Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 674 Zhuge is proud
In the dark night, bonfires were ablaze in the Wei army camp, and soldiers returning to the camp were coming and going, making a chaotic and disorderly sound. It was obvious that the morale of the Wei army was a little low due to their embarrassing defeat.

Inside the stronghold, in order to appease the troops, Sima Yi led a team to inspect the camps.

"Father, the generals have arrived at the tent!"

Sima Zhao walked over and said.

Sima Yi took off his helmet and asked, "Are all the generals here?"

"Not yet!"

Sima Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "We are short of Generals Niu Jin and Jia Si. According to the words of the defeated soldiers, the two generals were killed by the enemy."

"Niu Jin is dead?"

Sima Yi sighed when he heard the news.

Because Jia Si had previously mocked him for being afraid of the enemy like a tiger, Sima Yi felt nothing when Jia Si died in the battle, and was even a little secretly happy.

But the death of Niu Jin made Sima Yi feel very sad. After all, Niu Jin was not an ordinary general. He was a veteran in the army, brave in combat, especially good at commanding cavalry, and a sharp knife in the Wei army. Niu Jin's death on the battlefield really made Sima Yi lose a reliable subordinate.

"Do you know the loss of troops today?"

Sima Yi asked as he walked back.

Sima Zhao looked bitter and said, "According to what I have learned from asking the generals, the total number of soldiers in each camp is about 10,000, and there are thousands of wounded soldiers. In today's battle, our army suffered heavy losses."

Sima Yi said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, your father has long said that Zhuge Liang is cunning and wise. He must have a plan for the deployment of troops. I wanted to investigate the situation and then deploy troops. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty was deceived by the traitors and underestimated Zhuge Liang's wisdom. Now you have suffered such a defeat, what can you do?"

Today, the Han and Wei armies fought, not only were Niu Jin and Jia Si beheaded, but Zhang He was also repelled by Wen Pin, Sima Yi failed to capture the North Camp, and after Zhao Yun led the ambush troops out, the Han army launched a counterattack, which also caused a lot of casualties to the Wei army.

If the Han camp had not called back the troops in time because of darkness, the Wei army would have suffered even greater losses.

"Father, what should we do in the current situation?" Sima Zhao asked.

Sima Yi pointed to the big tent and said, "We'll discuss the details inside the big tent!"

"promise!"

Inside the big tent, Zhang He sighed deeply. He thought he had a good plan, but he was badly slapped in the face by Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi in today's battle.

He thought that Zhuge Liang was a rookie and did not know the essence of military operations, so he suggested seizing the floating bridge to cut off the communication between the two camps. However, he could not have expected that the floating bridge was actually a bait thrown by Zhuge Liang to lure him into a fight, and he used the reed marshes upstream as a hiding place for his ambush, and finally defeated the Wei army that attacked the floating bridge.

Although Sima Yi did not see through Zhuge Liang's plan, he felt that Zhuge Liang's use of troops was deceptive and repeatedly stopped him from attacking. Originally, he thought that Sima Yi was afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and he forcefully submitted a petition to Cao Rui to request troops to fight. If Sima Yi had not left troops in the camp today, I am afraid that the loss would be more than this.

No matter how you look at it, in the military showdown between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, Zhang He became a clown!
While Zhang He was regretting, Sima Yi changed his face, showing anger, and strode into the tent. He walked straight into the tent, threw his helmet hard on the table, and looked around at everyone with angry eyes, which made everyone feel scared.

Some Wei generals who had previously mocked Sima Yi with Zhang He lowered their heads in shame and dared not look him in the eye.

Sima Yi seemed to want to release his anger. He untied the laces of his collar and scolded, "I have repeatedly warned you that Zhuge Liang was cunning and cautious in his use of troops. He would never be so incompetent. You didn't believe me and thought that Zhuge Liang was incompetent. You just relied on your courage and forced yourself into battle, which led to such a disastrous defeat!"

Sima Yi threw his collar to the ground and said angrily, "We have lost many soldiers and generals and have ruined our plan to defeat the enemy. I wonder how you can face His Majesty!"

Sima Yi was apparently criticizing the generals, but in reality he was indirectly blaming Zhang He for forcing the battle. Zhang He had come south with the important task of defeating the bandits, but now his army not only failed to defeat Zhuge Liang, but also returned in defeat, putting Jingwan in a passive position.

In order to completely seize the military power, Sima Yi looked at his military advisor Zhao Yan and said, "Military Advisor Zhao, I am sorry that I am not well-educated and do not know Zhuge Liang's strategy, so the army suffered such a tragic defeat. I am willing to accept the punishment and resign from the position of commander-in-chief, so that Your Majesty can choose me as the commander again!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent was in an uproar.

Zhao Yan hurriedly comforted Sima Yi and said, "Today's defeat is not the fault of the governor. It is because of ~"

As he spoke, Zhao Yan desperately winked at Zhang He.

Zhang He understood Zhao Yan's intention, bowed and said, "The commander-in-chief is steady and prudent, and he can predict Zhuge Liang's flaws. He was careless and underestimated the enemy, and he forced his troops to go out. Today's defeat has a lot to do with him. If the commander-in-chief hadn't deployed defenses in advance, our army would have been defeated!"

"Please calm down, Commander!" Zhang He said.

With Zhang He taking the lead, all the generals bowed and said, "Please calm down, Commander!"

Zhao Yan picked up the neck armor, patted it clean, and said: "The only one who can resist Zhuge Liang now is the governor. I hope the governor will put state affairs first and do not resign lightly!"

Some people took the blame, some people gave the excuse. Sima Yi went down the slope, reached out to take the collar, and said: "I am the commander of the army, and I have the responsibility to command the troops. I must take the responsibility for today's defeat. I am willing to take the position of commander-in-chief temporarily until your majesty orders me to leave."

"good!"

Zhao Yan thought about the current situation and asked, "Commander-in-chief, our army is currently defeated and morale is low. I don't know how to fight Zhuge Liang?" Sima Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Although our army was defeated by Zhuge Liang, we still have our best troops. We should avoid his attack and withdraw to Wancheng overnight to confront Zhuge Liang across the Yu River."

After a pause, Sima Yi glanced at Zhang He and warned him in a more serious tone, "From now on, you will be against Zhuge Liang and must not act rashly. Anyone who disobeys my order will be executed immediately!"

"promise!"

Zhang He lowered his head and answered, then left the tent in shame!

Not to mention that the Wei army, under Sima Yi's orders, abandoned Yuyang City and retreated northward overnight.

In the Han army camp, the soldiers were excited because they had returned victorious, and they compared their achievements with each other. In order to boost morale, Zhuge Liang generously distributed wine and meat to let the soldiers have a good meal.

Inside the big tent, Wen Pin was so happy that he said to everyone, "Pin didn't understand the Prime Minister's plan. He thought the Prime Minister wanted to set up camp and wanted the Wei army to hold out for a long time, so he advised the Prime Minister not to set up camp by the water. Unexpectedly, the Prime Minister had a clever plan of his own, using the floating bridge as bait!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Yun was very happy after his military exploits. He said, "Sima Yi is an experienced military commander. The Prime Minister showed his inadequacy and thus played into his plan. Now I see that the Prime Minister is a great military strategist!"

"Zilong, you're overpraising me!"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and nodded, smiling, "Under normal circumstances, Sima Yi is calm and composed, and might not have fallen for this trick. But Zhang He followed Cao Rui to the south and wanted to defeat our army first. He was eager to fight, so the enemy fell for this trick."

Zhuge Liang then gave his advice to his generals, saying, "There are many ways to use troops, and we should look for opportunities to use them. The Wei army has this strategy, and I'm afraid it won't be able to be used again in the short term."

"Pity!"

Ma Su sighed and said, "Although our army has made considerable gains, we have not been able to defeat the Wei army!"

Ma Liang was of a steady character. He said, "You often act too hastily. How can the Northern Expedition be accomplished in a hurry? Sima Yi and Zhang He are famous generals of the traitorous country. They must not be underestimated."

Ma Su opened his mouth, glanced at Zhuge Liang, and said aggrievedly: "I just saw that the Grand Marshal took two counties in a row, while our army was blocked in Jingwan, and I was very anxious!"

"Not urgent!"

Zhuge Liang took a sip of water and said, "Jingwan is outside the capital, and the capital is the key to Wei, so it is not comparable to Qi and Lu. Our army's meritorious service in the Northern Expedition alone is not enough to succeed!"

Then Zhuge Liang said bluntly: "The responsibility of our army is to contain the enemy's heavy troops as the Grand Marshal and the General, so that they dare not leave suddenly. The defeat of the Wei army today is enough to make Cao Rui dare not look around."

The three joint northern expeditions each had their own mission. Lu Xun's responsibility was to contain the Wei troops in Guanxi, Zhuge's responsibility was to put pressure on Luoyang, and Huo Jun's job was to break through Qi and Lu.

The area that Zhuge Liang faced was the lifeline of Cao Wei, and its troops could not be few, and its defenses were stricter than other places. Therefore, Zhuge Liang knew that his mission was not to occupy a lot of land, but to contain the Wei army as much as possible, so that Huo Jun could exert his strength in Qi and Lu.

"Prime Minister, what are the current arrangements?" Liao Hua asked.

Zhuge Liang did not answer in a hurry, but looked at Yang Yi and asked: "Lord Wei, I wonder how much damage our army suffered today? What was the harvest?"

Yang Yi handed over the scarf and said, "Prime Minister, our army has lost 1,856 soldiers, more than 2,300 soldiers injured, and 27 soldiers missing."

"We beheaded Generals Niu Jin and Jia Si, took 4,318 enemy heads, captured 5,630 enemy soldiers, seized 6,851 pieces of iron and leather armor, more than 5,500 bows and crossbows, and a large number of flags, drums, and weapons."

Hearing the details of the victory, Wen Pin could not help but rejoice, saying: "The enemy lost more than 10,000 men and nearly 6,000 armored personnel, and most of the enemy's elite troops were killed or wounded. If our army can defeat Sima Yi again, we will be able to achieve a great victory."

Most of the 20,000 Wei soldiers who attacked the floating bridge were elite soldiers. They fled in defeat, leaving behind a large amount of armor and weapons. In addition, the Wei troops who attacked the northern and southern camps also abandoned a lot of armor and weapons when they retreated because of the counterattack of the Han army, which were also captured by the Han army.

After this battle, the Wei army in Jingwan lost its military advantage over the Han army, and Cao Wei's strategic attempt to defeat Zhuge Liang first and then advance eastward was also shattered.

While they were talking, a scout came with a report: "Prime Minister, Sima Yi has led his army to abandon camp and flee to Wancheng."

"Sima Yi retreated north?"

Shi Ran was delighted and asked, "Prime Minister, will you send troops to pursue Sima Yi?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and chanted, saying, "Sima Yi is not a man without strategy. He will leave his elite troops behind if he abandons his camp and withdraws. The troops have worked hard, so it is not appropriate to use them overnight. We should let the troops rest for one night and move north to Wancheng tomorrow."

"As for the current deployment, there are three plans available!"

Zhuge Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "The best plan is to go north to Wancheng and fight Sima Yi. The middle plan is to prolong the war if Sima Yi refuses to fight. The worst plan is to return to Hanshui if the troops of Huo and Lu retreat."

"Now that Sun Quan is defending Muling, the Grand Marshal's troops cannot enter. I wonder what the Prime Minister thinks the situation will be like?" Ma Liang asked.

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Although Muling is a natural fortress, there are many ways to enter Qi. I believe that with the ability of the Grand Marshal, he will find a way to defeat the enemy."

(End of this chapter)