After Zhang He's condition improved slightly, he began to patrol the various barracks in the city in the evening.
Apart from visiting the wounded and boosting morale, Zhang He also prepared to send troops to set up a camp one li east of the city early tomorrow morning, to provide mutual support with the city of Lueyang.
After all, Lueyang is just a small county in the remote and desolate area of Yongliang. With ten thousand troops stationed there, it indeed becomes crowded.
At this moment, Wei Yan, who was sent to the northeast of Lueyang and guarding the Longshan Road by Ma Su, felt quite triumphant.
This is because Wei Yan had won the first victory since the Eastern Army's deployment. Although Wei Yan was not one to boast about his achievements, a first victory could not help but bring a touch of pride to him.
The 1,500 troops from Anzhi Prefecture were scattered too thinly and had been deployed to guard against the Xiongnu to the north. By the time they gathered and hurried to Guan, they ran into Wei Yan blocking the Longshan Road.
The mere 1,500 troops from the county were vastly inferior in combat power compared to Wei Yan's Hanzhong frontier army. They had no advantage in terms of elite quality or numbers.
Furthermore, the prefect of Anzhi County, Hu Xun, was brought by Guo Huai to the city of Guan. The 1,500 county troops were led by the county magistrate, Huang Li, southward. They encountered the Southerly Generals who had just suffered a defeat but were eager to distinguish themselves.
At the same time Zhang He took medicine in the afternoon, Huang Li, the governor of Anzhi County, with a rank of two thousand zi in Wei, also faced complete defeat.
Deng Zhi of Shu Han was beheaded by Zhang He, and Ma Su, following suit, had Huang Li, who was sent by Wei Yan, also beheaded and sent his head outside the city of Lueyang.
That night, when Zhang He saw Huang Li's head, he was somewhat surprised, but in his heart, there was no great commotion.
The 1,500 troops from Anzhi Prefecture were entirely an unexpected part of the plan. Guo Huai, while rushing southward from Linjin, mentioned in passing that Huang Li should lead troops southward to aid, and then promptly forgot about it.
Later, when Zhang He communicated with Guo Huai and the messengers from the Guanzhong region, he rarely thought of sending a report to Anzhi Prefecture.
One could say that Huang Li's death was an unlucky accident. However, on the battlefield, who lives and who dies does not follow any predictions.
Zhang He sighed lightly: "The governor Huang has died in the service of the kingdom. He is a loyal and valiant subject of Wei, who is not to be lamented."
"Chen Ping, send someone to the camp across the way tomorrow to ask the Shu army to return the governor Huang's body. If they refuse, tell them we can offer gold as ransom."
Chen Ping furrowed his brow and asked, "Commander, where is General Deng Zhi's body? How can the Shu army be expected to return the governor Huang's body if his remains have not yet been found?"
Zhang He shook his head and thought that the infantry general was not enlightened. Then he reprimanded, "I have my reasons for letting you go. After all, it is a prefectural magistrate of 2000 zi. If I don't make some show of it, how will I deal with other prefectural magistrates in the future? If the Shu army doesn't want to give it back, that's their fault, not mine!"
"Understood," Chen Ping replied awkwardly, "I will send someone early tomorrow morning."
...
At this moment, within the city of Jì, the Esteemed Premier Zhuge, who had moved his camp to this location earlier, was engaged in military planning with the rest of the household at his mansion.
According to the theories of Zhuge Liang's favored student, Ma Su, known as Ma Youchang, the lowest form of attack is to storm a city, and the highest is to win the hearts; the lowest form of battle is military engagement, and the highest is psychological warfare.
Ma Su was not just a paper strategist; his famous saying had significant practical implications for this northern campaign.
The Shu army, having traveled far and entered enemy territory, aimed to seize the most cities and territory while the ruling house of Wei had no preparedness, and the garrisons in Lungyou were deficient in troops. The Shu army hoped to digest all these acquisitions before Wei's main forces arrived to reinforce.
It's indeed hard to take cities these days.
Qiyanshan Fort is still being guarded by Zheng Si, and the city of Shangu is also in Guo Huai's hands. In the short term, it seems there are no promising targets to be captured.
Most of the territory that Shu Han had acquired in Lungyou at this time was obtained through intimidation, inducement, forced surrender, and persuasion by the Shu army. This was the case with Xixian, Jì, and the entire Nan'an Prefecture.
To Zhuge Liang, the quickest way to capture the most cities was not through the use of force and violent attack.
At this time, in the office of the Jǐ County government, Zhuge Liang and his officials were discussing how to capture Xiongwu County, a county in the Xiongxi Prefecture of Lungyou.
Xiang Lang said with a bow, "Your Excellency Premier, yesterday, on the twelfth of the first month, Generals Yuan Feng, who commands the army of arrogance and might, and Zhan Yi, the prefectural magistrate of Guanghan, have already blocked both the north and south pathways to Xiongwu City."
"The messenger sent to Xiongwu to persuade surrender reported that the governor of Longxi, You Chu, was unwilling to surrender and instead... instead used eloquent words and deceitful expressions to try to make General Yuan give up the siege of Xiongwu."
"Really?" Zhuge Liang raised his eyebrows and looked at the others, asking, "What did the governor of Longxi, You Chu, say?"
Xiang Lang spoke softly, "Yesterday morning, instead of letting the messenger enter the city, Yhou Chu stood on the city wall and shouted back to the messenger, saying that if the imperial troops could block the Lungshan Road, preventing reinforcements from entering Lungyou from Guanzhong, then within a month's time, not even he as the governor would need to surrender. The city of Xiongwu would fall without attack."
"If the imperial troops cannot cut off the Lungshan Road, it might only be a waste of effort in Longxi."
The moment Xiang Lang finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall grew colder.
Three days ago, the news of General Deng Zhi's death reached Jì County, which truly shocked Zhuge Liang, and along with him, everyone in the mansion felt a sense of sorrow.
Although generals cannot escape death on the battlefield, which is a psychological preparation made before going to war. But Deng Zhi, whom Zhuge Liang highly regarded and entrusted with great expectations, was easily annihilated by Wei General Zhang He as the vanguard. This truly weakened the morale of the people in Jì and those in the mansion.
However, upon learning that Ma Su, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan had blocked the Longshan Road, and that Zhang He's 10,000 troops were surrounded in the small city of Lueyang, Zhuge Liang's worries were somewhat alleviated.
The failed persuasion to surrender of the Xiongwu City, the capital of the Longxi Prefecture, further increased the worries of some in the ranks.
The so-called morale is not an absolute quantifiable indicator. If high morale exists before battle, a small setback can test it.
You Chu, the governor of Longxi, was indeed a man of clear eyes and heart, and his words were as straightforward as he was.
For Shu Han, the key to this northern campaign in Lungyou was to fully control Lungyou and then take control of Liangzhou. It was to adapt Zhuge Liang's strategy in his "Declaration of Leaving the Capital," which originally spoke of having both Jing and Yi under one's command and then occupying the world, into a revised strategy of "occupying Liang and Yi" after Guan Yu lost Jingzhou.
There are two obvious methods for Shu Han to fully control Lungyou.
The first method is for Shu Han to deploy its entire army, first capturing the city of Guan and successfully blocking the Lungshan Road. After defeating the advancing Wei troops in open battle, it would then proceed to gradually absorb Lungyou and Liangzhou.
If this strategy were followed, the error tolerance rate of the Shu Han northern expeditionary force would be much lower. The various prefectures in Lungyou might react and strengthen their morale to put up a heavy resistance, depleting Shu Han's grain and logistical supplies while also unsettling the rear.
The second method, which is the strategy currently adopted by Zhuge Liang.
The strategy involves rapid advancement and using various methods to occupy as many cities as possible. Then, troops are dispatched to block the Lungshan Road, allowing the main army time to digest Lungyou at its own pace. Finally, taking Lungyou as a base, the Shu Han army holds out against the Wei troops who have traveled far from Guanzhong, and then emerges victorious in battle.
However, according to this plan, the Shu army has only occupied the TianShui and Nan'an prefectures so far. The persuasion in Longxi failed, and it is currently in a stalemate.
Zhuge Liang sighed with a sense of melancholy and said, "What Yhou Chu said is not false. The overall situation in Lungyou depends on when the Wei forces arrive to reinforce."
"Qi Dasheng, send messages to Generals Yuan Feng and Zhan Yi, warning them to be vigilant against reinforcements from the Jincheng Prefecture in the west of Xian. "Zhuge Liang spoke slowly and calmly, "Where is Gao Xiang now?"
Infantry General Yang Yi replied with a bow, "Your Excellency Premier, General Gao Xiang, after distributing one thousand cavalry to Jì County three days ago, set off towards Lintao to assist Ming Qie of the minority Qiang people who were deploying from Fahan, as well as the Qiang people from Ta Zhong and the Di people led by Yang Qianwan who were deploying from Tangchang."
"Ming Qie's forces number about 10,000. When combined with the 10,000 led by Tang Xun and Yang Qiannan, the total number of minority Qiang forces coming to assist could reach over 30,000."
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly: "These Qiang people can only be persuaded by offering benefits. They cannot be guided by the Way of the Kings. After these Qiang forces arrive, have Zhan Yi return his troops. Have the 5,000 troops of Yuan Feng, along with the forces of Ming Qie's department, surround Xiongwu and block the advancing Wei troops from Liangzhou."
"The remaining Qiang tribes, bring them to the vicinity of Shangu, and march with the royal army to intimidate Shangu."
Yang Yi replied with a bow, "Understood, Your Excellency Premier. This official will immediately dispatch messages to General Gao Xiang."
"The Commander-in-Chief, Wu Yi from Shangu, has sent a message with military intelligence from Guangwei Prefecture."
If it were good news or a victory report, Yang Yi, by his nature, would have mentioned it immediately. The fact that he is taking the time to set the stage indicates that there must not be good news.
Zhuge Liang maintained a calm expression and said, "Tell me! What's going on in Guangwei Prefecture?"
Yang Yi replied, "Wu Yi reports that he sent 5,000 troops from his auxiliary division to the prefectural capital of Guangwei Prefecture, Linwei City. He informed the prefectures of TianShui and Longxi that they were all surrendering. Despite this, the governor of Guangwei Prefecture, Zhaoling, refused."
"Zhaoling is different from You Chu; he simply closed the city gates and held his ground, not communicating with the envoy sent by Wu Yi at all. Wu Yi, having no choice, and with Shangu not yet secured and the troops being divided for too long not advisable, had to withdraw his troops."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "This city of Linwei is different from others. To the east of Linwei City is the Wei River, which means that if Zhaoling cannot hold it, he can simply retreat to the east and escape. There is no risk to his life."
"Tell Wu Yi that he should not proceed with sending troops to Linwei after that. Instead, he should quickly surround the city of Shangu and prepare siege equipment. The city of Shangu must be captured as soon as possible."
"Understood!" Yang Yi replied resolutely.
"If the Wei court knew of the attitude of Zhuge Liang and his officials in the Jǐ County government, they would certainly be enraged."
Since Zhuge Liang's arrival at Qianshan, nearly two of the four prefectures in Lungyou, namely Guangwei, TianShui, Nan'an, and Longxi, have surrendered without a fight in the past half month.
The eastern Guangwei County does not play a significant strategic role, and the western Longxi County now only has one Xiongwu.
The slight anxiety of the Shu Han officials was merely a sense of disparity arising from the current situation falling short of the ideal outcome.
They couldn't take full advantage of the situation, and it felt as if they were at a disadvantage themselves.
Objectively speaking, it is Wei who is the most difficult party in this situation!
