As the saying goes:
Junhou saw visitors by the river, and the people of Bingzhou began to unite.
Governor Feng received visitors from Bingzhou at the riverside, which not only meant that there were initial signs of stability in the rear of the Liangzhou army.
At the same time, it also marked that the Han Dynasty had taken a formal step to win over the people of Bingzhou.
Negotiation, doesn’t it mean mutual compromise and discussion?
As for Hedong, the farmers in the fields are better organized than ordinary rioters.
Otherwise, how could the chaos in Hedong become so violent?
After the baptism of this war, these farmers have initially become potential military reserves.
Now add the grain and grass support from Bingzhou.
There is no shortage of troops stationed, troops trained, food and supplies, and logistics.
Only then did Governor Feng have the capital to maintain a long-term stalemate with Sima Yi by the river.
Again, the principle is to show leniency to the enemy.
Although I don’t know how long Sima Yi can survive, it is always right to be as prepared as possible.
The longer the Liangzhou army stays in Hedong, the more the balance of the battle in Guanzhong will tilt towards the Han.
The general can only focus on leading the troops, but the commander needs to coordinate the overall situation.
This is one of the reasons why Governor Feng was able to surpass many senior military officers and become a leader of the new generation.
People like Wei Yan planned to use elite soldiers to gamble for their own military success, but later they still wanted to do whatever they wanted even if the three armies were killed.
In the emergency situation at that time, what was the difference between worrying about the Northern Expeditionary Army and worrying about the safety of the entire country?
Does it matter whether you vote for Wei or not?
After all, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty was also the person who proposed the "Seven Laws of Viewing People". It would be amazing to choose such a person as the commander-in-chief of the army behind him.
Are qualifications useless?
No sense of the overall situation at all.
What is the overall view?
At least he should be like the Great Sima of the Wei State, in order to leave more vitality and strength for the Wei Dynasty in the future.
As soon as he saw that the momentum was wrong and the situation was uncontrollable, he immediately led his troops to retreat as early as possible. (Black Whistle)
Of course, as long as Sima Yi is still the great Sima of Wei, he will still be a minister of Wei.
Therefore, before he wanted to lead his army to withdraw from Guanzhong, he had to obtain the consent of Wei Emperor Cao Rui.
But Sima Yi was not worried about this.
Because he knew that at this time, His Majesty the Emperor of Wei had been on his bed for a long time and did not have much energy to deal with government affairs.
According to the Wei system, even if the emperor was unable to govern, the Shangshutai and Zhongshu Sheng would share the government affairs.
However, Chen Jiao, the former minister, had just worshiped Situ in June last year and died suddenly at the end of the year.
Xue Ti, who took over the Shangshu Ling, came from a humble background, and usually relied on Sima Fu, the deputy of the Shangshu Ling.
At the same time, in the Wei State where the aristocratic family was increasingly gaining power, Xue Ti had already followed the trend and made good friends with the Sima family.
In addition, Liu Fang, the Supervisor of Zhongshu Province, and Sun Zi, the Ling of Zhongshu, took advantage of Cao Rui's illness to become more authoritarian.
In order to prevent Cao Zhao and other political enemies from assisting the government after Cao Rui's death, Liu Fang and Sun Zi exchanged secret letters with Sima Yi.
It can be said that while Sima Yi was in Guanzhong, he had actually penetrated the court extremely deeply.
Now that he wants to withdraw his troops from Guanzhong, someone in Luoyang will start to help him organize it.
"Your Majesty, I have urgent news from Shouchun. Sun Quan personally leads an army of 100,000 people and is already on the north bank of Chao Lake. They may disembark at any time and head towards Hefei New City!"
Earlier, the Wei State had found out that the Wu State wanted to divide its troops into three routes to invade the north:
On the west route, Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin led an army of 50,000 men, and attacked Xiangyang from Xiakou; on the east, Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng, with an army of 50,000 men, entered Huaihe and invaded Guangling; Sun Quan personally led 100,000 troops and horses in the center, and attacked Hefei Xincheng from Chaohu;
Anyone can see that this kind of attack is just a partial attack on the east and west routes, pretending to be impressive.
What Sun Quan really wanted to attack was Hefei.
From the day Sun Quan entered Chaohu, Man Chong began to gather soldiers from all over Yangzhou to prepare for war.
Now that he saw that Sun Quan was indeed coming to Hefei New City, he prepared to lead his army to attack.
When General Tian Yu learned of Man Chong's plan, he immediately persuaded him:
"The war in Guanzhong is raging. The previous imperial court mobilized many soldiers, money and food to support Guanzhong. Even Yuzhou and Qingzhou are no exception. Now the Wu invaders are coming with a large army. I'm afraid their plans are not small."
"There is a saying in the art of war: Soldiers are valuable and quick. Sun Quan had long said that he would invade the north, but it has only arrived today. According to the general's opinion, this will threaten the new city and lead to the suspicion of the army."
"Now that there are many traitors and we are outnumbered, if the general personally leads the army to Hefei in advance, what if Sun Quan fails to land and instead turns east to Guangling?"
Man Chong thought of Sun Shao, Zhang Cheng and other bandits who invaded Guangling, and couldn't help but nodded, so he asked:
"Then what should I do?"
Tian Yu said:
"Hefei New City has a solid city and well-equipped soldiers. Even if the thieves arrive in person with a large army, they will not be able to attack overnight. We will just let them attack the city and dampen their vigor."
"If the thieves cannot attack the city, they will give up. If they stop and then attack, they will be defeated!"
"If the general is worried about Hefei, he can let the last general lead 3,000 people there first, and the general himself can lead the army behind, waiting for the opportunity to attack the thieves."
Man Chong nodded: "Good."
Wei State was on the southeastern front line and originally deployed a large number of soldiers and horses to prevent Soochow.
However, after the battle at Shiting, the Wei army on the southeast front was seriously injured.
However, the Han army in the west has been pressing forward step by step over the years, as if it were overwhelming like Mount Tai.
Therefore, the key defense direction of Wei State has long been moved to the west, and there has been no way to supplement the Yangzhou front line with troops.
Not to mention that some time ago, Feng thief broke through Bingzhou from the north and entered Hedong, causing Luoyang to be shocked three times a day.
Jiang Ji led Wei's last strategic mobile force to guard against Feng's thieves at Ziguan in Hanoi.
Luoyang almost became an undefended capital in a short period of time.
Therefore, Wei had to urgently transfer 30,000 horses from Yuzhou and Qingzhou to Luoyang just in case.
The military strength of these two states is originally the reserve force of the southeastern front.
This time, 30,000 people were removed at once, and the Yangzhou front line was fully occupied, leaving only 60,000 people.
In addition, some troops will be sent to defend Guangling, and now the actual total strength in Manchong's hands is about 40,000.
This is why Tian Yu said, "There are many thieves but we are few."
Facing the menacing 150,000 troops from Sun Quan's middle and east roads, Man Chong felt quite pressured.
While listening to Tian Yu's opinion, he immediately sent a fast horse to Luoyang for help.
Knowing that the Wu invaders had finally invaded the north, Cao Rui had no choice but to drag his illness and summon his ministers to discuss countermeasures.
Someone said doubtfully:
"Man Chong leads tens of thousands of elite soldiers, but he doesn't dare to attack. Is this a cowardly attack on the enemy?"
Cao Rui has been ill for a long time and is somewhat sensitive.
In addition, he had been in a very bad mood due to all the bad news in Guanzhong.
When I heard this, I frowned.
Sima Yi in the west is already suspected of disobeying orders. If Man Chong in the east also has different intentions, could it be that all the generals in the Wei army are deceiving me because I have been ill for a long time and can't do anything?
Fortunately, Liu Shao, the regular attendant of Sanqi, stood up and retorted:
"The thieves have recently arrived, they are dedicated and energetic, and the generals have few soldiers. If they attack at this time, they will not be able to defeat the enemy. Therefore, delaying and waiting for change is indeed a feasible strategy, and it is not a cowardice of the enemy."
"In my opinion, the new city of Hefei is far away from Chaohu Lake. If the Wu invaders want to attack the new city, they must go ashore. Land is the most suitable place for the Wei Dynasty's elite cavalry."
"Since Tian Yu has set out with five thousand men, why don't we let him raise his voice and march forward to show off the situation, and then let General Manchu send five thousand elite cavalry to follow him and pretend to cut off the thieves' food route."
"Then the thieves will have doubts and dare not attack the city with all their strength. This can also delay the thieves."
Hearing this, Cao Rui nodded, thinking he could give it a try.
If this plan succeeds, it can temporarily dampen the spirit of the Wu invaders. Even if it fails, it can still test Man Chong's loyalty.
Seeing that Cao Rui agreed with Liu Shao's words, Liu Fang also stood up:
"Your Majesty, although Liu Changshi's plan can temporarily delay the thieves, if you want to retreat the enemy, it is best to send reinforcements. There are Shu captives in the west and Wu invaders in the east. The country is in danger!"
"I have the courage to ask your Majesty to revive the late emperor's legacy and lead the Eastern Expedition, so as to inspire the courage of Xiaoxiao externally and the morale of the military officials internally. In this way, the country will be safe!"
Sun Zi and Liu Fang, who had always advanced and retreated together, hurriedly stepped out:
"Your Majesty, at the beginning of the year, an auspicious yellow dragon appeared in Shanchi County, Shandong Province. The high minister said: Wei Detu got the right yellow color, and he also advised your Majesty to change the year name."
"Therefore, in my opinion, Wei's destiny is in the east. It is the right time for Your Majesty to drive eastward at this time."
Gao Tanglong, who was already very old, was startled when he heard Sun Zi mentioning him.
He raised his head and looked at Liu Fang and Sun Zi, with a somewhat complicated look flashing in his cloudy eyes.
When Huanglong appeared, the Shu captives had not yet invaded the Wei Dynasty!
Now that these two people suddenly mentioned this matter, they simply put him on the fire.
However, when Cao Rui heard this, he looked at Gao Tanglong expectantly:
"Mr. Gao Tang, what do you think of this statement?"
Gao Tanglong stood out of the queue tremblingly:
"Your Majesty, the two thieves of Shu and Wu are not living in the white land, nor are they small captives or bandits in the towns. They are arrogant and proclaimed emperor and want to compete with China." "Your Majesty, you should put the thieves down first. If you can first Defeat the Wu invaders, then do your best to stop the Shu invaders, and then cultivate political integrity. This is the greatest auspiciousness..."
Cao Rui couldn't help frowning when he heard this. Could it be that Gao Tanglong is old and confused? Why is he talking so confusingly?
What I am asking is whether Huanglong Xiangrui of Shantou County should ask me to go to the east, not that you should persuade me to cultivate political virtue.
But seeing that Gao Tanglong was already very old and even standing a little unsteady, it was difficult to say anything at the moment:
"What Gao Tanggong said is true."
The war in Guanzhong is already extremely unfavorable. No one knows whether Feng Thief from Hedong will suddenly sneak into Luoyang City one day.
Therefore, many people in the Wei Dynasty court had already had the intention of moving eastward.
At this time, he had the excuse of Wu State, and Cao Rui also wanted to go to Xuchang to let the goddess refine elixirs.
So after some discussion, it was finally officially decided that the emperor would lead the Eastern Expedition.
Just when most of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the Luoyang court were busy planning how to follow the emperor to "seem to be marching eastward, but actually moving the capital".
However, the minister and Taishi Ling Gao Tanglong fell ill, and the illness came very quickly. Within a few days after he fell, he could no longer move his hands or feet and could only speak.
Knowing that he was about to die soon, he asked someone to write for him and dictated a memorial himself:
"Zeng Zi once said: When a person is about to die, his words are also good. My illness is getting worse but not worse, and I am afraid that my life will not be long. I hope that your majesty will pay less attention to your words."
"In the early days of the Huang Dynasty, there were strange birds that raised swallow's nests with red mouths, claws and breasts. This was a great difference in the Wei Dynasty. Also during the Qinglong period, your Majesty ordered the construction of the Lingxiao Palace. Before the palace was completed, there was a magpie's nest on it. .”
"Both of these are the major dangers of Wei. They are not external but internal. It is advisable to prevent Ying Yang's ministers from rising within Xiao Qiang."
"Therefore, my old ministers have decided to select the kings, so that the king and the country can prepare their troops, often playing chess and playing chess, to control the emperor's territory, and to brighten the imperial palace."
"Husband and emperor have no relatives in heaven, but virtue is a supplement. If the Han Dynasty loses its virtue, and the Wei gains it, then there will be a world. From this point of view, the world belongs to the people of the world, not to your majesty alone."
It would probably be inappropriate for others to talk about such omens.
However, as the Taishi Ling, Gao Tanglong was responsible for the weather, celestial calendar, national sacrifices, funerals, weddings, good days and seasonal taboos, and recorded any auspiciousness or disaster.
It is his duty to tell the omens of the country.
Gao Tanglong's memorial made Cao Rui silent for a long time, and then he sighed.
Cao Rui naturally agrees with the so-called minister of Ying Yang.
Cao Rui just wanted the princes of the Cao family to establish a country and take charge of the army, which was not what Cao Rui wanted.
Especially the sentence "The world belongs to the people of the world, not to His Majesty alone" made Cao Rui feel very uncomfortable.
Not to mention that at this time, when there are powerful enemies outside and powerful ministers supporting troops inside, if the princes are allowed to establish a country and control the army, is it because the Wei Dynasty is not chaotic enough?
It's just that Gao Tanglong is a veteran of three dynasties. As he said, when a person is about to die, his words are also good.
For the sake of his loyal heart, Cao Rui originally wanted to respond by handwriting an edict in person as a token of comfort.
It was just that he had been ill and weak for a long time, and before he was halfway through writing the edict, his forehead began to beat violently, making his eyes bulge and dizzy, so he lay on the desk feeling uncomfortable.
Lian Zhao knew that His Majesty had worked too hard and was exhausted, so he quickly asked someone to come over and help Cao Rui enter the bedroom to rest.
Just when Cao Rui was preparing to take the royal boat to the east, Sun Quan was sitting on the horse with a whip in hand, looking left and right, high-spirited.
This attack on bandits was agreed upon by Wu and Shu two years in advance.
The year before last, Sun Quan made five hundred coins just to prepare money and food.
It stands to reason that this year, Shu will send troops for one month, and no later than three months, Wu will send troops north.
After all, the journey of Shu is far away and it is some time ahead of Wu, so it is reasonable.
However, Sun Quan had to wait for half a year before gathering his troops in Chaohu.
Then they waited in Chaohu for a long time, until they learned that Feng Yong of Shu had already marched to the east of the river, causing panic among the people of Wei.
Sun Quan was shocked and quickly led his army across the Chaoshui River to prepare to land.
After landing, Sun Quan still smiled and said to his left and right:
"Now most of the troops of the Wei State are gathered in Guanzhong to fight against the Shu people. The Wei troops in Hefei are the fewest in recent years. It is the right time to attack."
Over the years, the Wu army has marched north every year, usually in winter and spring, in order to minimize the advantage of the Wei army's elite cavalry.
This time it was delayed until late autumn, and Sun Quan was not afraid that the Shu people would send people to question him afterwards.
Just thinking about the news from Shu and Wei, Feng Yong was able to lead tens of thousands of fine cavalry to bypass Bingzhou and go straight to Hedong. It really shocked countless people:
The Shu people's elite cavalry are actually so terrifying?
Wu State got a batch of war horses from Shu State last year, and Sun Quan also knew something about the war horses in the army.
Why are cavalry the most expensive arms?
Not to mention the various equipment of the cavalry, nor the fine soybeans that the war horses eat.
Take the wear and tear of war horses as an example. The number of war horses that cannot be ridden due to wear and tear of hoofs every year basically accounts for 20% or even 30% of the war horses in the army.
If the horse is ridden too much during a big battle, the hoofs will wear out faster.
Every time there was a big war in the Han Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of war horses would go out to fight, and when they finally returned, there would often be only tens of thousands or even 20,000 or 30,000 left. This is not without reason.
And what about Feng Yong?
From Liangzhou to Hedong, he fought thousands of miles, and his horse could actually run across it!
If the facts weren't right in front of them, no one would be able to believe that there are such elite knights in this world.
It is precisely because no one thought that Feng Yong's horse could run so far.
That's why no one would have thought that he could bypass Bingzhou and go south to Hedong.
Thinking that the Shu Kingdom was likely to swallow up Guanzhong and Hedong in one go, Sun Quan felt a little empty.
According to the plan he had discussed with Lu Xun, even if the Shu Kingdom could be conquered, attacking Guanzhong would still be regarded as an expedition with labor.
And the Wei State has been running Guanzhong for many years. With the Wei State occupying the favorable location and people, the two sides are likely to be at a stalemate.
The longer the stalemate between Wei and Shu lasts, the more beneficial it will be to Wu.
Originally this plan should be feasible.
I heard that the main force of the Shu army led by Zhuge Liang had been in a stalemate with the main force of the Wei army led by Sima Yi at Wuzhangyuan for half a year.
The only thing that people didn't expect was that the Shu bandit Feng Yong would emerge from the east of the river.
After careful work in Luoyang confirmed the authenticity of this matter, Sun Quan immediately ordered Lu Xun, who was originally going to attack Xiangyang, to turn east to meet him.
As for Xiangyang...it depends on whether Wei can seize the opportunity.
Because Wancheng in the north of Jingzhou is connected to Wuguan and Guanzhong.
No matter what happens to Wei and Shu in Guanzhong now, Sun Quan must win Hefei anyway!
Otherwise, if Shu captured two and a half states, but Wu gained nothing, it would be a big loss.
Thinking of the terrifying Jingqi in Feng Yong's hands, Sun Quan couldn't help but mutter in his heart:
It seems that it is worthwhile to exchange the skills of boats and ships for the skills of Shu cavalry.
After this battle, I have to think carefully before sending some people to Shu. I must learn all the methods of the Shu cavalry.
It would be best if Feng Mingwen could teach him in person...
