Yin Mo's round trip took less than an hour and he returned to Wu Yi's camp on the south bank of the Wei River. At this time, Wu Yi had already led 5,000 people and lined up outside the camp gate, preparing to cross the river along the pontoon bridge further east where Ma Su and Wei Yan had passed two days ago, and then set up camp to the east of Shanggui City. Seeing Yin Mo riding back alone from afar, Wu Yi rode his horse to meet him in surprise. Wu Yi saw Yin Mo sitting on the horse with a stern face, and couldn't help laughing: "Doctor Yin, Doctor Yin? What's wrong?" Yin Mo shook his head and continued walking towards the camp with his head down. Wu Yi had no choice but to pull his horse forward, personally grabbed Yin Mo's reins, and asked with a smile: "Doctor Yin! Please say something, how about persuading Guo Huai to surrender?" Yin Mo's face gradually turned red. He was speechless when facing Guo Huai just now, but when facing Wu Yi, an old acquaintance, Yin Mo pointed in the direction of Xianggui City and shouted loudly: "Guo Huai is unreasonable! He insulted Your Majesty and the Prime Minister. He is not a human being!" "Alright, alright, isn't it just that we failed to persuade him to surrender?" Wu Yi consoled Yin Mo while smiling. Such an interesting scene could not be seen in Chengdu. "You go to the camp and rest. I will lead the troops across the river and help you save face in front of Guo Huai!" After that, Wu Yi waved to Yin Mo, and then led his troops to cross the river to the northeast. According to Wu Yi's order, Liao Hua's troops in the west also wanted to force a crossing of the Wei River! The Shu army crossed the river on both sides at the same time. When Guo Huai, who was in the west of the city, wanted to lead 3,000 foreign troops westward to stop the Shu army from crossing the river, Lu Pan in Shanggui City sent someone to inform Guo Huai that Wu Yi was crossing the river in the east of the city.
For a moment, Guo Huai was in a dilemma. After struggling for a long time, Guo Huai looked at the Wei River not far away, which was covered with a thin layer of ice. He gritted his teeth and gave an order, ordering the entire army to dismantle the camp and then return to Shanggui City. It was just a bluff, and facing the simultaneous advance of the Shu army from the east and west, it was easily burst like a bubble. Although he was frustrated for a while, Guo Huai still had confidence in his heart. Shanggui City was right behind him. With this city, he could definitely hold back the Shu army until General Zuo's reinforcements arrived! After crossing the Weishui River, Liao Hua's troops in the west began to advance towards Shanggui City, and finally set up camp five miles west of the city, near the Weishui River. The same was true for Wu Yi's troops in the east. With these two camps in the north of the city as support, the narrow Wei River could no longer be an obstacle to the Shu army, and Shanggui City was not far from being besieged. In the afternoon, the right general Zhu Gai in Chencang City received the battle report sent by Lu Pan from Shanggui three days ago. Zhu Gai, who was holding the document in the hall, first praised himself for a long time, then turned and looked at Deng Ai who was standing beside him. "Shi Zai, what do you think Qian Zhenxi was thinking? How come he got the bet right?" "General, I think what Qian Zhenxi said is correct. If something happens in Guanzhong, the Central Army will come to resist the enemy from Guanzhong. But if the Longyou army attacks, a few days later will make a world of difference." Deng Ai was a rare case of not stuttering. In fact, since he was entrusted with an important task by the emperor, he gradually gained confidence after his position of power and power, and the stuttering that had troubled him for many years gradually improved. Power is the best way to nourish people. Zhu Gai nodded and said, "Qian Zhenxi and I received the military report in Chang'an on the morning of December 2nd." "That afternoon, Qian Zhenxi led 15,000 infantrymen to march ahead. If we calculate based on the speed of 60 miles a day, he should have already reached the vicinity of Mei County." "If we go along the Longshan Road, it's about 700 li from Meixian to Shanggui, and it will take another 11 or 12 days to get there." Deng Ai seemed to be speaking with some witty remarks at this time: "Qian Zhenxi led the army to rescue Longxi, and the right general rushed from Chang'an to Chencang in two days. They are both equally matched and are both national heroes." “Hahahaha.” Zhu Gai laughed heartily: “Shi Zai, Shi Zai, how come I only just realized that you are so good at talking?” Deng Ai smiled shyly and then added: "If you count, the messenger has been in Luoyang for more than two days. The central army should be heading towards Guanzhong." Upon hearing this, Zhu Gai stood up and sighed, "According to what Guo Huai said in the letter, the Shu army has more than 50,000 soldiers. I'm afraid Guo Huai can't resist them in Shanggui, and General Zuo can't stop the enemy in Longshan Road!"
"Guo Huai has less than 5,000 soldiers, and General Zuo has only 10,000. How can we wait for Qian Zhenxi's reinforcements to arrive? By the time Qian Zhenxi arrives, the cavalry of the central army may have arrived!" Deng Ai was an expert in farming and grain supply at the time, but only had a rough understanding of military affairs. He immediately asked, "According to the Right General's judgment, how will this battle turn out?" "Alas," Zhu Gai sighed, "According to the Shu army's posture, I'm afraid that Tianshui, Guangwei, Nan'an, Longxi, and the four counties of Longyou will all be lost!" "Is the Shu army so powerful?" Deng Ai asked with a hint of surprise. All along, the Wei Dynasty had called Wu and Shu rebels. From a propaganda perspective, the Wei Dynasty had the largest territory and the largest number of troops. For a low-level official like Deng Ai who had no knowledge of military affairs, "the Wei Dynasty was strong" was like the truth. But throughout the dynasties, the so-called "truth" seems to have nothing to do with the truth. Zhu Gai shook his head: "It's not that the Shu army is strong, but that the Wei army is short of soldiers in Longyou." Looking at the thirty-year-old 'young man' who was bowing and asking for advice, Zhu Gai knew that he was valued by His Majesty, and now when he had nothing to do, he was willing to teach him. "Shi Zai, you see, the four counties in Longyou are relatively stable on weekdays, and there has never been any rebellion. Once the enemy army approaches, and Longyou has few soldiers and cannot resist, surrender is almost inevitable." "If one city surrenders, two will follow. If two counties surrender, a prefecture will become unstable." Zhu Gai tried to explain, "It's like a group of travelers standing on the edge of a cliff holding hands. If one falls, the rest will fall as well." Deng Ai was so smart that he understood the key point immediately: "According to what the Right General said, when will the surrender of the cities in Longyou stop?" Zhu Gai said: "Just now I said that the four counties in Longyou might be lost, and I was only talking about the four counties in Longyou." "Take Longxi County, the most western part, for example. Xiangwu is 400 miles away from Yuzhong. Whether it is in terms of food or manpower, it is impossible for the Shu army to dispatch so many troops to the west." "Xiahou Ba and Lu Xun in the west will definitely gather in Longxi County. Maybe it will be the county seat Xiangwu City, or maybe it will be Shouyang City further west. But in any case, Xiangwu is the westernmost part of the Shu army's invasion." "What about Anding County?" Deng Ai asked again. Zhu Gai glanced at Deng Ai and said, "Didn't General Zuo go there? By calculation, he should have reached the west of Anding County by now." Deng Ai thought thoughtfully: "Then Anding County will definitely be safe." Zhu Gai walked up to Deng Ai and asked, "Shi Zai, tell me, where is the most critical place in Longyou now?" Deng Ai tried hard to recall the places along the Longshan Road in his mind. After confirming them several times, he said with a firm tone, "Lueyang!" "General Zuo should have arrived in Lueyang. The Shu army heading north through Longshan Road should also have reached Lueyang." "If General Zuo can lead 10,000 people to defend Lueyang, the situation in Longyou will still have room for maneuver. If he can't defend it..." Zhu Gai came closer and stared into Deng Ai's eyes: "What if General Zuo can't hold on?" Deng Ai met Zhu Gai's gaze and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "If we can't hold on, the four counties of Longyou will all fall into the hands of the enemy." "The situation of the Wei Dynasty in Guanxi will be worse than that in the 16th year of Jian'an." The so-called 16th year of Jian'an was the year when Cao Cao defeated the coalition forces of Ma Chao and Han Sui in Guanzhong, recovered Anding County, and sent Xiahou Yuan to the west. Zhu Gai patted Deng Ai's shoulder vigorously and said, "Boy, you are right! Military situation changes three times a day, and every change is shocking." "Do you know what to do?" Deng Ai looked at Zhu Gai who was walking out with a bit of confusion: "What does the Right General want me to do?" "I really don't know whether you are smart or stupid." Zhu Gai turned around and looked at Deng Ai with strange eyes: "Since you have learned the new military information and have a guess in your mind, of course you should write a military report and send it to Qian Zhenxi and Luoyang!" Deng Ai bowed slightly apologetically and said, "I am careless. I will draft the military report right away."
Zhu Gai nodded slightly, then left for the military camp outside the city. …… At almost the same time, in Lueyang, the battlefield that Guo Huai, Zhu Gai and Deng Ai had all chosen, Zhang He was also preparing to personally lead 500 cavalry out of the city. Military officer Chen Ping asked with some confusion: "Is the commander going to the south of the city to block the Shu army? Why is he only bringing 500 cavalrymen?" Zhang He raised his whip and pointed outside the city: "I want to ask you, which road will the Shu army come from?" Chen Ping thought for a moment and responded, "You should come from the intersection of the road leading to Shanggui, four miles southeast of Lueyang City." Zhang He smiled and said softly, "That's good to know! This place is so narrow, five hundred cavalrymen are enough!" "However, I have one more thing to ask of you." Chen Ping quickly bowed and said, "I will follow the governor's orders." Zhang He asked, "Do you see the mountain south of the city?" Chen Ping nodded: "To reply to the governor, I saw it." Zhang He said slowly: "I will lead 500 cavalrymen to ambush two miles east of the intersection." "Lueyang City is here, and it is already afternoon. The Shu army will definitely come to Lueyang City." "When you see me leading the cavalry out and threatening the Shu army from the east, you will lead a thousand cavalry out of the city and drive the Shu army far away to the foot of the mountain south of the city." "Do you understand?" Chen Ping was Zhang He's trusted man. After saying he understood, he immediately asked, "But why did the commander-in-chief drive the Shu army over there?" Zhang He looked at Chen Ping helplessly and said, "We can't let them block the road and the flat ground and set up camp safely, right?" "There is only one mountain facing the south of the city. If we don't drive them to the mountain, where else can they go?" Chen Ping responded repeatedly: "I understand, Governor, please slow down." After Zhang He left, Chen Ping seemed to have thought of something and called out the magistrate of Lueyang County: "Does the mountain in the south of the city have a name?" The governor of Lueyang thought for a moment and replied, "General Chen, that is exactly the street pavilion in the south of Lueyang City. This mountain is called Duanshan, and the locals also call it Nanshan." Chen Ping nodded thoughtfully. (End of this chapter)
