The Qinling Mountains are a natural moat that not only protects Hanzhong, but also protects the northwest.
The three armies have not moved, food and grass have gone first, plus the baggage and equipment. If there is not a clear road available, the soldiers and horses will not be able to cross the Qinling Mountains. This is a natural chasm with no shortcuts.
"You should have guessed the purpose of my trip." After a moment of silence, Qining finally said: "Encircling and suppressing the bandits is just a cover."
Ban Yun thought for a moment and then said: "Did the Lord intend to attack Xianyang by surprise?"
Qi Ning nodded and said: "Capture Xianyang and take advantage of the civil strife in the Northern Han Dynasty to occupy the northwest. If we cut off one of the wings of the Northern Han Dynasty, once we can control Tongguan, the Northern Han people will worry day and night, while the northwest and Qinhuai roads will be It was like a pair of pliers holding Beihan in the middle."
"Xiaguan understands." Ban Yun said: "Actually, Xiaguan has also had this idea. Once the northwest is empty, we can take advantage of the opportunity to go north, but this plan is too risky. Although Xiaguan knows that they are setting up a narrow road, There are checkpoints, but they are not sure whether they have an ambush in the narrow passage. The four passages are dangerous. When walking through the narrow passage, as long as there are ambushes on both sides, there is only one result, and that is the annihilation of the entire army. And even if After passing through the Qinling Mountains, it is still unknown whether they can reach the city and quickly capture Xianyang before the Northern Han people find out. Xianyang City is the largest city in the northwest and is extremely strong. Once the opponent is prepared and cannot capture it in a short time, then wait Ours will be catastrophic.”
Qi Ning nodded slightly and said: "To conquer Xianyang, there are three conditions. The first is to pass through the Qinling Mountains, the second is to control Tongguan, and the third is to break the city quickly by surprise. If there is a problem with one of the three, this operation will be over. Declare failure.”
"What Sir Alex said is absolutely true." Ban Yun was thoughtful, thought for a while, and then said: "Sir Sir, what we have to consider now is how to pass through the Northern Han people's checkpoints. Although their checkpoints are very simple, We just built a stone wall in the narrow passage, but it is not easy to attack by force. Moreover, once we launch a strong attack, they will definitely send a signal to Xianyang quickly. Once Xianyang is prepared, it will be difficult to attack the city again. sky."
The sky had darkened and the hall was a little dim. Ban Yun personally lit the lamp. Qining sat under the lamp in silence for a long time. Finally, he stood up, stretched and asked with a smile: "Prefect Ban, I heard that there are beauties from Bashu. But I wonder if there are any exceptionally beautiful girls in Hanzhong?"
Ban Yun was stunned, wondering why the young prince suddenly changed the topic to women
But when I think about the young Duke, it is not strange that he has some hobbies for women when he is a romantic boy. He himself is not good at this, but since the little Duke has brought it up, he can't brush it off. The young Duke was in high spirits and forced a smile: "My lordship will rest in the prefect's mansion tonight. When I get back, I will find some girls to accompany my lordship...!"
Qi Ning was startled and immediately understood that Ban Yun had misunderstood what he meant. He laughed and said: "Prefect Ban, you really misunderstood. I came to Hanzhong on an order, but I haven't done any serious work, so how can I have fun."
"What does the lord mean?"
Qi Ning leaned closer and whispered: "Didn't you say that Qu Manbao was greedy and lustful?"
Ban Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, understood, and whispered: "Sir, do you want to...?"
"You don't know something." Qi Ning whispered: "Shi Chai Bozhong, the commander of Qu Yuangu's army, went to the capital and secretly found me, intending to form an alliance with our great Chu."
Ban Yun was surprised: "Chai Bozhong? Sir, Chai Bozhong is indeed Qu Yuangu's number one adviser. This person... actually went to Jianye Capital?"
"Beitangfeng wanted to break into the pass, but he was hesitant. He was afraid that Zhongli Ao would return to rescue Luoyang. If this was the case, the northwest army under his command would not be enough for Zhongli Ao to bite the bullet." Qi Ning said with a smile: "He is only worried The other princes will decide the winner and ascend the throne and proclaim themselves emperor. Once this happens, the overall situation has been decided, and it is even more impossible for him to make a comeback, so he is eager to rush into the pass."
Ban Yun said with a smile: "When the official heard that the wind from Beitang had reached Xianyang, he knew that the civil war in the Northern Han Dynasty would start. Not long after, Qu Yuangu mobilized his troops and generals, and then transferred his troops to Tongguan. Now Qu Yuangu commanded tens of thousands of troops. The horse was stationed at Tongguan, eyeing Luoyang, but he kept his troops stationary. The subordinate was still thinking, what is the Beitang Feng waiting for, which has not moved for a long time? It turns out that he is afraid of Zhong Li'ao and wants to wait for me, Da Chu. Help him contain Zhong Liao."
"We have been planning the Northern Expedition. Since Beitang Feng has taken the initiative to request, we will naturally not refuse his kindness." Qin Ning said with a smile: "The Qinhuai Army has already gone north, and Beitang Feng's side will enter the customs soon."
"Xiaguan has spies near Tongguan. If there is any action there, we will get the news soon." Ban Yun said: "Sir, if you want to attack Xianyang, you must wait for Qu Yuangu's troops to enter the pass. Moreover, when passing through the Qinling Mountains, the troops must be divided into two groups, one to attack Xianyang, and the other to quickly attack Tongguan, and capture Tongguan before the Northern Han people react. In this way, even if Qu Yuangu gets the news and wants to Return to the army for rescue, and Tongguan is guarding it. Qu Yuangu will not be able to come back even if he wants to."
Qi Ning nodded and said: "Yes, the important thing about taking Tongguan is not Xianyang." He waved his hands and said with a smile: "Let's first find a way to cross the Qinling Mountains. Since the third prince of the Northern Han Dynasty has formed an alliance with us, we will send people there. Some gifts for good friends should be considered acceptable."
Ban Yun said with a smile: "It makes sense to reciprocate courtesy."
"Qu Manbao has a reputation for being greedy and lustful, so let's send wine and beauties to Xianyang." Qi Ning said, "It's just that I didn't bring any beauties here, so I can only choose from Hanzhong." He sighed and said : "Selecting a beautiful woman naturally can't cause trouble in the city, so I can only ask the governor of Laoban to help me find one." After thinking for a while, he asked: "Yes, does Qu Manbao have any special preferences for women?"
Ban Yun shook his head and said: "I don't know about this subordinate, but...it is said that Qu Manbao was doing all kinds of things in Xianyang. Although many cardamom girls were killed by him, he also didn't let go of many beautiful married women. There is a rumor that Qu Yuan There was an aide under Gu who had a very beautiful wife. Qu Manbao fell in love with that woman. A group of people broke into the house in the middle of the night and took the woman back to Qu Manbao's house. They tortured her for three days and then let her go. , the woman committed suicide by hanging from a beam, and the staff member also disappeared silently. This matter spread widely and many people knew about it."
Qi Ning nodded slightly and said: "Then you should select eight beauties as soon as possible, four beautiful girls, and four charming women. When the time comes, you will use them to help pass the test."
Ban Yun cupped his hands and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. It's not difficult to select eight beauties quietly. I will arrange someone to do it immediately." He added: "Xiaoguan likes to drink on weekdays. Is there any money left in the house?" It’s a waste of good wine, and it comes in handy this time.”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Don't worry, you bring out a jar of wine, and I will return ten jars to you later. I guarantee that the wine will not be inferior to yours."
The Daba Mountains stretch for five hundred miles from east to west, so they are called Qianliba Mountains. They are also the watershed of the Jialing River and the Han River. The entire Daba Mountains are composed of Micang Mountain, Daba Mountain, Dashenongjia, Wudang Mountain and Jingshan Mountain.
Daba Mountain is steep and has many peaks, caves and underground rivers. When the world is in turmoil, fierce bandits from the Hanzhong generation often gather in Daba Mountain, using Bashan as their root, burning, killing and looting everywhere.
This is of course because there are enough water sources and prey on Daba Mountain to survive. More importantly, the terrain of Daba Mountain is steep and difficult to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the officers and soldiers are encircled and suppressed, once they hide in Daba Mountain, it will be difficult for the officers and soldiers to suppress the bandits.
After Ban Yun was transferred to the prefect of Hanzhong, he spent two years wiping out some violent bandits and bandits in Hanzhong. Since then, the entire Hanzhong has been peaceful, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and Daba Mountain has become the favorite hunting place for hunters.
Although passing the Qinling Mountains is the territory of the Northern Han Dynasty, and Hanzhong is located on the front line, people seem to have forgotten where they are, and many people even feel that there are defenders guarding the Qinling Mountains, and the Northern Han people are unable to attack. On the Hanzhong Plain, people live and work in peace and contentment. Excellent location.
But early in the morning, a group of cavalry galloped past the streets of Nanzheng City. After that, groups of officers and soldiers gathered outside the city. Some officers and soldiers even drove carriages carrying baggage out of the city. This made the people in the city feel... There was a trace of uneasiness, but soon news spread in major teahouses and restaurants in the city. It was said that a group of ruthless bandits were doing evil near Chengdu and were targeted by officers and soldiers. The group of ruthless bandits fled in a hurry and hid in Daba Mountain. Ban Taishou got After hearing the news, troops were dispatched to Daba Mountain to suppress the bandits.
After people knew the news, they quickly felt relieved.
As long as the Northern Han people don't attack, there won't be any big trouble. A few bandits escaping from the area, with a group of eunuchs sitting in charge, are certainly not something to be afraid of. There were not a few bandits who gathered in Daba Mountain back then. And they were so cruel that in the end, they were not all captured by the Ban Taishou. Some people in some restaurants even made bets on how long it would take the Ban Taishou to exterminate the bandits this time.
The officers and soldiers sent by Nanzheng left quickly. The next day, news came that soldiers and horses were also transferred from Chengdu. The two groups of officers and soldiers worked together to kill the bandits. After receiving this news, the people in the city were even more happy. Since even Chengdu has officers and soldiers sent here, there is no need to worry about the bandits doing evil in Hanzhong.
Therefore, people are accustomed to the occasional appearance of large groups of officers and soldiers on the ground in Hanzhong. They know that these officers and soldiers are here to suppress bandits. Moreover, when these officers and soldiers enter the ground in Hanzhong, the discipline is strict and they do no harm to the people wherever they go. Naturally, they will not let it happen. The people have no sense of uneasiness.
There were bandits in Daba Mountain, so the hunters naturally did not dare to go any closer, and there were indeed officers and soldiers stationed around Daba Mountain. The officers and soldiers set up camp at the foot of the mountain, as if they were going to fight a protracted war with the bandits in the mountain. Some The bold hunter saw from a distance that officers and soldiers entered the mountain every day, obviously to search for bandits. He only hoped that the officers and soldiers would wipe out the bandits as soon as possible, otherwise it would take too long and he would be unable to hunt. , there will be problems with your livelihood.