readytorunbook Chapter 206 Hao Zhao's Blockade, Zhang Fei's Victory
Chapter 206 Hao Zhao's Blockade, Zhang Fei's Victory
On the Longshan Road.
Zhang Fei led his troops forward at a rapid pace, and while traveling, he did not forget to send scouts to explore the road ahead and the forests on both sides of the road to prevent Hao Zhao from suddenly attacking them.
Despite taking precautions, Zhang Fei still felt uneasy and called Fan Jiang over to ask, "How much do you know about the Longshan Road?"
Fan Jiang was stumped by the question. After hesitating for a long time, he carefully replied, "This humble general only knows that the Longshan Road is also called the Guanlong Road. It is the starting point of the Silk Road and the only way from Guanzhong to Longxi. It existed as early as the Zhou and Qin Dynasties. This humble general does not know anything else."
He was from Jingxiang and had never passed through Guanzhong before, let alone traveled the Longshan Road. It was quite impressive that he knew so much.
Zhang Fei was clearly dissatisfied with this, but instead of getting angry, he patiently explained: "The Longshan Road starts from Qianxian, passes through Dazhen Pass, crosses Longban to Fenshuiyi, then goes along Maluzhai to Yanjiadian to Gongmenzhai to Longshan Town and then to Jieting."
"This road is the preferred route for westward advance designated by His Majesty Emperor Wu. To ensure the smooth flow of this route, His Majesty Emperor Wu established Tianshui Prefecture, as well as Pingxiang, Longxian, Qingshui, Rongyi, Lueyang and other counties along the way. Along the route, there is a beacon tower every five li, a watchtower every ten li, a fort every thirty li, a stockade every fifty li, and a post station every thirty li."
"That means there is a post station with horses every thirty li. Messengers and officials along the way can change horses at any time. In case of emergency, these post horses can allow messengers to change horses but not people, so as to send military intelligence to the court as quickly as possible. Now you know how important this road is, right?"
Fan Jiang was stunned. He couldn't remember a single place name. He could only stammer, "General, you are truly learned."
Zhang Fei rolled his eyes, glared at him speechlessly, and said, "Familiarizing yourself with the terrain beforehand is the most basic thing a general should do, okay? I'm not telling you this to show off my knowledge, but to ask you... Let me put it this way, where do you think Hao Zhao will ambush us?"
In addition to basic leadership skills, a commander must also possess the quality of never taking chances or harboring any unrealistic fantasies about the outcome of a battle. He must always prepare for the worst and then strive for the best result based on that.
Zhang Fei wasn't sure if Hao Zhao had gone into the mountains to ambush him, but since he hadn't found any trace of Hao Zhao, he assumed that Hao Zhao had gone into the mountains and was already waiting for him at the designated location.
Therefore, in order for the subsequent march to proceed smoothly, he had to make preparations in advance. If he did not encounter Hao Zhao, he would at most have worked in vain, but if he did encounter Hao Zhao, he would not be flustered if he was prepared.
Fan Jiang pondered for a long time before saying, "Hao Zhao's goal is to buy time for Jieting to react, so there is no need to fight to the death. Just keep us occupied. Although I don't know where Hao Zhao will ambush us, if I were Hao Zhao, I would not stay in one place for too long. Instead, I would set up ambushes layer by layer and retreat while fighting. This would reduce the pressure a lot."
Zhang Fei smiled bitterly and said, "What I'm afraid of is his strategy of fighting and retreating at the same time. As I just said, there's a beacon tower every five li, a watchtower every ten li, a fort every thirty li, and a stockade every fifty li along the Longshan Road. Since Hao Zhao has gotten ahead of us, he can turn these stockades into positions to block us at any time. Moreover, he doesn't need to fight us to the death. He can hold out in one stockade for a day or half a day and then retreat to the next stockade, setting up ambushes and blocking attacks layer by layer. He can easily wear us down in the Longshan Road."
Imagine Hao Zhao blocking Zhang Fei in Fort No. 1, then realizing he can't hold him off any longer, he immediately retreats to Fort No. 2, then to Fort No. 3 and Fort No. 4, until he reaches Jieting...
In that case, Zhang Fei wouldn't have to do anything; he could just follow Hao Zhao around and eat dirt.
More importantly, Hao Zhao could ask Zhang He for help and get supplies from Jieting, while Zhang Fei had no source of supplies and would probably starve to death before even reaching Jieting.
The plan to cross Guanzhong into Longshan Road and then head to Jieting to intercept Zhang He was tempting, but it also presented many problems, all of which were fatal. If any one of these problems was not handled properly, the entire army could be wiped out. This feeling of dancing in front of the King of Hell was giving Zhang Fei a headache.
Fan Jiang, however, didn't concern himself with such matters. Instead, he directly posed the question to Zhang Fei, asking curiously, "General, what should we do then?"
Zhang Fei let the main army go first, while he pulled Fan Jiang to the roadside, unfolded the map and said, "This tactic of setting up ambushes and blocking attacks layer by layer is deadly to us, but it is not without a solution. You must know that the first effort is vigorous, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted."
"In other words, Hao Zhao's morale was highest when he was blocking the first line of defense, so he held out for the longest time. After retreating to the second line of defense, he would definitely hold out for less time than the first line of defense, and less time than the second line of defense."
"In theory, Hao Zhao only needs to hold each defensive line for one day to keep us firmly in check. That is to say, the holding time for each defensive line is fixed. But this is only in theory. In practice, it is not like that."
"Due to various reasons such as morale and morale, the time the defending troops held each line of defense decreased sequentially. The first line of defense was held for the longest time, and the last line was held for the shortest time. Do you understand?"
Fan Jiang was stunned for a long time, and finally shook his head helplessly, saying, "I don't understand."
Zhang Fei was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but he had to hold his nose and continue explaining: "What I mean is that Hao Zhao held the first line of defense the longest, so we naturally had the most time to react, understand?"
Fan Jiang's lips twitched for a long time, but he didn't dare to say he didn't understand. He forced himself to say, "General, just tell me what you want me to do."
Zhang Fei pointed to the map and said, "If Hao Zhao really intends to launch a series of attacks, then the first line of defense he chooses will not be too far back. I bet his first line of defense is definitely here."
After speaking, he tapped a point on the map with his finger. Fan Jiang followed his finger and couldn't help but exclaim, "Longban?"
Zhang Fei explained, "Longban, also known as Guanshan or Xiaolongshan, is a branch of Liupan Mountain, running north-south. The part in the Longshan Road is a slope. If Hao Zhao seizes that place, he can gain a commanding geographical advantage over us. More importantly, Longban is the closest to us, so I guess Hao Zhao is definitely in Longban now."
"I want you to select two thousand elite soldiers skilled in rock climbing to enter the Qinling Mountains, then cross the mountains and ridges to circle around to Hao Zhao's rear, and set up a defensive line at Fenshuiyi or Maluzhai to intercept Hao Zhao. After intercepting him, set up a position and wait for me to come and attack from both sides."
"We must block Hao Zhao and annihilate him between Longban and Maluzhai, then rush to Jieting as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if Hao Zhao manages to easily retreat to Jieting after layers of obstruction, we're doomed."
Fan Jiang hesitated and said, "General, you are wise, but I am not familiar with the terrain of the Qinling Mountains and I am afraid of getting lost."
Zhang Fei teased, "Don't worry, before leaving Dazhen Pass, Huang Zhizhong went to a nearby village to find a few hunters. Hao Zhao must have been led by a local hunter to get ahead of us. If the hunters can lead him there, they can certainly lead you there too."
"This concerns the life and death of our 20,000 troops and the success or failure of annihilating Zhang He, so you must get it done for me. If you succeed, you will be promoted three ranks. If you fail, you don't need to come back. Just die there. Do you want to do it or not? If you don't, I'll find someone else."
A promotion of three ranks?
Fan Jiang's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "General, rest assured, I have been climbing cliffs and raiding bird nests since I was old enough to understand things. The Qinling Mountains are nothing to me. I will definitely arrive at Fenshuiyi or Maluzhai on time to intercept Hao Zhao."
After saying this, he clasped his hands in a bow, turned and left. Soon after, he led two thousand skilled rock climbers and guides and ropes into the Qinling Mountains.