Mi Han

Chapter 723: The Thirsty Generals Make a Plan

Chapter 723: The Thirsty Generals Make a Plan

August of the sixth year of Zhangwu in the Han Dynasty.

In Yidu County, where Yizhou and Jingzhou meet, there was a team marching.

There are not many people in this team, but the leaders are all strong and brave, with the demeanor of brave generals.

These people were Wei Yan, Zhang He, Zhang Yi, Liu Yin and others who rushed to Jingzhou from Chang'an in response to Mi Yang's order.

The air in Jingzhou, which had just been washed by rain, seemed very clear.

Smelling the unique moist scent of the south, Wei Yan stretched comfortably on his horse.

He is from Jingzhou.

As the saying goes, homesickness is a normal human emotion. Wei Yan, who is about to return to his hometown, is in a very happy mood.

In addition, Wei Yan's character was originally rough, so he glanced at the person next to him and asked:

"Boqi, how is the war in the Western Region going?"

The person riding a horse beside Wei Yan was Zhang Yi, who had just returned from the Western Regions.

Hearing Wei Yan's question, Zhang Yi replied with a smile:

"General Zilong has a good command of the army, and his soldiers obey orders. Now, more than a dozen countries in the Western Regions have been recovered by our army."

Zhang Yi's answer not only made Wei Yan's eyes light up, but also Zhang He and others nearby.

The Western Regions are vast, and over time, there are now dozens of countries with names.

Before actually sending troops to the Western Regions, although everyone knew that the countries in the Western Regions were not well-equipped, there were still dozens of countries. It would probably not be a task that could be accomplished in a short period of time to recapture them all.

Unexpectedly, within three months of the imperial court's deployment of troops to the Western Regions, it had recovered the territories of more than a dozen countries.

Aren’t these countries in the Western Regions too weak?

While despising the countries in the Western Regions in their hearts, Wei Yan and other generals also made a judgment in an instant - perhaps they would hear the news of Zhao Yun's triumphant return as early as the end of the year.

Although the significance of the Western Expedition is not as great as the unification of the country, it is still a great event in expanding territory.

Therefore, after realizing this, Wei Yan and other generals all showed sincere smiles on their faces.

After asking about the progress of the Western Expedition, Wei Yan, unable to bear the loneliness, looked to the other side.

Wei Yan's gaze first fell on Zhang He.

But after seeing Zhang He, Wei Yan snorted coldly, then swept his eyes over Zhang He's body and looked at the person behind him.

That person is Liu Yin.

Liu Yin, who was originally enjoying himself, was startled when he saw Wei Yan suddenly set his eyes on him.

Even though Liu Yin was on Mi Yang's conscription list this time, he was almost an unknown figure in the Han army before.

His position was far different from Wei Yan's.

For Liu Yin, Wei Yan is now a mountain he can only look up to.

Gao Shan suddenly stared at him, and it seemed that no one could remain calm.

Just when Liu Yin wondered why Wei Yan was paying attention to him, Wei Yan's voice reached his ears.

"Do you know whether the Grand Marshal summoned us to head north or east?"

Wei Yan's question instantly attracted the attention of several generals around him, including Zhang He who had remained silent.

In Mi Yang's summons, Mi Yang only mentioned that there were changes in Jingzhou and asked them to go to Jingzhou, but did not explain the specific reasons.

So they were all very curious about this matter.

After hearing Wei Yan's question, Liu Yin was suddenly speechless.

Even someone of Wei Yan's status didn't know the Grand Marshal's intention, so how could he know?

Why would Wei Yan think of asking him this question?

What Liu Yin didn't know was that Wei Yan asked him for a reason.

Those recruited by Mi Yang this time were either talented generals with many contributions or direct generals promoted by Mi Yang. Only Liu Yin was special.

Wei Yan had heard that Liu Yin was very good at delivering letters, but could this be considered a credit?

Besides, Wei Yan also knew that Mi Yang had never known Liu Yin before entering Chang'an.

So why did Mi Yang take special care of Liu Yin this time and put him on the list of people heading east?

Wei Yan, who had captured Jiang Wei, had gained a lot.

It's no surprise that big shots always have a few lucky ministers around them.

And since he is a lucky minister, it must be easy for him to get some hidden secrets that he cannot get.

Liu Yin's embarrassed and surprised expression did not mean to Wei Yan that he did not know, but that he did not want to say it.

This made Wei Yan dissatisfied and he turned his gaze away from Liu Yin.

This guy named Liu is not honest.

Seeing that he couldn't ask the reason in advance, Wei Yan couldn't help but sigh.

He is so boring!

Wei Yan's boredom slowed down his pace.

Zhang Yi was afraid that Mi Yang had something urgent to do, so he said to Wei Yan:

"There is a change in Jingzhou, and the Grand Marshal may need us urgently. General, you must not delay."

Zhang Yi's persuasion made Wei Yan sigh again.

"With the Grand Marshal here, even if Jingzhou changes, how far can it change?

It is impossible that as soon as the Grand Marshal arrives in Jingzhou, the Cao Wei and Sun Wu villains will join forces to attack Jingzhou?"

Wei Yan made a joke.

Zhang Yi felt that this joke made a lot of sense.

So Zhang Yi gave up the idea of ​​continuing to persuade Wei Yan, since they were not far from Xiangyang anyway.

After walking for a while in boredom, Wei Yan discovered that there were several trusted cavalrymen approaching his team at a very fast speed.

When the messengers came closer and Wei Yan saw their attire clearly, he quickly spurred his horse forward to meet them.

As Wei Yan moved forward, the Han generals behind him looked at each other and followed Wei Yan to meet him.

These messengers were sent by Mi Yang to urge Wei Yan and others.

After both parties verified each other's identities, the messenger immediately took out the document written by Mi Yang from his arms.

Wei Yan impatiently took the document and started reading it.

After Wei Yan finished reading the contents of the document, Zhang Yi and his companions just caught up with him.

Before Zhang Yi's horse had even stopped, he saw Wei Yan hurriedly hand the document in his hand to him, then picked up the whip and slapped the horse's butt hard.

Wei Yan's horse felt the pain and suddenly sped up and rushed towards Xiangyang at an extremely fast speed.

Looking at Wei Yan's quickly moving back, Zhang Yi's mind was full of questions.

Is this still the same humble and calm general?

However, Zhang Yi did not care too much about this.

Da Sima taught us that we need to remain calm when faced with major events.

He wanted to see what the content of the document was that could make a general of the Han Dynasty lose his composure like this.

It would have been better if he hadn't read it. After slowly reading the contents of the document, Zhang Yi couldn't help but blurt out:

"There have been great changes in Jingzhou!"

Who would have thought that one day a joke would become true!

The content of the document describes the current situation Jingzhou is facing.

When Zhang Yi was shocked, he subconsciously raised his head and looked forward.

At this time, Wei Yan's figure was almost disappearing from his sight.

Now Zhang Yi finally understood why Wei Yan was so anxious.

Jingzhou is in need of people right now. The earlier you appear before the Grand Marshal, the greater the chance you will have of being reused.

Reuse means military merit!

Realizing this, Zhang Yi felt the blood in his body surging instantly.

But compared to Wei Yan, Zhang Yi still has some dignity.

Zhang Yi quickly recounted the contents of the document to Zhang He and others, and then he rode out at full speed on his horse like Wei Yan.

A moment later, all that was left in front of Zhang He and the others was a cloud of dust raised by their horses' hooves.

this.

Thinking about what Zhang Yi had just said, he looked at the gradually blurry backs of Wei Yan and Zhang Yi.

Now that things have come to this, do we still need to think about what to do?

Almost at the same time, the cries of several war horses were heard, followed by several strong figures rushing out like the wind.

Zhang Yi, who was not far away, heard the noise coming from behind him, but he was not worried at all.

In this kind of situation, if you take one step faster, all steps will be faster.

Even though Wei Yan was ahead of him, only Wei Yan would run ahead of him.

Just as Zhang Yi was thinking this, he saw a figure overtaking him at a very fast speed, being carried by a warhorse and galloping forward.

Zhang He?

Although the war horses of Zhang He and Zhang Yi were both excellent, in order to fully utilize the speed of the war horse, it often depends on the riding skills of the person on the horse.

When it comes to riding skills, Zhang He is one of the best in the world today.

Zhang Yi understood this principle, but what he didn’t understand was:

You are a surrendered general, why are you fighting so hard?

Do you know what it means to avoid suspicion?

Yiyang County, outside Xinye City.

Mi Yang and Deng Ai were inspecting the terrain outside Xinye.

After walking up a high slope, Mi Yang asked Deng Ai behind him:

"Where is the Wei army?"

Mi Yang had just arrived in Xinye with his troops today and did not yet know the movements of the Wei army.

After hearing Mi Yang's question, Deng Ai immediately replied:

"According to the scouts' report, tens of thousands of Wei troops entered Wancheng a few days ago.

The person leading the troops was Cao Xiu."

Deng Ai's words made Mi Yang laugh.

“Cao Xiu’s movements are really fast.

His determination is extraordinary.”

Mi Yang first praised Cao Xiu, then changed the subject and said:

"But Cao Xiu still lacks some courage."

Mi Yang pointed to the surrounding terrain below the high slope and said to Deng Ai:

"Xinye is located on a plain with no mountains or rivers around it, making it a place that is easy to attack but difficult to defend.

Since Cao Xiu arrived first, he did not think of occupying the advantageous terrain outside the city to set up camp, but instead hid in Wancheng for several days to delay the opportunity to fight.

It’s a pity that Cao Xiu once claimed to be the successor of Cao Cao.

If Cao Cao were alive, he would never have deployed his troops in this way."

Mi Yang still admired Cao Cao's use of troops.

Some people may think that Cao Cao's death was caused by him, but this does not mean that Mi Yang ever defeated him in the use of troops.

Objectively speaking, Mi Yang and Cao Cao never really fought against each other.

Deng Ai deeply resonated with Mi Yang's words.

Deng Ai then asked Mi Yang, "When does the Grand Marshal think Cao Xiu will attack?"

Mi Yang did not respond to Deng Ai's doubts immediately.

Instead, he asked Deng Ai, "Shi Zai, do you think that after Cao Xiu learns that I am coming with my army, will he still take the initiative to attack?"

Mi Yang's words made Deng Ai think.

The reason why Cao Xiu sent troops to Yiyang was not because he really wanted to take over Jingbei in one fell swoop.

Cao Xiu's main purpose was to use Yi Yang to contain the Han army, or to contain Mi Yang.

Since this was Cao Xiu's purpose, he, who had little desire to attack, would feel that his goal had been achieved when he learned of Mi Yang's arrival.

In addition, he was afraid of Mi Yang, so he would choose the safest way to deploy his troops.

I think nothing can give Cao Xiu a greater sense of security than Wancheng.

With Mi Yang's guidance, Deng Ai came to a conclusion.

But at the same time, new doubts arose in Deng Ai's heart.

"If Cao Xiu continues to hide in Wancheng and refuses to come out, what should our army do next?"

Deng Ai knew that Yong'an was waiting for Mi Yang's rescue.

In other words, Cao Xiu could stay in Wancheng for a year or two, but Mi Yang could not afford that time.

After hearing Deng Ai's doubts, Mi Yang was not too worried.

He already had an idea in his mind.

He smiled and said to Deng Ai: "Lu Xun wants to use Cao Xiu to delay our army.

But must our army be held back by Cao Xiu? Can't we turn the passive situation into the active one?"

When Mi Yang said this, the clever Deng Ai seemed to have gained something and his face changed slightly.

"What does Da Sima mean?"

Seeing that Deng Ai quickly understood his intention, Mi Yang turned around and looked to the north and said:

"Yong'an is a strong city, and I just sent Zhongrong there. Even if Lu Xun is good at commanding troops, it may be difficult to capture Yong'an within a few months.

If our army were to stay in Xinye for several months and be caught in a dilemma, wouldn’t that be too frustrating?

I once used the battle of Guanzhong to tell the world that the offensive and defensive positions of the Han Dynasty and Cao Wei have been reversed.

But it seems that Cao Xiu still did not understand this truth.

I have to teach him again.

Since he won't attack, then our army will come!"

After realizing that Mi Yang actually intended to take the initiative to attack, Deng Ai thought it was unreasonable at first, but then he changed his mind.

Has Mi Yang ever fought a reasonable battle before?

To suddenly strike the enemy with a heavy blow where the enemy least expects it, this is Mi Yang's style of employing troops!

Thinking of this, Deng Ai couldn't help but get excited.

He was also a general who liked to take the enemy by surprise.

Deng Ai immediately asked Mi Yang, "Grand Marshal, where do you want to attack?"

where?

Mi Yang's eyes flashed with a few gleams as he looked towards the north.

"Now that I am here, there is no place I cannot attack!"

Cao Xiu, who had just moved into Wancheng, was summoning all the generals to discuss military affairs.

The reason for holding the meeting today was that Cao Xiu had just learned the news that Mi Yang had led his army to Xinye.

When Cao Xiu announced the news to the public, every general sitting in the audience had a solemn look on their face.

Although every general in the past hated Mi Yang deeply.

No matter how much they hated Mi Yang, they were still deeply wary of him.

Seeing the solemn expressions of the generals, Cao Xiu deliberately laughed to boost the morale of the troops and said:

"Our army originally came here to attract Mi Yang's main force. Now that Mi Yang has fallen into our trap, what should our army worry about?

Wancheng is strong, even if Mi Yang has tens of thousands of troops, what can he do?"

As a talented horse that Cao Cao had carefully trained, Cao Xiu learned Cao Cao's habit of loving to laugh.

And Cao Xiu's comfort was useful.

After Cao Xiu's two questions, the solemn expressions on the generals' faces eased a lot.

Seeing that the morale of the generals had been boosted, Cao Xiu immediately said:

"From now on, our army will close the city gates tightly. As long as our army does not leave Wancheng, Mi Yang will not be able to have eternal peace!"

(End of this chapter)