Chapter 493: Garrison at Jianmen Pass
The prefect of Pingyang Prefecture was a genuine fourth-rank official. Even such a person was chopped off by Jia Cong. Who else would dare to joke ?
They finally realized that the Emperor's Sword in Jia Cong's hand could draw blood and was definitely not just for decoration.
Moreover, the imperial court had now appointed Jia Cong as the commander-in-chief of the expedition to the southwest. How could they possibly punish Jia Cong for a few lives? Therefore, all the prefectures and cities prepared both able-bodied men and food supplies in advance. Not only was there no shortage, but there was even a direct surplus.
After passing Pingyang Prefecture, we traveled south for more than ten days and arrived in Chang'an.
Although he was very interested in Chang'an, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, Jia Cong did not delay here. He just let the army rest for a day and then continued to move south.
Standing on the peak of Shouyang Mountain, Jia Cong gazed westward, "Back then, Zhuge Liang wanted to march out of Qishan from here, but fate didn't allow him to do so, and he was ultimately trapped in Shu. Ziwu Valley, Xiegu, and further west is Wuzhangyuan!"
"How many heroes have perished here, but now they are all gone!"
After passing Jingzhao Prefecture and heading southwest towards Shu, the road became narrow and difficult to travel, and even the official road was far inferior to the Central Plains. Jia Cong chose the famous Ziwu Valley.
After leaving Chang'an and passing through the Ziwu Valley for several hundred miles, you can directly reach the vicinity of Xingyuan Prefecture. In the past, this place also had the famous name "Hanzhong".
Although Liu Bei established his capital in Chengdu, Hanzhong, as a crucial frontier against the north, was also a key city in Shu. Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, for the most part, gathered troops in Hanzhong. Then, along the southern bank of the Wei River, he advanced westward to Tianshui's Dangzhong Mountain, eastward to Dasan Pass, the Lianyun Road to Chencang, the Baoxia Road to Meixian, the Tangluo Road to Zhouzhi, and finally the Ziwu Valley to Chang'an, stretching a distance of seven or eight hundred miles from east to west.
It’s a pity that the vast Wei River and the towering Qinling Mountains ultimately led to Prime Minister Zhuge’s death on Wuzhangyuan.
After fifteen days of marching, the army successfully crossed the Ziwu Valley and arrived at Xingyuan Prefecture. After another seven or eight days, Jia Cong's army finally came to a temporary halt and set up camp at Jianmen Pass, north of Longqing Prefecture.
Two hundred miles from Jianmen Pass is Mianzhou. After Mianzhou, another two or three hundred miles south is Chengdu Prefecture in Shuzhong.
In the main camp, Jia Cong summoned all his officers to discuss matters, including the commanders of the front and rear armies. Jia Cong sat at the head of the table, while the remaining forty or fifty officers sat on either side.
"We are now stationed at Jianmen Pass, which has long been known as the Jianmen Shu Road. Li Bai once wrote in his poem, 'The Shu Road is difficult, harder than ascending to heaven,' referring to the Jianmen Shu Road. After passing Jianmen Pass, we reach the core of Sichuan and Shu. Therefore, from now on, our army may encounter an enemy surprise attack at any time. Each army should deploy scouts during its march to avoid enemy ambushes."
"Marquis Zhongjing, have Qiu Liang and Han Qi sent back any news ?"
"Reporting to the commander, Qiu Liang's personal guards arrived at noon today. Qiu Liang's troops are currently stationed in Huaian and Jianzhou. According to their investigation, Chengdu Prefecture has been besieged by nearly 100,000 troops. There are still tens of thousands of troops in Chengdu Prefecture, but the various tribal armies have been attacking for days. Although the prefecture city has no shortage of food and fodder for the time being, it is estimated that they can only hold out for about half a month!"
"As for the areas south of Chengdu Prefecture, including Gongzhou, Meizhou, Longzhou, Yazhou, Jiading Prefecture, and Lizhou, they have all been occupied by troops from various tribes."
"Currently, the Wudeng and Xuhen tribes of Qiong Prefecture have a combined force of 60,000 soldiers. The tribes of Wumeng Mountain have nearly 100,000 soldiers. The tribes of Xishan and Yechuan have 50,000 soldiers, each occupying their own territory. The Luo Ghost Nation also had 20,000 ghost soldiers enter Luzhou half a month ago. However, after a battle with the Changning and Nanping armies, both sides won and lost, and then retreated back to the south of the Chishui River."
As he spoke, Shi Nai handed the message sent by Qiu Liang to Jia Cong.
Listening to this chaotic situation, Jia Cong couldn't help but rub his brows. The soldiers under his command were definitely not few, but the enemy was equally powerful.
Moreover, since the provincial capital south of Chengdu has fallen, the troops there have obviously been dispersed and he can no longer use them.
After carefully reading the message from Qiu Liang, Jia Cong pondered for a while, and then gave the order, "Jiang Zining, send out scouts tomorrow to contact the Shiquan Army, Yongkang Army, and Huaian Army to see what the current situation of these troops is."
Although these local armies are not as strong as the frontier camps, each army has more than 20,000 soldiers. As for the local government troops, they may not be able to be relied upon at all now. If these three local armies are still there, it would be good news for him.
However, Jia Cong could not have too high expectations for these troops.
The Yongkang Army is located to the west of Chengdu Prefecture, and the Huaian Army is located to the east of Chengdu Prefecture. They were originally the troops guarding Chengdu Prefecture. Now Chengdu Prefecture has been under siege for many days. If these two troops were still there, they would naturally go to rescue.
North of Chengdu Prefecture lies Hanzhou, and north of Hanzhou lies Shiquan. Even if the Shiquan army were still there, they probably wouldn't dare to act rashly. After all, Shiquan borders Maozhou, and the Qiang people in Maozhou have always been restive. Furthermore, in terms of strength, the Qiang who occupy Maozhou are no less powerful than the Xuhen and Wudeng tribes.
"Shi Nai, tomorrow you will lead your troops through Jianmen Pass and into Mianzhou! If the Shiquan army is safe, order them to join you. If they have lost their combat effectiveness, prepare to march into Shiquan."
"If we want to reach Chengdu Prefecture, we must ensure the safety of our retreat. Although Maozhou is not a necessary place to pass through, we cannot leave any hidden dangers. Therefore, this part of the Qiang tribe must be under my control."
The most important thing to avoid during a march is having your retreat cut off. Rescuing Chengdu Prefecture was certainly important, but if the Qiang tribe were to directly occupy Shiquan and Mianzhou by the time the army reached Chengdu Prefecture, Jia Cong's army would be trapped. Therefore, regardless of the Qiang's current situation, even if they had no connection with the southern Xinjiang tribes, Jia Cong did not dare to take the risk.
Moreover, after taking control of Maozhou, there is another benefit, that is, you can send a surprise force to the west to bypass the Jinchuan area and directly attack the Xishanyechuan tribes from behind. The Xishanyechuan tribes are adjacent to Yazhou, but if you want to attack from Yazhou, you can only go through the two passes of Diaomenzhai or Lingguanzhai.
However, both places are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you want to attack by force, you will definitely suffer heavy casualties. Therefore, a surprise attack from the rear is the best way.
After taking control of Shiquan, Mianzhou, Maozhou and Hanzhou, Jia Cong could lead his army through Jiulong and Pi County and enter the territory of Chengdu Prefecture.
At that time, facing the various armies, a decisive battle can naturally be launched! As long as the main force of Southern Xinjiang outside Chengdu is defeated, the subsequent battles will naturally be much easier.
