The Shu Han army had a total of 80,000 men. To be more precise, there were only about 75,000 left at this time.
General Wu Yi, who was in charge of the central army, was the most troublesome general of Shu Han at this moment.
On the sixth day, Wu Yi arrived at Shanggui City to prepare for the siege. After more than ten days of threats and inducements, Guo Huai not only refused to surrender, but also went out of the city several times and won several small battles outside the city.
Today is December 18th. If there is no progress today, it will be troublesome for Wu Yi when Prime Minister Zhuge arrives in person tomorrow morning.
The Shu Han army attacked Shanggui City from the west, south and east. Wu Yi stood on his horse south of the Wei River, watching the three offensives from afar.
Army officer Lai Min looked at Wu Yi, whose face was filled with worry, and asked, "General, are you worried about the Prime Minister's visit tomorrow?"
There was no one else here. The personal guards beside Wu Yi were all old men who had been with him since the time of Liu Yan, and Lai Min had also known Wu Yi for decades.
Wu Yi did not turn his head, his eyes still looking at Shanggui City on the north bank of the Wei River, and whispered: "The Western Route Army has taken Ji County and Nan'an County, and now they have surrounded Xiangwu in Longxi County."
"The Eastern Army is resisting Zhang He in Lueyang. One victory and one defeat are not a big deal. Now only my Central Army has not made any progress."
As he spoke, Wu Yi gritted his teeth and whipped the air with his whip again: "This Guo Huai is really abominable!"
Guo Huai is an enemy, not a friend. They each serve their own masters and guard the city. They are really not hateful at all. How can we blame Guo Huai?
All we can say is that Wu Yi seems to be making a veiled accusation at this moment.
Lai Min looked at Wu Yi's reaction, glanced left and right, then came over and said, "General, you took this thankless position in the Central Army, and you are destined to suffer."
Wu Yi sighed, and with both hands he adjusted the helmet on his head, and said with emotion: "Although I won't be punished, but with the delay in Shanggui, my achievements will certainly be reduced."
Lai Min and Wu Yi were both former retainers of Liu Zhang, and they surrendered to Liu Bei only after he entered Sichuan.
Wu Yi was a typical Han Dynasty relative. His sister Wu was Liu Bei's empress, and Wu Yi also became Liu Bei's brother-in-law. Moreover, Empress Wu, now called Empress Dowager Wu, was previously Liu Zhang's sister-in-law.
Moreover, the cousin of General Wu Yi, the General who Conquers the North, and the father of General Wu Ban, the General who Suppresses Rebellion in the Eastern Route Army, was an officer under General He Jin at that time. He had also followed Yuan Shu to attack the Northern Palace in Luoyang and was a colleague of Liu Yan.
Lai Min's background is also very strong. In terms of seniority, he is Liu Zhang's uncle.
Lai Min's brother-in-law is Huang Wan, the former governor of Yuzhou. Huang Wan not only issued a wanted notice for Cao Cao, who was forced to flee to his hometown because Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang, forcing Cao Cao to go to Chenliu to find Wei Zhen's father Wei Zi to start an army. Huang Wan also ordered the execution of Cao Shao, who was recruiting soldiers for Cao Cao, while in office. This Cao Shao is the biological father of Cao Zhen, the current general of Wei.
Both Wu Yi and Lai Min were typical old ministers of Liu Zhang, and Wu Yi also had a slight suspicion of being a foreign relative.
When Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was dispatching troops into three groups, he gave the power and responsibility of supervising the Eastern Army to the military advisor Ma Su. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan, who led the Eastern Army, were both Liu Bei's old generals.
The Western Route Army is just a small force, so it doesn't matter who goes there.
The Central Army, which was responsible for taking down the tough nut of Shanggui, was given to Wu Yi to lead. At the same time, Zhuge Liang also made it clear that the Central Army was to be led by him, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
If Wu Yi fought well, the greatest credit would go to the prime minister. If Wu Yi was defeated, he would also be punished.
At this point in time, Zhuge Liang was only leading a northern expedition from Qishan for the first time.
When Zhuge Liang pacified Nanzhong earlier, he only led more than 20,000 soldiers. Compared with the current total force of 80,000, most generals still need to work well with Zhuge Liang.
Having said that, Zhuge Liang's decision on the allocation of the three armies was indeed largely based on his personal views.
Zhao Yun had followed the First Lord for nearly thirty years, and Wei Yan had enlisted in the army in Xinye and had served the Liu family for twenty years. The combat effectiveness and loyalty of both men had been tested over time.
Zhuge Liang naturally had to entrust the important task of controlling the overall situation, such as cutting off the Long Road and blocking the Wei army's westward advance, to his most trusted generals.
Wu Yi and Lai Min's speculation on Zhuge Liang's psychology was indeed a bit biased. Even if one is as honest and wise as Zhuge Liang, it still takes a process for people to gradually recognize him.
But no matter what the two said in private, the difficulty of attacking Shanggui City had now become an unchangeable fact.
Looking from the top of Shanggui City, countless Shu troops poured out from the camps outside the city from the east, west and south, carrying nearly a hundred ladders, siege fences and other siege equipment, and poured towards Shanggui City.
Unlike the tug-of-war and testing in the past few days, Wu Yi was really anxious today. When Wu Yi was anxious, Guo Huai in the city felt even more uncomfortable.
Shanggui City has a moat. But the water is shallow in winter, and even the Wei River is much narrower, so the water in the moat has dried up. Even if it had not dried up, it would not have been of any use in winter weather.
In the previous days of fighting, many passages had been filled in the moat, and the deer horns and low fences placed outside the city were basically destroyed. The battle on the west wall was stalemate, and Guo Huai ordered loudly: "Let the crossbow team retreat first, and wait for the next wave of Shu dogs to approach before shooting. Archers without arrows should take spears and go to the southwest corner!"
The Shu army climbed to the top of the city wall for the first time today, and they did so in two waves.
But until the evening when the troops were called back, Guo Huai, Lu Pan and Hu Zun, each leading their own troops, resisted the offensive.
Guo Huai in the city also had a rare opportunity to catch his breath. After calling Lu Pan and Hu Zun to his side, he began to review today's military situation.
Lu Pan looked quite depressed: "There are less than 3,000 soldiers left in the city. The Shu army is attacking in such a large scale, and the civilians who are helping in the battle are also suffering."
"The Shu army is strong, I'm afraid Shanggui City won't hold out for long."
Hu Zun did not show any obvious sign of dejection. He asked, "Where do you think the imperial reinforcements are now? The left general is now blocked in Lueyang. What about Qian Zhenxi and the right general in Chang'an? And what about the imperial central army?"
Guo Huai was silent for a while, then sat down beside the oil lamp and picked up the wick, saying, "The road from Luoyang to Shanggui is long, a full 1,800 miles. Even if General Zuo and General Zhenxi quickly conveyed the border news to Luoyang, it would take the central army about a month to reach Longyou, right?"
One month... If the court in Luoyang receives the summons on December 5th or 6th, it will probably take at least twenty days for the central army to arrive here.
Twenty days, can Shanggui City hold out for twenty days?
The light of the oil lamp flickered in the room, and the firewood in the stove crackled as it burned. Guo Huai, Lu Pan, and Hu Zun were all exhausted, so as soon as Guo Huai spoke, the three people in the room fell into silence again.
After a long while, Hu Zun raised his head, looked at Guo Huai and asked softly, "Have you met the current emperor? I heard in Anding County that the emperor is wise and decisive, and is quite good at commanding troops and fighting, very much like Emperor Wu."
Guo Huai pursed his lips and said, "I haven't seen him. Since your majesty ascended the throne, I have been staying in Chang'an, and your majesty has not summoned the provincial governors back to Luozhong. But I have heard a lot about your majesty's deeds from General Zuo."
Lu Pan also moved his butt a little closer to Guo Huai, wanting to hear more clearly.
Hu Zun said, "Please speak, sir."
Guo Huai thought for a few moments and said slowly, "I heard from General Zuo that at the end of November last year, when Shu County was attacked by bandits, His Majesty summoned him to the court."
"That night, His Majesty was having a banquet with his relatives and generals in the palace. When he learned that General Zuo had arrived, he added a table for General Zuo next to his own table and entrusted Yong Liang to General Zuo that night."
"You probably have heard of Xiahou Mao." Guo Huai looked at Lu Pan, then at Hu Zun, and continued, "Your Majesty is a man who knows how to use people and is not afraid to delegate power to generals of other surnames."
Lu Pan and Hu Zun listened attentively and nodded. Lu Pan was over 40 years old, and Hu Zun was only 35 years old, which was a good age to pursue progress.
Guo Huai added, "When your majesty was on a southern tour at the end of last year, he suddenly announced that he would march south again. I was quite puzzled in Chang'an at the time. The previous emperor had fought against the Kingdom of Wu three times, but did not gain much results. Your majesty has only been on the throne for half a year, and you are mobilizing troops on such a large scale. If something goes wrong, how will it end?"
"Unexpectedly, in February, I heard the news that the royal army had defeated the Wu bandits." Guo Huai laughed out loud at this time: "Do you know how I felt when I saw the official certificate in Lu Xun and Lu Boyan's hands in Chang'an?"
Guo Huai was making fun of Lu Xun, and Hu Zun also laughed along.
Lu Pan just laughed, but then he seemed to have thought of something and said, "When Xiping County was suppressing the rebellion, I spent two days with Lu Xun. He was quite prudent."
Guo Huai did not respond: "I am the governor of a state. Judging from the various things that have happened since the current emperor ascended the throne, he is indeed a rare wise and enlightened monarch!"
Now came the point. Guo Huai, who was encouraging Lu Pan and Hu Zun, said solemnly: "Your Majesty will definitely not abandon Longyou and will definitely not underestimate the invading enemy!"
"You two, if the offensive continues for another five days, I'm afraid Shanggui City will be undefendable. I want to lead my army out tonight to launch a night attack and set fire to it, in order to take away the courage of the Shu army!"
Lu Pan bowed and replied, "If Cao Zixiao and Zhang Wenyuan could do this kind of thing, why can't you and I do it? How many troops will you lead?"
"Since it's arson, two hundred people are enough!" Guo Huai's eyes revealed a firm meaning: "If there are more troops, I'm afraid it will be more inconvenient to travel in and out of the city."
Hu Zun thought about it and said, "Why don't you attack the west side of the city, and I will lead 200 men to attack the east side? General Lu will support us from inside the city."
"If we advance from both east and west, I'm afraid the Shu army will be even more timid."
Guo Huai said with a little emotion: "Bo Cheng is also very courageous! Then you and I will leave the city at the same time at midnight tonight."
"But remember, if things are impossible, come back quickly! Don't be rash!"
Hu Zun nodded heavily. (End of this chapter)
