Cao Zhen rushed away in a hurry, and at the same time, the Imperial Officer Du Xie arrived at the study according to the imperial edict.
Du Xie was the first time to enter the study to discuss affairs, and at this time, neither the emperor nor all his colleagues paid any attention to him.
Cao Rui merely pointed to the empty chair at the back, indicating for Du Xi to take a seat first.
"Yang Qing," Cao Rui shifted his gaze to Yang Fu's body, "You are from Tianshui and currently working in the Longyou region. If Zhuge Liang arrives at Qiy Mountain, what route will he take? Can you predict it?"
The mountainous terrain and rivers in the Longyou region were firmly engraved in Yang Fu's mind.
Without hesitation, Yang Fu stood up and answered promptly, "Your Majesty, at present, the large army of Zhuge Liang has besieged Qiy Pass. For the route from Qiy Pass to Longyou region, first there is Luocheng and then there is Xicheng."
"Beyond Xicheng, in the northeast for 120 li, you can reach Shanggui."
"Shanggui is a place accessible in all directions. From Shanggui, westward leads to Ji County, the seat of Tianshui Prefecture, eastward to Linwei, the seat of Guangwei Prefecture, and northward it controls the Long Mountain Pass."
"I believe that if Zhuge Liang advances to the western region, the first place he will definitely seize is Shanggui!"
Cao Rui fell silent for a moment before asking, "How many troops can be defended in Shanggui?"
Dong Zhao, who was in the Eastern Study, was more familiar with the numbers and deployment of troops in various places, and he said, "Your Majesty, there are not many troops stationed in Shanggui City itself. In Jixian County nearby, there are 3,000 external troops under the command of Lu Pan."
"If we include the county troops of Tianshui County, it would at most increase by 2,000."
Fifty people?
Cao Rui took a deep breath. Against someone like Sun Quan, who is skilled in land warfare, he wouldn't be afraid to face a hundred thousand with only five thousand. But against Zhuge Liang, it's a different matter and requires careful consideration.
Cao Rui asked again, "Since the city of Shanggui is so important, can these 5,000 troops really reach there?"
Dong Zhao nodded, speaking with certainty, "Guo Hui and Lu Pan have both experienced numerous battles. Under these circumstances, Your Majesty should still trust them."
"On the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month to Qiy Pass..." Cao Rui gently tapped the table with his hand, and then continued to ask Dong Zhao, "Is Hao Zhao at Yuzhong? How long will it take for Hao Zhao, Lu Sun, and Xiahou Ba, the three commanders, to reach and support Longyou?"
Dong Zhao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, are you referring to Shanggui? These three generals are all in the Western Regions and are all west of Longyou. If we talk about rapid assistance, they should prioritize supporting the two counties to the west of them, namely Longxi and Nan'an, rather than this city to the east of them, namely Tianshui County's Shanggui."
At this point, Sima Yi coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should not expect these three now."
"Haozhao has 2,000 troops in Yuzhong, but at least it is only 300 miles from Xiangwu City, the county seat of Longxi County. With the loss caused by communication along the way, it is estimated that he is still far from Xiangwu."
"As for Lu Sun and Xiahou Ba, one of them is on the Qiang River and Xihai, while the other is in Wuxi. Both of them are further from Shanggui than Chang'an."
"I believe that when it comes to the war in Tianshui County, we should not count on these three, as it's too late," Sima Yi said solemnly. "Your Majesty, it is necessary to continue sending reinforcement troops to Longyou!"
Cao Rui understood the viewpoint of Sima Yi.
Sima Yi spoke clearly that with the distance between Lu Sun and Xiahou Ba on the other side of the earth, their impact on the Longyou battle was minimal, which was merely to maintain a defensive line in the Longxi County area from the west.
Xiahou Ba can only mobilize a few thousand county troops in Wuwei, along with a few thousand Qiang cavalry temporarily recruited.
As for Lu Sun, Cao Rui knows him better. The troops under his command are only about 2,000 or so of the Uygur auxiliary troops. If they were to recruit more troops like Xiahou Ba did when defeating the rebels in Xiping County in the past, it would only be another 2,000 or so.
"I understand the intention of the Premier. As the General just said, it's better to overestimate the enemy. " Cao Rui asked in a deep voice, "If we consider Zhuge Liang's entire army of 80,000 men, how many reinforcements should be sent to Longyou to hold off the attack?"
Sima Yi added, "It depends on how many are attacking Longyou and how many are attacking Guanzhong!"
Cao Rui directly said, "Overestimate the enemy! Overestimate the enemy! Now that we are discussing Longyou, let's assume that everyone will go to Longyou, with an army of 800,000!"
Sima Yi gave a more pleasing figure: "At least 40,000 troops."
One against two?
Cao Rui unconsciously shook his head.
Everyone in the hall also felt that it was not right. At this point, Xin Zhi took the opportunity to speak up: "There may be people in the various counties and towns of Longyou who will surrender, Your Majesty, so you must be careful."
Cao Rui heaved a sigh and asked Xin Zhi, "Since last winter when I appointed Zhang He, haven't we done quite a bit for Longyou? Appointing officials and selecting students from the Tai Xue, but the various counties of Longyou still cannot be loyal to us?"
Xin Zhi shook his head without expression, "What the court has done so far is only to win over some hearts."
"But if Zhuge Liang's army of 80,000 men presses against the area, then the graces given to the counties in Longyou by Your Majesty may not be enough."
Cao Rui asked, "How much grace must I extend to Longyou for it to be enough?"
"Grace is not enough," Xin Zhi calmly replied.
Cao Rui didn't understand the meaning behind Xin Zhi's words. Just as he was about to speak up to ask for an explanation, Xin Zhi rose and loudly said, "No amount of grace can match the presence of the court's troops in Longyou fighting the enemy!"
"Why, since Your Majesty has estimated that Zhuge Liang will send 80,000 men to attack Longyou, why not lead the entire central army to reinforce Longyou immediately?" "Is Your Majesty truly thinking that Guo Hui, Lu Pan, and these people are all like Zhang Liao?"
For a moment, everyone's gaze in the hall turned to Xin Zhi, who stood firm and stared directly into the eyes of the emperor.
It's safe to say that at this time, there are too many areas where both sides lack transparency in their information.
For example, between the state of Wei and the state of Wu, during the Yellow initial years, Emperor Cao Pi had carried out three southern campaigns. And during the years of Jian'an, Cao Cao had crossed the Chaohu Lake four times and attacked Ruyu.
It can be said that both Wei and Wu are very familiar with each other's military capabilities and styles of fighting.
On the other hand, with regards to Wei and Shuhan, at this moment, they are very unfamiliar with each other!
The last time Wei and Shuhan fought was eight years ago during the Battle of Hanzhong.
Liu Bei exhausted all the manpower and resources in Shuhan, mobilizing men for combat and women for transportation, and gathered the elite troops and able generals of Shuhan in the past three decades. This was what led to the collapse of Xiahou Yuan at Hanzhong.
Far away from the front, Cao Cao, unable to achieve a strategic breakthrough, was constrained by his logistical disadvantages and political situation in the rear, and had no choice but to withdraw from Hanzhong.
In other words, the Battle of Hanzhong was like two giant powers playing Tai Chi Push Hands on a small round table. If one loses their balance, the other will push them down, and the game will be over.
But this time Zhuge Liang's northern expedition was not to confront the state of Wei directly, but to carry out bold attacks, looting and open field battles, and persuade the enemy to surrender, which is a total war between two entities.
Could it be the same as the situation in Hanzhong?
It can only be said that at this moment, Sima Yi has not the slightest understanding of Zhuge Liang.
Cao Rui, although aware, was still caught up in the suddenness and haste of the event and had not yet grasped the essence of the matter. He was hesitating about when to reinforce and how to deal with Guanzhong.
Xin Zhi, too, had been with the army and had seen the entire Battle of Hanzhong through to its end, so he had a clearer understanding of the situation.
In places like Longyou where people are still uncertain, if lost, it will take some time to regain control. If Longyou falls, the chances of taking back the Western Regions are slim.
Since you've estimated that Zhuge Liang has 80,000 men, what are you waiting for? Why not gather 80,000 men to meet them head-on!
Cao Rui was startled, then sighed heavily, "Xin Zhi is right. I should lead all the central army to reinforce immediately!"
At this point, Cao Zhen returned from outside and noticed that the atmosphere in the study seemed to be somewhat off. He asked, "Your Majesty, is there anything wrong?"
Cao Rui asked solemnly, "General Cao, I'm asking you, how many people in total are there in Guanzhong, including the provincial and county troops?"
Cao Zhen responded, "In terms of Guanzhong, with the help of three counties in Jingxiang, Fengling, and Fufeng, we can roughly estimate that there are about 9,000 county troops."
Zhang He took 10,000 foreign troops away, and there are still 23,500 foreign troops in Guanzhong."
"Adding them up, we have over 30,000!"
Cao Rui said, "Before the general was not here, Xin Zhi's words were very good. At this moment, we not only need to consider the deployment of troops in Longyou but also the hearts and minds of the people in Longyou."
"Let's overestimate it, assuming Zhuge Liang has 80,000 men in total, the military strength in Longyou is far from enough. I want Qian Zhao and Zhu Gai to lead their respective forces of 20,000 troops each to reinforce Zhang He and Guo Hui in Longyou immediately."
"The entire central army will head to Guanzhong. If possible, we should also transfer some forces from Xiangyang and enter Guanzhong through Wuguan!"
Cao Zhen was surprised. He had only left for a moment, how could the emperor be so urgent now?
Cao Zhen asked, "If Qian Zhao and Zhu Gai both take the Longshan route to reinforce Zhang He, what should be done in Guanzhong?"
"If Zhuge Liang sends troops to Guanzhong, there are still over 10,000 troops left in Guanzhong. If we really can't hold it, there are so many strong cities like Chencang, Yizhou, and Chang'an. Can't the central army defeat Zhuge Liang's detachment if they go?"
"Wait for the central army to arrive in Guanzhong, and then decide if we need to continue to reinforce Longyou in a few days!"
Cao Zhen began to feel anxious at this moment, as the scale of the war continued to expand, and it was unclear whether it would bring fortune or disaster.
But with the emperor having said so, as the commander of the central army who is in charge of the troops for the emperor, can he really say a single word of refusal?
Cao Zhen bowed and replied, "Before the statement was made, Your Eminence has already dispatched people to inform Wen Chong and Fei Yao. If the central army is to march to Guanzhong in full force, should it be under my personal command?"
Cao Rui remained silent for a moment and asked, "Can we dispatch 8,000 cavalry today, 16,000 cavalry tomorrow, and 16,000 infantry tomorrow?"
"Your Majesty, that should be the case," Cao Zhen replied.
"When will the rest of the 10,000 central troops in rotation be sent out?" Cao Rui asked again.
Cao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Why not leave the defense to General Wei? It will take five or six days before we can send out the troops."
Cao Rui rose from the chair behind the desk, his gaze sharp, as he scanned the assembly of ministers in the hall, and said with confidence.
"I have made up my mind. Today, General Cao Zhen will lead Wen Chong and Fei Yao, with 8,000 horsemen, to go first to Chang'an and then follow the Longshan route to assist Longyou."
"Command Chen Qun, the military governor of Jingzhou, to transfer 10,000 foreign troops from Xiangyang and head for Chang'an from the regions of Nanyang and Wuguan."
"I will personally lead a cavalry and infantry force totaling 32,000 tomorrow, and we will set out for Chang'an!" (The chapter ends)
