The Chang'an reinforcements led by Chen Zhi stayed on the spot to deal with the siege of Qin Lang's five thousand cavalry, causing considerable casualties almost every day.
From Qin Lang's perspective, Chen Zhi was simply stupid. Using this method to deal with the cavalry under his command was simply giving him military merit for nothing.
But from Guo Huai's point of view, he always felt that this matter was too strange.
Although it can be explained that Jiang Wan, who stayed behind in Chang'an, led the army with a scholar's mentality and trusted inhumane people, which caused the reinforcements to be unable to rush to Huaili and fell into a siege by the cavalry, Guo Huai always felt that the matter was not that simple.
Regarding Jiang Wan, Cao Wei's detailed work in the northwest also compiled a detailed intelligence, and Guo Huai also studied it carefully before the war.
Jiang Wan has indeed been engaged in government affairs. He does not seem to have much ability to command front-line operations, but this does not mean that Jiang Wan has never led an army.
During the Battle of Badong in the early years, Xia Houyuan, the former general who conquered the west, and Zhang He, the former general, led troops to invade Bajun in Shu. At that time, Jiang Wan had already gone on an expedition under Zhang Xi.
Although the detailed information about what Jiang Wan actually did during the Battle of Badong was not very detailed, he could be considered someone who had experience in the military camp, so he would not make such a basic mistake, right? !
Another thing is that in these days, there was no clear line between civil servants and military generals. Civil servants who led troops were also military generals, and military commanders were political officers. Even Zhang Fei could be the governor of a county and govern the local area. There was no clear distinction between civil servants and generals , how can there be such a big difference.
As the second-in-command in the Yongzhou area, Jiang Wan is responsible for more practical matters. Although there are more government affairs, Jiang Wan also has frequent contact with military affairs. It is impossible for him to not even have the basic concept of leading troops in combat. .
Guo Huai always had a suspicion. The reinforcements sent from Chang'an to Huaili marched unhurriedly. When they encountered the enemy, they immediately defended on the spot. It seemed less like an incompetent decision made by the general and more like an incompetent decision. Deliberately tempting yourself to divide your troops.
That is to say, Guo Huai had a quarrel with Niu Jin and detained 5,000 cavalry in hand. Otherwise, it would be his own 5,000 infantry who would intercept the supporting army now.
In this way, it can indeed reduce the pressure of Huaili City being besieged.
But in this case, Guo Huai had another thing that he couldn't figure out. If Chang'an had these 10,000 reinforcements early in the morning, why didn't they send them out to garrison Huaili earlier? Instead, let Liu Yin lead 5,000 defeated troops to trap them. After he laid siege to the city and stormed, Send them out again to support Huaili? !
Don't say that you, Jiang Wan, don't even have the ability to cope with this! ! !
What is the purpose of the Shu thieves doing this? !
After thinking about it, Guo Huai always felt that he seemed to have overlooked something, and this could very well determine the success or failure of the battle in Youfufeng.
Guo Huai began to calm down and think seriously. He jumped out of the perspective of the general who attacked You Fufeng and re-examined the current situation in Guanzhong from the perspective of the overall situation.
No matter how you look at it, the current situation in Guanzhong is extremely beneficial to Wei.
Although his attack on You Fufeng encountered some obstacles in Huaili, Guo Huai believed that after blocking the reinforcements from Chang'an, he was sure to completely break through Huaili County within five days, and then move westward to attack Mei County.
According to Guo Huai's own prediction, it would take at least ten days for the elite northern army of Shu thieves in Qinzhou to enter the customs and reach Mei County, and it would take at least twenty days to reach Huaili.
In other words, Guo Huai had the opportunity to fight against the Shu thieves to seize Mei County after capturing Huaili County.
Even if Mei County cannot be captured, Guo Huai still has enough time to repair the city defenses after capturing Huaili County, collect defensive materials, and hold on to the city.
On the one hand, it prevents the Northern Army of Shu thieves from advancing eastward to support Chang'an, and on the other hand, it poses a threat to Chang'an's flanks.
In the Zuofengyi area, General Cao Zhen has completely surrounded the main force of Yongzhou County soldiers led by Zhang Xi, and cut off the logistics supply line of the main force of Yongzhou.
As long as we delay until Chongquan County runs out of food and grass, General Cao Zhen can easily defeat the Yongzhou Army of the Shu thieves, and then launch an attack on Chang'an from Zuo Fengyi.
As for Chang'an, firstly, there are not enough defenders, and secondly, there are no prestigious generals to guard it. It is impossible to block the attack of General Cao Zhen's main army.
As long as Changan is safe, the elite northern army of the Shu thieves will lose the purpose of combat rescue. General Cao Zhen will lead his troops into Youfufeng again. In order to ensure that Qinzhou is not lost, the northern army of the Shu thieves will inevitably retreat to Sanguan.
By that time, Guanzhong will surely be recovered.
This is the theory. Guo Huai really can't understand why the Shu thieves in You Fufeng are so procrastinating in their response.
Ten thousand reinforcements did not arrange to guard Huaili County in advance, but chose to stay in Chang'an. The Shu thieves believed that Huaili County could be defended? !
But now, these 10,000 reinforcements are marching slowly, with an obvious intention to attract their own troops. Is their purpose to rescue Huaili County? !
This is so unreasonable. Unless the Shu thieves are not worried that Huaili County will fall? !
But why? !
The more Guo Huai thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. After sorting out the entire situation in Guanzhong, the more Guo Huai thought about it, the more terrifying he felt.
If the Shu thieves are really not afraid that Huaili will fall, then there is only one possibility. There are other reinforcements in Huaili County.
Otherwise, even if they kill Guo Huai, they will not believe it. The Shu thieves will only rely on Liu Yin to lead 5,000 defeated troops to defend Huaili County.
But if the Shu thieves in Huaili have reinforcements, and the reinforcements are not the ten thousand soldiers sent by Chang'an, then there is only one possibility.
Shu thieves and the Northern Army! ! !
Only if the Northern Army of Shu thieves entered Guanzhong earlier than Guo Huai expected, would it be possible to rescue Huaili County in a short time, protect the safety of Chang'an's flanks, and even launch a counterattack to defeat the 20,000 soldiers he brought with him. , completely relieved Youfufeng County.
But how is this possible? !
According to intelligence, the Northern Army of Shu thieves, led by the puppet prime minister of Shu, has been stationed in Qinzhou to quell the Qiang rebellion there. It is impossible for them to march eastward to Chang'an in a short time.
Before Guo Huai used his cavalry to break through the Youfufeng fortress group, Youfufeng's defense was relatively secure. At that time, Jiang Wan had no need to order the Shu thieves and the Northern Army to enter the pass in advance.
And with Jiang Wan's status, he doesn't have the right to order Zhuge Liang, right? !
But if Jiang Wan waited until You Fufeng was broken through, even if Jiang Wan immediately asked Zhuge Liang in Qinzhou for help, no matter how quick Zhuge Liang responded, it would be impossible for him to arrive at Huaili from Qinzhou's divine soldiers in just ten days. ? !
The more Guo Huai thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
If the Northern Army of the Sichuan thieves had not entered the pass in advance, then there would be no so-called reinforcements in Huaili County, and Chang'an's series of responses would appear to be very stupid and completely inconsistent with military common sense.
But if the Shu thieves and the Northern Army had really entered the Pass in advance, then the person left behind in Chang'an might not be Jiang Wan at all, but someone who had the right to mobilize the Northern Army to enter the Pass in advance.
In the northwest region, there are only two people with this right.
One is Zhang Xi, the governor of Yongzhou, a Shu thief.
But this is impossible. Zhang Xi has been completely surrounded by General Cao Zhen in Zuo Fengyi. He can't even get through the contact with Chang'an. How can he possibly get in touch with Qinzhou hundreds of miles away and let the Shu thieves The Northern Army entered the customs in advance? !
The only one left is Zhuge Liang, the pseudo-prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty who is in Qinzhou.
Guo Huai even thought of a possibility that made him gasp - Zhuge Liang is not in Qinzhou at all now. He may have arrived in Chang'an long ago. Zhuge Liang is actually controlling the current overall Guanzhong battle situation.
Guo Huai had to break into a cold sweat when he thought of this possibility. This meant that from the very beginning of the implementation of this counterattack strategy in Guanzhong, the Wei army had mistaken the actual supreme commander of the Guanzhong area.
General Cao Zhen believed that as long as Zhang Xi was surrounded, the entire Guanzhong area would be leaderless and fall into a situation where no one was commanding and they could only fight independently. But in fact, there is still Zhuge Liang who can coordinate the overall situation.
This had a considerable impact on the implementation of Wei Jun's strategy.
Of course, at this time, Guo Huai just broke out in a cold sweat and did not feel that the matter had reached an irreversible point.
With Zhuge Liang in command in Chang'an, it is true that a new command system can be established to prevent the three places of Fufeng on the right, Fengyi on the left, and Chang'an from fighting independently. But whether Zhuge Liang can do a good job of unified command, Guo Huai Here, there is also a question mark.
Although it is said that Zhuge Liang personally led the troops to quell the Qiang rebellion, the level of the Qiang people is only that much. Guo Huai led him in Liangzhou for four or five years, and he was known as a "god" among the Qiang tribe. Number out.
Suppressing the Qiang rebellion does not prove Zhuge Liang's outstanding military talent. At most, it proves that Zhuge Liang is not a scholar who does not understand military affairs.
Today's Prime Minister Zhuge has not yet established his famous name.
Therefore, although Guo Huai was worried that there was still a commander-level person commanding Guanzhong and that Guanzhong was not as easy to fight as he had imagined. But what he was actually most worried about was whether the Northern Army of Shu thieves would enter Guanzhong in advance.
If it is true, as Guo Huai guessed, that Zhuge Liang was in charge of Chang'an at this time and commanded the battle of Guanzhong, then the Northern Army of Shu thieves is very likely to have entered Guanzhong in advance.
Once the Northern Army enters Guanzhong, especially the Youfufeng area, it will inevitably break the current balance of forces in Youfufeng. Even if Guo Huai can break through Huaili before the rescue of the Shu thieves and the Northern Army arrives, Guo Huai will not have the opportunity to move westward to seize it. Mei County.
It is even impossible for Guo Huai to rely on the Huaili defense to contain the main force of the Shu thieves' northern army and buy General Cao Zhen time to defeat the main force of the Shu thieves' Yongzhou army.
The Shu thieves will definitely not give themselves a chance to reinforce the city and defend it after capturing Huaili.
The worst result is that before he has captured Huaili County, the Northern Army of the Shu thieves has already rescued him in time and launched a counter-siege against him outside the city. By that time, he may not even have a chance to withdraw from Youfufeng. Must have.
If it really comes to that point, the war in Youfufeng will completely collapse on the Wei side.
This is where Guo Huai's cold sweat came from. After thinking for a while, Guo Huai immediately sent a large number of scouts to the northeast behind Huaili City.
In the direction of Meixian County in the northwest, Guo Huai has never relaxed his reconnaissance and cavalry reconnaissance. That is the most likely direction for the Shu thieves and the Northern Army to enter Guanzhong, and it is also the direction of Guo Huai's next move after capturing Huaili. Naturally, he does not dare to take it lightly.
But to the northeast of Huaili City, Guo Huai did not send many reconnaissance cavalry.
The reason is very simple. To the northeast is the Wei River. Whose reinforcements will come from that direction? !
(End of chapter)
