In the Chinese army tent, Xiahou Ba retreated, leaving only his deputy Zhang Hu to read the secret order sent by Cao Zhen with him.

"Split your troops and move to Tangluo Road to attack Xingshiwei? Gongwu, what do you think?"

Zhang Hu cupped his fists and replied: "General, I think this is a clever plan. Our army enters from Ziwu Road with great fanfare. The focus of the Shu army's defense must be at Huanghuangwei at the south entrance. According to detailed reports, the terrain there is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our army

If you want to take it down, you will definitely pay a lot of casualties.

In addition, the Shu army is now sending small groups to harass us every now and then. Our army is moving slowly and it is difficult to advance quickly. At this time, it is time to divide our troops and switch to the Tangluo Road.

Once the Shu army's harassment tactics were successful, their attention was focused on Ziwu Road. They would never have imagined that our army would divide its troops to attack Tangluo Road at this time.

Secondly, our army in the middle route has 100,000 troops. If we enter from one route alone, the Shu army will only have to defend the golden pass, and our army's strength advantage will not be fully utilized.

On the contrary, if we divide our forces to raid Xingshiwei and attack in two directions, we can increase the threat to the Shu army's defense line, and our army's chance of attacking the hinterland of the Hanzhong Plain will also be greatly increased."

"Gongwu is indeed known for his wisdom and strategy. This analysis is really insightful and has benefited Lingba a lot."

"The general praises you too much, but you are ashamed of your humble position."

Xiahou said overbearingly: "Da Sima asked us to move quickly without further delay. Tonight I will lead the seven thousand troops to take the small road and transfer to Tangluo Road. Gongwu, you will lead the remaining soldiers and horses and stay in place with many flags until tomorrow's big battle."

After the reinforcements sent by Sima arrive, they will continue to march towards Huangjinwei with great fanfare."

"The general is wise, he will definitely be able to hide this from the Shu army's sentinels." Zhang Hu complimented.

Xiahou Ba said with a smile: "I have been attacked by Shu thieves many times these days. I have been really annoyed. Now I am fine. It is finally our turn to attack secretly. This time I will make them look good."

Late that night, Xia Houru quietly led seven thousand soldiers and horses from the back gate of the camp and headed north. The Tangluo Road was to the west of Ziwu Road. Xia Houba did not go west but went north instead to confuse the Han army.

Although before setting off, Xiahou Ba had spread his scouts very far away to cover up any movement within a radius of twenty to thirty miles, but for the sake of safety, he first deliberately made the illusion of returning to the central army to join Cao Zhen, and then suddenly turned into

To the west, the mountains and forests follow the path toward Xingshi.

As expected, the surrounding Han army scouts did not notice that the vanguard Wei army had quietly divided its forces. Even though the number of Wei army scouts increased today, the distance of the sentinels became longer, and the driving force became stronger, which was somewhat different from usual, the Han army scouts only thought that this was to prevent the Wei army from happening again.

Normal means of harassment.

Early the next morning, Cao Zhen's confidant general Xie Wei entered the tent and reported: "Da Sima, Xia Hou's vanguard sent a secret report. He led 7,000 troops and horses to Tangluo Road quietly last night, and the rest of the front army was handed over to deputy vanguard Zhang.

Commander Hu is currently staying in place waiting for reinforcements sent by our Chinese army."

"Very good. Zhongquan acts decisively and decisively. He really has the style of his father."

Liu Ye on the side also nodded: "General Zhong Quan is brave and resourceful. If he personally leads the army, he can catch the Shu army by surprise."

After a slight pause, he raised his hands and said: "Da Sima, General Xiahou sneaked to Tangluo Road this time. Although there is a 70% to 80% chance of a successful surprise attack, there are more than 5,000 Shu troops stationed in Xingshiwei. The guarding general Deng Zhi

He is also an unusual person, because the 7,000 troops in General Xiahou's hands are still a bit weak.

Ye thought it was necessary to send another army to Xingshiwei as backup, so that this would be a safe and sound strategy."

"Well, it's fair to say that reinforcements must be sent to strengthen the troops attacking Xingshiwei. But it's not the time yet. Zhong Quan and the others have just left. If we send another army to go there, it will make too much noise, so we should wait for two days.

"Cao Zhen said.

Liu Ye said: "The Great Sima has thought carefully and what he said is true."

The city is fortified on the east mountain, and the Chinese army is encamped.

Zhuge Liang stood alone on a high slope in the northeast corner of the camp, looking up at the sky, his feather fan swaying slightly, and a faint smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, exuding a confident light.

The guards stood on guard several feet behind them, trying not to make any noise so as not to disturb the Prime Minister's military strategy.

Suddenly there was a burst of rapid footsteps behind him. Yang Yi panted up the stairs, passed a group of guards, came to Zhuge Liang and said with cupped hands: "Prime Minister, General Hussar just sent news that Sima Yi stationed in Fangling has finally moved.

, Sima Yi left 10,000 troops to guard the mausoleum to protect the food and grass and ensure the retreat, while he led 20,000 troops to attack me on Shangyong.

General Hussar personally led 20,000 troops to the outside of the city to form a battle array. Our army and the rebels fought three times in two days. Both sides suffered casualties, but the outcome was still undecided. Sima Yi led his troops to retreat five miles and set up camp. They are still there.

Confronted with the Hussars General outside the city."

"Li Zhengfang is proficient in the art of war and is good at commanding. In addition, our army and the Wei army are similar in strength, so it is okay to go out of the city to fight. However, I still have to write a letter to him, warning him not to stay away from the city and fight with the Wei army, in case Sima Yi is killed

trick.

In addition, Sima Yi left ten thousand defenders in Fangling, which was a bit too much. I suspected that there was fraud, so I told Li Zhengfang to send more scouts to investigate carefully to prevent Sima Yi from resorting to suspicious tactics." Zhuge Liang.

road.

Yang Yi raised her hand and accepted the order: "No."

"Is there any latest news about Cao Zhen's army?"

Yang Yidao: "Not yet. The leading troops of the Wei Army in the middle have passed half of the Ziwu Valley. The guerrilla teams sent by our army are harassing them layer by layer. They have caused some trouble for the Wei Army these days. The Wei Army's marching speed is getting slower and slower, and the morale of the army is...

Morale has also been affected to a certain extent, and it is expected that it will take some time to walk through the entire Ziwu Valley."

"Haha, I'm afraid Cao Zhen won't be able to complete the Ziwu Valley this month." Zhuge Liang laughed.

Yang Yi asked in confusion: "What does the Prime Minister mean by this? Although our army has harassing teams that slow down the movement of the rebel army, the Wei army will still be able to reach Huanghuangwei by the end of the month at the latest."

"Look, Mr. Wei, the sky is covered with dark clouds and the water vapor is condensing. I'm afraid it's going to rain heavily." Zhuge Liang raised his feather fan and pointed to the distant sky.

Yang Yi said: "Yes, the day can change at any time. It was sunny just now, but now it's cloudy. Prime Minister, I'm afraid it's going to be a thunderstorm. The guards didn't bring rain gear, so they'd better go back to their tents first."

"In the late autumn of September, the weather is not beautiful. I watched the sky last night and estimated that the rain will not only last for a day or two, but will probably continue for a month. Moreover, the scope of this heavy rain is not only

Confined to Hanzhong, Guanzhong and the Central Plains, the rain will not stop." Zhuge Liang said.

Yang Yi knew that Zhuge Liang knew astronomy, geography, and had a deep understanding of the stars, so she had no doubts about his prediction and said happily: "Prime Minister, if it really rains heavily for a month, it will be very serious for me as a man."

Good thing.

It is already difficult for Cao Zhen’s army to move through the Ziwu Valley. Once the heavy rain continues, it will be difficult to walk on the plank road in the valley, and the Wei army’s transportation of grain, grass and military supplies will also be greatly affected.”

"Yes, if this is true, the Wei army will most likely retreat without a fight. God has finally begun to favor the Han Dynasty again!"

Zhuge Liang sighed with emotion, and then said: "Although we are on the defensive side, the arrival of the rainy season will also be affected. Wei Gong, please pass on the order, all ministries should prepare more rain gear, and pay attention to flood prevention."

"promise."

As Zhuge Liang expected, heavy rain fell continuously for more than ten days in a row. The water in the Han River, Yishui River, Luo River, and the Yellow River increased greatly, causing flooding. Many plank roads in the Ziwu Valley were washed away by flash floods, and Cao Zhen's army was trapped.
Chapter completed!