According to the current situation, even if reinforcements are sent out immediately, as long as the Shu captives move south quickly enough, the two sides may collide in Hedong or Pingyang.

Whether it is Pingyang County, Linfen County, Hedong County, Wenxi County, or Jie County, they are all county towns on flat ground. What can they do to stop the iron cavalry of the Shu captives?

The governor of Hedong County is backed by a mountain, but what's the use? The Shu captives don't have to pass there.

Have you ignored the Ge thieves on Wuzhangyuan?

Sima Yi's eyes were distracted and seemed to have no focus, but his words were extremely calm:

"The best way now is to use the land west of Hexi and use the Yellow River and Luoshui River as ravines to prevent Feng Thief from crossing the water and entering Guanzhong."

(Note: Before the Western Han Dynasty acquired the Hexi Corridor, Hexi specifically refers to the area sandwiched between the Yellow River and Luoshui River. See the comments at the end of the article)

When Du Xi heard Da Sima's words, he was shocked and lost his voice:

"Wouldn't that mean handing over Hedong to Thief Feng?"

"That's better than letting Thief Feng enter Guanzhong and threaten the retreat of the Guanzhong army!"

Sima Yi's eyes began to regain clarity, and there was a hint of ruthlessness in his tone.

"Da Sima, this matter is of great importance, so we should consider it carefully."

Du Xi took another step forward and emphasized his tone, "Hedong is a large county. If it is surrendered to Feng Thief, even the Chief Sima will have a hard time explaining it in front of His Majesty!"

Sima Yi was startled and subconsciously looked at Du Xi.

His eyes were a little complicated, and finally he sighed secretly in his heart.

However, the expression on his face quickly became happy, and he nodded repeatedly:

"Zixu is right, but I failed to consider it carefully."

He pondered for a moment and then said slowly:

"I thought about it for a while and remembered that if the Shu captives want to go south from Taiyuan to Hedong, they must pass through Pingyang County. To the north of Pingyang County, there is a dangerous mountain pass called Guanjuejin Valley."

"There are dozens of miles of dangerous passes in the Guanjuejin Valley. It is a valley formed by the Fen River flowing through the mountains. It is extremely rugged and steep. There is a saying that only a powerful stork can fly over it."

"Guanjuejin Valley belongs to Xihe County to the north and Pingyang County to the south. It would be a good idea to send troops to guard here."

Du Xi was overjoyed:

"In this way, if we can really stop the Shu captives from going south, then the Great Sima will be the pillar of the Wei Dynasty's safety and stability!"

Sima Yi waved his hand, but there was no hint of joy on his face:

"What I am worried about is the Ge thieves on the opposite side. We may not be able to easily support Bingzhou. Let me think about it carefully before the Ge thieves take advantage of the opportunity."

Du Xi understood the idea and immediately excused himself.

When only Sima Yi was left in the commander's camp, Sima Yi's face suddenly became so gloomy that he felt like he was about to drip.

Yicheng is more than a thousand miles away from Pingyang County, and it takes a lot of time to mobilize troops and generals in Guanzhong.

And what about Taiyuan County?

To the south is Xihe County!

If he really wants to send a large army there, as he said before, he may not have a chance to reach Pingyang, and there is a 90% chance that he will meet Feng Thief in the east of the river.

It is certain that the troops and horses that the Shu captives raided Bingzhou must all be cavalry.

On the plains east of Hedong, they suddenly met Feng Thief's cavalry...

Sima Yi no longer dared to think about what the situation would be like.

If the reinforcements are defeated, there will be Ge thieves in front and Feng thieves behind, and the army in Guanzhong will be in danger!

But if reinforcements are not sent eastward across the river, His Majesty will definitely blame himself in the future.

After much thought, Sima Yi couldn't come up with a way to get the best of both worlds, which made him feel uneasy and restless.

At this moment, he truly understood what a dilemma was.

I don’t know whether it was because he hesitated for too long or for some other reason. This time, Da Sima of the Wei Dynasty did not show his usual decisiveness.

After three days of "careful consideration", Sima Yi began to mobilize Guanzhong troops and prepare to go to Chang'an.

Gathered with the men and horses left behind in Chang'an and crossed the river to Pingyang.

At this time, General Guan had already led his army to the north entrance of Guanjuejin Valley in Jiexiu (near Jiexiu City in later generations).

Looking at the mountains in front of him that separated Bingzhou and Sizhou, and were also the last obstacle to the southward journey to Hedong, General Guan let out a long breath.

"How is it going?"

"General, there are thieves guarding the valley in the southern section."

"Well."

General Guan nodded.

This is to be expected.

When he entered Jinyang, the Wei thieves in the south would react no matter how slow they were.

In addition, Hedong County is a large county and has been a land of grain production since ancient times. It is also an important county for Wei thieves to farm. How can the Wei thieves not pay attention to it?

"What is the specific situation of the thieves in Nanduanjin Valley? Have you found out clearly?"

"General, I heard that in order to prevent the Huns in the southern part of Puzi County from following suit, the Wei thieves gathered all the young and strong Huns and drove them into the valley."

"Then the Wei thieves personally guarded the south valley entrance as a backup, hoping to prevent our army from going south."

After hearing this, General Guan nodded slightly and asked again:

"Do you know how many Wei thieves are guarding the valley entrance?"

"I don't know."

Guan Ji pondered:

"Even in Bingzhou, there are only 5,000 people left behind. A rear area like Hedong has to support Guanzhong on the other side. It is impossible to have more than 5,000 people. I think it will be about 3,000 people..."

It's just that although Guanjuejin Valley is a Fenshui River Valley, it is narrow and difficult to navigate, and the terrain is dangerous. Thousands of people are enough to stop tens of thousands of people from moving forward. What can be done?

"Come here, let Liu Meng and Liu Bao come over to see me!"

Liu Meng and Liu Bao came over quickly: "Meet the general."

"According to what the spies reported, there are people from the southern tribes stationed in the valley to the south."

General Guan looked at the two of them with clear eyes and said slowly, "What do you think I should do?"

Liu Meng and Liu Bao had just returned, and when they heard General Guan's words, their hearts suddenly jumped!

After looking at each other, Liu Bao gritted his teeth and said:

"General, although our two tribes and the south are of the same clan, we have now returned to the righteousness, but they are working for the thieves. This can be said to be different and they are not conspiring with each other."

Liu Meng continued:

"Yes, to show our loyalty, I am willing to lead the tribe to the river valley to clear the way for the general!"

After General Guan heard this, he smiled with satisfaction and looked at the two men with deep eyes:

"Don't I know the loyalty of the two commanders? Well, I still have some barbarians on hand who came south from Yanmen and Xingxing, and I will hand them over to you now."

"When the time comes, you can force them to explore the road ahead, which will also help the tribe reduce some casualties."

Liu Meng and Liu Bao both trembled: "I thank the general!"

The general in front of him, despite his handsome appearance, his ruthless methods are beyond the comparison of ordinary people.
Chapter completed!