When the news of Jiangdong's tragic defeat reached the Han Dynasty, it was already late autumn and September.
At this time, both the prime minister and the Wei Yan tribe in Wuzhangyuan had just finished harvesting the fields in autumn, and were just about to let the soldiers break camp and go to besiege Chencang City according to the previous plan.
Yes, it was clearly agreed that the two countries would fight together this year, but before the Han army started taking action, the Wu army was defeated...
It’s really frustrating!
The Prime Minister, who was still in Wuzhangyuan, after learning the news, went out of the military tent with his staff and stood on the mound. He looked at the Yangsui of Wei State on the other side of the Wei River and sighed quietly in his heart.
He finally understood why in mid-August, the soldiers of Wei State guarding the other side burst into cheers.
Originally, the generals in the army speculated that Cao Rui and Sima Yi, who were against the Wei Dynasty, wanted to boost the morale of the army, so they feasted on the officers and soldiers during the "Moon Sacrifice Festival".
Unexpectedly, they were excited by the news of Wu Jun's defeat!
Jiangdong's disciples are short of ideas and tactics!
well.......
The Prime Minister didn't care why Jiangdong was defeated so miserably.
But he knew that in the next few years, or even ten years, Jiangdong would not be able to have the strength for the Northern Expedition, nor would it be possible for the Han to contain the anti-Wei forces.
Or, in other words, given Jiangdong's nature, after this battle, they no longer have any desire to go north.
After all, everyone knows the fact that Jiangdong is full of internal conflicts.
The Prime Minister is even more aware of the fire.
The question that lingers in the prime minister's mind now is: after the Wu army's defeat, will the Han army continue to act according to the policy previously agreed upon by Wei Yan and Zheng Pu?
It's not about taking other strategies.
In the seventh month of summer, the Weishui River Valley in Longshan, which connects Longyou and the Weiwei Meeting, was already being repaired and widened. Regardless of Jiangdong's help, the Han Dynasty was determined to overthrow Chencang City and hope for Chang'an.
The prime minister was weighing whether it would be better to be trapped in Chencang City this year, or wait until next year to mobilize troops.
There seems to be no difference between the two.
Anyway, the Han Dynasty will definitely have to fight against Wei alone in the future.
But in the eyes of the prime minister, it was the careful calculation of grain and whether it could confuse the Wei State that made the difference.
Since this year's autumn harvest has been put into storage, it does not make much sense for the Han army to continue to drive troops to besiege Chencang. After all, Wei's strategy of fighting on two fronts is no longer there.
But if they stop their troops and go back first, Wei will think that the Han army withdrew from Guanzhong because it was difficult to support them alone, which will greatly increase their confidence and make them feel arrogant. When the Han army enters Guanzhong again after the spring of next year, maybe they will not It continues to shrink.
At least, the Wei State Luoyang Temple would feel that without the pressure of Jiangdong invaders, it would be strong enough to fight against the Han army, and would no longer endure the humiliation of letting the Han army enter Guanzhong as if it were an uninhabited land, and then urged Sima Yi to try to fight with the Han army A field battle.
In this way, the big man's quest for war will succeed.
However, everything has advantages and disadvantages.
The temporary withdrawal of the Han army from Guanzhong was not without its drawbacks.
For example, after the Han army retreats, the Wei State, which can dispatch more troops and horses into Guanzhong, will definitely take the opportunity to send troops to guard the exit of Baoxie Valley and the east bank of the Lishui River Valley. The only route for the Han army to enter Guanzhong in the future is Chencang Road. Talk to Xiao Guandao.
Yes, the Weishui River Valley that runs through the Longshan Mountains will be impassable in a short time.
Not surprisingly, Sima Yi must have noticed that the Han Dynasty was widening the Weishui River Valley.
It would also be inevitable to send a force of troops and horses in advance to guard the east side of Longshan Mountain, find a mountain ridge to guard from a high position, and kill the craftsmen of the Han army, so that the Han army could not continue to cut mountains and stones to build roads.
Another concern is that Sima Yi will definitely strengthen the defense of Chencang City.
For example, during the period of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, Liangzhou rebelled against the Kingdom. When Han Sui and Ma Teng besieged Chencang, Huang Pusong and Dong Zhuo set up a camp to support them, preventing the rebels from concentrating on the attack and completely besieging the city.
Should we stop the troops for the time being, or should we not retreat?
The Prime Minister slowly looked back, looking at the dismantled camp and the loaded luggage in the dusk. He couldn't help but slightly twitching the corners of his mouth, revealing a few wry smiles.
There are always unexpected events in the world.
Sometimes, exhaustive consideration of strategic planning is no match for a malicious arrangement from God.
I don't know how long it took, but Guan Xing and Jiang Wei walked over hand in hand.
Among them, Jiang Weinai had just returned from Xiegukou.
The autumn harvest was over and the army was about to break camp. The prime minister asked Meng Yan, the tiger-stepping supervisor, to supervise the Li Shu who were guarding the fields and return to Hanzhong County from Baoxie Valley. He also asked Jiang Wei to supervise the soldiers to guard along the Xihe River.
If nothing unexpected happens, Meng Yan will stay in Hanzhong County to guard the rear in the future.
First, it was because he was old and lacked energy.
On the other hand, once the Han army left Wuzhangyuan to besiege Chencang, Hanzhong County must be guarded by veteran generals to prevent Wei from invading from Dongsan County or Baoxie Valley.
Yes, the Han army was stationed in Wuzhangyuan, and there were nearly 20,000 Li common people accompanying them.
This was also the prime minister's previous plan to use 30,000 soldiers to camp in the fields under the eyes of Wei's more than 100,000 troops, and to lure them to attack, which was the biggest reliance to create opportunities for the Wei Yan tribe - these common people all came from military households, and they were all adults.
After being trained in martial arts as a reserve soldier, you will be a qualified soldier when you wield swords and spears...
After all, the prime minister, who has always been cautious and prudent, never takes chances in military matters.
As for Guan Xing, he had just been sent to report military affairs to Xiang Chong.
Xiang Chong, who has a gentle temperament, is not known for his force. He is not as good as Guan Xing or Jiang Wei in defeating the enemy, but he is better in coordinating various ministries. This can be seen from the fact that he guarded the capital and outside for ten years without any omissions.
.Now he has been transferred to serve in the Northern Expedition Army. The Prime Minister also asked him to be the Governor of Guanzhong. He is also defined as the center of the army to oversee the generals. He is regarded as the leader of the Central Army and has not let him step down.
The prime minister asked Guan Xing to assist him in making arrangements before the army broke camp.
"Prime Minister, Meng Jian's army escorted the common people into the valley at noon."
The first one to report was Jiang Wei. He bowed his hands and said, "The general has been staying at the mouth of the valley for an hour. Ni Wei has no intention of sending troops to pursue."
"Um."
The Prime Minister nodded slightly and responded with a nasal sound.
It was expected that the Wei army would not pursue Li Shu. If they dared to come out of camp to fight, they would not have been cowering on the side without even trying a tentative attack. Maybe Sima Yi, who was against the Wei Dynasty, had to tell the time and thought it was time.
The Han army deliberately used Li Shu to lure them to fight, and strictly ordered all the troops not to move without permission!
Guan Xing's report was much more concise.
Holding the ceremony, he said directly, "Prime Minister, everything has been settled. I told the governor that we can break camp the next day."
This time the Prime Minister did not respond immediately.
Instead, he twisted his beard and remained silent for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and suddenly asked with a smile, "Are you both aware of the defeat in Jiangdong? Tell me, are our troops going to Chencang City according to the previous plan? Or should we stop and go back temporarily?
So that the soldiers can rest and recuperate before entering Guanzhong after the cold winter?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei and Guan Xing looked at each other and smiled.
Jiang Wei also made a gesture of invitation, indicating to Guan Xing to answer on his behalf.
When the two met on the way to the Zhongjun tent, they discussed the matter privately.
