I seek economic hegemony in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 349 Settlement in the Third Northern Expedition
July 12, Wancheng, Nanyang.

The heavy rain seemed to cover the whole world, and it didn't stop for a moment from morning to afternoon.

The Han army camp and the Wei army camp also stopped.

Those who take shelter from the rain, those who dig ditches to drain water.

Zhong Yu braved the heavy rain and galloped to the governor's office on horseback: "General Wei, governor, we only have enough food and grass for two months."

"Only enough for two months?" Chen Tai asked doubtfully, "Didn't Yingchuan transfer food?"

Yingchuan is the hometown of many senior officials in the Cao Wei court.

Chen Qun is from Yingchuan, and Chen Tai is naturally from Yingchuan.

When the Wei army is fighting in Nanyang, they will most certainly not be short of food.

Because the aristocratic clan can quickly mobilize food with just a few words.

Master Sima did not agree. He had actually understood Li Heng's purpose.

"We can only let Guo Huai send cavalry to quickly pursue Li Jian and catch him before he enters the mountains! This is the only way!"

By the afternoon of July 14, the Han army had arrived at Wufang County, Runan County.

It was at this time that the Han army marched southward from Yancheng overnight and ran wildly throughout the night.

Chen Tai's expression changed drastically and he said angrily: "This Li Jian is still haunted. If he dares to do this, isn't he afraid that his son will follow him?"

On July 13, the fifth day after Li Heng entered Yingchuan, the Han army began to quickly gather in Yancheng.

"Can't you collect any food?" asked Sima Shi.

"It won't take five days for Liang Guo to arrive at Yingchuan." Chen Tai said immediately, "We can now mobilize another 10,000 troops to enter Yingchuan and attack front and rear with the upper divisions."

The marching speed of Sima Zhao and Guo Huai has also been significantly improved.

"According to the scouts' report, they should have been in Liang Kingdom the day before yesterday and may have set off now."

"Li Jian wants to take advantage of Zishang (Sima Zhao)'s troops to destroy our logistics and transportation before his troops arrive. We are now gathering another army. By the time we arrive at Yingchuan, he has already run away. What if we are transferred from Bowang? With 10,000 elite troops, the Shu army divided its forces to attack Bowang. In the end, it was not Li Jian who was attacked from both sides, but us! "

Sima Zhao arrived at Zhaoling, while Guo Huai bypassed Xuchang and went directly to the vicinity of Yancheng.

If Li Heng does not leave, he will be blocked in Yingchuan or Runan, and there is a risk of the entire army being annihilated.

"I inquired that the Shu army recently returned to Yingchuan County and robbed food from various counties in Yingchuan County!"

"There was nothing I could do. A batch of food had already set off, but the Shu army that rushed over burned it."

"Are we just watching Li Jian destroying our food everywhere in Yingchuan?"

"Where is your master now?" Master Sima asked.

"No food."

"Even if Xuchang is captured, other counties will have no food?" Chen Tai asked.

The two armies were only more than a hundred miles away from the Han army.

At this time, Sima Zhaohe had already arrived in Chenjun, while Guo Huai's tribe had entered Yingchuan from Chenliu and was stationed in Yanling.

Guo Huai learned that the Han army might enter the mountains at any time, so he immediately sent out cavalry first.

At this time, unlike Sima Zhao's pursuit of Li Heng, it didn't matter to Guo Huai whether the cavalry died or not. He had to delay Li Heng's pace first, even if it was just for a day, Li Heng would not be able to leave.

As long as the main force presses forward, the Wei army, which has an absolute advantage in strength, will win.

It was at this juncture that Li Heng marched all night without stopping.

On July 15, when Guo Huai's cavalry came in pursuit, he saw with his own eyes the Han army entering the mountains. If taking Xiangyang was Li Heng's first Northern Expedition, and recruiting a group of people in Nanyang was Li Heng's second Northern Expedition, then going deep into the Central Plains was Li Heng's third Northern Expedition.

At this point, the Third Northern Expedition came to an end, and the pursuit battle between the Han and Wei sides seven hundred miles deep in the Central Plains ended, leaving only the confrontation between the main forces of the Han and Wei forces in Nanyang.

During the Third Northern Expedition, the only regular army of Cao Wei that was annihilated was Sima Zhao's more than a thousand cavalry.

Judging from the results of annihilating the enemy, it is nothing.

However, Li Heng's blow to Cao Wei's water transportation system was huge, and it had a huge impact on Luoyang's food and economy.

Against the backdrop of a large influx of Han money into Cao Wei, Cao Wei's people's livelihood was severely damaged.

Moreover, Yuzhou's logistics system supporting the Nanyang front line suffered a major blow.

Even if the elite frontline troops of Sima Division could resist the Nanyang Han Army in terms of tactics and combat power, Sima Division was unable to turn back due to the paralysis of logistics.

Of course, the most important result of the Third Northern Expedition was to force Sima Yi to transfer elite troops from Guanzhong.

Ji Han took back Guanzhong.

Next, they just waited patiently for the further withdrawal of the Wei army.

On July 16, Sima Division received a report of the failure of besieging Li Heng, and he calmly accepted this fact.

And began to write a battle report to Luoyang.

He blamed himself for the consequences of Li Heng crossing the mountains and entering the Central Plains, saying that it was his fault that he failed to make adequate defenses in such an important logistical area as Yingchuan, and that Li Heng took advantage of this opportunity.

He also elaborated on the dilemma at hand, which is a dilemma of logistics, a dilemma of food and grass, and a dilemma of the people's livelihood in the entire Wei Dynasty.

A people's livelihood crisis will inevitably break out in Luoyang in the second half of this year, and the shortage of food is obvious.

The Wei Dynasty could no longer support Jingyu's elite to continue fighting Li Heng.

On July 18, Sima Yi received a report from Sima Division. He personally wrote a letter to Guo Huai in Yuzhou: assist General Wei Sima Division in launching an encirclement and suppression of the Shu army in Nanyang, but he was not allowed to pursue the enemy.

On July 19, Li Heng's troops returned to Nanyang after two months of high-intensity combat.

On July 20th, Lu Zhi of Nanyang received an order from Li Heng: Retreat!
Also on this day, Sima Division received an order from Sima Yi: to cooperate with Guo Huai in launching an encirclement and suppression campaign against the Shu army, but not to pursue the enemy.

The orders issued by the commanders of both sides were based on the current dilemma they were facing.

The confrontation between the main forces in Nanyang is essentially a fight for control of the entire Nanyang.

If the Wei army withdraws first at this time, it will give up Nanyang's defensive depth and hand over Nanyang to Li Heng.

This is equivalent to making Xuchang the front line, which will force Cao Wei to build a large number of military fortresses in Yingchuan.

One-third of the food from the four counties of Chenliu, Yingchuan, Runan, and Chenjun will be converted into military rations, and the other small part will become a waste for transporting military rations.

This has a huge impact on people's livelihood in the four counties.

Don't forget, Cao Wei also had a garrison in Jiangxia County to guard against Lu Xun in Wuchang.

If the four counties of Yuzhou occupy the front line, Jiangxia's garrison resources will inevitably be affected.

So Sima Yi is now biting the bullet and trying to hold on to Nanyang.

The way to protect Nanyang is to dispatch all troops to Nanyang to fight the Han army.

Li Heng's order to retreat was based on the situation in Jiangling and Sima Yi's determination to keep Nanyang.

If he really had to bite the bullet and fight the Wei army in Nanyang, the risk would be too great.

However, it was impossible for the Wei army, which chose to retreat and suffered a major blow to its logistics, to pursue Xiangyang.

(End of this chapter)