Looking back at history, the Three Kingdoms period is undoubtedly one of the most wonderful chapters in Chinese history. When mentioning the three-way campaign launched by Cao Pi to attack Wu, many people may ask, is this large-scale southern expedition a wise move or a rash mistake? In the third year of the Huang Dynasty in 222, why did Cao Pi choose to go south in an all-round way at this time to challenge Sun Wu?
Three Kingdoms, how many people will think of the sentence "When it comes to the general trend of the world, it will be together for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time". In 222, that is, the third year of Cao Wei's Huang Chu, Cao Pi, the king of Wei who had just sat on the throne, saw Sun Wu in the south defeat Liu Bei Yu Yiling under the leadership of Lu Xun, which made Cao Pi see an opportunity.
Cao Pi's decision was to attack Sun Wu in three ways, which was a huge momentum at the time. The east road is led by Cao Xiu and points directly to the entrance of the cave; The western route was led by Cao Zhen and besieged Jiangling; The heavy responsibility of attacking the whiskers in the middle fell on Cao Ren's shoulders. These three-way army, spanning thousands of miles, is large and powerful enough to shock any opponent.
But behind this, what is Cao Pi's intention? From a strategic point of view, Cao Pi did not blindly start a war. After the Battle of Yiling, although Sun Quan won a great victory, he was also greatly injured. Cao Pi saw the uncertain internal recovery of Wu and the increase in external threats, and thought that this was a good time to strike at Sun Quan.
Historically, there have been mixed evaluations of Cao Pi's southern expedition. Some people believe that Cao Pi should have sent troops during the Battle of Yiling, when Liu Bei and Sun Quan were in a state of confrontation, and if Cao Pi could send troops, it was entirely possible to form a flank attack on Sun Quan. But there are also opinions that Cao Pi's choice is just right, because although Sun Quan defeated Liu Bei, he also consumed a lot of money, and it was a good time to take advantage of the void.
As the war progressed, Cao Pi's military layout showed his thoughtful side. Instead of going to the front line in person, he chose to sit in Wancheng and coordinate the actions of the three-way army through remote command. This command method not only ensured the unity of strategy, but also reflected Cao Pi's calmness and wisdom as an emperor.
Sun Quan's response was equally tactful. In the face of Cao Wei's three-way army, Sun Quan quickly adjusted his strategy, and the generals of all walks of life were ready to form a solid defensive line. Especially in the battles of Dongkou and Weisu, Sun Quan's generals showed extremely high military talent and strong combat effectiveness, which caused Cao Wei's attacks to be frustrated many times.
Although this battle was an important military operation during Cao Pi's reign, it did not ultimately change the power structure of the Three Kingdoms. Although Cao Wei's three-way army was powerful, it could not completely defeat Sun Quan, and the war finally ended with Cao Wei's retreat. Does this mean that Cao Pi's southern expedition was a failure? Or did Cao Pi actually gain other types of strategic benefits in the process?
In analyzing the success or failure of this southern expedition, we have to mention Cao Pi's political strategy. With this southern expedition, Cao Pi was actually demonstrating to the whole of China his strong national power and ambitions for the south. Even if it was not completely successful, the battle was enough to strengthen Cao Wei's position among the three kingdoms, and at the same time put some psychological pressure on the other two countries.
Cao Pi also had a lot of internal policies, such as the implementation of the tuntian system and the strengthening of centralized power, which strengthened the national strength of Wei to a certain extent and provided material support and manpower support for subsequent military operations. It can be seen that Cao Pi was not simply a belligerent, and his policies and decisions showed consideration for the long-term development of the country.
No war is isolated. Although Cao Pi's southern expedition failed to win a complete victory, it did change the strategic layout of the north and the south. Sun Quan paid more attention to strengthening his alliance with Liu Bei after this battle, while Cao Wei continued to expand his power in the north, and this confrontation of forces laid the foundation for the later Three Kingdoms.
From a broader perspective, Cao Pi's southern expedition was not just a simple military operation, it was a far-reaching strategic deployment. Through this southern expedition, Cao Pi not only demonstrated his military might, but also tried to consolidate his internal rule through external expansion, which was very necessary in the political environment of the time.
In the end, although Cao Pi was unable to defeat Sun Quan outright, he gained valuable experience and lessons through the battle, both politically and militarily. These experiences played an important role in the later governance of the country, and also enabled the Wei state to maintain a certain advantage in the competition between the three kingdoms.
Although Cao Pi's three-way expedition to Wu did not fully achieve the expected military goals, it had far-reaching political and strategic implications. This battle was not only a military challenge to Sun Wu, but also a stage for Cao Pi to show his imperial ambitions and political wisdom. Through this southern expedition, Cao Pi consolidated his rule to a certain extent, and at the same time laid the groundwork for various changes in the later period of the Three Kingdoms.