As soon as the words "It would be better to abandon Hefei New City" came to light, Cao Rui felt a sudden chill in his heart.
Not only because he had not foreseen this statement.
Even more because he knew how much resistance Man Chong would face if he gave up Hefei New City!
This is because everyone in the Wei Kingdom knows that Man Chong's strategy for guarding the bandit Wu against the invaders has always been to lure the enemy deeper and use one's own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses.
Previously, he promised to destroy the old city of Hefei and build a new one. On the grounds of the elite Jiangdong navy, he intended to use the tactic of "drawing thieves away from the water and taking advantage of them", so that the Huainan front, which was empty after the Battle of Shiting, could Be in an invincible position and be able to judge the situation and move out to gain advantage.
At that time, as soon as Shang Biao arrived at Luoyang Temple, he encountered opposition from many people.
The person who reacted the most fiercely was Jiang Ji, who was also familiar with the Huainan battlefield.
Jiang Ji believed that since Liu Fu, the governor of Yangzhou, moved Yangzhou's prefecture to Hefei, the Wei State had worked hard in Hefei for thirty years, and the old hardships should not be destroyed in one day.
Moreover, the city of Hefei has survived many wars!
For example, Wu Sun Quan, the thief of Wu, invaded Hefei for the first time. He relied on the city defenses built by Liu Fu and the supplies he had accumulated during his lifetime, as well as the ingenious plan of Jiang Ji, who was the commander of Yangzhou at the time, and falsely claimed that reinforcements were coming, which frightened Sun Quan into hastily retreating. And return.
Later, when Zhang Liao was guarding Hefei, it was even more interesting!
The Battle of Xiaoyaojin not only made Zhang Liao famous all over the world, but also made the city of Hefei become the psychological sustenance of the Huainan soldiers of the Wei State during the war. The supreme achievement of eight hundred to one hundred thousand made the soldiers feel that as long as they stayed in Hefei City, , the thief Wu is nothing to be afraid of!
No matter whether a hundred thousand troops invade, or hundreds of thousands~~
Such a city that could be recorded in history was not captured by the enemy, but was destroyed by our own people?
How is this different from self-destructing the Great Wall?
Although it is said that the purpose of destroying the city is to lure the enemy to penetrate deeper and to win the military battle, why did we not consider the impact of destroying the city on the morale of the soldiers?
If the soldiers and generals have no morale, how can they win the military war?
Therefore, Chiang Ji could not agree with the move of destroying the old and building the new.
And he also asserted that Man Chong, who only considers the tactical level, will make arrangements to abandon the new city in the future since he can abandon the old city! It may not take long to continue to make concessions and allow the thief Wu to advance into the Huai River step by step. In the year, Wei will retreat to Huaibei and lose all the land in Huainan!
However, people like Cao Zhen, Liu Ye and others were still alive at that time.
During the court discussion, they all believed that Man Chong's plan was the best policy, so they followed the trend and implemented it.
This is also the reason why Cao Rui felt a sudden shock in his heart: What Man Chong means today is exactly what Jiang Ji said in the past!
But then I thought about it, now that the new city has been occupied by the thief Wu, it is not as difficult to give up as it was before. It would be better to listen to Man Chong's plan first.
With such thoughts, Cao Rui, who had been slightly stunned for a while, asked in a slow and calm voice, "I was not prepared for your words about abandoning the city on the way here. I heard about it all of a sudden, and it was difficult to make a decision. I wouldn't be as detailed as you." I will think about what you say and think about it again."
"only."
Manchong responded loudly, "Your Majesty, I have three thoughts on abandoning the city."
"First, the bandit Wu came to cover up his attack. He took up positions in the new city of Hefei and attacked Shouchun City. He was very energetic. Our army should stay away from his front for a while and hold on for a while, in the hope that he would be discouraged due to the prolonged presence of the army. also."
"Chaohu Xiaoyaojin is nearly three hundred (Han) miles away from Shouchun. The bandit Wu's army is trapped in the city, and they will have to suffer from transportation of grain and fodder. The bandit Wu has few cavalry, but our army has many. If our army does not drive troops to fight under the city , and did not attempt to recapture the new city of Hefei, but instead used cavalry to harass the grain road or Shuxian area of Lujiang County, causing them to frequently go east and west for rescue, and they were exhausted from running for life. It would be difficult for them to survive until March. !At that time, our army will first use cavalry to cut off its return route, and then use infantry to pursue it, and we will win a great victory!"
"Secondly, I believe that our army is unable to fight!"
"Since the beginning of this year, our country's three states of Jing, Yu and Yan, as well as the central army of Luoyang and the army of Yongliang have all experienced great battles. The soldiers are exhausted and the common people are suffering. If we rush to gather the army and go to Huainan to fight against the bandit Wu, I am afraid that the soldiers will complain.
It breeds and has no intention of fighting; the common people are unable to bear the burden and gather together to cause trouble! Moreover, this move is just like the intention of the bandit Wu to encircle and call for help, which is really not advisable!"
"Instead of doing this, the old minister thought that it would be better to abandon Hefei New City and let the soldiers from various states and counties rest and recuperate. Only the old minister was left to supervise the troops here to contain the troops entering Huaikou and support Shouchun City from afar. Wait for the soldiers to recuperate.
Gather your strength, when the time is right, fight again, it is not difficult to destroy the thief Wu Fuxing Fei Xincheng!"
"Finally, it's the shortage of food and fodder."
"I recently heard that troops from Yongliang have entered Jingxiang to garrison and assist in defense. The Chinese army from Luoyang is marching urgently. Your Majesty has also ordered the tiger and leopard cavalry and the Wuhuan tug cavalry to come to Huainan for rescue. The army has gathered together and provided food and supplies.
It costs tens of thousands of dollars every day. Although Fang Qiu has collected it into the treasury, it can support the army for several months. However, the thief Wu has come with the overwhelming power of the country and has gained an opportunity. The outcome cannot be determined in one battle! Your Majesty,
Over the past few years, our country has been conquering the east and west, fighting every year. The people's livelihood has been ruined, and the national treasury is also empty. If the war lasts for a long time, our army may not be able to sustain its food supplies."
After saying all his thoughts and concerns, Man Chong raised a cup to moisten his throat and continued to add softly.
"Your Majesty, it has been more than ten years since the battle of Yiling, and the rebellion against Shu is no longer what it used to be! Although the Wu thief is not weak, he is an enemy in a corner of the country, and the one who will fight for the life and death of our country, Wei, is
Ni Shu Er! I believe that this battle must not consume too much of the people's strength and damage the country's reserves, so that it will be difficult to defeat Ni Shu in the future!"
"well"
Cao Rui, who originally just held and listened to his thoughts, couldn't help but let out a long sigh after hearing Man Chong's final words.
Because he knew in his heart that Jiangdong would never have a chance to conquer the Central Plains.
Even if the entire Huainan is occupied, it is impossible!
However, once Ni Shu occupies the three auxiliaries in Guanzhong and moves the capital to Chang'an, I am afraid that the rule of Wei will not be peaceful!
The prestige and destiny inherited by the Han Dynasty for four hundred years cannot be offset by human power.
But for Man Chong's plan, he did not praise it and implemented it accordingly.
It wasn't that Man Chong had bad intentions, but that he really had reasons not to abandon Hefei Xincheng.
Because Man Chong is a minister, what he thinks about is the tactical level of defeating the enemy; and as the emperor, what he worries about is also the princes in the temple, the noble families, and personal civil and military achievements.
Since he succeeded to the throne, he has made great achievements such as destroying Liaodong and Xianbei in the north, merging several counties in the northern part of the state, and restoring thousands of miles of land to the country.
But they also lost the land of Longyou and Liangzhou.
Yongliang lost troops and generals on the front and was defeated in repeated battles. His prestige was greatly lost and the temple was in turmoil. If he abandoned the city to avoid fighting and retreated voluntarily when faced with the invasion of the Wu thief, how would the world talk about Wei?
I am afraid that the common people thought that the Wei army was in decline.
Especially in the heart of the Central Plains, which had been in chaos for decades, no one wanted to believe that the Wei State could protect them from the flames of war.
If you accumulate steps, you can reach a thousand miles; if you accumulate small streams, you can reach a river or sea.
vice versa.
Wei's prestige has suffered too many blows over the years, and Cao Rui no longer dares to take risks.
Yes, Man Chong's planning also has risks on a strategic level.
Now Cao Rui also knows about Jiangdong's move to rebuild the fortress in Xiaoyaojin.
Therefore, as he rushed to Huainan many times, it was not difficult to surmise that after Jiangdong built a fortress, the canal between Dongfeishui and Nanfeishui would be widened, so that Jiangdong's navy could move northward smoothly and drive to the foot of Shouchun City.
In this way, if Man Chong's strategy of using cavalry to disturb the city and make it exhausted does not work as expected, then if Wei wants to recapture the city of Hefei in the future, it will be half the result with half the effort!
After all, it would be much easier to fight to the death while Thief Wu is still on his own footing than to overthrow the city.
"What you said is very popular with me, and I will wait until I listen to other people's opinions before I make a decision."
After a long silence, Cao Rui spoke quietly, "However, Hefei has fallen to the enemy now, so you can prepare for the war first. Well, it's late at night, so I won't disturb your rest."
After saying this, he signaled to Man Chong that there was no need to follow the courtesy and respectfully sent him off. He stood up and strode out of the tent.
Man Chong, who was sitting alone in the military tent, sighed quietly.
It's not that he didn't understand Cao Rui's intention of "preparing for the war first" when he left.
It's nothing more than implementing a strong wall and clearing out the wilderness within a radius of three hundred miles south of Shouchun City.
After Jiangdong occupied Hefei City, the military front would also expand a lot. For example, the Li Shu people who were stationed in the fields around Shouchun City and the people in the counties near Lu'an should all move away from the front line to avoid being affected by the war or being kidnapped by the bandit Wu to Jiangdong.
But he knew in his heart that Cao Rui did not approve of his plan.
In other words, Cao Rui is the king who succeeds after all.
When he ascended the throne, he dominated the world. Instead of Cao Cao, who relied on thousands of soldiers and horses to accumulate a city and a county, and laid down such a huge foundation with one sword and one shot!
Therefore, Cao Rui did not have the decisiveness of Emperor Wu of Wei who jumped on his horse and whipped his whip.
Not to mention the heroic spirit of taking a risk!
Since the 13th year of Jian'an's expedition to Chibi, Man Chong, who has stayed in Jingxiang and Huainan to fight against Jiangdong, how could he not know Jiangdong's intention to build the old city of Hefei?
How could we not know that not taking back Hefei New City now would lead to the evolution of the Jianghuai situation?
But when weighing the pros and cons, shouldn’t we choose the lesser of two evils?
The battlefield is constantly changing, and only those who are fearless can achieve great success.
Just like in the past when Cao Cao of Wei Dynasty conquered the three counties of Wuhuan in the north, if he was worried about Liu Biao from Jingzhou attacking Xuchang and was timid, how could the north of the river be free of trouble again?
Now I cannot bear it for a moment, insisting on fighting with the bandit Wu and sacrificing the country's strength. One day, I will rebel against Shu and invade again. I'm afraid I will regret it too late!
well.
Manchong drank the cold wine in one gulp, rolled up her clothes and fell asleep with her spirits waning.
The man who came to command the Luoyang army was Jiang Ji. Since Emperor Cao Rui claimed to listen to both sides, he must have listened to Jiang Ji's advice.
In other words, it is impossible to change the situation by forcefully attacking the bandit Wu to relieve Shouchun's difficulties.
He is also powerless.
However, he guessed wrong on this point.
When Cao Rui was in Luoyang, he had already consulted Jiang Ji.
Therefore, after he left the military tent and returned to his own place, he summoned the person who was planning the discussion, which was the Minister of Zhongshu who accompanied the army this time.
When the imperial commander personally marched, he could only entrust many affairs of the Luoyang Temple to his ministers, but he could not change everything. All matters had to be sent to him on horseback for review. It was inevitable to bring a central minister with him.
Because of this, Liu Fang, the supervisor of Zhongshu, and Sun Zi, the supervisor of Zhongshu, were both old and could not bear the hardship, so they brought Wang Ji, the assistant minister of Zhongshu.
His courtesy name was Boyu, a native of Donglai, Qingzhou.
He was born in a poor family, Xiaolian, and served as Wang Ling's Biejia, the governor of Qingzhou at that time.
Later, he was summoned to Luoyang as a secretary, but Wang Ling asked to return because of Wang Ji's ability to handle affairs. Situ Wang Lang still refused to send him back. Later, General Sima Yi dismissed him and allowed him to go.
So Cao Rui knew that Wang Ji had both talents and virtues, so he promoted him to the Central Committee and gave him the position of Minister of Zhongshu.
However, Cao Rui summoned him to discuss the plan, not because he hoped that Wang Ji, who had never overseen the troops in battle, could come up with a better plan than Man Chong.
After asking for advice from Jiang Ji and Man Chong successively, he had made a rough decision in his mind on how to organize the war.
I called Wang Ji just because I wanted to hear a different voice.
Everyone's position is different, and the advice they give will naturally be different. As a monarch, you should listen to both and make a selection, eliminating the bad and retaining the good, so that nothing is left out.
Anyway, it was a long night with no intention of sleeping.
Listen, if it can be of benefit to the war situation, it will be an unexpected blessing. If it is not convenient, let's just talk about it.
What is surprising is that Wang Ji, who had access to secrets at the center and knew about Wei's military deployment in Huainan and Jingxiang, gave mostly similar advice to him, and was neither more radical nor more aggressive than Jiang Ji. The danger of being full of favors and abandoning the city.
He also believed that the Wei State should attack its shortcomings with long forces and use its superiority in cavalry to invade the Wu army's food routes, forcing it to divide its forces to guard the east and south Fei River coasts to alleviate the pressure on Shouchun City from being trapped.
However, the main force of the Wei army either directly fought fiercely with the Wu army or waited for the opportunity to cover up the attack.
Instead, they marched in a misplaced position, admonishing Luoyang's Chinese army to march to Lujiang County along the Tuolu Canal built by Jia Kui in the past; while Xiahou Ba's tribe, which entered Jingzhou from Guanzhong, left Jiangxia County and headed eastward to attack Lujiang County from left and right with Luoyang's Chinese army. .
This was used to force Jiangdong to retreat from Shouchun, or to abandon the camp and move to Lujiang to fight the Wei army in the field.
Because if Jiangdong did not come to rescue Lujiang County, the military strength and city defenses of Shu County and Wancheng would not be able to resist the Wei army's attack. Moreover, once Lujiang County was occupied by the Wei state, the Wei army would be able to attack Ruxuwu behind Chaohu Lake and attack Wu. The stronghold that the country relied on to connect the north and south of the Yangtze River was destroyed!
All the soldiers of the Wu Kingdom in the north of the Yangtze River were reduced to turtles in a jar!
Naturally, such scheduling also has unpredictable dangers.
Cao Xiu's defeat in the past proved that Lujiang County was densely covered with water and swamps, so it was easy to retreat to the south. Moreover, the Luoyang Central Army and Yongliang Division were mostly northerners who were accustomed to the cold climate, so it was difficult to exert their combat power in Lujiang.
With a large army marching in, if you are not careful, there may be another Battle of Shiting!
But Cao Rui felt that this was nothing to worry about.
It is already late autumn and September.
When the Luoyang Central Army and the Yongliang troops arrive at the battlefield, they will take a short rest before advancing. It will soon be winter in October!
By then, the weather will turn cold, and swamps and muddy roads will also be frozen stiff by the cold weather; rain will decrease, river water levels will drop, and Wu's elite navy will not be able to flow into inland rivers and lakes along the tributaries of the rivers, etc., which will be detrimental to the Wei State in many ways. The factors of soldiers will melt with the coming of winter!
So, why should he worry about repeating the mistakes of the Battle of Shiting?
"Although Bo Yu has never been in charge of troops, he still has as much strategy in mind as a veteran general!"
After hearing this, Cao Rui immediately raised his palms and praised him, his eyes not hiding the joy at all, "If this battle is successful, I will definitely reward you for your merits and make you the governor!"
Yes, he wanted to take Wang Ji's advice on this plan to retreat from Wu.
