Cao Zhen, who led his army to evacuate from Yi County, did not take long to retreat all the way to Wuzhangyuan to join forces with Guo Huai.
Guo Huai, who was responsible for building the Wuzhang original defense line, couldn't help but be curious when he saw Cao Zhen leading his army to "join" him so quickly.
After questioning, Guo Huai learned the whole story.
After learning that Mi Yang led the main force of the Han army to approach Xi County regardless of the danger in the rear, even Guo Huai, who had always been rich in military strategy, was shocked by Mi Yang's operation.
But being frightened, Guo Huai quickly judged Cao Zhen's purpose of leading his army to Wuzhangyuan to join forces with him based on the available intelligence.
Perhaps there have been many rumors among the Wei army recently claiming that Cao Zhen, as a great general of the Wei Dynasty, was as afraid of women as a tiger, but Guo Huai naturally would not believe those rumors.
After all, if it is true as the rumors say that Cao Zhen hurriedly withdrew his troops out of fear of Mi Yang, then Cao Zhen should have withdrawn all the way to Chang'an City.
Chang'an City's city defenses, which are like a natural moat, can give people the greatest sense of security.
But Cao Zhen did not do this, which shows that Cao Zhen's purpose of emergency evacuation from Xi County was mainly to lead troops to block the Han army led by Mi Yang in Wuzhangyuan.
After learning about Cao Zhen's purpose, Guo Huai reported the current defense details of Wuzhangyuan to Cao Zhen when Cao Zhen first arrived at Wuzhangyuan.
Guo Huai led his army to Wuzhangyuan to set up defenses. It had not been half a month.
But Guo Huai is a rare good general in this world, and the terrain of Wuzhangyuan is steep, so even if he only had half a month, Guo Huai quickly built a solid line of defense in Wuzhangyuan.
Guo Huai's report made Cao Zhen, who was worried along the way, smile rarely.
In times of national crisis, the value of talents becomes even more evident.
Obviously, Guo Huai is a talent who can solve problems for the country in times of national crisis.
Cao Zhen praised Guo Huai without hesitation in public.
Cao Zhen's praise made Guo Huai feel happy and asked him to take the initiative to tell Cao Zhen his thoughts on Mi Yang's sudden attack.
"Although the enemy took Qizhai by surprise and broke through Xiaxian County, he was still too aggressive.
But if they refuse to hold on to the strong wall to thwart their advance, they will be unable to advance and retreat without fighting. If they stop for a long time, they will run out of food and the captives will have nothing to gain, so they must leave. To chase after them while they are running away, and to wait for the work at leisure is the way to complete victory. "
In Guo Huai's view, Mi Yang's bold attack indeed exceeded many people's expectations and provided a good starting point for his subsequent attack on Chang'an.
It's just that everything has pros and cons.
From an objective fact perspective, Chencang is still in our own hands, and there are many elites in Chencang City.
This is a hidden danger that Mi Yang can avoid, but cannot ignore.
After all, bypassing Chencang is a stopgap measure.
Moreover, as long as the Wuzhangyuan can be defended and Mi Yang is not allowed to reach the entrance of the Xie Valley, the more aggressive Mi Yang advances, the further the Han army's food road will be stretched.
To use a metaphor, the Han army's current food road is like a tightened rope.
Once the pressure on the rope exceeds the limit that it can withstand, the rope will be broken directly.
This was a fatal and unavoidable problem for the Han army.
On the surface, the current situation is unfavorable to our side, but it does not mean that we are really helpless.
What we have to do now is to keep applying pressure on the rope, brake quietly, and wait for the moment when the rope breaks.
If we can complete this strategic concept, not to mention driving out the invaders, some larger strategic goals are not unforeseen - for example, annihilating the main force of the Han Army's Northern Expedition in Guanzhong.
Guo Huai's words made Cao Zhen look even better.
Due to the emergency situation when he was in Yi County, Liu Ye did not give Cao Zhen an in-depth analysis of the reasons for abandoning Yi County and retreating to Wuzhangyuan.
But on the way to retreat to Wuzhangyuan, Liu Ye carefully analyzed the pros and cons of this matter for Cao Zhen in private.
Liu Ye's analysis and Guo Huai's advice in front of him today can be said to have the same purpose but the same approach.
The two important ministers had different approaches but similar goals, which made Cao Zhen realize that the current situation was not too bad for the Wei army.
At least Wuzhangyuan hasn't been lost yet.
After realizing this, Cao Zhen's mood gradually improved.
When Cao Zhen's expression turned brighter, Guo Huai suggested to Cao Zhen: "At this moment, our army should divide one unit and go to Weibei to station."
Cao Zhen, who was originally in a good mood, fell down again after hearing Guo Huai's suggestion to divide his troops.
Divide the troops?
It's not that Cao Zhen saw any hidden dangers in Guo Huai's suggestion to divide his troops, it was mainly his conditioned reflex.
Not to mention the Battle of Liangzhou, which Cao Zhen cited as a lifelong shame, let's talk about the defeat the Wei army suffered after the Han army's Northern Expedition.
Previously, he and Cao Zhang divided their forces and were stationed in Shanggui and Jieting respectively. Then in the battle of Jieting, Cao Zhang was defeated miserably.
A few days ago, he divided his troops and returned to defend the rear. As a result, when the main force of the Han army attacked, Xi County's defense strength was insufficient, so he had no choice but to abandon Xi County.
These two failures were both caused by mistakes in troop division tactics. Under the influence of these two failures, Cao Zhen instinctively had an ominous premonition when he heard the word division of troops.
Of course, even though he didn't want to, Cao Zhen would not speak out his true thoughts in public, otherwise wouldn't he have truly confirmed his reputation as "fearing the enemy like a tiger"?
Cao Zhen pretended to ask and then said to Guo Huai:
"The people are all gathered in Weinan, and this is a must-win place."
Cao Zhen did not directly refute Guo Huai's suggestion, but everyone in the tent heard the rejection in Cao Zhen's words.
Since Weinan is a battleground, of course all troops must be concentrated to defend Wuzhangyuan.
It was just that the generals understood what Cao Zhen meant by rejecting Guo Huai, but the reason why Cao Zhen rejected Guo Huai made the generals look at each other in confusion.
Although the land in Weinan is more fertile than that in Weibei, it does not mean that "people gather in Weinan".
The general's reason is really far-fetched.
Guo Huai also knew that Cao Zhen's reason was a bit far-fetched, and from this reason, he vaguely understood Cao Zhen's true thoughts.
Guo Huai, who was aware of Cao Zhen's true thoughts, would not be stupid enough to expose Cao Zhen to his face. He just continued to persuade:
"Mi thieves have always been changeable in their tactics. Now that our army has the advantage, we have not divided our troops to go to the Wei River first. If Mi Yang arrives with his army, he instead splits his troops to attack the Wei River unexpectedly. Then Weibei will be shaken. What will our army do?"
In order to prevent the thieves from spying on Weibei, our army should take precautions and send troops to build forts in Weibei first.
If the bandits want to divide their forces to attack Weibei at that time, our army can cross halfway and attack them, and we will definitely win! "
Guo Huai was resolute and urged Cao Zhen to divide his troops and station them in Weibei in advance.
After giving the above reasons, Guo Huai continued to say in order to further persuade Cao Zhen to agree:
"Besides, as long as our army can hold Weibei, our army's path to Longyou will not be cut off.
The main force of the bandit army is currently led by Mi bandits, approaching Wuzhangyuan step by step. The bandit army's defense in Longyou is empty.
When the enemy is empty, our army can take advantage of it. "
Guo Huai's words attracted Cao Zhen's attention.
Cao Zhen quickly asked Guo Huai, "Is it possible that you want to lead your troops back and attack the bandits in a detour?"
When Cao Zhen asked Guo Huai, his face showed joy.
He was happy because of Guo Huai's courage.
It's a pity that Cao Zhen is going to be disappointed.
Facing Cao Zhen's sudden inquiry, Guo Huai suddenly choked on his words.
Does he look like such a brave person?
In order to clear up Cao Zhen's misunderstanding about him, Guo Huai immediately replied:
"otherwise.
Although the enemy's troops in Longyou are empty, there are thieves and thousands of elite soldiers in Anding County. Even though I have the heart to sacrifice my life for the country, going forward with few soldiers will not be enough to achieve meritorious service. On the contrary, I will worry about losing my troops and humiliating the country.
If more soldiers go there, our army's defense in Wuzhangyuan will be empty again, which will instead give opportunities for thieves to take advantage of.
I believe that if the Mi bandits cross the Wei River and board the plains, and join forces in the northern mountains to isolate the Long Road, it will be difficult for our army to exert influence on Longyou.
But as long as our army can occupy Beiyuan, the contact between our army and Longyou will not be severed.
When winter comes, I can send my confidants to hook up with the foreign tribes in Longyou and let them harass the Han army's food route so that the enemy army cannot see each other. Then what difficulty will our army have in repelling the enemy army? "
Guo Huai's words made Cao Zhen think deeply.
Although Guo Huai lacked the courage to go deep alone, which made him a little disappointed.
But what Guo Huai said later still moved Cao Zhen.
Cao Zhen knew Guo Huai's reputation in Longyou. Although the Han army had already occupied Longyou, it was only last month.
Even if time passes to winter, the Han army will not occupy Longyou for more than half a year.
Half a year was definitely not enough for the Han army to gain a firm foothold in Longyou. On the other hand, Guo Huai's prestige in Longyou lasted for more than ten years, which was unmatched by Mi Yang.
This is also the biggest reason why Guo Huai is confident that he can provoke the Longyou Qiang people into rebellion.
While Cao Zhen was deep in thought, Liu Ye, who was standing by the side, saw that Cao Zhen was still hesitating, so he quickly came out and said to Cao Zhen:
"What Guo Yongzhou said is reasonable, and the general has no need to doubt it."
Liu Ye's support made Cao Zhen no longer hesitate.
Cao Zhen finally looked at Guo Huaiyan and said, "I will give you 10,000 soldiers to station in Weibei. I hope you won't let me down."
Cao Zhen promised to make Guo Huai very happy.
He quickly bowed to Cao Zhen and said, "I will die in service!"
After deciding on the strategy of dividing the troops in Weibei, Cao Zhen felt a little tired. He asked Liu Ye to write a memorial and submit the current military situation to Luoyang.
After arranging this matter, Cao Zhen ordered the generals to go down and rest.
A fierce battle is coming, and now is the time to recharge your batteries.
Liu Ye had extraordinary literary talent. He quickly wrote a memorial and ordered the courier to hurry up and send it to Luoyang.
The messenger knew that this was an urgent military situation, so he did not dare to delay at all on the way. Within a few days, the messenger delivered Cao Zhen's memorial to Cao Rui.
Seeing Cao Rui after playing the watch, veins naturally appeared on his forehead.
There has been no military information from the front line for a while. Cao Rui, who believes that no bad news is good news, has rarely felt at peace during this time.
But who knows that his sect members and generals on the front line will either not send bad news, but will send big news instead?
The street pavilion was lost, and tens of thousands of Luoyang's Chinese troops were destroyed.
Abandoning the defense at Shanggui, one hundred thousand enemy troops marched all the way to Wuzhangyuan.
Cao Rui felt that just one of these two pieces of news would speed up his heartbeat, let alone two coming at once?
Cao Rui was so angry that he smashed the jade cup in front of him.
This jade cup was a tribute from a small country in the Western Regions to the Wei Dynasty. After Cao Zhen won a great victory in the Battle of Hexi, all the countries in the Western Regions worshiped Cao Wei as Zhengshuo and paid tribute incessantly.
This has always been something that Cao Pi was proud of, and it was also regarded by the world as a symbol of the Zhengshuo of China.
But Cao Rui knew that this symbol, like the jade cup in front of him, had become fragmented.
The loss of Liangzhou means that Cao Wei will no longer be able to exert influence on the Western Regions in the future.
In the future, if the countries in the Western Region want to pay tribute, they will probably pay tribute to the gradually recovering Han.
When he thought of this, Cao Rui felt as uncomfortable as a fire burning in his heart.
Fortunately, Cao Rui in this life has never experienced the pain of losing his mother, so his mentality is not too extreme.
Otherwise, based on his current mood, the lives of the servants in the palace might be in danger.
It's just that Cao Rui's mind is different from ordinary people's. After being burned inside and out for a while, Cao Rui forced himself to calm down.
He immediately ordered his chamberlain to summon Situ Huaxin to come.
It didn't take long for Hua Xin, who was taking care of himself at home, to be summoned to Cao Rui.
When Hua Xin arrived at the main hall, he found that he was the only minister in the main hall, which made him a little confused.
Although Hua Xin is currently Cao Wei's Situ, he ranks among the three princes.
But during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Situ seemed to be an official position with a false name but no real power.
Hua Xin knew this very well, so unless he had a major court meeting, he usually stayed at home to recuperate.
In the past, when discussing important state affairs, it didn't mean that oneself would not be summoned, but it was just that only oneself would not be summoned.
But the current scene clearly violated past conventions, which inevitably made Hua Xin wary.
He instinctively felt that today would not be an easy day for him.
Hua Xin's prediction was correct. After Hua Xin arrived and took his seat, Cao Rui quickly handed the memorial sent by Cao Zhen into the hands of Hua Xin.
After reading the contents of the memorial, Hua Xin couldn't help but change his face.
In order not to cause unrest in Luoyang's people, Cao Rui has been strictly prohibiting the spread of frontline military information in Luoyang City.
In addition, Hua Xin didn't care much about the military, so he didn't know much about the military situation on the front line before.
Even if Hua Xin had guessed that the military situation on the front line was not good for the Wei army, how could he have imagined that the military situation on the Guanzhong front line was already so dangerous?
Hua Xin subconsciously wanted to get up and ask Cao Rui to convene the ministers for discussion.
But before Hua Xin could get up, Cao Rui waved his hand to stop Hua Xin's move. Then Cao Rui stared at Hua Xin and told Hua Xin the purpose of summoning him:
"Gu Yi wants to worship you as his envoy, so he will go as an envoy to Sun Quan."
Cao Rui's words set off alarm bells in Hua Xin's heart. What Cao Rui said next made Hua Xin sweat with shock:
"Gu wants you to convey something to Sun Quan on Gu's behalf and ask about something.
What he conveyed was that Gu Yun wanted to marry his eldest daughter as his concubine, and from then on the two families became friends of Qin and Jin.
When Gu comes to the throne, his eldest daughter will be the mother of the Wei Dynasty.
The question to be asked is: does he want to be a hypocrite's minister for the rest of his life, or does he also want to be one of those nine-five great men! "
Chapter 1 today, Chapter 2 early in the morning.
Today I suddenly received the news of the death of Mr. Qi. I am very sad about his passing. I still remember that when I was studying, I accidentally came across the book Spring and Autumn I am the King and was deeply attracted by the writing style of this book. Perhaps at that time, the seeds of writing history were planted in my heart.
July has always been one of my favorite historical writers, and it has always been my goal. However, it is a pity, a pity, and a sigh.
I hope that the family of Mr. Qiyue can express their condolences, and that the works left by Mr. Qiyue will last forever and will not be forgotten.
Sincere wishes from a young fan.
(End of chapter)
