During the first Northern Expedition of the Shu Han Dynasty, Jiang Ji was entrusted by Cao Pi with the important task of leading 10,000 elite Chinese troops to support Xu Huang. Later, he was appointed by Cao Pi as the Central Guard Army and stayed in Pengcheng to counsel the southeastern military aircraft.
Later, with the deaths of Xu Huang, Zang Ba and others, Jia Kui was promoted to Yanzhou governor and Pengcheng guard. Although Jiang Ji was occasionally transferred back to the central government by Cao Pi and Cao Rui for a period of time, he would soon be transferred back. Come to Pengcheng.
There's nothing we can do about it. Who knows that the discord between the two strategically important guards in the southeast is known to the world! ! !
If there is no adhesive in the middle to buffer it, God knows what will happen if there is a war in the southeast! ! !
Therefore, Jiang Ji was basically fixed in Yanzhou and Pengcheng, responsible for military affairs counselor.
As for why he didn't go to Runan to stay, Jiang Ji said that he was willing to associate with that bastard who was ambitious but not talented.
The relationship between Jiang Ji and Cao Xiu is really not that good. The main reason is Cao Xiu's character.
Cao Xiu was rude to his savior Jia Kui, and even blamed Jia Kui for nothing. With such a person, how could Jiang Ji get along with him.
Although Jiang Ji made some mistakes in his later years and mistrusted the old thief Sima, there is a saying that between an arrogant and nepotistic second-generation ancestor and a capable and meritorious veteran of three dynasties who has always acted in a low-key manner, Jiang Ji will be in Zhengshi. It is not difficult to understand why he chose to support Sima Yi during the war.
Jiang Ji also didn't know that after the old thief Sima took power, he dared to blatantly violate the oath of Luo Shui. By then he wanted to object, but it was already too late. Sima Yi had already completely controlled the government, and Jiang Ji could only die in depression.
In essence, Jiang Ji is still a relatively upright civil servant, and he is not naturally compatible with generals of Cao Xiu's character. On the contrary, the communication between him and Jia Kui has always been good.
Therefore, Jiang Ji was either staying in Yanzhou or in Pengcheng. It happened that Jiang Ji was in Pengcheng to inspect military affairs to prevent Soochow from invading the border. Then he was caught by Jia Kui, and the two of them discussed Cao Xiu's proposal for sending troops.
To be honest, when Jiang Ji saw Cao Xiu's letter, his first reaction was similar to Jia Kui's.
The first is that it is unbelievable, and the second is that Cao Xiu has started to have wild ideas again, and he is so happy about his success.
But after Jiang Ji completely read the contents of Cao Xiu's letter, Jiang Ji didn't know how to evaluate it.
It's still a bit whimsical, but not completely whimsical.
It's a great success, but Cao Xiu's plan for dispatching troops this time is relatively comprehensive, and it's not without the possibility of success.
First of all, Cao Xiu made it clear in his letter that even if Zhou Li lost his will, Cao Xiu said that he still could not completely trust Zhou Li.
The troops were sent not only because of the need to curb the development of Soochow, but also because they wanted to take advantage of Zhou Li's "surrender" to lead troops into Dangtu County and establish a springboard to attack Shouchun.
Regardless of whether Zhou Li surrendered sincerely or not, if Cao Xiu wanted to invade Dangtu County, it was impossible for Zhou Li to refuse.
Sincerely surrendering, Zhou Li needed Cao Xiu to lead troops into Dangtu County to help him resist Soochow's counterattack.
Pretending to surrender, Zhou Li wants to get Cao Xiu's trust to carry out the conspiracy. Dangtu County must be given away. Otherwise, there will be no room for the next strategy. When Cao Xiu sees something is wrong, he can directly withdraw to Runan. Soochow does not If you have enough confidence, you can directly enter Runan.
Therefore, Cao Xiu believed that it was inevitable for him to send troops and occupy Dangtu County.
At that time, Cao Xiu has mastered the springboard to advance eastward to Shouchun. Next, I can take the lead and start clearing Shouchun's outer defense line at my own pace, and finally choose to attack Shouchun.
As long as we fight steadily and use Dangtu County as a springboard to conquer Shouchun, it is not a wishful thinking.
Taking a step back, Cao Xiu only needs to ensure the safety of the road from Runan to Dangtu County as much as possible. Then even if Soochow is cheating, Cao Xiu can return to Runan at any time to ensure that the main force is not lost.
From a theoretical point of view, Cao Xiu's plan to attack Shouchun did not have particularly big loopholes.
Now that Cao Xiu wants to implement this strategic plan, there are two problems that need Jia Kui's help to solve.
The first is the problem of insufficient troops.
Of course, Cao Xiu did not have any whimsical hope that Jia Kui would lead the Pengcheng defenders south and cooperate with him to attack Runan. So would Pengcheng still want it? !
Cao Xiu just hoped that Jia Kui could station troops at the junction of Pengcheng and Xiapi before he launched an attack, and put on a posture of counterattacking Xiapi County to attract the attention of Lu Xun and Xu Sheng in Xiapi.
When Cao Xiu really sent troops to take charge of Tu County, the Soochow soldiers in Xiapi County did not dare to divide their troops to support Runan, and it was enough to contain the troops in Xiapi County.
The second problem is the shortage of food and grass.
In this regard, Cao Xiu hoped that Jia Kui, as the governor of Yanzhou, would order the counties of Yanzhou to transport a batch of grain and grass into Runan to help him solve his logistical problems.
This is what Cao Xiu asked Jia Kui.
Even in order to get Jia Kui to agree to his request, Cao Xiu made it clear in his letter that if the attack on Shouchun was successful, he would go to the emperor and name Jia Kui as the first hero. If it fails, he will bear all the blame. It was he who forcibly requisitioned the grain and grass from Yanzhou counties, and it was he who forced Jia Kui to station troops on the border.
In short, if it succeeds, you get the most credit; if it fails, I will take the blame! ! !
From Cao Xiu's point of view, the conflict between him and Jia Kui always stems from the issue of who let whom take the blame in the last two battles. This time Cao Xiu took the initiative to take the blame. In Cao Xiu's view, he was already blaming Jia Kui. The greatest kindness.
But from Jia Kui's point of view, this is not a question of who takes the blame, but a question of whether doing so can maximize the interests of Wei.
Therefore, Jia Kui actually didn't care about Cao Xiu's guarantee at all. What he really cared about was to discuss with Jiang Ji whether it was appropriate for Cao Xiu to do this!
Is it really worth it to start a border provocation and cause the Wei Dynasty to fight on two fronts? !
This is the real reason why Jia Kui has been undecided.
Judging from the best result, if Cao Xiu really captures Shouchun, then the border provocation will start.
As long as the connection between Qingxu and Jiangdong can be cut off, it will be equivalent to taking back Qingxu Prefecture and Huainan area in one fell swoop. This is a very successful strategy.
But the problem is that if Shouchun cannot be captured, it may even cause Soochow to counterattack Runan. If Cao Xiu's defeat gives Soochow a chance to invade the hinterland of the Central Plains, then the problem will be huge.
Therefore, Jia Kui and Jiang Ji mainly discussed this aspect.
Regarding this point, what made the two of them somewhat gratified was that Cao Xiu finally made some progress and took this aspect into consideration.
Cao Xiu had two response plans.
The first one is that Cao Xiu tried his best to attack Shouchun as steadily as possible. After occupying Dangtu County, he first cleared the defenses of the counties outside Shouchun and then attacked Shouchun.
Slow is a bit slow, but generally speaking, the use of troops is relatively stable. As long as the safety of the back route is ensured, theoretically Soochow has no chance to launch a counterattack. If it can defend Shouchun, it is already a success.
The second is that after Cao Xiu goes on an expedition, he will ask Wang Ling of Xuchang to help defend Runan. If he unfortunately falls into the trap again and is cut off by Soochow, Wang Ling of Xuchang will lead his troops into Runan. He responded and retreated, and he would definitely not repeat the fate of being surrounded and beaten by Zhou Yu last time.
To be honest, Cao Xiu could think of this, which was enough to make Jia Kui and Jiang Ji happy. This common man was not without any improvement.
However, just considering these is not enough.
Since we want to take the initiative to send troops to attack Shouchun, we must not only consider the issue of the rear route, but also need to consider whether the attack can be successful.
What's the point of fighting a war that costs a lot of money but yields nothing? !
So, is it possible for Cao Xiu to conquer Shouchun? !
Jiang Ji and Jia Kui discussed this issue for a long time, and found out that it is actually not impossible.
Cao Xiu had 30,000 troops from Runan and 10,000 troops borrowed from Xuchang. Jia Kui even wanted Chen Liu's Gao Tanglong to lead 20,000 troops to help out. In this case, the total strength would be around 60,000.
As for Soochow's defense in Huainan, the total strength is about 60,000.
On the surface, the two sides have almost the same military strength. Soochow still has the advantage of geographical location and city defense, and Cao Xiu cannot defeat it at all.
But a closer analysis will reveal that although Soochow deployed 60,000 people in the Huainan area, they did not gather to smash Shouchun City.
These 60,000 people include 10,000 Xu Sheng's troops in the south of Xiapi, 30,000 troops stationed in Shouchun, and 20,000 troops stationed in Danyang County.
Once Jia Kui made a posture of counterattacking Xia Pi, Xu Sheng's ten thousand men would not dare to move lightly. He must support Lu Xun of Xia Pi at any time. These ten thousand men would be contained.
Although the 20,000 people in Danyang County can go to rescue Shouchun, it will always take time to go back and forth. As long as Cao Xiu can advance troops quickly enough and clear Shouchun's outer defense line first, then he can attack Danyang County. Troops were sent to intercept the arrival of reinforcements from Soochow and delay the attack.
In the end, what Cao Xiu had to face was the total of 30,000 soldiers stationed in Shouchun and the outskirts of Shouchun.
If Zhou Li sincerely surrenders, he will not only provide Dangtu County as a strategic location as a springboard to attack Shouchun, but also reduce Soochow's defensive strength in Shouchun by an additional 5,000 people. Then what Cao Xiu needs to face is two men. Fifteen thousand Soochow defenders.
And once Cao Xiu can really clear the outer areas of Shouchun quickly, the defensive force in Shouchun City may only be 15,000 to 20,000.
This battle can actually be fought! ! !
(End of chapter)
