Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1367

Chapter 1367

"What do you think of this battle?"

After meeting the soldiers stationed at Chenguanxing, General Feng followed the custom and left Wang Han alone, asking:

"What do you think of this battle?"

Wang Han wanted to say something but stopped.

"Don't worry about anything," Feng Dasima said, noticing Wang Han's hesitation, "Just say whatever comes to your mind."

"My Lord, it's not easy to cross the Taihang Mountains in winter!"

The Eight Passes of Taihang, including Jingxing, which is barely navigable for carriages and horses, often wind along steep mountains.

It’s hard enough on weekdays.

Not to mention that it is the middle of winter now, with heavy snow, and it is difficult to walk even on flat ground.

The mountain path was covered with ice and snow early on.

It was already difficult enough for the soldiers to crawl on the pass in full armor and weapons.

If ice and snow are added, you will fall down the mountain if you are not careful.

Not to mention attacking the pass - even on flat ground, it might not be possible to capture a well-prepared city in this season.

So Wang Han didn't understand why the Grand Marshal would choose this time to launch the Battle of Hebei.

"Before the expedition, General Zhennan also asked me the same question, why not cross the river from Luoyang? Do you know how I answered?"

"I don't know what will happen next."

"I always say that kindness does not lead to military success. I know what I am doing about this battle."

Hearing what Feng Da Sima said, Wang Han was shocked and said quickly:

"I was the one who spoke too much!"

Feng Da Sima shook his head and said with a smile:

"You are now a general leading an army stationed at Chenguanxing, and you are directly facing Hanoi. If you have any questions, you must raise them. If you think something is wrong, you must say it. There is no such thing as saying more or less."

After comforting Wang Han, Feng Da Sima restrained his expression and continued:

"The river is frozen now. In half a month at most, when the coldest time comes, General Zhennan will lead his troops to cross the river from Luoyang to the north."

Looking at Wang Han, Feng Da Sima instructed, "Your mission is to find a way to put pressure on the bandits in Hanoi at the Chenguan Pass and cooperate with General Zhennan."

Conducting military operations in the dead of winter would have been a disaster for any other army of the era.

Frostbite and freezing to death are minor matters. The key is that plague is very likely to spread in the army.

Once you lose control, even the biggest advantage will vanish.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just take the Battle of Chibi as an example. There were hundreds of thousands of troops under Cao Cao’s command, and an epidemic broke out among the army, which led to a significant reduction in combat effectiveness, and was also an important reason for Cao’s army’s defeat.

(Most of the soldiers died of hunger and epidemics)

But for the Han Dynasty, which had abundant financial resources, hunger was not a problem.

For the Han soldiers who conduct winter drills every year, even if there are minor problems with the epidemic, it should not cause major problems.

Moreover, the fact that Feng Dasima invests so much money in the medical school every year is not just for them to eat and do nothing.

At the same time, over the years, efforts have been made to improve the cultural level of soldiers in the army, not because we are afraid that the soldiers will have nothing to do because they have nothing to do.

After hearing what Feng Da Sima said, Wang Han suddenly realized: "I understand now."

Feng Da Sima shook his head:

"No, you don't quite get it yet."

"Although the battle in Hebei began in winter, it will never end in winter. Even I am not sure when it will end."

Sima Yi was the only person in Wei State whom Sima Feng could fear.

Although this was not the first time the two had fought, the incident at Shangdang made Feng Da Sima deeply understand:

This old turtle seems motionless, but in fact it is always looking for your loopholes. If you are not careful, he will bite off a piece of your flesh.

"So, don't just think about the thickness of the snow in winter, but also think about the fact that the snow will melt in the spring."

Although speed is of the essence in war, after presenting "The Three Expeditions to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty", General Feng did not immediately summon the generals in Guanzhong. Instead, he first summoned General Jiang Wei, who was far away in Luoyang.

After crossing the river, they did not go directly to Taiyuan, but stayed in Hedong, and later planned to go to Shangdang.

The purpose is to talk to the governors and main generals of these places one by one.

It seemed to be moving uncharacteristically slowly.

But in Feng Dasima's opinion, this is necessary.

In the words of later generations, it meant to unify thoughts before the war.

He wanted his generals to realize that this was a battle with no certain end date.

We cannot limit our focus to the present midwinter.

After listening to what Feng Dasima said, Wang Han finally understood it.

After finishing the business, Feng Da Sima shouted to the outside again:

"come in."

With permission, Du Yu, who had been guarding outside, entered with someone.

Wang Han knew Du Yu.

He could call the Grand Marshal "Lord", but Du Yu could be called "Sir".

Colleagues envied Wang Han, and Wang Han also envied Du Yu.

I have been with Grand Marshal for many years, but I have never been able to become his disciple.

However, when Wang Han's gaze fell on the middle-aged man behind Du Yu, doubts appeared in his eyes again.

"My disciple, I don't need to say more, right?"

Sima Feng raised his chin slightly towards Du Yu, seeming a little casual.

It's just that the gentleman can be casual, but Du Yu dare not be casual. He bowed to Wang Han:

"I have foreseen General Wang."

Wang Han did not dare to be arrogant and quickly returned the gift.

"You don't have to treat him like this." Feng Dasima said to Wang Han, "He has been following me for the past few years and has been interning in the General Staff. There have been no wars in the past two years, and he has also gone to the academy for further studies."

"For this battle, I decided to transfer him to your place. Please help me take care of him. If he follows me, he may not be able to see the real fighting."

With the current strength of the Han Dynasty and Feng Da Sima's current status, in most cases, there is no need for Feng Da Sima to personally go to the battlefield.

If it really comes to that, it only means that the situation on the battlefield is not good.

During the prime minister's era, the spirit of frugality was popular. During the Grand Marshal's era, being practical and realistic gradually became the trend.

So Wang Han was not too surprised when Du Yu was thrown to the front line to deal with practical work.

"This is Wang Jun, Wang Shizhi. He used to be a clerk in Hedong and is familiar with Hedong. Someone recommended him to me some time ago."

"Now I'm putting him here with you, and you can help me see how capable he is."

Wang Jun came from a prominent family in Hongnong. He was favored by his son, recognized by Du Yu, and passed the intentional or unintentional assessment of people under General Feng.

It is enough to show that he does have some skills.

Since he was a talent and could represent the attitude of the Hongnong gentry towards the New Han Dynasty's policies, Sima Feng was naturally willing to give him a chance.

Of course, this is definitely not because his son wants to try it out.

But then again, Hongnong is connected to Luoyang in the east, Guanzhong in the west, and Hedong in the north, making it a strategic location.

The Wang family of Hongnong chose this time to stand out. It has to be said that the vision of the aristocratic families is still very sharp.

But it is also a good thing. At least the garrison in Luoyang can get an extra batch of food and fodder out of thin air.

Wang Han didn't care about the Hongnong Wang family, but he understood what the prince said:

This Wang Shizhi was probably included in the observation list by the Central Protectorate’s Staff Group.

For a talented young man who is not from a military academy but is determined to join the army and wants to realize his life's ambitions, the General Staff is the best way to do so.

Otherwise, you can only start from the lowest level as a soldier and work your way up step by step. Whether you can make it through is another matter.

After all, in a battle, the enemy's weapons will not be treated differently just because you know a few more words.

If the knife stabs into them, they will fall down.

The Mr. Wang in front of him looks quite old. Even if he enters the martial arts academy, he can probably only choose a three-month advanced training course.

It would be different if I could join the staff.

-

After talking with Wang Han, Sima Feng did not stay for long, but hurried to the next stop - Shangdang.

Compared to Wang Han who was doubtful about this battle, Shi Bao, who was also promoted by Feng Da Sima, patted his chest and expressed his opinion:

Shangdang had made all preparations and was ready to attack Hanoi from Taihangxing and Baixing at any time.

Shi Bao's statement surprised Feng Dasima.

Both Jiang Wei and Wang Han had raised their own doubts about sending troops to Hebei at this time.

Only when it came to Shi Bao, no one had any objection to sending troops to Hebei in winter, nor did they question the difficult and dangerous route through the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountains in winter.

Feng Da Sima couldn't help but ask curiously, "What does Zhongrong think of this battle?"

Shi Bao was surprised by what Feng Da Sima said:

"The Han will surely win. Is there any doubt about that?"

"Oh?" Seeing Shi Bao's matter-of-fact expression, Feng Dasima looked even more surprised than Shi Bao:

"What's Zhongrong's opinion?"

I don’t have that confidence.

Unexpectedly, Shi Bao actually started talking about it:

"When two armies fight, it's nothing more than the right time, right place, and right people. Now the world is full of bandits, but the Han Dynasty is still the righteous one in the world, and it is the place of justice. This can be called the right time."

"Bingzhou is the roof of the world. It overlooks Hebei in the east and the Central Plains in the south. Now the Han is attacking and the enemy is defending. Several passes in Taihang are all passable. Even if the enemy can hold on for a while, haven't you heard that if they hold on for too long, they will lose? This can be called a geographical advantage."

"Since the Han Dynasty began to fight against the rebels, the rebels first lost Liangzhou, then lost Guanzhong, and then lost Bingzhou, Hedong and Henan. The emperor and his ministers fell out, and the powerful ministers fought with each other. They were not enemies, but worse than enemies."

"The people under the rule of the bandits have no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to fill their stomachs. All the officers and officials look westward, longing to return to Han, like a mighty river rushing to the sea and unable to be stopped."

"On the other hand, in the Han Dynasty, a wise ruler was in power, benevolent and righteous; wise ministers were in the court, governing the country; brave generals were in the army, unstoppable; and the people in the wild were cheering and singing. This can be called harmony among people."

"With favorable weather, favorable location and favorable people, how can we not win?"

Hearing Shi Bao's words, Feng Da Sima couldn't help but clap his hands and sigh:

"Zhongrong's words really put my mind at ease."

Without waiting for Shi Bao to be humble, Feng Da Sima said with a sigh:

"Of the eight passes in Taihang, three are in Shangdang (namely Taihang Pass, Baixing Pass, and Fukou Pass), so Shangdang is crucial in this battle. I was a little worried about this place, but now it seems that I have nothing to worry about."

"General Zhennan will soon cross the river and attack Hanoi. I will leave Shangdang to you. You can act according to the situation and respond to General Zhennan's actions in Hanoi."

Shi Bao was overjoyed and bowed, saying:

"Yes! I will live up to the trust of the Grand Marshal!"

Feng Da Sima looked at the man who was known as the vicious dog under his tutelage, and a smile appeared on his face:

"I believe you."

The noble families in Shangdang, Hedong, all said that Shi Zhongrong was a vicious dog that only knew how to bite people, but Sima Feng knew that his military strategy was also rare.

Thinking back to the time when this person first met me, he immediately revealed Cao Zhen's intention.

In the past few years, he has been guarding Shangdang. He not only cleaned up the mess left by Wei Yan, but also cleaned up the local tyrants in Shangdang.

Nowadays, whether it is Tongyi to the north of Chang'an or Jiuyuan even further north, many of the population comes from Hedong and Shangdang.

The officers and men of Shangdang had already shaken off the shadow of the Shangdang battle and their morale was high - otherwise, Shi Bao would not have dared to say that they could attack Hanoi at any time.

After making sure that Shangdang was ready, Sima Feng headed towards his final destination, Taiyuan.

To the east of Taiyuan, there is a pass named Jingxing, which is also known as the sixth pass of the nine passes in the world.

"Lüshi Chunqiu·Youshi": "What are the Nine Barriers? Taifen, Ming'e, Jingruan, Fangcheng, Jingxing, Lingci, Juzhu and Juyong".

The "Fight of the River" by the military genius Han Xin also took place here.

Qin Shihuang's hearse also returned to Xianyang via Jingxing.

Because Jingxing has the Qin Straight Road that was opened by the order of Emperor Qin Shihuang, it is also the easiest road to travel among the Eight Jings in Taihang Mountains.

If we have to choose one pass from the eight passes of Taihang Mountains to attack Hebei, Jingxing, which can barely accommodate imperial vehicles, would be the best choice.

It was obvious that General Feng came to Taiyuan to stay in Jinyang and personally supervise the army to march from Jingxing.

General Guan Suo, General Zhao Guang, and General Wang Ping, who were in charge of the army, had already gathered in Jinyang with their troops in advance.

If we add in Liu Yin, who defended Luoyang with Jiang Wei - except for Zhang Yi, who was far away in Jiangzhou and replaced Chen Dao to defend Yong'an and did not participate in this battle - the four great generals Feng, Lin, Huoshan and Feng under the command of Feng Guiwang are all present.

It is a well-known fact that there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Especially since Guan Suo and Zhao Guang, who are recognized as the top two among the four generals, are both in Jinyang, it is not difficult to see that Feng Guiwang's main attack direction this time.

From the moment Feng Guiwang crossed the river from Guanzhong to the east, he seemed to have made no effort to conceal his intentions.

Outside the city of Jinyang, Sima Feng met with many generals headed by General Zhennan, including the young Xiongnu prince Liu Hun, and the Xianbei tribal chieftain Tufa Tianli.

Even after entering Jinyang City, he met with the soldiers, officials and common people from Taiyuan.

If there were not so many camps and a large army outside the city, people would probably believe that the Grand Marshal was inspecting Taiyuan and having fun with the people.

The itinerary, which was not concealed at all, was naturally passed on to Sima Yi in Yecheng by the spies as quickly as possible.

Sima Yi, who had been paying attention to Feng's news these days, did not feel relieved. Instead, his brows became even more furrowed.

If the army wants to cross Taihang Mountains from Bingzhou, choosing Jingxing is indeed the best option.

After all, even the unrivaled Marquis of Huaiyin chose Jingxing.

It is rumored that Mr. Feng has the "Martial Arts of Wu'an Jun", which was once annotated by the Marquis of Huaiyin. It is reasonable for him to make the same choice as the Marquis of Huaiyin.

only……

Why do I always feel like something is not right?

Sima Yi stroked his beard, which had become somewhat sparse, and deep grooves appeared between his eyebrows:

Looking at the times when the bandit Feng led troops, he was always insidious and cunning, making it difficult to guard against him.

The troops of Jieting were extremely fast, the troops of Anding were divided into two groups, Xiaoguan attacked unexpectedly, Bingzhou fought thousands of miles and attacked the enemy from behind...

Like now, openly and without disguise, it would be reasonable if the person opposite was Zhuge Kongming.

But why is it that something that is obviously reasonable and logical seems a little unreasonable when it happens to Feng Zei?

Could it be that the thief Feng really wants to take over Hebei in a fair and just manner?

(End of this chapter)