Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 103 Wu Hou Mianzhi
"Your Majesty, I truly believe that we should not hand Chang'an over to the Shu invaders.

"But I don't know how the battle in Chang'an is going?

"Has the General of Cavalry sent any news back to Luoyang?" Xin Pi asked.

Cao Rui pondered and said:
"The Shu invaders fortified their camps at Gaoling, Jimen, and Xiliu, north of Chang'an, and threatened Chang'an.

"The General of the Cavalry then led an army of 30,000 up the Wei River, out from behind the Shu invaders, and cut off the Wei River supply route for the Shu invaders in Chang'an."

Xin Pi's eyes lit up when he heard this: "When did the General of the Cavalry arrive in Chang'an? And when did he cut off the Shu invaders' food supply?"

Cao Rui paused for a moment and said, "We arrived in Chang'an on April 8th, and our food supply was cut off on April 15th."

Xin Pi nodded slowly after hearing this, then frowned again after thinking for a moment:

"Today is April 28th, and the Shu invaders' food supply routes near Chang'an have been cut off for nearly half a month.

"They had not been in Chang'an long, and their food supplies had not been transported in time, so the General of the Cavalry came from behind and intercepted their supply route. It was estimated that they would run out of food in at most half a month.

"This is a strategy that is essential for attacking the enemy: luring the snake out of its hole and then attacking it while it is tired.

"The Shu invaders have won countless battles, and their soldiers are becoming arrogant. Are we just going to sit back and watch the cavalry general, who is alone in the deep, cut off their food supply without doing anything?"

Cao Rui shook his head. "Not only that, the General of the Cavalry also sent an army to attack Wuzhangyuan, but they also returned without success."

Cao Rui told the three of them the news that the military supervisor Qin Lang had brought back.

The three of them became increasingly uneasy as they listened.

Sima Yi used a series of ingenious strategies, but the Shu invaders insisted on taking steady steps, responding to all changes with the same strategy, and not exposing any flaws.

No wonder His Majesty is so worried, wondering whether he should still defend Chang'an.

Hua Xin sighed and said:
"If we had known that the Shu bandits were so cautious, we would have seized Gaoling from them and protected the army's food supply route. This would have been a foolproof plan and would have been enough to keep Chang'an safe."

Liu Ye shook his head and said, "What General Hua said does make sense, but what if Gaoling cannot be conquered?"

Hua Xin looked at Liu Ye in confusion, "It took only sixteen days for the General to capture Shangyong and behead Meng Da.

"Gaoling City is not as strong as Shangyong, and its military strength is not as great as Shangyong. If the General of the Cavalry can capture Shangyong, why can't he capture Gaoling?"

Liu Ye curled his lips slightly.

Although they were ministers in the same court, he really didn't like Hua Xin.

The reason why this person was allowed to become the Grand Marshal was naturally because the title of Grand Marshal had become an empty title. He did not hold military power and did not need to understand military affairs.

The other was the royal family's reward to this "moral minister" who had personally pulled out Emperor Xian's Empress Fu from behind the wall.

There was a reason why Guan Ning broke off his friendship with him, even though he was later known for his simplicity and indifference to wealth.

Cao Rui looked at Hua Xin and said, "General Hua, I also think that General Huoqi's two strategies are not inappropriate.

"When I received the news that day that General Huoqi had led his army to attack the Shu invaders, I also thought that the Shu invaders would probably fall for General Huoqi's strategy of luring the snake out of its hole.

"As for the General of the Cavalry's surprise attack on Wuzhangyuan, I also believe it may be successful.

"The morale of the Chang'an defenders, led by Guanqiu Jian, Xiahou Mao, and Niu Jin, was severely damaged, and they urgently needed a victory to boost their morale.

"Now, both of General Huoqi's strategies have failed, resulting in the loss of a small number of his troops and a slight decrease in morale. This has also allowed the Shu invaders in Guanzhong to wait for Zhuge Liang's army to arrive to support them.

"But if we don't give it a try, how can we be sure that both strategies will fail? Wars always have winners and losers, but opportunities for battle are fleeting.

"At a small price, we can fight for the possibility of turning defeat into victory, even if we lose.

"As for the General of the Cavalry not attacking the three garrisons of the Shu invaders at Chang'an, I do not think that he was wrong.

"The three Shu bandit camps are in a pincer position, supporting each other and with high morale, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack.

“Even if we can capture it, the General of the Cavalry will probably suffer heavy losses.

"When Zhuge Liang's army arrives, we won't have the strength to fight them. It's like Tian Ji's horse race. How can we use the best horses of the Wei Dynasty to fight against the inferior horses of the Shu invaders?

"If we lose because of this, I'm afraid there will be other comments in the court.

"For example, the General of the Cavalry did not wait for the enemy to tire themselves out in Weinan, but instead fought a desperate battle, attacking an impregnable stronghold and killing his soldiers in vain.

"So, what should we do?"

Hearing the emperor say this, Hua Xin nodded a few times in shame and then fell silent.

Cao Rui gathered his sleeves and said slowly:
"The Art of War says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.' Since the Shu invaders came from the north, our Great Wei has not won a single victory.

"I believe it is not the fault of war, but that the entire Wei Dynasty, from myself to the Grand General, Right General, General of the Cavalry, and even the officers and soldiers, have been deceived by Liu Chan's cowardly and incompetent performance in the past five years since he usurped the throne of the pseudo-Han.

"Zhuge Liang was not a traitor, and Liu Adou was not a weak ruler."

When Hua Xin heard this, he raised his head again:

"Your Majesty, are you saying that Zhuge Liang and Liu Chan have been deliberately playing the role of a weak ruler and powerful minister in front of the world for the past five years, just to cause today's northern invasion?"

Cao Rui hesitated for a long time before nodding slowly:
"How else? If we hadn't misjudged the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Liu Chan, and underestimated Zhuge Liang's abilities, how could the Wei Dynasty have been so hasty and careless in dealing with the situation?
"And if he hadn't underestimated Liu Adou's ability, how could the general have won first and then been defeated, losing his life? How could the Right General and the General of the Cavalry have launched surprise attacks one after another, only to end in failure?

"Not knowing both yourself and your enemy is a major taboo in military strategy. Isn't that exactly why Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Xun?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye, Xin Pi and Hua Xin all fell into deep thought.

Especially Liu Ye, he strongly agreed with General Cao Zhen's decision to pursue the victory and force Liu Chan, the desperate enemy, to death.

Just like when Emperor Taizu took Hanzhong from Zhang Lu, he urged Taizu to continue marching his army south to pacify Shu in one fell swoop.

Not to be missed.

But I didn't expect that the general would lose.

However, even so, he still did not think that the general's defeat had anything to do with the false emperor Liu Chan.

It was most likely Zhao Yun’s strategy.

But now the Wei Dynasty suffered defeat after defeat, and the false emperor Liu Chan was still able to win without being arrogant, and even suppressed his own soldiers. He did not fall into Sima Yi's strategy of luring the enemy, which was enough to show that he had indeed underestimated Liu Chan before.

While he was lost in thought, the emperor's voice brought him back to the Jianshi Palace.

"The defeat of the Great Wei today is due to our underestimation of Zhuge Liang and Liu Chan, and our lack of preparedness in Guanxi. This is my own failure, how can I place the blame on the soldiers who died for their country?"

This can be considered as Cao Rui issuing a "self-criticism edict" within a small circle.

The defeat in Guanxi was closely related to the carelessness of the Emperor of Wei.

He could not really issue a "self-blame edict" as it would undermine the emperor's authority.

Nor can he blame the failure entirely on Cao Zhen and Zhang He, as that would make him appear "cold and ungrateful."

We can only retreat in order to advance.

I will blame myself first, and then you, the stubborn ministers, will not blame me anymore.

Liu Ye immediately stood up and bowed, saying:

"It was all because Guanxi was unprepared that the Shu invaders became rampant.

"However, I believe this is not the fault of Your Majesty, nor of the officers and soldiers. The fault lies with us, the ministers. We, who receive Your Majesty's salary, have failed to be loyal to His Majesty. We failed to remind Your Majesty to strictly guard against the Shu invaders and thus led to this great defeat. We truly cannot shirk our responsibility."

After hearing Liu Ye's words, Hua Xin and Xin Pi both stood behind Liu Ye and echoed him.

Cao Rui felt relieved.

That's right. You advise me every day not to do this or that, but no one ever advises me to guard against the invaders from Shu. Now that our army has been defeated, don't you have any responsibility at all?

This matter was quickly put to rest, and Cao Rui brought up another matter, saying:

"By the way, reports have come in from the southern front that Sun Quan is personally leading an army of tens of thousands up the Han River to besiege Xiangfan. Do you have any good strategies for defeating the enemy?"

Liu Ye had already received the news about this matter, and without thinking, he said directly:
"Your Majesty, Sun Quan's northern invasion of Xiangfan was merely a punishment for the navy. Once they reached the shore, they would lose 70% of their arrogance.

"In addition, Sun Quan was a man of no moral integrity, and the generals of the Eastern Wu were scattered, each wanting to protect their own territories. They were good at defending the status quo but not at advancing.

"I predict that the Wu bandits will be defeated by the fortified city of Xiangfan, and may even fall on their own. There is really no need to worry."

Cao Rui smiled and wanted to ask what to do if he made the same mistake of looking down on Liu Chan. Liu Ye then offered another suggestion:

"Your Majesty, we are not waiting for it to collapse on its own. Rather, the south is hot and humid. Every time our army goes down to the Yangtze and Han Rivers, it will inevitably be plagued. It is really not appropriate to send a large army there.

"It would be better to select the best troops, recruit them to go ahead and announce the order widely. This will, on the one hand, signal to the defenders that reinforcements have arrived, and on the other hand, show the Wu bandits that they are determined to attack.

"He also sent Jia Yuzhou to dispatch light cavalry to harass them day and night, and sent spies to falsely claim that the Grand Marshal and Jia Yuzhou were coming with an army of 100,000 to aid Xiangfan.

"Then secretly lead the Grand Marshal's army out of Hefei and attack the enemy at the east gate of Ruxukou.

"Any strategy to defeat the enemy must be to strangle their throat and strike at their heart. Xiakou and Dongguan are the heart and throat of the Wu thieves.

"The Wu bandits thought that our Great Wei was unused to naval warfare, so they dared to disperse to the East Gate and station troops every five miles, with no more than a hundred men at each station. However, they did not know that our Great Wei navy had been training for several years and that warships were already prepared.

"Since Sun Quan has a large army in Xiangfan, the East Gate must be open. If the Grand Marshal takes advantage of this opportunity and attacks, it will be like a divine army descending from the sky.

"Once victory is achieved at Dongguan, the Wu bandits in Xiangfan will surely flee far away.

"Even if we lose, we can still make the Wu rebels cautious and send the Xiakou and Wuchang navy to support the East Gate.

"In that case, you can order the Grand Marshal to send another army to support Jiangxia Governor Hu Zhi.

"We sent our navy into the Yangtze River and engaged the Wu rebels at Xiakou, heading straight for their lair in Wuchang.

"Hu Zhi had once defeated Sun Quan at the Yangtze River. Most of Sun Quan's generals and soldiers had their families in Wuchang. Once they heard the Wei army was approaching Wuchang, they would surely recall Lü Meng's raid on Jiangling and the capture of Guan Yu's family. The army would be thrown into disarray, and Sun Quan would be terrified and retreat."

Cao Rui smiled again and said, "What the Grand Secretary said is exactly what I intended."

The strategy proposed by Yuzhou Governor Jia Kui is almost identical to the strategy proposed by Liu Ye at the moment.

Both of them were talented people who were good at both literature and martial arts. They both thought of a strategy to defeat the enemy by attacking the enemy's defenses. Cao Rui felt relieved.

As for this strategy of attacking the enemy where they must be rescued... can it be successful?
There is still a high probability of success.

Although Zhang He and Sima Yi's strategies of attacking the enemy where they must rescued ended in failure, the enemy they faced was the Shu invaders.

Although the Shu bandits are hateful, they still have some humanity. The Eastern Wu bandits are just rats. If Liu Chan had not caused trouble in Guanzhong, how could these rats have the courage to come to the border of the Wei bandits?

...

Jingzhou.

Qingni Bay.

Guan Yu cut off the northern road back then.

The last fleet of the Wei army that blocked the Han River was defeated by the Wu army and fled in panic.

The right commander-in-chief Sun Huan was ordered to be the vanguard of the front army, leading the generals Xu Sheng, Zhou Tai, Pan Zhang, Ding Feng, and more than 40,000 naval and infantry troops, advancing both by land and sea, and attacking towards Xiangyang.

King Sun Quan of Wu and General Lu Xun of Eastern Wu led 20,000 naval troops to escort food and supplies to serve as successors to Sun Huan.

In addition, Quan Cong and Zhu Ran led a detachment to feign an attack on Hefei in order to contain Cao Xiu in Huainan.

Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi blocked Linju to prevent the Wei army in Xincheng and Shangyong from escaping and cutting off the food supply route of the Wu army in Xiangyang.

Standing on the Han River, Sun Quan, with his hands behind his back, looked at the fleet sailing northward with high spirits and said:

"Bo Yan, now that Qingni has been conquered, there will be no more obstacles on the 200-li waterway to Xiangyang to the north.

"Cao Wei knew that our Great Wu might attack, yet its defenses remained so weak.

"It seems that there really aren't many troops to deploy. We can only defend Xiangfan. God is truly helping our Great Wu."

For several years, Sun Quan had not won any of his personal campaigns. Although he had only won a few small victories, it had broken his undefeated streak. The morale of the army was greatly boosted, and Sun Quan himself was also excited.

They are all passages to the Central Plains in the north. Hefei has become his nightmare, but Xiangyang seems to have some connection with him. Why didn't he come to attack earlier?

Lu Xun also said with encouragement:
"Your Majesty, the drought in the Central Plains has already appeared.

"Cao Wei was in the center of the world, attacking the Xianbei in the north, resisting Shu Han in the west, and resisting Wu in the south, thus being attacked from three sides.

"Recently, all kinds of rumors and prophecies have been spreading like wildfire, causing great unrest among the people of Cao Wei.

"The timing, location, and people are not favorable to Wei. This time, our Great Wu will surely capture Xiangyang, with the natural defenses of the Yangtze and Han Rivers."

"Hmm!" Sun Quan's purple beard fluttered, and he looked heroic.

As Lu Xun said, at present, none of the favorable timing, geographical location, and human support is on Cao Wei's side. It can be said that this is the most vulnerable time for Cao Wei since it seized the Han Dynasty.

If he cannot capture Xiangyang at this time, then he, the King of Wu, will probably have to stay in the south of the Yangtze River and be the King of Wu for the rest of his life.

"I really have to thank Liu Chan. If he hadn't killed Cao Zhen in Guanzhong and forced Sima Yi's army back to Guanzhong, how could I have reached Xiangfan so smoothly?
"I hope he and Zhuge Liang can fight Sima Yi and Zhang He for a while longer in Guanzhong and Longyou, buying us more time."

When Sun Huan's fleet disappeared from Sun Quan's sight, he turned and left.

But he saw an acquaintance from Shuzhong coming towards him from a distance.

"Xiaoqi, long time no see. Why did the Han Lord send you here this time? Is there any important news?" Sun Quan asked with a big laugh.

Fei Yi, Deng Zhi, and Chen Zhen, the envoys who often went on missions to Eastern Wu, all behaved like ministers, and Sun Quan got along very well with them.

This person is Chen Zhen, the Minister of Chancellery of the Han Dynasty. Last year, the Prime Minister sent him to communicate with the King of Wu of Wei about the news of the attack on Wei.

Shangshu Ling Chen Zhen handed over the document and said with a smile:
"Lord Wu, the Emperor has just executed Zhang He, and the Prime Minister has already conquered Longyou.

"Today the Emperor and the Prime Minister have joined forces in Guanzhong and are marching towards Chang'an. They have sent me here to bring this victory news to the Marquis of Wu."

The cunning King Wu of Wei and the commander-in-chief Lu Xun behind him both froze in silence.

"The Lord of Shu just killed Zhang He? When did it happen?" Sun Quan asked in astonishment, even the color of his purple beard seemed to dim.

He was not surprised that Zhuge Liang took Longyou.

But Zhang He and Cao Zhen can be regarded as famous generals of Cao Wei. They made the Great Wu suffer a lot in Jiangling a few years ago. Now tell him that they were all killed by Liu Chan suddenly?
Was Liu Chan too powerful, or was the King of Wu too weak? Suddenly, Sun Quan began to doubt his own life.

"I don't know either. Lord Wu, please read the letter." Chen Zhen smiled.

"I forgot to congratulate the Duke of Wu on his success in seizing Qingni from the Wei invaders. Now that Xiangfan is in sight, the Duke of Wu should work harder!"

(End of this chapter)