In April of the ninth year of Jianxing (231), Ma Di brought 5,000 Qiang soldiers from the West County and marched to Juyanhai Fox Mountain. He fought a battle with the Tufa Shouguan who had marched there, and both sides suffered casualties. After the stalemate, the two sides temporarily
Full retirement.
After Ma Su retreated, he called on all the Qiang Han forces in Liangzhou in the name of Zhuge Liang to attack Bald Shouguan. Liang Yuanbi, a Hu man who slaughtered Xiu in Zhangye County, led more than 2,000 households to respond first and surrendered to the Shu Han. Ma Su moved all these people to Xiping
The county will live in the county, and the governor of Xizhou will be appointed, and more than a thousand of its elites will be selected as his wings.
Soon, the Shu Han court (Zhuge Liang) sent an order: Jiang Wei was appointed as the governor of Liangzhou, and he would cooperate with Ma Di to govern Liangzhou. Ma Di would still lead the governor of Yongzhou, general in the expedition to the west, and still command the existing troops, which would be under the control of the Prime Minister's Office.
When the transfer order was passed to Xijun, all the generals were silent and Ma Su was thoughtful.
The Shu Han did not like to grant short-term officials, with the exception of Liangzhou.
In the past, although Liangzhou was not in the hands of the Shu Kingdom, there were always people serving as the governor of Liangzhou. The first was Ma Chao, then Wei Yan, and now Jiang Wei, all of whom were important ministers and fierce generals of the Shu Han Dynasty.
In Zhuge Liang's eyes, Longyou and Liangzhou are far more important than Chang'an and Guanzhong, so Zhuge Liang's goal has always been to conquer Liangzhou first, not Guanzhong.
Ma Su also believed deeply in this strategy.
If the Shu Han could capture Chang'an, of course they could. But capturing Chang'an would be too difficult to achieve in one step. Not only did Cao Wei station a heavy force in Chang'an for defense, but the roads from Hanzhong to Guanzhong were also rugged roads with high mountains and dangerous valleys.
Easy to defend but difficult to escape.
The danger of the 800-mile Qinling Mountains is both a barrier and a cage for the Shu Han. While it protects the Shu Han from the threat of Cao Wei from the north, it also limits the ambition of the Shu Han to advance northward.
There is only one main road from Hanzhong, that is, from Yangpingguan to the west, passing through Mian County, Xiabian, and Xi County to Longyou and Liangzhou.
War in this era was based on roads. Wherever the road leads, the army can attack (Deng Ai's special case is not the norm).
Therefore, compared to taking Chang'an, taking Longyou and Liangzhou is the most reasonable approach.
Wei Yan proposed a plan to sneak attack Chang'an, why did Zhuge Liang not allow it? This can be seen from his deliberate training of Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei was born in Liangzhou, and like Ma Chao, he had Qiang ancestry. By using Jiang Wei re-employed, he could win the hearts of the people in Liangzhou, which would in turn provide intangible convenience for the attack on Liangzhou.
After Jiang Wei returned and surrendered, Zhuge Liang happily wrote a letter to Zhang Yi and Jiang Wan, saying in the letter that he had just recruited a talent, and specifically emphasized that this person was "Liangzhou Sergeant".
In the original time and space, in the 18th year of Yanxi (255), Jiang Wei went out to Didao to defeat Wang Jing, the governor of Yongzhou in Wei State. Wei generals Deng Ai, Chen Tai and others discussed: "If Jiang Wei cuts off Liangzhou Road, annex the four counties."
The people are barbarians, and Wang Jing is afraid that his entire army will be annihilated." He applied for additional troops.
Sima Zhao said: "Zhuge Liang couldn't do this in the past. Jiang Wei is not as good as Zhuge Liang, so there is no need to worry too much."
The Qiang people in Liangzhou are not only large in number but also good at fighting. More importantly, they have always had strong anti-Wei ideas.
Because Cao Wei's ruling methods here were very bloody, even worse than those of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Cao Wei always treated the disobedient Liangzhou tribes by "slaughtering them all." When Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, King Dou Mao of Di refused to obey orders, so Cao Cao killed all the more than 10,000 people.
During Xia Houyuan's conquest of Liangzhou, he also engaged in massacres at every turn. Later, in order to prevent the Qiang and Di people in Hanzhong from being seduced by the Shu Han, Zhang Ji forced hundreds of thousands of people from Hanzhong, Tianshui, Wudu, Longxi, Nan'an and other counties several times.
Hu Qiangdi moved to Chang'an, Hebei, Fufeng and other places.
After this incident, Hanzhong and even Wudu County were almost no man's land at that time. Zhuge Liang went to Qishan with great pains. He just wanted to capture Liangzhou and gain the support of the Qiang and Di tribes.
It's a pity that Cao Wei also knew the importance of Liangzhou and refused to give up until his death.
But it's different now.
Cao Wei tried to take every precaution, but still lost Liangzhou.
Ma Su's move of first attacking the Western Qiang and then destroying Guo and capturing Wuwei caught Cao Wei off guard, and Liangzhou was cut off and fell into the hands of the Shu Han.
The strategic situation between the two countries has changed dramatically as a result.
As the strategic situation changes, Zhuge Liang's attitude must also change. This has nothing to do with the personal relationship between the two and is only related to politics.
Appointing Jiang Wei as the governor of Liangzhou was both a test and a trick.
Qu Shang also realized this and said: "Since ancient times, there are powerful officials in the imperial court, but there are no generals outside who can end it well. Generals should think of countermeasures early."
This sentence is very similar to another sentence that Ma Su heard: "Since ancient times, there have been sycophants in the imperial court, but there are no generals outside who can make meritorious deeds."
The meaning of this sentence is that since ancient times, there has been no treacherous official who has monopolized power in the court. At the same time, the general can also make achievements outside. If the general makes achievements outside, the powerful ministers will feel that their power is threatened. Therefore, they must find ways to get rid of the general.
The person who said this was an unknown scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, the Jin soldiers could not defeat Yue Fei, and Jin Wushu was about to withdraw his troops. The scholar used this reason to persuade Jin Wushu and told him to wait. Jin Wushu listened to the scholar
If so, Yue Fei was indeed recalled by the Twelve Gold Medals and died in vain at Fengbo Pavilion, and his great cause of resisting the Jin Dynasty fell short.
Despite this, Zhuge Liang even tried to eliminate Liu Feng, Li Yan and other important ministers who could threaten his power, but Ma Di firmly believed that Zhuge Liang would not touch him.
…
Xixian County, Temporary Prime Minister's Mansion.
Yang Yi walked quickly into the official room with a letter bag in hand.
"Prime Minister, there is military news coming from Liangzhou."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang said "Oh", then stopped giving instructions on the official document, put the brush back on the inkstone, took the letter bag, pulled out the brocade silk, and started to read it carefully.
After a cup of tea, Zhuge Liang withdrew his gaze, handed the letter to Yang Yi, and walked around the room, silent.
Yang Yi quickly read the letter and said doubtfully: "Prime Minister, Xihai Qiang and Tufa Xianbei had a big battle at the foot of Fox Mountain in Juyanhai. The winner was not decided, and the situation is currently in a stalemate..."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "This is the trick used by Youchang to drive away tigers and swallow wolves."
"Looking at it from this point of view, we, Ji Han, have a good chance of taking over Liangzhou." Yang Yi quickly raised his hands to congratulate him, and then changed his tone: "However, Ma Di has been commanding troops outside all year round, and his prestige in the army is very high, so Bo's appointment here may be just a show-off.
"
Zhuge Liang nodded, this was exactly what he was worried about.
Jiang Wei had been in Shu for three years and had not made any achievements. He was suddenly promoted to the governor of Liangzhou and teamed up with Ma Su. The scene was almost foreseeable.
It must be one-sided.
But there is no other way. Who else can be sent besides Jiang Wei?
Wei Yanxin failed and had already taken office elsewhere; Wang Ping was illiterate and could not serve as governor; Wu Yi was the governor of Hanzhong and could not leave.
Among the others... Jiang Wan needs to preside over the daily affairs of the court in Chengdu. There is a rift between Yang Yi and Ma Su. If he goes to Liangzhou, he will probably be arranged by Ma Su. If not, his life will be in trouble; Fei Yi, Dong Yun
...Zhuge Liang shook his head, these two people went to Liangzhou for nothing.
Ma Su's qualifications, achievements, and prestige are unmatched by anyone in the Shu Han Dynasty. Even if he is the prime minister, he dare not say that he can dominate Ma Su in terms of reputation, let alone other people.
In other words, even if these people go to Liangzhou, they are likely to be under Ma Su's huge shadow, and it will be difficult to fundamentally restrict Ma Su.
But the newly vacated Liangzhou governor had to be dispatched.
And it can’t be sent to Ma Su!
If the governor of Liangzhou is assigned to Ma Su, he will become a true emperor with military power, governance power and great prestige.
At this time, a middle-aged scribe in his thirties or forties hurriedly walked in from the door. This man's Chinese-character face was dusty, his scarf and robe were stained with sweat, and his eyes were full of fatigue.
As soon as he entered the door, Zhuge Liang's eyes greeted him without giving him a chance to salute him: "Thank you for your hard work, Gong Yan."
Jiang Wan bowed first and said with a smile: "Your Majesty has appointed Ma Su's eldest son Ma Wen as the Marquis of Hanshui Pavilion. All other matters will be done according to the wishes of the Prime Minister."
Zhuge Liang nodded: "How is the situation over at Soochow?"
"For the time being, Sun Quan's position on the Han-Wu Alliance has not changed. They are happy to see the success of our Northern Expedition."
"However, Sun Quan has added 20,000 troops to Jiangling recently. Jiangling City borders our Baidi City, so the Prime Minister must pay attention."
Zhuge Liang said "hmm" and started walking again. He knew that Soochow was by no means a reliable ally. Sixteen years ago, Sun Quan took away the three eastern counties of Jingnan in a sneak attack;
The three counties of Jingxi also killed Guan Yu.
From these two incidents, we can see what kind of person Sun Quan is.
It's not that Zhuge Liang has never thought about adjusting his strategy and turning around to deal with Soochow first, but the current situation in the world is that Wei is strong and Shu and Wu are weak. In order to survive, Shu and Wu can only unite, and all grievances can only be temporarily suppressed. As long as Soochow can deal with Wei
A little pressure on the country's southeastern border would be a great help to the Shu Han.
It is not in vain that the Shu Han endured the humiliation and endured the heavy burden.
Interests always come first between countries. Even if there is a blood feud, one must judge the situation and make way for interests.
This is the simplest truth that every person in power should understand.
The late Emperor Liu Bei did not understand this, so he almost destroyed the entire Shu Han family.
The three people sat down separately as guest and host, looking at each other. Yang Yi took out a bunch of brocade silk from his arms and handed it to Zhuge Liang: "Kirby can say in the letter: His respect for you, Prime Minister, is like the boundless grassland.
It is like a surging river, and it expresses its willingness to send troops to support the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition."
"Oh, did he make a request?" Zhuge Liang raised his eyes and looked northeast, his tone was extremely calm, he took the letter without reading it, as if he had anticipated the request in the letter, and just stared at Yang Yi.
"Kirby can say in the letter that if Wei is really captured, he is willing to lead his troops to surrender to the Han, and Bingzhou and Youzhou need to be transferred to the territory of the Xianbei tribe." Yang Yi replied, and then asked hesitantly, "
Prime Minister, I feel that Kebi Neng’s words are too humble and humble, and cannot be trusted.”
Zhuge Liang was noncommittal and turned to look at Jiang Wan.
Ke Bineng's matter will be postponed until later. Jiang Wan's arrival is a bit unexpected.
If he was just delivering an ordinary imperial edict, there was no need for him to come in person.
Jiang Wan cupped his hands and said: "Since I left Shu in the past year, Ma Su has accumulated unparalleled achievements for more than a year. His Majesty sent me to ask the Prime Minister what reward should be given to General Ma...?"
Hearing this, Zhuge Liang frowned. There were many stakes involved in appointing a general. Even if Ma Su was affiliated with the Prime Minister's Office, he had to keep his mouth shut and be careful about his stance.
According to Ma Su's current merits, if he proposed a big seal, he would be suspected of forming a clique for personal gain; if he proposed a small seal, it would upset Ma Su.
Your Majesty specifically used this matter to inquire about the truth... This hot potato is difficult to deal with.
——Zhuge Liang had to admit that Liu Chan, the emperor, had grown up and had his own ideas.
"Your Majesty can make his own decision on this matter." Zhuge Liang simply expressed his stance and pondered again.
Jiang Wan did not answer, he knew there was more to come.
"I have already petitioned Your Majesty to divide the seven counties of Nanzhong into Yunzhou, appoint Wei Yan as the governor of Yunzhou, and appoint Jiang Wei as the governor of Liangzhou. What do you think of this proposal?"
"This..." Jiang Wan hesitated for a moment, feeling it was inappropriate.
Isn't it a joke that the young Jiang Wei goes to Liangzhou at this time?
In front of Ma Su, he was just a younger brother.
"Prime Minister, why don't you appoint General Zhao Yun as the governor of Liangzhou?"
Yes, why did the truth forget Zhao Yun?
Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up, his frown quickly unfurled, he smoothed his beard with his right hand, stood up, took the Liangzhou governor's seal from the desk, and handed it to Jiang Wan.
"Gong Yan, I am appointing you as Cao Yu of the Prime Minister's Office. You will go to Liangzhou to deliver orders and appoint Zhao Yun as the governor of Liangzhou. You will be placed above Ma Su, the general who conquered the west." At this point, Zhuge Liang's tone became more serious: "Thank you for your hard work, Gong Yan.
"
Jiang Wan took the seal and glanced at Yang Yi hesitantly.
Yang Yi looked embarrassed, covered her face with her hands and left.
"If there is a gap between Yi, Yan and Su, they will pinch each other when they meet..." Zhuge Liang explained, rubbing his head and unwilling to say more.
Sometimes, he would also suspect that Ma Di deliberately put on a show of discord with Yang Yi and Wei Yan to prove that apart from fighting, he was doing well in other aspects, so that he, the prime minister, would lower his vigilance towards the latter.
.
But sometimes, Zhuge Liang felt that this was Ma Di's nature, because Ma Di had always had this arrogant temperament.
A country is easy to change, but a character is hard to change.
Although it is said that a general who can take one step at a time and see three steps in a war must have a noble vision, most likely have a broad mind, and is unlikely to be at odds with his colleagues in the army because of personal preferences.
But there are always exceptions.
"Yan will definitely live up to the trust of the Prime Minister." Jiang Wan cupped his hands, held the seal in both hands, turned around and came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, called a few followers, rushed to the west gate of Xi County, and rushed to Liangzhou via Qiang.
It goes without saying that the journey was dusty.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Jiang Wan and his entourage galloped on horseback. When they reached a small hillside ten miles away from Fox Mountain, they suddenly heard the beating of war drums in front of them and the loud shouts of killing.
Jiang Wan hurriedly reined in the reins, climbed up and looked, and saw several soldiers and horses engaged in a fierce battle in the open ground at the foot of the mountain ahead.
Judging from the situation, there are five or six armies under the banner of Shuhan, and these soldiers and horses are besieging an army under the banner of Xianbei from all sides.
"If there are no accidents, the outcome of this battle will almost be decided."
Jiang Wan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to his entourage: "Let's rest here for a while and wait until the war is over before reporting to General Ma."
The followers responded one after another, sat on the ground, took out dry food and water, and waited for the end of the war.
Half a day later, the fighting stopped, and Jiang Wan arrived at a camp located in the west of the foot of Fox Mountain.
Ma Su has been waiting here for a long time.
After the two sides met and exchanged greetings, Jiang Wan followed the large army to Juyanhai.
Half of the more than 10,000 troops of Bald Xianbei were annihilated and half surrendered. From this moment on, Bald Xianbei officially came under the rule of Shu Han.
Along the way, Ma Su introduced the details of the battle to Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan also told the truth about the purpose of his visit.
When Jiang Wan said that "Zhao Yun will replace Jiang Wei as the governor of Liangzhou", Jiang Wan carefully observed Ma Di's expression.
I found that the latter's face was calm and showed no expression.
