I seek economic hegemony in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 174 Cao Shuang: I’m a hundred times stronger than Wang He even with a pig!

"Instigating relations between Wu and Shu?" Cao Rui's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sima Yi looked indifferent and spoke calmly.

"Is it possible to sow discord between Wu and Shu just because of paper?"

"Paper is the most profitable thing in Yizhou now. Sun Wu suddenly had paper. Where did this papermaking technology come from?"

"Of course it is obtained from Yizhou."

"Zhuge Liang must think so too."

"If so, will the two sides fight?"

Sima Yi said: "With Zhuge Liang and Sun Quan's strategies, they will restrain themselves and will not easily fight."

"Then what's the point of such a provocation?"

"You can start with key figures."

"Key people?"

"Lu Xun."

Cao Rui was startled and seemed to understand.

He asked again: "Lu Xun is also one of the few outstanding people. He is not the kind of person who acts impulsively."

Sima Yi smiled and said, "But what if Yizhou thinks that it was Lu Xun who stole the papermaking technology?"

Cao Rui nodded, he completely understood what Sima Yi meant.

Cao Rui asked: "What should we do next? Send someone to Yizhou?"

"No, send someone to Jiankang."

"Why go to Jiankang?"

"Of course we are talking about the business of buying and selling paper, and we have signed an alliance with Sun Wu. From now on, I, Da Wei, will buy all my paper from Sun Wu?"

This time Cao Rui was in trouble.

Liu Xu previously proposed the strategy of Qi Wan and Lu Zhen, and now this strategy is being implemented very well.

But Sima Yi proposed another completely opposite strategy, signing an alliance with Sun Wu and only buying paper from Sun Wu.

Can we say in disguise that this is a policy of Qi Wan and Lu Zhen against Sun Wu?

Isn't this the other way around?

Cao Rui wanted to say something, but fell silent again.

Sima Yi saw it and said, "Are your Majesty worried about Qi Wan and Lu Jin's strategy against Yizhou?"

"Yes."

"To deal with Yizhou, we must approach it from two aspects, rather than the so-called Qi Wan and Lu Su strategy."

"Oh?"

"The first is to invest a large number of troops in Guanzhong to contain Zhuge Liang, so that Zhuge Liang cannot return to Yizhou to take charge, and at the same time consume a lot of supplies; the second is to provoke the Wu State and let the Wu army take the water route to take Baidi City. Since Zhuge Liang has already been in Guanzhong If you are held back by us, all you need to do is convince Wu Guo."

"Wu wants to send troops, but I still feel that something is wrong."

"I have explained it."

Cao Rui nodded and said: "Let's give it a try, but what I hate most is that Wu Guo can get the papermaking technology, but we can't!"

"Your Majesty, why bother with a paper-making technology? Yizhou is on the verge of destruction now. As long as he can encourage Wu to join the war, Zhuge Liang will be powerless even if he has three heads and six arms!"

Cao Rui was silent for a moment and said, "I had no choice but to remove you from your post last year."

Sima Yi immediately stood up, saluted and said, "I have neglected my duty!"

"There are many affairs in the DPRK, and I still need your help in handling them."

"It is my duty to share His Majesty's worries."

Early in the morning on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Cao Shuang, who had just finished his breakfast, walked out of the camp and mounted his horse, feeling very satisfied.

He pointed in the direction ahead and said with a smile: "These barbarians think they can make trouble behind my back while I'm away. It's really ridiculous. There are also Sichuan dogs. They actually pin their hopes on a few chickens and dogs! "

But Zhang Lian muttered: "The Shu army will definitely take the opportunity to attack Jincheng northward!"  "Hahaha, don't worry, Jincheng has [-] elites. Even if Wang He is a pig, as long as he doesn't leave the city, he can still defend the city! "

Cao Shuang looked up to the sky and laughed: "I can come back in this round!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone came quickly from the front: "Report! General, an urgent military report came from Jincheng. Our defenders have been defeated!"

The smile on Cao Shuang's face froze in an instant. His mouth was still open, but he stared at the messenger with wide eyes and squeezed out a sentence in his throat: "What did you say!"

Zhang Lian immediately grabbed the general's report, opened his face, his expression changed greatly, and then presented it to Cao Shuang.

Cao Shuang read it quickly, his face suddenly turned livid, he threw the battle report on the ground and said angrily: "Wang He is a stupid pig! No! He is not even as good as a stupid pig! Even if I put a pig in Jincheng, it won't be like this!"

"Cao Gong calms down and must return to Jincheng immediately. If the Shu army captures Jincheng, our army's retreat will be cut off, and the consequences will be disastrous!"

Looking at the Western Capital in front of him, Cao Shuang was filled with reluctance, but now he had no room for strategic maneuvers and could only urgently order his troops to retreat.

The competition between Han and Wei in Liangzhou changed again.

From the beginning when Cao Shuang's army went south to Cao Shuang's retreat to Baojin City, the Han army began to occupy an absolute advantage in Liangzhou's strategic position.

Why is it said to be absolute?

Because of the Battle of Tianshui, Cao Shuang completely exposed the shortcomings of the Wei army going south.

The Battle of Jincheng directly cut off the possibility of the Wei army going south in the future.

How to explain this?

Because Xiping County was controlled by the Han army.

With Xiping County, as long as the Wei army dares to go south from Tianshui County, the Han army in Xiping County can attack Jincheng County eastward at any time.

This is a change in the situation after obtaining the strategic location.

Cao Shuang was very aware of this change in the strategic landscape, so he rushed to Jincheng in a hurry.

At the same time, people were quickly sent to Wuwei to mobilize troops for reinforcements.

Cao Shuang has only one idea in his mind right now: At any cost, all the Shu troops in Jincheng will be pinned to the ground immediately!

In the Battle of Tianshui, he, Cao Shuang, had already given away so many lives.

Xiping County was lost, and if Jincheng County was lost now, it would not only be a matter of the army's retreat being cut off.

The army's retreat was cut off, and Cao Shuang could still escape under the protection of the personal guards.

But Cao Shuang's political career must be over!

On July [-], Cao Shuang was only fifty miles away from Jincheng, so he found a high ground to station himself.

Just after we were stationed, we received news.

"What?" Cao Shuang was quite confused, "The envoy of the Shu army?"

"Yes."

Zhang Lian said: "Mr. Cao, let's see him first."

Originally, Cao Shuang didn't like Zhang Lian, but when he thought that he didn't listen to Zhang Lian before, which led to the current situation, he hesitated and said, "Bring him in."

When Huo Yi met Cao Shuang for the first time, he felt that Cao Shuang must be a person who loves to eat, otherwise he wouldn't be so fat.

As soon as Huo Yi entered the camp, several knives were placed on his neck.

Huo Yi's expression remained unchanged: "What does Mr. Cao mean?"

"Of course, kill the enemy!"

"Kill the enemy?" Huo Yi laughed, "Killing the enemy should be on the battlefield. Killing the envoy in the camp is also considered killing the enemy?"

"You are the enemy!"

"I am an enemy, so Duke Cao killed me in this way. What good will it do to Duke Cao?" Huo Yi said. "Can Duke Cao repel our army, or can Duke Cao be famous?" Luoyang?"

Cao Shuang hesitated and said, "No."

"Not only is it impossible, but it will make the three armies think that Duke Cao will only vent his anger on an unarmed messenger. This is not what a true hero would do."

Cao Shuang's attitude immediately changed and he said, "Envoy, please take a seat."

(End of this chapter)