The battle lasted from night to dawn, and Yan Xing's 20,000 soldiers were completely wiped out. The Di people obtained countless supplies and weapons, and the whole tribe rejoiced.
Ah Gui was so happy that he almost danced with joy, and was extremely grateful to Xu Shu: "We Di people have never fought such a prosperous war!"
Xu Shu said: "It is too early to be happy now. Han Sui will definitely lead his troops to attack us upon hearing the news. We must be prepared early."
Ma Chao laughed and said, "With the military advisor's arrangement, my brothers and I are fighting. Even if we kill our way to Jincheng, old Han Sui will not be able to stop us."
Xu Shu said, "Han Sui has surrendered to Cao. Our army, together with Cao's army, has a total of 100,000 soldiers. We must not be careless! We are only trying to break through the siege this time. It is not the time to seek revenge yet. Remember that arrogant soldiers will be defeated!"
Ma Chao laughed and said, "I am just talking nonsense. I will follow the military advisor's orders."
Xu Shu said, "Han Sui has come out in full force, with tens of thousands of troops entering Longxi. I believe that the lord must have heard the news and will definitely send troops to help. The Xiliang army is already frightened, so you can just hold on and wait for help."
Ma Chao asked: "Where should we station our troops now?"
"Still at White Fox Ridge!" Xu Shu said with a smile, "The Xiliang army is afraid of your bravery, so they just set up a false formation to delay the advance. You all just need to conserve your energy and wait for reinforcements to arrive, then it will be time to counterattack."
Everyone took the order and followed Xu Shu to Baihu Ridge, where they replanned and deployed the camp, built trenches against the mountain, constructed outposts and camps in the mountain, and deployed defenses to wait for reinforcements.
…
At this time, Liu Qi had already sent troops from Hanzhong, leaving Wei Yan, Fa Zheng, Li Yan and others to guard Hanzhong, waiting for an opportunity to advance to Guanzhong.
He led a large army to Wudu and stationed troops in Xiabian, and sent Zhao Yun to Da Zhong to support Ma Chao, and was preparing to march towards Qishan.
Suddenly, Yang Qianwan, the leader of the Di people in Wudu, came to report that the Western Liang army, Cao army, and Qiang soldiers entered Longxi together, set up numerous defense lines along the Tao River, and surrounded Ma Chao and others.
Liu Qi was shocked and said, "Han Sui has made such a big move, it seems that he wants to kill Ma Chao."
Pang Tong laughed and said, "This shows that Ma Chao has a very high prestige in Xiliang. If we let him escape, it would be like letting a tiger go back to the mountains. Han Sui and his men will never have peace again!"
Liu Qi said: "Han Sui has joined forces with Cao's army and more than 100,000 Qiang soldiers to Longxi. Why not change our strategy and first take Longxi to defeat Han Sui, then go to Qishan to take Hanyang. What do you think, military advisor?"
Pang Tong nodded and said, "My lord, what you said coincides with mine. Since Dong Zhuo, Han Sui and Ma Teng have been the leaders of Xiliang. Now Han Sui has come out in full force. If we can destroy him in Longxi in one fell swoop, and then help Ma Chao raise an army to counterattack Xiliang, then the battle for Hexi will be settled!"
Liu Qi said: "If Han Sui was in Jincheng, we would not be able to do anything to him for the time being. Now we are eager to pursue the enemy. How can we miss this God-given opportunity? So let the military advisor take Qishan to contain Cao's army, and I will go to Longxi to destroy Han Sui, rescue Ma Chao, and then divide the troops to take Xiliang directly."
Pang Tong also knew that in order to subdue Ma Chao, Liu Qi had to go in person, and the Qishan army also needed to cooperate with Hanzhong, so he asked Zhang Fei to accompany Liu Qi.
After the discussion, Liu Qi appointed Yu Jin as the general, Pang Tong as the military advisor, and Zhang He, Wu Yi and other generals to take Qishan and prepare to attack Tianshui.
He divided his troops into two groups, with Zhang Ren as the vanguard and Yang Qianwan as the guide, and went to Da Zhong to meet Zhao Yun.
Dazhong is located in the lower reaches of the Bailong River. Going eastward along the river, you can protect Wudu and Hanzhong, going westward you can enter the Tao River, and advancing you can occupy the Weishui River and attack Tianshui.
This is a basin with abundant water resources, vast fields, and is connected to the Yinping Ancient Road. No wonder Jiang Wei chose to set up military farm here.
Liu Qi met up with Zhao Yun, but was at a loss as to how to deal with the battle in Longxi. Several armies of Cao's army had blocked the territory and were gathering in the area of Fuhuan, so the specific situation was unknown.
Yang Qianwan was surprised and said, "The Di King only has 5,000 soldiers at most, and the Xiliang Army has dispatched 100,000 soldiers. I'm afraid they have already..."
Liu Qi shook his head and said, "If Ma Chao was defeated, Han Sui would have already withdrawn his troops and continued to send more troops to encircle and suppress him, which shows that the war is not over yet."
Zhao Yun said: "All the princes of Xiliang have arrived in Longxi. Cao's army and Qiang soldiers are also helping. The situation is complicated. I don't know who is helping Ma Chao."
Liu Qi frowned slightly: "The entire Longxi County has become a mess!"
Zhang Fei clasped his fists and said, "I only need 10,000 elite soldiers to lift the siege of Fuhan."
Liu Qi said: "The situation in Longxi is unclear, so we should not move rashly."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "I have heard of Xiliang Jin Ma Chao for a long time. Now he is in dire straits, I must help him."
Liu Qi said: "This time we are sending troops to destroy Han Sui in one fell swoop. Ma Chao has Xu Yuanzhi's help, so he can protect himself. It is not difficult to save him. I am afraid that Han Sui will see that the situation is not good and flee back to Jincheng. It will be difficult to capture him again."
Zhang Fei clasped his fists and said, "My lord, rest assured. I, Zhang Fei, will go out and get the head of old Han Sui back. Let's see how he returns to Jincheng."
Everyone laughed. Zhang Ren thought for a moment and offered a suggestion: "Han Sui is eager to get rid of Ma Chao, and has deployed a large number of troops along the Tao River. All the troops are gathering at Fuhan. The area north of the Tao River must be empty. Why not divide the troops and launch a surprise attack on Didao to cut off their route back?"
"This is also a strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao!" Liu Qi's eyes lit up and he nodded, "If we take Didao, the Xiliang army will be in chaos. Does Chief Yang know the way?"
Yang Qianwan replied: "From the north of Tao River, you can go from Zhang County to the source of Wei River and enter Didao from Baishi Mountain, but the road is difficult to travel over mountains and ridges, and I am afraid that it will be difficult for carriages and horses to pass."
Liu Qi said with a smile: "I have 5,000 Ba warriors who can cross mountains and ridges as if they were walking on flat ground. Do you dare to take on the task, Wang Ping?"
Wang Ping was overjoyed and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will definitely take Didao and cut off their way back."
Liu Qi ordered Yang Qianwan to select a thousand Di people and launch a surprise attack on Didao from the north with Wang Ping. The rest of the troops marched towards Lintao and took Fuhan from the south of Taohe River to attract the attention of the Western Liang army.
Han Sui knew that Ma Teng and his son were on good terms with Liu Qi. When he heard that Ma Chao had fled to Longxi, he set up an army in Lintao to block the way south.
When Zhang Heng, the defender of Lintao, learned that Liu Qi had taken Wudu, he had already sent troops to keep a close watch. When he heard that Liu Qi was coming in person with a large army, he hurried to report to Han Sui.
When Liu Qi's troops reached Taoshui, Han Sui sent Youhan and Liang Xing to help, with a total of 30,000 troops.
When the scouts reported the news, Zhang Ren said, "Han Sui must be afraid of our lord's reputation, so he sent two commanders to support us. If we can take Lintao, the Xiliang army will be panicked."
Liu Qi sneered and said, "The Xiliang army may seem to have a large number of people, but in fact they are a mob with no leadership over each other. We can use some tricks to defeat them."
When Ma Chao raised an army to seek revenge, he and Han Sui had ten armies, all of whom were heroes from Xiliang. After Ma Chao was defeated and retreated to Xiliang, these people were lured away by Han Sui and surrendered to Cao.
Zhang Ren clasped his fists and said, "The enemy troops are coming from the north and south of the Tao River. I am willing to lead an army to attack the northern route. You can meet the enemy in the south of the Tao River. After defeating the enemy, the troops from the north and south will advance, and the enemy will surely be in chaos."
"This is a great plan!" Liu Qi was delighted. Zhang Ren was indeed a great general who was both civil and military. He felt more trustworthy leading the troops alone than Zhao Yun.
He immediately ordered Zhang Ren and Liu Xian to lead 5,000 troops to meet the enemy on the north road of Tao River, and he himself led the main army to Lintao. This place was originally the seat of the southern commandery of Longxi, but due to the decline of the imperial court, it had long been abandoned and occupied by the Qiang people.
Everyone was lamenting the decline of the imperial court and reminiscing about the former might of the Han Dynasty, when it dominated the Western Regions. Then a scout came to report that the defending general Zhang Heng had led his troops out of the city to resist the enemy.
Zhang Fei was furious and said, "How could such a scum come out of the Zhang family? I will get rid of him myself!"