Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

During his months in the army, patrolling the camp became a daily activity for Cao Rui after dinner.

Patrolling the camp has many benefits: it allows one to gauge the morale of the central army, boosts the confidence of generals and soldiers upon seeing the emperor, and strengthens ties with lower-ranking officers. Of course, it's also a good habit for maintaining physical health and aiding digestion after meals.

In conclusion, daily patrols have no disadvantages, and being more diligent is always a good thing.

As a close advisor to the emperor, a court attendant, and a cabinet minister, Pei Qian cherished every opportunity to accompany the emperor on a walk. However, during today's routine patrol after the military council, Pei Qian could clearly sense a hint of melancholy in the emperor's expression.

"Does Your Majesty have something on your mind?" Pei Qian asked cautiously.

Cao Rui glanced at Pei Qian out of the corner of his eye, then continued walking forward, sighing softly as he said, "My decision in today's military council was somewhat of a gamble. Did I not know that the Privy Council and the Minister of Works each had their own reasons?"

"It's just that I've always had some reservations."

Pei Qian remained cautious, echoing, "Your Majesty has reigned for thirteen years, and of all the lands in the nine provinces, only the Shu region remains unsettled. The fate of the two hundred thousand troops and the outcome of the rebellion rest on Your Majesty's shoulders alone. The burden on Your Majesty is beyond the comprehension of your subjects, and it is normal for you to hesitate."

"Your Majesty, I do not know what you are worried about. Perhaps I can offer some advice?"

As a close advisor, Cao Rui did not hide his worries and said, "Pei Qing, think carefully. In which of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions did Wei win by strategy? We either relied on numbers, or we won by attrition, or we forced them to retreat. We never had the advantage in strategy against Sun Quan, as we did against him."

"Zhuge Liang is called the prime minister, but he is actually the decisive ruler of Shu. As the ruler of Wei, I can also guess some of Zhuge Liang's thoughts."

"Deng Ai took the Yinping Trail with 5,000 men, but was blocked by Zhuge Liang's troops south of Jiangyou, unable to advance or retreat. Fortunately, his supplies were still plentiful. Guo Huai led 20,000 men south to the Micang Road, but was blocked by the Shu army at Hanchang, Dangqu, and Dianjiang. The Eastern Route Army advanced rapidly, but I think it was just a matter of relying on numbers to win and exchanging pieces."

"Under these circumstances, I do not believe that Zhuge Liang has no preparations for dealing with the division of forces by the Wei. If the forces are indeed divided into multiple routes, what if they are all trapped in various prefectures and counties and cannot advance or retreat? I always feel that Zhuge Liang will dig a pit for me."

"Ultimately, it's because the opponent is Zhuge Liang, not Sun Quan."

Pei Qian tentatively asked, "So Your Majesty intends to combine forces and use superior numbers to force him into a decisive battle with Duke Man?"

“Yes.” Cao Rui answered frankly, “Unconventional strategies are not General Man’s forte. His strength lies in his prudence and steadiness, and in avoiding mistakes. After much thought, I believe this is the way General Man can best defeat Zhuge Liang.”

Pei Qian pursed his lips, paused for a long time, and finally spoke up: "Isn't Your Majesty placing a bit too much importance on that Zhuge Liang? Judging from his military record, he doesn't seem to have accomplished much."

“It’s better to be cautious than to underestimate the enemy.” Cao Rui shook his head slightly: “Nearly half of the elites who followed Liu Bei into Shu are still alive. They won’t suddenly perish just because Wei has captured Chengdu. Isn’t Liu Shan at Baishui Pass? I will fight all the way to Jiange before we discuss this further.”

Pei Qian bowed slightly: "His Majesty has already led the armies to launch a general attack on Baishui tomorrow. I believe Baishui will surely be captured, and Jiameng Pass cannot be held for long."

Cao Rui waved his hand in acknowledgment, then walked ahead towards his own tent.

Pei Qian glanced up from behind, seemingly lost in thought. ...

The Great Wei Dynasty was founded on military strength, and there was a tradition of Cao Cao personally leading military campaigns since the time of Cao Cao. Cao Pi inherited this tradition, and Cao Rui further developed and promoted it during the Taihe era.

As the supreme commander of all military operations, the emperor himself was on the front line at Baishui Pass. This was very different from the emperor sitting in Luoyang or even going to Chang'an. Not only did it greatly boost the morale of the army, but more importantly, the generals would not shirk their responsibilities, be afraid to fight, or disobey orders.

that's enough.

The military order, having traveled for nine days from outside Baishui Pass, reached Man Chong's army. Upon receiving the emperor's private letter, Guo Huai forcibly suppressed his fighting spirit and obeyed Man Chong's orders without the slightest disobedience.

With the emperor's explicit order, Man Chong commanded General Xiahou Xian of the Right Martial Guard to lead 5,000 of his troops to Dangqu to assist the Beiyan tribe in capturing it. More than 3,000 surrendered in the city, while the rest were either killed or wounded. The defending general, Wu Ban, also seized the opportunity to lead his personal guards out of the city, effectively resulting in the annihilation of his entire army.

When Xiahou Xian and Bei Yan's forces returned to Deyang, Man Chong's military strength in Deyang had exceeded 50,000. If Xiahou Ru's forces in Dianjiang were added, Man Chong had already controlled a massive force of 60,000 in terms of formal establishment and more than 56,000 in actual strength in eastern Shu.

If we go into detail, the original territory of the Shu Kingdom can be divided into four geographical units: Hanzhong, Shu, Ba, and Nanzhong.

Hanzhong was seized by Wei more than ten years ago, and Nanzhong also lost its tributary status to Shu under Guanqiu Jian's military might. Now, Man Chong has pushed his forces to Deyang County in Dongguanghan Commandery, which means that apart from Langzhong and Nanchong in Baxi Commandery and Baidi City in Badong Commandery, the Ba region, which consists of Baxi Commandery, Badong Commandery, Ba Commandery and Fuling Commandery, has been completely occupied by Wei.

Fuling County was located in a remote area, east of Ba County and south of the Yangtze River. Its position in Ba was similar to that of Shangyong in Jingzhou, an awkward and marginal position. The officials here were also considered to be on the fringes of the Shu Han court.

Man Chong's army did not reach Fuling County. After occupying Jiangzhou City, the capital of Ba County, Man Chong simply sent envoys to Fuling County to persuade it to surrender, and Fuling County was pacified by the proclamation.

The territory left for the Shu Kingdom was only the Shu region in a narrow sense.

Zhuge Liang indeed made extensive preparations in Jiangyang, Jianwei, and Shu commanderies, conscripting civilians over the age of fourteen to serve as auxiliary soldiers in defending cities, implementing scorched-earth policies, urgently training new soldiers, and reinforcing all major cities located on key transportation routes. Simultaneously, Zhuge Liang ordered Jiang Wan, stationed in Fuxian in the rear, to move his troops to the Zizhong and Wuyang areas, waiting for the Wei army to be weakened by dividing its forces before launching his main force to defeat them at Guanghan.

Zhuge Liang had 20,000 troops in Guanghan. Under his command, this was a force sufficient to defend the area based on its terrain and to maximize Zhuge Liang's military capabilities.

In short, 20,000 men was just the right number, allowing Zhuge Liang to maximize his operational capabilities. The able-bodied men conscripted from the rear, after simple training, also became an effective supplement to the Shu army's fighting strength.

However, Man Chong did not divide his troops to attack, but instead focused all his energy on the Guanghan area. This disappointed Zhuge Liang, and the pressure on him increased day by day.

The area between Guanghan, where Zhuge Liang was located, and Deyang was a hundred miles apart. In November and December, the two sides fought a fierce battle back and forth between the upper and lower reaches of the Fu River, with countless large and small battles.

This is a tremendous drain on both the mental and physical well-being of both coaches. (End of Chapter)