Shu Chen

Chapter 308 Hanging Blade
The sun is approaching, the cold wind is raging, and the distant mountains are dark and unclear.

Gaoping City, known by later generations as "Xiliang with the breasts, Lingwu throat", "According to the shoulders of the eight counties, and the main body of the three towns", Gaoping City used to be the county seat of Anding County, but now it has become a city due to the change of ownership in Longyou The key points of the game between Han and Wei.

If the soldiers of the Han Dynasty leave the pass, this place will be like a light on their backs, and they must be eliminated; and if the Wei State attacks the Han, it will be used as an important rear town for hoarding food, fodder and supplies.But Sima Yi, who claimed to be patrolling the city defense, walked slowly, but didn't say a word about the defense.

However, this is not surprising.

He didn't have to worry about negligence in the defense of the land guarded by Guo Huai's troops.

And patrolling the city defense is just an excuse to talk to Guo Huai alone,
When the two of them stepped up to the top of the city wall and leaned on the crenels of the city wall side by side to feel the chill of mid-spring, Sima Yi waved his hands back, dismissed his subordinates and idlers, and asked in a low voice, "I am discussing with everyone in the office today. At that time, did Boji have something unexplained?"

"Go back to the governor, there is it."

Hearing this, Guo Huai responded respectfully, "Huai sees that the publics have different opinions and each holds their own. It is difficult to talk about peace, and he does not want to push the salary to the fire, so he does not speak his own opinion."

"good!"

Immediately, Sima Yi stroked Hu and praised him.

The dispute between Ge Yin's subordinates and generals was also a blow to his reputation as a governor.

Now that Guo Huai can see this and try his best to avoid it, how can he not make him feel at ease?

Therefore, he stroked his back with his hand very intimately, and said in an earnest tone, "There is no one here, so Boji can speak freely. Well, there is no need to worry about other things, and there is no need to worry about breaking taboos. Words here will not be passed on." beyond the four ears."

"promise."

Guo Huai took a step back and bowed, "Aunt Huai said that, if there are any deficiencies, I respectfully ask Governor Haihan."

After saying that, he began to talk eloquently.

"Huai thought that the geographical advantages of Longyou and Guanzhong made it difficult for Nishu and our country to attack and defend Wei! The previous battle in Huai was because Liangzhou had not been lost, and our army could force Nishu to advance and retreat, but this time it is no longer It's about time."

"Now that Nishu has returned to the division of Longyou, there is no shortage of troops to defend the various places. If our army goes out with all its troops, we will build high forts and deep ditches to avoid and not fight. As time goes on, our army's vigor will decline, and we will suffer from the transportation of food and fodder. , Do not stop the soldiers and return. At that time, if he chases after him, our army may not benefit but suffer from it!"

"And against Shu, Liangzhou was conquered with [-] partial divisions, and the nearly [-] troops stationed in Longyou cannot be called exhausted. It is not advisable to send troops out of sincerity. There is a saying in the art of war, 'The Lord cannot be angry and activate the army, and the general cannot be frustrated and go to war. ’, the loss of Liangzhou is certainly indignant, but the country’s achievements should not be missed by raising troops in anger.”

"That's why, Huaijin thinks about it on a daily basis. Comparing my country of Wei and Ni Shu, which one is my strength, and which one is my weakness. There are three strategies to be taken, and I will refer to it as the governor of the capital."

"Firstly, there have been many wars in the past few years. Although Nishu has won more and lost less, there have been many casualties. But in terms of the number of troops, it is the leader of our Wei State. Therefore, Huai thinks that the governor is as good as a large army. Tunyou Fufeng Chencang City, intimidating the main forces against Shu, dare not move rashly; don't send a few elite troops to Longyou, watch Xiaoguan Road and Zuli City, so that the Nishu soldiers will not remove their armor, horses will not remove their saddles, and they will have no rest. It’s the right time! One will work and the other will grow, and this will give us an opportunity to devote all our strength to Longyou in the future.”

"Secondly, the Hexi Corridor is far-reaching, and it is a place where cavalry dominates. Although Nishu seized the Zhangye Shandan pasture, the war horses raised on the pasture were transferred to Guanzhong by the old Sima. This can be said that our army has many cavalry and Nishu has few Therefore, Huai thought that if the plan to disturb Hexi was inevitable, our army could drive our troops away from the Wushui (Qingshui River) valley, approach the fortress of Yuyin with our troops, and order the rebellious troops to station in Wuwei County to guard the gate of Hexi. , dare not slack off, dare not leave without authorization, and then make the rest of the Hexi counties helpless."

"Again, it is the people of Hexi. There are many Qiang and Hu tribes. They are all unfaithful and easy to move. Although Ni Shu won the land, he did not have many years of achievements, so he cannot convince the people. The governor is not as good as the above table. Luo Yang, please give the leader of the Qiang and Hu tribes an official title, or make them rebel."

"Besides, since the Gongsun family in Liaodong and Ke Bi, the master of Xianbei in northern Xinjiang, were able to give the head of Wei State, the northern Qiang and Hu in the two prefectures of Youhe have all surrendered and have restored the counties of Shuofang and Yunzhong. If the governor has the approval of the emperor, he will move his troops to Helan Mountain In the south (now the southern tip of the Yinchuan Plain) such as Lingzhou, Fuping, and Dingxicheng, we will garrison fields and accumulate valleys, gather Qiang and Hu as soldiers to perform martial arts, and wait for the cavalry from various tribes to disturb the turmoil in Hexi, and then send troops to go.”

"At that time, if Nishu sends troops from Longyou to rescue them, our army will take the opportunity to attack Longyou and Hanzhong; if not, our army can return to the Hexi Corridor."

With a dry mouth, Guo Huai narrated all the thoughts and plans in his heart.

Sima Yi, who was listening quietly by his side, originally nodded his head frequently to show his approval, but now his eyebrows were locked, and he was still thinking.

Gein Guo Huai's first two strategies are similar to what he had in mind.

But the third strategy made him feel faintly enlightened.

In recent days, he has been thinking about the emotions of the generals in Guanzhong and the troubles of the governor's name, and because Bingzhou is not within the scope of his authority, he forgot for a while. The second county of Shuofang Yunzhong has been restored. The country can now return to the northern part of Anding County!
The northern part of Anding County, such as Fuping County, is the only place north of the Wushui River Valley that can be used for farming and animal husbandry.It is also since the Qin and Han Dynasties that it has been the key point for the Central Plains dynasty and nomadic tribes to compete for supremacy, and it can be used to attack and defend. 【Note 1】

Now that Liangzhou has been occupied against Shu, if we follow Guo Huai's strategy of garrisoning fields and gathering troops, it will be a sharp knife hanging high on the side of Hexi!
As for the south of Helan Mountain is now occupied by the Tuoba tribe of Xianbei, is it willing to let the Wei army enter the field?
Sima Yi didn't think about it.

If Tuoba Liwei dared to disobey, Wei Guo would invite Liu Bao from the left side of the Southern Huns in Shuofang County to work together, attacking back and forth and destroying them!
It's nothing more than a Xianbei Hulu, how can I stop my Wei Guobing's advance!
Moreover, he knew that Luoyang Cao Rui was deeply concerned about the loss of Longyou. If he asked to divide his troops to restore Liangzhou and Longyou, Cao Rui would definitely not think that he intended to meddle in the heart of Bingzhou.

Furthermore, as the "Four Friends of Emperor Wen", Sima Yi was granted the right to record official affairs as early as the fifth year of Huangchu, and he had a good understanding of the government affairs in various parts of Wei State.

Therefore, he followed Guo Huai's third strategy and thought of more.

For example, in the past, when Cao Cao of the Wei Dynasty moved south to the Huns and moved to Bingzhou, he was divided into five divisions, and Shanyu Huchuquan was left in Yecheng, and King Youxian was sent to take over his power.Today, Liu Bao of the left was awarded the Shuofang Protectorate, and the other four Xiongnu did not have the heart to revive King Xiutu and King Hunxie?

Ah!
In ancient times, there was a good man who lost his horse, and he knew it was not a blessing.

Now that Liangzhou is ruled against Shu, how can we know whether it is a disaster or a blessing? ——
[Note 1: Most of the Wushui (Qingshui River) basin is not suitable for farming. In 1972, the United Nations Food and Development Program identified "unsuitable for human habitation" list as "Xihaigu", which refers to Xiji, Haiyuan, Qingshui River Basin Guyuan (Gaoping) three counties. 】

(End of this chapter)