After Liu Qi defeated Meng Da, he had no good plan to advance for a while, and the two armies confronted each other for several months. In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year. In order to avoid the cold, a row of earthen houses were even built on the top of Taibai Mountain.
One day, Fa Zheng came back from visiting Meng Da's tomb and asked Liu Qi and Ma Liang to discuss the military situation. "Although I went to visit the tomb these days, I actually went to check the surrounding terrain. The Baoxia Valley is steep and the rapids are swift. It is only possible to travel on the plank road! Now it is midwinter. The Baoshui River and the Xiashui River are frozen into ice. We can cross the valley. I have thought of a plan to ensure that Cao's army is completely destroyed and Xiahou Yuan and Xun You are buried here."
Liu Qi asked hurriedly: "What's the plan?"
Fa Zheng said, "I have sent out troops from several directions. It will be easy for Ma Chao to pacify Xiliang. Pang Shiyuan has also trapped Wei Kang in Jicheng. The outcome is clear! There are still two surprise troops that have not been deployed. Wei Yan will go out of Ziwu Valley and Zhang Fei will attack Lantian Pass. If any of these four troops enter Guanzhong, Xiahou Yuan will abandon Jigu Valley and retreat after hearing the news."
Ma Liangyan said, "Sir, do you mean to wait for Cao's army to retreat and then follow and kill them?"
Fa Zheng shook his head and said, "Xiahou Yuan is a famous general of Cao Wei after all, and he has Xun You as his strategist. Even if we withdraw our troops, we must be prepared. How can we completely destroy his army by chasing and killing him? It is better to remove the firewood from under the cauldron than to try to stop the boiling water by adding more water to it!"
Liu Qi's heart moved, and he asked in surprise, "Sir, are you going to burn down the Xiegu plank road?"
"That's right!" Fa Zheng nodded slowly and said, "Once the plank road is cut off, Xiahou Yuan can't come back to help. Guanzhong is without a master. Who can stop the bravery of Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Zhang Fei? Cao's army is cut off from food and grass. Even if you don't have to send troops, you can capture and kill Xiahou Yuan."
Ma Liang frowned and said, "The plank roads around Jigu are connected for more than a hundred miles. It is dry in winter. Once burned, it will be extremely difficult to repair. It may take three to five years to complete. Although we can cut off Cao's army's route back, we cannot advance and have to retreat to Hanzhong. Isn't that a waste of all our efforts?"
Liu Qi frowned, also worried about this matter. When Zhao Yun retreated, he burned the plank roads in this area. Although it blocked Cao's army, it even angered Cao Zhen to death.
However, this move hurt others and did not benefit himself, as it resulted in Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition being unable to take the Baoxiade Road. He returned empty-handed after being defended by Hao Zhao on the Chencang Road. He went to Qishan for the sixth time and met Sima Yi, his greatest enemy in his life. He finally left Wuzhangyuan with regret, leaving behind a sigh for all eternity.
Fa Zheng said with a smile, "Why do we need the lord to come in person to take Guanzhong? We only need to trap Xiahou Yuan to death in Xiegu. Guanzhong will be without a master and Cao's army will be in chaos. You can appoint Zilong as the general, Ma Chao as his deputy, and Pang Shiyuan as your strategist, and Zhang and Wei as your supporters. Wouldn't it be easy to take Guanzhong? The lord can withdraw his troops from Hanzhong and go straight back to Nanyang, advance to Funiu Mountain at Danshui, and take Luoyang at Hangu Pass, and cooperate with General Guan from afar. Once the two capitals are taken, the great cause will be accomplished and the Han Dynasty can be revived!"
"Great, great, great!" Liu Qi suddenly realized what was going on and clapped his hands in praise, "Several routes have been reporting victories, the advantage is on my side!"
Fa Zheng was not afraid to sacrifice his own interests in this plan. It was indeed cruel and ruthless, and he deserved the title of a devilish scheme!
Everyone is worried about what will happen next, so they are hesitant, but in the long run, it is still beneficial to one's side.
In fact, as long as he could hold back Xiahou Yuan, the battle of Guanzhong would be won. Who could stop the attack of Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Zhang Fei and Wei Yan
There are also generals such as Zhang He, Yu Jin, Zhang Ren, and a Fengchu. Even if Cao Cao came in person, he would have shaken his head.
After much thought, he realized that he had brought two veteran generals, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan, and by chance he had played the right chess game.
This situation was somewhat like Tian Ji's horse racing, except that the inferior horses in his hands were better than the superior horses of Cao's army, and the Cao army was just barely surviving.
Ma Liang shook his head and sighed, "Sir, your words can be said to have awakened me from my dream. I am in the middle of the situation and cannot see the overall situation. I admire you!"
Fa Zheng sighed, "If Meng Da had not been beheaded, I would have wanted to transport his body back to Hanzhong for burial. This is when I suddenly had this inspiration. Now he is buried on the top of Qinling Mountains. If he could witness this great victory, it would be enough to comfort his heroic spirit!"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "In the past, Emperor Gaozu revived the Han Dynasty by following Zhang Liang's plan, openly burning the plank road and secretly passing through Chencang, and taking Guanzhong by surprise to conquer the world. Now, using your plan, openly taking Chencang and secretly burning the plank road, Guanzhong can be conquered in one battle. Isn't this God's will?"
Fa Zheng said: "However, the Chiya Plank Road is the lifeline of Cao's army. It must be heavily guarded. We must not move out easily, so as not to alert the enemy. We need to use the strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. We must first deal with them and make them let down their guard, and then burn it down with lightning speed. Cao's army will surely be in chaos."
Liu Qi was confident of victory at this time, and felt relieved. He said with a smile: "Since Xun You has strategies, why not compete with him in wits?"
Fa Zheng nodded and said, "There are two roads in Jigu that lead to Guanzhong. The plank road in Xiegu leads to Wuzhangyuan, and there is another small road that crosses Taibai Mountain and leads to Chencang. I think with Xun You's wisdom, he must have soldiers guarding the place to prevent surprise attacks. We can use his tricks to slow him down."
Ma Liang said: "Just harassing Cao's army in a roundabout way may not be enough to affect Cao's army. We need to engage them head-on. If we can lure the enemy deep into our territory, we can succeed by using both false and real tactics."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "Xiahou Yuan is an impetuous person who relies on his courage but lacks strategy. Although he has Xun You as his military advisor, if we provoke his anger and help him succeed, we can make him think he has a good plan and alienate the two of them, and then we will succeed."
Fa Zheng thought for a moment and said, "I have a plan to turn the tables. We can set up camp at the foot of the mountain. If Cao's army doesn't dare to fight, we can move forward and advance step by step. Xiahou Yuan will surely be angry and come to fight. This will be a good opportunity to support the surprise attack. I think Xun You will fall into my trap!"
After the three men had discussed and decided, Liu Qi sent his men to the tent and said, "Cao's army is now guarding Jigu, and the troops cannot advance. I want to advance step by step, approach the enemy camp, and force Xiahou Yuan to fight. What do you think?"
Huang Zhong clasped his fists and said, "I and Xiahou Yuan have been evenly matched so far. I am willing to be the vanguard and lure him into a fight."
Liu Qi ordered Huang Zhong to divide his troops and march down the mountain that day, setting up a camp at the foot of the mountain to see how Cao's army would react.
He left Yan Yan alone and asked, "It is difficult to determine the outcome of a head-on confrontation. I want to launch a surprise attack from a small road. There is a small road in Taibai Mountain that leads to Chencang. Does the general have anyone to recommend?"
Yan Yan smiled and said, "My lord, why do you need to choose someone else? I am willing to go!"
Liu Qi shook his head and said, "General Yan is known to Cao's army. If he leaves the camp, Xiahou Yuan will be suspicious. We need to select another general from the army. However, the mountains ahead are steep, so it is best to select someone who is good at climbing and wading. It's a pity that Wang Ping is not here, otherwise the Bantun Army would be the most suitable. I wonder if there are any officers in Baxi that can be used?"
Yan Yan clasped his fists and said, "I have a captain under my command. His surname is Zhang, his name is Yi, and his courtesy name is Boqi. He is from Nanchong, Baxi. He is similar to the Ba people. He is a brave man and good at mountain hiking. He can take on this task."
"Okay, okay, transfer Zhang Yi here quickly!"
Liu Qi was overjoyed. Isn't this the general of the later Wu Dang Flying Army? He didn't expect that he was already in the army.
Soon, a young man with a dark complexion, a resolute face and a strong body came into the tent. Although he seemed a little nervous, he still saluted calmly.
Liu Qi said, "There is a small path in Taibai Mountain to the northwest of Jigu that leads to Chencang, but the road is dangerous. Do you dare to lead the troops there?"
Zhang Yi clasped his fists and said, "If the lord has any order, I will fight to the death!"