"Your Majesty, the military situation is urgent and we cannot delay it any longer." Sun Zi couldn't bear the long silence and had to remind him softly.
"Yes." Cao Rui turned around and walked slowly towards the palace. Although his steps were slow, they were very steady and could not be seen to be much different from usual. Sun Zi knew that this emperor had a city, but now the southeast was defeated miserably.
, the whole northwest line was lost, but Cao Rui was still so calm, which still surprised him.
"Victory and defeat are common matters for military officers. Cao Xiu was bullied by thieves and it is rare for him to escape after a hard battle. Let him deal with it carefully and don't let Sun Quan take advantage of the opportunity to attack Jianghuai. Jianghuai is the gateway to the southeast of the country. In this emergency, there is no room for failure."
"Wei!" Sun Zi quickly agreed. This was the emperor's treatment of Cao Xiu. It was not surprising at all. Since Sima Yi was defeated and did not remove him from office, as a member of the Cao clan, it was natural for Cao Xiu to be forgiven.
Seeing that Cao Rui had no other instructions, Sun Zi bowed and walked out. Cao Rui picked up Cao Xiu's military report, read it again, then put it aside gently and sighed: "A brave warrior!"
The doctor standing aside, Mao Zeng, heard this and his eyebrows jumped. He was about to say something, but when he thought of the temper of the emperor in front of him, he closed his mouth tightly.
"Summon the general into the palace. I want to discuss the war in the northwest with him."
Mao Zeng was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and bowed to accept the order: "Wei!"
…
General Cao Zhen hurried in, untied his sword at the door, took off his shoes, then jogged all the way to Cao Rui and prostrated himself on the ground.
"Shaolinghou, General Chen Zhen, pays homage to Your Majesty."
"Get up." Cao Rui pointed to the side, "Give me a seat for the general."
Mao Zeng moved a seat, and Cao Zhen thanked him, bowed again, and then carefully sat down.
"What is the general's advice on the war in Guanzhong?"
Cao Zhen wiped the slight sweat from his forehead and glanced at Cao Rui in surprise. The Shu Han army occupied Tongguan, Xiahou Mao's life and death were uncertain, and it was still unknown whether Chang'an had been lost. Cao Rui was still so calm, which really surprised him.
It was unexpected. However, he quickly calmed down and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I think we should send troops immediately to recover Yongzhou."
"Can it still be recovered?"
"Of course." Cao Zhen raised his sleeves and wiped the slight sweat on his forehead. He was not in good health recently, and the weather was too hot. He came here at a trot, and it was already too much for him. This sweat
Like rain, as soon as one layer is wiped away, another layer is added. "Your Majesty, although Zhuge Liang sent a large number of troops to Longyou and sent Wei Yan to occupy Tongguan, it seems that he has captured all Guanzhong, but in fact he will not be able to do so. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
I’m very kind.”
"Say." Cao Rui winked at Mao Zeng: "Prepare a map for the general."
Mao Zeng took the map and spread it on the case in front of Cao Rui. Cao Zhen took two steps forward, approached the case, and pointed to the location of Jincheng County. "Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang entered Qishan, Tianshui, and Nan'an. Although they rebelled, Jincheng County
Guarded by heavy troops, Guo Huai will not succeed in the first battle and will definitely retreat into Jincheng. Although Zhuge Liang has captured the three counties west of Longshan, he will not be able to capture Jincheng."
"Who is the guard of Jincheng?"
"Hao Zhao."
Cao Rui thought for a moment and laughed: "With Hao Zhao here, Jincheng can be protected." He looked at Cao Zhen: "It seems you were right to leave him in Jincheng."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty." Cao Zhen also smiled. Jincheng not only has Hao Zhao, but also Lu Pan and Wei Ping. However, those people are not as capable as Hao Zhao, and their reputation is not as good as Hao Zhao. Even if they say it, the emperor can't rest assured.
Let’s just talk about Hao Zhao. Hao Zhao was once a powerful general under Ganghou Zhang Liao. In the battle of Xiaoyaojin, he beheaded Sun Quan’s general Chen Wu. Later, he guarded Hexi for more than ten years. The people and barbarians were in fear. He was one of the best in Hexi.
The famous general Cao Rui was very familiar with him and admired him very much. Hao Zhao alone had a more comforting effect on Cao Rui than the other two generals combined.
"Furthermore, although our army has only more than 20,000 troops in Longyou, it has more elite cavalry than the Shu Han, and they are familiar with the terrain, which is far beyond what Zhuge Liang, a scholar, can handle. If Zhuge Liang wants to defeat them, he must stand firm in Longyou
Heel, it’s never easy.”
Cao Rui raised the corner of his mouth and nodded in agreement. In his impression, Zhuge Liang was a powerful official who knew how to wield power, not a famous general who knew how to fight. The reason for sending troops in midsummer was simply to take advantage of the trouble in the southeast.
, to put it bluntly, he still knew that his strength was insufficient, so he took advantage of the situation. Although the Wei army only had 20,000 soldiers in Longyou, it had superior cavalry, which was insufficient for direct combat, and could still be used as a guerrilla to contain their pace. Zhuge Liang obviously wanted a quick victory.
Not an easy task.
"What about Guanzhong?"
"Guanzhong is not terrible. The population in Guanzhong is sparse and there is not enough food. Although I have started to farm this year and have some savings, the population of Guanzhong and the military strength of the Shu Han cannot sustain it for long. In my opinion, if Zhuge Liang
Instead of sending troops to Longyou, he entered Guanzhong via Baoxie Road, then used Wei Yan to leave Ziwu Valley and guard Tongguan to resist our large army. With his strength, he could still fight and garrison, taking advantage of the four fortresses in Guanzhong to hold for a while.
The fact that he sent troops to Longyou just shows that he does not know how to use military tactics."
Cao Rui thought for a while: "Approximately how many troops entered Guanzhong against Shu?"
Cao Zhen was well prepared and immediately said: "Based on the information I found last year, Zhuge Liang's total troops in Guanzhong are around 120,000 to 30,000. If 20,000 to 30,000 are left to defend Hanzhong, the maximum number of troops he can use will not exceed 100,000."
.Since Wei Ba pretended to surrender, he must be very aware of the strength of Longyou's troops. Without more than twice the strength, he did not dare to act rashly. In other words, Longyou's strength was at least 50,000, and probably 7 to 70,000.
Eighty thousand. In this way, the total strength of Zhao Yun and Wei Yan will not exceed thirty thousand."
"Thirty thousand people have to defend Tongguan, Wuguan, plus Xiaoguan, Longshan, and several strategic places in Guanzhong. It is definitely not enough. If we want to attack the city, it will not be enough. There is a war in Guanzhong.
People are in panic and the people are fleeing. How can they have enough manpower to farm? Without farming, food has to be transported from Hanzhong, which requires a lot of manpower."
"General, there is one thing we must guard against." Cao Rui said: "There are many Hanzhong people in Guanzhong. Although they have moved to Guanzhong for nearly ten years, they may not regard themselves as real Guanzhong people. If
If they mobilize to work in the fields, it is still possible to solve the food problem."
Cao Zhen smiled: "Your Majesty, I dare to ask your Majesty, if your Majesty sends troops from Hanzhong, will they attack Longyou or attack the central area?"
Cao Rui raised his eyebrows and laughed: "The general just said it clearly. Naturally, he will have more advantages when leaving the customs."
"Your Majesty is wise, but Zhuge Liang sent troops to Longyou. It can be seen that he does not know how to use troops at all. It is not as good as your Majesty's case. The same is true for using troops, and the same is true for employing people." Cao Zhen put away his smile and continued: "As far as I know, Zhuge Liang is good at power.
, the people he favors are all from Jingxiang, and he excludes people from Yizhou in many ways. People from Hanzhong will not support him."
Cao Zhen bowed: "Only those who have the world in mind can make use of the world's talents. Zhuge Liang is narrow-minded and jealous of talents. He is just a scholar and is not a problem. Don't look at his current fame, it is just a temporary glory.
.As soon as my great Wei army comes out, it will melt away like snow meeting the scorching sun."
Cao Rui nodded repeatedly and finally had a smile on his face. "How many troops does the general need?"
Cao Zhen calculated: "I estimate that with 70,000 cavalry, we can defeat Zhuge Liang."
"Seventy thousand cavalry?" Cao Rui hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll give you 70,000 cavalry. You go and prepare. General, you are sick, so I shouldn't bother you. It's just a matter of state."
For the most important reason, I have to rely on a veteran like you."
"I am willing to do your best for Your Majesty." Cao Zhen thanked him in a accustomed way, but then he was stunned: "Your Majesty, where did the 70,000 cavalry come from? The war in the southeast is... over?"
Cao Rui smiled bitterly: "It's over, but it's not the end we expected." He handed Cao Xiu's confession to Cao Zhen. Cao Zhen took a look at it, was shocked, and immediately started sweating profusely.
"His Majesty?"
"At this point, it's useless to say more." Cao Rui was much calmer than Cao Zhen. "Although Southeast was defeated for a while and lost some soldiers and horses, the fundamentals were not lost. It's just that the Forbidden Army suffered a greater loss, and I couldn't make up for it for a while.
We have 70,000 cavalry, so we have no choice but to recruit Sima Yi, Zhang He and other generals to follow you westward."
Cao Zhen understood. Cao Rui said he was given 70,000 infantry and cavalry, but in fact this already included the 30,000 people in Sima Yi's southern theater. There were only 40,000 people under his command.
Cao Zhen felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He hesitated several times and looked embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, he reminded: "Your Majesty, do you want me to march together with the hussar general?"
Cao Rui didn't say anything. He knew what Cao Zhen was reminding him. The western theater was originally under Cao Zhen's jurisdiction and was messed up by Xiahou Mao. He should be the one to clean up the mess. Now not only does Sima Yi have to help, Sima Yi's military strength and
He was almost the same, but he took the Wuguan Road which was much easier to walk than Tongguan. It was very possible that he entered Guanzhong ahead of him. In the future, Sima Yi would be rewarded for his merits. Sima Yi had a great contribution, which was nothing to him who was bent on suppressing Sima Yi.
Good thing.
However, what can Cao Rui do? Cao Xiu suffered a huge defeat and lost more than half of the 50,000-strong Forbidden Army he was asked to perform meritorious service. Now, the only ones he can use are the more than 20,000 soldiers who just returned from the southeastern battlefield.
The defeated army and the 20,000 imperial troops who stayed in the capital.
"They are all under the command of the general. However, the general pretended to attack Tongguan to attract the attention of Shu. The hussar general took the Wuguan Road, hoping to break into the pass." Cao Rui grinned and showed a reluctant smile.
: "Submit authority in urgent matters. A general is an important minister of the country and a veteran general who knows the military. He is no stranger to the principle of the dependence of the right on the right and the correspondence between the false and the true. He is also familiar with the principle of the importance of troops and the speed of speed."
Cao Zhen did not dare to say any more and bowed to accept the order: "Wei!" He paused and asked again: "When will we set out for the expedition?"
"Soldiers need to be quick. The withdrawn imperial army is still on the way. The general can set off first with the 20,000 infantry and cavalry left behind in the capital." Cao Rui sighed: "We have been delayed for too long and cannot hesitate any longer."
——————
Hahaha, Lao Zhuang is now wandering between the 10th and the 11th monthly votes for the new book. He went up yesterday and came down again today. Please support! Let Tang Sanzang be nervous again. Lao Zhuang will check again in the evening. If there are twenty votes
, be sure to add more! (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)