Three Kingdoms: I, Ma Su, just want to die

Chapter 721: Troops Arrive at Pingxiang
"They are just two small towns. Don't worry about them. Just go around them!"

Ma Su waved his hand and made a decision that stunned all the generals.

These are two cities that are stuck on the grain road. Although the cities are not big, they are still a headache. Any general who has fought in a war will generally choose to remove them first and then move forward. This is basic knowledge.

However, Ma Su, as a veteran general, chose the opposite decision. He decided to only send part of the troops to stay here, and the rest of the main force quickly bypassed the city and headed straight for Changli.

Ma Dai and others were somewhat puzzled by Ma Su's decision, but Ma Su had never made a mistake over the years, so they executed it without hesitation.

So Ma Su left Wang Ping to lead 5,000 infantry and cavalry to guard the two cities, and then led the main army straight to the seat of Changli County.

Ma Su's approach was obviously the most appropriate, because at this time, the Liaodong army in the two cities blocking the Han army had less than 2,000 people in total. With such a small number of troops, the threat to the grain route was minimal.

After all, Hebei was defeated too quickly before, and a large number of troops had no time to withdraw. As the last follower of the Sima family, Yang Hu even had to disguise himself and ride alone before he could run back.

Because of this, the troops that followed the Sima family to Liaodong were so few. The local garrison could not be easily moved either, after all, the nearby Baekje and Goguryeo were eyeing them covetously.

Therefore, the number of troops on the Liaodong front line cannot be large, at most they are just frontier outposts. This amount of troops is not worth mentioning when facing the 20,000-strong Han army. If you dare to come out, you will be destroyed. The threat can even be ignored.

Changli City was very empty because they did not expect the Han army to bypass the two front cities and attack. When Ma Su led the main force to the city, the whole city was in chaos.

Ma Su personally took up arms and led this group of veteran soldiers from Guanzhong to launch an ant-like siege. In just half a day, the Han army reached the top of the city and successfully occupied the entire city.

The Liaodong soldiers, who numbered less than a thousand and guarded the place, surrendered after a simple defense.

Their Sima Yan was established too recently, and there was basically no sense of belonging. Moreover, there were too few people, and the gap was so large that the soldiers had no intention of fighting after just one look.

Changli County was conquered, and Changli Commandery, as the frontier position of Liaodong, immediately surrendered. When the reinforcements from Pingxiang arrived, the whole Changli was already named Liu.

There was no choice but for the Liaodong reinforcements in Pingxiang to withdraw. Ma Su looked at the direction of the Liaodong army's retreat, was silent for a while, and suddenly turned around and gave an order.

"Ma Dai, call up the troops! Pull out all the cavalry to follow me! We must block the road to Baekje before Sima Shi can react!"

Sima Shi was not Gongsun Yuan, and he certainly would not stay in Pingxiang and wait for death like some idiot. Ma Su was sure that after the reinforcements brought back the news of Changli's fall, Sima Shi would immediately lead his troops to the Korean Peninsula.

There are two Han counties over there, and the roads there are rough and difficult to travel and the development level is very low. If Sima Shi escapes there, it will be troublesome for Ma Su to chase him down.

Therefore, Ma Su made a prompt decision and ordered Ma Dai to gather all the cavalry and march eastward quickly with light equipment.

However, the poor climate and low level of development in Liaodong were beyond Ma Su's expectations. Not only did the Han army get lost several times during the journey eastward, but Ma Su himself even contracted typhoid fever.

But even so, Ma Su still insisted on being at the forefront as always. After wandering in the mountains and forests for seven days, he finally found a way out and arrived near the Mazi River before the Liaodong Army.

The Mazi River, now the Yalu River, is the only way from Liaodong to the peninsula. Ma Su arrived here first despite his pale face from the cold.

A few days after Ma Su arrived, the Liaodong Army appeared near the Mazi River. When they saw the Han Army's flag, they immediately retreated in panic.

Apparently, Sima Shi had roughly guessed what Ma Su would shout. When the Liaodong Army came back to report, Sima Shi immediately ordered a retreat to Pingxiang.

Sima Zhao was so nervous that his face turned pale. "Brother, what should we do next? Are we going to be surrounded and killed by the Shu army in Pingxiang?"

"Why are you so nervous? This is Liaodong, our home turf. Ma Su will definitely die here!"

Sima Shi rebuked him with a gloomy face, then waved his hand and ordered the whole army to withdraw to Pingxiang. From his expression alone, it can be seen that Sima Shi was not in a good mood either.

Not only Sima Shi, but also General Yang Hu looked unhappy. Now that their retreat route had been blocked, their only choice was to defend Pingxiang to the death.

Over the years, Sima Shi had consciously gathered Liaodong's food and fodder in Pingxiang. If they simply defended, there would be enough food and fodder, but the problem was that there was no hope.

The Han army had come from a long distance and their food supply was long, but it was not unsustainable. If they had been besieged for a long time like Sima Yi did when he conquered Liaodong, they would have starved to death in Pingxiang sooner or later.

"Brother, let's go to Goguryeo?" Yang Hu was silent for a long time, then suddenly followed Sima Shi and suggested in a low voice.

"Have you forgotten what happened to Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang?" Sima Shi said without turning his head, and his words silenced Yang Hu.

"If we live under someone else's roof, we will surely die. Defending Pingxiang is our only option now."

"So stop imagining it and go back to Pingxiang to figure out how to break the impasse."

Sima Shi's words seemed to be deciding their fate. The Liaodong Army returned to Liaodong with a heavy heart.

In June, the main force of the Han army in Changli County finished resting and quickly crossed the Liao River to the city of Pingxiang. It was not until the Han army completely surrounded Pingxiang that Ma Su returned with his troops to join the army.

At this time, Ma Su already felt a little overwhelmed and was about to suffer from acclimatization. Ma Dai, who was with the army, repeatedly suggested that Ma Su return to Hebei, but Ma Su rejected them all.

"How can I leave at this time? The old thief Sima and his entire family are about to be wiped out." Ma Su muttered as he looked at the surrounded Pingxiang City.

Now, he has defeated Wu, destroyed Wei, pacified Guandong, and helped Ji Han unify the world again. As long as he can capture Pingxiang and exterminate Sima Yi's family, his achievements will be complete.

At this time, Ma Su definitely could not leave.

"Pass on my order, the entire army will set up camp on the spot and no attack on the city is allowed." Looking at Pingyang's "Sima" flag on the top of the city, Ma Su snorted coldly and immediately gave the order.

"I want to see how long the Sima family can stay in this turtle shell. Even if they are hungry, I will starve them to death here!"

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With Ma Su's order, the siege of Pingxiang officially began. Nearly 20,000 Han troops surrounded Pingxiang, then set up camp and surrounded it without attacking.

The goal is very clear, which is to starve the last resistance forces in Liaodong to death in this city!
(End of this chapter)