The time mystery behind Zhuge Liang's Third Northern Expedition and the strategic significance of the two counties of Wudu Yinping to Shu Han are a little-known historical detail. However, after careful play, I found that it contained the wisdom of the prime minister's foresight in using soldiers, as well as the hardships of Shu Han in seeking survival in a dangerous situation. How did the prime minister arrange the military horses, so that Guo Huai, the general of the Wei army, was careless in losing Jingzhou and was captured in the Wudu Yinping? Where is the second county of Wudu Yinping located, and what does it mean for Shu Han? And how did the Shu Han regime survive the crisis in a difficult period? Let's unravel this final mystery one by one.
First, the opposite kills Wang Shuang to lay the foundation for victory
Zhuge Liang did not give up after the defeat of the Second Northern Expedition to Chencang. In the process of withdrawing troops, he temporarily dispatched troops and waited for an opportunity to counterattack the Wei army. At that time, Cao Wei's general Wang Shuang led the elite cavalry to pursue, and Zhuge Liang took advantage of the situation to take Wang Shuang's troops by surprise and hit Wang Shuang's troops in ambush. This battle not only thwarted the Wei army's attack, but more importantly, it troubled the Cao Wei army and dispelled their desire to continue the pursuit.
This seemingly small encounter is actually a big chess piece carefully arranged by the prime minister. Zhuge Liang knew that the Shu Han army was weak and the foundation was unstable, and if it was defeated and retreated, it would definitely lose morale. Therefore, when he withdrew his troops, he deliberately set a trap to defeat Wang's double cavalry, so as to establish the morale of the army and build momentum for the next move. Sure enough, this victory boosted the confidence of the soldiers and made them rely heavily on the prime minister's command.
After withdrawing his troops back to Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang did not stop there. He knew that although Shu was dangerous, it was a land of attack after all, and he could not be outside the world forever. Therefore, the prime minister decided to continue the Northern Expedition and smash Huanglong, which was a shame. He first ordered Chen Shi to go to Yinping, the capital of Wu, to open the way for the main force. Unexpectedly, when Guo Huai of the Wei army heard the news, he also led the crowd to come to reinforcements.
Second, Wudu Yinping made the throat of the Han and Wei dynasties
Wudu Yinping Second County, located in the western part of present-day Gansu Province, is located in a narrow strip of land between the Qinling Mountains and Liupan Mountain. Since ancient times, it has been an important passage between the Yellow River Basin and the Guanzhong Corridor, and is of great strategic significance for attacking the northwest or defending against foreign invasion of Guanzhong.
These two counties are bordered by Hanzhong in the east and Qishan Pass in the west, and they are the only way for the Shu Han army to march north to Xiangyang. Historically, during Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, he briefly controlled the Wudu Yinping, but had to give up after the defeat of Jieting. Being able to conquer these two counties this time can be described as a turnaround strategy.
Once they took control of the Wudu Yinping, the Shu army would be able to effectively cut off the Wei army's passage south from the Qishan Pass, blocking the choke point for their invasion of Hanzhong. At the same time, it also cleared the obstacles for the future large-scale Northern Expedition, and it could directly reach Longxi from Wudu, saving a lot of grain, grass and troops. More importantly, Wudu Yinping was connected to Hanzhong in the east, forming a complete line of defense, completely eliminating the hidden danger of the defense area being cut off.
Just when Zhuge Liang sent troops to attack the Wudu Yinping, the Wei army also quickly sent Guo Huai, the assassin of Yongzhou, to come to reinforcements. As a generation of famous generals, Guo Huai has always been arrogant and arrogant, and he thinks very highly of himself. He led a large army to the south, trying to kill the Chen-style attacking forces in one fell swoop.
However, just when Guo Huaibing was in the city and sharpened his sword, Zhuge Liang actually appeared in the nearby Jianwei City in person. Seeing that the prime minister's main force was in front of him, Guo Huai suddenly became timid. He knew that he was surrounded by Zhuge Liang in the street pavilion last time and almost lost his life, so how dare he act rashly at this time. So he had to retreat in embarrassment and let the Shu army sweep away the Wudu Yinping.
3. The movement war of the new system of defense of Shu and Han
After the victory of the Third Northern Expedition, the two counties of Wudu Yinping were firmly controlled by the Shu Han army, and since then the first line of Hanzhong County, Wudu County, and Yinping County has been connected as a whole, and the northern defense area of Shu Han is finally no longer a fragmented trend interrupted in mid-air. However, Zhuge Liang did not stop there, he realized that defense is important, but it also needs an effective system to consolidate the foundation.
So, after the victory of Wudu Yinping, the prime minister began to repair the fortifications of Hanzhong. He used the concept of sports warfare to lead the construction of two large military camp cities in Seoul and Leseong. Seoul was garrisoned in the area of present-day Mianxian County, Shaanxi, and was responsible for dealing with the enemy forces invading from Qishan Road, Chencang Road, and Baochuan Road; Lecheng was built near present-day Chenggu County, Shaanxi, and its duty was to defend against Cao Wei's army from Fu Luo Road, Meridian Road, and the three eastern counties.
At the same time, the prime minister also formulated a set of operational regulations to deal with unexpected situations, stipulating that after hearing the order of beating drums and five links, it was necessary to set up a yellow and white circular formation and be prepared for the enemy on three sides. The second city of Hanle is only the base camp of the Shu army, and there will not be a large number of troops stationed in peacetime, but once the enemy invades from any direction, it can quickly assemble the main force to attack, thus reducing the burden of defense on the main roads.
This defense system quickly paid off. In 228 AD, Cao Shuang's army invaded Guanzhong from the Bao Slope Road, and after the Shu general Wang Ping learned about it, he led his troops from Lecheng to meet it. The two sides met in Luogu, and a brutal decisive battle broke out, and finally Wang Ping gathered with archers, completely annihilated 20,000 iron cavalry under Cao Shuang's command, and won a great victory through the ages. This battle not only saved Hanzhong, the base camp of Guanzhong, but also proved that the prime minister's military deployment was indeed effective.
Fourth, Sun and Wu's alliance considerations are on a higher level
After the Battle of Wudu Yinping, Zhuge Liang did not stop there. As a generation of soldiers, he clearly realized that although Shu Han was small, the struggle for survival in the cracks was endless. Therefore, it is necessary to look further and higher strategically.
When Liu Bei formed an alliance with Sun Quan, he swore an oath to "drive out the traitors and let the world go". Now that the dictatorship of the Wei State is becoming more and more rampant, trampling on etiquette and righteousness, and breaking the covenant, it is the real traitor. Coupled with the growing threat of Sun-Wu's wanton expansion of the Wei state, it seemed that the time had come to form an alliance with Sun-Wu against the Wei state.
At this opportunity, Zhuge Liang secretly sent the debater Chen Zhen to Wu to discuss the alliance plan. Chen Zhen acted in a good way, and when the time was ripe, he put his heart in his heart, hit the nail on the head, and explained to Sun Quan the benefits of forming an alliance. He pointed out that it is an indisputable fact that the Three Kingdoms are now prosperous and Wei is strong, but if Wei continues to step up its conquest, sooner or later it will point the finger at Wu, which is threatened by it. At that time, Wu Guo will be attacked by the enemy and will be struggling.
"However, the lord will serve the will, supervise the civil and military, and work together with Shu to defend Zuo Yongquan. Chen Zhen said. Sure enough, Sun Quan was influenced by it, officially established himself as emperor in 229 AD, and sent an envoy to Shu Han to ask for an alliance. The two sides negotiated a treaty with the main purpose of dividing the territory of Cao Wei, but did not put much effort into the specific boundary line. After all, the situation was confusing at the time, and it was difficult to predict what would happen in the end.
However, in any case, this alliance has injected new impetus into Shu Han, and also allowed Zhuge Liang to regain confidence in the eventual victory over Wei. Although the content of the covenant is still too crude, it is a great victory to be able to join hands with Sun Wu to fight the enemy at the moment. With a solid backing, Shu Han will be able to survive tenaciously in the crisis of life and death, and finally realize the long-cherished wish of reviving the Central Plains.
Fifth, Shu Han insisted on consciousness in difficulty
Although the alliance between Sun and Wu gave Shu Han a glimmer of life, Zhuge Liang knew that this was only an expedient solution to the urgent need, and it was far from a permanent solution. After all, the disparity in strength between the two sides is too great, and Wu Guo is more blindly dependent on Shu Han. To truly turn things around, only our own continuous growth is the fundamental way out.
When Liu Bei was conquering Sichuan and Shu, he once said to his relatives and friends with pride: "There is no common sense in the world, but those who work hard win." This is the motto of Shu Han, and it is also the concept that Zhuge Liang has been upholding for more than ten years. In the difficult years, he never blindly indulged in temporary victories, let alone be crushed by temporary setbacks. On the contrary, he always maintained a tenacious fighting spirit, step by step, and steadily.
Although the battle of Wudu Yinping achieved major results, the prime minister did not stop there. He knew very well that this was just the beginning, and there was still more work to be done to truly consolidate the strategic situation of Shu Han in the northwest. So in the following days, he spared no effort to strengthen the defense facilities in Hanzhong, Wudu, and Yinping, and at the same time built a large number of buildings in nearby Liaohua, Fengdu and other places, so as to form an impregnable fortress.
At the same time, Zhuge Liang also vigorously rectified military discipline and strictly trained soldiers. Whenever they were stationed, they had to cultivate the fields and farm to supply the military supplies, thus reducing the logistical pressure. At the same time, military education was also established to train a new generation of military talents, so as to prepare for the future Northern Expedition to strengthen its strength. Although the territory of Shu Han is small, Zhuge Liang always adheres to the fighting spirit of conquering everything, and his strategic vision has always been very far.
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It is with this indomitable spirit that Shu Han was able to survive the difficult years, otherwise it would be difficult to survive the later Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Qishan. Although Shu Han was finally destroyed, that kind of unswerving fighting spirit has been engraved on the monument of history and shines brightly.