Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 504 The situation is complicated

Chang'an, Zhenxi General's Mansion.

"Weird!"

Cao Zhen was pacing, frowning, and mumbling words.

While pacing and thinking, Cao Zhen couldn't help but look at the two letters on the table, and his thoughts became more and more confused.

This was the first time he encountered such a bizarre thing since he went to war with Cao Cao.

Lu Xun's subordinates fled back to Guanzhong from Hanzhong and reported to him that Ma Chao wanted to take advantage of Liu Bei's Northern Expedition to unite with Lu Xun to rebel and march out of Chencang Road.

At the beginning, Cao Zhen received the letter and wondered whether it was Lu Xun's plan to drive a wedge between them and make them kill each other; or he suspected that Ma Chao really wanted to join forces with Lu Xun to rebel as the letter said.

However, when Cao Zhen was thinking about this, Ma Chao's letter arrived. In the letter, Ma Chao pointed out the details he had arranged in Hanzhong and discovered that Lu Xun was preparing to expedition north from the Tangluo and Ziwu roads, so Cao Zhen was advised to be more vigilant.

The words in the two letters are contradictory. According to the first letter, Ma Chao has conspired with Lu Xun to rebel. However, in the second letter, Ma Chao pointed out the direction of Lu Xun's Northern Expedition, which seemed to refute the words in the first letter about Ma Chao's rebellion.

Cao Zhen stopped and said, "Fake transmission of His Majesty's letters may violate the rules, and this should be a serious crime!"

"good!"

"I led most of the troops to garrison Xiliu, thinking that I would respond to the two armies of Tangluo and Wuguan."

"As for where Lu Xun sent his troops from, whether it was Baoxie Road, Tangluo Road, or Ziwu Road, it was up to the general to decide how to deploy his troops. Ying dare not make any guesses."

Cao Zhen walked to the map of Guanzhong with his belly full and ordered: "Send an order and order Hao Zhao to lead three thousand troops to garrison Luokou City and blockade Tangluo Road. In the direction of Wuguan Road, order Fei Yao to advance and occupy Shangluo City and Guo Huai He led five thousand troops and stationed them in Lantian, thinking that he would support Fei Yao."

"I will be outside, and I will not accept your order."

Cheng Gongying stroked his beard and said in deep thought: "General, Ma Chao is strong but unrighteous, brave but merciless, obedient but contrary to virtue, and is not an obedient person. In the past, he ignored his father and brother and raised an army to rebel. The late emperor's troops were trapped in Chencang, and Ma Chao He had no choice but to surrender. The late emperor took advantage of him, and Ma Chao asked Feng to climb the dragon, and he became famous. "

Cheng Gongying said decisively: "The reason why the former emperor left horses to surpass Wudu was because Guanlong was unstable, the bandit army invaded, and there was a danger of cutting off Guanxi, so he left strong men in order to protect the border. However, since the former emperor pacified Longxi, Guan The west is becoming more peaceful, and there is no need for Ma Chao to guard the border."

Ma Chao's identity was in doubt, so Cao Zhen asked Jiang Ren to be questioned. However, no matter how he interrogated Jiang Ren, Jiang Ren always insisted that Ma Chao had contacted Lu Xun and was preparing to rebel.

The attendant was ordered to hold a pen and write Cao Zhen's military orders.

Since Cheng Gongying surrendered to Cao Cao, he was left to serve in Chang'an because he was familiar with Guanlong affairs and had made many achievements. Since Cao Zhen moved to Zhenxi General, Cheng Gongying was changed to Zhenxi General Commander Shi to assist Cao Zhen and serve as governor of the army.

"If what the commander said is true, Ma Chao and Lu Xun were plotting, and the letter confuses the general. In fact, Bao Xie and Chen Cang were sent out. How could he control them at that time?"

"Now that the late emperor has passed away, it is not impossible for Ma Chao, a brave and powerful soldier, to conspire with the water thieves. However, Lu Xun has many tricks and deceptions. Knowing that I am suspicious of Ma Chao, it is also possible for him to plan a divorce now. "

"The British believe that the words of surrender may be true, and Ma Chao and Lu Xun deliberately planned to surrender. Ma Chao's letter said that Lu Xun wanted to send troops out of Ziwu and Tangluo, which must be a move to confuse the general. The two soldiers and horses were actually praised, or Chen Cang said.

Cheng Gongying had doubts in his heart and asked: "How did the general know that Lu Xun would go to the Tangluo Road instead of the Ziwu and Baoxie Roads?"

"promise!"

Listening to Cheng Gongying's analysis, Cao Zhen frowned more and more and said: "As Berger said, Ma Chao is suspected of rebelling, and we need to believe it and be on guard against it. I wonder if Berger has any strategy to deal with it?"

After saying that, Cheng Gongying pondered for a while and said: "General, it is better to lure Ma Chao into the pass under the pretense of being summoned by your majesty and take the opportunity to imprison him in Chang'an. Later, he would send a person with a high reputation to carry Ma Chao's letter and use it to appease his troops. Du Jianfang Meng.”

After pacing for a long time, Cao Zhen looked at Cheng Gongying and asked, "Bojie, do you have any good opinions?"

"Or he was sent to death in order to make the general suspect Ma Chao, and Lu Xun took advantage of it. Then what Ma Chao said in the letter is true. Lu Xun had the intention of sending troops to Ziwu and Tangluo."

Cheng Gongying advised: "Chang'an is hundreds of miles away from Luoyang and more than a thousand miles away from Wudu. I have reported to the emperor and repeated comparisons. In one month, the thief has been accomplished. The reason why your majesty conferred Fu Jie and general is because the war is urgent. It is inconvenient to understand. I hope the general will put important things first and not stick to etiquette."

Cao Zhen put his hand on his belt, looked at the map of Guanzhong, and said with a smile: "Now that Liu Bei is attacking Wuguan, he may have the idea of ​​​​contributing to Guanzhong. Lu Xun is a strategic general and uses his troops carefully. Although the Baoxie Road is smooth, it is not easy. Merit. The Ziwu Road is dangerous and it is not advisable to use the elite troops. Baoxie and Ziwu are not feasible, so Lu Xun can only take the Tangluo Road."

As he spoke, Cao Zhen pointed to Chang'an and commented: "Chang'an is adjacent to Ziwu, Wuguan and Tangluo roads. Preparing Wuguan and guarding Tangluo is enough to make the thieves have no idea. Moreover, Chencang City is strong. I have ordered Xiahou Ru to lead it. Three thousand soldiers guard the city, like thieves surrounding a fortified city, which is enough to hold the enemy for ten days, and our army will arrive soon."

"As for Ziwu Road?"

Cao Zhen smiled and said: "For example, if Liu Bei goes out from Wuguan, Lu Xun goes out to Tangluo, Ma Chao sends troops to Chencang, or Ziwu Road sends out surprise troops to enter the pass, it is really a good plan."

"However, Ma Chao revealed Lu Xun's movements to our army, and the subordinates said that Ma Chao and Lu Xun were colluding. According to various opinions, the words are contradictory. Even if Ma Chao and Lu are colluding, how can they be in one mind? Therefore, the partial army is ordered to go out "Ziwu is not Lu Xun's style." It seems impossible to use troops from Ziwu Road, but there are many generals who have succeeded in taking Ziwu Valley. For example, during Liu Yu's Northern Expedition to Guanzhong, he ordered Yao Zhen to send his troops out of Ziwu Valley; or Wei defeated Shu and Han, and the partial army left Ziwu Valley.

Therefore, it is not that Ziwu Valley cannot be used, but the timing or feasibility of using troops needs to be clearly distinguished. Most of the time, it will be difficult for the large army to achieve success if they take the Ziwu Valley. However, if the partial army goes to the Ziwu Valley, the Ziwu partial army may have a chance to succeed because the main forces are constraining each other.

Historically, Wei Yan made a clever plan to leave the Ziwu Valley, go to Chang'an, and break Tongguan. He expected to use his partial army to play the main role. It was no longer a question of whether he could get out of Ziwu Road, but how long he could survive in Guanzhong.

In military matters, those who learn from others will live, and those who imitate others will die. For example, the Yinping Trail, which is more difficult to walk than the Ziwu Road, attracted a large number of imitators because of Deng Ai's success in sneaking into Yinping. However, they all eventually defeated Yinping.

Of course, what is not known is that when Zhong Hui besieged Jiange, he also sent Tian Zhang to sneak into Jiange, march to Jiangyou, defeat the Shu army in the rear, and join Deng Ai, and the two armies destroyed Shu together. Therefore, the success of the war may be related to the road, but it is not the decisive factor. The battle background is important.

Wei Yan was the general, and he was considering tactical issues. He believed that the three armies of Lu Xun, Ma Chao, and Liu Bei were attacking Guanzhong together, and the advantage lay in the Southern Han Dynasty, so crossing the Ziwu Road had a greater probability of success.

As the commander-in-chief, Lu Xun had to think from a strategic perspective. Even if the three armies were attacking Guanzhong, Ma Chao was in the same bed with them. He was very likely to betray his teammates, just like he betrayed Ma Chao, without any psychological pressure.

Listening to Cao Zhen's explanation of the formation of troops, Cheng Gongying praised him and said: "The general is wise and prepared, and the layout is appropriate. Ying is deeply respected."

Cao Zhen looked at the map of Guanzhong, sighed slightly and said: "Now that it is appropriate to move to Guanzhong, I am only worried about the four counties of Longyou. Longyou is weak and poorly prepared, and only Qishan Fort soldiers are available. If Ma Chao really rebels and leads his troops westward, Longyou will be afraid The four counties are in trouble. I just hope that Ma Chao can remember that his wife, children and family are in Beijing, and he has no intention of rebelling. "

Hearing this, Cheng Gongying frowned and thought, and said: "In the past, Xiang Yu captured Emperor Gao's father and used this to threaten Emperor Gao. However, Emperor Gao wanted to share the meat soup with his great cause. Wei Xiao surrendered and rebelled against Shizu. Shizu used his son to persuade him to surrender, but then "Kui Xiao is not going well. If Ma Chao can't love his father and brother, how can he love his son?"

"Ma Chao has won the hearts of the Qiang and Di because of his martial prowess. If he raises his troops into Longxi, the four counties will be in danger. Now I only hope that if the surrender is false, Ma Chao may be lured to Chang'an."

Due to the population problem, Kansai's troops are not large. With the help of Ma Chao, it is more than enough to deal with Lu Xun and Zhang Fei. Now if Liu Bei enters Wuguan or Ma Chao rebels, he will be afraid that his troops will not be enough.

After thinking for a while, Cao Zhen said: "Bojie has great prestige in Longyou. Can he go to Longyou now to summon the powerful and Qiang tribe in Longyou? If Ma Chao rebels, he will defend the dangerous position; if Ma Chao goes to Chang'an, he will go to his army with orders. , to appease his old subordinates.”

Cheng Gongying bowed his hands in salute and responded: "I am willing to serve the general!"

"good!"

Cao Zhen looked happy, helped Cheng Gongying up, and said with a smile: "If the danger of this battle can be solved, I will definitely remember Bergie's great achievements and report to Your Majesty."

"Thank you, General!"

Cao Zhen wrote a letter to report what happened in Guanzhong to Luoyang; at the same time, he ordered someone to use Cao Pi's name to order Ma Chao to go to Luoyang.

Cao Zhen's arrangement was reasonable, and it was a good strategy to lure Ma Chao to Chang'an through letters. However, it is a pity that Ma Chao is such a thief. When Cao Pi first came to the throne, he greeted Cao Pi and marked the letter on the back.

"Brother, a letter from the capital!"

Ma Dai entered the hall and handed the letter to Ma Chao.

When Ma Chao opened the letter, the first thing he did was not to read the content of the letter, but to look for the mark he had agreed with Cao Pi. When he saw that there was no mark on the letter, he shook his head and smiled.

After reading the contents of the letter, Ma Chao threw it away casually and sneered: "This is not a letter from Cao Pi, but a forged letter from someone else. They want to deceive me into Guanzhong and take the opportunity to plot against me!"

As he spoke, Ma Chao couldn't help but sigh and said: "Lu Xun is indeed cunning. He wants Cao Zhen to harm me and force me to rebel. If I hadn't been prepared in advance, I would have fallen into Cao Zhen's trick."

"what?"

Ma Dai was slightly panicked and said: "Brother, now Lu Xun doesn't believe in our army, and Cao Zhen wants to harm brother, what should our army do?"

"Why panic?"

Ma Chao stood up and put his hands behind his back, and said calmly: "Today Liu Bei is sending troops to Wancheng. When Lu Xun goes on the northern expedition and fights with Cao Zhen, he will enter Guanzhong lightly. Guanzhong is more important than Longyou, and he is unable to take care of our army. Now I will. Our army moved out of Chencang, thinking it was a feint, but actually sent troops and horses to Longyou. "

"Pang Rou has been ordered by me to contact the Longyou Qiang and Di soldiers and horses. I can send three thousand soldiers out of Chencang as a feint army. I will lead the army out of Qishan and encircle Ji County and Shanggui. It is feasible to reach the Wei River, but I can go against it. Withdrew from Linwei and defended the city walls; my brother raised his troops to cut off the Long Road and capture all the troops on the right side of Long Long."

"Since my brother wants to take Longyou, why did he let Dai leave Chencang?" Ma Dai asked incomprehensibly.

Looking at the map of Longyou on the wall, Ma Chao showed greedy eyes and said: "Leaving Chencang is not only an oath of alliance between Quan and Liu Bei, but also a bluff to contain the soldiers and horses in Guanzhong so that our army can plan for Longyou."

After many years of planning, Ma Chao has achieved something. If we can use the four counties of Longyou as the basis and unite the Qiang and Di people, we can raise tens of thousands of troops and build a cause.

But it does not mean that with Longyou, he can do whatever he wants. As a small force, he needs to rely on Longyou's excellent geographical conditions to find opportunities to conquer Liangzhou. Therefore, he must carefully handle the relationship with Han and Wei, and cannot offend both parties.

(End of this chapter)