On the 18th day of the first lunar month, the third day after the Shangyuan Festival, after a brief rest during the Shangyuan holiday and rewarding the army to boost morale, the first batch of Northern Expedition troops entered their respective attack positions again, and finally checked whether all the essentials before the departure were in place.

Considering that the reason for Chengdu Pingding was the new tax reform last year, many unscrupulous businessmen and tyrants sold out new grain to block the new law, and the grain was inflated. So at that time, a lot of surplus grain from the Chengdu Plain was transported. Along the Jialing River and the West Han River went north, hoarding it in the Xiguanyi area outside Yangping Pass, and some further flowed up and hoarding it to Hechi County.

Therefore, before the army set out, not all troops selected the Hanzhong Basin as a pre-war garrison, but the general principle was to minimize unnecessary transportation losses, and the troops would be stationed wherever the granary was.

Hu Chuquan of the Western Army stayed in Dazhong, Wu Kuang and Wu Yi stayed in Xiabian, and Gao Shun Taishici stationed in Wudu.

Zhang Ren and Yan Yan Yan of the Central Army had already arrived at the Sanguan-Hechi line in advance. Zhao Yun was stationed nearby in Xiguan Post-Wuxing County and other places. Guan Yu's main force dragged him back and stayed in Mianyang in Yangping Pass.

Fa Zheng Xu Huang and others from the Eastern Route Army were already in Wuzhangyuan, and the subsequent troops were stationed in Baozhong County.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the winter snow thawing in Hechi County was good. Although it could not be passed by tens of thousands of troops, it could already allow Banyanman scouts who were good at mountain warfare to walk.

After all, human physiques are different. The ability of Han soldiers to cross mountains is definitely not as good as Banhuaman who lives in the Daba Mountains of Qinling Mountains for the rest of his life.

So on that day, several scouts of Banyan Man sent back by Zhang Ren, the chief guard of Dasan Pass, sent the latest information on the military deployment of Guanzhong to Hechi County. After another day, they were sent to Mianyang and to Liu Bei and Li Su.

The military mobilization of tens of thousands of people in Guanzhong cannot be concealed by the scouts of Liu Bei's army. Even if you can't tell the truth about "how many people did Guo Si take away", it is still clear which generals are stationed everywhere and how large it is.

So Li Su immediately captured the important information that "Guo Si's entire army has continued to go west through the Wei River and is currently attacking Han Sui with all its strength."

Li Jue looked at it for a moment and said to Liu Bei: "God helps me, king, you can send troops as planned, don't lose the attack! It's rare that Guo Si and Li Jue competed for me for me, thinking that our army could not fight in the north when the snow was just melting in early spring. Jia Xu probably was calculating our army's ability to store grain and transport grain, so he felt that we could not attack in early February, so he allowed Guo Si to be so arrogant.

If we send troops now, we will be inadvertently, while surrounding Chen Cang, we will immediately block the exit of the Longshan Weishui Valley west of Chen Cang, so that Guo Si cannot retreat to Guanzhong along the Weishui River, and then divide another army to block Jieting. Then Guo Si's army will not be able to return to the battlefield of Guanzhong in time! It is equivalent to our army being able to fight Zhang Ji and Li Jue first, and then face Guo Si alone after deciding the victory or defeat. This is a good opportunity to defeat each one!"

Xun You and others next to him quickly said, "I am the same, what we see is similar to the Right General."

Such a good opportunity to offer suggestions and can see through the advantages at a glance. If you don’t say it, don’t say it, of course you have to show your face in front of your leader.

Liu Bei was also very energetic when he watched the ministers persuade him to attack. He ordered that the altar be built in Mianyang that day, and the oath ceremony was held tomorrow morning to officially start.

...

In the evening of that day, Li Su returned to his mansion and said that he would go to war tomorrow. Jin Se had known that it had been a few days before, so he took out a newly embroidered goldfish bag and put a talisman to take him away.

After dinner, Liu Miao also came to see him off and gave him something similar, but it was just a talisman with no bag.

Li Su felt a little uncomfortable when he saw that they were so formal. Isn’t this LiFlegg? He didn’t believe in amulets at all, but instead felt unlucky. Maybe it was influenced by later animations. He always felt that it was a little bit of a problem, but so serious, Flegg was.

"Okay, okay, it's not the first time I went on the battle. Besides, I don't have to go to the front line in person this time. You are so serious that I'm nervous." He was embarrassed to push it away, so he took it away and stuffed it into the goldfish bag that Jinsexiu, containing two runes in one bag.

When he took the talisman, Liu Miao's hand trembled. Li Su didn't observe carefully and didn't pay attention.

Jinse was careful and helped the master pack up his last salute, and pulled Liu Miao's sleeve to the side and whispered: "Is this a prick? Isn't the medical officer of the royal palace bandage the medicine?"

Liu Miao looked back and confirmed that Li Su could no longer hear them, so she said sadly with relief: "It's still my sister's skillfulness, I can't do anything. I originally wanted to learn from you to make a fish bag, but in the end I could only cut a talisman.

If the palace maid doctor in Uncle Wang’s mansion finds out, he will definitely report it again and restrict me, so he didn’t say that he is not free to be a princess. He will involve a bunch of people serving him at a small matter. He will check this and that.”

Jinse secretly took out the wound medicine from the house and applied it to Liu Miao's fingers. Wen Yan added: "I'm afraid I'm still worried that the teacher would be embarrassed when he sees something strange, so I dare not bandage it before sending it out. It's better to wrap this finger."

As she said that, she had quickly helped Liu Miao wrap her fingers.

Liu Miao looked at it in a daze and sighed softly: "My sister is so skillful. She not only knows how to embroider, but also helps people bandage wounds. Could it be... Brother Li is also injured occasionally? Or is there anyone in the house who often asks you to practice?"

Jinse sighed with a complicated expression: "Where can you do it? Sir, be careful. My skills were practiced when I was a slave in Meiwu. At that time... many sisters who were a few years older in Meiwu were ravaged by Dong Tie and his relatives to the same size.

Those people are really beasts and beasts. It’s okay to be lustful, but... they also like to use all kinds of incredible means to cruelly and hurt people. Several sisters from the criminal family I met when they were not yet in the past were tortured and killed. As slaves, they did not learn some methods of healing and emergency response and helped each other, and they might have more casualties.

Thinking about it now, I was very lucky that I was young at that time, otherwise I would have thought of myself and would not have the courage to live. Being able to go to the husband's house could be considered as suffering for two years before, and finally I got blessings. If Dong Zhe died, he was separated by other Xiliang beasts or fell into the hands of Lu Bu... I'm afraid he would not live now."

Liu Miao was a little curious: "Lu Bu is quite famous. Is he a beast too? Can he still enter the fuji dock?"

Jinse: "Of course, when Lu Bu was trusted by Dong Zhe, except for the few most favored concubines Dong Zhe was unable to get it, the other ordinary slaves in Meiwu were not allowed to let him go... I knew a sister, saying that Lu Bu was angry that time, as if it was Feng Yiting, who was holding a stomach full of evil fire and did not dare to get angry with the old thief, so he came to Meiwu to find out and killed two or three slaves."

Liu Miao was trembling when she heard this. Thinking of her aunts, none of them were spared from being humiliated by Dong Thief, she couldn't help but shed tears again.

Happiness and misfortune are both compared. They may not be anything, but only when you recall other miserable friends with different destinies in the same environment will cherish the present.

Liu Miao and Jinse chatted for a long time, but Li Su was about to rest later, and Liu Miao stood up to say goodbye. He also made an appointment with Jinse for a few days to go out for a spring outing together when he had time.

...

The next day, the 23rd day of the first lunar month, early in the morning.

The oath-taking ceremony in the western suburbs of Mianyang is no less than that of Yuan Shao’s attempt to challenge Dong Xiao.

Anyway, the nature of both is the same. They both swear to eliminate traitors and support the court. It is nothing more than that Dong Zhuo, who is now Li Jue and Guo Si.

The difference is nothing more than that this oath-taking did not exist. Everyone is an ally with Liu Bei, and they are all subordinates. However, they still have to be punished. They are ranked according to the titles officially enthroned by the court and the level of official positions.

Liu Bei finished Li Su's reign, and then Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. This does not mean that Li Su's status in Liu Bei is higher than Guan Yu, but the right general's title is higher than that of General Zhennan, and there is nothing he can do.

The blood of the black cow and white horse was applied to the mustache and cheeks. It was really uncomfortable. The smell was fishy and could not be wiped. It had to be kept for a whole day, but Li Su still endured it.

After the ceremony, Zhang Fei led his troops back to Baozhong and stood by him. He stayed for several days according to the agreed date. He waited for the Baoxie Plank Road to completely snowed (the plank road needs to be thoroughly melted to leave, otherwise it is very dangerous. Chencang Road is a valley, so it is relatively easy to walk, so it doesn’t matter if there is a bit of snow left)

Liu Bei and Li Su and Guan Yu followed the army to set off. After arriving in Wuxing County on the first day, they rested. On the 24th, they found some villages and towns in the mountains to rest. On the 25th, they arrived at Hechi.

Because there were not enough houses in other places along the way except for the county town, and there were no more than tens of thousands of people to live in, the troops advanced in batches starting from the 24th, and could not gather together. Several long snake formations separated by fifty or sixty miles were formed in the mountains.

After all, there were 60,000 people in the first wave of the main force on this road, and it was impossible for 60,000 people to spread on a section of the mountainous area. It would have to be dragged at least 150 miles in front and back and divided into three clusters of more than 20,000 people.

When the last soldier walked out of the Chencangdao Valley, the first soldier had been out of the valley for at least three days.

Even the small boats and rafts prepared in advance at the former intersection of the Western Han River north of Hechi County were impossible to carry 60,000 people at one time, and transport up to more than 10,000 people.

Therefore, even after the Western Han Dynasty waters were successfully diverted, some soldiers still had to marches along the slopes by the river, and a small number of soldiers took boats. Moreover, the ships were for transporting troops at most two or three times, and then they had to come back to transport grain.

Because of the first three trips, the first batch of soldiers had almost finished their food, and they had to starve to death under Chencang City if they didn't transport the food. The logistics of the northern expedition in the mountains was so terrifying, so Zhuge Liang was so miserable in history.

After arriving in Hechi County on the 25th, Liu Bei secretly sent a confidant scout to visit dozens of miles northeast of Hechi County, which was scheduled to dig up the former waterway of the Western Han Dynasty to ensure that the water truck arranged by Li Su was operating very well.

The river channel can indeed flow water, but the amount of water in the water truck before was too small, so it disappeared after flowing down for more than ten miles, and all seeped into the riverbed soil. Recently, due to the melting of winter snow, the water volume of the Western Han Dynasty gradually increased. The construction team temporarily rammed a cofferdam and built a dam to block the river water from flowing along the original river channel.

So just blast this temporary cofferdam that is not strong in one breath.

Since everything is right, everything will be implemented as planned.

The construction team had already paid enough funds in advance, settled all wages, and additional bounties, and then dismissed. Before leaving, dozens of black gunpowder were buried under the blocking dam to make the noise big enough that it could be heard by the villagers of the villages in the Tuntian Village several miles away.

People of this era, especially the people under Liu Bei's rule, have already seen gunpowder, so the movement is not big enough to scare people, and it is big enough to disguise itself as an earthquake.

In the early morning of the 27th day of the first lunar month, which is the 380th anniversary of the Western Han Dynasty after the change of direction in the Book of Han (the great earthquake in Wudu caused the change of direction in the Western Han Dynasty, which was the "Yimao in the first month of the second year of Gaohou" in 186 BC, and now it is 194, which adds up to 380 years apart)

Shortly after the ugly moment, there was a loud bang on the construction site in the northeast of Hechi County. Several miles away, the nearest village, a village about two miles away, had a slight tremor. Of course, this vibration amplitude caused the thatch on the roof of the thatched houses of the Tunmin family to shake off. In the village four or five miles away, only the sound in the night could be heard. Some people were awakened, but the house did not move at all.

However, this is enough to allow at least a few thousand people and soldiers who are close to camp as witnesses who have heard it directly prove that an earthquake had indeed occurred, so he helped His Highness Hanzhong complete the final blow to the project of "Differing the Western Han River back to Chencang".

Liu Bei never thought of concealing that he had constructed here because there were too many craftsmen, and 20,000 to 30,000 people worked on this matter, and they could not hide it.

But "the work has not been completed yet, God will help you complete the last blow and help you finish the construction in advance." This is still something that can be said.

What's more, Liu Bei didn't know that in 194, the Guanzhong area was already full of disasters. In May, a major earthquake occurred in Guanzhong, as well as droughts and locust plagues throughout the year. This was also one of the external factors that led to the internal strife of Li Guo and his mad killing and looting of the people in history. This was a serious disaster in Guanzhong.

Therefore, it would not be abrupt to look at this slight earthquake at the end of the first lunar month and the earthquake at the beginning of May. No one in later history books would question it. It is normal for some sporadic small earthquakes to release stratigraphic pressure before the major earthquake. It is no problem based on the knowledge level of geologists in the 21st century.

"Report to the king! A land dragon turned over in the northeast of the county! It also opened the construction earthquake that we stopped working due to the Chinese New Year! The Western Han Dynasty water flowed northward! It broke through Wudu Mountain! It flowed to Dasan Pass!"

One hour after the explosion, at the end of the Yin hour, a scout went to investigate the situation, gathered people's sentiments, listened to the narratives of the local people, and then came back to report.

Liu Bei was also very diligent. Before dawn, he was half an hour earlier than usual, so he summoned the generals to discuss the emergencies.

After listening to the report, Liu Bei looked disbelief:

"God's will! It's really God's will! I was still surprised. In my dreams these days, Emperor Gaozu vaguely told me that it was true! This is Emperor Gaozu's appearance and the dragon vein of the Han Dynasty returned to Guanzhong. This Northern Expedition, our army advanced along the dragon vein and fought against the rebellion. We are bound to win!"

"We will win! We will win! We will win!" The soldiers were not very educated, so of course they started to make a fuss immediately.

——
Chapter completed!