Three Kingdoms: Ancestors of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 198 The Argument of Conquest of Shu
In 228 A.D., the second year of Wei Emperor Cao Rui Taihe, September.

The summer is gradually going away, and the autumn wind is coming one after another, sweeping the land of the Central Plains.

Cao Rui finally took a break from his busy schedule to inspect Shangyong County and climb Baima Mountain despite the minister's dissuasion.

The sky is blue and clear, and the blocked water is like a floating silk, slowly meandering on the ground towards the Han River.

Standing on the top of the mountain, Cao Rui looked at the Han territory in the distance. Although the west tour was exhausted by the carriages and horses, it made Cao Rui feel more relaxed.His face was no longer sad like it was a few months ago, but there was a little worry in his brows, which showed that he had a bad time.

After Longyou was captured, Cao Rui briefly dealt with military affairs in the Northwest, and then hurriedly returned to Luoyang from Chang'an to deal with the rumors of his violent death in Chang'an.

At that time Luoyang went up to Empress Dowager Bian, and down to high-ranking officials in Beijing and China, all of them were frightened when they heard the rumors. What's more, they were already preparing to welcome Cao Zhi, king of Yongqiu, as emperor.

The cronies around him wanted to investigate the matter and execute those who spread rumors, but Cao Rui immediately vetoed it after analyzing the current situation. He did not want to go to war, but maintained the stability of Cao Wei's political situation.

Why did Cao Rui not want to trace the source of the rumors, but Wei Guo had just experienced two military defeats, defeating Soochow and Shu Han seizing Long, the military pressure was extremely great.Cao Rui no longer wants to or dare not to cause more troubles and cause political turmoil. After all, the rumors have been broken, so just be on guard against Cao Zhi.

In order to eliminate the shadow of defeat in the war and regain the hearts of the people, Cao Rui issued an imperial edict to pardon all prisoners except those sentenced to death.

But misfortunes never come singly, and blessings come like never before. In summer and May, there is a severe drought in the counties.Cao Rui was depressed, but he couldn't change anything. On the one hand, he helped the people affected by the disaster, and on the other hand, he continued to act according to the original plan to win the hearts of the Kanto gentry.

An edict was issued to the counties and counties of the Wei State: In the future, talents recommended to the imperial court must be familiar with Confucian classics as a prerequisite.

Cao Rui was farsighted from the mountain, pointed to the northwest, and asked, "Is Weixing County (Xicheng County, changed to Ankang County) in front of Zhongda (Sima Yi)?"

"Exactly, the northwest is Weixing County, and the southwest is the two counties of Xishu Brazil and Badong." Sima Yi, the person in charge of Jingzhou's military affairs, replied respectfully, one step behind.

If you look from the map, Cao Wei's Shangyong County is surrounded by the three counties of the Han Dynasty in a semi-arc shape, and Shangyong County is the prominent part of Cao Wei.Cao Rui inspected Shangyong County, which can be said to be on the front line of the battlefield.

Cao Rui pointed to the direction of Jianshi County and asked, "Does this road lead to Weixing County?"

Sima Yi looked in the direction Cao Rui pointed, and replied: "Yes! There are two possible routes from Shangyong County to Weixing County. It can go directly to Xicheng County (Wuxiang County), the seat of Weixing County."

"Who is the prefect of Weixing County in Western Shu?" Cao Rui asked casually.

"The surname is Fu, and the word Xiaoxing is the same as Wang Ping, the northern general of Xishu Town. He was born in a concubine. This man fought bravely and treated his soldiers well. The generals of the Wei Army fought with him several times, but they were all frustrated by his guarding dangerous points. "Sima Yi said truthfully.

Cao Rui nodded, sighed lightly, and said, "If you can't defend yourself, Wei Xing may not be able to rush down!"

Suddenly Cao Rui thought of Wang Ping, changed the subject and said: "Zhong Da mentioned Wang Ping, I have heard about this man. I heard that this man was originally a general of our Great Wei. After the Battle of Hanzhong, he surrendered to Xishu and was reused by Liu Chan. , is there such a thing?"

Although Sima Yi was in Jingzhou, he knew a lot about the Han army on the upper reaches of the Han River, so he replied: "Indeed, this man was highly valued by the Western Shu, and he was the confidant of the false emperor Liu Chan. Assisting Zhao Yun in guarding Hanzhong can be a pillar of Western Shu."

Cao Rui frowned slightly, and regretfully said: "Even General Zuo (Zhang Yun) fell into the hands of this man. This man has a superior military strategy, and he will be a trouble to our Wei Wei in the future. It's a pity that this man is a secret, and he will not be used by our Wei Wei." .”

Sima Yi looked into the distance and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, don't worry, this man defeated General Zuo just to take advantage of the danger and beat the few with the crowd. The narrow valley is not conducive to our great Wei cavalry galloping. If it is a plain, he will definitely lose!"

Cao Rui felt a little relieved, pondered for a while, and asked, "I don't know according to Zhong Da's opinion, which of the two countries, Western Shu and Eastern Wu, is the most troublesome for my great Wei?"

Sima Yi fell into deep thought when he heard the words, and said slowly: "Sun Quan III is entrenched in Jiangdong, and Jiangdong scholars fall in love with him. There are three states in the land, and the danger of the great river makes it difficult for them to get off. Western Shu does not know the destiny. It lives in a corner, and there are two states in the land. , relying on the mountains and rivers to defend the dangerous points, it is difficult to attack!"

"Before this year, I would have thought that Eastern Wu was a serious threat to our Wei country, but now that Western Shu has seized Long, I think that both of these two countries are in trouble, and there is no distinction between them. However, Shu can be attacked, and Wu can slow down!"

"Oh! I don't know why Zhongda made such a statement?" Cao Rui asked curiously.

Sima Yi stroked his beard and analyzed, "It's difficult for our Great Wei to go to Soochow because the navy is not as elite as Soochow. It is different from the past, when Western Shu was not able to rely on the danger of the Qinling Mountains, and stationed troops in Hanzhong, guarding the passes, if our army attacked, it would be difficult for our army to take advantage of its numbers."

"But after Shu seized Longyou, the situation changed drastically. Western Shu divided its troops to guard Weixing, Hanzhong, Longshan, Liangzhou and other places, and faced enemies from all sides. The population of Longyou captured by Western Shu was no more than 200,000, and soldiers, food and grass were scarce. Supply from Yizhou, scattered all over the country, the army is empty, and we attack from multiple sides, the disadvantages of the vast land and sparse population of Western Shu are fully revealed!"

Finally, Sima Yi resolutely said: "Western Shu stationed the whole country's soldiers in Hanzhong. We are afraid of the danger of the Qinling Mountains. But after the Western Shu captured the Long, the east-west defense line was nearly a thousand miles away, the land was sparsely populated, and there were many passes. Our army divided the troops. If you attack them, they will be overwhelmed."

Cao Rui nodded slightly when he heard the words, agreeing with Sima Yi's words.

Cao Rui has always had the desire to attack Shu since the loss of Long. Previously, he had to run aground because he was afraid of the lack of food and grass because of the spring plowing and the failure of the Huainan War.

For several months now, with the stability of various places, the situation in the court has stabilized.Cao Rui regained his heart to attack Shu, and made a special inspection tour of Shangyong to observe the preparations of the soldiers.

Cao Rui turned to look at Sima Yi, signaled to go down the mountain, and said slowly: "I deeply agree with what you said. However, the attack on Shu is not a trivial matter, and the whole country needs to prepare for the war. You need a lot of refined soldiers in Jingzhou. After hearing the edict, It will be used to attack Shu."

The implication of Cao Rui's words is to let Sima Yi be the commander of the attack on Shu and the commander of the road, not the commander-in-chief of the army.Apparently Cao Rui both respected Sima Yi and was on guard.

"No!" Sima Yi respectfully replied.

Cao Rui ordered his left and right, and said: "Order the general to Luoyang, and I will return to Beijing to discuss with him about the crusade against Shu."

After a pause, Cao Rui glanced at the respectful Sima Yi again, and said, "Why don't you come back to Beijing with me, and discuss the important matter of defeating Shu?"

"How dare I be disobedient!" Sima Yi happily replied.

(End of this chapter)