Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 466 Seize Chang'an, Kill Xiahou!

"This is Guanzhong!"

With a full beard, Wei Yan looked at the flat land before him, gritted his teeth, and stood up straight.

"We've finally arrived in Guanzhong!"

After more than half a month of arduous struggle, Wei Yan's plan to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an City has finally reached its ninety-ninth step.

He finally stood on the land of Guanzhong.

"Sima~"

Ma Dai, who also looked haggard but was in high spirits, stepped forward and said, "Let's go! Let's take Chang'an!"

The most excited person in the army at this moment was Ma Dai.

The hatred for the Ma family of Xiliang burned in his heart day and night, almost bursting forth.

He was about to give up.

Sima Wei Yan of the Prime Minister's Office first took a breath.

Then he calmly waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, and order all departments to rest and eat."

The roads in Ziwu Valley were difficult to traverse, and their arduous journey, undertaken with minimal supplies, finally brought them out of the towering mountains.

At this time, the most important thing is to rest and recover your strength.

During the meal, Wei Yan couldn't help but feel proud, saying, "I told you that taking the Ziwu Valley was a good strategy. Not only did we not encounter any large forces of Cao Cao's army along the way, but it didn't even rain."

"This is divine blessing upon our great Han Dynasty!"

Ma Dai and others echoed and agreed.

Once the matter is settled, then whatever you say goes.

If following you can earn military merits, then just praise you.

"My great Han Dynasty." Wei Yan squinted and raised his chin slightly. "Only the Prime Minister can understand me, and only the Prime Minister can see the key to breaking the deadlock."

"I deeply respect the Prime Minister for personally leading troops to draw away Cao Cao's main force for me!"

Wei Yan was arrogant, and after his predecessors gradually passed away, he felt that he was the only pillar of the Han Dynasty.

At this point, the only person he still held in his heart and even respected was Prime Minister Zhuge.

Of course, he was unaware at this time that Zhao Yun had killed Cao Zhen in battle.

If they knew, they would add Zhao Yun to the list of those they respected.

The officers offered another round of flattery.

Ma Dai couldn't contain himself and asked somewhat impatiently, "Sima, didn't the Prime Minister give us a secret plan before we set out?"

"Now that we have entered Guanzhong, we should take a look at the brocade pouch."

Wei Yan was arrogant and didn't really value the so-called secret plan from Prime Minister Zhuge.

He believed his surprise attack was successful and that he could capture Chang'an.

At this time, Wei Yan was in a period of arrogance.

If we follow the historical records, it's possible that Wei Yan really did go through the Ziwu Valley to attack Chang'an.

When they came out, they happened to arrive just as Cao Rui had come to Chang'an to oversee the battle.

In that case, the result is self-evident.

The success in this space and time was mainly due to Lin Dao's proposal and arrangements.

First, they contacted Eastern Wu and asked them to send troops to contain the enemy.

Even if no troops are sent out, simply making a show of gathering troops and ships will inevitably attract the attention of Cao Wei.

To put it bluntly, after the Battle of Yiling, the Shu Kingdom entered a period of keeping a low profile and biding its time.

In recent years, the main adversary that Cao Wei fought against year after year was actually Eastern Wu.

If Eastern Wu takes any action, Cao Wei will inevitably have to preserve its military strength to deal with it.

Secondly, they kept Meng Da in check, ensuring he would not rebel against Cao Wei until after the Northern Expedition began.

Unlike in history, they rebelled before the Northern Expedition even began, only to be defeated by Sima Yi's swift attack and thus rendered useless.

This time, Meng Da's rebellion attracted away some of Wei's elite troops, and even led the cunning Sima Yi towards the direction of Xincheng.

If Sima Yi had followed Cao Zhen and others to Guanzhong, many of his plans would not have gone so smoothly.

In the end, Cao Rui did not come for the time being, so Xiahou Mao was not transferred and remained to guard Chang'an.

This person is the key to breaking through Chang'an.

Wei Yan took out the brocade pouch, and unsurprisingly, inside was a letter.

After reading the above, Wei Yan remained silent for a long time.

After regaining his senses, he selected the men previously assigned by the Prime Minister from the army, gave them instructions, and set off for Chang'an.

Actually, the contents of the brocade pouch are not complicated.

This means that after arriving in Guanzhong, people arranged in advance would carry a large quantity of Shu brocade to Chang'an.

Xiahou Mao was a typical playboy who rose to power by relying on his bloodline and his wife.

He himself has neither ability nor integrity.

They had no merit in guarding Chang'an, nor did they receive much reward.

In order to gain some benefits, they secretly engaged in smuggling business with the Shu Kingdom.

Such things are extremely common in this era, and there's nothing surprising about them.

Liu Bei's brother-in-law also did this, even daring to resell military supplies.

The most famous specialty of the Shu Kingdom is Shu brocade.

This stuff can fetch a very good price if it's transported to Luoyang.

The smuggling of Shu brocade was basically controlled by the Prime Minister's office.

Yes, it's true.

Otherwise, without the economic plunder of Wu's five thousand and ten thousand troops, and without making money through smuggling, where would the Prime Minister get the funds to fight in the south and prepare for the Northern Expedition?
The group of men assigned to Wei Yan's team were the ones who used to smuggle Shu brocade.

Now let them go again, familiar with the place.

This time, however, the goal is to seize Chang'an!

"Chang'an City was a capital city for a century."

"Its city defense capabilities are so strong that there is no need to elaborate."

"Even if the garrison commander is useless, even if the city is sparsely populated."

"But Wei Yan's idea of ​​taking over with only 5,000 men before Cao Wei can react is a pipe dream."

Lin Dao's original words were, "If you want to capture a city, you must use an ingenious plan."

"If we seize the city gates with overwhelming force and storm into the city, then our great undertaking can be accomplished."

The capitals of all dynasties were generally the most heavily fortified. For a direct attack, one could refer to the Qin Dynasty's siege of Handan.

For Wei Yan, even a weakened Chang'an city was beyond his reach.

Xiahou Mao was indeed a good-for-nothing, but he wasn't an idiot.

Even if he delegated the defense of the city to his officers, he could still hold Chang'an for a period of time.

By the time the surrounding Wei troops react and come to the rescue, everything will be over.

Therefore, a surprise attack must be carried out thoroughly.

The city of Chang'an, located in the rear, did not have much of a war atmosphere.

After all, the front line was far away in Longyou, along the Baoxie Road.

Given the communication and transportation capabilities of that era, Chang'an was indeed the rear area.

Moreover, Xiahou Mao, who was guarding Chang'an, also harbored resentment.

During the great battle, however, he was excluded from the inner circle by Cao Zhen.

He remained in Chang'an, overseeing the transfer of grain and other supplies.

When the war is over and the credit is awarded, what merits will the grain officer have?
Moreover, there are rumors that the emperor will soon lead a personal expedition, at which point he will become even more marginalized.

Under these circumstances, Xiahou Mao did nothing but complain and curse in his mansion, and spent his days drinking and making merry.

When he learned that a merchant caravan from the Shu Kingdom had brought Shu brocade, his alcohol-fueled mind was completely devoid of vigilance.

He casually instructed his trusted confidants to do as usual.

According to past practice, the transaction will be completed at the agreed price.

The Shu Kingdom caravan would use the amount of the transaction to purchase various supplies. Xiahou Mao's side would be responsible for collecting the goods, which would then be taken away by the Shu Kingdom caravan.

After that, both sides will sell their own goods and earn substantial profits, creating a win-win situation.

This business has been going on for several years, and the two parties have developed a basic level of trust.

The next day, when the Shu Kingdom caravan, loaded with purchased supplies, was about to leave the city at the city gate, it suddenly launched an attack.

They blocked the city gates with wagons and fought with the Wei army defending the city with weapons.

Both countries were aware of this smuggling operation.

They simply chose to turn a blind eye and pretend they couldn't see it.

However, they couldn't go too far. It was obviously not allowed to swagger out through the main city gate, so they had to leave through a secluded and deserted city gate.

In addition, to avoid suspicion, many of the city gate guards were also transferred away.

As a result, when the Shu Kingdom's merchant caravan suddenly launched an attack, the defending army was unable to suppress it for a time.

By the time the garrison arrived after receiving the news, Wei Yan's elite troops, who had been waiting outside the city, had already stormed into the city.

These are all elite troops dressed in battle armor!

Once they enter the city, the outcome is basically decided.

Unless there are elite Wei soldiers inside the city who can quickly launch a counterattack to eliminate or drive them away.

Unfortunately, Wei's elite troops were either deployed to the front lines or had not yet arrived in Guanzhong.

When the news reached Xiahou Mao's residence, he was still fast asleep due to a hangover and could not be woken up no matter what.

By the time they finally woke up by force-feeding him soup, Wei Yan's troops had already stormed outside the mansion.

When Xiahou Mao was dragged out, he was still in a daze.

Looking at the soldiers around him, he even asked in a daze.

"Who are you generals?"

"You don't even know me?"

With red eyes, Ma Dai rushed over and grabbed him.

"Do you know who I am?!"

Xiahou Mao shook his head vigorously, staring blankly at the person in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I am Ma Dai!"

"Ma Dai of the Ma family of Xiliang!"

"Ma Chao's younger brother! Ma Teng's nephew!"

"I've come to avenge the Ma family!"

Ma Teng from Xiliang, along with his family, entered Ye City and surrendered to Cao Cao.

As a result, he became involved in the "Imperial Edict in the Belt" incident, and his eldest son Ma Chao, who was left to guard Liangzhou and occupy Guanzhong, raised an army to fight against Cao Cao.

When Ma Chao was defeated, Ma Teng's entire family was killed by Cao Cao.

Historical records state that the entire clan was exterminated.

Afterwards, Xiliang experienced many wars, and eventually only Ma Chao and Ma Dai remained of the Ma clan of Xiliang, who were descendants of General Fubo.

When Ma Chao died in despair, only Ma Dai remained of the entire Ma family.

It's easy to imagine the fury that Ma Dai felt stemming from such deep-seated hatred.

"You people with the surnames Cao and Xiahou~"

With tears in his eyes, Ma Dai spoke in a trembling voice.

"I won't let a single one of them escape!"

Ma Dai turned and instructed, "Bring five horses!"

Several strong warhorses were pulled over, and several ropes were tied around Xiahou Mao's limbs.

Xiahou Mao, now completely sobered up by the alcohol, pleaded repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Xiahou Mao, trembling, was so disgraceful that he had utterly disgraced the Xiahou family.

Unfortunately, such an attitude only increased Ma Dai's pleasure in front of Ma Dai, who was focused on revenge.

"Meng Qi~~~"

Uncle~~~

"Matthew~~~"

"Ma Tie~~~"

"Ma Qiu~~~"

Several warhorses pulled with all their might amidst Ma Dai's repeated sobs and tears.

As the rope tightened and stretched, trembling violently, limbs flew off and blood splattered everywhere!

Ma Dai knelt down with a thud, howling and calling out the names of his family members.

Finally, I can get my revenge!
(End of this chapter)