sovbooks Chapter 1396 When will the reinforcements arrive?
Chapter 1396 When will the reinforcements arrive?
Chapter 1396 When will the reinforcements arrive?
"You will continue your shift tomorrow."
After Zhuge Changshi left, Feng Da Sima pointed at Zhuge Canongfu, who had listened to the entire conversation, and gave instructions.
Zhuge Zhan was stunned. "Ah? Principal, why?"
You can indeed learn a lot by following the headmaster.
But people are made of flesh and blood after all, not iron.
Being a staff officer on duty is very tiring.
Especially now that we are in the midst of a war, it is no exaggeration to say that the staff on duty sleep later than dogs and get up earlier than chickens.
In addition to Taiyuan, there are also battle reports from grasslands, Shangdang, Hedong and other places. They must be summarized and classified according to priority and sent to the Da Sima's case.
There is no trivial matter in military affairs. If there is any mistake, it will be the responsibility of delaying military affairs.
Although there are elders above to check and the headmaster will review it in the end, there won't be any big problems.
But if there is a problem on my part, it will definitely affect my reputation.
Especially now, the military staff group is in a state of high alert at every moment of their rotation.
Zhuge Zhan had experienced training for ten hours a day.
But Zhuge Zhan really felt that the wartime shifts were very tiring, even more tiring than training for ten hours a day.
Most staff officers who have finished their shift would rather give up breakfast and sleep until noon on their rest day the next day.
Thinking that not only would he not be able to catch up on sleep tomorrow, but he would even have to take turns on duty, Zhuge Zhan felt as if the sky was about to fall.
Feng Dasima sneered in his heart, isn't it reasonable for the younger brother to pay off the brother's debt?
His face was kind as that of an elder, and his skill in making people talk and flatter was already superb:
"With the war approaching, it is a golden opportunity for young people like you to learn. Do you think such a golden opportunity is within your reach?"
"Experiencing a war like this is worth five years of normal life for you. If you miss a war like this, some people may never have such an opportunity again in their lifetime."
The more Sima Feng spoke, the more serious his tone became. He stared at Zhuge Zhan and scolded:
"During this war, even I was very careful, working day and night, not daring to slack off, for fear of hurting Your Majesty's wisdom. And you are the son of the Prime Minister, and the Madam entrusted you to me, asking me to teach you on behalf of the Prime Minister."
"Look at what you look like now? Huh? This is a God-given opportunity. If others had the chance to be personally cared for and advised by me, they would have been so grateful that they would burst into tears."
"What about you? You are so reluctant, yet you still have the nerve to ask me why? If you are not learning this for yourself, then is it for me?"
"I have taught him carefully, but he has not become a talent. I will not have the face to pay homage to the Prime Minister in the future. Do you think you will have the face to see your mother?"
Zhuge Zhan was so shocked by the scolding that he gradually became ashamed and finally embarrassed:
"Shanzhang, I was wrong."
"Get out!"
He didn't dare to scold Zhuge Changshi, but scolding Zhuge Canmou was a way for Feng Da Sima to vent his anger. After scolding, he felt refreshed and pointed at the door, asking people to get out.
The person who got out was actually grateful.
"return."
"Headmaster?"
Zhuge Zhan was startled and turned around quickly, subconsciously standing straight.
"Make arrangements. I'm going to inspect the mountain pass tomorrow."
"Here!"
Spring comes quietly and the snow melts quickly.
In just ten days or so, the snow on Taihang Mountains, except for the top of the mountain, had melted away without a trace.
The melted snow gathers into trickles, nourishing the Taihang Mountains and allowing all things to revive.
The awakened trees gradually shed their winter silence, and tender green buds began to emerge on the branches, as tender as babies, announcing the arrival of spring.
Occasionally, one or two early-blooming wild flowers are dotted among them. Although inconspicuous, their unique colors and fragrance add a bit of liveliness and vitality to the early spring forest.
Sima Feng led his troops and headed eastward along Jingxing from the mountain pass.
The mountains are continuous and one after another, and they look even more lush and green under the early spring sunshine.
There is a thin mist like gauze lingering between the mountains, like a shy girl lightly draped over her face, adding a bit of mystery and fantasy.
The spring sun shines through the sparse clouds and dapples onto the mountain paths. The spots of light interweave with the newly revealed moss, making the trail look particularly vivid and layered.
All of this is like a beautiful ink painting, which makes people intoxicated and reluctant to leave.
Feng Dasima seemed very interested in appreciating the beautiful scenery in the mountains. He even raised a telescope and looked at the mountains ahead.
The spring scenery in Taihang Mountains is beautiful, but Feng Dasima knows that this beautiful scenery hides endless murderous intent.
With the help of a telescope, I saw a dock built in a dangerous place.
"How many thieves are there at that level?"
Sima Feng asked.
This is the first Wei State fort on the Jingxing Road, at the border between Han and Wei.
I heard that it was left behind when Sima Yi fled from Taiyuan to Hebei.
It has to be said that Sima Yi was not only good at leading troops and commanding the army, but his methods and vision were also quite good - if he had not met the prime minister before and Feng later.
"The scouts have checked several times and found that there are more than a hundred people in the fort, but no more than two hundred at most."
As the vanguard officer and deputy general of the army, Wang Ping was extremely familiar with this place. He knew how to get there with his eyes closed and could answer the questions naturally.
"How long will it take for the Wudang army to break through this fort? What are the expected casualties?"
Wang Ping did not answer. This was a question that the commander of the Wudang Army needed to answer.
However, in this battle in Hebei, the commander of the Wudang Army, Ju Fu, did not come, because he still needed to guard Wuguan.
But it would not take the entire Wudang Army to guard Wuguan alone.
In Nanyang today, apart from Wancheng where the Wei army is symbolically stationed, other places are almost undefended - with the Nanyang Basin being an undefended terrain, there is no way to set up defenses at all.
If the Han and Wu sides did not have a "tacit understanding" (vigilance) with each other, neither side would want to expose its flanks to the other side's attack.
Whether the Han army advanced eastward from Wugu Pass or the Wu army crossed the river northward from Xiangyang, they could easily annex all territory in Nanyang except Wancheng.
It is estimated that the Wei State also knew this, so it simply broke the jar with all its might, or it might use the entire Nanyang as bait to lure Han and Wu into fighting each other, so most of its troops withdrew from the Nanyang Basin and concentrated on defending Xuchang.
Precisely because Wuguan did not have much defensive pressure, Deputy General Meng Yan led half of the Wudang Army to Taiyuan in this battle in Hebei.
The predecessor of the Wudang Army was the Wudang Flying Army, most of whose soldiers came from Shu, especially the Yi soldiers in Nanzhong.
They were light, brave and sturdy, especially good at marching in the mountains. They could be regarded as the mountain division of the Three Kingdoms period.
During the first northern expedition led by Han Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Sima Feng rushed to Longguan, leading the Wudang Flying Army.
Although the army underwent major reforms after the Han emperor moved the capital, both the Wudang Army and the Hubu Army still had their old foundations and more or less retained their previous characteristics.
Not to mention the Tiger Cavalry, except for the name change, almost nothing else has changed.
It was for this reason that Feng transferred part of the Wudang Army here.
In the attack and defense in the mountains, the strongest among all the Han armies was the Wudang Army.
Hearing Feng Da Sima's question, Meng Yan quickly replied:
"Replying to the Grand Marshal, in my humble opinion, if we attack with the Wudang army, it will take at least three days, at most seven days, and the casualties will be…"
Meng Yan hesitated for a moment, and finally said with a look of shame, "I am not sure."
As a surrendered general who had participated in a rebellion, Meng Yan was able to become one of the deputy generals of the Eight Armies in Guanzhong. In addition to his own abilities, being cautious in words and deeds was also a way of survival.
Upon hearing this, Sima Feng nodded without any displeasure on his face.
Although Jingxing is the easiest pass among the eight passes in Taihang Mountains, most of the road is even suitable for carriages and horses.
However, these forts that guard the pass are mostly built in dangerous places, and the counterweight catapults can play no role at all.
If you want to take it down, the best and only way is to fight head-on and sacrifice lives.
The three to seven days is because even if we fail to capture them by force, we can still find a way to cut off their water supply and force them to come out and surrender.
The idea is to start the fight after the snow has completely melted.
But how could the Wei army, who were able to hold their ground in the fort and face the Han army's front line, be ordinary soldiers?
Before testing the combat effectiveness of these Wei defenders, any speculation on the number of casualties is nonsense.
"Then give it a try."
Feng Dasima put down the telescope and said calmly:
"We will start the attack tomorrow and strive to completely eliminate all the enemy's strongholds in Jingxing within three months."
The Eight Passes of Taihang can be said to be the most important and final barrier for Hebei.
Here, the Han army was unable to fully utilize its advantages, while the Wei army was able to use the advantage of geographical location to bring the Han army to the same level as itself.
In order to protect Hebei, Sima Yi will certainly do his best to turn the passes in Taihang Mountains into a meat grinder.
It can be delayed as long as it takes.
It would be best if we could wear down the Han army and force Feng to retreat.
As for Feng Da Sima, there was no good way to force his way through the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountain. It would be a tough battle.
The Taihang Mountain meat grinder finally started fully operational as the largest front line was launched.
In the early spring of the tenth year of Yanxi, the smell of blood in Taihang Mountains gradually became stronger.
Relying on the advantage of terrain, the Wei army had already built a solid defense line on the top of the mountain and in the surrounding dangerous places, using boulders, logs and earth to pile up barriers.
Archers hid between the dense forests and cliffs, like cold and poisonous snakes, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
The soldiers of the Han Wu Dang Army, dressed in light leather armor and holding sharp weapons, roared and charged towards the mountain like wild beasts driven by the sound of war drums.
But every time they approached the fort, arrows were like a black storm, cutting through the air, descending on their heads with a sharp whistle, dense and deadly.
Even with the cover of the mountainous terrain, the dozen or so Han soldiers who were charging in the front still fell to the ground, blood splattered everywhere, dyeing the ground beneath their feet red.
Various traps and rolling logs and rocks caused great trouble to the Han army.
Even when the Wudang army tried to climb the steep cliff from the side, the defenders would throw huge rocks at the Han soldiers, causing them to scream and fall into the valley.
As the attack and defense deepened, both sides demonstrated amazing willpower and fighting power.
People kept falling, and people kept filling the vacancies without hesitation.
"Tsk! The tortoise shell made by old Sima Turtle is really tricky!"
On the first day of the battle to open up Jingxing, General Feng personally supervised the battle.
The tragic battle situation seen through the telescope made Feng Dasima frown.
It's not that I can't bear to watch this scene.
His hands were already stained with blood before he even led troops into battle, not to mention the fact that he had been in the military for more than 20 years. What kind of scenes had he not seen?
But I am a little worried about the hardness of the turtle shell.
Not only was the tortoise shell hard, but the defenders were also unexpectedly tough.
This means sacrificing more soldiers.
"Three months..."
Sima Feng put down the telescope, looked thoughtful, and his face looked a little solemn. He didn't know whether he could reach Weize Pass (Niangzi Pass in later generations) in three months?
In fact, removing these Wuzhai checkpoints along the way is just a prelude to the decisive battle at Weize Pass.
The most strategic point in Jingxing is Weize Pass where three rivers converge. This is the iron gate of the eastern exit of Jingxing.
Only by taking Weize Pass can we open up most of Jingxing.
Why most?
Because after passing Weize Pass, the suddenly open Jingxing Basin is in front of you. After passing the Jingxing Basin, there is still a short section of Jingxing before you can truly walk out of the Taihang Mountains.
(As shown in the picture:
）
To be honest, the scene where the two armies were attacking and defending in an open and dignified manner, with the soldiers fighting for their lives but unable to combine the regular and irregular tactics, was even a bit boring for Sima Feng.
To put it bluntly, it's about which side has stronger willpower, which side has tighter organization, which side has more soldiers and generals, and which side has more food and grass to support it...
Sima Feng had no choice but to sit back and watch.
The news of Jingxing's movement had already been sent to Yecheng in a hurry by Wei's spies.
"Is it finally here?"
Ever since the war broke out between Shangdang and the various passes in Hedong, or to be more precise, since Jiang Wei crossed the river to the north and approached Hanoi, Sima Yi, who had been waiting for news, finally let out the last breath in his heart.
"It's good to come, it's good to come..."
Sima Yi, feeling relieved, showed no sadness or joy on his face. He waved his hand weakly and listlessly, signaling the messenger to go out.
He closed his eyes tiredly, leaned back for a while, and then spoke again, "Someone, go and invite the Second Prince Tuoba over."
After a while, Tuoba Xilu came as invited.
"Xilu greets Master Taifu."
Having been in Nanxia for some time, Tuoba Xilu has become familiar with the etiquette of Nanxia.
But when facing Sima Taifu, he did not follow the etiquette of Southern Xia.
The Lord of Hebei is not the Lord of Southern Xia, not to mention that the Lord of Hebei still needs the help of the Tuoba clan, so there is no need to perform any grand ceremony.
Sima Yi's old and tired face did not change at all despite Tuoba Xilu's slight disrespect, not even his wrinkles remained deformed, as if he didn't care at all.
"Master Tuoba, please take a seat." He extended his hand to indicate a seat and had someone serve tea. "I asked you to come here because I wanted to ask you, when will your reinforcements arrive?"
"Master Taifu, don't worry. According to the news sent three days ago, our Tuoba clan's 50,000 elite cavalry should have almost reached the border, and may even be preparing to enter the border."
Tuoba Xilu kept a confident smile on his face, "As long as Sima Taifu tells the border counties to prepare food and grass, our Tuoba warriors will not let Sima Taifu down."
Sima Yi glanced at Tuoba Xilu with his cloudy eyes, then shifted his gaze to the void and said slowly:
"Since I invited you to come, I have already prepared everything. As long as we can defeat the Han Kingdom, you Tuoba clan can take whatever you want from me, so what's the harm?"
The tone was quite bland and indifferent, or it could be said that he was lying down and letting things go, but it made Tuoba Xilu's eyes light up, and his expression immediately became excited.
Although the Lord had already made an agreement with Hebei, if he could get greater benefits from Master Sima, who in the clan would oppose him becoming Kehan's successor?
Thinking of this, Tuoba Xilu didn't even think twice and patted his chest and promised:
"Master Taifu, why do you have to worry? With the hundreds of thousands of elite troops under your command, plus our Tuoba clan's fifty thousand brave warriors, the Han Kingdom's mere 100,000 people will definitely make him come without a chance to return!"
(End of this chapter)