moment, but Fengxiao seems to have a brilliant plan. General, you might as well listen to it."

"Oh?"

Xu Huang turned his gaze to Guo Jia and asked, "I wonder what strategy Strategist Guo has?"

Guo Jia gathered his thoughts and asked in return, "General, do you remember His Majesty's decree?"

"How could I forget!"

"His Majesty has decreed that the people of Shu, upon hearing of our army's southern expedition, will surely deploy their elite troops to block the Jinniu and Micang routes in the north to resist our army. They will surely think that the terrain is too treacherous for our troops to reach us. If we launch a surprise attack, we can take the Pingyin Trail and capture Jiangyou." Xu Huang asked in surprise, "You requested to scout the trail; have you perhaps discovered something?"

Guo Jia said, "I recruited people from Shu with a large sum of money to sneak out of the mountains and rivers and explore the Yinping Trail. When the Qiang people of Wudu heard about this, they asked for money to report that there was a Yinping Trail that could lead to Bashu by going upstream on the Bailong River. We need to travel six or seven hundred li through uninhabited land to Jiangyou Pass, pass through Deyang Pavilion, and then attack Fucheng."

"At that time, Fucheng was more than 300 li away from Chengdu. The surprise force went out from Deyang and directly attacked the enemy's heartland. At that time, Sun Quan was in charge of Langzhong. The army in Langzhong went to Hanchang to attack Man Chong, so there were no soldiers available in Langzhong. Xu Kun's troops would definitely return to Fucheng, then the general would be able to take advantage of the victory and seize Jiange; if Xu Kun's troops did not return, then the surprise force would be able to cause great chaos in Shu."

"Therefore, Jia believes that it is advisable to have Commander Man implement a strategy of dividing the troops to lure them away, thereby dispersing the troops in Langzhong. General, select elite troops and pair them with courageous and resourceful generals, taking a surprise attack through the Yinping Trail; this will surely yield results." The roads connecting Bashu with the north were not limited to the Jinniu and Micang Roads, but also included the Yinping Main Road. However, the Yinping Main Road connected with Wudu County, starting at Baishui Pass and ending at Yinping. The Yinping Trail, on the other hand, was a branch road from the main road, and the valleys along its route were inhabited by the Qiang and Di peoples.

The enemies guarded by Jiangyou Pass had long been the Qiang and Di peoples living in the upper reaches of the Fujiang River. Therefore, although few people knew of the Yinping Trail, it was by no means unknown. Guo Jia sent people to investigate briefly and was able to roughly determine the route of the Yinping Trail.

After listening to Guo Jia's explanation, Xu Huang said, "According to Military Advisor Guo, we should have Man Boning lure the enemy and disperse the troops in Langzhong so that we can launch a surprise attack from Yinping. Regardless of whether they are defeated or not, our army will attack them unprepared and take them by surprise. If we can capture Fucheng and destroy Xu Kun's army, or even cause great chaos in Shu, the people of Shu will collapse!"

"Of course!"

Guo Jia nodded slightly and said, "The Shu people rely solely on the treacherous roads of Shu. Our army captured Fucheng once and surrendered Chengdu twice. The Shu people are in great chaos, and Sun Quan will have no choice but to surrender his army."

Xu Huang frowned and said, "The plan is good, but launching a surprise attack is risky. I'm afraid no general with courage and vision would dare to risk his life for the country."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Huai stepped forward and said, "General, you are mistaken. How could I fear death? For the sake of the country, I am willing to lead my elite troops to attack Pingyin, seize Fucheng, and cut off the route back to Shu from Jiange."

"I am willing to lead the troops there!"

Zhang Feng sensed that Guo Huai's words were loaded with meaning, as if he were being mocked, so he decisively stepped forward and requested to lead the troops along.

Compared to the simple-minded Zhang Feng, Guo Huai was purely motivated by personal ambition. Since his father Guo Yun's death, Zhang Yu's connection with the Guo family had weakened, relying solely on the bond he formed with Zhang Yu in his youth. Now, the campaign against Shu presented a golden opportunity for a general to establish merit, and he had to seize it to rise to prominence, be ennobled, and bring glory to his ancestors.

Xu Huang was overjoyed to see that Zhang Feng and Guo Huai were willing to lead troops there. However, considering that although Zhang Feng held a high rank, he had no experience in leading troops, he said, "If we penetrate deep into enemy territory and fail to defeat them, our army will be cut off in Shu. Therefore, only by defeating the enemy can you two generals lead your troops to achieve great merit. Otherwise, defeat and death are inevitable."

Zhang Feng suddenly felt the pressure and asked, "Should we bring baggage when we raid Yinping?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. How can we move quickly when our baggage is so heavy? If the enemy hears of our slow march, they will be on guard. Therefore, we should abandon the baggage and advance with light troops along multiple routes to catch them off guard," Guo Jia said solemnly.

Seeing Zhang Feng's troubled expression and his silence, Gao Shun pondered for a moment, then rose from his stool and said, "I have served Your Majesty for over ten years. The army I command is called 'Trapped in the Enemy's Formation,' and only the elite of this formation can handle the expedition to conquer Shu. Therefore, I, though unworthy, am willing to take on this important task, to share Your Majesty's burdens, and to relieve the nation's difficulties."

"good!"

Xu Huang looked at Zhang Feng and asked, "General Gao is a veteran general. He is now requesting to lead troops into battle. I wonder if you are willing to assist him?"

"I am willing to assist General Gao!"

Zhang Feng's inner pressure eased considerably. Years of peacefully guarding the capital region had left him unaccustomed to the harsh realities of the battlefield. Therefore, how could Zhang Feng refuse Gao Shun's offer to take command, especially since Gao Shun held a higher rank than him!
Gao Shun volunteered for the mission for two reasons: first, he felt that Zhang Feng was not up to the task of commanding Yinping; second, he wanted to accumulate more merits in order to be granted more titles. After all, every battle was one less to fight, and if he could not make more contributions before the unification of the country, the chances of officers and soldiers making merits would be almost nonexistent once the country was at peace.

"it is good!"

Xu Huang slammed his fist on the table and said, “In that case, I hereby appoint 20,000 elite troops to the Left General, carrying 30 days’ rations. 10,000 will be the vanguard, and 10,000 will carry the rations. Zhang Feng will be the deputy general, and Guo Huai and Zhao Fu will lead the army on the expedition. Whether we can conquer Shu and defeat the enemy this time depends entirely on the General!”

"As ordered!"

Gao Shun's voice was slightly somber as he bowed and accepted the order. (End of Chapter)