Winter, late November, Qishan Fort.
Qishan Fort, located on the north bank of the West Han River, is at the southernmost tip of Tianshui County and is also the border with Wudu County.
Qishan Fort was built on a mountain with steep terrain. The mountain is six or seven miles in circumference and several dozen feet high. It is extremely dangerous and is a fortress guarding the passage from Longnan to the counties of Longyou.
At this time, the garrison commander and lieutenant of Qishan Fort, Zheng Si, was personally outside the fort gate, welcoming the convoy that was transporting supplies from Ji County, the county seat of Tianshui County.
"Old Chen, I've been waiting for you guys for so long!"
Zheng Si smiled and walked towards Chen Rui, the garrison commander in charge of transporting food and supplies at the front of the convoy, and patted his arm excitedly.
Old Chen said apologetically, "Captain Zheng, it snowed heavily these past two days and the roads were difficult to travel, so we are two days late. The journey that was supposed to take three days took five days."
"Two days later, so be it. I won't go to your Magistrate Ma to complain. What are you worried about?" Zheng Si pulled Lao Chen's arm and walked uphill into the fort.
"What about these cars and food..." Old Chen asked with a little concern.
Zheng Si smiled generously: "No problem, I'll find someone to help push it up! Yesterday, my men hunted two deer in the nearby mountains. Let's get drunk today and go back to Ji County tomorrow!"
Old Chen also smiled naively at this time: "Then I will obey your command. Thank you Captain Zheng for your hospitality."
"Hey, why are you being so polite to me? I've been waiting here for two months, and I can only see you outsiders once! Come on, go in!"
Zheng Si and Lao Chen had just sat down when the servant who was serving them hurriedly warmed the wine on the stove.
Before the two of them could chat for a few words, a shrill horn sounded suddenly outside the house.
Zheng Si, who was smiling just now, suddenly changed his expression. He grabbed his cloak, stood up and rushed out.
Under the guidance of his personal soldiers, Zheng Si quickly climbed to the top of the fortress wall. The scene he saw made Zheng Si stunned for a moment.
Shu Army? Is it the Shu Army that is coming?
Qishan Fort is on the north bank of the West Han River. The entire West Han River Valley extends from the northeast to the southwest. It is a natural road connecting Longnan and Longyou.
At the end of the sight, there was a mass of infantry in the valley. The countless red flags standing in the army made it clear where this army came from.
The weather has been cold recently and it has been snowing heavily for several days.
Although we have already received news from General Zuo this year that the Shu army may invade the north.
But from the Left General, Governor Guo to Captain Zheng, everyone thought that this would happen next spring.
Who could have thought that Zhuge Liang and the Shu army would march here from Hanzhong in the heavy snow!
Qishan Fort guards a strategic location, and the garrison commander Zheng Si leads 1,500 soldiers here. This was arranged by Zhang He himself, so he is not an incompetent person.
There is a plan in place!
Zheng Si hurriedly ran down from the city wall, calling his most trusted soldiers over as he ran.
"Yin Qi! Take ten riders and go to Ji County to find General Lu and report the news. Do you know what to say?"
Yin Qi nodded heavily: "I know! Tell General Lu that the Shu army is coming, let him prepare early, and notify General Zuo and Governor Guo!"
"It's good to know!"
Just as Zheng Si was hurriedly looking for his token and forcing it to Yin Qi, Lao Chen also ran out and said in a panic: "Captain Zheng, the food and grass are still outside the fort gate, what should we do!"
Zheng Si was not panicked. He pulled Lao Chen over and ordered, "Lao Chen, can you still ride a horse?"
"Yes, I can ride it!" Lao Chen responded quickly.
Zheng Si ordered: "Then you and Yin Qi should return to Ji County immediately!"
"Those food and fodder outside the fortress gate..." asked Old Chen.
Zheng Si frowned and said, "Don't worry about the food and grass! I'll set up the crossbows on the fort and have people move them in quickly. There's still time."
"You should leave now while the Shu army is still far away, without delay!"
……
It was the end of November, when Longyou and Qishan were the coldest. From Longyou to Luoyang, no one in the entire Wei Dynasty would have thought that Zhuge Liang would choose to invade the north at this time.
But Zhuge Liang came anyway.
On November 26, Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led his army to invade the north and besieged Qishan Fort.
On the 27th, they besieged Xi County and then headed north again.
Qishan Fort is 120 miles away from Ji County, the county seat of Tianshui County.
It took one day and one night to convey the message from Qishan Fort to Ji County.
It took three days to send a message from Ji County to Chencang where Zhang He was, and it also took three days to send a message from Ji County to Linjing in Anding County.
As for why the message was sent to Linjing, it was naturally because the governor of Yongzhou, Guo Huai, Guo Boji, was in Linjing at this moment.
If we talk about it in detail, there are five counties in Longyou. Longxi, Nangan, Tianshui, and Guangwei are lined up from west to east, and Anding County is still in the northeast of Guangwei County!
From Ji County where Lu Pan was located to Linjing in Anding County, it was almost as far as to Chencang where Zhang He was located.
When Yongzhou Governor Guo Huai learned the news, Zhuge Liang's vanguard Gao Xiang's troops were only a day's journey away from Ji County, the seat of Tianshui County.
For a time, Longyou was shaken.
In Linjing City, Guo Huai's voice was hoarse from worry. If he returned to Tianshui immediately, it would take at least two days, not to mention three days. The straight-line distance between Ji County and Jingyang was nearly four hundred miles!
At this time in the mansion of the prefect of Anding, He Yu, who was born in Runan County, Yuzhou, was almost at a loss and could not be relied upon at all.
The only one who remained calm was Hu Zun, the commander of Anding County.
As Guo Huai paced back and forth, Hu Zun said, "Fang Bo, Anding County has 1,500 soldiers ready to set out for support at any time, just waiting for Fang Bo's order!" Guo Huai sighed, "Bo Cheng, you are the only one in Anding County who knows the most."
"It took Lu Pan's messenger three days to find me. If we count the time, General Zuo in Chencang should have heard the news by now."
"My concern now is where should I go after I set off?"
Hu Zun thought for a moment and asked, "If Fang Bo returns along the same route, he should arrive at Shanggui or Ji County? But according to the estimated time, by the time Fang Bo arrives in Ji County, the Shu army may have already surrounded Ji County?"
Guo Huai nodded silently.
Hu Zun said, "If we don't go to Ji County, we can only stop at Shanggui. But Shanggui is at the easternmost part of Tianshui County. If Fang Bo goes to Shanggui, most of Tianshui County to the west, Nangan County, Longxi County..."
"Isn't there no one to command?"
Guo Huai sighed: "I am just worried about this!"
"If I go to Shanggui, I can only prevent the Shu army from moving eastward."
"If the Shu army cannot move eastward, what about most of Tianshui County in the west, as well as Nangan County and Longxi County?"
Hu Zun was able to understand it for a rare moment: "In my opinion, Lord Fang really doesn't need to worry about this matter at this moment."
"What do you mean?" Guo Huai asked with a frown.
"Whether the Shu army goes west or east is not something Fang Bo can decide."
"To the east of Tianshui County is Guangwei County, and to the east of that is General Zuo and 20,000 soldiers from Chang'an."
"To the west of Nan'an and Longxi counties, there are also the Governor Xiahou of Wuwei, General Hao of Yuzhong, and Captain Lu of Xiping."
"It would be better for Fang Bo to set off first. Once we reach Lueyang, we might meet some messengers on the way. Then we can decide whether to go west or east!"
Guo Huai patted Hu Zun's shoulder with emotion: "I didn't expect that in Anding County, there is someone as insightful as you!"
"Bocheng, the soldiers from Anding County are heading south to support us. You should get ready and follow me!"
Hu Zun was born into a prominent family in Anding. He was promoted by Zhang Ji when he was the governor of Yongzhou, and then he remained in the position of commander of Anding County for many years.
Now that he had the chance, how could Hu Zun refuse?
Hu Zun immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and saluted, saying: "I will follow the orders of the Lord Fang!"
Immediately afterwards, Hu Zun followed Guo Huai out with a proud look, without even looking at Governor He who was still in the hall.
……
There are two roads connecting Longyou and Guanzhong.
One of them is the Wei River Road.
Starting from Linwei, the county seat of Guangwei County, and heading east along the east-west Wei River Valley, you can reach Chencang, the westernmost part of Guanzhong.
This route is the shortest, but the road in the valley is rugged and difficult to travel. It can be used to transmit messages, but it is extremely difficult for large groups of people to pass.
The messenger who set out from Lu Pan in Ji County to deliver a message to Zhang He in Chencang took the Weishui Road.
The second road is also called Longshan Road.
The Longshan Road is shaped like a Chinese character "几", first going north, then east, and then south, bypassing the Longshan Mountains and reaching Guanzhong.
Although the road is long, it is wide and suitable for large groups of troops to march.
Zhang He, who was in Chencang, was faced with the problem of which path to choose.
Zhang He called the military officer Chen Ping over and said, "The messenger from Ji County has arrived. The commander-in-chief has already learned about the enemy situation."
"Chencang Road, Baoxia Road, Tangluo Road, Ziwu Road, are there any signs of the Shu army on these four roads?"
Chen Ping shook his head: "Reporting to the Governor, there is no sign of Shu troops being mobilized in these two places, it seems that nothing is wrong."
Zhang He stood up and paced repeatedly in the hall.
Yongliang had a total of 20,000 foreign troops and 20,000 soldiers from prefectures and counties, with a total force of 40,000.
But behind this somewhat large number of 40,000 is the current very scattered location situation.
Take Longyou for example.
Lu Pan's three thousand men are in Ji County, and are estimated to be about to face the enemy at this moment.
Hao Zhao's two thousand men were in Yuzhong, the easternmost part of Jincheng County, quite some distance away from Longxi County.
Three months ago, Zhang He withdrew all the provincial and county troops from Qishan Fort and transferred 1,500 foreign troops from his own Chencang.
Among the 13,500 soldiers here, there are only 2,000 cavalry, and the rest are all infantry!
If Chang'an were to dispatch troops here, it would take at least three or four days to go back and forth.
Although there are no enemy troops invading Guanzhong at the moment, who can predict what will happen in a few days?
Zhang He sighed and said to Chen Ping, "Then we have to divide them up like this. Remember what I say!"
"Yes, sir." Chen Ping walked to the desk and picked up the pen.
Zhang He said slowly: "Use my seal to send the military intelligence to Chang'an as soon as possible!"
"Tell Qian Zhao that this commander-in-chief will lead 2,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantrymen to set out along the Longshan Road at dawn tomorrow and head for Shanggui and Jixian!"
"Please let Qian Zhao and Your Majesty take care of the affairs in Guanzhong together!" (End of this chapter)
