Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

As if sensing Zhuge Liang's slightly surprised expression, Yang Yi added with a cupped hand:
"I am stupid, I hope the Prime Minister can correct me."

Zhuge Liang glanced at Jiang Wan and Fei Yi again.

Jiang Wan no longer hesitated. When he led his troops back to Xiabian from the west to support Wang Ping that night, he had already realized that such a northern expedition was meaningless to the court.

The only places that can be captured from Baishui are either remote places like Dazhong where only Qiang people live, or places like Wudu County where no people live and the fields have been deserted for more than ten years. If we go eastwards towards Hanzhong, Wuxing Pass and Yangping Pass are simply unbreakable!
"Prime Minister, I think we should withdraw our troops now."

Fei Yi seemed to be looking at the ground with his head down, wondering what he was thinking about.

"Why retreat?" Zhuge Liang asked calmly.

Jiang Wan cupped his hands and said, "I remember that the Prime Minister said before the troops were dispatched that this time we should do our best to kill the Wei thieves and weaken the strength of the Wei State in Guanxi."

"Now that the Prime Minister has taken Wujie and Xiabian, he has used his military prowess to defeat Zhang He and Lu Xun, and forced Cao Zhen to retreat. He has also seized a lot of baggage, armor, and military equipment, which is enough to inspire the court and make the civil and military officials continue to support the Northern Expedition."

"Prime Minister!" Jiang Wan said earnestly, "To date, nearly one-fifth of our 40,000-man army has been lost. If we continue to fight, I am worried that the army will be frustrated and the people will be exhausted. This place is very far from Baishui, and it is difficult to station troops for a long time. If we take Hechi and Chiting, there will be no greater benefit. Now that the Wei bandits have retreated, our army has already won a complete victory!"

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Gong Yan, please don't talk about withdrawing troops anymore."

"I sent you to Wuchang to meet with Sun Quan to attack Wei. According to the latest military report from Wu, Sun Quan is still confronting the Wei army in Xiangfan. He is still insisting on using troops. Could it be that my credibility is not even as good as Sun Quan's?"

"Yes." Jiang Wan had no choice but to lower his head and respond.

"Wenwei." Zhuge Liang mentioned Fei Yi's name again.

"Your Majesty, I think it is a good idea and have no objection," Fei Yi replied softly.

Zhuge Liang stared at Fei Yi for a few moments, then asked again: "Wenwei, just say whatever you think."

Fei Yi then bowed and said, "Prime Minister, I think it would be better to return and attack Dazhong or Qishan. Dazhong can reach Liangzhou to the west, and Qishan is richer than Hechi and Xiabian!"

Zhuge Liang paused for a moment and replied calmly, "When we return, we can use our troops to take Dazhong. The city there is not strong, and Lu Xun's Qiang cavalry has suffered some losses, so it seems that we can take it. But there is no need to talk about Qishan. In the fifth year of Jianxing, Qishan Fort was not captured. I heard that Wei State built a city there, recruited people to farm, and made it the capital of the pseudo-Qinzhou, so it would be even more difficult to capture. Attacking a strong city is not the focus of this northern expedition."

"The Prime Minister is wise and decisive." Fei Yi cupped his hands and said, "I understand."

"Well then." Zhuge Liang stood up and said, "I have asked Wu Ban's 4,000 infantrymen to prepare in advance. Duke Wei will follow Wu Ban's army to the east and try to intercept the Wei army on their way back. If we can fight, we will fight. If we can't fight, we will harass them."

"I understand. I will go to General Wu's camp right away." Yang Yi bowed in response.

About half an hour later, Yang Yi followed Wu Ban's army and marched eastward. For the whole day, he did not encounter any good opportunities, so he had no choice but to retreat when it was getting dark.

As the Wei army gradually retreated, Zhuge Liang led his army to follow in the direction of Hechi.

Hechi was still a ruined city like a piece of clay. Wei Zhen abandoned this place and continued to retreat eastward to the ancient waterway.

When Zhuge Liang continued his march and chased the Wei army to Chencang Road, he had another small battle with the Wei army that refused to retreat on the mountain. After both sides lost nearly a thousand soldiers, Zhuge Liang stopped.

For Wei Zhen, although this place was still some distance from Gudao County, Guo Huai's army had already withdrawn southeast to Wuxing and Hanzhong according to the imperial edict. With fewer troops, the pressure of supplying food and grass was greatly reduced. In addition, it was close to the grain road that could be transported by water, so he could hold out with Zhuge Liang for a while.

It was not until December 5th that Zhuge Liang received a military report from Baishuiliu Mansion, and the confrontation was about to come to an end.

"Sun Quan, you little brat, can't be trusted!"

"What a bastard! The Han army is still fighting, why did Sun Quan retreat again?"

"In my opinion, Wei is a thief, and so are Wu and Sun Quan!"

"How dare you call yourself an ally? The Wu Kingdom is not trustworthy!"

Looking at the generals in the tent who were either cursing or lamenting that they had entrusted their talents to the wrong people, Zhuge Liang, sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but sigh.

It would certainly be refreshing to scold Sun Quan like Wu Ban, Gao Xiang and Huang Xi in the tent, but Zhuge Liang, who was sitting in agony in the tent at this time, inexplicably felt a few melancholy.

His thoughts seemed to go back to Chiting in the sixth year of Jianxing.

Chiting is not far from here, just 150 miles away. More than two years ago, when the Wei State Sanqi Shilang named Jiang Wei came to the camp to deliver a letter, he had already made the words of the Wei State Emperor Cao Rui clear and understandable.

After the Battle of Chibi, many areas in the south, including Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Yizhou, failed to integrate their forces in time to fight against the north. Instead, they refused to give in to each other. The Sun and Liu families fought over Jingzhou, and there was also the defeat of Yiling, which dealt a heavy blow to the Han Dynasty. With the north stable, there was no hope of unifying the world from south to north.

The letter from Sun Quan that Zhuge Liang received today expressed all the meanings that were absolutely correct, and became the best footnote to the words of Cao Rui of Wei State.

Sun Quan mentioned three things in the letter. First, he had already set out from Yuliangzhou outside Xiangyang on the fifth day of the eleventh month to withdraw his troops.

Sun Quan also gave a very direct reason for retreating. Since he had lost hope of further attacking Fancheng and Xiangyang, it was no longer beneficial for Sun Quan to stay there.

Second, Sun Quan prepared to return to Wuchang to proclaim himself emperor.

Sun Quan said it directly in the letter. Although they had the right timing and destroyed Wei's navy in Jingzhou, they had not yet been able to capture Xiangfan. For Wu, continuing to advance was no longer a good option.

In addition, because of the war, the good relationship that Wu and Wei had maintained for the past few years had been broken, and there was no need to take Wei into consideration. He had asked someone to choose an excellent day, February 16th of next year, to ascend the throne in Wuchang. At that time, he asked Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang to send people from Chengdu and Baishui Xiangfu to Wuchang to watch the ceremony.

If Wei attacks, then let us attack!
Thirdly, Sun Quan advised Zhuge Liang to withdraw his troops, saying that the wars in recent years had been extremely exhausting for both Wu and Han, and they should recuperate and accumulate strength, waiting for changes in the weather and the north before making plans.

Moreover, Sun Quan also mentioned the surrender of Xianbei and the fact that Emperor Cao Rui of Wei personally led an expedition to destroy Gongsun clan of Liaodong in the first half of the year.

To be fair, what Sun Quan said in the letter certainly made sense from his perspective. During these days, Zhuge Liang could clearly feel the pessimism in the army.

The key to the matter lies in the casualty ratio.

According to the Battle of Xiabian and the losses suffered in the narrow battle with the Wei army by the Gudao River a few days ago, the Han army was not worth it at all. The Han army had trained for two years in Baishui and made great progress. But the Wei army still dared to fight.

If this confrontation continues for a long time, the power of Shu will not be able to sustain it.

It's time to withdraw our troops.

Zhuge Liang sighed again and looked at the generals and officials in the military tent who were still angry:

"Everyone."

When Yang Yi heard Zhuge Liang's words, he immediately turned back and shouted in a higher voice: "Silence!"

Everyone fell silent.

Zhuge Liang said, "This year, Wei State has been in trouble. Guanzhong is suffering from a severe drought and lack of food. Jingzhou, Sili, and Yuzhou have also experienced heavy rains and floods. This is a good opportunity that cannot be missed. After I reported this to Your Majesty, I marched north, first conquered Wujie, then Xiabian, and finally occupied Hechi. I defeated the Wei thieves Zhang He and Lu Xun's troops outside Xiabian City, and resisted Cao Zhen by the Gudao River. The results of the battle were remarkable, and it was truly due to the blessing of God and the dedication of the generals and soldiers."

"I agreed with Sun Quan to attack Wei, but Sun Quan ignored the overall situation. This is really hateful! After returning to the army, I will personally write a letter to refute Sun Quan's move!"

"This year's Northern Expedition was a great victory! After I lead the troops back, I will report your achievements to Your Majesty, and give you titles, rewards, and additional fiefs. Please wait patiently for a while."

For these excited generals, turning their anger towards Sun Quan was undoubtedly the right decision.

Of course, after the order to withdraw was announced, Yang Yi, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and other officials in the government, as well as the generals in the tent, had no objections and accepted the order to withdraw naturally.

Withdrawal of troops is also a complex and tedious project.

Which unit should retreat first and which should retreat last? How should the order be determined? How should food and grass be arranged? How should the rear wing be arranged to resist the enemy?

All of this required the arduous work of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang himself and his ministers to implement.

After Jiang Wan and Fei Yi worked together to sort out the distribution and deployment of rations for the retreating troops, it was already late at night. The two of them half-recline in the tent to rest and began to chat.

"Brother Gongyan," Fei Yi said, "Although all the generals are indignant about Sun Quan's actions today, when I think about it carefully, Sun Quan was honest in giving me this letter. Others have not read it, but the Prime Minister has shown it to you, me, and Yang Weigong."

Jiang Wan asked, "Is it a question of honesty or not?"

"Wenwei, you don't know. When I met Sun Quan in Wuchang before, Sun Quan was as cunning and heroic as ever. But did you read what Sun Quan said in the letter? He looked completely discouraged, and wanted to shrink his neck and hide behind the defense line of the Yangtze River, and no longer seek to advance to the north!"

"As for what you said before, that you would go to Xiangfan and claim the throne as an emperor because of this great achievement, now that Xiangfan has not been taken, can't you just boast about your achievement in defeating the Wei army and return to Wuchang to sit on the throne of the emperor?"

Fei Yi shook his head and sighed, "So what? It's not the first day we've known Sun Quan. What he has achieved this year is already a new look, very different from before. How can we ask for more? He is just an ally, not a subject of the Han Dynasty."

Jiang Wan said: "We have to withdraw our troops no matter what."

"Wenwei, after we return to Baishui, I think the Han should rest and recuperate, and not attack lightly again. I wanted to say this to the Prime Minister before, but I didn't dare to say it out loud."

Fei Yi glanced at Jiang Wan and said, "You can do it, and so can I, but the Prime Minister cannot! Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. Go to bed early, as we have to travel early tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Jiang Wan sighed. (End of this chapter)