Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 510 Everyone is looking forward to the horse
Liu Bei marched the merchants on foot and on horseback to six hundred places. He fought four battles and achieved four victories. He defeated Shangluo, captured Lantian, and drank the Ma Ba River. However, due to Guo Huai's proper arrangement, Liu Bei was temporarily confused.

Cao Zhang led two thousand cavalry to come to the rescue in time and ambushed Liu Feng in that battle. Cao Zhang's martial arts skills were almost beyond the limit, his arrows were all fired, and he killed dozens of people with his hands. He made the Han army tremble with fear. He went in and out several times, but he did not dare to look down on "Huang Xu'er".

The front was slightly frustrated. After Liu Bei got familiar with the terrain in Guanzhong, he left Qingnikou and decided to compete with the Wei army for Bailuyuan on the west bank of Ba River.

Bailuyuan is located at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, west of Ba River and east of Chan River. It faces high cliffs to the west and north, and a deep ditch to the south. Only the east side can lead into the plain.

Because Bailu was originally the barrier to the southeast of Chang'an, and it was located at a condescending position close to the Ba River, the Changshui captain of the Western Han Dynasty stationed his troops here.

Guo Huai and Cao Zhang stationed troops in Bailuyuan, and Liu was restricted there. If he wanted to go to Chang'an, he had to break Bailuyuan.

Two days after Cao Zhang arrived, Liu Bei selected 10,000 people and divided them into ten groups. Ignoring Fazheng's advice, he supervised all the troops and led his troops up Yuanyuan to fight the Wei army.

The Wei army had the advantage of being in a commanding position. In addition, Cao Zhang fought with his life and shot more than ten arrows in his armor without retreating. This greatly encouraged the Wei soldiers and resisted Liu Bei's offensive, and finally waited for reinforcements led by Sima Yi.

Liu Bei saw that the reinforcements of the Wei army had arrived, and he had no hope of breaking the stronghold. He could only lead his army back to camp and find a way to defeat Wei. When Cao Zhang saw the arrival of the infantry led by Sima Yi, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. If reinforcements did not arrive again, he would probably ask Cao Zhen for help.

On the plateau, Sima Yi met with Guo Huai and Cao Zhang, overlooking the Han army camp by the Ba River, and sometimes gave instructions on the layout of the camp.

After pondering for a while, Sima Yi said: "Can Bo Ji ask Yan Wenlin to lead the Jingzhao villagers to harvest wheat overnight? This Chang'an wheat grain must not fall into Liu Bei's hands."

Sima Yi smiled and said: "The reason Liu Bei dared to leave Jianghan and enter Guanzhong was not because our army was defeated by Jingzhou, but because during the rainy season, the Dan and Han rivers surged, making it possible for boats and water to be transported. But this summer is going to autumn. Come, the river water will recede, and Jianghan is under siege, it will be difficult for Liu Bei to supply food and supplies for a long time."

Sima Yi put his hands behind his waist and paced around Bailuyuan, where he looked around. He saw a large number of wheat fields along the Ba and Chan rivers. The summer breeze blew by, and the wheat stalks swayed in the wind.

However, Jingzhou, which lacked Wancheng, was always weak. The Wei army set out from Wancheng to harass the Han and Dan waters. Perhaps when the waterways rose, it was difficult to make progress due to the Han army's naval problems.

The reason Liu Bei dared to abandon the Wei troops in Nanyang and advance westward was not because he was crazy. However, when the river water rose in summer, the Dan River and Han River could be transported by water, and the Han River Basin was controlled by the Southern Han Dynasty. Therefore, Liu Bei asked three generals, Zhao Yun, Wenpin, and Lu Meng, to guard the Han River Basin with 60,000 troops to ensure the smooth flow of his food routes.

"The situation in Longyou was corrupted. Ma Chao led his troops to rebel and swept through the four counties of Longshang. It was almost unstoppable. The Long people were powerful and powerful, and the rich families sent troops to the city. Ma Chao took them and used them for his own purposes. I am afraid that Ma Chao will not be able to live in peace for a long time. Longyou, then follow the enemy's response, raise your troops and approach the pass."

Guo Huai looked solemn and said: "According to reports from various places and sentries, Lu Xun's 40,000 soldiers marched out of Tangluo, and Cao Zhenxi sent more than 20,000 troops to defend Luokou. Lu Xun sent troops for several days to invite a fight, and there was an ambush suspected of being in the west of Cao Zhen. , avoid fighting."

Sima Yi cut off the wheat grain in Guanzhong, leaving Liu Bei with nothing to eat, and unable to defeat the Wei army in Bailuyuan, so he had no choice but to retreat because the grain was exhausted.

Hearing this, Cao Zhang looked shocked and asked, "Why do you ask the army to harvest wheat?"

After hearing the reason, Cao Zhang admired him and said: "It is great wisdom to let the army harvest wheat and cut off Liu Bei's food supply!"

"At that time, Liu Bei's troops were short of food, so they had to feed themselves with wheat grains. Now he ordered the people to harvest wheat, but Liu Bei had nothing to eat. The food supplies were in short supply and the people's food supplies were exhausted. Liu Bei would have to leave soon. When the soldiers retreated and left, he sent troops If we pursue them, our army will surely capture them all.”

In the past, when Liu Bei was first pacifying the south, he adopted Huo Jun's strategy of strengthening the branches and strengthening the weak branches. He ordered the generals to send a group of warrior generals to visit Wuhan. All the old and weak should retreat and be sent back by the generals.

As the situation of the Guanlong War gradually became clear, the generals of Cao Wei knew that the situation in Guanxi was bad, and the advantage was not in their hands, but in the hands of Ma Chao and Liu Bei.

The generals of the Southern Han Dynasty sent warriors to Wuhan one after another. Under the training of Zhao Yun and Chen Dao, the northern and southern forbidden armies were formed. Liu Bei repeatedly used troops in the Northern Expedition, and the Forbidden Army soldiers and horses were almost the main force. All elites must not be damaged, otherwise it will damage the fundamentals.

Sima Yi looked at the Han army camp under the plateau and asked: "Guo Yongzhou, how is the situation in Guanzhong today?"

Once the water level drops and it becomes inconvenient for the boat to move backward, there will be a shortage of food and grass. What's worse, the Wei army will cut off the food route, and with the cooperation of Guanzhong soldiers and horses, Liu Bei's troops will be defeated. Therefore, in this battle, Liu Bei's troop dispatch and route selection cannot be said to be safe, and there are radical elements in it.

After a pause, Cao Zhang changed his subject and asked: "If you are blocking Liu Bei from Ba River now, you can wait until he runs out of food and retreat. However, Ma Chao is making trouble in Longyou. If he wants to help the thieves, he will raise his troops to go to Long Road and go to the pass. Then What to do?”

"Ma Chao betrays his master by donating his son and is ruthless and unjust. Will An help the Han people?"

Cao Zhang raised his whip and pointed at the Han camp, saying: "The Imperial Guards under Liu Bei are as brave and courageous as our Chinese warriors. In the past, there were thieves who were surrounded by walls and still fought to the death. Compared with our soldiers, the thieves were even better at fighting on foot. And the thieves have bows." The crossbow is powerful and the arrows are sharp, and those who hit it will suffer many casualties. In future battles, you should make good use of your cavalry to defeat them."

Sima Yi hesitated for a long time and said: "Now we will observe the situation in Longyou, and then report to Your Majesty. Send envoys to Longyou to temporarily calm Ma Chao's mind. When Liu Bei's troops retreat, we will discuss the strategy of defeating the horse in detail. We can't do it now. If you are hostile to the horses, Guanzhong cannot be protected."

As for why Liu Bei was radical, it was because he didn't have much confidence in defeating the Wei army head-on, so he attacked the east and west and adopted a strategy of using troops cleverly.

As soon as these words came out, Cao Zhang and Guo Huai fell silent.

A few people chatted about the arrangements for a while, then dispersed. Guo Huai was in charge of harvesting wheat, Cao Zhang led the troops on inspection, and Sima Yi reported important military matters.

As Han and Wei fought continuously for several days, the Wei army became more and more stable, while Liu Bei became increasingly worried. In the tent, Liu Bei walked slowly and said worriedly: "Now we can't go down to Bailuyuan and break into Chang'an City. I'm afraid the enemy will have more reinforcements and stick to the dangerous point, and the war will be beyond our control."

As mentioned before, Liu Bei wanted to take advantage of the fact that the main force of Cao Wei's reinforcements was not in Luoyang, so as to sneak into Chang'an. In the early days, morale was strong, and the armies fought hard all the way, breaking through many dangerous points in Wuguan Pass.

But when they arrived at Lantian, due to Guo Huai and Cao Zhang, they were stuck in Bailuyuan and could not enter even though they descended into the green mud and approached Ba River.

Now seeing Sima Yi's reinforcements arriving, Liu Bei became increasingly anxious. He knew that if he could not defeat the Wei army now, with the arrival of the Wei army, his hope of taking Chang'an would become increasingly slim.

Ma Liang hesitated a little and said: "Your Majesty, Ma Chao broke the contract today and took Longyou. Boyan was blocked at Luokou, and Cao Zhen stood firm and refused to fight. Our army fought fiercely on Ba and could not advance. In my opinion, our army has lost a good opportunity. , it is better to make plans to withdraw the troops in case the bandit army arrives."

"Withdrawal?"

Liu Bei frowned slightly and said: "The mutiny in Licheng has made it difficult for the thief Xu Huai. Zhongmiao led the troops and looked forward. Cao Pi will send a large army eastward. At that time, the thief's troops came to the east to help, divided into light troops and raided the road, and Yiqiang's troops marched westward. There is a huge disparity in military strength. Our army still has the strength to fight, so it is too early to retreat! "

As soon as he finished speaking, the attendant quickly stepped into the tent and said, "Your Majesty, the people of Chang'an are entering Ba and Chan fields to harvest wheat. Do you want to send troops to stop them now?"

"Ok?"

Liu Bei was slightly surprised and said: "Why are the people rushing to harvest the wheat before it is ripe?"

"His Majesty!"

"cough cough"

Fazheng, who had a sallow complexion, coughed a few times and said, "Your Majesty, this is a strategy for the thieves to strengthen the wall and clear the country. It is definitely not as good as it is intended. The thieves know that our army relies on boats and water to transport food. For example, when the water falls in autumn, the water transport is not available. , the army and food will be exhausted.”

"Therefore, from a righteous perspective, if your Majesty wants to hold out against the rebels for a long time, it is better to send troops out of the camp to compete with the people of Chang'an for wheat. Only by obtaining wheat can we be able to hold on for a long time. Otherwise, when autumn comes and the water falls, our army will have to retreat. !”

"It may not be appropriate to compete with the people for food!"

Liu Bei shook his head slightly and said: "Since I entered Wuguan, I have fought continuously. I have no kindness to the people. I only do what my ancestors did. I will not make any mistakes wherever I go. If I plunder the people to get wheat, I will definitely miss the pass. The people's hearts, how can the people of Guanzhong support me?"

"Your Majesty, if you don't compete with the people for food now, what can you do if our army is short of food?" Fazheng asked rhetorically.

Liu Bei stopped and said decisively: "The thieves don't have to worry about food and grass now, but our army has water transportation for the time being. Can you help me get the early-ripening wheat from Guanzhong? If I can't get it from Guanzhong, what good will it do to me?" ?”

Liu Bei did not seize the people's food, not because he was benevolent and pedantic, but because he was limited by both benevolence and politics.

In terms of benevolence, Liu Bei could not say that he loved the people as his own son, but he could say that he would treat the people as kindly as possible and not massacre the city or brutally abuse the people.

If we enter Guanzhong today and take away the people's food rations, it means that these people will probably have no food to eat in the second half of the year and next spring, and their fate will be changed by Liu Bei, so I can't bear it.

Politically, Liu Bei promoted the banner of reviving the Han Dynasty. His policies must be more lenient than Cao Wei in order to win the hearts of the people. If his behavior is more cruel than that of Cao Wei, those people in Guanzhong might as well stay under the rule of Wei.

And as the war progressed, Liu Bei realized that it was no longer possible to leave Guanzhong quickly. Guanzhong is too big to lock Tongguan, and if we capture Chang'an, we will still face Cao Wei's army. Without the help of the nobles and common people, the Southern Han Dynasty would not be able to stand in Guanzhong.

Different from Liu Bei's idea, law and order is a self-interested thing, and he is willing to do it, no matter who the victim is?
Hearing this, Fazheng sighed slightly, but didn't say anything else.

To be honest, the people are already suffering, and if their rations are taken away, they will inevitably starve. Moreover, early-maturing wheat is not the factor that determines the outcome of both sides. The Han army cannot break Bailu Village, and no matter how much grain they have, it is useless.

After a pause, Liu Bei looked at Fazheng and asked: "Xiaozhi, according to Boyan's letter, Ma Chao swept through Longyou. Can you now order him to send troops to Longyou to help my Han Dynasty conquer Guanzhong?"

Fa Zheng stroked his beard and thought, and said with a wry smile: "Ma Chao is ruthless and ungrateful. He used our army to start a rebellion. His words and deeds are inconsistent. His words are out of Chencang, but he is actually taking Longyou. Now that he has taken Longyou, he may be renovating his internal affairs. How can he do that?" Help me wholeheartedly?”

After saying that, Fazheng hesitated a little and said: "Based on the current situation, Your Majesty can write a letter to Ma Chao, grant high-ranking officials and noble titles, grant the land to the west, and detail the pros and cons to please him. If you do this, see Can you induce Ma Chao to serve our army?"

The war became tense, and both sides could only look towards Ma Chao, who could change the situation of the war. The Northern Wei Dynasty was worried about Ma Chao joining the battlefield, while the Southern Han Dynasty was looking forward to Ma Chao joining the battlefield.

"good!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "Please allow me to write a letter inviting Ma Chao to enter the pass to attack the thieves."

(End of this chapter)