A military battle involving nearly 100,000 soldiers requires a lot of time just to prepare.
Such as the deployment of garrisons in various counties and counties, the gathering of soldiers and horses from various ministries, the transportation of grain and baggage, and the encouragement of soldiers' courage, etc., it is not a day's work.
It is also impossible to hide it from Wei Guo.
In other words, after being caught off guard in the first Longyou Battle, the Wei State never took the Han's movements lightly again.
When Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and Zheng Pu finalized the military plan and asked all the troops to prepare for war, Cao Zhen, the Great Sima of the State of Wei who was guarding Chang'an in Guanzhong, also began to supervise the preparations for war.
After decades of military service, he also set his sights on Anding County.
The detailed work in the army and the news coming from Yang Fu, Guo Huai and Wei Ping who were stationed in Liangzhou all concluded that the place where the Han troops came out was Anding County.
Against Shu, Zhuge Liang personally led the army to Longyou.
In addition, the senior generals in the army who were ranked against Shu, except for Wu Yi's troops who returned to Hanzhong County to garrison, all gathered in the Ayang City area.
This is also a necessity.
Because of the continuous Qinling Mountains, Nishu could not directly attack Guanzhong.
Just like in the past when he led the army to directly attack Hanzhong County via the Qinling Valley Road, the logistical pressure of transporting grain, fodder and baggage was too great to allow for a sustained battle. Moreover, the Qinling Valley Road was not considered to be spacious, and it was not possible to deploy all the troops. This was not a battlefield that was conducive to the attacker.
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Furthermore, he has built many garrisons along the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in the past two years.
If Ni Shu marches from Hanzhong, he must first capture these garrisons one by one before he can besiege the city.
The time spent was enough to make Ni Shu suffer from the transportation of grain and fodder and retreat.
The price of war is victory, but the price of war is not long.
Ni Shu would never let himself fall into unfavorable conditions without a fight if he had better options.
And if the troops leave Anding County, whether they wait for an opportunity to march into Liangzhou or go south to right Fufeng, Nishu will have room for maneuver.
In response, Cao Zhen ordered all the troops in Liangzhou to continue to stand firm and not to make any unauthorized moves to avoid falling into Ni Shu's plan of "moving the tiger away from the mountain". He also sent most of his troops to Anding County.
He also reported that he was stationed in Chencang City, waiting for work and waiting for the news of Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu.
After several years of integration, and the large-scale migration of Li Shu from Jizhou to Guanzhong Sanfu, he could now conquer nearly a hundred thousand troops in wartime.
In fact, if there is no movement against Shu, he also plans to go to Luoyang to ask for orders to attack Shu at the end of this year or early next year.
This is not only because there are enough weapons and armor, but there is no need to defend passively.
Time is not forgiving.
He is old and has suffered from frequent ailments in the past two years.
If he had not attacked earlier, he was worried that he would never have the chance to recapture Longyou in his lifetime and would end up with regrets.
As for why he had to wait until he was old enough to request an expedition, it was because he didn’t want Wei to fall into a two-front war, or even a three-front war!
In a two-front battle, it is natural that Ni Wu and Ni Shu have an alliance, so there is no guarantee that there will be no intention of the Communist alliance to send troops.
The cause of the three-front battle was Liaodong Gongsun Yuan.
Last year, after Emperor Cao Rui learned that Gongsun Yuan had rebelled against Wei and rebelled against Wu, he asked General Sima Yi to secretly dispatch troops to gather at Youbeiping in Youzhou.
It is planned to take a preemptive strike and completely eradicate the Gongsun family in Liaodong that has been separatist for many years.
Take advantage of the situation to deter the Xianbei and Wuwan tribes in the northern frontier of Wei State.
But when Sima Yi secretly rushed to Youbeiping, things took a turn for the better.
In the spring and March of this year, Sun Quan of the Wu Dynasty, regardless of the advice of his ministers, sent Zhang Mi, the chief minister, Jinwu Xu Yan, general He Da, lieutenant Qin Dan and others to lead ten thousand troops, sending gold treasures and treasures, and nine tins to prepare things.
, entered Liaodong from the sea route, and granted Gongsun Yuan the title of King of Yan.
But after the Wu army arrived in Liaodong, Gongsun Yuan betrayed the alliance, annexed the soldiers and property, beheaded Zhang Mi and others, and sent their heads to Luoyang to show their loyalty.
In this regard, the Dukes of Luoyang and Gungun all had different opinions on whether to continue the attack on Liaodong.
Those who felt that it was no longer possible to conquer Liaodong felt that Liaodong was located in a remote area and it would be difficult for troops to achieve success; and even after Gongsun Yuan was defeated, they would still have to continue to use the "restraint policy" to promote local wealthy families to govern.
Raising troops and mobilizing people, wasting people and money, but not much benefit, it is better to keep Gongsun's family on the edge of the town.
Anyway, he killed the ministers who rebelled against Wu, so it was difficult for him to become an enemy of Wei.
But those who insisted on continuing to conquer the ministers thought that since Gongsun Yuan rebelled once, he could rebel a second time.
That wolfish ambition has been fully demonstrated.
If we don't get rid of it now, when Wei is invaded by Ni Shu and Ni Wu, who knows whether he will betray him again?
Moreover, there is a saying that "the arrow must be fired when it is on the string".
Forty thousand cavalrymen have gathered in Youbeiping, Youzhou. How can we change the order in the morning and at night?
The two completely opposite opinions made it difficult for Emperor Cao Rui to make a choice, so he secretly sent an envoy to Guanzhong to ask Cao Zhen: Should we stop the army? Should we not change our original plan?
At that time, Cao Zhen's reply was very simple.
Just let Emperor Cao Rui wait for Sima Yi's military report.
After all, Sima Yi was the advocate and decision-maker of this war.
Moreover, he has already arrived in Youbeiping and will consider the various gains and losses of marching or withdrawing troops according to local conditions.
Cao Zhen in Guanzhong could not understand such gains and losses.
But, in fact, Cao Zhen already had the answer in his heart.
It is impossible for Sima Yi to write a letter to stop the army!
Not only is the war he has overseen in his lifetime not worthy of the position of general; but now is a good opportunity to attack Liaodong.
Just imagine, Gongsun Yuan sent an envoy to deliver the heads of ministers who rebelled against Wu to show his loyalty. If the Luoyang court had given him an official position, rewarded him with property, etc., would he still be wary of Wei?
Can the defense not be lax?
Sima Yi took advantage of this opportunity and led his army forward. Did he still have enough time to gather troops and prepare for battle?
If Sima Yi turned a blind eye to such a God-given opportunity, then he would not be worthy of becoming the late emperor's minister and climbing to the position of general.
Furthermore, regardless of whether Liaodong's remote geographical location was useless in the eyes of the Wei State, the benefits of destroying the Gongsun family outweighed the disadvantages.
For example, the Xianbei and Wuwan tribes in northern Xinjiang will at least be intimidated by Wei's military front and stay calm for a while.
The new wealthy families in Liaodong will also obey the advice of Wei for a long time.
In fact, at the strategic level, Sima Yi and Cao Zhen had the same views.
In his petition, he directly asked Emperor Cao Rui to grant Gongsun Yuan a reward to cover up his intention to attack.
He also emphasized: The soldiers gathered in Youbeiping now have some complaints due to the bitter cold in Youzhou. If Luoyang's decision is changed overnight and they are asked to stop their troops and return directly, it may cause bad things.
Moreover, with an army of 40,000 gathered, it was impossible to hide it from everyone.
Gongsun Yuan will eventually know about this one day.
By then, Liaodong will inevitably rebel again!
In future expeditions, facing the prepared Gongsun Yuan, it would not be possible for an army of 40,000 to defeat him.
For this reason, Cao Rui finally made a decision: "What you said is a good policy, and I will agree to it. That traitor, Gongsun, has repeatedly refused to submit to our Wei State for a long time. I hope that I will destroy you in this battle!"
The war in Liaodong is going on as scheduled, and Cao Zhen, who is in Guanzhong, will naturally not start the war lightly.
But if someone attacks Shu, he won't be afraid of it.
If he personally leads the army to Anding County and fights fiercely with the main force against Shu, and is undefeated and does not lose any ground, etc., he will still be confident.
However, he was also vaguely worried.
Because according to the news carefully investigated, Zheng Pu, the Pingbei general who rebelled against Shu, led his army to attack Zuli County.
After several years of war between the Han and Wei Dynasties, especially the battle of Yuzhong County in Jincheng County, when Xia Houru, who had been fighting for decades, was defeated by Zheng Pu, who was still in his thirties, with inferior troops, the entire Wei State was concerned about "Scar Pu". "The reputation is no stranger.
"That scar Pu is a serious problem for Wei!"
Cao Zhen asserted this when he went to Luoyang and warned the generals in the northwest.
He couldn't help but speculate on the potential intention of Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, to send Zheng Pu to lead an army to attack Zuli County.
He has been guarding the northwest for decades, and he can clearly understand the strategic intentions of various places without looking at maps or analyzing military situations.
To the north of Zuli County is the Hexi Corridor, and to the east is the Wushui River Valley.
If it is acquired by Ni Shu, it will cut off the connection between Guanzhong and Liangzhou, exacerbating the turmoil in Liangzhou.
Perhaps, this is Ni Shu’s true intention of sending troops this time, right?
Cao Zhen had a vague realization.
Otherwise, with Zhuge Liang's strategy against Shu, it would be impossible for a large army to attack Yongzhou before Liangzhou was captured.
However, it is one thing to have some understanding; it is another matter to be able to prescribe the right medicine.
He could not mobilize the army in Guanzhong to rush to Liangzhou's aid.
Two years ago, asking General Wei Ping to ride over with 15,000 infantry was already the limit of what Liangzhou could afford.
If we increase our troops again, we will be overwhelmed.
Even if a general is allowed to lead more than 10,000 cavalry carrying provisions, it is not advisable.
Who knows how long Ni Shu's attack will last?
It was a very long journey from Anding County to Wuwei County, bypassing the Liupanshan Mountains and heading to Wuwei County via the Wushui River Valley. Normally, messengers would be able to deliver the news quickly, but if the army was to bring its own food and fodder, it would be half the result with half the effort.
Moreover, if Ni Shu really attacked Zuli County with a large army, he would definitely send cavalry into the Wushui River Basin to intercept the reinforcements.
If General Wei Ping had not sent troops to defend Zuli County, he would have been in a dilemma.
On the one hand, Zuli County is quite far from Guanyinsai.
Once the army enters Zuli County, Ni Shu can drive to the front of the Wanyin Fortress, turning Zuli County into an isolated city, and waiting for the soldiers who have been cut off from news in the city to become fearful.
On the other hand, they were worried that Ni Shu would lure the snake out of its hole.
What if the attack against Shu against Zuli County was just a pretense to make Wei's defenses in the four counties in Hexi empty?
For example, in the past, General Ma Dai, who was conquering the north against Shu, took a detour and entered Zhangye County through the fractured valley of the Qilian Mountains!
The long Qilian Mountains are not only accessible through rift valleys in Zhangye County.
That's all, there's no point in thinking too much.
For the current plan, we can only act according to the situation.
Cao Zhen, who was still thinking about it, sent a messenger to Wuwei County.
He not only ordered General Wei Ping to act with caution and not to move without clearing the number of soldiers led by "Scar Pu" against Shu to Zuli County; he also asked Liangzhou Governor Yang Fuduo to appease Hexi Haoyou and the Qianghu tribe. Make sure that during this period, some tribes that have a high hatred for Wei will not rebel.
For example, Lu Shuihu lives between Zhangye and Wuwei counties.
This barbarian tribe, which was a mixture of Xiongnu, Yueshi, Jie (part of the Xiongnu), Qiang, Di and other tribes, gathered tens of thousands of people to rebel in the second year of Huangchu (AD 221).
It was he who personally led the army to fight for peace.
Although, after the defeat of Lu Shuihu and more than ten years of conscious suppression by the Wei army, the strength of the tribe had been greatly reduced. There were only about 10,000 people left in the tribe, and there were only more than 4,000 young men who could fight with swords and spears.
But precisely because of this, he also had deeper resentment against Wei.
If they are determined to rebel against Shu and send people to lead the Shu army from the rift valley of the Qilian Mountains into Hexi, then Liangzhou cannot be defended.
well.
The disadvantages of losing Longyou and abandoning Xiping County have now become the biggest reasons why Wei fell into passivity.
Cao Zhen, who had just finished inspecting the garrison at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, stationed his horse beside the Wei River outside Chencang City, and couldn't help but feel helpless in his heart.
It’s summer in April.
The Weishui River meanders eastward from Longyou, with sparkling waves.
It looks like a ribbon of shining light in the sun, which is extremely beautiful; and with the beautiful green on both sides of the strait, it looks like a green dragon running through the earth.
At the beginning of this year, the imperial court changed the name to "Qinglong".
The reason is that during the first lunar month, a blue dragon was seen in the Mobei Well, which was auspicious for the state of Wei.
But after the Yuan Dynasty was changed, weapons and weapons were about to emerge.
I wonder how the war is going in Liaodong?
Sima Zhongda led his army in March. At this time, he should have been in close combat with the traitor Gongsun Yuan, right?
I just don’t know whether the Xianbei and Wuwan tribes in northern Xinjiang will send troops to help the traitor Gongsun Yuan?
Although Lord Kebineng of Xianbei has become a vassal of the Wei State, the Hulu people do not care about kindness and have many capricious behaviors. Seeing that they are profitable, they may not have different intentions.
Furthermore, according to legend, the traitor Gongsun Yuan seems to have been in frequent contact with Wuwan and the Xianbei tribe in recent years.
Ni Shu is sending out a large number of troops this time. I wonder if he will send envoys to Ni Wu Ce to respond?
However, if Ni Wu is coordinating the plan, given their habit of fighting with water armies, it should be the time for them to send troops in July and August when the river water surges, right?
I hope our country, Wei, is not fighting on three fronts this time.
As soon as he put down his thoughts about the war in the northwest, Cao Zhen couldn't help but turn his mind elsewhere.
"Report!"
Just as he was thinking about it, a messenger came rushing towards him.
Before the galloping horse could stand still, he jumped down vigorously and hurried over to report.
"Report to Grand Sima, General Dai of Anding County has military information! The banner claiming to be against the Prime Minister Zhuge Liang of Shu has appeared on the wall of Xiaoguan City."
"General Hu from Gaoping came to report that Ni Shu Ma Dai led his cavalry into the Wushui River Valley. It seems that Ni Shu Zhao Guang is still behind."
"In rebellion against Shu, Zheng Pu and the Guan Xing tribe gathered about ten thousand troops and headed for Zuli County."
Zhuge Liang actually left Xiao Pass in person?!
After hearing this, Cao Zhen's eyes narrowed, and he turned his horse's head and headed back into the city.
While riding his horse, he called to the soldiers beside him, "You should go ahead and rush to the military camp in the city to pass my order to the general! Let the soldiers assemble the army immediately, make food at the third watch tomorrow, and send troops to settle down at the fourth watch!"
"promise."
The guard quickly promised loudly, kicked the horse's belly hard, and galloped away.
When the leader of the Xianbei Bald Tribe, Bald Shoutian, who accompanied him on the patrol, heard the messenger's report, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
Immediately, he drove his horse half a step behind Cao Zhen and respectfully asked for his order, "I would also like to ask for the permission of the Great Sima to send my people to the Wushui River Basin. Zhao Guang, the traitor who rebelled against Shu in the past, killed many of my people and I swear to repay him!"
