After a while, it was Wang Duan who broke the silence: "General, I think that relying solely on the troops and horses here in Chang'an has little chance of victory, and reinforcements must be dispatched from elsewhere."
"Dispatch reinforcements from elsewhere?" Cao Zhen asked, squinting his eyes: ""In your opinion, where should we dispatch troops and horses? "
"It will definitely be too late to mobilize troops from a distance. Only by mobilizing reinforcements from the two nearest places, Wugong and Yicheng, can the danger of close fire be relieved."
Cao Zhen nodded slightly upon hearing this, stroking his beard while thinking about whether Wang Duan's proposal was feasible.
He hadn't reacted yet, but he didn't want to be on the other side, but Dunn was annoyed. He just heard him sneer: "Wang Mingting said it lightly. It was natural to mobilize troops from Wugong and Xicheng in time, but Zhuge Liang found that 30,000 soldiers were on the Wei River. If the troops on the southern front are reduced at this moment, wouldn't that give Zhuge Liang an opportunity to take advantage of?
What's more, the reason why Yang Qing led his army to threaten Chang'an is very likely to lure us to mobilize troops and horses on the Wei River. If we really did this, wouldn't we have fallen into his trick? "
Of course, Wang Duan understood that Dunn's words were mainly aimed at him, to avenge the quarrel just now. However, although this person was seeking revenge, what he said was not unreasonable. He was stumped for a moment and wanted to refute. He went back, but there was no valid reason, so he had to bow his head and say nothing.
When Dunn saw this, he was in a happy mood and was very proud. However, before he could be excited for too long, he heard a voice opposing him slowly rising from above: "Although Zhuge Liang is a serious thorn in his side, Yang Qing is also a thorn in his side." There is a danger, things have priorities, the top priority is to destroy Yang Qing and this group of thieves first."
"General, Zhuge Liang has to guard against him. If he is..."
It turned out that the person speaking was Cao Zhen. When Dunn heard that he seemed to agree with the deployment of troops from Wugong and Xicheng, he quickly clasped his fists to dissuade him.
But in the middle of his words, Cao Zhen waved his hand to stop him: "The decision has been made. It is urgent to mobilize troops from Wugong and Xicheng. We don't need too many troops. We can recruit a total of five thousand troops."
General Fei and the others should have no problem holding on for a while with their remaining troops. Moreover, even if Zhuge Liang's army moves, we will be nearby and rescue operations will be timely. "
"The general is wise."
Everyone heard that he was thoughtful and had no objections. Even Dunn had no words to refute and just followed everyone's lead in unison.
So Cao Zhen immediately sent envoys to Wugong and Yicheng to give orders to generals Qin Ji and Fei Yao, ordering them to immediately send troops and horses back to Chang'an to gather and stand by.
Three days later, 5,000 Wei troops rushed to Chang'an from Wugong and Yicheng. Cao Zhen immediately ordered 5,000 soldiers and horses from Chang'an, making up a total of 10,000, and went straight towards Anling City where Yang Qing was stationed.
Yang Qing was overjoyed to report that he had planned for many days, but it was not in vain. He finally forced Cao Zhen out of Chang'an.
What's even more surprising is that Cao Zhen actually mobilized thousands of troops from martial arts and Xicheng. His move meant that Yang Qing's strategy was more than half successful. The rest depends on whether he and Zhuge Liang can seize this rare opportunity. The fighter planes broke the deadlock on the southern battlefield.
Zhuge Liang outside Chencang City knew about the Wei army's mobilization one step ahead of Yang Qing. He immediately guessed that Cao Zhen must be unable to withstand Yang Qing's intimidation outside Chang'an, so he sent troops back for reinforcements.
Since the Wei army's actions were as he and Yang Qing had expected, he certainly would not miss this opportunity. He immediately summoned the generals to discuss military strategies and prepared to act according to the plan he and Yang Qing had discussed a few days ago.
"Everyone, according to reports from spies, Cao Zhen has sent 4,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry from Yicheng and Wugong respectively yesterday to return to Chang'an for reinforcements.
As a result, the Wei army's strength on the Wei River is only over 10,000 men. This is a rare opportunity for our army. We must seize it, otherwise we will fail Mingzhi and the others' efforts in Chang'an. "
"The Prime Minister is in charge of the orders. We dare to die if we don't obey." Zhao Yun, as the leader of the generals present, was the first to express his stance.
The others have also been patient for a long time these days. They are all quite depressed because they have been unable to attack Chen Cang for a long time. Now that they hear that they can finally have a big fight, they are all eager to try and excited.
"Please give the order, Prime Minister." Everyone stood up and said in unison.
Zhuge Liang smiled happily when he saw that his army was ready, and pressed his right hand forward to signal everyone to sit down and talk.
"Now our army's strength on the Wei River is almost three times that of the Wei army. Therefore, we should give full play to our strength and avoid our weaknesses. I intend to personally lead 20,000 troops to march eastward, leaving 10,000 troops here to watch over the enemies in Chencang." Zhuge Liang Said slowly.
Guan Xing said: "Moving troops to the east? Does the Prime Minister want to take advantage of the small number of Yicheng and Wugong soldiers to seize these two cities?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and shook his head and said: "Although the troops in the two cities of Xicheng and Wugong have been greatly reduced, they are both strong cities. How can we guarantee that the story of Chencang will not happen again if our army goes to attack?"
"Then the Prime Minister wants to..." Guan Xing frowned, unable to figure out Zhuge Liang's intention.
Jiang Wei, who bowed his head, suddenly said: "Is the Prime Minister going to attack Chang'an?"
"Haha, Bo Yue is really agile, but he only guessed half of it right." Zhuge Liang said with a smile.
Everyone was even more confused after hearing this, and they all stared at him, waiting for explanation. Zhuge Liang handed the white feather fan in his right hand to his left hand, stood up and came to the wooden map and pointed to the three places on it: Yicheng, Wugong and Chang'an.
"The reason why Cao Zhen sent 5,000 soldiers and horses from Yicheng and Wugong back to Chang'an is to go out of the city to attack the Ming Dynasty. Once Cao Zhen sends out troops, there will definitely not be many Wei troops in Chang'an City. As long as my army reaches Chang'an City, there is a chance that the city will be broken. It’s huge.”
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this. If Chang'an can be conquered in one fell swoop, even if there are no results elsewhere, then the Northern Expedition can be said to be a complete victory, because Chang'an is not only the core of Guanzhong, but also the core of Guanzhong. As long as Chang'an, the old capital of the Han Dynasty, returns to the hands of Ji Han, there is great hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty.
When thinking of this event, everyone present was all excited and wanted to ask for orders to send troops immediately. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang poured a basin of cold water down, extinguishing their burning thoughts.
Zhuge Liang sighed softly and said: "Although this move seems feasible, it has little chance of success. After Cao Zhen leaves, he will definitely leave wise men to guard the city. Although Chang'an has few soldiers, it is a tall fortress after all. Our army is not completely sure that it can break through the city in a short period of time.
Secondly, if our army goes straight to Chang'an, the enemies from Yicheng and Wugong will definitely attack and cut off our retreat. Although our army has the upper hand at that time, it will be in danger of being attacked from both sides. If something happens, the army will be in danger. I believe Cao Zhen also thought of this, and then he dared to transfer thousands of soldiers and horses from Xicheng and Wugong.
Third, Chencang is four to five hundred miles away from Chang'an. Our army does not have much food and grass. Even if it reaches Chang'an, it will not be able to hold on for long. Therefore, although the fighter opportunities this time are good, it is still impossible for our army to truly regain Chang'an. . "
Everyone was disappointed after hearing this, but then they thought about it. Now that Longyou and Liangzhou have been recovered, the great cause of rejuvenating the Han Dynasty has taken a big step forward. There is no need to rush to capture Chang'an now.
Moreover, now that we have finally gained the upper hand, we should take advantage of the situation to obtain substantial results. After all, it is unrealistic to go all out to capture Chang'an. It is better to be cautious.
"Then according to the Prime Minister's wishes, how should our army advance?" Zhao Yun asked eagerly.
