Since Shu Han fell into a dangerous situation, Zhuge Liang has always cherished the long-cherished wish of reviving the Han family. After years of preparation and accumulation, he finally mobilized the largest Shu Han army in history for the Northern Expedition in 234. This battle is known as "the rise and fall of the Han dynasty and another move", which shows its importance.
The Shu army sent more than 100,000 troops, adopted an unprecedented large-scale march operation, marched north along the special Bao slope road, and creatively adopted transportation methods such as flowing horses to ensure the supply of grain and grass for the army. At the same time, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu also launched a large-scale attack, putting Cao Wei in a passive situation of being attacked on three sides.
In the face of the sudden huge crisis, what kind of response did Cao Ei take? How will Sima Yi act? What kind of showdown will the two sides play out next? What will be the final outcome of this battle? Let's keep up with the historical facts and discuss this crucial battle of the "rise and fall of the Han Dynasty".
1. Shu Han Iron Bucket Array: Zhuge Liang put a long line to catch big fish
The national strength of Shu Han gradually declined, but Zhuge Liang did not give up. As a generation of famous ministers, he unswervingly wants to complete the will of the ancestor Yiling and restore the Han Dynasty. To this end, he spent several years, meticulous planning, and all his efforts.
The small people of Shu Han are tired, and it is impossible for them to fight with Cao Weili. Zhuge Liang knew this well, so he chose an intriguing path. He first strictly imposed military discipline, selected elite divisions from all over the country, and carefully trained them in Hanzhong, making them an iron-cast division. At the same time, the countryside was reclaimed in Hanzhong City, and a large amount of military rations were stored to prepare for the Eastern Expedition.
More importantly, Zhuge Liang ordered people to repair the Baoxian Avenue leading from Hanzhong to Guanzhong. The Bao Slope Road runs from Hanshui in the south to Weishui in the north, and is a very secret and extremely difficult path. Since ancient times, this road has rarely been visited, and no army has marched from here. But Zhuge Liang had a unique eye and found that this route was surprisingly successful and could provide excellent cover for the march into Guanzhong. Therefore, he sent a large number of people to completely renovate the road over several years. Not only that, in order to improve logistics and supply, he also creatively designed new methods such as the transportation of flowing horses, which fundamentally solved the problem of grain and grass between the Shu army and Sichuan and Shaanxi for a long time.
After everything was ready, Zhuge Liang personally commanded the army and secretly went north from the Baochuan Road. In order to contain Cao Wei's main force, he also urged Sun Quan to launch a large-scale northern expedition and contain Cao Wei on all lines of the Central Plains. Cao Jun realized that he had fallen deeply into Zhuge Liang's iron bucket array. Shu Han is solid and powerful, and suddenly launched a general attack on Guanzhong, trying to take this important place that controls the throat of the Central Plains in one fell swoop. This is undoubtedly the most serious crisis that Cao Wei has encountered since its establishment!
2. Cao Wei's countermeasures: The Central Army divided its troops to respond to the battle
The sudden rise of Zhuge Liang's iron bucket array really put Cao Wei in an unprecedented crisis. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, although Cao Wei has had external troubles, he has never encountered such severe internal and external troubles. However, at the moment of crisis, Cao Rong showed outstanding commanding talent.
In the face of the pressure of the main force of Shu Han, Cao Rong first personally commanded the army of the Central Army, pointed directly at the main force of Eastern Wu, and tried to solve this front as soon as possible. At the same time, he ordered Qin Lang, the general of the clan, to lead more than 10,000 elite divisions to gallop under the stars and reinforce Sima Yi in Guanzhong. Qin Lang recently led the army to break Xianbei, and he was a rare and valuable brave general in Cao Wei's army at that time. With him guarding the western front, Cao Wei could avoid being smashed by Zhuge Liang's iron cavalry team.
At the same time, Sima Yi also stepped up defense in Guanzhong. As a generation of famous generals, Sima Yi knows the key to this battle. Therefore, he spared no effort to strengthen the defense of the Guanlong area, repaired canals and accumulated grain, and lasted for a long time. What's more critical is that he carefully trained a Praetorian Guard composed of elite soldiers and strong generals, waiting for the time to move, just waiting for Zhuge Liang's arrival.
In the face of the large number of generals in Shu Han, Cao Rong also made proper arrangements and strategized up and down. On the Eastern Front, he personally commanded the army and tried to quickly defeat Sun Quan; On the western front, Qin Lang was reinforced by Rui Division, and Sima Yi surrounded Zhuge Liang. In this way, although Zhuge Liang's iron bucket array was huge, it was also attacked by Cao Wei's upper and lower hearts, left and right, and was gradually contained in the attack.
The two sides are already tense and equal in Guanzhong. What made Cao Wei even more frightened was that at this critical juncture, Zhuge Liang offered another brilliant plan.
Third, the Shu Han soldiers are in sight
Although the Shu Han army gathered in the Bao Slope Road, Zhuge Liang had another plan in his heart. In order to have an absolute advantage in the battle of Guanzhong, he quietly laid out a brilliant strategy.
Since coming out of Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang has ordered people to open up a top-secret road - Suiyang Trail. This trail is located in the northwest of the slope road, and the path is hidden and narrow, allowing only one person and one horse to pass. If you are not a top master, it is difficult to find its traces. However, this small hidden path will play a key role in the Battle of Guanzhong.
Zhuge Liang deployed like this: he ordered Liu Feng, Zhang Jia, Fei Yi and others to lead tens of thousands of troops, divide them into several roads, and quietly go north along the Suiyang Trail. These soldiers and horses are all elite sharp knives in the Shu army, all of them have experienced a hundred battles, and they are very brave. They took off the unified name of the Shu army, changed into ordinary civilian clothes, and some even dressed up as savages to hide people's eyes and ears. Along the way, they dodged checkpoints, ambushed valleys, and stalked like ghosts on the Suiyang Trail.
With the change of the sun and the moon, this mysterious Shu army went farther and farther, and finally gradually approached the hinterland of Guanzhong. During this period, they sometimes encountered Cao Wei's checkpoints, but with their superb concealment skills, they were always able to turn evil into good fortune, and they were never discovered by Cao Jun. Until one day, the most cutting-edge outpost finally realized the abnormality and reported that the military town in Guanzhong was suspected of being overwhelmed by heavy troops.
This news was like a thunderbolt from the blue, casting a thunderbolt in Cao Weijun's heart. Sima Yi was furious, personally supervised the preparation for battle, and sent Zhang He, the world's first brave general, to lead the elite army to the front line, vowing to destroy this cunning Shu army.
However, when Zhang He killed all the way to the Suiyang Trail, there was no trace of the horse, and there was nowhere to be found. Only then did I find that Zhuge Liang's strange army was already in sight, and they had already crossed the sea and went straight to the inland of Guanzhong!
Fourth, Cao Wei's Jedi counterattack plan
Seeing that the soldiers of Shu Han had penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Guanzhong camp, Cao Wei was shocked. This cunning iron cavalry detachment actually relied on a hidden path to cross the sea and smash the Yellow Dragon! If you can't even prevent this, then how can you resist Zhuge Liang's main army?
Faced with a sudden major change, Sima Yi was furious. As a generation of famous generals, he asked himself how he could be so deceived by Zhuge Liang after being invincible countless times? At that moment, he personally led the army to find the traces of the strange soldiers of the Shu army.
However, where did the odd soldier go? If you continue to look for it, I am afraid that you will only fall into Zhuge Liang's trap. After repeated investigations, Sima Yi finally found the clue. It turned out that Zhuge Liang's strange army was not going to go deep into Guanzhong at all. They were just a decoy soldier with the aim of attracting Cao Wei's main force to attack, thus clearing the way for the main army of Shu Han!
Knowing this, Sima Yi was suddenly relieved. He immediately ordered Cao Wei to go up and down, stop chasing the strange soldiers, and just stick to the defense line in Guanzhong. At the same time, he secretly deployed a Jedi counterattack.
Sima Yi locked his eyes on this strange soldier of the Shu army. He originally wanted to send Zhang He to fight in person, but after thinking about it, although Zhang He was brave, he was easy to act rashly. So he changed his choice and sent a veteran Cao Hong to lead the attack.
Cao Hong has always been cautious and low-key. Under the deployment of Sima Yi, he quietly mobilized his troops and went straight to the location of the Shu army. At the same time, there were several Cao Wei rangers outflanked and laid an elaborate ambush.
Just when the strange soldiers of the Shu army relaxed their vigilance and prepared to retreat, Cao Hong suddenly launched a fierce attack in person! The two sides fell into a fierce white-knuckle battle in a small village in the corner of Guanzhong. Cao Jun is like a wolf and a tiger, although there are not many people, but his martial arts are exquisite. Soon, the Shu army was in a predicament.
At this moment, the flank ambush soldiers also moved and pursued the victory! The strange soldiers of the Shu army finally couldn't escape death, and the whole army was wiped out!
As soon as this battle came out, it was Cao Wei who turned defeat into victory. Sima Yi was overjoyed when he heard the news, and immediately took this opportunity to dispatch the Central Army to deploy from the periphery of Guanzhong in a roundabout way, waiting for the arrival of the main army of Shu Han. However, no one could have imagined that this was just an appetizer. An even more tragic decisive battle is still ahead!
Fifth, the decisive battle on the shore of Weishui
Although the strange soldiers of the Shu army suffered heavy losses, Zhuge Liang's main army was already on the way. With the passage of time, the Shu Han army gradually approached, and finally arrived at the Weishui River at the north mouth of the Baochuan Road.
It was once a scorched earth battlefield many years ago, but now it will once again be a thrilling decisive battle. The armies of both sides have finally been mobilized and are ready to launch a general attack at this key point on the banks of Weishui.
Zhuge Liang commanded the main force of the Shu army, assembled and deployed on the Weishui side, and the formation had been in formation for a long time. On the Cao Wei side, Sima Yi personally commanded the army of the Central Army, united with Qin Lang Sasuke, and scouted the forward. The two sides are in a huge formation, the momentum is like a rainbow, the flag is waving, the iron rides phosphorus, and stands across the Weishui River.
Just when the soldiers on both sides were gearing up and secretly gathering momentum, a cannon shot pierced the night sky, and the battle of Weishui suddenly began!
The arrows and stones of the two armies covered the sky and the sun, and they flew all over the sky. Zhuge Liang personally manipulated the army, strategized, and commanded. He ordered the vanguard to advance to the crossing in an attempt to capture the bridgehead. The Cao army did not fall behind, and the elite troops reacted quickly and fought fiercely with the Shu army in Weishui.
The two sides went back and forth, and when the battle was at its most intense, the Shu army pursued the victory, and finally broke out of the siege and conquered the bridgehead. Cao Jun was a million-strong teacher, and then they swarmed up, connecting mountains and rivers, like copper walls and iron walls. The two armies gradually launched a large-scale positional offensive and defensive battle on the bank of Weishui!
Zhuge Liang personally commanded the main army, and ordered 100,000 heavy steps to wait for the opportunity, trying to break through the defense line of Cao's army in one fell swoop. And Sima Yi was waiting in the rear, pro-unifying the elite of the Central Army's Praetorian Guards, always controlling the rhythm of the battle.
Just when the two sides were tense and about to fall into a stalemate, Cao Wei's forbidden army suddenly discovered that a mysterious army had been outflanked from the flank, like a mad tiger! It turned out that it was Zhuge Liang's fire support troops from the deep Suiyang Trail who had finally arrived! Cao Jun was too late to take it and was fighting fiercely with it. At this time, Zhuge Liang's main force also took the opportunity to launch a general attack and attacked Cao Wei's main position!
end
From this moment on, the battle of Weishui has entered the most critical white-hot stage. The two sides entered a desperate struggle, and the entire Weishui River Valley was covered with clouds and artillery fire!