Chapter 333 Envoy from Soochow
When Ma Di attacked Nanyang, Sima Yi was very nervous at first. If Nanyang is lost, Guanzhong will be surrounded on three sides. Sima Yi will be in a very disadvantageous situation.
But after knowing that Daoma Su only led less than 50,000 Shu troops, and it was not that the entire Shu army was dispatched, Sima Yi was not anxious. Apart from sending people to guard Wuguan to prevent Ma Su from sneaking into Guanzhong via Wuguan, he didn't pay much attention to things in the direction of Nanyang.
After all, if Nanyang made a mistake, he would not be the first to worry. Your Majesty Cao Rui, all the big families in Yingchuan are more anxious than him.
There is no need for him, Sima Yi, to send troops. The imperial court will definitely send out the main force to grab Nanyang.
The movements of the imperial court were also as Sima Yi expected, and they successively dispatched 100,000 troops to counterattack Nanyang. All the troops stationed in Guandong were transferred to the south, almost in a posture of fighting the Shu army in Nanyang.
Man Chong, the governor of Huainan, was an old revolutionary from Cao Wei who was older than Sima Yi. This kind of talent is not inferior to Sima Yi. Generally speaking, it is not a big problem for him to lead the main force to counterattack Kunyang.
Even if we can't win, it's more than enough to stabilize the battle line. When the Kwantung army gathers and surrounds Kunyang with hundreds of thousands of people, wouldn't it be easy?
Therefore, Sima Yi did not plan to send troops to Nanyang to rush for reinforcements at all, and was prepared to let the imperial court in Guandong take charge. Sima Yi also explained this to Sima Shi in detail and taught him what to do and what not to do.
Don’t think about the overall situation, always think about your own interests.
"But father, if Ma Su really blocks Kunyang and causes the fall of Nanyang, it will indeed be a threat to us." After listening to Sima Yi's teachings, Master Sima pondered for a while and continued to ask.
"The possibility of this is too small, basically impossible." Sima Yi waved his hand and said calmly.
"The Shu army needs to quickly occupy Nanyang, but they can't do it with their current strength. Even if Ma Su stumbles Man Chong in Nanyang for a short time, it will only be temporary."
"Once the main force of Guandong is dispatched, it will not be difficult to break Kunyang with Man Chong's ability. From the beginning in Nanyang, the Shu army basically has no hope, so there is no need..."
"General! The Mandu Governor of Nanyang was besieging Kunyang and shot for the Shu army! Now that the Nanyang front is eroded, His Majesty issued an edict to the general to besiege Nanyang from Wuguan!"
Just when Sima Yi was confidently educating Sima Shi, a bodyguard suddenly came on horseback and hurriedly reported to Sima Yi.
With just such a sentence, Sima Yi suppressed all his plans to educate Master Sima.
"What's going on? Man Chong was hit by an arrow and died? Did he imitate Ma Di and climb first!" Sima Yi wanted to curse at his mother at this moment. He thought of countless ways for Man Chong to lose, but he didn't expect this one.
The probability of a commander dying in battle is too low. Just look at Ma Su. Such a man still gets a good deal. But as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Man Chong died in battle. Is this something done by a human being?
The commander's death had a fatal impact on the war situation. This was the reason why Xia Houyuan died in the Battle of Hanzhong, and the war could not be fought instantly.
At this critical moment, you Man Chong died in battle. Do you know how big an impact this has!
"Stop saying anything, I'm afraid something is going to happen in Nanyang!" After reading the battle report and Cao Rui's order, Sima Yi's face changed.
"None of the great clans of Guandong are useful! They can't even win against such a huge advantage. How incompetent they are!"
"I'm afraid Nanyang is in danger now!"
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Man Chong, the governor of Huainan, unexpectedly died in Kunyang, and the entire southern war situation changed instantly.
The Wei army in Huainan quickly retreated for dozens of miles, and the pressure on Kunyang Ye County disappeared instantly. Not only that, the Wei army lost the ability to continue attacking for a short period of time, and was unable to threaten Kunyang for a period of time.
At the same time, news of Zhang He's success came from Wuyin. The right general led 5,000 elite Han troops across the mountains and made a surprise attack on Qin Lang's tribe within a few days. He won several small battles and forced Qin Lang to retreat for dozens of miles, basically withdrawing from the borders of Nanyang.
In a short period of time, the Han army achieved all-round victory on the eastern front.
However, facing such a battle situation, Ma Su felt a little unhappy. Because Wancheng, the most crucial player in the game, has not been captured so far!
Wancheng cannot be conquered, the direction of Wuguan has always been a threat, and Nanyang has never been able to connect. The main force of the Han army still had to be surrounded here, and there were not enough troops and horses to come to the rescue.
As long as Wancheng is not captured for one day, Ma Di will have to continue to defend Kunyang.
This time he did kill Man Chong and repel the main force of the Wei army in Huainan. But this is really not of much use, because the main force of Cao Wei in the Central Plains is still gathering here in a steady stream.
No matter how many times the Shu army won in recent years and how rapidly its forces expanded, Cao Wei's size was still not something they could withstand. If the main force of the Wei army is assembled and pressed forward steadily, Ma Su will be hard-pressed to make a difference even with armored cavalry.
In the final analysis, the gap in national power is still too big!
"Trouble, trouble, I know how much of a headache it is for the Prime Minister to lead the Northern Expedition." Ma Su scratched his head, feeling a bone-deep exhaustion all over his body.
This is not just about rushing into battle, it requires all-round thinking from strategy to tactics. If even one aspect of this is not considered carefully, it is likely that the whole game will be lost.
It's no wonder that the Prime Minister eventually died of exhaustion during the Northern Expedition. Such intense mental use would overwork both body and mind.
However, just when Ma Su had been thinking about how to defeat the enemy for half a month and was still unable to find a solution, the breaking point came. The soldiers guarding the gate of Kunyang suddenly came and reported to Ma Su that there was an envoy from Soochow asking for an audience.
"General, this man said that he is an old acquaintance of yours and would like to meet you." The soldier cupped his hands and reported.
"My acquaintance? What's your name?" Ma Di narrowed his eyes and immediately guessed the purpose of Soochow's visit. However, Ma Su couldn't help but be a little curious about the envoy.
"He said his name was Ma Tong, whose courtesy name was Zhongchang."
"What?" Ma Su was startled and quickly remembered something.
In addition to Ma Su and Ma Liang, the Wuchang family of the Ma family has three other brothers. According to the investment of the Ma family in Yicheng, the two went north to defect to Cao Wei, while Ma Tong and Ma Zhongchang defected to Soochow.
This Ma Tong is his second brother, Ma Su, and he is indeed an acquaintance.
Of course he is an acquaintance of Ma Di...
"Since he is the envoy of Soochow, let him come in." Ma Di said calmly, but he was already thinking about how to rely on this to break the situation.
It seemed that Soochow couldn't bear it anymore after having such a big battle in Nanyang. I just don’t know what Jiangdong’s goal is this time.
Isn't it still Hefei...
"Brother Young Chang, long time no see!" Under the leadership of the gatekeeper, a scribe entered Kunyang City. The first time I met Ma Su, I got close to him with great enthusiasm.
He is Ma Su's elder brother and the second eldest son of the Wuchang family of the Ma family, Ma Tong.