Hefei was captured, Shouchun was in danger, and the collapse of the Huainan front seemed to have little to do with the Yongliang army's conquest.
At least, Sima Yi could have asked Niu Jin to continue the pursuit, wait until the battle in Baoxiegu was over, and then make plans to reply to Emperor Cao Rui and mobilize troops to provide support.
After all, distant water cannot save nearby fire.
Moreover, with the frequent use of troops, Ni Shu, who was almost militaristic, had long ago suffered a decline in people's livelihood.
Regardless of whether Wei's pursuit is victorious or defeated, there is no need to worry about Ni Shu entering the pass in the next few years. Why stop and return when the war is getting urgent?
But in fact it is not.
Since the death of Cao Pi and the defeat of Wei State, Bashu sent troops to Longyou, thousands of miles of defense lines along the border have been at war with constant fighting.
Although there was a victory in restoring the four counties of Liaodong and Bingzhou, under the Northern Expedition of Han and Wu's alliance, the strong national power that could single-handedly suppress Han and Wu no longer existed.
It can even be called strong on the outside but capable on the inside, the end of a strong crossbow!
Today, the Jingzhou Front is supported by Yuzhou; the Huainan Front is supported by Qingxu Prefecture; the Luoyang Central Army takes money from Yanzhou, Hedong, Henan, and Hanoi to provide food for military use; and the Yongliang Front has exhausted the resources of Youbin and Jizhou. .
Therefore, the emperor Cao Rui personally wrote a letter, not only informing the Huainan front of the sudden change, but also an edict to mobilize troops from Yongliang to rush for reinforcements.
For example, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry who had become the emperor's personal army, and the Wuhuan Tu Cavalry who were temporarily under Sima Yi's control, Cao Rui no longer sent envoys to recruit them back to Luoyang.
But cavalry alone is not enough.
If Huainan is lost, the thousands of miles of fertile wilderness in the heart of the Central Plains will be undefendable!
The four states of Henan, Yan, Qing, and Xu were all exposed to the army of the traitor Wu!
Regardless of whether it was to appease the hearts of the states or to recapture strategically important areas, Wei had no choice but to send troops to rescue Shouchun, recapture Hefei, expel the thief Wu from Jiangbei, and let Wei's defense front face the river again. Shou.
Therefore, when the Hubao Cavalry and the Wuhuan Tu Cavalry rushed to the Huainan battlefield with Luoyang's Chinese army, Yongliang also needed to send several troops into Jingzhou to assist in the defense to make up for the void in the defense line after Yuzhou soldiers were recruited to Huainan.
This is also the reason why Sima Yi came straight to Chang'an.
Based on the strategy he had in mind, it is not difficult to deduce that if Emperor Cao Rui fails to make progress on the Huainan battlefield, an edict will inevitably come from the west, instructing him to lead the Guanzhong officers and soldiers to enter Jingzhou via Wuguan Road and attack Jiangling City and Jingnan counties. .
Surround Wei and rescue Zhao.
If he supervises the army to attack Jingnan, Wu, the traitor, will inevitably divide his troops to occupy the area, which will naturally reduce the pressure on the battlefield in Huainan.
In any case, although the Wei state has begun to decline, its current war history is still unmatched by the thief Wu.
Naturally, the melancholy in his heart was inevitable.
Because since he took office as the governor of Yongliang, his only military campaign against Bashu ended in failure.
And he will never have the chance to wash away his defeat in the future.
After the Huainan front was lost this time, neither the Luoyang Temple nor the Emperor Cao Rui could use the entire country's strength to defeat Shu!
It's about making up for the situation before it's too late.
Regardless of whether Hefei City is recaptured or not, heavy troops must be stationed on the eastern front to defend it.
In other words, the soldiers and horses dispatched from Yongliang to garrison in Jingzhou will not be able to return in the future.
Without the superiority in military strength, how could he raise troops to attack Ni Shu who occupied a physically victorious position?
In the future, he can only sit back and watch in vain while Ni Shu recovers his national strength through cultivation and recuperation and establishes the three auxiliaries of cavalry to invade Guanzhong, facing the helplessness of the offensive and defensive changes!
It was precisely based on this that after entering Chang'an City, he withdrew his retinue and his subordinates who came to see him, and sat alone, thinking about which troops to send to Jingzhou's aid.
In fact, there is nothing to think about.
The best candidate is his confidant Niu Jin.
Niu Jin had already been stationed in Jingzhou when he was subordinate to Cao Ren, and he was most familiar with the terrain of Jiangling and the tactics of the traitor Wu.
Moreover, he has been with the army for many years and has deep qualifications. Supervising an army of 10,000 to 20,000 people will not cause dissatisfaction among other generals.
But Sima Yi hesitated again and again, and finally decided to go to Jingzhou with Xiahou Ba.
The reason is that Xue Ti, the guard who was in charge of Gaoping City a few days ago, also attached a private message to his daily military information transmission.
It is claimed that when the Shu army transferred Xiahou Ru's body to Gaoping City, and Xiahou Ba Ling came out to meet him, he angrily looked north at Helan Mountain and cursed Guo Huai endlessly, just like a sworn enemy.
After reading this, Sima Yi knew that it was Xiahou Ba who was using the topic to his advantage.
Yes, everyone in the Yongliang tribes knew that Xiahou Ba secretly harbored gnashing of teeth against Guo Huai.
The reason is that Guo Huai was Xia Houyuan's Sima.
During the Battle of Hanzhong, Guo Huai was ill and stayed behind. When he heard that Xia Houyuan had gone out to fight and was killed, he gathered his scattered soldiers and elected Zhang He, the then general of the bandits, as the leader of the army.
This is the reason why Xiahou Ba gnashed his teeth.
Not to blame Guo Huai for Xia Houyuan's death in battle.
But Xia Hourong, who was only thirteen years old, was also in Hanzhong at the time and died in the battle!
As a Sima, since Guo Huai could gather scattered soldiers and illegally promoted Zhang He as the army leader, why couldn't he stop a thirteen-year-old boy from going to die?!
Xiahou Ba could never let go of such a result.
And as Xia Houyuan's line gradually declined, his resentment became more and more serious.
Among Xia Houyuan's eight sons, the third son Xia Houzhen and the fifth son Xia Hourong are the most talented.
When Xiahou was a child, he often gathered boys to perform martial arts. At the age of sixteen, he galloped on horseback and shot tigers, and his bravery was famous among Wei Wu and Cao Cao. He was a commoner friend of Wei Wen and Cao Pi. Unfortunately, he died of illness at the age of eighteen. Xiahou Rong
He was a child prodigy who was as famous as Cao Chong. He was able to write at the age of seven, could recite a thousand words a day, and recognized the scriptures at every turn. He was admired by Cao Pi, but he also died in Hanzhong!
The death of these two people, as well as the subsequent death of Xiahou Shang (Xiahouyuan's son), caused the status of Xiahouyuan's family in the Wei State to decline sharply, and no one was among the important ministers anymore.
Now, Xiahou Ru (Xiahou Shang's younger brother) was killed in battle because he was protecting Guo Huai's retreat. Old and new hatreds have flooded into Xiahou Ba's heart. It's not surprising that he kept cursing in front of the north.
This was also the reason why Sima Yi wanted to go to Jingzhou.
He didn't care about the conflicts between Guo and Xiahou, who was right or wrong, etc.
But under his command, there can be no such thing as discord between generals and enemies.
Whether it was to demonstrate his authority in running the army, or because in the future all the ministries would share the same hatred of the enemy and defend against Shu.
Therefore, Xiahou Ba, who was obviously weaker than Guo Huai, became the best choice to transfer away from Yongliang, considering his general strategy, his familiarity with Yongliang, and the support of his soldiers.
With his mind made up, Sima Yi bent down at his desk and wrote quickly.
First, on the grounds of the dispatch of the Emperor Cao Rui, he ordered General Xue Ti to lead the army, and the governor Xia Houba and other troops rushed to Nanyang County, and returned to the southern general Wang Chang to control the army's baggage and grain.
is behind.
The other is to use the power of the Yongliang Governor to adjust defense.
Let the school captain Deng Ai continue to farm in the south of Helan Mountain, while Supervisor Fei Yao rides on guard and Fei Yao is still in charge.
Hu Zun returned to Anding County and took over the guarding of Gaoping City from Xue Ti who left.
Guo Huai rushed back to guard the defense line between Chencang and Yi County, and controlled Wang Sheng and other troops as before.
Niu Jin and other ministries stayed with him in Chang'an to serve as backup for various ministries, and may be ordered by the emperor to rush to Jingzhou in the future.
From a rational perspective, this arrangement is considered thoughtful.
However, what he didn't know was that this arrangement only solved the hidden danger of Xiahou Ba staying in Yongliang, but he forgot to take into account the feelings of the other Xiahou.
In other words, he didn't have time.
Xia Houxuan, who resigned from Chang'an garrison, returned to Luoyang more than ten days ago.
And when he left, not only was he full of anger towards Sima Yi, but he also missed an opportunity.
