Three Kingdoms: Wolong's brother-in-law, tricking Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou

Guanzhong!

Jia Xu was actually persuading Cao Cao to give up Guanzhong!

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Cao Cao's face change suddenly, but all the counselors and generals around him also changed color in shock.

That’s Guanzhong, not Bingzhou.

The only remaining areas of the Qin State were Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Yizhou.

Although Yizhou is rich, it is located in the southwest corner and has inconvenient transportation.

Although Liang Province was rich in war horses and had strong soldiers, providing the vast majority of cavalry for the Qin State, it had a sparse population and poor land.

However, the Guanzhong area has the fertile Guanzhong Plain, which can feed a considerable population and provide a large number of soldiers. It is also located in the north, and the Central Plains is just east of Tongguan.

Guanzhong can be said to be the essence of Qin State and the foundation of Qin State.

If Cao Cao still wants to compete with Liu Bei, if he has not given up his orthodox status, and if he still has ambitions to compete for the Central Plains, he must never give up Guanzhong.

Giving up would be equivalent to announcing to the Qin people and the people of the world that you have given up the ideal of unifying the world and will become a separatist clown living in a corner!

"Jia Wenhe, what kind of stupid plan is this!"

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and Guanzhong is the heartland of our Great Qin. How dare you advise Your Majesty to abandon the country without a fight?"

"Do you want Your Majesty to be a separatist, incompetent ruler who does not think about making progress and be laughed at by the world?"

"Do you want the world to know that our Great Qin is no longer able to compete with the Pseudo-Han for the world and can only live in peace in a corner?"

Zhang Song was the first to jump out, pointing at Jia Xu and questioning him harshly.

His scolding was naturally based on the overall situation of Cao Cao's fight for the world. Another reason was that he was feeling uneasy after the defeat in the Hedong War and was afraid of being held accountable by Cao Cao.

Now turning the spearhead towards Jia Xu would divert Cao Cao's anger away from himself. Why not do it?

As soon as Zhang Song took the lead, Cao Hong and other ministers were immediately incited and accused Jia Xu's proposal of being absurd.

"Wenhe, you disappoint me so much."

"I have always known that you are resourceful and I thought you could offer some brilliant plan to turn the tide and defeat the enemy, so that I can repel the big-eared thieves and defend the heartland of Guanzhong."

"I never thought that you would want me to hand over this most important place in Guanzhong, my imperial capital Chang'an, to that big-eared thief just because Puban Pass was lost?"

"As Yongnian and the other ministers have said, do you really want me to give up on recovering the Central Plains and unifying the country, and become a clown who rules a small corner?"

Cao Cao finally spoke, his tone and words were quite serious, and he made no effort to hide his extreme dissatisfaction with Jia Xu.

Jia Xu only sighed inwardly, but did not refute or argue. He just silently accepted Cao Cao's disappointment and rebuke.

He has no choice.

To him, fighting for the world, recovering the Central Plains, and being labeled a clown are all your business, Cao Cao. What do they have to do with me, Jia Xu?

My goal is to protect myself.

The hope of holding Guanzhong is obviously slim now, but if we still insist on defending it, won’t we lose all the people and land, and hundreds of thousands of troops will be buried here in vain?

Instead of doing anything, why not just give up and retreat to Liangzhou first, or even better, directly to Yizhou.

By then, with hundreds of thousands of troops at hand and the insurmountable natural barrier of Qinling Mountains as a shield, it would not be a dream to defeat the whole world with one corner, and defending a corner of Yizhou would be no problem at all.

As long as I can defend Yizhou, I can live well.

Wouldn't it be perfect if you took care of him for twenty or thirty years, until I enjoy all the wealth and glory and die of old age?
As for after my death, even if there is a flood, even if your family, Cao, is doomed to be destroyed, what does it have to do with me?
It was based on such considerations that Jia Xu, knowing full well that his advice would lead to criticism from everyone and make Cao Cao disappointed and dissatisfied, still risked being scolded and made his suggestions.

Unfortunately, the result did not surprise him.

"Feng Xiao, why don't you speak?"

After venting his dissatisfaction with Jia Xu, Cao Cao turned his gaze to Guo Jia.

All the ministers accused Jia Xu of offering a ridiculous suggestion, but only Guo Jia remained silent and did not express his opinion.

"Your Majesty, I, ahem..."

In his heart, Guo Jia naturally agreed with Jia Xu's judgment and understood that once Puyang Pass was lost, there would be little chance of defending Guanzhong.

As a strategist, it would be no problem for him to persuade Cao Cao to abandon Guanzhong and retreat to Liangyi purely for military reasons.

But as an important official of the country, he cannot just consider the military aspect, but also has to consider political opinion, people's hearts and minds, and even the future of the country.

"Yongnian is right. Guanzhong is the heart of the Qin Empire, and Chang'an is the capital of the Qin Empire. If we abandon it without a fight, the impact on the people's hearts and minds, and on the morale of the Qin Empire's people and military will be immeasurable."

"only…"

Changing the subject, Guo Jia looked helpless again:
"Although Wenhe's proposal is a bit negative, I think his concerns are not unreasonable."

"Once Puban Pass is lost, all the strategic points in Guanzhong will be lost. Liu Bei's hundreds of thousands of troops will be able to cross the river from Puban Pass and enter the Guanzhong Plain smoothly."

"Guanzhong is flat and has no strategic locations to defend. It will be difficult for our army to stop the Han army with only our current troops..."

On the surface, Guo Jia opposed Jia Xu, but in fact he agreed with Jia Xu's judgment.

At least I agree with half of it.

"Who said we can't stop the Han army?" Zhang Song took out the map and spread it in front of Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, please see that although Liu Bei has taken Puban Pass and entered our Guanzhong Plain, his food and fodder must be transported from Hedong to Guanzhong."

"Bingzhou is poor and cannot supply food and grass to Liu Bei's army of hundreds of thousands. Most of the food and grass must be transported from Henan and Hebei, which is much more difficult than transporting it directly to Tongguan."

"Therefore, Liu Bei's army will be hindered by the lack of food and grass, and will not dare to attack Chang'an directly to the west, but will go south along the Yellow River and attack Weikou directly."

"If we seize Weikou, Liu Bei's army will be able to cross the Wei River and cut off the connection between Tongguan and Chang'an, forcing us to abandon Tongguan."

"In this way, Liu Bei will be able to capture Tongguan without bloodshed, opening up the most convenient frontal road into the pass, and his problem of transporting grain and grass will be solved in one fell swoop."

After Zhang Song's analysis, he pointed his finger at the word "Weikou":
"Weikou is the mouth of the Wei River and the Yellow River. It is the key to preventing Liu Bei's troops from crossing the Wei River. It is also the throat to ensure that Tongguan will not be cut off."

"So I think that Your Majesty should lead the army south across the Wei River and defend the Weikou to prevent Liu Bei's army from crossing the Wei River!"

"At the same time, Your Majesty should also send out all of our Xiliang light cavalry to raid the Han army's food supply route from Puban Pass to Weikou day and night, so that Liu Bei will be trapped by food and grass, and unable to fully mobilize his troops to cross the Wei River and attack Weikou."

"With this two-pronged approach, as long as we can hold out for three or four months, until summer arrives and heavy rains come and the roads become muddy, Liu Bei will be overwhelmed by the transportation of food and fodder and will definitely retreat."

"In this way, we can turn the crisis in Guanzhong into safety. Even if Liu Bei attacks Puban Pass and his army enters the Guanzhong Plain, what can he do to us?"

Zhang Song spoke eloquently and gave advice on the country's affairs, and in an instant he outlined a blueprint for Cao Cao.

The front line against the Han army also shifted from the Yellow River to the Wei River.

The key node also shifted from Puban Pass to Weikou.

The clouds on Cao Cao's face gradually dissipated. He stared at the map, his thoughts racing as Zhang Song said. Hope gradually rekindled in his gray eyes.

"Your Majesty, I think what Zhang Yongnian said is feasible. Although we lost Puban Pass, the main force of the army was not damaged. It is enough to defend Weikou."

"Although Liu Bei has a large number of troops, as long as the Wei River is no longer frozen, it will be impossible for him to cross the river in one go."

"If he dares to send troops across the river, we can use our superior forces to attack him halfway across the river!"

Cao Hong pointed at the map, his face bursting with confidence.

"Your Majesty, the Guanzhong Plain is flat and wide, which is just right for our Xiliang cavalry to charge."

"Moreover, Liu Bei's army is heading south from Puyang to Weikou, and their food supply routes are all exposed to our army's sight. Our Xiliang cavalry does not need to go deep into the enemy's rear, but can launch raids on the Han army's food supply routes that stretch for hundreds of miles from west to east, making it impossible for Liu Bei to defend himself."

"I am willing to lead my Qin and Xiliang cavalry to cut off the food supply route of the big-eared bandits for Your Majesty!"

Pang De also stood up and invited him in.

As a former general of the Ma family and a veteran of the Xiliang Army, he had few opportunities to demonstrate his military talent over the years.

Today, the Han army has entered Guanzhong, and the Xiliang cavalry finally has a place to use their skills. Pang De is naturally eager to try and is eager to prove his worth.

Cao Cao's confidence was boosted by the generals' request for battle. He turned back and looked at Guo Jia:

"Fengxiao, what do you think of Yongnian's plan?"

Guo Jia stared at the map in silence.

After a long while, Guo Jia sighed and nodded slightly:

"At this point, I'm afraid only Yongnian's plan can turn the tide."

Cao Cao no longer had any worries in his eyes. He took a deep breath and shouted:
"All troops, listen up! Return south immediately and retreat to the Wei River!"

"I have made up my mind and vowed to defend Guanzhong."

"Anyone who dares to give up and shake the morale of the army will be killed!"

...

A day later, the Qin army retreated to the Wei River and began to reinforce and build Weikou City, urgently building a Wei River defense line.

Five days later.

The main force led by Liu Bei entered Hedong and arrived at Pubanjin.

At this time, the temperature has warmed up, the cold winter came and went quickly, and the ice on the Yellow River has melted.

However, the Puban Pass on the opposite bank had already been occupied by 40,000 Han troops, so it made no difference whether the Yellow River was frozen or not.

Within three days, nearly 150,000 Han troops crossed the river and joined the Hedong Army led by Zhao Yunling.

The army, totaling 200,000 soldiers, began to march southward along the west bank of the Yellow River. Soon they reached the north bank of the Wei River, facing Weikou City across the river.

At this time, Cao Cao personally led 80,000 main forces and deployed them on the Weikou line on the south bank, building a Weishui defense line to face the Han army across the river.

At the same time, all the Xiliang cavalry within the Qin territory have been mobilized.

Among them, more than 10,000 cavalry were transferred to Weikou to block the Han army on the opposite bank from crossing the Wei River.

Another 20,000 or so Xiliang cavalrymen launched a frenzied raid on the Han army's food route, which stretched for nearly 170 miles from west to east.

The Qin cavalry led by Pang De, Cao Zhen and Wen Chou, relying on their understanding of the Guanzhong terrain and the speed advantage of their cavalry, soon posed a great threat to the Han army's food supply.

At the end of winter and the beginning of the Qin Dynasty, the Han army of 200,000 was blocked on the north bank of the Wei River, and once again formed a confrontation with the Qin army. (End of this chapter)