In late November of the winter, at Qi Mountain fort.
Qishan fort, situated on the north bank of the Western Han River, is located at the southernmost end of the Tian-shui Commandery and also borders with Wu-dou Commandery.
Qishan fort was built on the mountain. The peak where it is located has a steep terrain, surrounded by six or seven li, and rises to several tens of feet. It is extremely strategic, serving as a stronghold guarding the southern passageway from Longnan to the western regions of Gansu Province.
At this moment, the officer of Qishan Fort, Zheng Si, was personally greeting the supply convoy arriving from Ji County, the seat of the Tian-shui Commandery.
"Old Chen, we've been waiting for you guys for so long!"
Zheng Si smiled and approached the lead of the caravan, responsible for escorting provisions and supplies, Lieutenant General Chen Rui. Excitedly patting his arm, he expressed his enthusiasm.
Old Chen said with a hint of apology, "Commander Zheng, the heavy snow over the past two days has made the road difficult to travel, so we're two days late. What was supposed to be a three-day journey took us five days."
"Two days late is two days late, and I won't gocomplain to your Master Tutor's place. What are you worried about!" Zheng Si pulled on Old Chen's arm and walked up the slope towards the fort.
"Then these carriages and food..." Old Chen asked with slight concern.
Zheng Si laughed generously, "No problem! I'll find someone to help push them up! We just hunted two deer in the mountains nearby yesterday. Today, let's get drunk together, and then return to Ji County tomorrow!"
At this moment, Old Chen also smiled naively, "Then I'll follow your command. Thank you for the hospitality, Commander Zheng."
"Huh, what's with all this formality! I've been cooped up here for two months, and this is the first time I've seen outsiders like you! Come on, let's go inside quickly!"
As Zheng Si and Old Chen just sat down, the little soldier serving them quickly put the alcohol on the stove to warm it up.
Before the two could even chat a few words, a piercing bugle call suddenly came from outside the room.
Zheng Si, who had been laughing just a moment ago, changed his expression instantly, grabbed his overcoat, and rushed out quickly.
Under the guidance of his personal troops, Zheng Si quickly climbed to the high ground of the fort. What he saw before him caused him to stop in his tracks for a moment.
It's the Shu troops! They have arrived?
Qishan Fort is located on the north bank of the Western Han River. The entire valley of the Western Han River extends from northeast to southwest, forming a natural thoroughfare connecting the southern and western regions of Gansu Province.
At the end of his sight, there was a mass of foot soldiers in the valley between the river. The countless red flags standing tall among them clearly revealed the origin of this army.
Recently, it has been very cold and snowy for several days.
Although news of the potential northern invasion by the Shu army had been known from Commander Zuo earlier this year,
However, from Commander Zuo, to Governor Guo, and even to Zheng Si's position, everyone up and down the chain of command thought it would be a matter for next spring.
Who would have thought that Zhuge Liang and the Shu troops, braving the heavy snow, would actually march here from Han Middle?
Qishan Fort is a strategically important location, guarded by Commander Zheng Si with a thousand and five hundred soldiers. It was personally arranged by Zhang He, and he is by no means an incompetent man.
There was an early plan in place!
Zheng Si quickly ran down from the city wall, calling his most trusted personal troops over as he went.
"Yin Qi! Take ten horsemen and ride to Ji County to inform General Lu at once. Do you know what to say?"
Yin Qi nodded gravely, "As a subordinate, I know what to say! Tell General Lu that the Shu army is invading, and let him prepare early. Also, notify Commander Zuo and Governor Guo!"
"Good to know!"
Just as Zheng Si was frantically searching for his tokens to give to Yin Qi and handing them over to the fort, Old Chen also ran out, looking worried and said, "Commander Zheng, the supplies are still outside the fort gate. What should we do now?"
Zheng Si remained calm and pulled Old Chen over to instruct, "Old Chen, can you still ride a horse?"
"Yes, I can ride!" Old Chen replied promptly.
Zheng Si instructed, "Then you must ride with Yin Qi back to Ji County immediately!"
"About those supplies outside the fort gate..." Old Chen asked.
Zheng Si furrowed his brow and said, "Don't worry about the supplies! I'll set up an arbalist on the fortress later and have them brought in quickly. It should still be manageable."
"You should leave while the Shu troops are still far away. Do not delay!"
......
In late November, at the coldest time of the year in Longyin and Qishan, no one in the entire Wei dynasty believed that Zhuge Liang would choose to invade at this time.
But Zhuge Liang came anyway.
On the twenty-sixth day of November, the Prime Minister of Shu, Zhuge Liang, led his army in the northern invasion and surrounded Qishan Fort.
On the twenty-seventh day, they besieged Xi County, and then headed north again.
The distance from Qishan Fort to Ji County, the capital of the Tian-shui Commandery, is one hundred and twenty miles.
It took one night for a message to be sent from Qishan Fort to Ji County.
From Ji County to Chenping, where Zuo He was located, it took three days to pass on the message. Similarly, from Ji County to Linjin in An-ding Commandery, it also took three days.
The reason for sending a message to Linjin was naturally because the Governor of Yongzhou, Guo Hua Ji, was currently in Linjin.
Speaking in detail, there are five counties in the Longyin region. The four counties from the west to the east are Longxi, Nan'an, Tiananshui, and Guangwei, forming a straight line. And the An-ting County is located to the northeast of Guangwei County!
The distance from Ji County, where Lu Pan was located, to Linjin in An-ding Commandery, is almost as far as the distance to Chenping where Zuo He was located.
By the time Governor Guo Hua Ji of Yongzhou learned this news, General Gao Xiang's advance guard of Zhuge Liang was only a day's journey away from Ji County, the capital of the Tian-shui Commandery.
For a moment, the whole Longyin region was in shock.
In the city of Linjin, Guo Hua Ji's voice was hoarse with worry. It would take at least two days and nights, if not three, just to return to Tian-shui County immediately. The direct distance from Ji County to Jingyang is nearly four hundred li!
At this moment, in the office of the An-ding Prefect, the Prefect He Yu, from Yu Province and Nanyuan Commandery, was almost at his wits' end and was of no help at all.
The only one who remained calm was the Dou Yong, or assistant, of the An-ding Commandery.
While Governor Guo Hua Ji paced back and forth, Dou Yong beside him said, "Honorable Governor, the one thousand five hundred troops of An-ding Commandery can depart immediately to provide support. We just await your command!"???? Guo Hua Ji sighed and said, "Bian Zheng, you are the most sensible among the subordinates of An-ding Commandery."
"The messenger from Lu Pan only found me after three days. According to the timeline, Commander Zuo in Chenping should also have received this news by now."
"What I am worried about now is where I should go after I set out in pursuit. "
Dou Yong pondered for a moment and asked, "If Honorable Governor takes the original route back, he should reach Gaobi or Ji County. However, based on the estimated time, by the time Honorable Governor arrives in Ji County, the Shu troops may have already surrounded it?"
Guo Hua Ji remained silent and nodded.
Dou Yong continued, "If not going to Ji County, then it will only stop at Shuangyuan. However, Shuangyuan is the easternmost part of the Tian-shui Commandery. If Honorable Governor goes to Shuangyuan, most of the western Tian-shui Commandery, Nanyuan Commandery and Longxi Commandery will be on his left."
"Wouldn't that mean there would be no one to command?"
Guo Hua Ji heaved a deep sigh, "That is exactly what I am worried about!"
"If I go to Shuangyuan, I can only order the Shu army not to move eastward."
"If the Shu troops cannot move eastward, what about the western half of the Tian-shui Commandery, as well as Nanyuan Commandery and Longxi Commandery?"
Dou Yong, rare as it was for him to see things clearly, said, "In my opinion, Honorable Governor does not need to worry about this at all at this moment."
"What do you mean?" Guo Hua Ji furrowed his brow and asked.
"The Shu army moving west or east is not something that Honorable Governor can decide."
"To the east of the Tian-shui Commandery is the Guangwei Commandery, and further east there are Commander Zuo's and Chang'an's twenty-thousand soldiers."
"On the western side of the Nanyuan Commandery and Longxi Commandery, there are also Urugu Commandery's Xiaoxuai Prefecture, Yuzhong Commandery's He General, and Xiping Commandery's Lu Prefecture."
"Instead of worrying about this now, Honorable Governor should start his journey immediately. By the time he reaches Lueyandong, he may even come across some messengers on the way. At that point, they can decide whether to move westward or eastward!"
Guo Hua Ji sighed and patted Dou Yong on the shoulder, "I didn't expect to find someone with such insightful talent in An-ding Commandery!"
"Bian Zheng, lead the troops of An-ding Commandery to support Governor He Yu in the south. Hurry and get ready! Come with me immediately!"
Dou Yong came from a prominent family in An-ding Commandery. In his time, when Zhang Ji was the Governor of Yongzhou, he was promoted. For many years thereafter, he remained static in the position of Dou Yong, the Assistant Commander of An-ding Commandery.
With the opportunity at hand, Dou Yong could hardly refuse.
Dou Yong immediately knelt down on one knee, bowed with his hands together, and said, "I will comply with your command, Honorable Governor!"
Dou Yong followed behind Guo Hua Ji and walked out proudly, not even glancing at the stunned He Mayor who was still standing in the hall.
......
There are a total of two roads connecting Longyi with Guanzhong.
One of the roads is the Wei River Path.
Starting from Linwei, the administrative center of Guangwei Commandery, one can follow the eastward course of the Wei River Valley all the way to Chenceng, the westernmost city in Guanzhong.
This route is the shortest, but the road in the valley is rugged and difficult to traverse. It is suitable for conveying messages, but it is extremely hard for large troops to pass through.
The messenger who carried the message from Lu Pan in Ji County to Zhanghe in Chenceng followed the Wei River Path.
The second road, also known as the Longshan Path.
The Longshan Path, resembling a few character stroke, first heads north, then east, and finally south to bypass the Longshan Mountains and reach Guanzhong.
Although this route is far, the road is wide and suitable for large troops to march along.
Zuo He in Chenceng, therefore, faced the dilemma of choosing which road to take.
Zuo He called in his aide, Chen Ping: "The messenger from Ji County has arrived, and I, Commander Ben, am aware of the enemy situation."
"The Chencang Path, the Bonxia Path, the Tanglao Path, and the Ziwu Path, have there been any signs of Shu forces?"
Chen Ping shook his head and said, "Commander Ben, there have been no signs of Shu troop movements in these two areas. It appears to be completely quiet."
Zuo He stood up and began to pace back and forth repeatedly in the hall.
The total number of foreign and state-level troops in Yongliang is 40,000.
However, behind the slightly larger figure of 40,000, lies a very dispersed and uncoordinated current situation.
Take Longyi as an example.
Lu Pan's 3,000 men are stationed in Ji County, and are probably preparing to face the enemy at any moment.
He Zhao's 2,000 men are stationed in the easternmost Yuzhong Commandery of Jincheng Commandery, still quite a distance from Longxi Commandery.
Zuo He removed all the state-level troops from Qishan Fort three months ago, and transferred 1,500 additional foreign troops from Chencang to his forces in Chenceng.
In his total of 13,500 troops here, only 2,000 were cavalry. The rest were all infantry!
If troops are to be sent from Chang'an to here, it would take at least three to four days for the round trip.
It is said that Chang'an is now safe from enemy attacks, but who can predict the future?
Zuo He sighed deeply and said to Chen Ping, "There is no other way, so I will divide the troops in this manner. Please make a note of it!"
"Yes, sir." Chen Ping went to the desk and picked up a pen.
Zuo He slowly said, "With my seal, the urgent military situation must be sent to Chang'an immediately!"
"Tell Qian Zhaoyi, Commander Ben will lead 2,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry. We will depart along the Longshan Path tomorrow morning and head to Gaobi and Ji County!"
" Matters in Guanzhong will be attended to by Qian Zhaoyi and Your Majesty!" (Chapter ends)
