In fact, Cao Rui was only shocked at the beginning (during the first Northern Expedition) by the intensive Northern Expedition of the Shu Han Dynasty in recent years. After that, he got used to it and sent General Sima Yi to Longyou to take charge of the army, commanding 150,000 infantry and cavalry. Soldiers and horses to resist the menacing Zhuge Liang.
At the same time, Cao Rui issued a sacred order: to move to Chang'an again to supervise the transportation of grain and grass for Sima Yi, waving the flag and shouting.
Cao Rui's scalp went numb when he thought of the critical situation facing the Longyou area.
It stands to reason that even if Liangzhou is lost, Wei will still have an absolute advantage over Shu.
But actually it's just the opposite.
In terms of military strength alone, Shu, with its fifty or sixty thousand elite cavalry, is undoubtedly in an advantageous position at this moment.
How did things develop to where they are today?
Cao Rui, who thought he was a wise king, couldn't figure it out.
Obviously nine years ago, after Liu Bei's defeat at Yiling, the Shu Kingdom fell into an absolute low point and could no longer pose a threat to the Wei Kingdom.
How come just nine years have passed and the Shu Han Dynasty has emerged in a more powerful manner?
Cao Rui couldn't understand.
………
When Cao Rui moved to Chang'an, Zhuge Liang was preparing his troops in Wuwei, and Ma Di was rushing to Xixian to prepare to cooperate with Zhuge Liang in the battle.
Thousands of miles away in Jianye, Sun Quan was also thinking about what role he should play in the current situation.
Bystanders? Those who support the alliance? Those who betray the alliance?
None of it seems appropriate.
Of course, the reason I feel inappropriate is not because of my reputation, but because I have nowhere to start.
Sun Quan knew that his reputation in Shu and Wei had long been in ruins, and he didn't care how bad his reputation was.
In his eyes, there is always only profit.
As long as there is a profit, he will kill his own son without hesitation! Although he has not killed his own son yet, he already has this cruelty in his heart.
reputation?
Can it be used as food? Can it be conquered and captured?
So what do you want that thing for?
In this era when everyone considers Confucianism to be a classic in governing the world, and to practice faith and justice everywhere, capriciousness and finding every opportunity to exploit are the treasures of the world.
Every night when people were quiet, Sun Quan couldn't help but sigh: "In the beginning, the people were simple, neither thick nor black. You can't control me, and I can't control you. Later, Gu Hengkong was born, thick and black, and after playing Cao Cao's tricks Liu Bei, after fighting Guan Yu and Cao Pi, no one is a single enemy, hahahaha..."
In Sun Quan's view, his two attacks on the Shu Han were full of justice and legitimacy.
This is what he thinks about the ownership of Jingzhou.
The first stage: Jingzhou chaos.
At this stage, Nanyang County and the two counties to the north of Nanyang County were taken away from Zhang Xiu and Liu Cong by Cao Cao; Jiangxia returned to Liu Qi; the other four counties, Lingling, Guiyang, Wuling, and Changsha, became independent.
The second stage: after the battle of Chibi.
At this stage, Cao Cao's power in the north of Jingzhou shrank. With Sun Quan's permission, Liu Bei took the opportunity to take over the four counties of Lingling, Guiyang, Wuling, and Changsha in the name of Liu Qi, plus half of Jiangxia County that Liu Qi originally occupied. To four and a half counties.
At the same time, Sun Quan sent Zhou Yu to repel Cao Ren and occupy Nanjun (since most of Nanjun was occupied by Soochow and Xiangyang had no subordinate, Cao Cao had to take out several surrounding counties and establish Xiangyang County together with Xiangyang County).
The final result of the second stage was that Liu Bei became the biggest winner, taking away 4/8 of Jingzhou's territory, Sun Quan 1/8, and Cao Cao 3/8.
The third stage: Lu Su helped the two families build a stronger alliance. Not only did he give up most of Nanjun to Liu Bei so that Liu Bei could gain a firm foothold, Sun Quan also sent his sister there.
It can be said that a lot of money was spent.
As for the reward, although it was not stated in black and white, a consensus was reached - that is, after Liu Bei captured Xichuan, he would return the entire Jingzhou to Soochow.
Because the Battle of Chibi was won by Soochow, or to be precise by Zhou Yu, Liu Bei saw a good show in the process.
It makes no sense that a person who did nothing on the battlefield and watched the show from beginning to end would eventually take away the greatest benefits of the Battle of Chibi, right?
Liu Bei wouldn't be so naive as to think that by taking the four counties of Jingnan first, these places would be named Liu, right?
No way?!
The fourth stage: Liu Bei occupied Yizhou after establishing a foothold in Jingzhou.
At this time, the two sides could not reach an agreement due to the Jingzhou issue, and the relationship broke down. Sun Quan's sister returned to Soochow, and Sun Quan demanded to take back his sister's dowry Nanjun, as well as the entire territory of Jingzhou agreed at the beginning of the alliance.
Liu Bei refused, not to mention the entire territory of Jingzhou, and even Nanjun did not want to return it.
At this point, the two sides are about to go to war over Jingzhou.
The fifth stage: Sun Quan took action in anger, recaptured the three counties of Jingnan, marched to the city, and prepared to attack the entire Jingzhou.
At this time, Liu Bei was competing with Cao Cao for Hanzhong, and it was impossible to fight on two fronts.
Sun Quan felt that he was sure to defeat Liu Bei.
Sure enough, Sun and Liu soon started negotiations, and the result was that Changsha, Jiangxia, and Guiyang belonged to Sun Quan, and Nanjun, Lingling, and Wuling belonged to Liu Bei.
After the negotiation, Sun Quan said to Liu Bei with pity: The three counties in Jingxi have been our inalienable spoils of Soochow since the Battle of Chibi. Since you are at war with Cao Cao, I will let you live for a while, etc.
You take the entire Yizhou and return it as quickly as possible.
The sixth stage: Liu Bei completely occupied Yizhou and Lu Su died.
After Lu Su's death, the relationship between Sun and Liu took a turn for the worse, and Liu Bei had captured the entire Yizhou and the three counties of Shangyong. At the same time, Guan Yu went north to besiege Xiangyang and Fancheng.
When Liu Bei had just captured Hanzhong, Sun Quan sent an envoy to ask for Jingzhou, but Liu Bei avoided seeing him, and when he did see him, he talked about things instead of talking about business.
The alliance between Sun and Liu thus collapsed.
The seventh stage: Retake Jingzhou by force (sneak attack on Guan Yu).
Although in areas controlled by Shu and Wei, it was said that Sun Quan attacked Guan Yu secretly, but in Sun Quan's view, this was a seizure by force.
The final result of this stage was that Sun Quan occupied most of Jingzhou's territory (excluding Nanyang, Xiangyang, and the northern part of Jiangxia County, which had always been in the hands of Cao Wei).
The eighth stage: the Battle of Yiling and the aftermath.
Because Liu Bei was seriously injured in Yiling, he never had the possibility of regaining Jingzhou, and he died in shame and anger. In addition, Cao Pi attacked Wu in three directions. Sun Quan did not want to fight on both sides, so he sent people to renew the alliance with Zhuge Liang, and the Three Kingdoms formed a tripartite alliance.
Therefore, in Sun Quan's view, the ownership of the Jingzhou area has always been clear, without any confusion.
He, Sun Quan, just took back what he deserved and what he had lent.
Although Liu Bei only borrowed Nanjun from Jingzhou, not the entire area of Jingzhou, Lingling, Guiyang, Wuling, and Changsha were captured by Liu Bei himself. But this was a move with Sun Quan's tacit approval. Strictly speaking, these places are Soochow.
The spoils of war were only temporarily lent to the homeless Liu Bei.
Moreover, the transfer of Nanjun also caused Soochow to lose the opportunity to march westward to capture Yizhou (Nanjun can lead to Yizhou). These losses need to be compensated!
In Sun Quan's view, from the time he conquered Nanjun in the 14th year of Jian'an to the time when Lü Meng crossed the river in white clothes in the 24th year of Jian'an, Jingzhou, which he had already obtained, was used by a man with nothing (Liu Bei) for ten years in vain.
To recapture the circle was a huge loss of blood.
Not to mention that he also hooked up with a younger sister.
Every time he thought about this, Sun Quan was so angry that his teeth ached. Taking advantage of Jingzhou was originally a kind act to sympathize with a weak friend, but in the end it became a very serious strategic mistake. The so-called "enemy with many actions" turned out to be "an enemy with many friends."
, not only wasted the ten years of great development opportunities after the Battle of Chibi, but also earned a reputation as a "villain".
Therefore, from the moment he completely recaptured Jingzhou, Sun Quan put on the mask of ruthlessness.
As long as there is benefit, he will do anything!
As for whether it will succeed, that is another question, and it is also the question that is currently troubling him.
The Kingdom of Shu and the Kingdom of Wei went to war in Longyou, but Sun Quan suddenly found that he seemed to have nowhere to start.
Helping Shu attack Wei? It seems a bit silly.
Since the Wu State's advantage lies in the navy rather than the land force, the best target of attack is actually the Shu State, and then it can completely occupy the natural moat of the Yangtze River and divide the river with the Wei State to rule and share the world.
But the fence in Shu was very tight.
In a hurry, Soochow had nowhere to say anything.
Sun Quan frowned and paced back and forth in the palace.
………
At the same time, Wudu County and Xi County.
While Ma Su was arranging his troops and preparing for the expedition, he was thinking about the situation of the Longyou battle.
Longyou has always been a battleground for military strategists. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, it has been known as "whoever wins Longyou wins the world".
"Longyou" in a narrow sense refers to the five counties of Nan'an, Tianshui, Longxi, Anding and Guangwei to the west (right) of Longshan. This area is located on the east bank of the Yellow River and the upper reaches of its largest tributary, the Weishui River, with the Yellow River to the west and the Weishui River to the east.
To the south is the Western Han River, to the east is the Qinling Mountains, to the west is the Guanzhong Plain, with criss-crossing hills and valleys, dense waterways, and thousands of miles of fertile soil.
"Longyou" in a broad sense also includes Liangzhou and even the Qinghai Plateau and other Hexi areas where the Western Qiang people live. This area is not only rich in water and grass, rich in horses, but also has strong folk customs and all the men are brave and good at fighting.
"Martyrs and military ministers, more often than not came from Longliang" is a true portrayal of the period from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms era.
The Pre-Qin Dynasty was the first dynasty to bring Longxi County under its effective rule. After Qin Xiangong conquered Di Rong in the west, he placed this area under the control of the Qin State. At the end of the Warring States Period, King Zhaoxiang of Qin established Longxi County in Longyou, and the county governed Didao. From then on, Longxi
County boundaries were clearly defined.
Later, the Western Han Dynasty gradually expanded its territory in the northwest region, and the entire Longyou region was gradually brought under the control of the Western Han Dynasty. With the establishment of the second-level administrative uniform of prefectures and counties, the Longyou region was included in the two prefectures of Yongliang and Yongliang.
Later, due to the frequent rebellions in Liangzhou, Cao Pi had to establish Liangzhou as a separate state in order to implement effective rule. In terms of ethnic composition, the Longyou area was dominated by Han, Qiang, and Rong tribes "mixed". Therefore, such a half-agricultural, half-farmer area
Pastoral areas can provide the army with a large amount of food, grass and war horses.
The first governor of Yongzhou in the Wei State was Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji had followed Cao Cao to defeat Ma Chao in his early years and had outstanding political achievements during his tenure.
After Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, rebellion broke out in Wuwei, Jiuquan, and Xiping counties in Liangzhou. Cao Pi changed the title of Zhang Ji to the governor of Liangzhou and ordered the latter to go to quell the rebellion. The original position of governor of Yongzhou was replaced by Guo Huai.
After Zhang Ji arrived in Liangzhou, he quickly put down the rebellion. Then he rectified the local internal affairs, civilized the Qiang and Di, improved the relationship between the Qiang and the Han people, and set up beacon towers, forts and other military facilities. At this point, the Wei State had implemented the rule of law in Liangzhou.
Effective governance.
Since there are many Qianghu and few Han people in the two states of Yongliang, the Wei State has very few troops stationed here. The troops are mainly concentrated in Yecheng, Luoyang, Hefei and other places. Therefore, on the eve of the first Northern Expedition of the Shu-Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang was very worried about winning the war.
The Longyou region has great self-confidence.
During that Northern Expedition, it can be said that the time, place, and people were all on the side of the Shu Han, but it ultimately failed.
This made Ma Di have to worry about the Northern Expedition.
In the Three Kingdoms era, it was never "the one with more soldiers wins", but the one with more calculations, and the one with God's help.
Looking at the "Battle of Guandu", "Battle of Chibi", "Battle of Hanzhong" and "Battle of Yiling", these decisive battles were all won by the side with fewer troops.
When it comes to the first Northern Expedition, the Shu Han had a considerable advantage. In addition to its military advantage (there were only a few thousand troops in the Longyou area at that time), Wei also made a huge mistake in appointing the supreme commander of Yongliang. Originally, Cao Pi was
In the second year of Huangchu (221), Cao Zhen, the general of the clan, was appointed as the governor of Yongliang and guarded Guanlong. However, in the third year of Huangchu (222), Cao Zhen was transferred to attack Wu, and the new governor of Yongliang in Wei became a mediocre Xiahou
楙.
The fundamental reason for this mistake was actually a misjudgment of the determination and direction of the Shu Han's Northern Expedition.
Because the Shu Han Dynasty at this stage had just experienced a tragic defeat at Yiling, Cao Pi devoted most of his domestic troops to Sun Quan.
During Cao Pi's reign, he used troops three times in total, namely to attack Wu, to attack Wu, and to attack Wu again.
Even in 227 (the first year of Taihe in the Wei Dynasty and the fifth year of the establishment of the Shu Han Dynasty), after Zhuge Liang came to Hanzhong in person, everyone in the Wei court believed that even if Zhuge Liang sent troops, his main attack direction should be Guanzhong, not Longyou.
In the face of the Manchu civil and military contempt for the Shu Han, only Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, showed a sober side. On the eve of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, in order to prepare for the Shu army, Guo Huai personally went to Guangwei County, Tianshui County, Nan'an County and other places to inspect defense
, in response to this, the three counties strengthened their defenses, which also led to the failure of the army led by Zhuge Liang to capture Tianshui County in time during the subsequent Northern Expedition, which held back a considerable number of Shu troops and made it easier for Wei to mobilize troops from Guanzhong for support.
conditions and timing.
Assuming that the Longyou area was conquered by the Shu army at that time, then the people sent to sniper and support Zhang He would definitely be 25,000 unworthy flying troops who could equal one to ten and more elites, and there would definitely be more than 25,000 new recruits.
.
Although it is certain that Yang Yi tampered with the troop deployment, judging from the fact that Yang Yi was not convicted later, this move was probably a helpless move.
At that time, there were indeed not many elite soldiers of the Shu Han Dynasty. At full count, only 3,000 cavalry and 25,000 unmanned flying troops could confront the elite cavalry of Wei State head-on.
In this context, as a general who had just entered the battlefield, it was difficult for Ma Su to take away all the elite troops.
To this day, Ma Di has let go of this matter (Yang Yi's conspiracy).
But I still have no idea whether the attack on Wei can be accomplished today.
The basis of the Longzhong pair is that you must have both Yizhou and Jingzhou, but where is Jingzhou now?
In the hands of Cao Cao and Sun Quan.
Considering that Sun Quan was an unreliable ally, half of Longzhong's opposition was actually dead, and the only option left was to "send troops to Qinchuan".
In fact, Zhuge Liang only recently gave up on Longzhong's strategy.
In the fourth year of Jianxing (227 years), Zhuge Liang went to Hanzhong after taking the "Execution List". However, he started the Northern Expedition a year later.
Staying in Hanzhong for a year was not only to prepare for the war, but also to a large extent because of one person: Meng Da.
Because Mengda occupies a relatively core place: Shangyong Sanjun.
Shangyong area is located to the west of the Wudang Mountains between the Han River and the Yangtze River. It connects Hanzhong to the southwest, Jingbei Xiangyang to the southeast, Yiling to the south, and Jingzhao County of Yongzhou, which is the county where Chang'an is located, to the north. So in
During the Three Kingdoms era at the end of the Han Dynasty, when "the battle of the world was over Jingzhou", the military and geographical value of Shangyong was self-evident. And the first person to capture this place for Liu Bei was Meng Da.
However, after Guan Yu was killed, Meng Da surrendered to Wei because he "sit back and do nothing to save". Cao Pi appointed him as the prefect of Xincheng County, with jurisdiction over Fangling, Shangyong, and Xicheng (later renamed Wei Xing County).
After Zhuge Liang pacified Menghuo and moved to Hanzhong, he began to want to instigate Mengda. For Zhuge Liang, Shangyong was undoubtedly his "back garden", so getting Shangyong was undoubtedly the closest route to the Northern Expedition.
Because if Zhuge Liang captures Shangyong, the waterway from Hanzhong to northern Jingzhou will be controlled by the Shu Han, which will greatly enhance the convenience of transporting grain and the diversity of the Shu Han's attack directions. It will also provide a way to capture Xiangyang in northern Jingzhou.
Increased possibilities.
Once Xiangyang is captured by the Shu Han, not only can they face Wanluo directly, but the Jingzhou lost by Guan Yu is likely to be regained by the Shu army.
In this way, Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Pair" strategy of attacking Cao Wei from the north and the south was launched. Therefore, Shangyong's gains and losses were also related to the overall situation of the Shu Han's Northern Expedition at that time.
However, when he learned that Meng Da was capricious, was selling for a price, was flirting with Shu Han, and was secretly colluding with Sun Quan, Zhuge Liang became angry and could only lead his army to the northern expedition alone.
Later, at the right time and at Ma Di's suggestion, news of Meng Da's "rebellion" reached Sima Yi's ears.
From then on, Zhuge Liang no longer had any hope in regaining control of Shangyong to obtain Jingzhou. Therefore, when the "Longzhong pair" included the "crossing Jingzhou, benefit" route, the Jingzhou route was completely taken.
If there is no way, we can only take the Yizhou route.
In fact, Zhuge Liang himself also knew that it was unrealistic to complete the Northern Expedition in one go with just a corner of Yizhou, so he only adopted the route of "confronting Longzhong" and "conquering the Qiang and Rong in the west", and gave up the route of "moving from Jingzhou to the Qiang Rong".
The concept of "Wanluo" set the target of the first Northern Expedition in the Longyou area.
