Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 42: A short rest and a meal
Cao Zhen's unexpected surrender made the Han army, which was originally in trouble and faced great risks whether it went west, center or east, become much more relaxed no matter what strategy it adopted.

When Xiahou Yuan, who was marching towards Guanyou, was beheaded, Guanxi lost its commander and the Wei State was greatly shocked. If Guo Huai and others had not recommended the veteran general Zhang He to take the lead, tens of thousands of Cao's troops in Hanzhong would probably have surrendered or fled.

Now that Cao Zhen has been killed, who else can be Cao Rui's general?
"The pseudo-Wei has just lost its marshal, and everyone is in shock!

"Even if there are tens of thousands of troops in Guanzhong, they can only be pacified and commanded by veteran generals with great prestige!" General Zhao looked very excited.

"The false emperor Cao Rui will inevitably return to Luoyang, either to appease the people, suppress the civil unrest, or recruit soldiers for the Western Expedition in order to launch a counterattack and seek revenge.

"We just need to take advantage of this opportunity to march out of Xiegu. The tens of thousands of troops Cao Rui left behind in Chang'an will never dare to leave Chang'an easily and will have no choice but to stay there!

"In this way, even the most risky strategy of going up to Long is not so dangerous now!"

What the Han army was most worried about before was that there were still 20,000 to 30,000 troops available in Chang'an, while the Han army's combat-ready soldiers plus the imperial guards only numbered 20,000.

If Cao Zhen makes a comeback, it is hard to say who will win in the end.

Feng Hu was also excited at this moment and said:

"Just now, Your Majesty was still worried about Sima Yi's tens of thousands of troops watching covetously from Shangyong.

"We are worried that they will receive orders from the false emperor and advance westward up the Han River to attack Hanzhong, cutting off our food supply and return route.

"Now there is no need to worry!"

"Why?" Zhao Pijiang hesitated.

The Han Dynasty mobilized almost all the troops it could in this northern expedition.

There were almost no soldiers available in Hanzhong, with only 4,000 county soldiers left, and half of them were eventually transferred away by Liu Chan.

The reason why he dared to do so was naturally because Meng Da was instigated by the prime minister.

But no one expected that Sima Yi, who was stationed in Wancheng, would rush thousands of miles without asking Cao Rui for permission after learning that Meng Da had been instigated to rebel. In just eight days, he led his army to Shangyong.

What was even more unexpected was that Meng Da, who had seven or eight thousand private followers, was so vulnerable in front of Sima Yi, whose soldiers were exhausted after a thousand-mile march.

"When Cao Rui returns to Luo this time, he may not be able to recruit available soldiers in a short period of time." Without waiting for others to speak, Liu Chan started talking about soldiers on paper with a certain calmness.

“Even if he could recruit available soldiers, he might not be able to easily find a marshal who could take on the responsibility of Guanxi in a short period of time.

"But he desperately needs a powerful and respected commander of the three armies to protect Chang'an and Longyou.

"Right now, I believe this person must be Sima Yi, who earned a certain reputation for his brutality in one battle."

Anyway, there are no consequences if you say something wrong.

Moreover, this almost cost-free process of making and correcting mistakes is definitely a shortcut to quickly iterating your thoughts in all aspects.

Be bold!
As for Sima Yi, in fact, he had only led troops in one battle before killing Meng Da.

At that time, Cao Pi had just died, and Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba to attack Xiangyang.

Sima Yi beheaded more than a thousand people and defeated the Wu army.

So when the news of Meng Da's beheading reached the Xieshui camp a few days ago, the top leaders of the Han army were shocked when they heard the news. They really didn't know whether Meng Da was too weak or Sima Yi was too powerful.

General Zhao's second son was still confused:

"Your Majesty, since we can march out of Chang'an, we can attack the enemy where they must come to rescue and force Zhang He to retreat from Longshan.

"Why couldn't Cao Rui order Sima Yi to enter Hanzhong from Shangyong?
"In this case, won't our Xiegu army also have to return to defend Hanzhong?"

Zhao Guang's question touched upon Liu Chan's blind spot, but after all, this was a brainstorming session where everyone could speak freely, and this was the desired effect.

Everyone in the tent also fell into deep thought.

After a moment, General Zhao spoke first, breaking the silence:

“I think your majesty’s analysis is reasonable.

"Although it is feasible for Sima Yi to attack Hanzhong from Shangyong, the road is rugged and difficult to travel, and it would be difficult to transport food.

"We, the Han, do not need ten thousand men to hold the city and defend the strategic position, blocking their food supply and preventing them from advancing an inch.

"In this case, Sima Yi's tens of thousands of troops may not be able to achieve anything in Hanzhong.

"If I were to switch places with Cao Rui, I would have ordered Sima Yi to leave some troops at Shangyong as a reserve force, while the majority of the troops would march lightly into Chang'an from Wuguan.

"This way, we can protect Chang'an and force me to divide my forces to guard Hanzhong.

"As Your Majesty said, besides Sima Yi, the Pseudo-Wei cannot find another marshal with enough prestige to support the war in Guanxi."

Hearing this, everyone in the tent finally nodded.

Any analysis would always have possibilities, but Sima Yi leading the army back to Chang'an was indeed more likely. "Your Majesty, I believe we can march out of Xiegu immediately!" Zhao Yun suddenly pleaded.

"Send the troops out of Xiegu? Isn't the plank road destroyed for more than a mile? How to deploy the troops?" Liu Chan was a little confused. It was really time for him to have a good sleep.

"Your Majesty, it's just a one-mile plank road!" Feng Hu also stood up excitedly.

"The plank road being damaged only means we can't transport food and supplies, but it doesn't mean we can't send troops!"

Liu Chan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"I understand!
"We still have 10,000 to 20,000 dan of grain and fodder left in our Xieshui camp!
"Cao Zhen's defeated army of over a thousand retreated back to Xiegu, exhausted both physically and mentally, and with the plank road destroyed, they probably thought our army could no longer leave Xiegu!

“If we lead our troops out unexpectedly, we might be able to recapture the camp!
"And the pseudo-Wei has just lost its marshal, so I'm afraid they won't dare to lead the troops in Chang'an to meet the attack!"

In the era of cold weapons, situations where the few defeated the many often occurred. In addition to ingenious strategies, huge advantages in weapons and armor, and organizational skills, morale was extremely crucial.

Now the morale of the Han army is unprecedentedly high, and the morale of the Wei army is greatly reduced. Even if the Han army leaves Xiegu and has no way back, the Wei army may not dare to come.

Moreover, the 10,000 or 20,000 shi of grain and fodder were all the Prime Minister's hard-earned wealth. If they were just given to the Wei army, Liu Chan would feel uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, I have sent five hundred Tiger Guards across the plank road to wait there. If nothing unexpected happens, I will lead them to seize the camp tonight!"

The young general in green robe and armor once again said a piece of news that surprised everyone.

Not to mention Liu Chan was a little surprised, even Zhao Yun was stunned when he heard it.

"It is just as your majesty said, An Guo is both wise and brave, and he has inherited the legacy of his brother Yunchang!" The old general did not hesitate to praise the younger generation, regardless of whether it was a bit exaggerated.

In the historical line, the second generation of Han Dynasty such as Guan Xing, Mi Wei and Zhao Tong only left behind a name and official position. They have always been protecting Liu Chan, and because of their lack of experience, they have no chance to show themselves.

Liu Chan's personal expedition not only injected more passion into the second generation of the Han Dynasty, but also, since there was no one in Shu, he had to bring out all these inexperienced second generation to fight.

Who could have thought that Mi Wei would be so selfless?
Who would have thought that Guan Xing was so decisive and resolute?
Seeing that he was not the only one struggling, Liu Chan, who had just won a lucky bet, suddenly felt that the future was not as dark as he had imagined.

"How long will it take to build this one-mile plank road?" Liu Chan asked.

Zhao Yun said bluntly:

"According to experience, it can be as short as two weeks or as long as a month.

"Shangyong is 1,400 li from Chang'an. It would take Cao Rui five or six days to send a letter to Sima Yi, and Sima Yi another twenty days to march.

"I believe the plank road can be repaired before Sima Yi enters Chang'an!
"I will immediately order the boats and wooden ladders to be prepared. I will also order my personal soldiers to rest for half a day. After nightfall, I will go with An Guo's five hundred tiger soldiers to recapture the camp!"

"Good!" Liu Chan praised him.

Xieshui Village is so big and Cao Wei has only a few people. As long as they can find a way to get out of Xie Valley, it will be almost no difficulty to recapture the village.

Even if the pseudo-Wei army sent civilians to transport grain, the boats on the sloping water had all been destroyed and washed away before the Han army retreated. Carrying grain overland would not allow them to travel more than ten miles in half a day.

Thinking of this, Liu Chan's eyes suddenly lit up.

There is so much food left in Cao Zhen’s Guanzhong camp!

"What action to take next depends on whether the fifty tiger guards of Xingguo can successfully intercept Cao Rui's messenger!" Liu Chan was slightly excited.

Dong Yun, the Tiger Guards General, who had been silent for a long time, finally agreed:
"Now we are racing against time with the Pseudo-Wei.

"We must seize Longyou before Sima Yi leads his army into Chang'an.

"Or they could lure Zhang He down to Long.

"Or we lead the army to close in!"

Everyone, including Liu Chan, nodded.

The military meeting ended.

Several messengers rushed to Longyou.

Liu Chan finally got a moment of rest.

Meiwu.

Cao Rui enjoyed music and dancing all night, slept well and had a good dream. He finally woke up at noon and was about to take the medicine and have a meal.

The eunuch in white clothes named Bixie ran into Meiwu in fear, crying:

"Your Majesty, this is bad!"

"The Wei River... the Wei River is filled with the corpses of our Great Wei soldiers!"

(End of this chapter)