As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, spies had already appeared.

Shen Chen has arranged a powerful spy network in the north, and it is naturally impossible for the Cao Wei group not to plant undercover agents in the south.

Such a large-scale military mobilization of Liu Bei's group could not hide the eyes of the undercover agent.

Now the intelligence person in charge of the Cao Wei Group is Sima Yi, and Sima Yi's official position is to serve in the middle and the right servant of Shangshu, and at the same time add to the matter and record the Shangshu.

The first three official positions are nothing, the right servant of the monk in the service is the third grade, and the fifth rank is in the matter, which is a loose official of the nature of honor, in essence, he is the staff of Emperor Cao Wei, and the real power comes from the emperor.

But the last record of Shang Shu is not simple, this is often a title only available to the three dukes in the Han Dynasty, and sometimes even the three dukes do not have it, and only the high-ranking and powerful can obtain it.

Because the meaning of Lu Shang Shushi is to be in charge of Shang Shutai's affairs, when no minister obtains the title of Lu Shang Shushi, Shang Shutai is Shang Shuling's boss and manages the government affairs of the whole world, and Shang Shuling has become a typical representative of low power.

If there is a title of recording the Shangshushi, then the Shangshu Order can only obey the order of the person who records the Shangshushi. So now Sima Yi can be said to be above 10,000 people under one person, his name and position are not so big, and his real power is close to Zhuge Liang.

Therefore, Sima Yi was in charge of national government affairs, and the news of the undercover spy was naturally delivered to him as soon as possible.

When Cao Pi heard the news from Sima Yi's side, he hurriedly returned to the Luoyang Palace, went to the Pinghong Hall of the North Palace, and immediately summoned Zhu Shuo, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, Wu Zhen, Dong Zhao, Jiang Ji, Liu Ye and others.

Cheng Yu died of illness a few years ago, and Cao Cao's early strategists are now almost gone, barely only Dong Zhao, a second-line strategist, is still there, and the rest are all important ministers in the middle of Cao Wei.

At this moment, everyone gathered in the North Palace.

After everyone arrived, Cao Pi said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the matter is already known." ”

Sima Yi said: "The minister has already circulated the official document reported to the princes. ”

"Hmm."

Cao Pi nodded: "Liu Bei has prepared equipment, grain, grass, and materials on a large scale, and has also continuously mobilized the army, it seems that he is finally going to fight to the death with me, what do you think?" ”

Dong Zhao said: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei's three-way northern expedition, the minister thinks that it must be two true and one false, so he still needs to deal with it." ”

Two true and one false?

Cao Pi asked, "Where is it true and where is it false?" ”

Dong Zhao looked around at everyone and made a judgment: "Chang'an and Henan are true, and Huainan is false." ”

"Oh?"

Cao Pi was curious: "Why is Huainan fake?" ”

"Because there are no people in Huainan for thousands of miles, and the city of Hefei is thick and thick, Your Majesty only needs 10,000 or 20,000 horses, which is enough to stop Guan Yu's tens of thousands of troops."

Dong Zhao replied: "So the minister thinks that Liu Bei should not pin his hopes on Guan Yu. ”

"Well, that makes sense."

Cao Pi said: "But Chang'an is also thousands of miles without people, so why is Chang'an also their main direction of attack?" ”

"Although Chang'an is uninhabited for thousands of miles, it has two defects that Hefei does not have."

Dong Zhao raised two fingers and said, "First, we have to rush to the aid of Chang'an, and we have a long way to go. Second, although the city wall of Chang'an City is high and thick, it ...... It's just too big. ”

Big means that the enemy can attack in too many directions.

The total length of the city wall of Chang'an City is 25 kilometers, and 100,000 people standing on it cannot defend all sections of the city wall, not because it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but easy to attack and difficult to defend.

Therefore, compared with Hefei City, which is small and easy to defend, Chang'an City has become a weak point that is easy to attack.

"Of course."

At the end, Dong Zhao added another sentence: "Chang'an City does have many defects, but the enemy transports grain from Hanzhong to Guanzhong, and then from Guanzhong to Chang'an, the road is far away, and it is extremely difficult to supply, so they only need to defend for a period of time, and they can only disperse because of the exhaustion of food." ”

Cao Pi thought for a while and said, "What does Dong Gong mean that Chang'an and Huainan are mainly stubborn? ”

"Yes."

Dong Zhao said: "Liu Bei's main forces are all in Nanyang, and he will attack Henan with all his might, and we must also fight with him in Henan, so Chang'an and Huainan should be defended." ”

"Hmm."

Cao Pi looked at Sima Yi, Chen Qun and the others, and asked, "What do you think?" ”

"The minister thought so, too."

The crowd replied.

This is an opinion that the Counsellors agree.

Liu Bei's group formulated a three-way northern expedition, of which the main direction of attack was Chang'an and Henan, and the level of Cao Wei Group's strategists was not low, so it was naturally impossible to expect it.

Among the three roads, Henan is the easiest under normal circumstances, followed by Hefei, and finally Chang'an.

But although Henan and Nanyang are all flat all the way, it is precisely because of this that Ji Han and Cao Wei will put the main force here, but this is the most difficult point to attack.

Hefei is also a horse Pingchuan, but Huainan has thousands of miles of no people, Guan Yu's army went north, can only go to the mouth of the mouth in Hefei City, as long as Hefei can hold on, then Huainan is naturally safe and sound, so second.

In Chang'an, even if there is no population in Guanzhong, the city is easy to attack, and this is the easiest place to attack, so Cao Wei's strategists are sure that the main attack points of Liu Bei's group must be Henan and Guanzhong.

Sima Yi added: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that since Liu Bei will take Henan and Guanzhong as the base, then Guanzhong will inevitably be attacked by him. General Anxi rarely led troops, and Guanzhong is now Shen Chen's town, if Shen Chen attacks, it is better to be careful. ”

"You mean a substitution?"

Cao Pi frowned.

Sima Yi hesitated for a moment, but still said: "The minister thinks that General Anxi lacks combat experience, and it is better to be in charge of the grain and grass in the rear." ”

"Then who do you think you want to let go to Chang'an?"

Cao Pi asked rhetorically.

Sima Yi thought about it and sighed: "Even if you can't change generals, you must send generals with foreign surnames who are rich in combat to assist, and you must send more soldiers and horses." ”

"Hmm......"

Cao Pi groaned.

Xiahou Mao's relationship with him is like a brother, so after he became the emperor in history, he has always trusted Xiahou Mao, so that Xiahou Mao sat in Chang'an for eight years, until the period of Emperor Wei Ming, Xiahou Mao was withdrawn to Luoyang.

Now Cao Wei Group is in an embarrassing period, and the older generation of generals are dying and sick. At present, only Zhang Liao and Xu Huang are left among the senior generals, Zhang He and Zang Ba were only second-line generals before, and now they have all been promoted, and the main force is still the clan Xiahou Yuan, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Xiahou Mao and others.

These people are the cornerstone of Cao Wei, and it is impossible for Cao Pi to let his surname be the commander, so when he arranged the main force in Henan and other places, Xiahou Yuan was the main general, and Xiahou Shang was the deputy general. In the Huainan direction, Cao Xiu was ordered to be the main general, stationed in Zhaoling County, Runan County, responsible for resisting the attack from Jiangdong.

As for the direction of Guanzhong, Cao Pi actually placed two people, one Anxi general Xiahou Mao and one Zhenxi general Cao Zhen. The difference is that Xiahou Mao guarded Chang'an, while Cao Zhen was in Lantian and was responsible for defending Liu Beijun in Nanyang, who was in the direction of Wuguan.

Therefore, in fact, if Xiahou Mao is really replaced, unless it is a foreign surname general like Xu Huang and Zhang He, otherwise, there is no one to send the second generation of Cao Wei.

Even if Cao Zhen is allowed to go, who will guard the direction of Lantian Wuguan?

It's embarrassing.

Cao Pi doesn't trust foreign generals, but the talents of the clan are also quite withered, a radish and a pit, and now there are no people from the Cao family and the Xiahou family even in the north, which shows the lack of talent in Cao Wei.

However, Sima Yi is also reasonable, although Cao Zhen Cao Xiu Xiahou Shang is also the second generation, they have followed Cao Cao to fight in the south and north for many years, and now they are all in their forties, and they can afford to take the lead, only Xiahou Mao has not led many troops and lacks actual combat experience.

And his opponent is still the world-famous Shen Xiaoqing, even if it is very difficult for Shen Chen to attack Chang'an, it is not good to say what conspiracy he has to take Chang'an, so on this issue, we still have to be cautious.

After thinking about it, Cao Pi decided to be on the safe side, and said: "Although Zilin rarely leads troops, he is a person who can listen to words, so he ordered Xu Huang and Zhu Ling to take another 30,000 people to Chang'an, so that Chang'an will have 70,000 people stationed, plus Zidan is here, there are 100,000 people in Guanzhong, so there should be no big problem." ”

"Your Majesty is wise."

Sima Yi felt that Xu Huang and Zhu Ling were also veterans for many years and had rich combat experience, so if they helped to check the gates, there should be no problem.

Chen Qun also suggested: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is already old, he will go all out when he launches an offensive, and the minister thinks that the lion fights the rabbit, and he must also do his best." Now that Liu Bei is attacking the Central Plains in the north with the strength of the south, we must also deal with it carefully, and all kinds of grain, grass, ordnance, and materials should also be mobilized. ”

"Yes, compared to Liu Bei, our grain and grass advantage is still very large, Henan Huainan and other places have a flat road, grain and grass and reinforcements can arrive quickly, so wait for work, and Liu Bei will consume it."

Liu Ye, a descendant of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, was also actively working for Cao Wei and made suggestions.

Jiang Ji even said: "Your Majesty, the minister thought that Liu Bei was in a hurry to go on the Northern Expedition, and he must feel that death was coming, so he was so anxious." As long as you defend patiently and block his attack, in the long run, Liu Bei may die because of this, and once he dies, the south is likely to be chaotic, this is a good time for Your Majesty to recover the south. ”

"Oh?"

When Cao Pi heard this, he immediately became interested.

At present, the north and the south are facing each other, and the strength of the north is slightly stronger than that of the south, with a total strength of more than 400,000 troops approaching 500,000, which can be described as unprecedentedly strong.

Although like Liu Bei's group, many of the troops were county soldiers, but the total number of soldiers was also maintained at more than 300,000.

For example, at present, there are 40,000 people in Xiahou Mao in the direction of Chang'an, and 30,000 in Cao Zhen.

The Henan direction has the most soldiers and horses, with dozens of generals such as Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Shang, Zhang He, Guo Huai, Jia Kui, and Wang Ling, with nearly 100,000 people, confronting the Nanyang Liu Bei Group in Henan.

In the direction of Huainan, there were tens of thousands of people led by Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, Lu Qian, and Zang Ba, who were stationed in Runan County, Yuzhou, Jiujiang County, Yangzhou, and Guangling County, Xuzhou, to guard against Jiangdong.

In this way, on the whole, there are 200,000 soldiers and horses in the confrontation alone.

It looks less.

But in fact, there are still a large number of elite soldiers stationed in the land of Luoyang and Gyeonggi.

The number of soldiers and horses in the confrontation is smaller, which can alleviate the problem of grain and grass transportation, and once the war starts, Luoyang soldiers and horses can quickly gallop to the aid of various places.

Therefore, in fact, except for the fact that Guanzhong cannot quickly rush to reinforcements in a short time, Henan and Huainan can basically arrive within ten days, and they can completely compete with the south.

At the size of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, even if a large-scale war is launched, it will not be able to be fought in a year or two, and unless there are major internal problems between the enemy and us, it is basically impossible to annex the other side in a short period of time.

However, Jiang Ji believes that now that Liu Bei is so old, he is likely to die in the process of the Northern Expedition.

Just like when Cao Cao died, there was civil strife in the north.

Therefore, Jiang Ji's suggestion was that Cao Pi should actively confront Liu Bei, fully mobilize the opponent's soldiers and horses, and wait for Liu Bei's death and chaos in the south, so as to immediately drink the Yangtze River and recover the world.

Sima Yi also said: "Zitong Gong is reasonable, Your Majesty, the minister also thinks that at present, defense should be the mainstay, and when Liu Bei dies, the great cause can be accomplished." ”

"Hmm."

Cao Pi nodded thoughtfully: "Okay, if Liu Bei comes, I will personally go to fight with him." Ladies and gentlemen, Liu Bei is now rectifying military affairs and allocating grain and grass, so I can't lag behind, and I will send an order to ask the Taiwei to go to Chang'an to assist Zilin. Zhongda was in Luoyang, responsible for supervising the transportation of grain and grass in the rear, and the rest of the people followed me to Henan. ”

"Yui."

The crowd bowed their hands in unison.

At present, Cao Wei Group is also actively responding to the offensive prepared by Liu Bei Group.

Due to the convenient transportation in the north, Cao Pi did not plan to increase his troops, and only let Zhong Xuan as a staff officer, Xu Huang and Zhu Ling as deputy generals, and went to Chang'an to assist Xiahou Mao to guard against Shen Chen.

Preparing 100,000 soldiers and horses in Chang'an was already a great respect for Shen Chen.

The second is that the supply of grain, grass and ordnance has increased in the direction of Huainan in Henan, especially in Hefei and other places, and millions of arrows have been increased by the loss of arrows, and the main focus is a turtle tactic, so that Zhang Liao resolutely does not regret facing Guan Yu head-on.

In the end, it was natural to send additional cavalry to Luoyang from the north to increase the mobility of the Luoyang army and achieve the purpose of rapid reinforcement.

A series of countermeasures were quickly prepared.

The war machines of Liu Bei's group and Cao Wei's group began to run wildly, and both sides had a lot of troops, grain and grass to mobilize, and at the same time, they also recruited people to serve in the army, and the situation between the north and the south was tense for a while.