Regarding Zheng Pu's procrastination tactics, the Prime Minister responded in this way and also made a conclusion on the matter.
If Sima Yi still did not launch the decisive battle in Guanzhong after three months, then the decision to dispatch troops and horses from Guanzhong back to the three eastern counties would no longer have room for discussion.
Zheng Pu no longer argued about this.
Because the war was in a stalemate until winter, the Han army had indeed reached a point where it had to take risks.
Likewise, he was still at a loss. Judging from Sima Yi's forbearing character, it was not likely that Wei would send troops even after a year and a half, not to mention three months!
Is it possible that there is no chance for a decisive battle in Guanzhong this year?
Standing on the low wall of the camp, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he looked at the Wei army who still showed no signs of coming to fight to the death.
This feeling that the initiative was completely controlled by others and that he was helpless made him feel very frustrated. Whether it was because he was the planner of the strategy to lure the enemy, because of guilt for wasting the country's achievements, or because of other people's superior skills.
Unwilling to do anything.
Why don't we simply supervise the soldiers out of camp and fight to the death to gain a glimmer of hope?
While he was tossing and turning, this thought kept lingering in his mind.
But this idea was quickly suppressed.
Without him, Wang Chang and Hu Zhi have been here for two months, and there is no chance that "the camp will be unstable" or "the soldiers will be exhausted after trekking"; and the Wei army is almost three times the size of our own.
The chances of winning in a fierce battle out of camp are really slim.
This feeling of not being able to fight also appeared in the hearts of the soldiers guarding the camp in the Dushui River Valley.
It was nearly a year since they sent out troops, and they were already bored and tired of fighting and retreating. Although there were more than a few complaints, everyone's interest was waning and their morale was no longer as high as before.
Only Guan Yi and Zhang Zun, who had no responsibilities and still had a novel experience in military life, enjoyed it.
Since he did not have the title of master and apprentice and no kinship relationship, Zheng Pu had no restrictions on the two of them and always upheld the attitude of letting them explore on their own. Therefore, the two of them had no taboos about anything they discussed. If you don't know the Prime Minister,
Contrary to Zheng Pu's plan to lure the enemy, they often privately discussed their confusion about the planning of the war.
The Guan Yi people could not understand the Han army's defense of the water-blocking valley.
He was already familiar with the terrain of the three eastern counties, and knew that the southern route of the Qinling Mountains was rugged and difficult to navigate and that Xixian County had long been abandoned. He felt that the Han army had a better choice for defense.
For example, if Zheng Puke retreats to the water-blocking valley at the Shangyong County end and guards it, he will be able to make the Wei army lose its footing.
Because the water-blocked valley running through the Wudang Mountains is not easy to pass, if the Wei army comes from this way, those thunderbolt chariots and big yellow crossbows will not be able to show off their power, and the Han army only needs to leave half of its troops and horses to defend without worries.
And if the Wei army dares to march forward to attack Xicheng where the Prime Minister's garrison is located, then Zheng Pu can fight his way out of the Dushui River Valley and cut off their return route.
Even if you can't kill them all, you can definitely win for a while and seize a lot of food and supplies!
No matter what the Wei army chooses, the Han Dynasty can deal with it calmly. Why can't Zheng Pu, who is famous for his clever strategies, not see it?
But Zhang Zun has a different understanding.
He felt that there was not much difference between retreating to the southern end of the Dushui River Valley and defending the northern end now.
If you really want the Han Dynasty to benefit, you should abandon the Three East Counties and stop your troops and return to Hanzhong County.
The reason is also very good.
There are no Li concubines in Dongsan County. From a strategic point of view, it is of little benefit to the Han Dynasty to return to the old capital, so why waste time here?
Don't mention those Jingman tribes.
After the Han Dynasty occupied most of Youfufeng, the Prime Minister also moved many Li people from Hanzhong County into Guanzhong to farm. The vacant houses and acres in Hanzhong were more than enough to accommodate the Jingman tribes!
Moreover, this war against Wu was out of anger at Jiangdong for betraying the alliance, and it was intended to severely damage Jiangdong so that it would no longer be a problem in the future.
The purpose is now fulfilled!
Why bother to stay in Dongsan County?
Wouldn't it be better to let the soldiers go back to rest, recharge their batteries, and save food to prepare for the battle of Guanzhong?
Of course, the two of them were confused, but they didn't dare to ask Zheng Pu about it.
War planning is related to the authority of the generals. Even Liu Lin and Jiang Shu, who have made great achievements, cannot question or interfere. They were sent by their elders to gain experience in the army. How can they dare to speak lightly without even having military positions.
Therefore, they privately regarded this matter as an adjustment to their lives, and often argued with each other after nightfall when they had no intention of sleeping.
Unable to convince each other, the two also made a bet, asking Zheng Pu to judge the merits of their respective guesses after the war, and the loser would have to grind the sword for the other for a month.
But what they didn't know was that Zheng Pu already knew their respective guesses.
There is no way, the army has always been crude.
The three of them spent the night separated by a military tent. Zheng Pu, who was so worried about the stalemate that he could not sleep at night, could not hear their whispers and arguments.
At first, Zheng Pu listened with power in mind.
But as the two of them held their own opinions and conducted in-depth analysis, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed in Zheng Pu's mind, tearing away all the darkness blocking his thoughts.
He suddenly discovered that both he and the Prime Minister were confused by the authorities!
With the mentality of "the Han army can't afford to wait" and the eager expectation that the Wei army will dispatch troops for a decisive battle as soon as possible, he and the prime minister were blindly thinking about how to increase the bargaining chip to let Sima Yi enter the game.
And forgot one thing——
Wei Guo is more eager than the Han Dynasty to fully conquer Guanzhong!
Sima Yi was also very anxious; Cao Rui of Luoyang was more looking forward to the decisive battle than the Han army!
Because the opportunity to determine the ownership of Guanzhong in one battle is different for the two countries.
The Han army missed this opportunity. As long as Wei Yan, Wu Ban and other troops are still in Guanzhong, there will still be countless opportunities to launch decisive battles in the future.
But for Wei, such an opportunity is rare!
Once the war in the three eastern counties is resolved and all the Han troops that came out to attack Wu return to Guanzhong, Wei will no longer encounter the opportunity of "half of the Han army is not in Guanzhong" and will no longer have the opportunity to launch a decisive battle!
There is no longer any military morale to drive the Han army out of Guanzhong.
Just think about it.
When the Han army was outnumbered, the Wei army did not dare to launch a decisive battle. After all the Han army gathered in Guanzhong, how much confidence did the Wei soldiers have in defeating the enemy?
I am afraid that my army will have no fighting spirit and just sit back and watch Guanzhong being eaten away by the Han army step by step!
Therefore, the way to break the stalemate in the war was very simple: the Han army could make a move and withdraw from the three eastern counties.
Seeing that the unmoving Sima Yi and Cao Rui, who is sitting in Wancheng and have a lot of free time, can they continue to sit back and watch the opportunity to defeat the weak disappear, and there will no longer be a chance to completely occupy the pass!
Zheng Pu, who had torn away this layer of fog, immediately wrote a letter to the Prime Minister.
The analysis of the priorities of the enemy and ourselves in this battle was recorded in detail in the book, and adjustments to the deployment were made accordingly.
It is worth mentioning that this time he also learned from Wei Yan's strategy of killing first and then telling the story, and directly asked Jiang Shu and Pang Hong to act as messengers, supervising more than 8,000 soldiers to the west city to return to the Prime Minister's control!