Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 90 His Mother's Maid
"General Wang, the Wei invaders dared to march deep into our territory alone and set up camp upstream. They simply don't take us seriously!"

"That's right, it's because we held our ground that the Wei invaders became so arrogant!"

Xiuli Camp.

More than twenty people above the rank of military commander gathered in General Wang Ping's tent, and the atmosphere was very excited.

Yang Qun, the captain who had accompanied Wang Ping down to Long, suddenly threw his helmet to the ground, spitting out saliva more violently than the torrent of the Wei River:
“His mother’s maid!
"The grass on Cao Zhen's grave is already three feet tall, and Zhang He's ashes were scattered all over the place by those surrendered generals and captured soldiers!
"Did old Sima take too much Wu Shi San or what?

"Instead of staying in Chang'an City to warm the bed for Xia Hou Meng, you actually dare to come and shit on us?!"

Seeing Yang Qun cursing so filthy, another captain, Deng Tong, could no longer bear it and almost kicked over the tables in front of him:
“Wen Zhuo scolded well!

"That old thief Sima is following Zhang He's example and marching alone deep into the enemy territory to seek his own death!

"How dare you split your troops into two camps, north and south, with only a broken floating bridge connecting the two camps!

"How arrogant! Do you really think we are as useless as Meng Da?!

"In my opinion, while he's still struggling to gain a firm foothold, it's better to lead 4,000 men from the two schools, join forces with the Huaili garrison, and attack him in full force, throwing him into the Wei River to feed the turtles!"

"..."

The generals in the tent were in an uproar and wanted to fight one after another.

Wang Ping, who was sitting at the top, remained silent with a slightly serious expression.

It was not because the Sima officers asked for a fight and cursed, nor was it because Sima Yi's surprise attack came, but because he was used to it.

In addition, he was just a minor general before, and was suddenly entrusted with an important task by the Prime Minister to command two captains who were not familiar with each other. It was indeed difficult for him to get used to the situation for a while.

After silently organizing his words in his mind, Wang Ping said slowly and solemnly:
"General Zhao has issued strict orders to defend the camp and not engage in open battle with the Wei invaders.

"Do you all still want to emulate Ma Su from Jieting and disobey the commander-in-chief's orders?"

As soon as the word "Ma Su" came out, the generals in the tent suddenly looked at each other in confusion, and the discussions became much quieter.

The captain Yang Qun hesitated for a long time, but finally he steeled himself and said to Wang Ping, who had just been appointed general by His Majesty:
"General Zhao, you are a man of great experience and prudence, so you have ordered us to dig deep trenches and build high fortifications, to defend ourselves and wait for the enemy. This is the common method of warfare.

"However, even General Zhao could not have imagined that Sima Yi would dare to march alone deep into our territory and set up camp upstream!

“As the saying goes, the military has no constant position, just as water has no constant shape.

"Now that the Wei invaders have suddenly arrived and the water flow has gone against our will, if we continue to stick to the usual rules and sit back and watch them dig trenches and build moats, gather their troops inside, and cut off our food supply, wouldn't that put our Xiliu and Jimen camps in danger?

"My soldiers at Xiliu were just beginning to show their fighting spirit. The Wei invaders were attacking our host from the enemy's side, and their troops were deep inside our territory. If I did not take advantage of their moment of respite and their nest of insecurity, and unleash my mighty thunderbolt to crush their front, I would have shown my cowardice towards the enemy.

"If we show any weakness, our troops will be demoralized, and the enemy will become more powerful, which will be very disadvantageous to our army!"

After Yang Qun finished speaking, the captains and Sima officers in the camp started to make noise again.

Apart from the questionable point of disobeying military orders, Yang Qun's analysis is well-reasoned.

The later the troops were dispatched, the stronger Sima Yi's camp would be.

The upper reaches are where the grain route is located, and it is a place that the Han Dynasty must rescue.

Once he has built his camp and is acting like a turtle, if the big man wants to beat him back into the Wei River to become a turtle, he will have to pay a heavy price.

Wang Ping sat upright. Seeing that the captains and lieutenants were discussing something again, he fell silent and thought again.

After a long discussion, seeing that Wang Ping still remained silent, Yang Qun left his seat, clasped his fists, and said, "General, we must make a decision quickly!"

Before Yang Qun finished speaking, a group of captains and lieutenants in the tent quickly followed and shouted excitedly:
"General, please make a quick decision!"

Fu Qian, the captain of the suppression team who was temporarily under Wang Ping's command, was not familiar with Yang Qun, Deng Tong and others, and had not spoken to them.

But after more than half a month of contact, he had some understanding of his new boss Wang Ping.

He is pragmatic and prudent, resolute and loyal, abides by the law, never jokes when talking, and is even a little too taciturn.

Apart from necessary official business, there is basically no other contact with subordinates.

Seeing that all the generals in the tent were waiting for Wang Ping's response, but Wang Ping remained silent, Fu Qian finally stood up:
"General, all the captains and military commanders.

"When Zhang He launched a surprise attack on Wuzhangyuan, I was stationed in Chencang with General Zhao.

"Because I was worried that Your Majesty was in danger, I was desperate to break out of the city and rescue Your Majesty.

"But General Zhao said, 'A skilled warrior mobilizes the enemy rather than being mobilized by the enemy, and a general should not raise an army out of anger.

"If we break out in a moment of desperation and fall into the enemy's trap, and are defeated, your majesty's grand plan will be ruined.

“So General Zhao didn’t leave the city to break out, and finally waited for reinforcements to arrive, and indeed won a great victory.

"Now Sima Yi has divided his troops into two groups, setting up camps north and south of the Wei River. His intention is self-evident.

"He saw that our camp was strong and he was unwilling to be moved by our army, so he exposed a flaw in our army, hoping to use it to mobilize our army out of the camp and lure us into a battle in the open.

“Before thinking about victory, think about defeat.

“He has more soldiers, and I have fewer.

"He set up camp with his back to the water, put his army in a desperate situation, and was good at attacking.

"I have built high fortifications and deep trenches, and am invincible. I excel at defense.

"Use my weakness to attack the enemy's strength.

"If the army is defeated, it will greatly undermine our morale.

"The Huaili and Xiliu camps may not have enough troops to hold on.

"Sima Yi previously attacked Mengda, sparing no expense and attacking the city like ants, and took it in sixteen days.

“Although we don’t know how ruthless he was in his military tactics and how much he spared no expense, we can see that from the fact that Meng Da’s nephew was forced to surrender in Kaesong.

"If the army is defeated, Huaili will be lost, and Sima Yi will seize all the more than 20,000 dan of grain and fodder in the city, and Xiliu will be difficult to hold.

"If this happens, wouldn't it be like Ma Su's loss of Jieting, where the loss of Xiliu puts tens of thousands of troops north of Chang'an in danger?"

"Captain Fu, why are you encouraging the Wei dogs to be more ambitious and destroying the prestige of the Han people?!"

In the corner, a military commander did not agree with Fu Qian's analysis.

Seeing someone express dissatisfaction first, others also jumped out one after another.

"That's right, Fu Daolu. Sima Yi only killed Meng Da. What's so great about him?"

"Damn it! Our Han Dynasty killed Cao Zhen, annihilated Zhang He, and captured Tianshui. Sima Yi, aside from killing that loser Meng Da, what other outstanding military achievements did he have?!"

There were many different opinions, and Fu Qian frowned when he heard them.

How similar is Sima Yi today to Lu Xun back then?
Guan Gong saw that Lu Xun, who had little prestige, replaced Lu Meng, and as a result, he was careless and lost Jingzhou.

The First Lord also thought that Lu Xun was just a child who achieved his goals through despicable means, and he was defeated and fled to Yiling.

At present, Your Majesty attaches importance to Sima Yi, but the scholars do not take Sima Yi seriously.

Just as Fu Qian was about to refute the various lieutenants and commanders, Wang Ping, who had been sitting upright and silent, finally spoke up:
"Please stop arguing, my lords. This morning I sent a hundred cavalrymen to Jimen to ask for General Zhao's military orders.

"If General Zhao orders us to leave the camp and defeat the enemy, I will be armed and lead the way.

"But the commander's order has not yet arrived. Please wait patiently and there is no need to discuss further."

Everyone in the tent looked at each other in confusion.

What are we fighting for now?
Isn't the dispute about whether or not to take quick action before the military order comes?

"General, when you are on the battlefield, it is important to seize the opportunity and act accordingly!" Yang Qun spoke again.

"Why not assemble the army and set off first! Wait for the order on the road!

“If military orders instruct us to attack, we can also seize the opportunity!

"If the military order tells us to hold our ground, it won't be too late for us to return!"

Hearing Yang Qun's words, all the generals agreed and turned their eyes to Wang Ping.

"No." Wang Ping sat upright and rejected it directly.

"General, the anti-bandit general! Why can't we have the best of both worlds?!" Yang Qun asked angrily in confusion.

Yang Qun's Sima followed up with another comment: "Our army has fought and won countless battles, so why are they now so afraid of the enemy? How pathetic!"

Wang Ping still sat upright, motionless as a mountain.

"Ugh!" Captain Yang Qun shouted, his face flushed. He then bent down to pick up the helmet he had thrown to the ground and strode out of the tent angrily.

Upon seeing this, all the captains and lieutenants in the tent followed suit, many of them cursing under their breath.

Wang Ping took a deep breath upon seeing this, his expression complicated, as if he had not expected to encounter such a situation when he led the masses to resist the enemy for the first time.

After everyone left the tent and it was quiet, Fu Qian bowed to Wang Ping and said:

"General Quekou is calm and composed in the face of danger. He is truly a pillar of strength and has the demeanor of a great general. He need not care about other people's superficial opinions."

At this time, the only ones left in the tent were the two Simas brought by Wang Ping himself and a captain named Fu Qian.

Wang Ping still sat upright, and after thinking for a few breaths, he shook his head and said sternly to Fu Qian:
"What they said may not be unreasonable, but with the example of Ma Su as a warning, I simply do not want to disobey military orders and prefer stability.

"Opportunities are fleeting. By the time General Zhao orders me to attack, Sima Yi will have already established his stronghold, making it difficult to dislodge."

Fu Qian looked at Wang Ping in silence for a long while, and finally shook his head with some dissatisfaction:
"Doesn't the general who's fighting against bandits know whether what they said makes sense or not?

"Have you forgotten what Your Majesty said to you that day at Weibin: 'Don't underestimate yourself'?"

Wang Ping paused when he heard this and felt dazed.

Looking at the slightly dissatisfied look on Fu Qian's face, he finally stood up after a while and said in a solemn voice:
“Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

"Why did Your Majesty and General Zhao order us to guard the camp strictly and not leave it to fight in the open?

"Isn't it because Your Majesty and General Zhao have anticipated the current situation where the soldiers are arrogant and eager for war.

"Isn't it because Your Majesty and General Zhao have realized from Meng Da's defeat that Sima Yi is not an easy opponent?

"With Zhang He's example in mind, Sima Yi still dared to lead a large army from upstream and advance deep into the enemy's territory.

“What’s worse, they even dared to split their troops into two and set up camps in the north and south.

"Why?
"It's not because he's as dumb as a pig, nor is it because he's as risky as Zhang He, but because he, like Your Majesty and General Zhao, knows both himself and the enemy.

"I have confidence in myself, and I also have some considerations about the soldiers' arrogance and the desire to fight.

"The only thing he didn't expect was that Your Majesty could still be as cautious as a mountain and take every step carefully after winning consecutive battles and reaching Chang'an.

“The only thing Your Majesty and General Zhao did not anticipate was that Sima Yi would sneak across our army’s upstream and advance alone.

"The risky move of dividing the army into two, stationing them in the north and south, is neither unfortunate nor surprising.

"Just now, all the generals were furious and asked for battle, thinking they would win. Didn't they fall into Sima Yi's ploy to show weakness to the enemy and win their hearts?

"But my Xiuli Camp only has 8,000 soldiers. How many can I send to fight Sima Yi?
"Four thousand soldiers? Another two or three thousand from Huaili?
"With only 6,000 to 7,000 men, our army wouldn't have a single chance of success against Sima Yi.

"Even if General Zhao sends another 3,000 to 4,000 men out of Jimen, the chances of victory are probably only 30%."

Fu Qian nodded and sighed:
"General, since you know this clearly, why didn't you state it clearly in front of all the other generals?"

Wang Ping frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Yang Qun, Deng Tong and others have all followed the late emperor for many years. I am a Xiong barbarian, and a surrendered person from the pseudo-Wei. It is difficult for me to gain their support by suddenly being placed above them.

"Besides, they all want to fight, so no matter how much I say, it will only arouse public anger and be a waste of words.

"Once General Zhao's military order arrives, they will naturally have nothing to say."

Fu Qian sighed in his heart when he heard this.

Ultimately, Wang Ping's rise to prominence was too sudden, and the soldiers under his command were not trained by himself.

He is indeed a bit of a loner, not good at interacting with his subordinates, and usually has no private dealings with them. He always does his job impartially, so naturally there is no gratitude or affection involved.

If it weren't for the fact that captains like Yang Qun and Deng Tong were also eager to repay the late emperor's kindness, Wang Ping's talent as a general would probably not be fully utilized.

At this moment, the tent curtain was suddenly opened, and a general in full armor walked into the tent, bringing in a strong fishy smell.

"Zhao Shuai? Why are you here in person?!"

Fu Qian was immediately surprised and stepped forward.

Zhao Yun was covered in blood, with some intestines and brains hanging on his armor. It was obvious that he had just experienced a fierce battle outside.

"The hundred or so cavalrymen Zijun sent to deliver the message were ambushed by five or six hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen.

"I received the news from the scouts and personally led 500 cavalrymen to attack them, and only then did I scare them away.

"Only then did we know that Sima Yi had led his army upstream. We were almost cut off from the news by Sima Yi's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry."

Xiliu and Jimen are nearly thirty miles apart, and all the checkpoints in between have been cleared out by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were truly elite, and the Xiongnu cavalry and Qiang cavalry were no match for them at all. Moreover, the two tribes had just returned to the Han Dynasty and their morale was not yet solid.

Therefore, Zhao Yun gave orders early on, asking all the cavalry of the two tribes to stay near the camp for surveillance. Unless it was a critical moment, there was no need to send the cavalry out to communicate information.

Wang Ping said, "General Zhao, the captains and commanders of the Xiliu Camp are all actively requesting battle. Please give the order: should we fight or defend?"

Zhao Yun, his head, face, and beard covered in blood, grinned at Wang Ping, his white teeth particularly dazzling against the blood-stained body:

"I heard everything Zijun said just now.

"I really didn't expect Sima Yi to be so confident and bold in his military operations. He first led his army deep into the enemy territory alone, and then divided his troops into the north and south.

"Even after Zhang He's defeat, his soldiers remained undeterred and dared to follow him into danger. This shows how much he loved his soldiers and how brave they were.

"So it's right to hold on and wait for the Prime Minister to come to our aid.

"Don't talk about using the few to defeat the many, using the hard-working to defeat the idle, or using the weak to defeat the strong.

"Just saying that if we win, what difference will it make to the overall situation?

"If we lose, how will it affect the overall situation?"

The old general, covered in blood and filled with murderous aura, looked at Wang Ping with gentle eyes.

Wang Ping lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment before saying:
"If we win, the food supply route will be open, and the morale of our army will be slightly boosted. However, due to our small number of people, it will be difficult to completely annihilate him, nor will we be able to cross the Wei River and reach Chang'an.

"If we lose, the morale of the previously defeated Wei soldiers will rise sharply. If Sima Yi attacks the Huaili and Xiliu camps without hesitation and at the cost of casualties, the two camps will surely be lost.

"In this way, the Prime Minister's army will be blocked by Sima Yi at Xiliu, unable to advance further east and threaten the Wei invaders' food supply routes.

"Sima Yi only needs to hold his ground and not fight. My Han will run out of food in two or three months."

Zhao Yun nodded approvingly: "Indeed, the gains from victory will not change the overall situation, but the losses from defeat will very likely make us miss Chang'an. Why should we fight?"

As he spoke, Zhao Yun put his arm around Wang Ping and his other around Fu Qian, and said earnestly:

"My great man needs the swiftness of wind and thunder, the force of bears, tigers, eagles and falcons as fierce as fire.

"We also need generals like you who are as steadfast as a rock and strong as a wall of steel.

"Call the generals later and I will give them orders."

"Yes!" Wang Ping responded with a fist clasped.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked again:
"General Zhao, Sima Yi's troops are divided into north and south. If the troops from Weinan attack the Xiegu plank road..."

Zhao Yun smiled:

"Sima Yi may seem bold, but in fact he is very cautious and treads on thin ice.

"If he is really bold, he can just lead the army to attack Xiegu directly. Why divide the troops into north and south to lure our army out of the camp to fight him in the open?
"However, because Huaili is still 150 miles away from Wuzhangyuan, he was afraid that if he led his army too deep into the enemy's territory, the Prime Minister would suddenly appear and cut off his retreat.

"So the division of the troops into north and south is both a display of weakness to lure me into attacking, and also a display of cowardice.

"As long as my main army doesn't move, he won't know the true strength of Wuzhangyuan and won't dare to act rashly. At most, he'll send a small group of troops to test the waters."

April seventeenth.

It will be dark yet.

Liu Chan, who was still asleep, vaguely heard a burst of rapid drum beats.

When I woke up, I heard hurried footsteps and the rustling of armor outside the door.

Zhao Guang's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Wei invaders are coming!"

Liu Chan pushed aside the quilt and stood up.

The eunuch who had been guarding outside the door all night rushed in quickly, straightened the emperor's clothes, fastened his belt and put on his armor.

(End of this chapter)