Chapter 40: What’s the Difference Between a Life Without Progress and Being a Couch Potato?

Inside the Konghan Valley, Jiang Wei had been marching his troops for a full day and night, penetrating twenty to thirty miles deep. At dusk, scouts reported that Zhuge Xu had already led approximately thirty thousand Wei soldiers to leave the Yinping Bridgehead and head north, preparing to intercept them within the Konghan Valley.

When the main army departed, their defenses were bound to be vacant. At this very moment, within the gate tower at the Yinping Bridgehead, there were merely five hundred soldiers stationed!

Hearing this news, Jiang Wei finally smiled, and the heavy stone in his heart was finally set at rest.

Mere Zhuge Xu was nothing more than a foe to be defeated in a single clash. Although he shared the surname Zhuge, he had not inherited even a shred of the Prime Minister's wisdom.

Jiang Wei could not help but silently吐槽 (吐槽) Zhuge Xu in his heart.

"Pass my military order: fall back to Yinping!"

Jiang Wei commanded Xiang Chong.

Huh?

Military Advisor Xiang Chong was shocked into speechlessness.

"Great General, if we turn back now, our movements will certainly not escape Zhuge Xu's scouts. By then, Zhuge Xu will also lead his forces back to Yinping. If we retreat and Zhuge Xu retreats as well, wouldn't we be facing each other in a direct showdown once again?

When we arrive at the Yinping Bridgehead, our men and horses will be exhausted, while the Wei army rests and recuperates within the gate tower of the Yinping Bridgehead. When Deng Ai's pursuing forces arrive by then, how shall we fend them off?

Zhuge Xu departed later than us, but upon returning, he will surely arrive first! I beg the Great General to think twice!"

Xiang Chong raised his hand to block Jiang Wei's path, preventing him from advancing, his tone and expression severe and stern.

He had to be anxious; a single careless mistake this time would result in the annihilation of the entire army!

"Since they departed later, we shall simply move faster!"

Jiang Wei shouted sternly, drew his sword, and brushed aside Xiang Chong's arm.

"Accelerate the march! Reach the destination first and live, arrive late and die! Abandon the heavy baggage and make the soldiers run!"

Jiang Wei took the lead and charged straight to the front, already accelerating. He completely ignored Xiang Chong, who was left stunned and stupefied.

Trot, trot, trot! Trot, trot, trot! Trot, trot, trot!

The sound of footsteps grew hurried, figures swaying in the setting sun as they headed south. The sun gradually sank into the mountains, staining the verdant mountain forests red, and the sky grew dim.

A few hours later, the news that the elite Shu forces led by Jiang Wei had turned back once more was detected by Wei scouts, who then anxiously delivered the report to Zhuge Xu.

The generals in the army were worried to the point of madness, yet Zhuge Xu declared: Jiang Wei is deceitful in warfare. If we march through the night, we might encounter a night raid. To suffer a night raid within this valley road would mean peeling off a layer of skin even if we survive. It is better to rest for the night and move out after dawn tomorrow.

At this critical juncture, Zhuge Xu was still dawdling like an old man who had just gotten out of bed, and the generals instantly grew restless.

A deputy general asked Zhuge Xu: If Jiang Wei arrives at the Yinping Bridgehead first, there are only five hundred weak Wei soldiers stationed there, completely incapable of holding the ground. What shall we do if Jiang Wei escapes in the end?

Zhuge Xu replied: Jiang Wei cannot possibly arrive first, because we departed later and covered a shorter distance than the Shu army.

Even if we rest for the night, it is certain that we will be the ones to return first. You must not have studied the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art well enough; you ought to take some remedial lessons.

Zhuge Xu remained calm and composed.

Since the commanding general had spoken thus, the others could say no more. The Wei army had no choice but to rest for the night within the mountain valley road, and marched at a leisurely pace only after dawn the next day.

As a result, along the way the army straggled and had to stop to reform their ranks, and then soldiers suffered from heatstroke and needed rest, dragging out the time by a full two days before Zhuge Xu finally returned to the Yinping Bridgehead.

When they reached Yinping, they saw the gates of the gate tower wide open, the chevaux-de-frise long since moved aside, and corpses scattered everywhere within the fortress.

Even if one claimed that wild elephants from the south of colorful clouds had rampaged here, people would still believe it.

In this scene, whether Jiang Wei had come here or not went without saying. The Shu forces, eager to pass through the Yinping Bridgehead, had naturally slipped away long ago, vanishing without a trace.

Zhuge Xu managed to maintain a straight face, but the other generals were not as optimistic as he; each and every one of them looked as though their parents had died, feeling that catastrophe was imminent!

Several hours after Zhuge Xu led his troops back to the Yinping Bridgehead, Deng Ai arrived with his pursuing forces. Looking at the utter devastation before him, this commander of the Northwest Army seemed to understand something.

Deng Ai led his subordinate generals and several commandery administrators of the northwest borderlands into the gate tower of the Yinping Bridgehead, only to see Zhuge Xu leading his men out to welcome them.

Upon meeting, the grey-bearded Deng Ai looked at Zhuge Xu and sternly demanded, "Where is Jiang Wei?"

Where had Jiang Wei gone?

Deng Ai's question was difficult for Zhuge Xu to answer, and even asking it felt awkward.

Zhuge Xu could only sigh helplessly and said: "Jiang Wei is cunning. Seeing that the Yinping Bridgehead was occupied by our forces, he led his troops north into the Konghan Valley road. Thus, I also led my troops north, intending to block him. Who would have expected Jiang Wei to turn back halfway, and in the end I..."

Grief and remorse mingled on Zhuge Xu's face; he looked as though he wished to find a pillar to dash his brains out against, though his heart remained utterly undisturbed.

Hearing this, Deng Ai looked at Zhuge Xu with the gaze one might reserve for a mentally disabled person at a mountain pass. The generals beside Deng Ai exchanged glances, unable to believe that such a blockhead existed among the commanding generals of the army.

"Why did you not defend the Yinping Bridgehead to the death? Jiang Wei was at the end of his tether; how could he possibly have passed this strategic pass?"

Deng Ai asked, his expression sullen and on the verge of eruption.

Zhuge Xu sighed and said: "He suddenly led his troops north toward the Konghan Valley road, and I was simply afraid he would bypass the Yinping Bridgehead and flee, so I went into the valley road to block him."

Deng Ai asked again: "The Konghan Valley road is so narrow, how could they possibly bypass it through there?"

"How could they not bypass it? Jiang Wei did bypass it, and tens of thousands of officers and men under my command witnessed it."

Zhuge Xu retorted.

"Since they bypassed it, could you not pursue them? Could an exhausted Jiang Wei run faster than your men?"

Deng Ai asked again, clenching his fists tightly as his temper flared up.

It looked as though he was about to pounce forward at any moment and give Zhuge Xu a sound beating to vent his frustration!

"Weren't you always pursuing him? Did you catch him, then?"

Zhuge Xu fired back, stabbing straight at Deng Ai's sore spot.

Hearing this, Deng Ai immediately fell silent; he had no desire to argue with an utter fool.

Neither commander had authority over the other, and their conversation was like chickens talking to ducks, so they parted on bad terms immediately. The two armies set up separate camps at the Yinping Bridgehead, failing to coordinate military affairs and maintaining a clear boundary between them.

Clearly, Deng Ai could not possibly let Zhuge Xu off the hook. He would certainly submit a confidential report to Sima Zhao, claiming that Jiang Wei had been deliberately let go by Zhuge Xu. Meanwhile, Zhuge Xu, with a guilty conscience, would also surely write a letter to Sima Zhao to report on the military situation, state the pros and cons, and defend himself.

It was hard to say who would win the blame game between the two sides, but the fact that Jiang Wei had already fled was set in stone.

How to deal with Jiang Wei and this elite Shu army under his command was truly a major problem for Deng Ai and the others. Upon returning to their camps, both Zhuge Xu and Deng Ai pondered how to fight the ensuing battles.

Just as Zhuge Xu was being played for a fool by Jiang Wei, reinforcements from the Shu side arrived.

On his way to Yang'an Pass, Jiang Wei encountered Liao Hua—sent by Liu Zhan to reinforce Yinping—along with his several thousand troops. Upon learning that the Yinping Bridgehead had fallen and that the Wei army from Longyou was heading south to Yinping, Liao Hua did not hesitate. He joined forces with Jiang Wei and marched together toward Yang'an Pass.

Soon, the advance scouts of the Shu army came to report that Yang'an Pass had fallen, and Wei scouts could be seen everywhere. Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei could only feel helpless.

With Yang'an Pass lost, Hanzhong was lost as well. Seeing that nothing more could be done, Jiang Wei, after conferring with Liao Hua and other generals, had no choice but to lead the elite Shu army into the nearest Baoshui Pass.

Considering the rugged mountain roads, the sparse grain reserves within the mountain passes, and the weak national strength of Shu, Jiang Wei felt that if they defended this place, once grain and fodder could not be delivered from the rear, Zhong Hui wouldn't even need to make a move; the defending Shu soldiers would starve to death.

Furthermore, Baoshui Pass was a small city incapable of accommodating a massive force, and defense here required methods of "splitting forces to hold strategic points, resisting level by level, and deploying multiple lines of ambush." With the Shu army newly defeated and Hanzhong lost, public morale was unstable; once forces were divided, it would be difficult to guarantee that another "progressive individual" would not emerge.

Jiang Shu was a living example.

Thus, Jiang Wei had no choice but to lead all the Shu troops to continue marching south, retreating to Hanshou, and after weighing the pros and cons, retreating once more from Hanshou to Jiange!

Jiange was the final mountain pass for entering Shu from the east, and further west lay the Chengdu Plain. For Jiang Wei, having grain and fodder from Chengdu delivered safely and efficiently to Jiange posed absolutely no problem whatsoever.

Although this battle line was the final defense line of the Shu state, it was also the most solid and secure one.

Jiang Wei was determined to block the main force of more than one hundred thousand Wei soldiers led by Zhong Hui right here, preventing even a single soldier or horse from passing through Jiange!

Soon, acting on Liu Zhao's orders, Zhang Yi and Dong Jue, who had come from the south to reinforce Yang'an Pass, also arrived at Jiange with their own troops. The main force of the Shu army was concentrated, and its military strength grew formidable once more.

Defeating Zhong Hui might be difficult, but defending Jiange was as easy as turning over one's hand.

Jiange possessed perilous terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its majestic fortifications were naturally formed, and coupled with its relative proximity to Chengdu, elite troops had gathered here.

Therefore, Jiang Wei made up his mind to stem the main force of the Wei army here and give Zhong Hui a severe lesson.

The movements of the Shu army could naturally not be concealed from Zhong Hui, who sent out scouts every day to gather intelligence on the military situation!

Upon learning that Baoshui Pass had been abandoned overnight, leaving not a soul behind, Zhong Hui was overjoyed and sent troops to occupy Baoshui Pass.

Subsequently, Jiang Wei abandoned Hanshou and continued to retreat, and Zhong Hui followed by leading his troops to occupy Hanshou. In the end, the two armies stood in a standoff at Jiange, engaging in combat with a tacit mutual understanding.

It was hard to know what Zhong Hui was truly thinking; perhaps out of admiration for Jiang Wei's character and ability, or perhaps merely as a psychological offensive, he actually wrote a warm and glowing letter of persuasion to surrender to Jiang Wei.

The letter of persuasion went as follows: Your Excellency possesses both civil and military genius, surpassing worldly strategy. Your achievements are renowned in Ba and Han, your reputation spreads across China, and you are admired far and near. Whenever I reminisce about the past, we served the same court and bathed in the civilizing influence of the great Wei (Jiang Wei had once served as an officer in the Wei army); the friendship of Ji Zha of Wu and Zi Chan of Zheng can be used to metaphorically describe our relationship.

This letter was written quite brazenly, without the slightest hesitation in expressing reverence for Jiang Wei, and hoped that Jiang Wei would surrender and serve alongside him in the court of Wei.

However, Zhong Hui's warm face met a cold reception. After this letter was delivered to Jiange, Jiang Wei read it and left it unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Anyone on the outside could tell that Jiang Wei seemed somewhat disinclined to think much of Zhong Hui.

...

Deng Ai had been closely monitoring the developments on the front lines.

To be fair, Deng Ai was a formidable commander in battle, and he also saw clearly that it was utterly impossible for Zhong Hui to break through Jiange!

To breach Jiange, one could only wait for Jiang Wei to surrender; apart from that, there was simply no other way.

Therefore, to enter Shu, one had to resort to a surprise maneuver.

Late at night, Deng Ai was still studying the map when a small path—lying somewhere between "possible to traverse" and "impossible to traverse"—caught his attention.

Jiang Wei had abandoned Baoshui Pass, and Baoshui Pass was the three-way junction connecting the Yinping Bridgehead, Yang'an Pass, and Jiange. Clearly, if Baoshui Pass were still in Jiang Wei's hands, the Shu army could theoretically launch a counteroffensive against Yinping.

In terms of strength, the Shu army under Jiang Wei's command was not incapable of fighting a battle here.

Around Yinping, there were numerous paths that could bypass Jiange and lead directly to Fucheng. Since Baoshui Pass had been secured, the Wei army could march along the small path without fear of Jiang Wei seizing the Yinping Bridgehead from behind.

Therefore, once this route was successfully traversed, they would... win!

Deng Ai's heart instantly grew fiery; he saw the flaw in the defensive perimeter of the Shu army!

As well as the opportune moment to dispatch his troops!

"I have already passed my sexagenarian years; time is short. If I do not strive now, my life will pass in mediocrity, bringing shame upon my ancestors."

Deng Ai sat before the desk in his military tent and let out a long sigh. He made a crucial decision in his heart.