The last three kingdoms

Chapter 172
"Did Gong Lu see anything?" Sima Zhao asked.

Jia Chong reported: "A few days ago, the Jianjun Mansion received a report from Captain Qingniao of the Jianjun Academy, saying that the Kingdom of Shu had strengthened the defenses of Fucheng, Jiangyou and other cities behind its Jiange, obviously aiming at possible surprise attacks on the Yinping Trail. The report arrived in Luoyang on the eighth day of October. As for the Hanzhong side, it was informed of the report earlier. A question arose in the humble office. Did Deng Shizai get the news when he sent troops to sneak across the Yinping Trail? Knowing that the Shu army had been prepared for a long time, he still insisted on going his own way and marching forward at risk, then he was to blame for this defeat. If Deng Shizai did not know the news and sent troops, it is obvious that someone deliberately concealed the news. "

Sima Zhao frowned, and said, "You mean that Zhong Hui might hide the news and want to kill someone with a knife?" Sima Zhao knew very well that only people of Zhong Hui's level could possibly obtain such top-secret information on the Hanzhong front line. See, if Zhong Hui got the news in advance but deliberately concealed it, it is obvious that he has the intention to kill someone with a knife.

Jia Chong laughed dryly and said: "It's not easy to judge this humble position. According to the time of information transmission, it is very close to the time when Deng Ai set off. It’s not far away, and if Zhong Shiji is willing to send someone to recover it, obviously it will not be difficult. However, the matter ahead is not very clear, maybe as Zhong Shiji said in the book, Deng Ai refused to listen to persuasion and insisted on going his own way. "

What Jia Chong said was ambiguous, which has nothing to do with his consistent way of dealing with the world. Since it is a guess, it is impossible for Jia Chong to say what he said to death. Anyway, I will say what I have to say. How to draw a conclusion? It is the monarch's business and has nothing to do with me.

Sima Zhao's face darkened, he snorted heavily, and said angrily: "This Zhonghui really thinks that he can do anything wrong with his growing wings. If he harbors evil intentions like this, he will be punished! Gonglu, you can send someone to secretly Investigate this matter, no matter who is involved in this matter, they will be severely punished."

Before Jia Chong received the order, Pei Xiu said from the side: "His Royal Highness Prince Jin calm down, this is absolutely impossible."

"Why?" Sima Zhao asked suspiciously.

Pei Xiudao: "Not to mention that Deng Shizai's entire army was wiped out in the Yinping Trail, and his life and death are still uncertain. How can we investigate the fact that there is no proof of his death? More importantly, once His Royal Highness King Jin sends people to Hanzhong to investigate, if Zhong Hui really has a ghost in his heart If you don't, you will definitely not feel at ease, has King Jin forgotten about Xia Houba?"

After Sima Yi killed Cao Shuang, Xiahouba's nephew, General Xiahouxuan, who conquered the West, was relieved of his military power and replaced by Guo Huai. country.Now that Pei Xiu brought up this matter again, it was clearly implying that Sima Zhao should not act rashly. Once Zhong Hui was pushed into a hurry, he might follow in Xia Houba's footsteps.

Sima Zhao immediately understood what he meant. Now only Zhong Hui was the only one left in the three-way army to attack Shu. It is very likely that he will choose the path of Xiahouba to flee to Shu. Although not all of his Wei soldiers are willing to follow him, once the general surrenders, the entire army may collapse. It is difficult to preserve Hanzhong, even Guanzhong and Longxi may be lost. This situation is not what Sima Zhao wants to see.

Jia Chong also said: "This is also the meaning of the humble position. Zhong Hui is in charge of the front-line military power at this time. A slight change will definitely shake the morale of the army. It is better for His Royal Highness Jin Wang to put this matter aside for the time being and appease Zhong Hui so that he will not be rebellious. The battle to conquer Shu has reached a critical moment, and it will not be too late to investigate this matter after Shu is destroyed in the future."

Sima Zhao nodded and said, "Okay, I'll follow what the ministers said. This time, Zhonghui wrote a letter, which proposes to retreat as an advance strategy, to lure the Shu army out of the Jiange, and then to annihilate them. I don't know what you think?"

Cao Shaoti said: "Jiange is the most powerful pass in the middle of Sichuan. The terrain is dangerous and difficult to defend. Zhong Shiji's method of retreating is a good way to advance. It is a good idea to lure the enemy out, gather and wipe them out. .”

Sima Zhao shook his head and said, "Zhong Hui was in charge of the army at the beginning, but he didn't know how powerful Jiang Wei is. Jiang Wei has been skilled in battle for a long time, so how can he be fooled by the mere way of retreating as an advance? What's more, our army is newly defeated, and morale will inevitably be low. Withdrawing, the morale of the army will become more unstable, which will give Jiang Wei an opportunity to take advantage of. Gu thought that the army in the Jiange should not move lightly, and sent an order to Zhong Hui to continue to attack the Jiange. The lack of food and grass does not matter. , Guzi will send someone to dispatch."

Sima Zhao has the right to make decisions, and when everyone hears about it, they all bow their heads and obey orders.

When Sima Zhao was a young man, he followed his father in Longxi for many years and fought with Jiang Wei more than once. He knew Jiang Wei's strength. Although Zhong Hui had a deep strategy, he was far behind Jiang Wei in actual combat. Many, the morale of the soldiers, worked in one go, then declined, and exhausted three times. Now the morale of the soldiers on the front line has been deeply affected by the defeat of Deng Ailong's Western Army. Once they start to retreat, the morale of the soldiers will definitely drop, because any A general will not inform every soldier of his marching intentions. This will definitely send a wrong signal to the soldiers, thinking that their own army has been defeated. The attack, Wei Jun is likely to have a major collapse.

Therefore, Sima Zhao did not approve of Zhong Hui's strategy of advancing by retreating. He believed that the only way out now is to maintain enough pressure on the Jiange to gather the hearts of the frontline soldiers. After all, the Wei army has an absolute superior force. No matter how resourceful Wei Wei is, he may not be able to shake the mountainous Wei army.

The only thing that troubled the Wei army is probably the problem of food and grass. The road to Shu is difficult, and the transportation of food and grass is difficult.Since Sima Zhao is determined to get rid of the Shu Han, it is naturally impossible to shrink back from these small joints of food and grass. He ordered the governor of Yongzhou to increase the force of food and grass transportation to ensure the supply of front lines.Now the Wei army has at least 20 troops in Guanzhong, which is enough to eat food and grass for the previous year. The only difficulty is how to transport the food and grass to Hanzhong.

Although Sima Zhao didn't send anyone to investigate Zhong Hui, it didn't mean that he had completely believed in Zhong Hui. Sima Zhao obviously didn't give Zhong Hui full power over the military power in Hanzhong.

"Jia Yun listened to the order, and ordered you to serve as the Central Guard Army, command an army of [-], and reinforce Hanzhong."

(End of this chapter)