Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

Beyond the sky.

Three Kingdoms period.

Zhuge Liang, who was still painstakingly preparing for the Northern Expedition, watched as the people of the occupied territories welcomed the royal army with food and drink.

They couldn't help but show a look of envy.

With a sigh, Zhuge Liang said:

"This is truly a case of 'welcoming the king's army with food and drink'!"

"This scene of local people flocking to welcome and comfort me is exactly what I've been dreaming of."

“Just looking at Huan Wen’s troops, his main force numbered only 4, and with Sima Xun’s detachment, the total was probably around 5 to 6.”

"As a result, they easily reached Guanzhong and marched to Ba Shang outside Chang'an."

"Why does it seem like Huan Wen's northern expedition was so easy?"

"This is certainly due to Grand Marshal Huan's superb military skills, but it also shows the importance of the phrase 'the world is in flux.'"

"When the North is in chaos, it is indeed a historical opportunity for a Northern Expedition!"

"In particular, the Former Qin regime mentioned by Tianmu was still in its initial stage at this time, having just gained a foothold and was at the height of its power."

"If Huan Wen's Northern Expedition had been launched a few years earlier, after Shi Hu's death, when Ran Min was fighting against various factions, his chances of winning would have been even more terrifying!"

"Huan Wen's northern expedition was timely."

"Although the best time has passed, there is a saying in the sky that goes, 'The best time to act was yesterday, and the second best time is now.'"

"Huan Wen still has the right timing, the local people are welcoming him with food and drink, and he also has the support of the people."

"Judging from the comments, it seems that Huan Wen's northern expedition ultimately failed."

"With such a favorable situation, how exactly did he fail?"

The curtain continues to fall:

However, Huan Wen did not truly intend to punish the guilty, comfort the people, or recover the territory of Jin.

Instead, he planned to accumulate military merits and prestige, using his great achievements to intimidate the Eastern Jin Dynasty and consolidate his power.

This deprived Huan Wen of the unwavering determination and drive required for the Northern Expedition.

Just as Huan Wen was stationed at Ba Shang, full of confidence yet slightly hesitant about his next move...

A hermit, dressed in simple clothes and possessing an extraordinary air, came to request an audience.

This person is Wang Meng.

Huan Wen had long heard of his reputation, so he spoke with him.

Wang Meng offered insightful and thorough discussions on the global situation, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the current circumstances.

This greatly impressed Huan Wen, who deeply felt that this man possessed unparalleled talent.

Huan Wen couldn't help but ask, "I have been ordered by the Emperor to lead an army of 100,000 elite troops on a long journey north to punish the traitors and rescue the people."

"Now that our army has reached the gates of Chang'an, why are the heroes and virtuous men of Guanzhong so slow to come and serve us?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Meng answered frankly:

"My lord, you have traveled thousands of miles deep into enemy territory, and now you are so close to Chang'an, yet you have stopped on the east bank of the Ba River and are no longer advancing."

The heroes and patriots of Guanzhong truly cannot fathom your true intentions and long-term plans!

They fear that you are merely seeking to establish your authority in the area between the Yellow River and the Wei River, hoping to win over the people and bolster your own power.

[It wasn't a genuine desire to recapture Guanzhong and restore the capital to Luoyang in one fell swoop.]

Therefore, they adopted a wait-and-see attitude and dared not easily come to submit.

Wang Meng astutely pointed out the political calculations behind Huan Wen's inaction.

The truth is the fastest way to cut through obstacles.

Huan Wen remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Wang Meng's insightful understanding of the current situation and his ability to pinpoint the crux of the matter impressed him, but also left him with a slight sense of embarrassment at being seen through.

Huan Wen couldn't help but sigh:

"Though Jiangdong is vast, no one can match your talent, sir!"

Huan Wen immediately appointed Wang Meng as Military Advisor and kept him in the army to serve.

Huan Wen was indeed somewhat conflicted at this point.

[As they neared completion, they seemed somewhat hesitant and timid.]

The most pressing problem was the shortage of military rations.

Huan Wen's northern expedition employed a strategy of "obtaining supplies from the enemy."

[The plan was to harvest spring wheat from the Former Qin territory to replenish military supplies after entering the fertile Guanzhong Plain.]

However, he underestimated the Former Qin's determination and efficiency in resisting.

Upon learning of the Jin army's large-scale northward advance, Emperor Fu Jian of Qin decisively adopted a scorched-earth policy.

He ordered the Qin army and the people to harvest all the unripe wheat west of the Ba River and around Chang'an before the Jin army arrived, leaving no grain behind.

Huan Wen's army was stationed at Ba Shang, and they were simply consuming all their resources.

Food reserves are dwindling, yet effective replenishment cannot be obtained from local sources.

Just as Huan Wen was worrying about supplies, Fu Xiong, a fierce general of the Former Qin, suddenly led 7,000 elite cavalry westward at breakneck speed.

They attacked Sima Xun's detachment, which was making a difficult northward advance along the Ziwu Road.

Sima Xun's troops were caught off guard and suffered a crushing defeat, incurring heavy losses.

The remaining troops had no choice but to retreat to Nuwa Fortress to protect themselves.

[We dared not, nor were we able to, continue advancing towards Chang'an.]

The southwestern support force that Huan Wen had placed high hopes on had thus collapsed.

To break the stalemate, Huan Wen clashed again with Fu Xiong's forces at Bailu Plain, near the Jin army's encampment.

[The Jin army failed to win this battle, suffering over ten thousand casualties and a severe blow to morale.]

[Without provisions within, and without reinforcements from outside.] [And now, they have suffered a new defeat at Bailuyuan.]

The Jin army's offensive momentum has been lost.

Huan Wen felt that continuing to besiege the fortified city offered no chance of victory and that his entire army was in danger of being annihilated at any moment.

[There is a possibility of taking a gamble.]

However, Huan Wen was not the type to burn his bridges.

After three months of garrisoning at Ba Shang, Huan Wen reluctantly made the decision to withdraw his troops.

In order to prevent this Northern Expedition from being completely in vain.

[Also, to demonstrate his initial intention to "save the people," he ordered the relocation of more than 3,000 households from the Guanzhong region who had voluntarily returned south.]

Before his departure, Huan Wen couldn't stop thinking about Wang Meng, this rare talent.

[He was appointed as a high-ranking official and supervisor, with the intention of bringing him back to Jiangnan.]

However, Wang Meng discerned Huan Wen's ambitions and the limitations of the aristocratic politics of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Knowing that his ambitions would be difficult to realize in the South.

Therefore, he politely declined Huan Wen's generous invitation and waited patiently for a true enlightened ruler.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty thus missed its chance to witness the rise of this extraordinary talent who would later change the course of history in the entire north and even China.

Outside the sky.

Han Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, saw Wang Meng on the sky, who looked like a reclusive sage.

There was a sense of regret, but also a sense of injustice.

"This Wang Meng does seem to have some talent."

"But Huan Wen invited him to return south, and he refused. Did he look down on Huan Wen? Did he think he wasn't capable enough?"

"Tianmu also said that Wang Meng is a man of extraordinary talent who will change the course of history in the entire North and even China in the future."

"So what?"

"How does Wang Meng compare to Li Si of Qin, Xiao He of Han, and Zhuge Liang, whom Tianmu has mentioned many times?"

……

The sky continued to fall:

The Jin army's retreat was not without its difficulties.

[The Crown Prince Fu Chang of the Former Qin Dynasty led the Qin army in pursuit, chasing them all the way from Ba Shang to Tong Guan.]

The Jin army was eager to return home, but the large number of civilians they carried slowed their advance.

[They suffered heavy losses under the pursuit of the Qin army, with over 10,000 killed.]

[Sima Xun, trapped in Nuwa Fortress, learned that the main force had retreated and had no choice but to abandon the stronghold and lead his remaining troops back to Hanzhong.]

Thus, Huan Wen's meticulously planned and initially impressive first Northern Expedition ended in a dismal failure, failing to live up to its initial promise.

The army suffered considerable casualties.

Although he once commanded respect throughout Guanzhong, besieged Ba Shang, and decisively defeated the main Qin army at Lantian, causing Chang'an to tremble and the people to weep as they welcomed him.

[It almost changed the landscape of the North.]

However, they ultimately failed to capture Chang'an and achieve the ultimate goal of restoring the old capital.

However, if we broaden our perspective, the significance of this Northern Expedition cannot be ignored.

[This was the largest military operation conducted by the Eastern Jin army since the chaos of the Yongjia Rebellion and the hasty southward migration of the Jin court, penetrating the furthest into enemy territory, posing the greatest threat to the core area of ​​the nomadic regime, and yielding the most significant results.]

Especially after Yin Hao's repeated free gifts, Huan Wen's military might greatly boosted morale in the south.

This proves that the Hu cavalry were not invincible.

The Jin army in the south was fully capable of defeating the northern nomadic tribes.

This also gave the Han people in the north hope that the "royal army," which had been migrating south for decades, would march north.

Huan Wen personally reached a new peak of prestige and power thanks to this battle.

Upon returning to Jiankang, Huan Wen, determined to reclaim his lost territories, proposed an even grander strategic plan to the court: to move the capital.

He suggested that the court move north from Jiankang, which was confined to a remote corner of the country, back to the old capital, Luoyang.

[This may be the key to understanding the problem Wang Meng pointed out: the lack of confidence among the powerful clans in Guanzhong and their hesitant attitude towards the Jin army.]

Huan Wen now also felt that only by the return of the central government to the Central Plains could the determination to recover the Central Plains be truly demonstrated.

[Effectively uniting the people of the North and boosting the confidence of the powerful Han Chinese in the North.]

[This laid a solid foundation for the next step of the Northern Expedition to Guanzhong and subsequently the pacification of Hebei.]

This proposal reflects both his personal ambition and his grand aspiration to restore the lost territories.

However, for the aristocratic families of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, accustomed to the prosperous and comfortable life in the Jiangnan region, moving the capital to Luoyang meant enormous risks and inconveniences.

[Investment and political standing in the South will also suffer significant losses.]

Huan Wen's suggestion was ultimately not adopted.

The glory and regret of the first Northern Expedition, along with the shelving of the proposal to relocate the capital, became important footnotes to that turbulent era.

This also foreshadowed Huan Wen's subsequent Northern Expeditions.

Comment from the live chat: "It's a pity Wang Meng didn't go south."

Wang Meng, though from a humble background, was aware of the drawbacks of the aristocratic politics of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and knew he would be ostracized if he went to the south.

However, his grandson, Wang Zhen'e, later achieved great things in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Huan Wen was just one step away from achieving his goal, but he was too focused on power and status. It's understandable that Wang Meng looked down on him.

Huan Wen's main problem was a lack of food. To fight to the death when food was scarce—was that really Xiang Yu's fighting style?

"Huan, the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was like this: conservative and hesitant, otherwise he would have usurped the throne long ago, but in the end he didn't even receive the Nine Bestowments."

I still quite like Huan Wen; he's much better than those pretentious aristocratic clans. (End of Chapter)