Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 120 Eastward Advance
The night passed.

May 8th.

Before the sun had risen, conspicuous wisps of smoke rose from the not-so-sturdy Han army camp in the northwest corner of Chang'an.

The garrison in Chang'an was on high alert all night, but the expected night battle did not materialize. They had no choice but to send a new group of soldiers to guard the city.

After a day and night of rest, the Han army had recovered most of its strength and morale, and was generally ready to fight.

As the sun rose, more than 50,000 Han soldiers, laborers, and servants from the Xiliu Camp and the two camps east and west of the Feng River moved towards the Han army camp in the northwest corner of Chang'an City, either leading warhorses and pack animals or protecting heavy supply wagons.

In an instant, the sound of drums shook the heavens, banners filled the fields, and dust billowed up in a mighty and imposing manner.

As the Han army crossed the fortified camp, the atmosphere in Chang'an became tense.

If the General of the Flying Cavalry is correct, Chang'an will likely fall to the enemy within two days.

Although the General of the Flying Cavalry said it was a brave man cutting off his own arm as bait, there was indeed some truth to it.

In reality, Guanqiu Jian, Linghu Yu, Qin Lang and other generals all understood that this was merely a helpless move because the Fengshui camp had been swiftly captured by the Shu army overnight, leaving the General of the Cavalry unable to quickly return to reinforce it.

Otherwise, if the Shu bandits were unable to break through the Fengshui camp, they would truly be caught in a situation where they were attacked from both sides.

Now that the Fengshui camp had been captured, it was connected with several other camps of the Shu bandits north of Chang'an.

Thus, the threat of being attacked from both sides disappeared, and instead, the poorly defended Chang'an was directly exposed to the Shu invaders.

If it weren't for the fact that General of the Cavalry had served three emperors, enjoyed great prestige, commanded all military affairs in Jing and Yu provinces, and possessed the extraordinary military achievement of swiftly beheading Meng Da, the garrison in Chang'an would probably have been frightened away without a fight long ago.

An hour later, tens of thousands of Han soldiers arrived at the Chucheng Gate, directly north of Chang'an City. They took out armor and weapons from their supply wagons and lined up in battle formation, clearly ready to attack the city at the slightest provocation.

However, this was beyond the expectations of Guanqiu Jian, Qin Lang, and the other generals.

The Han army's supply train first divided its personnel and set up a camp at the Wei River Stone Bridge, directly north of Chang'an.

Then, another group continued eastward, and half an hour later, they set up another camp three or four miles away, near the Luocheng Gate in the northeast corner of Chang'an City.

This fortress was located directly at the intersection of the Zaoqu and Kunmingqu canals, the two main canals of Chang'an, completely blocking the grain route to Chang'an. Together with the fortress established in the northwest corner yesterday and the fortress established at Shiqiao just now, it formed a three-legged stand.

On the walls of Chang'an, Xiahou Mao, Xiahou Ru, Xiahou Bao, and Qin Lang, all members of the Cao clan, were puzzled.

Chang'an was right in front of them, and the Shu army clearly had the strength to take it in one fell swoop. It was practically within their grasp. Why did they have to divide their forces into multiple routes and take measures to cut off Chang'an's supply lines?

On the other hand, Guanqiu Jian felt inexplicably uneasy.

The Shu army's recent performance can be described as swift as the wind and aggressive as fire. That's why the General of Chariots and Cavalry ordered them to temporarily abandon Chang'an, hoping to use Chang'an to embolden the enemy and divide their forces.

Now that Chang'an is within sight, yet they do not seize it, the restraint displayed by the Shu army can be described as immovable as a mountain and unfathomable as the shadows.

By the afternoon, the Shu army had completed building their camp.

All the soldiers who were lined up outside returned to their camp to rest.

Inside the village, the flags were lowered and the drums fell silent, while outside, the laborers and auxiliary soldiers continued to reinforce the fortifications.

Meanwhile, about ten or twenty miles to the east, Wei generals Niu Jin and Wang Chang had already led more than ten thousand soldiers to the east bank of the Ba River.

Their original intention was to receive the defeated troops from Chang'an, but after observing for most of the day, they found no indication that the Shu army intended to attack.

Yet they dared not easily cross the Ba River and establish their village with their backs to the water.

Undoubtedly, they feared that the Shu army might suddenly abandon Chang'an and launch an attack against them.

In the end, they had no choice but to set up camp on the east bank of the Ba River.

Another day has passed.

The Han and Wei armies remained at peace.

The next day.

Early morning of the ninth day of the fifth lunar month.

Another uneventful night.

Smoke still rises from the chimneys as usual.

However, the scouts sent out by Sima Yi astutely discovered that there was almost no smoke from cooking fires in the Han army's Xiliu camp and the Fengshui camp that had been seized from the Wei.

Sima Yi had been wondering why the Shu army hadn't attacked Chang'an the day before. After receiving this news, he immediately rode off to Chang'an himself.

The distance of just over twenty miles could be covered in an instant by riding a warhorse.

Faced with this empty fortress, Sima Yi did not hesitate at all this time and directly sent people into Fengshui Fortress to find out what was going on.

It was soon discovered that the fortified village that Guanqiu Jian had built over a month ago had indeed become an empty village.

Apart from the wooden fence outside the village, the inside was almost completely empty, let alone any valuable supplies or provisions.

Sima Yi was shocked to see that the Xiliu Camp north of the Wei River had also ceased its operations.

Surprisingly, the wooden bridge leading to Xiliuying in Weibei was not demolished.

Without further thought, he immediately sent men to Xiliu Camp.

The dozen or so people who were sent over were trembling with fear, but they still managed to cross the bridge successfully.

After observing the area outside the camp for a while and finding nothing amiss, they successfully entered the camp by climbing over the ditches and ridges outside the fortifications.

After their figures completely disappeared from sight, only a dozen breaths later, the Wei army on the south bank of the Wei River suddenly heard dozens of mournful cries and screams coming from the Xiliu camp, after which there was no more movement.

Sima Yi first frowned, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"I thought Zhuge Liang had even abandoned this Xiliu Camp. If that's really the case, I'm a little afraid of him."

"But now it seems there is nothing to worry about."

"Why do you say that, General of the Flying Cavalry?" Wen Qin asked in confusion.

Instead of attacking Chang'an directly as this General of the Cavalry had hoped, the Shu army set up camp on the Chang'an canal.

Clearly, this was a genuine attempt to force the Wei state to engage in open battle in Chang'an to determine the victor.

With the grain supply route to Chang'an blocked, this next battle was unavoidable.

The formidable fighting power recently displayed by the Shu army has forced Wen Qin to take the matter seriously.

This general of the cavalry always appeared confident and prepared.

In fact, when Wei Yan came to challenge him that day, the General of the Flying Cavalry avoided battle and did not come out. As a result, the Shu army took the opportunity to capture Guanqiu Jian's camp, which damaged the prestige of the General of the Flying Cavalry.

Many soldiers in the army were already skeptical of his performance and words.

Many soldiers even privately made sarcastic remarks about this General of the Cavalry.

If the Wei army fails to secure a victory against the Shu army, the morale of its soldiers may collapse.

Sima Yi, mounted on horseback, gently gripped the reins and calmly spoke:
"Chang'an was within easy reach, yet Zhuge Liang dared not seize it directly."

"They want to fight me in Chang'an, and they also want to use this Xiliu Camp as a backup plan."

"Being so cautious in everything, thinking about defeat before victory, is not wrong in itself."

However, he dared not take advantage of his momentum to conquer Chang'an.

"Secondly, after breaking through Fengshui Camp, we dared not launch an all-out attack on Baling and Xinfeng to the east."

"The three dared not, after agreeing to fight me, send out their entire army to the banks of the Feng River to block my army's return, and to fight me to the death on the banks of the Feng River."

Instead, they divided their troops into several camps outside Chang'an.

"This is because they are indecisive and lack self-confidence. "In battle, courage is essential."

"Since Zhuge Liang lacked the courage to advance and did not dare to attack Chang'an for two days, he would definitely not be able to capture Chang'an."

"Once my army enters Chang'an, the Shu army will be defeated and forced to retreat."

Wen Qin remained silent upon hearing this.

You were the one who lured Zhuge Liang to attack Chang'an, suggesting that Chang'an would weaken and disperse Zhuge Liang's forces.

Now that Zhuge Liang is not attacking Chang'an as you wished, but instead conserving his strength, you immediately come up with a completely different story.

Who can argue with you?

Sima Yi glanced at Wen Qin, knowing what Wen Qin was thinking, but he didn't care and just smiled.

He then ordered the wooden bridge to be burned down, and then went to Chang'an.

The city of Chang'an opened the South Gate, allowing Sima Yi and his entourage of several hundred cavalrymen to enter the city.

Sima Yi drove north along the city's main road and soon arrived at the city tower.

Facing north and with his back to the south, he observed the three camps of the Shu army north of Chang'an from his high vantage point.

The camps were very large; each one could accommodate more than 20,000 people.

The camp in the middle simply spans the Wei River, encompassing the only stone bridge across it.

When war breaks out, the presence of this wide and sturdy stone bridge makes it easy and quick to advance or retreat.

In fact, there used to be a stockade south of this stone bridge, which was occupied by the Great Wei.

However, after Guanqiu Jian's camp was breached overnight, the defending generals Xiahou Bao and Qin Lang abandoned the camp and gathered their troops in Chang'an City to save their lives.

There was nothing they could do; they were originally on guard against the enemy north of the Wei River, but who would have thought that the enemy could suddenly appear behind them?
Ultimately, this was a dereliction of duty by Sima Yi and Guanqiu Jian, who were on the front lines, not by them.

Sima Yi had nothing to say about this, not to mention that these two were relatives of the same clan. Even if the Shu army came from the north of the Wei River and these two abandoned their camp and fled, he still had nothing to say.

Regardless of whether he was harsh on those who lost the stronghold, the loss of this stronghold truly turned Chang'an into a completely isolated city without any support, which is why he had no choice but to make the decision to abandon Chang'an.

However, the strange thing is that the Shu army did not attack Chang'an, so Xiahou Bao and Qin Lang, the two members of the imperial clan, actually made the right choice in fleeing.

Otherwise, this army would be isolated and vulnerable, surrounded by enemies from the north and south, and the Shu army would inevitably resort to besieging the enemy and attacking their reinforcements.

Knowing full well that the Shu army had the strength to breach the camp overnight, who would dare not send troops to rescue these two relatives?

After observing the three camps of the Shu army for half an hour without finding any flaws, Sima Yi then observed and sensed the wind direction.

It was still a southeasterly wind, and the wind was strong enough to make the flag unfurl.

If the Shu army were to launch a strong attack on the city from the north, or if a decisive battle were to break out, this time the southeast wind would be helping the Great Wei, not the Shu Kingdom.

"Lord Sima, the Shu bandits neither attack Chang'an nor concentrate their superior forces in one place, but instead divide their troops and set up camps. What is their intention?" Qin Lang, the supervising general of the cavalry, asked gently.

Qin Lang's identity is rather awkward. Although he is said to be a member of the Cao family, he has no blood relation to the Cao family. Like He Yan, his mother was taken in by Cao Cao.

However, compared to He Yan's high-profile and flamboyant personality, he has always been low-key and humble.

Sima Yi replied, "This forces my army to engage in a decisive battle with him."

Qin Lang thought for a moment and nodded:

“I do know that. With the Shu army blocking the Caohe River, our Great Wei has no choice but to fight them here. But if that’s the case, why doesn’t he concentrate all his forces in that camp by the Caohe River?”

Sima Yi knew that Qin Lang had always lived in Luoyang and was naturally unfamiliar with military matters, so he explained:
"He feared that after my army returned to Chang'an, he would not engage in a decisive battle with me, but instead detour to Baling to join forces with Wang Chang and Niu Jin to reconnect the supply lines."

"I also fear that my Bingzhou will send light cavalry to my aid, and that delay could lead to unforeseen changes."

“If I still go to Baling and ignore his challenge, he will launch a full-scale attack on Chang'an.”

"By setting up camps in three locations, he prevented the garrison of Chang'an from knowing where his main force was, allowing him to secretly concentrate his superior forces to launch a strong attack on one point on the city wall."

"This is indeed the most conventional method of attacking a large city with poor defenses."

Qin Lang was still puzzled: "Since Zhuge Liang wanted to fight Sima Yi so badly, why didn't he intercept Sima Yi at the Feng River and prevent him from returning to Chang'an?"

Sima Yi smiled and said, "If he really dares to block me, I can simply advance eastward along the foot of the Qinling Mountains. How dare he venture sixty miles into the mountains, exposing his front and back to my Great Wei?"
"If he is defeated there, he will die without a burial place."

"And along the Wei River, there are fortresses such as Xiliu and Jimen to the north. Even if the army is defeated, he can withdraw calmly and resist along the Wei River."

"Zhuge Liang was a cautious man after all. He always wanted to ensure that he would not be defeated first, and then wait for the enemy to be able to win. But how can there be a perfect victory in any war? If you have a 70% chance of winning, it is worth taking a gamble."

“If I were in his shoes, I would not have acted this way.”

Before long, Sima Yi led several hundred cavalrymen away from Chang'an and returned to the location of the main army.

With 40,000 shi of grain and countless supplies, the army could not move very fast.

Many soldiers would walk one or two miles and then turn back to retrieve supplies.

An hour later, it was the hour of Shen (3-5 PM).

As the sun began to set in the west, Sima Yi ordered his army to set up camp and rest on the spot.

This place is less than twenty li from Chang'an. Tonight, the army will be stationed here.

We will be able to enter Chang'an by tomorrow evening.

Under the shade of a tree, Sima Yi leaned against a large tree, leisurely flipping through a scroll of the Book of Han.

The brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao practiced their swordsmanship a few steps away.

Suddenly, one of Sima Yi's personal guards led a scout on horseback and rushed over from a distance. Both of them looked flustered.

"Oh no!"

"General of the Flying Cavalry, something terrible has happened!"

"Zhuge Liang led his army to Ba River half an hour ago!"

Sima Yi, who had been leaning against the tree, immediately stood up, put away the bamboo slips in his hand, and composed himself.

Meanwhile, the brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao were both horrified.

After a moment, Sima Yi calmed down and asked the scout in a deep voice, "How many people did you find out?"

The scout replied:
"The banners and drums resounded to the heavens, and dust billowed, making it impossible to know what was happening!"
"But... I'm afraid there are no fewer than forty or fifty thousand people!"

"Forty or fifty thousand men?" Sima Yi paused for a moment, then instinctively stroked his beard repeatedly, lost in thought.

"How many of these forty or fifty thousand people are laborers and auxiliary soldiers, and how many are actual soldiers?" Sima Shi asked in astonishment.

"If 30,000 soldiers go east, how many soldiers will the Shu army have left to remain in the few camps north of Chang'an?"

"This is bad! The cavalry that the Shu bandits sent out yesterday are probably already behind Wang Chang and Niu Jin!" Sima Yi's hand, which was stroking his beard, suddenly paused, as if he were talking to himself.

Without much thought, Sima Yi quickly beat the drum to summon all the generals to the central command tent, and then signed the official command order in front of them.

"Wenqin, you must quickly lead three thousand cavalry to the Ba River and cross it to the east bank of the Ba River before Zhuge Liang!"
"If Zhuge Liang dares to force his way across the Ba River, then seize the opportunity to attack him!"

Wen Qin immediately accepted the order and left.

Sima Yi didn't think much of it and continued to issue orders:

"Zhou Dang, Wei Ping, Jia Xu... the five of you must hurry to Chang'an and lead the Chang'an garrison to attack the Shu army's camps north of Chang'an!"
"Chen Gui, Zhou Tai, Sun Li, and Wang Guan, you four lead the rear guard and immediately break camp to follow!"

(End of this chapter)