Shu Chen

Chapter 203

A military battle involving nearly [-] soldiers will take a lot of time just to prepare.

For example, the deployment of garrisons in various counties and counties, the gathering of soldiers and horses of various ministries, the transfer of food, fodder and supplies, and the encouragement of soldiers' courage, etc., did not take place in a day.

It is also impossible to hide it from Wei Guo.

In other words, after being caught off guard by the first battle of Longyou, Wei Guo never took the movement of the big man lightly.

When Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and Zheng Pu finalized the military plan and ordered all the troops to start preparing for the battle, Cao Zhen, the Grand Sima of the Wei State who was guarding Chang'an in Guanzhong, also began to supervise the various ministries to prepare for the battle.

After decades of military service, he also set his sights on Anding County.

The secret work of the army and the successive news from Yang Fu, Guo Huai, and Wei Ping stationed in Liangzhou all concluded that the place where the Han army sent troops was Anding County.

Zhuge Liang personally led the army to Longyou.

Besides, the top generals in the army, except for Wu Yi's troops who returned to Hanzhong County to garrison, all transferred to the area of ​​Ayang City to gather.

This is also a necessity.

Because of the continuous Qinling Mountains, Nishu could not attack Guanzhong directly.

Just like in the past when he led the army to attack Hanzhong County directly through the Qinling Valley Road, the logistical pressure such as the transfer of food, fodder, supplies, etc. was too great to fight for a long time.Moreover, the Qinling Valley Road, which is not considered spacious, cannot allow all troops to be deployed, and it is not a battlefield that is beneficial to the attacker.

Furthermore, he has built many garrisons along the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in the past two years.

If Ni Shu marches from Hanzhong, he must first attack these garrisons one by one before besieging the city.

The time it took was enough for Nishu to retreat because of the transportation of food and fodder.

Soldiers are more expensive than victory, not long.

Nishu has a better choice, and will never let himself fall into unfavorable conditions without a fight.

And if the troops leave Anding County, whether they wait for an opportunity to march into Liangzhou, or go south to Fufeng, Nishu will have room to maneuver.

In this regard, Cao Zhen ordered the various ministries in Liangzhou to continue to stand firm, not to act arbitrarily to avoid falling into Ni Shu's plan of "tuning the tiger away from the mountain", and sent most of the troops to Anding County.

He also transferred to Chen Cangcheng to be stationed, and waited for the news of Zhuge Liang, the prime minister against Shu.

After several years of integration, and the large-scale migration of Li Shu from Jizhou to Guanzhong Sanfu, he can already recruit nearly [-] troops during the war.

In fact, if there is no movement against Shu, he also plans to appeal to Luoyang to ask for orders to attack Shu at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

This is not only the reason why there is enough armor and no need to passively defend.

There are also years that are not forgiving.

He is old and has suffered from frequent minor illnesses in the past two years.

If he didn't attack earlier, he was worried that he would die regretfully if he didn't have a chance to take Longyou back in his lifetime.

As for why he had to wait until his age to ask for an expedition, it was because he didn't want Wei to fall into a two-front battle, or even a three-front battle!

Fighting on two fronts naturally means that there is an alliance between Ni Wu and Ni Shu, so it is hard to guarantee that there is no intention of the alliance to send troops.

The reason for fighting on the third front was Gongsun Yuan in Liaodong.

Last year, Emperor Cao Rui learned that Gongsun Yuan had rebelled against Wei and Goulian against Wu, so he asked General Sima Yi to secretly dispatch troops to gather in Youbeiping, Youzhou.

He intends to strike preemptively and completely eradicate the Gongsun family in Liaodong that has been separated for many years.

Take advantage of the trend to deter the Xianbei and Karasuma tribes in the northern border of Wei State.

But when Sima Yi secretly went to Youbeiping, things turned around.

In the spring and March of this year, Sun Quan, against Wu, disregarded the dissuasion of his ministers, led tens of thousands of troops including Zhang Mi of Taichang, Xu Yan of Wu Zhijin, He Da of General He Da, and Qin Dan of Zhongshi, and sent gold treasures and nine tin supplies. , Entered Liaodong from Haidao, and made Gongsun Yuan King of Yan.

But when the Wu army arrived in Liaodong, Gongsun Yuan betrayed the alliance, annexed the soldiers and property, beheaded Zhang Mi and others, and sent his head to Luoyang to show his loyalty.

In this regard, the princes of Luoyang Gungun have different opinions on whether to continue to attack Liaodong.

Those who feel that it is impossible to attack again, because Liaodong is located in a remote place, it is difficult to make achievements by sending troops; and even after Gongsunyuan is defeated, they have to continue to use the "restricted policy" to promote local wealthy families to govern.

Invigorating teachers and mobilizing people, laboring people and wasting money, but there is not much benefit, so it is better to keep Gongsun's family town.

Anyway, he beheaded the ministers who opposed Wu, and it would be difficult for him to be an enemy of Wei.

And insisting on continuing to conquer the ministers is because he feels that since Gongsun Yuan rebelled once, he can rebel a second time.

The wolf's ambition has been fully demonstrated.

If we don't get rid of it now, when Wei Guo is violated by Rebel Shu and Rebel Wu, who knows whether he will betray him again?

Moreover, there is a saying that "the arrow must be fired when it is on the string".

The [-] pacers are all gathered in Youbeiping, Youzhou, how can the order be changed day and night?
The two diametrically opposed remarks made it difficult for the emperor Cao Rui to make a choice, and he also secretly sent an envoy to Guanzhong to ask Cao Zhen: Do you want to stop the army?Do you want to change your original plan?
At that time, Cao really replied very simply.

Just let the emperor Cao Rui wait for Sima Yi's military report.

After all, Sima Yi is the advocate and decision maker of this war.

Moreover, he has already arrived in Youbeiping, and he will also consider the various gains and losses of marching or strike according to local conditions.

This kind of gain and loss, Cao Zhen in Guanzhong could not know.

But Cao Zhenxin already had the answer in his heart.

It is impossible for Sima Yi to write a letter to strike!

Not only is the war he has supervised in this life not worthy of the position of general; there is also a good opportunity to attack Liaodong now.

Just imagine, Gongsun Yuan sent an envoy to send the head of the minister against Wu to show his loyalty. If the Luoyang court granted him an official position and rewarded him with property, would he still be wary of Wei?

Can the defense not relax?
Sima Yi took advantage of this opportunity to lead the army forward. Does he still have enough time to gather troops and horses to prepare for the battle?

If Sima Yi had turned a blind eye to such a golden opportunity, then he would not be worthy of being the late emperor's Minister of Gu Ming, and climbed to the position of general.

Furthermore, regardless of whether the remote location of Liaodong is tasteless in the eyes of Wei Guo, the advantages of destroying the Gongsun family will outweigh the disadvantages.

For example, the Xianbei and Karasuma tribes in northern Xinjiang will at least be intimidated by Wei's soldiers and will settle down for a while.

For a long period of time, the new powerful family in Liaodong will also obey Wei Guo's words.

In fact, at the strategic level, Sima Yi and Cao Zhen have the same views.

In his letter, he directly demanded the emperor Cao Rui's reward from Gongsun Yuan to cover up his intention of attacking.

He also emphasized: The soldiers who are now gathered in Youbeiping have complained faintly because of the bitter cold in Youzhou. If Luo Yang's decision is changed day and night and they are asked to strike back directly, it may cause bad things.

Moreover, with the gathering of [-] troops, it is impossible to hide it from everyone.

After all, Gongsun Yuan will know about this one day.

At that time, Liaodong will definitely rebel again!
Conquests in the future, facing the prepared Gongsun Yuan, it is not something a [-] army can win.

For such a reason, Cao Rui finally made a decision: "What you said is a good strategy, and I will not disagree with it. That Gongsun thief, who will do everything he can to repeat himself, has not surrendered to our country Wei for a long time. I hope you will destroy it in this battle!"

The battle in Liaodong was on schedule, so Cao Zhen, who was in Guanzhong, would naturally not start the war lightly.

But if he came against Shu, he would not be afraid of it.

If he personally leads the army to Anding County to fight against the main forces of Nishu, he is still confident if he is undefeated and does not lose ground.

However, he was also faintly worried.

Because in the news of careful investigation, Zheng Pu, the Pingbei general who rebelled against Shu, will lead the army to attack Zuli County.

After several years of war between Han and Wei, especially the battle in Yuzhong County, Jincheng County, Xia Houru, who had been a soldier for decades, was defeated by Zheng Pu, who was not yet able to stand up, with inferior forces, and the whole Wei State was against "Scar Pu". "The reputation is no stranger.

"The one with the scar is a serious problem for Wei!"

This is what Cao Zhen asserted when he presented Luo Yang and warned the generals in the northwest.

He couldn't help but speculate on the potential intention of Nishu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to send Zheng Pu to lead the army to attack Zuli County.

He has guarded the northwest for decades, and he can clearly understand the strategic intentions of various places without looking at maps and analyzing military conditions.

To the north of Zuli County is Quyinsai, the gateway of the Hexi Corridor, and to the east is the Wushui River Valley.

If it is acquired by Nishu, it will cut off the connection between Guanzhong and Liangzhou, and aggravate the turmoil in Liangzhou.

Perhaps, this is the real intention of Nishu to send troops this time?

Cao Zhen faintly realized something.

Otherwise, with Zhuge Liang's strategy against Shu, it would be impossible for a large army to attack Yongzhou before Liangzhou was captured.

It's just that it's one thing to be enlightened; it's another thing to be able to prescribe the right medicine.

He could not transfer the army in Guanzhong to rush to aid Liangzhou.

Two years ago, letting General Wei Ping lead the [-]-step ride was already the limit that Liangzhou could afford.

If you increase your troops again, you will be overwhelmed.

It is not advisable to let a general oversee more than ten thousand cavalry carrying grain and fodder.

Does anyone know how long Nishu's attack will last?

It is a very long journey from Anding County to Wuwei County via the Wushui River Valley, bypassing the Liupan Mountains.Usually, the courier will pass the news quickly, but it will be half the effort to let the army bring its own food and fodder to dispatch.

Moreover, if Nishu really attacked Zuli County with a large army, he would definitely not send cavalry into the Wushui River Basin to intercept the reinforcements.

If General Wei Ping did not send troops to defend Zuli County, he would be in a dilemma.

On the one hand, the distance between Zuli County and Yuyinsai is quite far.

Once the army has entered Zuli County, Nishu can drive to the front of Shuyin Fortress, turning Zuli County into an isolated city, and the soldiers who wait for the news in the city to be cut off will feel panic.

On the other hand, it is worried that Ni Shu is leading a snake out of its hole.

What if Nishu's attack on Zuli County was just a pretense to make Wei's defenses in the four counties of Hexi empty?
For example, Ma Dai, the general who conquered the north against Shu in the past, took a detour to Zhangye County from the fractured valley road of the Qilian Mountains once!

In the long Qilian Mountains, not only Zhangye County has a rift valley to pass through.

Forget it, it's useless to think too much.

For today's plan, we can only play by ear.

Cao Zhen, who was tentatively thinking about it, sent messengers to Wuwei County.

It is not only to instruct General Wei Ping to act cautiously, but not to act until the number of soldiers commanded by "Scar Pu" against Shuli to Zuli County is clear; Guarantee that during this period of time, some tribes who hate the Wei state very much will not rebel.

For example, Lu Shuihu lived between Zhangye and Wuwei.

This barbarian, a combination of the Xiongnu, Yuezhi, Jie (belonging to the Xiongnu), Qiang, Di and other tribes, gathered tens of thousands of people to rebel in the second year of Huangchu (221 AD).

It was he who personally led the army to seek peace.

Although, after Lu Shuihu's defeat, after more than ten years of conscious suppression by the Wei army, his strength has been greatly reduced.There are only about ten thousand people left in the tribe, and there are only four thousand young and strong who can fight with swords and spears.

But it is also the case, and the grudge against Wei is even deeper.

If they intend to collude against Shu and send people to lead the Shu army into Hexi from the rift valley of the Qilian Mountains, then Liangzhou will not be able to defend.

Ugh.
The disadvantage of losing Longyou and abandoning Xiping County has now become the biggest reason why Wei State has fallen into a passive state.

Cao Zhen, who had just finished his tour of the garrison at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, was stationed by the Wei River outside Chencang City, feeling helpless in his heart.

Summer is April.

The Weishui River meandering east from Longyou is sparkling.

Under the sun, it looks like a ribbon of shining light spots, which is too beautiful to behold; and under the rendering of the emerald green on both sides, it looks like a blue dragon running through the earth.

At the beginning of this year, the imperial court changed the Yuan to "Qinglong".

The reason is that in the first lunar month, a green dragon was seen in Mopi Well, which was an auspicious sign of Wei Guo.

But after the yuan change, swords and soldiers are about to usher in everywhere.

I don't know how the war in Liaodong is going?

Sima Zhongda led the army in March, so he should have met the thief Gongsun Yuan hand in hand at this time, right?

I just don't know whether the Xianbei and Karasuma tribes in northern Xinjiang will send troops to help the thief Gongsun Yuan?

Although Master Xianbei Ke Bineng has become a vassal of the Wei State, but the Hulu people do not think of kindness and righteousness, and they often do capricious actions. Seeing that it is profitable, they may not be dissatisfied.

Furthermore, according to legend, the thief, Gongsun Yuan, seems to have frequently connected with the Karasuma and Xianbei tribes in recent years.

There is also Ni Shu who has sent troops on a large scale this time. I wonder if he will send envoys to Ni Wu to respond?
However, if the rebellion against Wu is to support them, based on their habit of often fighting with the navy, it should be July and August when the river surges, right?
I hope that this time, Wei Guo is not fighting on the third front.

As soon as he let go of his thoughts about the Northwest War, Cao Zhen couldn't help turning his thoughts elsewhere.

"Report!"

Just as he was thinking about it, a courier rushed over.

Before the galloping horse could stand still, he jumped down nimbly and hurried over to report.

"Report to Da Sima, General Fei of Anding County has military information! The banner claiming that Zhuge Liang, the prime minister against Shu, has appeared on the wall of Xiaoguan City."

"General Gao Pinghu came to report that Ni Shu Ma Dai led the horse into the Wushui River Valley. It seems that Ni Shu Zhao Guang is still behind."

"Nishu Zheng Pu and Guan Xing's troops, together with about ten thousand troops, headed for Zuli County."

That Zhuge Liang actually came out of Xiaoguan himself? !

It can be said that Cao Zhen fixed his eyes, turned his horse's head, and returned to the city.

While riding the horse, he said to the soldiers beside him, "You go ahead and rush to the barracks in the city, and pass on my general's order! Tell the soldiers to organize the army immediately. Tomorrow, the three shifts will prepare meals, and the fourth shift will send troops to Anding!"

"promise."

The personal guard quickly promised loudly, kicked the horse's belly fiercely, and galloped away.

And the leader of Xianbei's bald hair tribe who was patrolling with him, bald hair Shoutian, couldn't help but a gleam of light flashed in his eyes after hearing the messenger's report.

Immediately, he drove his horse half a step behind Cao Zhen, and respectfully begged for his order, "I also ask Da Sima to grant me permission to lead my people to the Wushui Valley. Zhao Guang, a traitor against Shu in the past, killed and wounded many of my people, and I swear to repay him!"

(End of this chapter)