Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 84 If you don’t take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences!
Tianshui.

Ji County.

The county is the seat of Tianshui County. It has an open terrain, eighty miles long from east to west, ten miles wide from north to south, and five or six miles at its narrowest.

The Wei River runs through the middle, making it one of the rare and largest farming areas in the entire Lianglong region.

At this time, corn was the staple food in the north. First, it was drought-resistant. Second, it required less water. Third, it was easy to peel. Finally, it was easier to store, making it suitable as military rations.

However, Longyou is located in an altitude area with high altitude and cold weather, so the yield of corn is actually lower than that of wheat. Therefore, although the wheat that is difficult to peel is hard to swallow and even the common people dislike it, it has become the main crop in Longyou.

It was only February when the Han army first arrived in Tianshui, and the winter wheat planted last year had just turned green.

It was already April, the flowering period for wheat, and in another month it would be filling with grain and ripening.

The Wei army in Longyou was already short of food reserves and was just able to be self-sufficient. Guo Huai was not determined to defend the city and clear the countryside.

Once they clear the countryside and fortify their defenses, they will be the first to run out of food.

Furthermore, most of the local wheat fields are owned by powerful people. Once the defenses are strengthened and the fields are cleared, the powerful people in Longyou will not be like the small landlords in the Central Plains who can be bullied at will.

These were also the factors that the Prime Minister took into consideration when he led the Northern Expedition.

One catty of enemy food is worth twenty catties of our own, and one dan of firewood is worth twenty dan of our own. Obtaining food from the enemy is a more reliable and effective strategy than resorting to cunning schemes.

The powerful people in Longyou, who had fled like birds and beasts after Ma Su's defeat at Jieting, began to hesitate and did not choose to surrender after learning that the Han emperor personally led the army to kill Cao Zhen and Jieting, which was the lifeline of Longyou, was captured by the Han again.

But this time, they were no longer worried that the Han Dynasty would not be able to capture Longyou, but more worried that the Han Dynasty would blame them for their previous "betrayal."

Fortunately, the Prime Minister did not choose to pursue the matter, but instead took the initiative to send envoys to various forts to comfort them, hoping that they would continue to support the king's cause.

Although these powerful people were scattered at that time, it was understandable that they had no choice.

The more than 60,000 dan of grain and more than 400 grain-transporting ships that the Han Dynasty initially sponsored ensured that the Han Dynasty did not consume much of the grain shipped from Hanzhong from February to April.

After all, the army was originally required to bring one month's worth of food when going on the expedition. The 60,000 dan of grain obtained locally in Longyou was just enough to support the army's expenses for one month, which was equivalent to saving 300,000 dan of grain stored in Hanzhong.

Once Ji County in Tianshui is captured, the rest of the counties will inevitably be conquered by issuing an edict. The stability of people's hearts is more important than anything else, and the main approach must be to appease them.

By the time the wheat is harvested in May, the powerful people in Longyou who have surrendered will be able to contribute tens of thousands of stones of grain.

As soon as the Han Dynasty came to recruit them, many powerful people came to join the cause of the king. More than 4,000 soldiers and soldiers came with their own food, fodder, armor and weapons to build momentum for the Han Dynasty and prevent the Liangzhou troops from coming to support them in Nangan.

Thirty thousand Han soldiers surrounded Ji County on the east, west and south, leaving only a gap in the north.

Since they surrounded three sides and left one side open, the defenders in the city had the opportunity to abandon and flee. Also, the city was quite large, so the 30,000 Han troops could not complete the siege.

In addition to the 30,000 troops who besieged the city and attacked it, several thousand people were stationed in Nan'an to defend it together with the powerful people to prevent Xu Miao from Liangzhou from coming to rescue. Another few thousand people were stationed in various places in Qishan to protect the smooth flow of grain.

evening.

Stop the war.

Fei Yi rushed into the tent excitedly: "Prime Minister, there's news from Wuzhangyuan!"

"Oh?" The prime minister who was handling military documents suddenly looked up, stood up abruptly but accidentally hooked a corner of the desk. The flickering candlelight on the desk suddenly jumped, and many bamboo slips like a mountain fell to the ground.

The prime minister didn't care about all this. He just snatched the secret letter from Fei Yi's hand, quickly removed the seal and unfolded the letter, letting the seal fragments fall to the ground. Then his breathing became rapid.

"Zhang He is dead?!" Fei Yi, who was standing next to the prime minister, read ten lines at a glance and grasped the most crucial information almost instantly.

The ink words "30,000 surrendered soldiers" made his pupils shrink suddenly.

The day before yesterday, they received news from Wang Ping that Zhang He crossed the Wei River at night, apparently intending to launch a surprise attack on Wuzhangyuan.

The few officials who heard the news were somewhat nervous. They were worried that without Zhao Yun in charge of Wuzhangyuan, and with only Dong Yun, Deng Zhi and others by the emperor's side, the emperor might be unprepared and fail to respond properly.

Unexpectedly, another letter arrived today, and the war that everyone was worried about ended in such an unexpected way!

Fei Yi was not the only one who was excited. The Prime Minister, who was the guardian of the Han Dynasty, was also extremely excited beyond words.

The emperor's letter said that several pseudo-Wei surrendered generals were on their way to Tianshui with Zhang He's head!
"Quick, please ask all the generals to come and discuss the matter!" The prime minister who was ill from overwork read the letter again and again, and the uncontrollable joy on his face made him look much healthier and several years younger.

"Yes!" Fei Yi nodded heavily, then strode out of the tent. As a result, he lost his balance in front of the tent door and almost fell. He staggered forward two steps before finally disappearing from the prime minister's sight.

Soon, Wu Yi, Chen Shi, Ma Dai, Meng Yan and other generals gathered together.

"Prime Minister, you called us here so late, do you want to seize the city at night?" Wei Yan was the last one to enter the tent, but he was the first to ask a question.

Although the Han soldiers attacked for ten days, there were still six or seven thousand defenders on the city wall. Many civilians in the city were forced by Guo Huai to go up to the city wall to help resist, so they were unable to capture the city for a while.

Fortunately, Jieting and Chencang had been conquered, and the Han soldiers were much more relaxed in attacking the city. They did not choose to ignore casualties and other methods that would damage the morale of the army. Instead, they took a steady approach and first consumed the defensive forces in the city.

Now Ji County is running out of arrows, and because the Han soldiers are harassing the city day and night, the number of defenders on the city is insufficient, and it is difficult to rotate day and night, and they are exhausted and listless. It is indeed time to try a strong attack.

The Prime Minister shook his head, looked around at the generals sitting there, and then handed the emperor's letter to Wei Yan with a smile.

Wei Yan stepped forward to take the letter in confusion. He unfolded it and took a look. After a moment, he was stunned. After a long while, he looked at the prime minister at the main table and asked in astonishment, almost doubting his life:

"Prime Minister, this... is His Majesty the detachment commander, or are we the detachment commander?"

"What's wrong?" Wu Yi rarely saw Wei Yan lose his composure like this. From what Wei Yan said, it seemed that there was more good news from His Majesty, so his face immediately changed, and he left his seat and walked to Wei Yan's side.

Although the other generals were also curious, Wei Yan was always arrogant and looked down on others. Normally, everyone would avoid him when they saw him. At this moment, they were really unwilling to approach him like Wu Yi did.

After a while, Wu Yi's face quickly showed the same expression as Wei Yan's. He then turned his head to look at the generals sitting there and said excitedly:
"Come and see! Your Majesty has decisively defeated Zhang He at Wuzhangyuan! He and General Zhao have captured 30,000 captives in Guanzhong!

"Zhang He's head and several surrendered Wei generals will be here soon!"

Before he finished speaking, everyone was shocked!
"Thirty thousand surrenders?!" Someone in the room exclaimed. The generals no longer cared about how to fear Wei Yan's arrogance. They left their seats and surrounded Wei Yan.

When Wei Yan saw the generals surrounding him, he stuffed the bamboo slips into Wu Yi's hands with a look of impatience, and then went back to the upper left and sat up.

His eyes were fixed on the tables in front of him, as if he was still digesting this amazing news.

The generals surrounding Wu Yi looked at the emperor's handwriting, and after a moment they began to exclaim in amazement from time to time.

Jiang Wei sat farthest away and arrived the slowest, so he was now confined to the outermost perimeter. Although he couldn't see the handwritten note, from the constant exclamations of the generals, he quickly pieced together what had happened on the Guanzhong battlefield, like a puzzle.

There is no need to mention how Your Majesty broke the fire attack, how Deng Zhi pushed the camp to charge the enemy, how Guan Xing surrendered the Huns, and how Wang Ping fought his way down the narrow road and jointly lifted the siege of Chencang with the King of Qiang.

The "surrender of 30,000" that had surprised him when he first heard it, he now finally understood.

It turned out that after Zhang He died of anger that day, the Wei soldiers were angry at Zhang He for putting them in a desperate situation, and finally civil strife broke out.

More than a thousand of Zhang He's personal soldiers were attacked and killed at night. The next day, the remaining soldiers of the Wei army, led by Lu Pan and other generals, took the initiative to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

He was originally from Wei and knew how the pseudo-Wei used the system of staggered labor service and the control of soldiers' families as hostages to prevent soldiers from defecting.

If they were not forced into a desperate situation, it would be impossible for them to surrender as an organized unit.

"Bo Yue! His Majesty specifically mentioned you in the letter!" Wu Yi suddenly reached out and pulled Jiang Wei from the outermost edge to the inside.

Jiang Wei was stunned for a moment before he could even stand still. Then he found his name on the bamboo slips. He read along the text and heard Wu Yi's voice ringing in his ears:

"That Zhang He was indeed shot by you! He survived for a few days by cutting off his own leg!"

Jiang Wei was in a trance when looking at the emperor's handwriting. He never expected that the Han emperor, whom he had never met, would specifically mention his name, a surrendered Wei person who had just surrendered, in this battle report.

The emperor's letter even said that if it weren't for that arrow that put Zhang He's life in danger, no one in the Wei invaders would be capable of leading troops into Long, and Zhang He probably wouldn't have chosen to launch a surprise attack on Wuzhangyuan.

Cuan Xi patted Jiang Wei's arm and said, "It's a pity that Bo Yue missed out on this opportunity to slay the general. However, His Majesty specifically mentioned you in the letter, so he must have recognized your contribution."

Although he shot Zhang He, he did not kill the general himself, so the credit for killing the general certainly cannot be attributed to Jiang Wei.

But Jiang Wei said sternly:
"The military situation is urgent, and I never thought Your Majesty would waste words and sentences on Wei.

"What Wei did that day was not out of greed for the credit of killing the general.

“It was just that the opportunity was there and I just did it without even thinking about it.

"But Zhang He still managed to conquer Longyou, and even put Your Majesty in danger because of it. I dare not take credit for it."

"Prime Minister, make a decision!" A rough voice sounded in the tent, and Wei Yan, who was sitting on the upper left, suddenly stood up.

"Once the surrendered pseudo-Wei generals and Zhang He's head arrive, the Wei invaders in Ji County will undoubtedly be in great disarray!
"Why not take advantage of this opportunity to launch a strong attack? We will surely capture the city in one fell swoop!
"Once Tianshui is taken, the rest of the counties in Longyou will be conquered with a single order!

"You can leave a general with 10,000 troops to guard Longyou. The rest of the army should quickly descend to Long and directly fight the Wei invaders for Chang'an!"

"Fight for Chang'an?" Wu Yi was suddenly shocked, and the other generals were all stunned.

"Fight for Chang'an!" Wei Yan looked excited and decisive.

"The Wei invaders' army of 100,000 entered Guanzhong, but they were defeated repeatedly, with more than half of them surrendered and killed! The morale of the Wei invaders in Guanzhong must be greatly reduced!
"Instead of taking Chang'an in one fell swoop, are we going to wait for the Pseudo-Wei to recover?!

"The reason why our great Han Dynasty was able to achieve such success in this Northern Expedition is not only because of your Majesty's repeated victories in Guanzhong, but also because the Wei invaders in Guanzhong were unprepared!
"Once Sun Quan hears that Your Majesty has won a great victory in Guanzhong and killed Cao Zhen and Zhang He, he will definitely launch an uprising!

"Could the Wei invaders actually conjure up another 100,000-strong army to support Guanzhong?!
"The morale of our Han army is high, like a bamboo breaking through, while the morale of the Wei invaders is low, like a dam bursting!
"If we don't seize Chang'an now, when will we?!
"Sun Quan is a dog who only cares about the status quo and is incapable of taking action. If he is defeated, the pseudo-Wei will mobilize all its forces to attack, and the situation in Guanzhong will be completely different!"

The generals in the tent did not have Wei Yan's keen strategic insight. They were speechless for a moment and all turned their eyes to the prime minister.

The prime minister stared at Wei Yan with a gloomy face, as if he was thinking about something, or thinking about how to veto it.

No is also reasonable.

After all, Wei Yan had proposed the risky strategy of Ziwu Valley before, and now he said that they could capture Chang'an in one go. Although it sounded reasonable, people still didn't dare to agree with it easily.

As the Prime Minister's expression became more and more solemn, the generals dared not speak anymore, for fear that Wei Yan, who looked down on others, would immediately turn the table with the Prime Minister.

The tent was silent for a moment, and the charcoal fire crackled.

"Prime Minister!" Wei Yan strode in front of the Prime Minister. "This is the right time, it will be gone in a split second. We should act quickly rather than delay!"

The generals held their breath and concentrated their attention, but something as shocking as a bolt from the blue suddenly happened. The Prime Minister nodded slowly and said, "I also have the same idea as Wen Chang."

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the tent was shocked!

"Good! Very good! Very good!" Wei Yan suddenly clapped his hands and stamped his feet vigorously. The sound of applause, footsteps and words mixed together, making it deafening.

Looking again, I saw that his face and eyes were flushed red. No one in the tent had ever seen him so excited.

Wu Yi hesitated for a long time, then stood up and asked:

"But Prime Minister, Wenchang, what if the Wei invaders in Tianshui remain unmoved after seeing Zhang He's head? What if Tianshui cannot be conquered?"

"Chang'an is in sight. We must capture Tianshui as soon as possible at all costs!" Wei Yan responded immediately.

"It may not cost much. The Wei invaders' guards are also human beings, not the loyal servants of Cao Wei!

"Seeing Zhang He surrender and the Wei generals surrendering to Han, and knowing that the road back to Guanzhong is cut off, if we still hold out in such a situation, then our Han Dynasty would have been destroyed long ago!"

"Wenchang, stop talking nonsense!" Fei Yi immediately scolded. Wei Yan was a man without any respect and would suffer a great loss sooner or later because of his broken mouth.

Wu Yi thought about it and felt that Wei Yan's words made some sense. After a moment, he said:
"However, your Majesty's letter said that there are still 20,000 to 30,000 Wei invaders in Meiwu.

"How can our army bypass Meiwu and march directly to Chang'an? Should we transport grain from Anding along the Jing River?
"But if that happens, the food route will be too long, and Anding may not even have ships. The food loss will be more than three times higher. Hanzhong's five years of grain reserves will probably only last for three or four months of the expedition."

Wei Yan waved his hand:
"Ziyuan is worrying too much!

"When your Majesty sent this letter, the Wei invaders had not yet retreated from Meiwu, but Guan Anguo had already led a thousand cavalrymen to Chang'an!

"This guy is quite bold and careful. If my guess is correct, he must have sent Zhao Hunyi from Anding to lead the infantry and cavalry to meet him and go to Chang'an with him to scare off the enemy!

"The Wei invaders in Meiwu must have retreated. Our army can transport food along the Wei River and hold out for another year without any problem!
"Hmph, even if the Wei invaders in Meiwu refuse to retreat, we must fight for Chang'an!
“The loss of grain transported from Anding is huge, but it can at least last for three months.

"My 30,000-strong army will directly block the Weishui grain route and attack their granary!
"Another 30,000 troops will march straight to seize Chang'an. We don't have to worry about the Wei invaders not fighting us. If we fight, we will surely win!

"If we can't capture Chang'an this time, with the resources of the two Sichuan provinces, it will take another five years to gather enough food and fodder for another expedition!

"How many more five years do the elite warriors of the Han Dynasty have left?
"If God doesn't take it, you will be punished!"

(End of this chapter)