And regardless of how Zhao Tong felt about it, in the main tent of Cao Cao's army, three generals and four ministers from the Shu Han were gathered here.
Looking at Zhuge Liang's cold face, the crowd knew that the meeting at midnight here must be because something went wrong. Don't you see that the Prime Minister was loose hair and even his headband was not worn?
Xiang Lang, Yang Yi, Fei Yi, Wei Yan, Wu Yi, Yuan Niu, and Chen Shi stood in the tent, silently waiting for Zhuge Liang to speak. Although Yang Yi knew everything, he dared not say a word.
"Everyone," Zhuge Liang finally spoke after a while, addressing the crowd in front of him: "Just now, Zhaoyun's son Zhaostat came to the camp at midnight to deliver a letter. More than 10,000 cavalry of Wei army attacked Baishui Pass from Yinping."
"Zhaoyun has already led his troops south to Yang'an Pass for rescue by evening yesterday."
Yang Yi, who claimed to be smart and cunning, actually felt a sense of fear when faced with such a crucial decision. Instead, he lowered his head and stared at his feet.
The other six were shocked and surprised. Wei Yan spoke first: "Prime Minister, order the troops to return!"
"Baishui Pass is the gateway to Shu, and it must not be lost!"
Wu Yi had been thinking about how to protect himself a few days ago, but now that the country is in chaos! Baishui Pass is the first important strategic position along the Taoist Golden Horse Route, and it must not be abandoned, as Wei Yan said.
Wu Yi said with a bow, "Prime Minister, it's time to retreat! First, gather our troops to save Baishui; second, control Wuxing and Ju counties, and Hanzhong can still be defended."
Pausing for a moment, Wu Yi bit his teeth and said, "Let's consider this northern expedition as a military exercise! It will be easier to explain back at the court!"
Zhuge Liang did not respond to Wei Yan and Wu Yi, but looked at the few silent ministers. "What do you have to say?"
"Perhaps we could slowly retreat," Xiang Lang said in a more tactful way, considering Zhuge Liang's face: "Defending here while dividing troops to the south, is it feasible?"
"Xiang Changshi overestimates the simplicity of the Wei army!"
Wei Yan directly refuted: "I suffered a defeat at Lueyang and had a stalemate with Wei army at the north of Mumen, I encountered Zhang He's urgent attack yesterday!"
"We all know that Baishui has been attacked; how could the Wei army not know? Today's offensive would have been unstoppable if I hadn't personally led my troops to hold at the third camp fortifications. Huang Xi's army would have been forced to retreat continuously!"
"Do you believe it or not?"
As Wei Yan's voice grew a bit louder, Zhuge Liang's gaze swept over, and suddenly he became mute, his voice also fell.
Zhuge Liang was not scolding Wei Yan; he was merely asking Wei Yan to lower his voice.
Among the generals of the Shu Han, the one with the strongest fighting spirit and the most intense desire for victory was undoubtedly Wei Yan and Wei Wen Chang. Zhuge Liang knew Wei Yan well, and when he mentioned that the Wei army was stronger than the Shu Han not because they feared their enemies like a tiger, but because they had overall consideration for their entire army.
Zhuge Liang said hoarsely, "Now in the red pavilion camp, there are 35,000 troops. And the Wei army's central troops plus the reinforcements from Guanzhong, are definitely more powerful than our troops."
"Pao Yun is leading 8,000 soldiers in a hurry to Baishui. Against the Wei army's over 10,000 cavalry, it is clearly not enough. If we further withdraw troops, the Red Pavilion Camp will be hard to hold."
"Withdrawing the army is definitely necessary. But how to withdraw and when to withdraw, this requires more consideration."
"Fileng, you stay where you are with your troops." Zhuge Liang slowly looked at Wei Yan: "You command Wu Ban, Zong Yue, Hu Ji, Liao Hua four generals, a total of 14,000 infantry, set out immediately at dawn without a single stop and rush to Baishui!"
Wei Yan first listened attentively, but his expression changed instantly.
"Prime Minister!" Wei Yan stepped forward half a step, his expression becoming more and more urgent: "The Red Pavilion Camp is built according to the terrain and waterways, with its arms extending from both ends of the camp towards Baihui and Qingni Water."
"How can we maintain it if we withdraw all troops from the middle?"
"Fileng, first think about the matter of advancing south!" Zhuge Liang looked at Wei Yan intently before proceeding to distribute tasks.
"Xiang Lang, Yang Yi, Fei Yi!"
"The subordinates are present." The three replied in unison.
"Xiang Lang, Yang Yi! You two will stay in the camp early tomorrow to coordinate centrally, with a focus on getting Wu Ban, Zong Yue, Hu Ji, and Liao Hua's four divisions to advance south first." Zhuge Liang said gravely.
"Yes, Sir!" Xiang Lang and Yang Yi both bowed in response.
"Fei Wei!" Zhuge Liang looked at Fei Yi: "The Prime Minister orders you to serve as a military protector. Follow Fileng and advance south together, coordinating and communicating among the various troops!"
"Fileng, Fei Wei, you two must prioritize the overall situation and expel the Wei troops at Baishui Pass as quickly as possible. You may pursue them, but do not go beyond thirty li from Baishui Pass!"
"The subordinates have understood." Fei Yi bowed in response.
Wei Yan was still thinking about military strategy, nodding slightly in agreement.
Zhuge Liang was not concerned, turning to Wu Yi: "General Wu, your 6,000 troops must hold this position for two full days! Only upon the Prime Minister's command may you retreat!"
"Yes, Sir!" Wu Yi answered directly.
As expected by Wu Yi, Zhuge Liang did indeed order him to lead his troops to the mouth of Baihui Pass and hold off Wei army's flanking troops.
So many of his soldiers had already been divided by Wei Yan and others. Now he was being ordered to block the Wei army at Baihui Pass for two days? Could it be that he was supposed to be the rearguard for the main force?
However, as Zhuge Liang's orders had already been given, Wu Yi dared only think such thoughts in his heart, never daring to speak out. Military orders were like mountains and could not be trifled with.
"Yuan Niu!"
"The subordinates are present!"
"Your department will centralize support. No command from the Prime Minister may be moved lightly!" Zhuge Liang continued to arrange.
"Yes, Sir!" Yuan Niu bowed.
"Chén Shi! You will wake up your department in half an hour, and then you have half an hour to sort out military affairs!" Zhuge Liang said while wearing his outer robe. "One hour later, the Prime Minister will accompany you to go to Wei Yan's army and command his troops!"
"Yes, Sir!"
As the leader of Zhuge Liang's personal guards, Chen Shi simply replied with a sound, without asking for any details.
However, Wei Yan was surprised to ask aloud: "Prime Minister, why do you want to go to my army?"
Zhuge Liang took a deep breath and looked at the people in the tent: "Especially when two armies are facing each other, it may seem calm on the surface, but the inside is the most dangerous! Moreover, Zhu He's troops attacked aggressively yesterday."
"The Prime Minister will personally go to the front lines, command the troops of Huang and Wei, and with the troops led by Chen Shi's department, a total of ten thousand men, we will guard the key position of Qingni Valley."
"After the situation is stable, let Yuan Niu retreat first, Wu Yi retreat second, and the Prime Minister retreat last, and all retreat to Wuxing!"
Wei Yan was stunned for a moment.
Wu Yi's mouth opened slightly, and his eyes widened, looking completely incredulous.
Since the northern campaign began, Wu Yi has been guessing in his heart that Zhuge Liang wants to discipline himself.
The failure to capture Gaiguan, the lack of success in rescuing Lueyang, and then being repeatedly ordered by Zhuge Liang to divert troops under his command. The initial slight turned into greater and greater dissatisfaction over time.
But he never imagined that Zhuge Liang would order him to lead troops on the front lines to resist Zhu He's offensive!
If we follow the Prime Minister's division, there are 35,000 troops currently at the Red Pavilion Camp. Wei Yan leads 14,000 troops southward, and Yuan Niu has 5,000 troops stationed in the center.
The remaining troops are only in the directions of Baihui and Qingni Water.
With his 6,000 troops, he was to hold off the Wei army's flanking force at Baihui, while the Prime Minister with his 10,000 troops would hold off the main force of the Wei army?
His thoughts kept turning in his mind, Wu Yi immediately asked, "Prime Minister, why not let Yuan Niu lead the troops? As the Prime Minister, you should be in charge of the overall situation. How could you go to lead troops on the front line?"
Yuan Niu, hearing Wu Yi's words, secretly cursed Wu Yi for causing trouble, while also giving voice to the suggestion.
"No need." Zhuge Liang looked at everyone. "Tomorrow, I intend to lead the army in an offensive attack!"
...
On the battlefield, military situations change rapidly. The urgent military situation from the south at Baishui Pass immediately brought troops from the Red Pavilion Camp here into play.
In the morning, Wei Yan rode on horseback beside Fei Wei.
"Why did Fileng promise the Prime Minister before departing that he would drive off the Wei army within fifteen days?" Fei Yi asked Wei Yan.
"Fei Wei, don't you know the terrain of Baishui Pass?" Wei Yan seemed to have calmed down now.
Wei Yan, who rose from a subordinate to become the General of the Northern Command of Shu Han, definitely has a big heart.
"Have walked through Baishui Pass several times, yet do not know what Fileng's confidence is based on in the fifteen-day promise."
Wei Yan looked up at the sky and said softly, "Baishui Pass is surrounded by mountains and rivers, extremely difficult to capture, and it is behind the heartland of Shu."
"If the Wei army happens to capture Baishui Pass, they will definitely not dare to continue advancing south. Can they really continuously attack three places - Baishui, Jiameng, and Jiange - with their over 10,000 horses? The main force of our army is in the north. If the Wei army advances south from Baishui Pass, are they not afraid of being trapped between Baishui and Jiange?"
"If the Wei army cannot capture Baishui Pass, they will either camp there or head north towards Yang'an Pass."
"The Prime Minister is worried that General Zhao's 8,000 soldiers cannot hold back the Wei army, which is why he has sent me to provide support."
Fei Yi furrowed his brow: "According to Fileng's words, why does General Zhao need to hold Yang'an Pass? We can wait for the main army to arrive and drive off the Wei army together."
"We're not talking about whether it's possible or not, but that we can't gamble." Wei Yan answered calmly: "Just now, I said that the Wei army may be in a situation where they are unable to advance or retreat. This is exactly what can happen when General Zhao and I provide full-speed support."
"If we had delayed our support for a few days, the situation might have been quite different."
Fei Yi asked again: "What is the relationship between Fileng's promise of fifteen days and this?"
Wei Yan smiled and said, "It's three hundred and thirty miles from Chiting to Baishui Pass, which can be reached in five days. There are 22,000 soldiers there, and it's not a place where cavalry can freely roam. If the Wei army doesn't retreat, they are definitely heading for a total defeat."
"A month is already too much. If I were to estimate, ten days should be sufficient!"
Fei Yi nodded silently.
...
At the Wei army's main camp on the west side of Chiting, Cao Zhen looked at Zhang He, the military commissar of the Wei army.
"Have you seen clearly? Are they indeed the flags of Zhuge Liang?"
In the tent, besides General Cao Zhen, the emperor, the Chancellor, and several other important officials were also present.
Chen Ping hurriedly bowed: "Reporting to the General, it is indeed so. General Guo personally saw Zhuge Liang's standard on the outskirts of the city of Shuangzou. It was exactly the same as the standard opposite our position! It is indeed Zhuge Liang's army!"
Cao Zhen nodded, turned around and looked at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, General Guo's words should be correct. Yesterday, General Zhang launched a fierce attack for the entire morning and then held out for half a day."
"And today, the Wei army is under heavy attack from the Shu army. It definitely cannot be the ordinary generals of the Wei army." (Chapter Complete)
