Tong Pass.
Bai Xiaowen received intelligence from Camille: Ma Chao had asked Han Sui for reinforcements and had also dispatched envoys to Western Liang, requesting the Qiang people to raise troops and come to their aid.
Having a high-level insider really saved both worry and effort.
After examining the Map of Mountains and Rivers and scouting the terrain, Bai Xiaowen decided to leave Cao Ren to defend the pass. He would lead fifty thousand troops northward in a detour and secretly cross the Wei River at Puban Ferry under cover of night.
It was already early spring.
Spring came later to the northern lands. The Wei River had not yet thawed, and its ice was barely strong enough to bear an army crossing it, though it could not serve as a battlefield for fierce combat.
Beyond Puban Ferry lay Fengyi Commandery, the right flank of the Three Dependencies.
If they could gain a foothold west of the Wei River, they could form a pincer with the defenders of Tong Pass!
Ma Chao's Western Liang Army would also be forced to divide its attention to guard its flank, making Tong Pass even harder to attack.
However, the Western Liang Army's intelligence network was no slouch either. Bai Xiaowen's nighttime crossing was discovered in advance.
Ma Chao said excitedly, "Heaven itself wants Yuan Xi dead! I will mobilize the entire army and personally head to Puban Ferry to intercept him!"
Pang De said, "The Yuan Army has recently received forty thousand reinforcements, and its forces are formidable. Though Yuan Xi has led tens of thousands across the river, nearly a hundred thousand troops remain within Tong Pass. Furthermore, Yuan Xi is full of tricks. If our entire army moves out and the enemies at Tong Pass seize our camp in a surprise