flstandardbreds Chapter 147 Cao Cao wants to perish together with Liu Bei?
Chapter 147 Cao Cao wants to perish together with Liu Bei?
Liu Ye was stunned by Cao Cao's wild idea and stood there for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, this is too risky."
"First of all, there are several routes from Hanzhong to Guanzhong. How can Your Majesty guarantee that Liu Bei will go to Longxi instead of following Han Xin's example and heading straight for Guanzhong?"
"Furthermore, if you want to lure the big-eared bandit into your trap, why not use Chang'an as bait directly, instead of going to the trouble of leading him to Longxi?"
“Longxi is too far from Chang’an and its terrain is too high. Since ancient times, it has been a strategic stronghold that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. When Emperor Guangwu pacified the world, he led his army westward with great victories, but it took him several years to quell Wei Xiao, who was entrenched in Longxi. This shows how difficult the westward expedition was.”
"The current strength of the imperial court is far inferior to that of Emperor Guangwu, while Liu Bei is much stronger than Wei Xiao. It is easy to give up Longxi, but it will be difficult to get it back from the big-eared bandit. You should know that Longxi still contains the warhorses that the big-eared bandit wants most."
There are five roads leading from Hanzhong to Guanzhong. From west to east, they are Qishan Road leading to Shanggui, Chencang Road leading to Chencang, Baoxie Road leading to Meixian, Tangluo Road leading to Wugong, and Ziwu Road leading directly to Chang'an.
In theory, apart from the Qishan Road which requires a detour, the other four roads can lead directly to Guanzhong.
If Liu Bei had entered Guanzhong directly via the Chencang Road or the Baoxie Road, the Wei army would have been able to easily defeat him once they saw through his plot.
However, if Liu Bei is forced into Qishan Road and allowed to enter Longxi, and with the assistance of the mighty general Ma Chao, Liu Bei will be even more difficult to deal with than Kui Xiao was back then.
At that time, not only will the Wei army be unable to recover Longxi in a short period of time, but it may also provide the "Big Ear Bandit" with a springboard to attack Guanzhong, allowing him to keep an eye on Chang'an at all times. This is simply playing with fire.
Was Cao Cao out of his mind or did he suffer another bout of headache? How could he come up with such a foolish move?
Cao Cao said, "Your question is also my concern. Let's answer it one by one."
"It's simple to force Liu Bei into Qishan Road. Just send a large-scale reinforcement of troops to Chencang and Meixian, so that Liu Bei sees no hope of breaking through the blockade and entering Guanzhong in the short term. He will naturally go to Qishan and enter Longxi. As you just said, Longxi is a strategic location. Liu Bei has no reason not to take it."
"Secondly, why not use Chang'an as bait, but instead choose Longxi, which is farther away? The reason is simple: we need to buy time for the attack on Hanzhong."
"Chang'an is too close to Hanzhong. If Liu Bei knows that Hanzhong has been attacked, he will definitely lead his troops back to defend it immediately, forcing us to return empty-handed. Longxi is different. It is far away and the roads are difficult to travel, which will greatly increase the time it takes for Liu Bei to receive intelligence and return to defend it, thus giving us more time to attack Hanzhong."
"After taking Hanzhong, the army will split into two routes, one heading north along the Qishan Road and the other heading west through Guanzhong. With both armies attacking at the same time, we will surely be able to surround Liu Bei in Longxi."
In this battle, Cao Cao wanted neither land, cities, nor people and resources; he simply wanted Liu Bei's life, even at the cost of dying together with Liu Bei.
He didn't have much time left, and when he died, he had to take Liu Bei with him, so that the big-eared scoundrel wouldn't remain in the world to harm his son.
As things stand, this is the only way he can kill Liu Bei.
Liu Ye shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, please think it over. First, lure Liu Bei into Longxi, and then take Hanzhong and Guanzhong to attack from both sides. This move seems perfect, but there is a prerequisite: that Hanzhong can be taken as scheduled."
"But the king also knows the terrain of Hanzhong. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the war in Hanzhong goes badly and the Shu army successfully takes Longxi, connecting Bashu, Hanzhong and Longxi into one area, Guanzhong will be in danger."
Bashu Hanzhong is a basin surrounded by mountains on all sides, much like a prison. If the Shu army wanted to get out, they had to climb to the top of the mountain like scaling a wall. Climbing the mountain was difficult enough, let alone launching an attack.
In contrast, the Wei army's defense was much simpler; they only needed to stand on the mountain and watch, and when the Shu army climbed to the top, they could just kick them down.
But Longxi is high ground. Once the Shu army takes Longxi, the situation will be reversed. At that time, the Wei army will be the one climbing the mountain, while the Shu army will be the one standing on the top and kicking it.
Thinking of that terrible situation, Liu Ye couldn't help but shudder and continued to persuade, "Your Majesty, I think it's unnecessary to risk Longxi. It would be better to force Liu Bei back to Bashu."
"First of all, although Bashu is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is also difficult to enter and exit. It is not easy for the imperial court to enter, and it is equally difficult for Liu Bei to break out."
"Secondly, although Guan Yu's successful exchange with Sun Quan allowed him to escape danger and occupy Jiangdong, it seems astonishing, but it cannot cover up the fact that Liu Bei lost Jingzhou. We have successfully separated Liu Bei and Guan Yu, causing Liu Bei to lose half of his land and population. The situation is very favorable, and there is really no need to take any risks."
"Therefore, I still suggest that we adopt a defensive posture towards Guanzhong and Longxi, and free up our resources to launch a full-scale attack on Jiangdong. If we can defeat Guan Yu and take Jiangdong, the court will have an absolute advantage and can gradually nibble away at Sun Quan and Liu Bei from east to west."
"Even if we are forced back to Jiangbei and Guan Yu and his son occupy Jiangdong, there is still Sun Quan. At that time, as long as we support Sun Quan and let him be like a nail planted in Jingzhou, we can keep Liu Bei and Guan Yu separated forever, preventing them from forming a united force and thus posing a fatal threat to us."
"Your Majesty, now that the Central Plains are unified, the Jiangnan region has been divided into three parts. We still have an absolute advantage over Liu Bei. With the situation in our favor, we only need to proceed steadily and gradually erode our strength. There is really no need to take risks. If we lose the gamble, the balance of power will be reversed."
The imperial court's focus was on the Central Plains. Seventy percent of the Han Dynasty's land and population were concentrated north of the Yangtze River, while the Jiangnan region was not fully developed, sparsely populated, and barren. It was impossible to compete with the Central Plains in terms of resources, no matter how hard one tried.
Although the Central Plains had been ravaged by war for years and the land had been severely damaged, it was still arable land. With a little cleaning, it could be cultivated and restored very easily.
Jiangnan wanted to acquire more land but could only reclaim it, which took far more time and effort than restoration.
The Central Plains already had an overwhelming advantage over the Jiangnan region in terms of resources. Jiangnan was further divided into three parts, making it even less advantageous in the face of a unified Central Plains.
In other words, Cao Cao was the kind of wealthy man who should have been playing it safe. He could have won by simply staying at home and waiting. There was no need for him to risk his life against desperate men like Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Winning would only mean getting his own benefits sooner, while losing would be even more of a loss. What was the point?
Isn't it nice to sleep at home?
Cao Cao rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Ziyang, I understand everything you're saying, but my headache is getting worse and worse. I'm afraid I won't be able to outlive that big-eared scoundrel. Do you understand what I mean?"
Liu Ye understood: Cao Cao was afraid of dying before Liu Bei, so he wanted to take Liu Bei with him when he died.
Liu Ye pondered, “Your Majesty’s foresight is beyond my ability, but Your Majesty, what if we lose? What if we fail to capture Hanzhong and Liu Bei gains Longxi instead? Have you considered the consequences?”
"The imperial court has been fighting with Liu Bei for many years, from Chibi to Hanzhong and then to Xiangfan, but it has never gained any advantage. To be honest, I am not optimistic about attacking Hanzhong, which is defended by Liu Bei."
"Moreover, the three eastern counties are located in a strategically important area with narrow roads that are not suitable for large-scale troop movements. They are also situated in the lower reaches of the Han River. What if Liu Bei blocks the Han River and floods our seven armies in a real battle?"
"If we really fail to capture Hanzhong but lose Longxi instead, then... how will the Crown Prince clean up this mess?"
These words were somewhat taboo, but Cao Cao was not angry. Instead, he closed his eyes and considered all the worst-case scenarios. After confirming that he could not bear it, he sighed helplessly, "Forget it, let's proceed with the original plan. I didn't say what I just said, and you didn't hear it either."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply, saying, "Yes..."