The last three kingdoms

Chapter 753 Go North or Go East?

The rebellion of Beidihu came to an end with the Di people's crossing to the east, and the territory within the Yellow River basin has returned to the embrace of the Han, although the return of this sparsely populated and almost barren territory is only symbolic. It means that it is impossible to provide any source of taxation and supplementary soldiers for the Shu Han court, but the return of this land still makes all the Shu Han people rejoice.

The most important thing is that this territory that has been occupied by Qianghu is a major threat to Guanzhong. The security of Guanzhong has never been guaranteed, which is also an important reason why Liu Chan has been reluctant to move the capital to Chang'an.

The reason why the Qin State is strong is because it has Guanzhong, which is beyond stability. The power of Qin State extends northward to Jiuyuan County in the Hetao area. The rich and affluent Guanzhong has never been disturbed, and Qin State has the opportunity to gather national strength. , and then wiped out the six countries, and unified the world.

But since the end of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qianghu and other forces have continuously invaded the south, and the territory of the Han people has also continued to retreat to the south. The entire Guanlong region has no more than an inch of peaceful land, and the glory of the Qin and Han Dynasties has long since disappeared.

The greatest practical significance of Liu Yin's extermination of the Northland Hu this time is to provide a stable and peaceful environment for Guanzhong and lay a solid foundation for the Shu Han to strive for supremacy in the world.

Liu Yin restored the setting of Shangjun. The county government was set in Gaonu, and Lu was under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou. He also stationed troops in Diaoyin, Dingyang, Fushi, Yangzhou and other places. The method of garrisoning fields, and in the later period, successively immigrated to Shangjun, turning Shangjun into a barrier in the northern part of Guanzhong.

The labor force of the Tuntian camp is not too short for the time being. After all, there are many prisoners in several battles with Qianghu. Putting these prisoners of war into the Tuntian camp can reduce the food and grass burden of the Shu army on the one hand, and on the other hand, can also serve as a source of support for the Shu army. The logistics support to provide help to achieve the purpose of waste utilization.

With the end of the war in the North, the Qiang and Hu forces in Yongliang were basically wiped out, and what Liu Yin faced was a new strategic arrangement.

Regarding the next strategic arrangement, there were also three different opinions among the generals of the Shu army.

The first opinion is to support going north to Hetao. The capture of Hetao by the Shu army is tantamount to restoring the territory of the strong Qin Dynasty. Sitting in the land of Yongliang, Yizhou and half of the world, it is the cornerstone of Qin's unification of the six countries. If the Shu Han can do this, they will definitely have an advantage in the future competition in the Central Plains.

The second opinion is to support Dongdu, take advantage of the opportunity of the Huns to occupy Bingzhou, and enter Bingzhou. Absolute geographical advantages, the biggest benefit brought by the eastward journey to merge the state is to establish an advantage for the world, and now is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The third opinion is to temporarily rest and recuperate. Now that the Central Plains is fighting endlessly, it is a good opportunity for the Shu army to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. When you are exhausted from fighting, you can send troops again, and you will be able to sweep the Central Plains and help the Han Dynasty.

These three kinds of opinions are relatively different, but they all have quite a lot of supporters. When the generals disputed, they each put forward their own reasons. It seems that each opinion has its own reasons. It doesn't matter what you say, the one who really wants to make up his mind is Liu Yin.

Continue to go north, the goal is of course the Hetao area.Since ancient times, there has been a saying in the Hetao area that "the Yellow River has all kinds of harm, but only the rich".During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Wei Qing defeated the Xiongnu and occupied Hetao. The Han court set up Shuofang and Wuyuan County to farm and raise horses here as an important base for attacking and defending the Xiongnu.

However, since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han regime has gradually lost control over this land, and it has become a battleground for Qiang and Hu wrestling. The Huns and Xianbei, including the Qiang and Hu forces, have all touched this area. After the rise of the people, they have controlled the vast area from the Yalu River in the east, to the Tianshan Mountains in the west, to the Yinshan Mountains in the south, and to the North Sea (Lake Baikal) in the north. Now the Hetao area has naturally become the territory of the Xianbei people.

Liu Yin is not afraid of going to war with the Xianbei people. Although the territory of the Xianbei people spans thousands of miles, there are many factions within them, and there is constant internal friction between them. The leader of the central Xianbei turned against each other, so that after the bald tree machine was defeated, he would rather flee to Wusun in the Western Regions than accept the protection of the central Xianbei.

Whether it is the Xiongnu, Di, Qiang, Jie, or Xianbei, they are the chief culprits in the chaos of China. Liu Yin vowed to destroy the five Hu, and it will be a matter of time before they start a war with Xianbei. What a fundamental difference.

However, at the moment when the Northern Expedition to Hetao is suspected of leaving the main battlefield, although Shangjun has been recovered, Qi Wannian, Hao Yuandu, Peng Dangzhong and other Hu forces have not been completely wiped out, but have fled to Liu Yuan in Bingzhou. , After they re-emerged with the help of Liu Yuan's power, no one can guarantee whether they will make a comeback. In line with the principle of eradicating evil affairs and cutting grass and roots, it is still the right way to cross the Yellow River east and enter Bingzhou to clean up the remnants of Qianghu.

Once entering Bingzhou, it is bound to clash with Liu Yuan, the Xiongnu who is in full swing. When the Shu army enters Bingzhou to fight, no matter whether it is the right time, place and people, it will not have an advantage. The long logistics supply line is a fatal flaw. Yin must be carefully considered.

Of course, the third opinion is not impossible to consider. The Shu army is indeed quite tired after fighting continuously. If you can take a longer rest at this time, it will definitely help the improvement of the Shu army's combat effectiveness, and at this time The rest of the Shu army is also in line with the strategic considerations of mantis catching cicadas and orioles behind, while cranes and clams compete for the fisherman's profit.

However, all considerations must be made in light of the situation in the Central Plains. The temporary armistice agreement signed by Liu Yin and the state of Jin is not very binding. The forces of the Hu people in the territory of Shu have been eliminated, and it is no longer necessary for Liu Yin to abide by the armistice agreement. Whether it is going out of Tongguan or crossing the Yellow River from Bingzhou, it can be one of Liu Yin's options. Liu Yin comprehensively In the end, he still made his own decision.

(End of this chapter)