Chapter 364 Alliance with Wu to conquer Shu
Just when Cao Rui was furious and angry that no one could resist Ma Su, an old minister suddenly stood up.
Cao Rui subconsciously looked up and saw that it was Jiang Ji, a veteran of three dynasties.
"I wonder if you have any good ideas, please?" Cao Rui raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Jiang Ji and asked.
"Your Majesty, although Ma Su is good at fighting, his courage in charging into battle is just that of a man. Even if he can conquer the entire Yingchuan, the real threat is not high."
Jiang Ji calmly cupped his hands to Cao Rui and spoke softly.
"Whether it's Zhuge Liang from the northwest or Ma Di from Nanyang, their military power can be resisted by just holding on. No matter how hard they fight, they can't be more brave than an ordinary man. In my opinion, if you want to defeat them, your majesty has neglected one person."
"Who is it?" Cao Rui looked at Jiang Ji with bright eyes and asked quickly.
"Sun Quan." Jiang Ji said calmly.
Jiang Ji's words instantly awakened Cao Rui, and also made many civil and military officials suddenly realize.
This year was the 11th year of Jianxing. Shu Han and Soochow took the initiative to invade with large armies. Especially some time ago, Soochow and Shu Han cooperated in fighting in Runan and Lujiang respectively, which made most Cao Wei civil and military officials subconsciously regard them as one.
But when Jiang Ji brought it up, everyone remembered that our King of Wei and Wu was not a creature in the pool.
The Shu Han can now send a large number of troops to Guanzhong and Nanyang. The most capable Zhuge Liang and Ma Di dare to press so far because they have no worries.
They are backed by Yizhou and Yongliang, the land of abundance, and their internal conflicts have been almost resolved, so Ma Su can fly without fear.
"So what Jiang Aiqing means..." Cao Rui looked at Jiang Ji, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he still insisted on asking.
"Has your Majesty forgotten how Guan Yu died ten years ago in Nanyang and as General of Western Shu?" Jiang Ji bowed again, looked straight, and spoke to Cao Rui.
"Guan Yu and Ma Su are the same people. They are both proud and bold, leaving no escape route for themselves. If your Majesty sends out a large army to confront Ma Su in Yingchuan, but not to fight with him, it will only delay."
"Then he sent an envoy to Soochow to persuade Sun Quan to attack Ma Di together. When Wu soldiers attack him, Ma Di will definitely panic and run away. By then, your Majesty will lead an army to pursue him, and he will definitely be able to defeat him in a single battle."
"You know, the Prime Minister of Western Shu, Zhuge Liang, is currently stationed in the military pass, which is thousands of miles away from Nanyang..."
Jiang Ji didn't say everything, but Cao Rui also understood his specific plan.
It was basically the same as Guan Yu's death in the past, and he teamed up with Soochow to attack Ma Di. At this moment, Zhuge Liang was far away in Guanzhong, beyond his reach. By the time he received the news and led the army to rush for reinforcements, Ma Su would probably have been defeated.
Even with good luck, Ma Su died at the hands of Soochow, and it was even possible to transfer the hatred of Shu Han to Soochow again. By then, the second and third sons will fight again, and Cao Wei can still reap the benefits.
Jiang Ji's train of thought reminded Cao Rui, why did he have to fight Ma Di head-on? So what if he can hit him? If we drag him from the front and try to destroy his rear, wouldn't we still be able to kill him?
When Chu and Han were fighting, didn't Xiang Yuniu die at the hands of the rogue Liu Bang in the end?
Since he can fight, let's just not go head-to-head with him. Fighting with him for logistics, fighting for family resources, trying to find ways to isolate him diplomatically, it will be useless no matter how hard you fight.
However, Jiang Ji gave this suggestion, but Cao Rui still felt it was difficult after thinking about it.
"However, the army of Soochow is now surrounding Hefei and has been resisting our army for a long time. Under such circumstances, even if I am willing to talk to Soochow, Sun Quan will not be willing, right?"
"Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty forgot his righteousness when he saw small profits. Why should he be afraid of a short-sighted person?" Jiang Ji shook his head gently and said calmly.
"Your Majesty can send a general to lead a large army to aid Hefei. Regardless of the ferocity of Soochow, as soon as our army arrives, Sun Quan will definitely be frightened and leave, and he will not dare to fight with our army."
"At that time, the Soochow army besieged Hefei but returned without success, and the Western Shu army became more powerful, which Sun Quan would definitely be afraid of. After all, when it comes to personal feuds, there is a blood feud between Soochow and Western Shu, and Western Shu will not forget the past feud with Guan Yu. .”
"At that time, Your Majesty will send for peace talks and use Hefei as a lure to win over Sun Quan to jointly attack Shu. As long as Ma Su dies, the two small countries of Western Shu and Eastern Wu will not be a concern!"
Jiang Ji's well-founded arguments quickly made Cao Rui's eyes light up. This is much better than what Sima Yi and his ilk said about the situation: "Ma Su has great ambition but little talent, and good soldiers are invincible."
At least in terms of military strength, sending 100,000 troops to Hefei can scare away Soochow. However, if a hundred thousand troops were sent to the front line of Yingchuan, it might not be enough to contain Ma Di.
The only thing that Cao Rui found hard to accept was that Jiang Ji offered Hefei in exchange for Sun Quan sending troops. This price was a bit too high, but then Cao Rui thought about it, if he could kill Ma Su with Hefei, it seemed to be quite profitable.
And who says you have to give if you promise, Cao Rui is not the face-saving father he is. Cao Rui even began to think about how to hack Sun Quan's Hefei.
At this moment, Ma Su's army is backed by Nanyang, and the main force is basically all in the north. If Cao Ruineng can practice with Soochow again, it seems that it is not impossible to destroy Ma Su.
So Cao Rui, who had pondered for a long time, basically confirmed Jiang Ji's idea. But even so, Cao Rui still asked worriedly,
"But what if Soochow did not succeed in the sneak attack and Ma Su successfully retreated to Nanyang?"
"Your Majesty, at that time, there was a conflict between Soochow and Shu Han. For us... at least Yingchuan is worry-free."
Jiang Ji's last words finally convinced Cao Rui.
This incident can mainly convince Sun Quan that no matter whether Soochow can succeed in the sneak attack, it will not be a loss for himself.
Even if Soochow did not successfully backstab like Guan Yu, Ma Su would have to withdraw from Yingchuan and rush to the south due to pressure from the rear. Moreover, Soochow and the Shu Han will also become enmity over this. No matter how much the Shu Han thinks about the Northern Expedition, they will never dare to ignore it like they do now.
Sun Quan will become the most important force in this game.
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Just when Cao Rui made up his mind to mobilize his army to Hefei to drive away Sun Quan, another army of soldiers and horses from Wudang, west of Nanyang, came down the river and entered Nanyang.
The leading general stood on the bow of the ship, his eyes looking towards Nanyang filled with vicissitudes of life.
"I've been away for more than ten years. I never expected that we would come back in my lifetime!"
"General Wenchang, now is not the time to sigh. We must go to Wancheng as soon as possible to join General Zhengbei."
At this time, an old acquaintance appeared next to Wei Yan and reminded him. This person is none other than Ma Dai, the treasure of Wei Yan.
"Don't worry, I know how to deal with important matters." Wei Yan was disturbed and was a little dissatisfied. He waved his hands speechlessly and said.
"To be honest, that kid Ma Su may not even need my support. From what I know about him, maybe he has already fought from Kunyang to Yingchuan."