Duanyan was not as vigorous or heroic as his father, but roughly estimated, he possessed about four-fifths of his father's spirit.
In this makeshift battlefield outside of Biansheng City, that is enough.
On the west, it was the Wei army's elite cavalry that were surrounded and had their hearts set on returning home. On the east, it was the Wu army's foot soldiers who had never encountered a cavalry charge and had to quickly form their ranks.
Just a quick impact and the Shu troops' formation was breached.
First, it was Master Dianman leading the charge, followed by an ever-increasing number of knights pouring after him.
Either the knights' spears collided with the foot soldiers' heads and chests, or the foot soldiers found gaps and tried to force their spears into the horses' bellies, causing the horses and riders to fall.
1500 horsemen and 2000 infantry engaged in combat, taking each other's lives.
Wei Yan had hoped that Ju Hu could block the retreat path of the Wei army, while he led a large number of infantry forward to finish the battle.
After seeing the Wei army's cavalry change formation and heading towards Ju Hu's direction, Wei Yan almost instantly realized that his plan had failed and urgently drove his army to shift its position to the east.
He ultimately failed to catch up.
It took less than half the time of a fragrant stick for Master Dianman's cavalry to forcibly break through the Shu army's formation and escape eastward.
Although in general, cavalry fighting foot soldiers usually suffer more damage, this was because the foot soldiers lost their formation and the cavalry could charge and pursue them.
In the current battlefield situation, for Master Dianman, leading his troops to break through and escape was already a stroke of luck, with the majority of Shu troops still chasing after him.
There was no time for him to continue leading the cavalry to pursue and kill the Shu foot soldiers.
Thus, when Wei Yan arrived at the foot of the mountain and the city walls, he sought shelter on the slopes and around the walls, and the dispersed Shu army soldiers gathered with assistance.
Counting the casualties, both the Shu and Wei armies suffered approximately five hundred. Although this one-to-one exchange ratio was considered a good performance for infantry, Wei Yan's plan to ambush the Wei army was not successful.
"Captain, the Shu army's formation is still on the west side. What should we do now?" Feng Hua was no longer as panicky. Having charged behind the formation, he had gained some courage.
However, Dianman sincerely sighed at this moment: "The way to Wu Dun has been blocked. Although I have led these troops out now, I still need to report the situation to the commander-in-chief."
"How to report?"
"Charge back!" Dianman fixed his gaze on the west, looking at the Shu foot soldiers who were gradually sealing off the approaches to Xianbian City and the gaps between the mountains.
"At nightfall later today, we will escape by setting fire and crossing the river on the southern bank's riverbed! Even if we sacrifice half of these horsemen here, I will still force my way back tonight!"
Feng Hua replied with a bow: "I will follow the captain!"
That night, taking advantage of the dimming sky before nightfall, Dianman led the remaining one thousand cavalry across the river to the south of Xianbian City and set off at a rapid pace to the west.
The Shu army stationed in Xianbian could only launch a few bows and arrows, killing about one hundred horsemen, but they had no more strength to stop Dianman from returning to the west.
...
While the Wei army was still communicating, Wei Yan who was stationed in Xianbian had already reported the situation to the rear of Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister.
At this time, Zhuge Liang was stationed at the Chiting Pass, which is about one hundred li to the southeast of Xianbian City.
Within a radius of ten li around the Chiting Pass, Zhuge Liang had stationed a total of thirty thousand troops, relying on the rivers and mountains to set up more than thirty camps along the river.
During the time when Liu Bei and Lu Xun were facing off at the Battle of Yan Province, Liu Bei led a large army with tens of thousands of tents and camped for half a year against Lu Xun's Wu army.
The terrain of Chiting Pass is more strategic and difficult to attack than that of Yan Province at the time.
Moreover, the Han dynasty followed the fire element and favored the color red. The name Chiting Pass seems to be in harmony with the fiery Han dynasty.
Zhuge Liang was able to drive his army to launch a campaign against the Western Regions, regardless of whether they were advancing or retreating, because of the smooth management of transportation along the Hanjiang River to the western region.
Besides the Xian Water that originates from the inner part of Handing County, passes through Lubing City, Qianshan, and directly reaches Yang'an Pass, there is another main river - the Gudao Water that originates from Chenpo.
These two great rivers are the sources of the Jialing River. Later, the Jialing River was known as the Jialingjiang River and eventually flowed into the Yangtze River.
The Xian Water flows from northwest to southeast, while the Gudao Water flows from northeast to southwest. After the two major rivers converged, they flowed south for about forty-five li to Wu Xing, the westernmost heavy town of Hanzhong.
And the Chiting Pass was located to the north of Wu Xing, an important position between Xianbian City and Wu Xing.
The Xian Water can be navigated by boats, but the roads along the riverside are not suitable for marching at all places.
Zhuge Liang's previous campaign to the north was along the road from Wu Xing to the north of Chiting Pass, northwest to Xianbian City, and then northward along the Western Regions to Qianshan.
In summary, Chiting Pass is a key location where the Qingni River and the Gudao River converge. By holding Chiting Pass, the Wei army cannot launch an attack from Xianbian City.
It is a strategically important place like the Yao Pass.
It is not uncommon for a strategically important terrain to exist. However, it often rises and falls in popularity due to the movement of personnel and the flow of war. Chiting Pass, at this moment, is where Zhuge Liang has chosen to be stationed.
Zhuge Liang's main camp was stationed on a flat area in the mountains on the east bank of the Gudao River, near Chiting Pass.
Yang Yi held the report from Wei Yan's army, slowly walking into Zhuge Liang's tent.
"Report to the Prime Minister. General Wei Yan's military report states that last night, the Wei army escaped from Xianbian City. They captured more than one thousand cavalrymen and suffered losses of no more than one thousand in General Wei Yan's command."
Zhuge Liang stared at the map on the desk: "The Wei army obviously knows our movements. Now we just wait for their attack."
"How is the progress of building the city in Wu Xing?"
"The Vanguard General reported in the military report that more than half of the city walls in Wu Xing have been constructed before the troops left. In five days, the city walls will be completely fortified."
Zhuge Liang nodded: "Five days is sufficient. Commander Wei, order Wei Yan to send out scouts far ahead and inform us immediately upon learning of the Wei army's approach."
"If the Wei army is too strong, let him retreat back to Chiting Pass along the Qingni River from Xianbian City. Let him decide according to the current situation. As for me, I will not set any limits for him."
"Understood." Yang Yi replied and stood still for a moment before finally asking: "Master Zhuge, may I ask what to do if Wei Yan is not able to capture the Wei army from Xianbian City?"
"Prime Minister, after thinking about it for two days, I still don't understand why we don't defend the cities of Xianbian and Hechi, but must camp at Chiting instead?"
After returning from Qianshan Pass, Zhuge Liang led his troops to Chiting Pass and decided to make it their permanent base.
He kept a force of 50,000 troops. Besides leaving Wei Yan with a contingent to ambush the southern approach to Xianbian City, sending Zhao Yun with 10,000 troops to defend Wu Xing and build the city walls, and some citizens moving away. He kept almost all the troops at Chiting Pass.
Some of the officers and court officials were puzzled, but Zhuge Liang did not explain and instead enforced his decision with an order.
Only until today did the Shu army finally set up camps near Chiting Pass and complete their deployment. Yang Yi saw the right time had come and finally asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for days.
Zhuge Liang sighed deeply: "I did not explain my decision to you several days ago, but since we retreated from Qianshan Pass to the south, the troops in my army all had their hearts set on returning to Han. They all thought we could retreat all the way to Han.
"But after much thought, I believe we cannot just resist the enemy in the area of Wu Xing and Ju County; it is too close to Hanzhong."
"And this place is strategic and desolate. Only after we build good camps here can the commanders and soldiers feel at ease. Moreover, it is not far from Hanzhong. By occupying this place, we can protect ourselves against the enemy."
"Commander Wei, come with me." Zhuge Liang walked out of the tent slowly, with Yang Yi following closely behind.
The main camp is located on the east bank of the Gudao River, and it is a critical point where the Qingni River merges with the Gudao River.
The west is adjacent to the water, with mountains on both sides. Being here allows one to control the entire appearance of Chiting Pass, which is the most important location here.
Zhuge Liang pointed to the nearby surging river and said: "Chiting Pass is the confluence of the Qingni River, Gudao River, and Bai River. The terrain is absolutely rugged and there is no room for cavalry to maneuver."
"From Chiting Pass, you can follow the Qingni River to Xianbian, the Bai River to Hechi, and the Gudao River to Chenpo."
"Even our Han army has to rely on the terrain and mountains to set up camps, how can the Wei army, who have traveled so far, do otherwise? They will inevitably retreat in the face of this stalemate."
Yang Yi thought for a moment and gritted his teeth to say: "Prime Minister, I understand mountainous geography and I am aware of the strategic importance of Chiting Pass."
"However, what difference does it make to have 50,000 troops on the side, stationed at Xianbian and Chiting? Isn't this too cautious?"
"Xianbian and Chiting are only a hundred li apart, but Chiting is wilderness while Xianbian has city walls to rely on!"
Zhuge Liang glanced at Yang Yi: "The matter at hand is not about a single attack or defense in the short term, but about a long-term attack and defense spanning several years!"
"When our army was still in the Western Regions, the shortcomings of our troops compared to the Wei army's central force were exposed. The most important thing now is to force the Wei army to retreat and then organize and train our troops in Hanzhong!"
"There are no people or crops in the area of Xianbian and Hechi. Whether the Wei army camps here or relocates civilians, it will be a very costly endeavor."
Mufei? Yang Yi furrowed his brow and slowly began to think. It seems that Prime Minister Zhuge is considering this matter from the perspective of logistics and finances.
Zhuge Liang continued, "Xianbian is a hundred li away from Chiting, and Chiting is one hundred and eighty li from Yangping Pass. If the Han army occupies Xianbian, it's merely a matter of advancing another hundred li towards the Western Regions in the future."
"But if the Wei bandits occupy Xianbian and Hechi, there are no people or crops here. How can they deploy many troops here? I can lead my army to attack from Hanzhong time and time again. How can the Wei central army possibly come here every time?"
"Xianbian, in the end, is an easy place to attack but difficult to defend."
Yang Yi gently nodded: "Prime Minister, I understand your insight. But how long can we stay stationed here?"
"Could we delay for another year like we did during the initial campaign to conquer Hanzhong?"
"How can we not do it?" Zhuge Liang smiled and pointed to the Gudao River that flows south from Chiting Pass.
"This place is only one hundred and eighty li from Hanzhong, with the strategically important locations of Chiting and Wu Xing to station troops. Even if the Wei army has a million troops, how can they pass through here?"
"Both the geographical advantage and human resources are on our side!" Zhuge Liang's eyes shone with determination, looking at the camps of the Shu troops near and far: "Whether it's half a year or a year, we can afford it!"
"Prime Minister, your wisdom is evident," Yang Yi said with a bow, "However, Prime Minister, the imperial edict has arrived for three days now. About that matter, shouldn't we..."
Zhuge Liang turned to look at Yang Yi deeply, sighed, and said, "It's time for this matter. Commander Wei, send someone to notify the officials and generals commanding more than two thousand stone to come to my tent in one hour for discussion." (This chapter ends)
