Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

Two days later at Yangping Pass, Wei Yan, following Fa Zheng's plan, occupied Dingjun Mountain and captured Zhang Wei alive. Yangping Pass, having lost its commander and flank support, was already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Just as Liu Bei's army was launching a full-scale attack, a scout suddenly reported:

"Reporting to the lord! Ma Chao led his vanguard cavalry to break through the Jushui River, while General Wu Yi's detachment is intact and has already led his troops back to camp."

In this battle, Ma Chao suffered heavy casualties, with fewer than a thousand elite cavalry remaining.

He is currently leading his troops towards Yangping Pass, which is less than ten li from here!

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei understood immediately. He quickly looked at Pang Tong and Gu Sulin beside him and said in a solemn tone, "Ma Chao is a tiger general of the world. It is truly remarkable that you, Ziyuan, were able to keep your troops intact and hold off his cavalry to this extent."

Pang Tong stroked his beard and pondered, "My lord, Dingjun Mountain has been occupied by our army, and Yangping Pass is isolated and without support. It will be breached sooner or later."

Now that Ma Chao has arrived, though exhausted, he and the forces within the pass are now poised for a pincer attack. It would be best to postpone our attack on the pass for now.

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly and loudly ordered, "Send word to General Huang to temporarily withdraw his troops, postpone the attack on the pass, and form ranks to await the enemy. Do not engage Ma Chao in a direct confrontation."

"yes!"

After the messenger left with the order, Liu Bei gazed in the distance toward Yangping Pass, let out a long sigh, and spoke with deep emotion:

"If we can capture Yangping Pass before Ma Chao arrives, he will be like a tree without roots, with nowhere to turn. We can then take the opportunity to persuade him to surrender and recruit him into our service."

Now that the attack on the pass has failed, he has led his army back to reinforce it. With Yangping Pass as his stronghold and the assistance of Yang Ren and Yang Ang, how can we subdue him?

Pang Tong and Gu Sulin exchanged a smile.

"My lord, subduing Ma Chao has never been a difficult task..."

……

Dust billowed in the northwest as Ma Chao led the remaining cavalry to Yangping Pass.

Seeing that Yangping Pass was about to fall, he immediately ordered the entire army to charge, and he himself took the lead and charged into the Shu army's ranks.

The sound of gongs rang out from Liu Bei's camp. Upon seeing this, Huang Zhong had no choice but to order the attacking troops to quickly withdraw from Yangping Pass, reorganize their formation, and retreat steadily.

When the garrison inside the pass saw the Shu army retreat and learned that Ma Chao had returned to reinforce them, their morale soared, and everyone fought to the death.

Yang Ren immediately gave the order to cooperate with Ma Chao in a surprise attack.

The Liangzhou cavalry has always been brave and skilled in battle, with formidable fighting power. Although they suffered heavy losses due to Wu Yi's attacks along the way, their sudden attack was still incredibly powerful.

The Shu army was busy withdrawing and retreating, and their formation was not yet in order. When the iron cavalry charged, their formation was thrown into disarray. In addition, Yang Ren and Yang Ang led the garrison inside the pass to launch a counterattack, resulting in considerable losses.

Before the dust had settled on the battlefield, Ma Chao brandished his spear and leaped onto his horse, intending to charge straight at Liu Bei's central army.

Upon seeing this, Huang Zhong's beard and hair stood on end. He immediately spurred his horse forward, drew his sword, and blocked Ma Chao's path.

"You scoundrel from Xiliang, cease your arrogance!"

Huang Zhong roared, his Crimson Blood Blade flashing in his hand, the blade whistling fiercely as it slashed straight at Ma Chao's face.

Ma Chao's eyes sharpened, and he parried with his tiger-headed golden spear. With a clang, the metal clashed, causing both of their mounts to stagger back two steps.

Upon closer inspection, the old general before him had white hair and beard, yet his imposing aura was overwhelming. He immediately shouted in a deep voice, "You old scoundrel, state your name!"

"I am Huang Zhong!"

As soon as Huang Zhong finished speaking, he swung his sword again, his sword strikes heavy and fierce. He chopped, hacked, sliced, and slashed, each move powerful and fierce, displaying the veteran general's bravery. The wind from his sword carried the sound of the wind, aiming straight for Ma Chao's vital points.

Ma Chao's spear technique was agile and swift, his spear flashing like lightning. Whether thrusting, parrying, or blocking, his spear technique was seamless and impenetrable. He wielded his long spear so skillfully that it was impenetrable, and every time he managed to deflect Huang Zhong's fierce blade attacks at the last possible moment.

The two fought back and forth, locked in a fierce battle.

Although Huang Zhong was over sixty years old, he possessed astonishing strength. Every strike he made was powerful and heavy. As his warhorse galloped, the blade flashed like a ribbon, showing no signs of old age. Ma Chao, on the other hand, was in his prime. His spear technique was swift and cunning. His Xiliang warhorse galloped like the wind, and his agile figure allowed him to strike Huang Zhong's weaknesses with his spear tip time and time again, launching a relentless offensive.

After a dozen or so rounds, the two were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

Huang Zhong fought with increasing ferocity, his swordplay becoming more and more powerful and sweeping; Ma Chao's spear technique was agile and unpredictable, fast, accurate and ruthless, revealing the fierceness of the Xiliang cavalry. The spear shadows were numerous, forcing Huang Zhong to maneuver step by step.

They fought for another thirty rounds, but the outcome remained uncertain.

Huang Zhong's swordplay was steady and solid, his defense impenetrable, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack; Ma Chao, unable to break through after a long siege, was secretly surprised: he had not expected that this old general under Liu Bei's command would be so skilled in martial arts.

The two men spun around on horseback, the sound of their weapons clashing crisp and piercing. The soldiers of both armies held their breath and watched intently, momentarily forgetting their own battles and focusing only on the two men locked in combat.

Seeing that he could not win the battle, Huang Zhong roused his spirits, swung his sword with all his might, and the blade flashed, aiming straight for Ma Chao's head; Ma Chao raised his spear to block, exerted force with both arms, and took the blow head-on. The two warhorses neighed in unison and each took several steps back.

The two men reined in their horses and stood facing each other, panting, their eyes revealing their fear of their opponent.

Huang Zhong stood with his sword drawn, his imposing presence undiminished; Ma Chao stood tall with his spear in hand, his fierce spirit undiminished.

In the end, the two sides were evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand.

At this time, the Shu army had taken advantage of the sounding of the retreat to gradually return to their camp and reorganize their formation.

As the smoke from the battle between the two armies gradually dissipated, Ma Chao saw that the Shu army had already retreated safely back to their camp. Realizing that pursuing them would be pointless, he immediately reined in his horses and signaled to his soldiers to retreat.

He gazed intently toward the Shu army camp, his eyes deep and focused. After a moment, he turned his horse around and led his troops into the pass, not daring to delay for a moment.

Inside Yangping Pass, the remnants of the army were scattered and their weapons were in disarray. The soldiers had just escaped death and were still in shock. Only when they saw Ma Chao returning to reinforce them did their faces light up with joy and their morale was restored.

Ma Chao acted decisively, ordering his personal guards to continue gathering the remaining troops and deploying the remaining thousand-odd Xiliang cavalry to guard key passes and serve as supervisors and firefighters, thus stabilizing the precarious situation within the pass.

Yang Ren and Yang Ang quickly stepped forward, bowed to Ma Chao, and said with relief, "If it weren't for General Ma's timely return, Yangping Pass would have already fallen into Liu Bei's hands!"

Ma Chao's expression was cold and stern, showing no sign of smugness. He simply said, "My reinforcements have arrived late; both generals have worked hard defending the city. How is the battle going here now?"

The two generals exchanged a glance, and Yang Ren stepped forward with his hands clasped: "General Ma, Liu Bei previously sent Wei Yan to occupy Dingjun Mountain under cover of night. General Zhang Wei led 5,000 garrison troops to fight for it, but was captured alive by Wei Yan, leaving only 3,000 garrison troops to retreat."

Now only these remnants of the army remain within the pass; how can we possibly resist them?

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao frowned and looked towards Dingjun Mountain, saying in a deep voice, "Wei Yan occupies this mountain, overlooking the pass from a high vantage point. Every move of our army is under his watchful eye, making him a major threat."

My Xiliang troops number only a little over a thousand, and I am unable to divide them. I request that you two allocate your own troops to guard the mountain pass to the south, and do your utmost to prevent the Shu army from descending the mountain. Do not act rashly.

Knowing the implications, the two immediately accepted the order and quickly dispatched several thousand Hanzhong garrison troops to set up camp at the foot of Dingjun Mountain to defend the area, focusing on defense rather than attack, barely managing to block Wei Yan's flank threat.

After making the arrangements, Ma Chao leaned against the city wall, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and had only one thought in his mind: he must hold out until Pang De led the main force of 30,000 from Hanzhong to arrive, only then would he have the strength to contend with Liu Bei.