With Wang Ling's order, the defenders in Xiyang City were busy, and not only that, Wang Ling also mobilized the people to act together.

The soldiers were busy collecting the rolling stones and filling the sandbags, while the people were responsible for sewing the sandbags.

On the same day, a layer of stone wall was piled up outside Xiyang City, because it had just started to move, the stone wall was not high, but it was very wide, three zhang wide.

There are definitely not so many sandbags, although the sand is inexhaustible, but the sandbags are not constantly available, so Wang Ling can only lay a layer of stone walls high enough first, and then spread sandbags on the stone walls.

But on the other side, Zhuge Liang rested in Anlu County for three days, and then slowly set off on the road with the army, 50,000 soldiers and horses, Zhuge Liang stayed 10,000, and only brought 40,000 people.

Lu Xun's Jiangdong soldiers and horses were eyeing east of Xiakou, and if they learned that they were attacking Jiangxia of Wei, they were afraid that they would send troops to attack, so Zhuge Liang left 10,000 soldiers and horses down, just in case.

In the process of marching, Zhuge Liang tried his best to delay, and only marched thirty or forty miles a day.

Anlu is also the distance from Jiangling to Xiangyang from Xiyang, but the distance is only two or three hundred miles, if it is a rapid march, it can be reached in three or five days, but Zhuge Liang stubbornly dragged the time to seven days.

Seven days later, Zhuge Liang came to Xiyang.

chose a boundary to set up camp, instructed Zhang Ren and Huo Jun to set up camp and arrange defenses, and Zhuge Liang went to investigate the situation near Xiyang City under the protection of Zhao Yun and Chen Zhi.

During this time, Wang Ling had already built the fortifications of Xiyang City, and a wall of stones and sandbags had been piled up outside the four gates.

Looking at Xiyang City, Zhao Yun muttered: "Da Sima deliberately delayed the time, and now the defenders in Xiyang City are ready to take precautions." However, this guard is also stupid, the return cannon is indestructible, how can the wall of the sandbag pile up resist the return artillery? As soon as the stone was struck, the sandbag broke. ”

"Isn't this a mantis arm as a car?" Chen Zhi also laughed when he heard this.

Zhuge Liang shook the feather fan and smiled slightly: "Zilong is wrong!" ”

"Wrong? Isn't what I'm saying right? Zhao Yun was puzzled when he heard this.

Zhuge Liang pointed to Xiyang City and said, "Hasn't Zilong heard of overcoming rigidity with softness? Of course, one or two sandbags can't resist the return artillery, but the sandbags used by the Wei army are not a few, and the piled up city wall is three zhang wide.

If the sandbag is not filled with sand from the river, but the cohesive soil of the plains, the stones can only break through the sandbags on the surface if they are attacked with return guns, and the sandbags inside, because they contain clayey soil, will only become stronger and stronger, and it is difficult to level them. ”

When Zhao Yun heard this, he immediately said: "When I came, I saw a pothole on the ground of the northern plain, and I wondered why this was so, it seems that the Wei army was digging there to fill sandbags. The soil there is clay, according to Da Sima, can you use this method to prevent the return cannon? ”

Zhuge Liang bowed slightly: "This method can indeed prevent the return cannon, but it can only be prevented for a while." ”

"Oh?"

Zhuge Liang pointed to the sky and said with a smile: "As long as it rains heavily, use the return cannon to attack on a heavy rainy day, and the return cannon will break the sandbags, and the heavy rain can wash away the soil." ”

Zhao Yun listened to Zhuge Liang's words, and also understood, and muttered: "While destroying, with the help of heavy rain to wash away the soil, so if you want to break through Xiyang, you must wait until the heavy rain and rainy weather." ”

Zhuge Liang nodded: "Yes, now that it is gradually autumn, the weather is getting cooler, and there should be autumn rain in half a month, so you can let the soldiers build back the cannon in advance and collect stones." ”

"No!"

After inspecting the situation in Xiyang City, Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun led the army back to the camp.

The camp was still under construction, and the Chinese army's big tent was erected first.

Huo Jun was good at guarding, and Zhuge Liang handed over the task of camping to Huo Jun, and summoned other generals to discuss the military situation.

Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan and said to the generals: "I deliberately delayed the time of the march, so that the Xiyang defenders could ask for help from Yangzhou, so that the Jiangxia defenders and Yangzhou reinforcements could be wiped out. Earlier, I inspected the Xiyang city defense and found that the Wei army had piled sandbags around the city wall, and this project would take at least seven days or so to complete.

The prestige of the generals is here, and Wang Ling, the Jiangxia guard, will definitely ask Yangzhou for reinforcements. The news should be sent out seven days ago, and the generals said, where should the Yangzhou reinforcements be located at this moment? ”

Zhang Ren looked at the map, and then said: "Most of the soldiers and horses of Wei in Yangzhou are stationed in Shouchun, and the soldiers and horses in Hefei are to guard against Jiangdong. If Wang Ling asks for help from Yangzhou, he must ask Shouchun for help.

Shouchun and Xiyang are located along the Huai River, and their soldiers and horses for help go south along the Huai River, and it only takes three days to reach Shouchun. Jiangxia is related to the safety of the Central Plains of the Wei State, and Zhao Yan, the assassin of Yangzhou, is a wise man, and he will not care about the safety of Jiangxia, and will quickly send reinforcements, and will set off in two days at most.

Its reinforcements traveled along the river and it took ten days to reach the area. Now seven days have passed, except for the three days to report the news to Shouchun and the two days to prepare, the Wei army reinforcements should still be about eight days away. ”

After listening to Zhang Ren's analysis, Zhuge Liang nodded and praised: "Well, General Zhang Ren is worthy of being a good general, and he has analyzed the actions of the Wei army thoroughly. ”

Zhang Ren smiled and said, "The last general is just saying what he thinks in his heart, right, not necessarily." ”

Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan and said: "I have already sent scouts along Huaishui to investigate the movement of Wei reinforcements, right, I will see in three or five days." ”

Chen Zhi asked: "I am afraid that the reinforcements of the Wei army are not a small number, at least there are 20,000 people, plus the soldiers and horses in this Xiyang City, there are 50,000 people. And we only have 40,000 horses, I don't know how Da Sima plans to deal with the Wei army? ”

Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and said: "If the reinforcements of the Wei State arrive, they will march along the Huaishui, and along the Huaishui, although the road is flat, there are also steep and difficult places. Our army can first go to the road to set up an ambush, destroy its reinforcements, and then turn around to attack Xiyang.

It takes 30,000 soldiers and horses to set up an ambush, and it is guaranteed that the Yangzhou reinforcements can be annihilated, so on the Xiyang side, only 10,000 people can be left to garrison, so Zilong and General Huo Jun will stay in Xiyang.

However, the prestige of the generals is here, if they lead the troops out of the camp openly, the Wei army scouts will be aware of it, and the reinforcements will not dare to come over when they hear the news. So I decided to lead my troops to set up an ambush tomorrow night, and hide my tracks by day and night.

General Zilong can bluff in the camp so as not to be seen by Wang Ling. ”

"No!" The generals will take the command.

Zhuge Liang nodded and continued: "Pass the order, let the soldiers drive the grain and grass into military rations tonight, and prepare 30,000 people for ten days." ”