After the Battle of Shuiliang, both Wei and Shu seemed to be racing to seize time as if they were trying to outdo each other.
Zhang He, leading 10,000 troops, faced off against Zhao Yun's forces outside Xiaoli city, located 40 li to the north of Gaoli. The treacherous mountain terrain was not conducive to large-scale battles and made attacking even more difficult for the assailants.
Progress on the eastern route was not smooth. General Cao Zhen, who commanded 15,000 cavalry on the western route, also encountered the Shu army defending their city as he traveled south to the city of Xinyang.
The city of Xinyang is located along the banks of the Wei River, strategically situated in the middle of Western Jixian County and Eastern Shangyasi, making it one of the two crucial locations connecting Tianshui County to the north.
General Cao Zhen set off from Liuyang at dawn on the 23rd, leading his troops westwards. After routing the Shu troops led by Zhang Ying and capturing the Shu-occupied Xianqin city, it was not until noon of the 26th that his army reached the outskirts of Xinyang.
As the Grand General of Wei, Cao Zhen had made Fei Yao's troops his personal bodyguard for this campaign to the west of the Long River. On a vast plain opposite Xinyang City across the Wei River, Cao Zhen had already sent for all the senior officers to gather around him.
"Have you seen the Grand General?" asked Wen Qin, the officer nearest to Fei Yao's unit, as he rode up and bowed respectfully. "Can I be summoned to discuss military matters?"
"There is indeed military business to discuss, but I will wait for all the generals to arrive before making any assignments," Cao Zhen replied with a calm face.
"Yes!" Wen Qin bowed, then stood quietly in front of Cao Zhen's horse, his humility as that of an ordinary guard.
Before half a minute had passed, three other generals - Sun Li, Dian Man, and Cheng Xih also arrived.
Seeing that all the generals had arrived, Cao Zhen pointed across the Wei River to the city of Xinyang on the other side and said, "Today is the 26th, and my troops have been on the move for three and a half days. Zhuge Liang is closer to Gaoli and has a shorter journey. The current situation in the four regions west of Long River is bound to be very different from before we faced Zhaoyang."
"Look at this Xinyang City," said Cao Zhen, his gaze fixed on the west. "Xinyang City is situated in the Wei River valley, holding a strategic position along the main transportation route. If we want to advance west to Ji County, Nanan Commandery, and Longxi Commandery, we must find a way to capture Xinyang City."
"If we want to proceed eastwards towards Shuiliang and Guo Huai in the east, this route is still clear at present."
Cao Zhen coughed lightly: "Now is the time to choose whether to go west or east. What do you think?"
Wen Qin asked tentatively, "Reporting to the Grand General, has the new Xinyang City indeed been occupied by the Shu army?"
Cao Zhen nodded lightly. Fei Yao explained from the side, "General Wen, the Xinyang City has indeed been occupied by the Shu army. Therefore, we can infer that Tianshui County, except for Shuiliang, as well as the southern and western regions, may have already fallen to the Shu army."
Wen Qin frowned and asked, "If the West is not feasible, how about saving Governor Guo in the East?"
Cao Zhen looked to the rest of the generals, "What do you all think?"
Dian Man pretending to be simple-minded answered, "Let it be as the Grand General's orders."
Cheng Xih also gave a standard response.
However, Sun Li seemed to have noticed a problem: "Reporting to the Grand General, if we go to Shuiliang, what if there are Shu troops coming from the west? We might be attacked from both sides then."
"Excellent point!" Cao Zhen looked at Sun Li and said, "Yesterday, we assigned 500 troops to guard the city at Xianqin. Now that we're outside Xinyang City, it seems we still need to divide our forces."
"Who among you is willing to guard outside Xinyang City and control the east-west passage for me?" Cao Zhen glanced at the generals standing in a row in front of his horse.
The generals looked at each other and no one spoke up. As members of the central cavalry, they had come to this place to fight and win glory. Of course, recapturing Shuiliang and attacking the Shu army would bring greater merits. Who would want to defend at Xinyang?
Cao Zhen chuckled and cursed, pointing his riding whip at the generals: "All of you want to follow me to Shuiliang, is that right? But I have to name names."
But after a moment of thoughtful deliberation, Cao Zhen made up his mind: "Dian Man! Your unit has only 2,000 cavalry. The terrain here is narrow, and 2,000 men are enough to defend this place."
"If the Shu army attacks, send someone to inform me promptly. There is a distance of a hundredli from here to Shuiliang. If you find that the Shu army is too numerous, you can send your entire force to Shuiliang to seek me out if necessary!"
"Be careful and avoid any further losses."
Dian Man bowed and said, "I will obey the Grand General's orders! I will take care of the rear for the Grand General."
Cao Zhen looked at Dian Man for a moment, then smiled, "Cavalry has four legs. In case of real trouble, we're not to be afraid of being caught up by the Shu army's two legs."
"The rest of you generals." Cao Zhen looked around to the left and right, speaking with determination, "Follow me and proceed to Shuiliang to the east!"
"Obedient!" Fei Yao, Wen Qin, Cheng Xih, and Sun Li all bowed in unison to respond.
