On the 10th of November, Li Wen's main force left Dasan Pass and entered the Chencang Ancient Road. On the 11th of November, Du Tong's troops went south to Tianshui and entered the Qishan Ancient Road.
It was not until the 12th of November that Li Ruzhang's troops finally arrived at Mei County. At this moment, Liu Guangguo, the governor of Shaanxi, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He wished he could personally urge Li Ruzhang's troops.
Liu Guangguo spared no effort in order to recover Hanzhong as soon as possible and resolve the crisis in Shaanxi. It just so happened that the Governor of Sichuan, Tan Xisi, was taking refuge in Xi 'an, so he temporarily entrusted the matter of Xi' an to Tan Xisi. He himself ran around to collect food for Li Ruzhang, almost searching everywhere he could go.
Many local officials were red-eyed and said, "Futai, please don't take anymore, or it will be dangerous. We won't even have food for ourselves."
However, Liu Guangguo insisted. He said that if Hanzhong was not taken back, everyone would starve to death sooner or later. It was only a matter of time. What was the use of food?
Soon enough, Liu Guangguo managed to get Li Ruzhang enough rations for his thirty thousand men to use for two months. He even sent some men to scout and gather information in Baoxian Valley and helped to store the rations to facilitate Li Ruzhang's advance. He did almost everything he could.
However, Li Ruzhang repeatedly said that he encountered danger on the way. He was supposed to arrive at Mei County on the 8th of November, but Li Ruzhang delayed it by four days.
Liu Guangguo sent six groups of people to urge Li Ruzhang to speed up the march. He was about to go into battle himself, but Li Ruzhang still went his own way. He did not pay attention to Liu Guangguo at all. He walked on his own and did not take his urging seriously.
Therefore, Liu Guangguo's anger could be imagined.
When Li Ruzhang arrived, Liu Guangguo was very angry and scolded him.
"The governor wants you to arrive at Mei County on the 8th of November and start the march! But it's already the 12th of November! You're four days late! How are you going to deal with yourself according to military law? "
Li Ruzhang did not seem to take Liu Guangguo's scolding seriously.
"It's raining and the roads are slippery and muddy. Most of our troops are cavalry and our horses are slow. If we move too fast, the horses will fall over easily. Not only will we lose our horses, we will also lose our soldiers. How do you think we should compensate for our losses?"
Liu Guangguo was very angry and said angrily, "I want to punish you for your crimes!"
Li Ruzhang sneered, "How will Liu Futai punish me? Are you Inspector Yan Sui? Or Governor Li? What authority do you have to punish me? "
Liu Guangguo was stunned, and his face turned red.
Liu Guangguo was the Shaanxi Inspector-General. According to the hierarchy, it was true that he had no authority over Li Ruzhang, not to mention that Li Ruzhang was directly under the Governor-General of the three borders, Li Wen. Only Li Wen could deal with Li Ruzhang. Liu Guangguo did not have the authority to do so.
"You … You … I want to impeach you! I will find Governor Li to impeach you! "
Li Ruzhang said indifferently, "Go ahead! However, if Governor Futai wants to impeach me, I am afraid that the people will be anxious and the morale of the army will be unstable. At that time, whether the army will be able to advance according to the Governor's orders, I, I, cannot guarantee. "
Faced with Li Ruzhang's blatant contempt and disrespect, Liu Guangguo was infuriated. However, he could not do anything to Li Ruzhang. Recovering Hanzhong depended on the cooperation of his troops. Otherwise, if the Imperial Court blamed him, he would not be able to escape his responsibility as the Inspector-General.
"You … if you cannot advance according to the Governor's orders! I will definitely impeach you! Advance quickly! Do not make any mistakes! "
Liu Guangguo was only saying that he was not afraid, but in reality, he had already admitted defeat. A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him. Now was the time to mobilize his troops, and there was no need for him to make things difficult for a general. Otherwise, his political future would be ruined.
Even if he wanted to take revenge, he would have to wait until he had recaptured Hanzhong and ensured his own safety.
Li Ruzhang had a cold smile on his face. He ordered the army to gather up the rations and then ordered Du Song to lead the vanguard troops to open up a path. He led the main force into the slanting valley from the south of Mei County and stepped onto the Baoxie Road.
However, as for speed …
From morning until evening, only two-thirds of the troops had entered the Baoxie Road. It seemed that the men and horses were so tired that they could not move at all. Liu Guangguo was so angry that he directly returned to Mei County to sleep.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Li Ruzhang did not mind and walked slowly. He was not in a hurry, but it had to be said that the road was really hard to walk. Not only was the road narrow and bumpy, it was also slippery. It was very difficult to walk, especially for the warhorses. After walking for a little more than a day, more than ten people had slipped and fallen. In the end, Li Ruzhang ordered the entire army to dismount and walk.
He himself had almost slipped and fallen.
Du Song, who was at the front, also sent news that two soldiers had broken their arms and a Marshal Horse had died. They had to be sent back.
They had only just begun to march and there were already casualties. Moreover, it was non-combat damage. How many more would they lose when they reached their destination?
These people were his foundation. He had thought about it before. If Xiao Ruxun had already established his power, he would only have a position if he brought the Yulin Army to join him. If he was alone, Xiao Ruxun would at most give face to Li Rusong and give him the position of commander-in-chief. He would not have much real power.
However, if he brought the entire army to join him, then the meaning would be different.
The army was his foundation. The Li Family's descendants knew this. They had been taught this by their father, Li Chengliang.
So he walked very slowly. He cared a lot about his subordinates.
Of course, even if he wholeheartedly served his country, it would be difficult for him to walk fast.
The same situation also happened to the main force led by Li Wen. He entered the Chencang Ancient Path a few days earlier than Li Ruzhang. It was fine for a while, but after a day, the path started to become difficult to walk. It was difficult for people to pass, not to mention the heavy carriages and horses.
It might be easier for a person and a caravan to pass, but it was even more difficult for a large army to pass.
Some of the paths were very narrow. It was extremely difficult for carriages and horses to pass. The ox-horses could not move and needed a few people to push them. There were also some places that had not been maintained for many years. They were on tenterhooks when passing, afraid that they would fall and lose their lives.
He finally understood why Cao Wei, with ten times the national power of Shu Han, could only passively defend and could not organize an effective attack.
Not only did he suffer from natural and man-made disasters, not only did the Emperor and his ministers quarrel with each other, the outer court and inner palace were not peaceful. Not only was there Xianbei in the north, Gongsun in the northeast, and Sun Quan in the southeast.
Most, most, most, most, most importantly!
This Qinling Mountain road was too difficult to walk …
The Shu Road was difficult, harder than ascending to the heavens. Li Taibai did not bully me, did not bully me!
Li Wen looked at the army that was advancing at a tortoise's pace. He felt that he finally understood how Cao Zhen felt when he was trapped in the Meridian Valley.
He could not go forward, and he was unwilling to retreat. There was no response from the heavens or the earth. The soldiers and ox-horses either died of exhaustion or fell to their deaths …
How could they fight this war?
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