mtl008 Chapter 245 Guan Xing Returns to Kuaiji
Chapter 245 Guan Xing Returns to Kuaiji
The Longdong mentioned by Cao Cao and Deng Ai is the famous Hetao region. When the Yellow River flows through the two counties of Anding and Beidi, it makes several bends, forming a "几" shape, which encloses the two counties within the "几" shape, hence the name Hetao.
The Hetao region is rich in water and grass, and has been a strategic location contested by the Han people and the nomadic tribes of the grasslands since ancient times.
Unfortunately, a hundred years ago, the Qiang rebellion occurred. The imperial court sent troops to suppress it, but instead of quelling the rebellion, the troops suffered repeated defeats, causing the Hetao region to become a horse-breeding ground for the Hu people.
Currently, the Hetao region is inhabited by the Lushui Hu, Xiongnu, Qiang, Di, and even Jie people, but not by Han Chinese.
When Cao Cao was campaigning against Ma Chao, he also subdued all the Hu tribes in the Hetao region, but he only forced them to submit and did not drive them out of the Hetao region.
Cao Cao might not be able to mobilize the nomadic tribes in the Hetao region. Even if he could, these tribes would have their own agendas and would not only fail to offer genuine assistance but might also take advantage of his misfortune.
Deng Ai said, "That's why we need to act quickly to prevent the Hu tribes of Longdong from being misled by Liu Bei and turning around to threaten Chang'an."
"My suggestion is to cut off the heads of the Hu people in Longdong, relocate all the leaders of the Hu tribes above the rank of centurion to the Jianghuai region, thereby breaking up the Hu people into a disorganized mess, then send officials to Longdong to go deep into the pastoral areas, lead the pastoral people to reclaim wasteland and settle down in the fields, and then relocate Han people to Longdong to live together with the Hu people and intermarry, so as to completely Sinicize the Hu people in Longdong."
"If successful, not only will the threat to the north of Chang'an be completely eliminated, but the grain, warhorses, and soldiers from Longdong will also become an aid to the court. After all this is done, we can send troops out of Xiaoguan and cross the Liupan Mountains to recapture Jieting in one fell swoop and open up the passage from Guanzhong to Longxi."
Cao Cao smiled wryly and said, "Your method for recovering Longdong is very good, and the chances of success are very high, but it takes too long."
Deng Ai said, "Give me five years, and I am confident that I can transform Longdong from a region under the control of the imperial court into a region under the complete control of the court."
He was originally a garrison soldier under the command of the Agricultural Colonel, and leading the common people to cultivate land was a perfect fit for his profession.
Cao Cao smiled without saying a word. He only had three months left to live. How could he give Deng Ai five years to squander?
Deng Ai saw Cao Cao's hesitation but was unwilling to let go of the opportunity to prove himself. He continued, "I dare to say that there is no need to fight for Hanzhong. Liu Bei has achieved too much in Longxi and needs time to digest it. In other words, he is temporarily unable to launch a northern expedition. As long as Your Majesty does not take the initiative to attack, the western front will be peaceful for the time being."
"I believe that Your Majesty should contact Sun Quan at this time and help him defeat Guan Yu to recover Jiangdong, so as to restore the previous tripartite balance of power before making further plans."
"With the gentry in power in Eastern Wu, they were good at maintaining the status quo but not good at making progress. It was much more reassuring for Jiangdong to fall into the hands of Sun Quan than into the hands of Guan Yu."
"While helping Sun Quan recover Jiangdong, we should also cultivate Longdong and focus on attrition warfare with Liu Bei. The Central Plains have greater potential than Bashu and recover faster. Liu Bei will definitely lose to Your Majesty in a war of attrition."
"Moreover, Liu Bei is already over sixty years old and only has a few more days to live. Once Liu Bei dies, Liu Shan will definitely not be able to control the old generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Even if he launches a northern expedition, he will not have the same strong offensive power as Liu Bei. The threat to Guanzhong will be greatly reduced. As long as they cannot enter Guanzhong, the Shu army can only stay in Bashu and wait to die."
"To put it bluntly, the best way to deal with Liu Bei is to stall, but the prerequisite is to help Sun Quan take back Jiangdong."
Cao Cao's smile grew increasingly bitter, and he said helplessly, "You're absolutely right. The problem is that I can't outlive Big Ear Thief in terms of lifespan. Everyone knows that I will definitely die before Big Ear Thief."
Deng Ai: "..."
I can't respond to that.
Cao Cao didn't expect him to accept the offer, and continued, "Hanzhong is my last battle, and I must fight it. As for your suggestion, we can only discuss it later. Let's talk about the upcoming Battle of Hanzhong. What are your thoughts?"
Deng Ai said, "Ordinary tactics will definitely not work; we need to use some unconventional methods. If Your Majesty leads the main force south while simultaneously sending a detachment to secretly enter Xicheng via the Ziwu Road..."
"General Xu Huang is currently attacking Xicheng. My suggestion is that Your Majesty lead the main force to attack from the front along the Baoxie Road, while sending a small contingent along the Chencang Road to attract the Shu army's attention. This would make the Shu army mistakenly believe that our surprise attack target is Yangping Pass at the exit of the Chencang Road, while in reality..."
Cao Cao continued, "The real killing move is a detachment along the Ziwu Road. Send a general along the Ziwu Road to Xicheng to launch an attack from behind, and join forces with Xu Huang to take Xicheng from both sides. If successful, Xu Huang's path will be smooth sailing from here on out, right?"
Beyond the western city lies the Hanzhong Basin, which, at the very least, is flat.
Deng Ai cried out excitedly, "No...no...no..."
He started stuttering again when he got anxious.
Cao Cao listened anxiously and asked in surprise, "Something's not right?"
Deng Ai continued stammering, "No...no...not bad..."
Cao Cao cursed in disbelief, rubbing his forehead and saying helplessly, "Your stuttering is something to be cured by Doctor Hua. Maybe he can fix it."
Listening to Deng Ai speak is exhausting, especially when there's an urgent matter. Waiting for his report can drive you crazy with anxiety.
Deng Ai nodded and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Cao Cao said, "Go and rest first. I will call you when we have a meeting. From now on, you will stay by my side."
Overjoyed, Deng Ai quickly stood up, bowed deeply to Cao Cao, and then turned and left.
Although he wasn't given an official position this time, he was brought to Cao Cao's side, which was much better than being promoted directly. As long as he performed well and let Cao Cao know that he wasn't a useless person who only talked about military strategy, he wouldn't have to worry about his future.
For the next few days, Cao Cao continued to stay in the camp to wait for the follow-up supplies and troops. After waiting for seven days, Su Ze, Guo Huai, and Fei Yao, who had attacked Jieting, returned in disgrace, and the troops and supplies from Luoyang had also arrived.
Without further hesitation, Cao Cao immediately set out on an expedition, personally leading an army of 50,000 to Mei County and then entering Hanzhong along the Baoxie Road.
He then ordered Zhang He to return to Chencang and lead the 8,000 cavalrymen who were resting in Chencang southward along the Chencang Road to attack Yangping Pass.
He then ordered Cao Zhen to lead three thousand elite soldiers, along with Deng Ai, to enter the western city via the Ziwu Road to meet Xu Huang.
With the southward advance of the Wei army, the Second Battle of Hanzhong officially broke out.
……
Let's go back to before the Northern Expedition.
Jiangdong.
Guan Xing returned to Kuaiji by sea, and after two days on the boat, he finally entered Kuaiji Bay and arrived at Hejia Ferry.
The coastal counties are famous for shipbuilding, and the major families in Jiangdong all have docks and ferry crossings by the sea. In other words, in Jiangdong, only those who own docks and ferry crossings are worthy of being called a family.
The most powerful family in Kuaiji was the He family of Shanyin. Almost all the docks and ferry crossings in Kuaiji Bay belonged to the He family. However, now the head of the He family, He Qi, and the elite sons who joined the army have all retreated to Jingzhou with Lü Meng. The old, weak, women and children left in the clan pose no threat to Guan Xing.
Nevertheless, Guan Xing still did not dare to enter the dock directly, but instead sent a small boat ashore to check the situation.
When he left Kuaiji and headed north to Jianye, he only captured Shanyin City and did not send troops to recover the coastal counties of Shangyu and Yuyao. It was not that he did not want to, but that he simply did not have the time.
In other words, the ferry crossings in these counties and even the surrounding towns may still be in Wu Jun's hands. What if we rush up there and get surrounded by the enemy?
Therefore, someone had to be sent to inform Xie Chong, who was left behind in Kuaiji, to bring his troops to meet him.
Guan Xing stopped at sea and sent a small boat ashore to scout the way. Soon after the boat landed, the Han flag was raised at the dock.
At the same time, two figures entered the small boat and glided towards the ship where Guan Xing was. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Xie Chong and Ji Jie were the ones boarding the ship.
The two men arrived at the ship in a small boat and bowed, saying, "General Guan, you've finally returned. All the coastal counties have been recovered. Please go ashore in peace, General."
Their appearance put Guan Xing at ease. He ordered the sailors to bring the ship to shore, then jumped off the ship and out of the dock. Facing the direction of Shanyin, he opened his arms and shouted excitedly, "My dear Jinqu Basin, I, Guan Anguo, am back!"