Chapter 559 Give it a try
Chen Qun's attitude was very clear. It was impossible to defeat Ma Su, so he should give up this idea as soon as possible.
It is better to take advantage of the fact that Cao Wei still has many talents and strategic depth that can take charge of its own affairs, and compete with Xi Shu in national power as much as possible. Otherwise, if you really dare to fight Ma Su head-on, there is a high probability that you will have no chance of victory except to support Ma Su to death.
Although this may not be a way to win...
"Then what if the Shu army marches all the way from Hedong into Bingzhou, causing Bingzhou to be insecure?" Cao Rui frowned and asked thoughtfully.
What Chen Qun said is indeed good, but the problem is that Bingzhou is too important now. Once Shangdang was captured by Ma Su, the only barrier between the Shu army and Yecheng was the Taihang Mountains.
It had only been three years since Cao Rui moved the capital, and he didn't want to be forced to move the capital again. If it comes to that point, the authority of the Cao Wei court will be severely damaged, and whether the Central Plains can still control it is a question.
"Your Majesty, Bingzhou is not that easy to fall. You don't have to be so nervous." Chen Qun shook his head and calmly explained to Cao Rui.
"What's more, even if the entire Bingzhou falls, there will still be Black Mountain blocking the way. This natural barrier is not as weak as imagined. Your Majesty, please relax."
The Black Mountains are the Taihang Mountains. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Black Mountain Bandits gave birth to the largest bandit in the Han Dynasty, the Black Mountain Bandits.
The terrain in this mountainous area is difficult, and there are only a few passable wells on the left and right. Even if the Shu army really invaded Shangdang, it would be extremely difficult for them to cross the Black Mountains.
Of course, the most important thing is that there is no point in rushing about this matter. In front of Ma Su, sending 100,000 people to resist is about the same as sending 50,000 people to resist. Anyway, you can't defeat him.
It is better to use these forces to gain advantages on other fronts as much as possible, at least not to gain nothing.
Chen Qun's suggestion made Cao Rui hesitate for a moment, and he began to seriously think about Sikong's suggestion.
From a military perspective, what Chen Qun said was not wrong. Continuing to reinforce Bingzhou was obviously not a rational choice. But every time Cao Rui wanted to agree, he would think of the scene when Ma Di came to Luoyang City three years ago.
At that time, Ma Su only showed his face under Luoyang City and did not make any substantive measures. But the big and small wealthy families in Luoyang had already begun to take sides, and their influence has not dissipated to this day.
Cao Rui could not imagine how much impact Ma Di would have on the whole country if he came to Yecheng again...
"No! I think we still have to reinforce Bingzhou!" In the end, Cao Rui chose to refuse to adopt Chen Qun's opinion.
"Nanyang needs to be attacked, Guanzhong needs to be attacked, but Bingzhou also needs support! We, the Wei Dynasty, have hundreds of thousands of armored men, so we can still get through with such a small force!"
"Your Majesty!" Chen Qun's turbid eyes were filled with astonishment, but he still planned to persuade him. But Cao Rui was determined and refused to accept whatever Chen Qun said.
As a result, Chen Qun passed out directly in the court after trying to persuade her to no avail!
"Quick! Call the imperial doctor! Rescue Chen Sikong!"
For a moment, Cao Wei Chaotang was once again in a state of turmoil...
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While Cao Wei was in a state of panic, the Han army also began to attack Anyi City.
Hedong County is basically all plains, and there is basically no danger to defend. Even Anyi, the seat of government, is a small city with little ability to defend against large armies.
So when Ma Su led his army to Anyi City, Wang Jing quickly abandoned the city and left without resisting for two days. The Han army successfully took over Anyi, captured the entire territory of Hedong County, and successfully established a foothold on the east bank of the Yellow River.
Of course, it is not enough to just gain a firm foothold. Ma Su's goal is to occupy at least half of Bingzhou to prepare for the next step into the Central Plains. So after resting for a few days, the Han army continued to march north, preparing to invade Bingzhou in one go.
However, just north of Hedong County and on the south bank of Fen River, Ma Su encountered a natural barrier called Emei Heaven and Earth.
I won’t go into details about how dangerous this mesa is. All you need to know is that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a man built a city here called Yubi.
That's right, it's the Yubi City known as Gao Huan Happy City!
It can be said that it is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the terrain is so steep that even Ma Di was helpless when he came. Because it was so steep, Ma Su had nowhere to climb even if he wanted to climb up.
Wang Jing also deployed a total of 10,000 troops here to garrison on the Emei Platform. He himself is personally stationed here, leading the troops to block the Fenshui logistics line.
Historically, it was here that Gao Huan suffered a bloody head injury. Even if there is no jade city at the moment, it will not be easy to defeat it. Especially now that most of Ma Su's subordinates are Hu soldiers, it is even more difficult.
However, just when Wang Jing was confidently preparing to wait for the Han army to bleed blood under the city, he found that the Han army did not even look at him. The 30,000-strong army crossed the Emei Terrace and headed straight to Pingyang County in the north. And go!
"What's going on? Does Ma Su not want the food road?" Wang Jing was stunned when he saw this situation. He didn't expect that the Han army would directly bypass this place.
Is Ma Su crazy? Doesn't he plan to ask for logistical food channels? You must know that the Emei Terrace is here, and it is impossible for the Shu army's food route to be smooth.
"Provincial Governor, they are heading towards Pingyang County, what should we do?" Wang Jing's generals quickly asked him for advice.
"Of course we are defending to the death. Ma Su is seeking his own death. Do we need to stop him?" Wang Jing snorted coldly and said through gritted teeth.
"The whole army is guarding this place! Anyway, we have enough food and fodder, and we can spend a year with the Shu army! I don't believe it. No matter how hard Ma Su can fight, can he still conjure food and fodder out of thin air?"
Forced by Ma Su's reputation and confident in the importance of Emei Platform, Wang Jing chose to stand still. At the same time, he sent someone to write a letter back to Pingyang County, instructing Lu Zhi to actively defend and starve the Shu army to death in the Hedong area!
It is true that Ma Su could not conjure grain out of thin air. If he had been relying on the Fen River to transport grain, his nearly 30,000 people would have to starve to death in the east of the river.
But who said that when going from Hexi to Hedong, one must take Pujin and cross the Fen River to maintain the grain route?
In the northernmost part of Hexi, there is another Longmen Crossing. Where can we directly enter Xihe County, connect with Taiyuan, and maintain the Han army's food route all the way south?
But before that, the Han army must first capture Pingyang County. If Pingyang County cannot be reached, then the assumption of maintaining logistics through Longmen Crossing will not be established.
This was a very risky move, but there was nothing Ma Su could do. He could not be like Gao Huan in history, who foolishly attacked the Emei Terrace.
That would probably wipe out all the 30,000 people, and they might not be able to get down to the Emei Terrace.
Therefore, Ma Su directly expressed his willingness to give it a go. The army only carried ten days of food, quickly bypassed the Emei Platform, and headed north to capture Pingyang County.