Chapter 774 Defeat Shu (2)
In July of the eighth year of Jianxing, Cao Rui issued three secret edicts from Luoyang to three places, regardless of the opposition of all the ministers in the court.
The first letter was sent to Hefei, and then through a secret channel in Hefei, it was delivered to Yinfan, who was thrown into Wu.
The second letter was sent to Sima Yi, the great hussar general who guarded Yuzhou and Jingzhou.
The secret edict asked Sima Yi to lead his army up the Han River from Shangyong and meet the general Cao Zhen in Hanzhong.
After reading the secret edict, Sima Yi sighed: "Your Majesty is very resourceful, but his military strategy is slightly lacking."
At that time, Liu Bei sent his pretenders Liu Feng and Meng Da down the river from Hanzhong to capture Shangyong, in order to attack Xiangyang from the north and south with Guan Yu of Nanjun, and capture the entire Jingzhou in their hands.
If Guan Yu could wait another half year, he would first let Liu Bei establish a foothold in Han Dynasty, and then advance from both the north and the south, or Soochow would not betray its alliance with Shu.
So the current situation in the world cannot be said to be completely different.
Two years ago, Mengda rebelled in order to take control of Shangyong. Sima Yi led his army to march 1,200 miles in eight days, raided Shangyong, and besieged the city for sixteen days before beheading Mengda.
How could Sima Yi not notice the waterway between Shangyong and Hanzhong if he could become the hussar general of Wei?
This waterway is extremely dangerous, and it is a road with no human habitation at all.
More importantly, going down the river is still passable, barely passable.
But if you want to go upstream, it will be very difficult, not to mention there are many dangerous places.
I heard that the Shu people also built a fortress and a beacon tower at the entrance of the Han River in Hanzhong, and they were patrolled and guarded by soldiers day and night.
Now there are only two ways before Sima Yi.
One is not to obey the imperial edict, but to persuade the emperor to withdraw his order by explaining the difficulties of conquering Shu.
Just not to mention that before he was sent to lead the army, he went to Liu Ye specifically to ask for his evaluation of Cao Rui.
Even Sima Yi himself was a wily and scheming person.
How could you not think of the reason why Cao Rui was so anxious to conquer Shu?
Coupled with the flashy crony case, Sima Yi, as the representative of the Three Rivers Land family, had to be even more cautious.
How could he go against Cao Rui's wishes at this juncture?
This other way is to lead the army westward according to the meaning of the edict.
Sima Yi thought for a long time, and then slowly gave the order to start building a large number of ships.
Cao Rui's third secret edict was delivered to Cao Zhen of Chang'an.
Cao Zhen was overjoyed when he learned that the emperor had agreed to the proposal to conquer Shu, and immediately summoned the generals to discuss sending troops.
At that time, Xia Houba guarded Yuezhi City, Qin Lang guarded Qian County, Du Xi guarded Yicheng, and Cao Zhen was in charge of Chang'an. His subordinates included Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, Xian Yufu, the general of the auxiliary state, Fei Yao, the rear general, and Dai Ling, the protector of the Shu expedition.
All of them can be regarded as heroes of the moment.
There are two special people here.
One is named Wang Chong and the other is named Guo Mo.
Wang Chong was originally a Yamen general under Li Yan. Later, he was jealous of Li Yan and surrendered to Wei in fear. At the same time, he also brought the drawings of Quyuanli to Cao Wei.
Fortunately, Cao Rui has been constantly fighting and compromising with the aristocratic family in the past few years, so Quyuanli has not been promoted as strongly as Dahan.
But Cao Wei had a department directly controlled by the government, which was the official villages.
Although since the early Huang Dynasty, the official villages in the interior have been continuously occupied by aristocratic families and local wealthy families, and have been seriously damaged.
But in the border areas, the official villages were still under the direct control of the imperial court because they had to provide military supplies.
Before the Battle of Longyou, the food in Guanzhong was emptied out in advance by a certain country rogue, making it difficult for Cao Rui's army of hundreds of thousands to move forward.
There is no way to launch a timely counterattack against Longyou.
However, fortunately, there were Quyuan plows brought out by the locals. In just two years, Cao Wei's official settlement quickly provided enough food for hundreds of thousands of Wei troops in Guanzhong.
The reason why Cao Rui was able to find the confidence to investigate the "flashy cronies" and hit the aristocratic family from the side even after two consecutive defeats.
So, Feng Tubao subjectively cheated Cao Rui once, but objectively, he helped Cao Rui again.
I don’t know if this is the butterfly effect of history or the strong inertia of history.
But no matter what the reason was, the blueprints Wang Chong brought over really helped Cao Rui.
So Cao Rui found a reason for him to be granted the title of Marquis of Guan Neihou and was given the title of General with some miscellaneous titles.
As for Guo Mo, he also defected to Cao Wei from Shu.
What he brought here was the news that Meng Da wanted to rebel.
It was precisely because of his advance notice that Sima Yi got valuable reaction time.
Mengda, a true family slave with a third surname, was finally beheaded when he returned to the Han or surrendered to Wu again and was preparing to adopt a fourth surname.
In addition, Cao Wei has a rule for those who come to surrender, that is, those who are coming from Shu will be asked to guard the Wei-Shu border, and those who are coming from Wu will be asked to guard the Wei-Wu border.
Mengda and Han Zong are all like this.
So when Wei was preparing to attack Shu, it was most normal for Wang Chong and Guo Mo to be here.
Wang Chong was impatient. When he heard that the general wanted to personally lead the army to attack Shu, he felt very anxious and was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, he was kicked secretly.
He turned his head subconsciously, but Guo Mo next to him lowered his eyes and said nothing, as if he hadn't kicked him just now.
Only a slight turn of his eyes and a glance here showed his attitude.
Wang Chong and Guo Mo are both descendants, and they are always ostracized by others intentionally or unintentionally. They naturally get closer because of their sympathy for each other.
At this time, Wang Chong got Guo Mo's hint. Although he was not sure, he knew that Guo Mo had always been wise, so he swallowed back what he wanted to say.
As soon as he came out of the General's Mansion, Wang Chong looked for an opportunity and quietly found Guo Mo.
"The road to Shu is difficult to walk. There are four roads from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, the Ziwu Valley and the Tangluo Road are the most important. Others don't know it, but you and I both know it."
“Now that the general wants to lead his army to Ziwu Valley, why didn’t Mr. Cai just let me remind him?”
Guo Mo had known that Wang Chong would come over. When he heard his question, he sighed, pointed at Wang Chong, and then at himself:
Wang Chong was startled when he heard what Guo Mo said. His heart skipped a beat. At the same time, he had some understanding and a look of worry on his face.
“I was in the General’s Mansion just now. It was called a military meeting, but in fact it was just to convey His Majesty’s edict.”
Guo Mo whispered, "If you mention the difficulty of entering Shu, in the eyes of others, you are deliberately trying to prevent the expedition to Shu."
When Guo Mo said this, he hesitated to speak, and finally gritted his teeth:
“I’m afraid I will be suspected by others and be suspected of harboring my motherland.”
Wang Chong’s face turned pale.
At the same time, he raised his hands to Guo Mo with some fear: "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid that someone would already be under suspicion."
Guo Mo shook his head and smiled bitterly: "By helping you, I am also helping myself."
The two of them have a close relationship, and they are both from Shu. If Wang Chong is suspected, it will not be easy for Guo Mo.
Wang Chong's expression darkened: "If the general really wants to lead a large army to attack Shu, then you and I will definitely be the vanguard."
Guo Mo nodded, "The Wei Dynasty already has this rule. Besides, you and I are familiar with Shu, so it is natural for us to be sent as the vanguard."
The two of them looked at each other and sighed.
It’s just that they are all under the same roof and are inherently inferior. What can be done in this situation?
They sat facing each other for a long time, but could not think of any good ideas. In the end, Guo Mo could only comfort him:
“Let’s take it one step at a time. It’s impossible to say. After the general entered Ziwu Valley, he saw that the road was difficult and he might change his mind.”
Wang Chong sighed: "That's the only way."
As soon as Wang Chong left, Guo Mo went out again and came to the General's Mansion again.
Cao Zhen seemed to have known that Guo Mo would return and asked his servants to lead him directly into the inner hall.
"how?"
Cao Zhen sat on top and asked.
“Back to the general, Wang Chong really wants to dissuade the general from attacking Shu.”
Guo Mo bowed his hands and said respectfully.
Cao Zhen sneered, "I have asked him before, when is the best time to launch an army to attack Shu? He bluntly said that the road to Shu is difficult, and it is best to wait until the Shu people are weak before trying to attack it."
He stared at Guo Mo, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, "What did he tell you this time?"
"Returning to the general, Wang Chong said that the four roads from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, Xie Valley and the old road can barely march a large army, but Ziwu Valley and Tangluo Road are extremely dangerous and it is not suitable for marching."
“So when he heard that the general wanted to lead his army to Ziwu Valley, he said bluntly that he couldn’t do it.”
Guo Mo told Cao Zhen exactly what Wang Chong told him.
When Cao Zhen heard this, his face became angry: "He said before that he could only attack the Shu people when they are weak. If the army does not arrive, when will the Shu people defeat themselves?"
“Now he says Ziwu Valley is not feasible. I think he just has selfish motives and doesn’t want to conquer Shu!”
The year before last, Zhao Yun went through Xiegu. Later, he was defeated and burned the pavilion road to prevent his pursuit. It is not clear whether it has been repaired now.
off back out out of consideration?
Even if it is repaired, once you get out of the Xie Valley, you will reach Nanzheng, where Zhuge Liang will definitely have heavy troops.
If the army is blocked and cannot leave the valley for a long time, then Sima Yi, who is going up the Han River, and the partial troops going through the Ziwu Valley will enter Hanzhong earlier than himself.
At that time, it was useless to lead the army by himself, but it only gave Sima Yi an advantage.
with the defeat in the Battle of Longyou. Although His Majesty did not hold him responsible for the defeat, Cao Zhen knew that he could not escape the blame.
At that time, Sima Yi led the army to march 1,200 miles on the 8th to kill Mengda and put down the rebellion.
Comparing the two, Cao Zhen felt even more uneasy.
You must know that the general is above the hussar general!
So this time, he was naturally unwilling to let Sima Yi excel in his previous achievements.
As for the second old road mentioned by Wang Chong, it’s not like Cao Zhen has never walked through it. How did Wei Zhen get defeated and die? He knows better than anyone else.
That was not the first time that he took the old route. During the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Zhen had already taken the old route as a partial general and fought against the Shu general Wu Lan in Xia Bian.
To enter Hanzhong from the old route, you must pass through Yang'an Pass.
First, Cao Cao led the tiger generals and elite troops, but they could only retreat in the face of such powerful passes.
Later, Cao Zhen himself lost troops and generals on the old road.
What's more, how could Zhuge Liang be compared to Zhang Lu?
So he ruled out the old ways at the first opportunity.
Seeing Cao Zhen’s hesitant expression, Guo Mo hesitated for a moment and then said carefully:
“General, what General Wang said actually has two points of truth. Among the four roads in Hanzhong, Xiegu and the old road are indeed the easiest to walk on..."
When Cao Zhen heard what Guo Mo said, he stood up and walked to Guo Mo, with a look of intimacy on his face:
"I know that you and he are both from Shu. It's understandable that you want to say something for your fellow countrymen."
"Just because he doesn't agree with the conquest of Shu is enough to show that he still cares about Shu. You are different from him. I know your loyalty."
At the beginning, Xia Houba's elite troops attacked Yuezhi City on a snowy night, thanks to the wool.
Although the people of Shu did not refuse to sell woolen materials to the Wei Dynasty, the price was extremely expensive. It was said that it was several times higher than when it was sold to the state of Wu.
Think again of the Shu people's planned depletion of food in Guanzhong, which immobilized the hundreds of thousands of troops mobilized from various places.
Cao Zhen couldn't help but cursed in his heart: This Shu man is not only evil-hearted, but also the most treacherous!
The more he thought like this, the kinder he looked at Guo Mo.
In the past two years since Guo Mo was transferred to Guanzhong, he was able to find ways to get cheap woolen materials from the Shu people and supplemented the Guanzhong army with a lot of things to keep out the cold.
For this alone, he can be considered to have merit.
Coupled with the fact that Guo Mo behaved in a low-key manner on weekdays, compared with Wang Chong who wanted to stop the invasion of Shu, Cao Zhen felt more disgusted with Wang Chong.
A look of sincerity and fear immediately appeared on Guo Mo's face: "I thank the general for his trust, little man!"
Cao Zhen nodded with satisfaction, comforted him a few more words, and then let him leave.
(End of this chapter)