Chapter 195 Chapter Twenty-Eight

One of Wang Bi's personal soldiers said to him: "General, in the garden behind Emperor Xian's palace, a deep tunnel was dug there last winter, and a lot of ice cubes were stored in it for Emperor Xian to freeze watermelons in summer. Why don't you take some of them out to treat Wei Guogong?" When Wang Bi heard this, he smiled, and without asking the Emperor Han, he directly opened the tunnel. Deep in the center of the earth, he found ice cubes from last year, which were still in good condition.After several days of ice packs, Cao Cao's headache eased. He summoned Wang Bi and rewarded him heavily, and the soldier was also rewarded.

Cao Cao was not fully recovered from his illness, but he struggled to discuss with his advisers what might happen when he went to Hanzhong. Yang Xiu suggested that Cao Cao summon Xue Ti, who was stationed in Hefei. He said: "My lord is going to Hanzhong, and Sun Quan will attack Hefei. However, our southern defense has many strongholds, and there are no natural dangers. If we divide our troops, we will easily be defeated by Sun Quan's large army. It is better to call Xue Ti back and assign him to form a large army with Zhang Liao, Le Jin, and Li Dian to reach Sun Quan. Sun Quan has come from a long distance, and it is difficult to provide food and grass. As long as he clears the wall and stands firm, Soochow will retreat."

Yang Xiusu is known for his quick wit and quick thinking. He is the son of Yang Biao, the Taiwei of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao loved his talent and hired him as his staff.Yang Xiu's proposal won the approval of everyone. On other issues such as Sun and Liu Lianjun, although everyone expressed their opinions, they did not agree, and Cao Cao could not make up his mind at this time.At this time, Cao Cao was indecisive and full of doubts. Xue Ti went from Hefei to Cao Cao to take orders. Cao Cao wrote him a secret letter and said to him: "Wait until Sun Quan invades to disassemble it, and follow the plan. If you read it too early, it will be useless."

Xue Ti took the order and galloped away, devoting himself to the defense work. In August of the 20th year of Jian'an (AD 215), Cao Cao recovered from his illness, and the military operation to march into Hanzhong finally became a reality. The swearing-in meeting before departure pushed the Western Expedition to a climax.That day, the three armies gathered in a plain outside Yecheng, with horses neighing, banners covering the sun, golden drums beating, and swords shining brightly. Cao Cao, who was already sixty-one years old, boarded the platform and looked down at the majestic and orderly army. When he was young, the enthusiasm for fighting was all over his body. At this time, the soldiers could not see the slightest aging in Cao Cao.Cao Cao raised his arms and shouted, tens of thousands of soldiers responded, and it really resounded through the sky.When Cao Cao announced his expedition, Xiahouyuan, Xiahoudun, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen and others would lead their troops to leave Yecheng in turn, and the iron stream rolled in and looked westward.

Xia Houyuan was the vanguard and led 3,000 elite soldiers to Yangping Pass.Not long after Cao Cao whispered that Xia Houyuan was teasing Zhang Lujun with tricks, Xia Houyuan sent a sharp-tongued confidant to Hanzhong, dressed as an old Taoist priest.He used his brilliant tongue to declare to Zhang Lu soldiers who believed in ghosts and gods that Cao Jun had a demonic aura. If he attacked the city, he could prepare pig and sheep offal and rice grains.Some generals believed it to be true, and prepared groups of live sheep and pigs at the pass for emergency use. Xia Houyuan led three thousand cavalry day and night.Because Cao Cao thought of using troops far away, food and grass were very expensive, so he planned to "withhold" Xia Houyuan's three days of food and grass, and asked him to earn rations by tricks.Xiahouyuan's soldiers only brought rations for one day, and when they arrived at Yangping Pass, they were already growling with hunger.

Xia Houyuan encouraged the soldiers and said: "Everyone, take a rest. When night falls, you rush to the city and just shout, there will be pork and mutton to eat." All the soldiers had followed Xiahouyuan for many years, knowing that General Xiahouyuan would never break his promise, as expected, he sharpened his knives and pierced his waist. In the middle of the night, Xia Houyuan ordered the soldiers to light torches and march forward with clamor. When they reached the pass, they saw Zhang Lu soldiers above throwing off the internal organs of pigs and sheep. Someone like the chief yelled: "While picking up things, shouting at the same time." Xia Houyuan's soldiers understood the commander's intention at this time, shouted harder, and tried their best to pick up the things that fell like raindrops from the door.

Seeing that they had picked up enough, the herald gave an order: "Withdraw". The three thousand soldiers really escaped, and the Zhang Lu soldiers who closed the door were cheering and dancing.And in Cao Yingli a few miles away, under Xia Houyuan's order, the crew had already lit a fire and boiled water, waiting for the meat to be put into the pot.That night, Cao Bing ate a feast under the cheers of Zhang Lu soldiers.Since then, Xia Houyuan has continued to harass the pass with this method. When Zhang Lu saw it through, Cao Cao had transferred food and grass to Xia Houyuan.The two sides confronted each other, and Cao Cao's strategic intention to confuse the enemy in the first step and avoid reality was successfully realized.

In Zhang Lu's residence. Zhang Lu, his younger brother Zhang Wei, and Yan Pu, Zhang Lu's chief adviser, were arguing about how to deal with Cao Cao's army. Zhang Lu's spies reported to him the news of Cao Cao's plot to Hanzhong half a year ago. Although he made preparations, such as consolidating the fortifications of dangerous passes, some strategic avenues also set up fences, antler firewood, and even some small roads. A number of traps were set, and enough food and grass were prepared for a year.However, due to the coup in the imperial court, Cao Cao delayed the time to march, which gave Zhang Lu an illusion that the information was inaccurate, so he relaxed his guard.But in the end, what he feared happened.

The focus of the dispute between Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei was whether to retreat or take the initiative to attack, but Yan Pu did not say a word about the issues they were arguing about. What he was worried about was that Cao Cao avoided Yangping Pass, detoured Wudu, and flowed eastward along the Western Han River. Hit Zhang Lu's rear. In the Zhang Lu Group, Yan Pu is a very far-sighted figure, and Zhang Lu always consults with him on every important matter. Zhang Wei finally obeyed Zhang Lu's arrangement and decided to lead a heavy army to guard the important pass. But Yan Pu said: "Yangping pass and other passes, one man is in charge of the pass, and ten thousand are not allowed to open it. Xiahouyuan has attacked for several days, but the pass has not moved. According to spies, only Xiahou's troops attacked Yangping pass, and Cao's army did not appear. There is fraud."

When Zhang Lu heard it, he suddenly realized: "The thief must take a detour and attack the rear?" Yan Pu nodded, stood up from his seat, walked back and forth a few steps and said, "My lord, please think about it. Cao Cao used to conduct field battles with lightning operations. The speed of the troops' march is well known in the world. However, Xia Houyuan had already attacked Yangping Pass for several days. Cao Cao's army He has not yet arrived. He detoured through Wudu and entered the river pond. He will definitely attack my rear. We are on guard against this. Fortunately, we have dug a lot of traps in the back road half a year ago, and the thieves and horses will be blocked. Now send More than a dozen teams of thousands of people patrolled the waters of the Western Han Dynasty in order to sneak attack on the bandits. The bandits came from a long distance, wading through mountains and rivers, and their food and grass were difficult to sustain. Once the sneak attack was successful, the army's morale would be weakened, and a big defeat was just around the corner."

Zhang Lu obeyed Yan Pu's words and quickly rearranged his troops.The grass and trees in the Hanzhong area are full of soldiers, and the people are panicked. Yan Pu's strategy was not fully implemented. Zhang Wei, Zhang Lu's younger brother, insisted on going his own way and still led a heavy army to guard the important pass. This removed the biggest stumbling block for Cao Cao's victory in Hanzhong.