In April of the fourth year of Yanxi, the weather began to get a little hot.
The nominal capital of Wei State, Luoyang, Taifu Mansion.
Master Sima hurriedly entered Sima Yi's study with a secret message:
"Sir, there is news from the south. The Wu soldiers are divided into three groups and are attacking the north in large numbers!"
"Huh? Have you finally taken action?"
Sima Yi, who was reading with a scroll in his hand, heard Master Sima's report, and the scroll in his hand did not tremble at all.
I saw him raise his head, his expression unchanged:
"Has it been found out how many soldiers and horses the Wu invaders used in this attack?"
Master Sima handed over the secret letter in his hand and replied:
"Sir, I don't have an accurate figure yet, but according to the information obtained by the spies, some say there are two hundred thousand, some say three hundred thousand, and even the whole country's soldiers."
"My lord, why don't you read the secret letter sent from Xuchang first? Maybe it's mentioned in it."
Sima Yi put down the scroll, took the secret letter, opened the mud seal on it, took out the letter paper and read it.
After a while, he stroked his beard thoughtfully:
"It seems that this time, the Wu invaders are indeed quite powerful. According to the news from Xuchang, Wang Yanyun (aka Wang Ling) reported that the Wu invaders in Huainan alone have no less than 150,000 troops."
Judging from the current situation, Wu Guobing invaded the north in three directions.
All the way was led by Sun Quan personally, and they attacked Hefei from Chaohu.
Along the way, Zhuge Ke led his army to attack Lu'an County.
On the last road, Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi led the troops to attack Pizhong in Jingzhou (later known as Nanzhang in Hubei Province).
"Sir, this can be considered a full-scale crime!"
When Master Sima heard Sima Yi's explanation, he immediately understood:
"It seems that Wang Yanyun's statement that there are 150,000 Wu invaders from the north in Huainan is true."
Sima Yi didn't respond. He read the secret message carefully, then stood up and walked back and forth a few steps.
Finally he spoke and asked:
"Where's Lu Xun?"
Master Sima was startled: "Lu Xun?"
"Yes, where is Lu Xun? If the Wu invaders are really attacking the whole country, then why is Lu Xun, who is the most knowledgeable among the generals of Wu State, silent?"
Sima Yi said while shaking his head: "This is unreasonable."
If we talk about the most feared Wu general in Wei, it must be Lu Xun.
If the state of Wu really wanted to invade with all its troops, Sun Quan would have no reason to let people like Lu Xun go.
Sima Shijing reacted immediately after Sima Yi reminded him:
"Sir, are you saying that the Wu people are deceitful?"
Sima Yi smiled happily, with a slight look of disdain on his face:
"As the saying goes, soldiers use deceit. The reason is to act deceitfully in front of the formation."
"Not to mention, Wu people have always been fond of doing deceitful things. There is no time when they are not deceitful, but rather abnormal."
Master Sima thought so and asked:
"Sir, should we remind Xuchang?"
Although Luoyang and Xuchang are as powerful as fire and water, they both belong to the Wei State after all.
Both Han and Wu were sworn enemies of the Wei Dynasty and would never stop fighting.
They will not favor any of them just because Luoyang and Xuchang are at odds.
Master Sima still understands the principle of "brothers are jealous of each other within the wall, and they should be protected from their insults by outsiders".
If something really goes wrong in Xuchang and the Wu people can't be stopped, Luoyang will be attacked from both sides sooner or later.
Unexpectedly, Sima Yi raised his head slightly, as if thinking about something, and then shook his head after a while:
"No rush, no rush for this moment."
"grown ups?"
Master Sima was a little confused.
"Although Lu Xun knows the strength of the army, he is more than capable of defending, but not aggressive enough."
There was a trace of joy in Sima Yi's tone:
"Whether it was the battle at Shiting or leading the troops to attack Liu'an, it can be seen that if this person is allowed to defend the territory, there will be few opponents in the world."
"But if this person is allowed to attack the city, it will be just a matter of ears and there is nothing to fear."
Sima Yi stroked his beard and continued:
"In my opinion, if Sun Quan uses Lu Xun as a surprise soldier, even if he can achieve a temporary miraculous effect, it will only be able to take some advantage, and it will not be enough to reverse the general trend."
"Moreover, on the Huainan side, Wang Yanyun (Wang Ling), Wen Zhongruo (Wen Qin), Tian Guorang (Tian Yu) and others are all not mediocre. They will defend according to the geographical advantage, and there will be no problems."
Having said this, his eyes flickered a little:
"At worst, let's let Cao Zhaobo (Cao Shuang) suffer some losses first. When the time is right, we can remind him again. It's not a bad thing."
Master Sima understood and agreed:
"It is indeed a good thing to be able to take advantage of the situation to attack Cao Zhaobo without affecting the general situation."
Although in just a few words, Sima Yi confirmed the situation in the south.
But there was still a bit of worry between his brows:
"Don't worry about things in the south. After all, the Wu bandits are just rats. What I'm worried about is in the west."
Hearing his lord mention the west side, Master Sima, who was originally beaming with joy, also became depressed.
Sima Yi sighed:
"No matter how much Wu Guo tries to deceive, his vision is short-sighted and there is nothing to fear."
"But the Han Kingdom to the west is our real thorn in the side, a catastrophe of life and death."
Wu people like to cheat, but they forget their justice when they see small gains, and are easily satisfied with the immediate benefits.
The Han Dynasty is a good and cunning country, but it has great plans and will not give up until the Wei Dynasty is destroyed.
However, before the Han Dynasty, there was Zhuge Kongming, who knew how to manage changes, was good at managing national affairs, was upright and strategic, and acted according to the general trend.
Later, there was Feng Mingwen, who was far-sighted and erratic in his plans, and his actions were beyond common sense, leaving people at a loss as to what to do.
And what Luoyang has to face is exactly this kind of powerful enemy - I really want to switch with Xuchang and change the enemy!
"The Han Kingdom on the other side of the river should probably take action, right?"
Sima Yi looked toward the west with a faint gaze, as if he wanted to look at the land east of the river through time and space.
Wu State's early troop mobilization could also be covered up by conscripting civilians and building water conservancy projects.
However, Han Dynasty's movements in Hedong were not concealed.
"As early as last month, the Imperial Army of the Han Kingdom had already stationed in Hedong. It seems that the two countries, Han and Wu, have long been conspiring to attack the Wei Dynasty from a flank."
Master Sima remembered the news from Hedong a few days ago, and his expression became heavier:
"The Han State has even dispatched its imperial army. Even if it is not like the Wu State, which goes all out to invade the north, I am afraid that the movement will not be small."
"I just don't know which direction Feng Mingwen plans to come from this time..."
Master Sima has never met Feng Mingwen, but his famous name is like thunder.
Although he doesn't want to admit it, even his own lord has suffered losses at the hands of this person - even if he teamed up with Zhuge Kongming to make him suffer.
Think about it carefully, how old is Feng Mingwen?
I heard he is about the same age as me.
It is Master Sima who killed his wife to prove the truth. He is so cruel.
But when he mentioned Feng, his tone still contained a lot of fear involuntarily.
Especially his younger brother Sima Zhao went to Chang'an and met Feng Mingwen once. Even though he was an enemy, he still praised Feng Mingwen full of praise.
What is said by outsiders always makes people feel a little unreal.
But if you switch to the people around you, your feelings will always be more profound.
But when Sima Yi heard Sima Shi's words, he showed a somewhat uncertain look on his face, even with a relaxed smile:
"Feng Mingwen, I don't think he will personally lead the invasion this time."
Master Sima was startled:
"Why is this?"
Wu State made such a big commotion, and Han State also dispatched its imperial army, and it didn't look like it was giving up.
"Don't worry about this."
Sima Yi waved his hand, "As long as you know that the leader of the Han Dynasty this time is Wei Yan, that is enough."
When Master Sima heard what his master said, he knew that it involved a secret that he could not know yet, so he did not dare to ask any more questions.
However, when he heard that Feng Mingwen was not leading the army, Master Sima breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously:
"The Wu people came with an entire army, but the Han people just pretended to be powerful. It seems that the alliance between the two countries is nothing more than that."
Sima Yi smiled calmly:
"Of course it is. When the Han State invaded Guanzhong with all its troops, didn't the Wu State also want to take advantage of the fishermen?"
"In the past, if the Wu people did not deliberately reduce the strength of Jingzhou's troops, how could Wancheng's troops come from Wuguan to assist Guanzhong?"
Speaking of what happened back then, Sima Yi couldn't help but sigh.
It’s just a pity!
After countless calculations, he still failed to calculate that Feng Thief could actually lead his army across thousands of miles and launch a surprise attack on Bingzhou, directly threatening the retreat of the Guanzhong army.
In the end, he was forced to lead the army and withdraw from Guanzhong.
Master Sima didn't think so much.
Although I don’t know how your Excellency determined that Feng Mingwen did not lead the army this time, your Excellency has rarely made mistakes for a long time.
Therefore, Master Sima also believed in your judgment this time.
"If Feng Mingwen doesn't come, doesn't that mean we don't have to worry too much this time?"
"You can't say that yet." Sima Yi waved his hand, "Although Wei Yan is not as good as Feng Mingwen, he is still a rare and powerful general in the Han Kingdom."
"If you really underestimate this person, you may suffer a big loss."
In the past, Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Liang were fighting on the Wugong River. Zhuge Liang sent Wei Yan to cross the water to fight. Without noticing, he lost thousands of armored men under this man.
Therefore, Sima Yi also had a deep impression on Wei Yan.
When Master Sima heard this, he realized that he was indeed a little careless. He was shocked and responded quickly.
Then he asked:
"Where do you think Wei Yan will attack from this time?"
"Nothing more than Zhiguan, Gaodu, and Yecheng."
The Han imperial army entered Hedong last month, so the Han army may want to test Zhiguan.
In the past few months, Wei Yan and Shangdang mobilized troops and generals in Hedong, forming an oppressive trend against Gaodu.
Now that Wei Yan is personally sitting in the town party, it may not be impossible to send troops eastward from Huguan.
It's just that Master Sima can understand the first two situations, but for the third possibility, Master Sima can't believe it:
"From Huguan to Yecheng? Does he want to follow the Zhang River and cross the Taihang Mountains? Wei Yan is a general of the Han Dynasty, how dare he take such a bold risk?"
Yecheng is right on the edge of the Zhang River. It does not mean that it is impossible to follow the Zhang River through the Taihang Mountains to reach Ye City.
But this road is too difficult to walk.
The long-term erosion of Zhangshui River is like an extremely sharp knife, cutting a huge wound in Taihang Mountain.
This wound is what later generations called the Taihang Grand Canyon.
Nearly two thousand years later, this canyon is still extremely dangerous.
Not to mention the Three Kingdoms era.
If not, after Cao Cao captured Yecheng, why did he not go directly from Yecheng to the north along the Zhang River, but instead took a long detour and took Taihangxing from Hanoi to capture Huguan?
It is because this canyon is more difficult to navigate than Taihangxing.
"The enemy attacks and we defend. The enemy is strong and we are weak. No matter how small the possibility is, we must be prepared to take precautions."
"It's not surprising that Feng was able to cross the desert and attack Bingzhou, and Wei Yan took the dangerous route to attack Yecheng."
Sima Yi sighed, "It's just Yecheng... sigh!"
Yecheng is the founding place of Wei State, and now it is under the orders of Xuchang instead of Luoyang.
But if Yecheng really loses, Hanoi will be surrounded on three sides, and the defensive pressure will increase exponentially, which really makes Sima Yi feel quite troublesome.
Seeing the lord's embarrassment and worry, Master Sima advised:
"My lord, why are you doing this? It's difficult for apes to travel in the Zhangshui Gorge. Even if Wei Yan really wants to attack Yecheng, he won't be able to lead many troops."
"Yecheng City has high walls and thick walls. As long as you are prepared and don't get taken advantage of by thieves, you don't have to worry too much."
The key to taking a dangerous route to attack a city is to take advantage of it when it is unprepared.
Now that you can expect that Wei Yan may attack Yecheng, as long as you inform the people in Yecheng and let them be prepared, Wei Yan will naturally lose the surprise.
Unexpectedly, Sima Yi shook his head:
"I'm not worried about Yecheng, but I feel that it is a hidden danger if Yecheng is not in our hands but is controlled by Cao Zhaobo."
Cao Shuang is just a dandy.
The people we employ should not be asked about their talents, but should be familiar with them first.
Even if we hold on this time, what if Feng Mingwen personally takes action next time?
Even Sima Yi himself didn't dare to say that he could guard against this person.
After saying these words, Sima Yi's eyes gleamed and he fell into deep thought.
Just as Henan and Hanoi were preparing for Ji Han, Jiang Wei was leading his army from Yize, walking along the mountain roads and heading towards Gaodu.
To the north of Gaodu, there is also a Han army, starting from Shangdang and heading south, with the destination also being Gaodu.
To the east of Hedong, Zhang Bao led the southern army and began to continue eastward, approaching Zhiguan.
Obviously, this was not only to contain the Wei army in Zhiguan, Hanoi, but also to prevent the Wei army in Zhiguan from coming out and attacking Hedong.
If someone were to look down at the land of China from above at this time, they would find that there are at least six armies in Huainan, Jingzhou, Hedong, Shangdang and other places.
Like a noose, he was ready to strangle Wei from everywhere.
In Luoyang City, Sima Yi closed his eyes and meditated, as steady as an old dog, waiting for the exact direction of the Han army's attack from ahead.
In Xuchang City, the obese Cao Shuang climbed down from the body of a talented woman of the late emperor, panting:
"Sun Quan appeared in the old city of Hefei? It seems that Wang Yanyun (ie Wang Ling) guessed correctly. This man divided his troops into three groups and ultimately wanted to attack Hefei."
Hefei Old City, Xiaoyaojin, a five-story building ship, the height of the ship is almost as high as the collapsed city wall of Hefei Old City.
Sun Quan stood on the bow of the boat, holding a whip, and looked north along the Shishui River. His face suddenly turned gloomy and clear.
The lower floors of the ship were filled with soldiers of the Wu army, standing with swords in hand, waiting for military orders at any time.
