Chapter 294: Old Ma, Old Ma! The most unforgettable experience

And the sky curtain continued to play.

【Zhang He led 50,000 Wei troops to come to the rescue.】

【And Ma Su was in charge of defending Jieting. 】

【Thus, Zhuge Liang's greatest regret during the Northern Expedition occurred. 】

【Zhuge Liang targeted Cao Wei's reinforcements.】

【Targeted deployment has been made.】

[It is regrettable that Ma Su, who accepted Zhuge Liang's important trust, did not follow Zhuge Liang's instructions.]

[Ma Su gave up defending the city and chose to station his troops on the southern mountain of Jieting, thinking that he was in accordance with Sun Tzu's Art of War, occupying the advantage of being high above.]

[When Zhang He led the Wei army to attack, they had to attack from the low and high sides of the hill, which would surely result in heavy losses.]

【As a result, after Zhang He arrived, he did not forcefully attack Nanshan.】

【Instead, they surrounded Ma Su and cut off the water supply. 】

[Having lost their water source, the Shu Han army soon could no longer continue to fight.]

【Zhang He took advantage of the opportunity and captured Jieting. 】

【So the Shu Han army could no longer stop the Wei army from advancing westward.】

[The situation at this moment suddenly became very unfavorable to Zhuge Liang. ]

[There are more and more Wei troops coming to support us from the front. 】

【And three counties including Tianshui nominally surrendered to Shu Han. 】

[In fact, because the time was too short, there was no time to actually control it, and it was only a theoretical surrender. ]

[As a result, the time advantage gained by using Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi as decoys was completely lost.]

【At the same time. 】

[The small force led by Zhao Yun also encountered Cao Zhen's 50,000-man army. They were outnumbered and retreated in defeat.]

[Although Zhao Yun was personally there to cover the rear, the losses of this small army were not great. ]

【But it also freed Cao Wei's main force, Cao Zhen. 】

[The situation at this time is that according to the original plan, the passage to further attack Longyou has been cut off by Zhang He and Guo Huai. ]

[At this point, it was impossible for the Han army to easily and quickly take over the entire Longyou area.]

[The real main force of Cao Wei, the 50,000 elite soldiers led by Cao Zheng, are about to arrive at the Longyou battlefield after defeating Zhao Yun.]

[Once Cao Zhen's main force arrives. ]

[The Shu Han army that penetrates deep into enemy territory will encounter unprecedented danger.]

[Faced with this passive situation, even though he was unwilling, Zhuge Liang had no choice but to face reality. ]

[After evacuating more than a thousand people from Xi County, the Shu Han army successfully retreated back to Hanzhong.]

The first Northern Expedition narrated by Tianmu ended.

When it comes to this.

The UP host who did the dubbing had a tone full of regret.

And the screen was filled with sky bullet screens.

"It's hard to accept! This is the most ambitious and the most promising one."

"This is the best chance, what a pity."

"Old Ma, Old Ma! Ma Su, Ma Su!"

"Ma Su is the new Zhao Kuo of Shu Han!"

"It's an insult to Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo was besieged for more than 40 days without food, but he was still able to organize a breakout, and Zhao Kuo was facing Bai Qi. "

"Even if Ma Su could hold out for more than 40 days like Zhao Kuo, Longyou could have been pacified."

"Lanling King: Lost on the mountain? It was just that Ma Su was a bad person, but his tactics were fine."

"Ma Su single-handedly promoted Zhang He to a position that did not belong to him."

"Replace Ma Su with the mighty general Ma Chao and kill them all in one go!"

"Isn't it Zhuge Liang's own fault? Liu Bei had already reminded him that Ma Su was overconfident and should not be used. Zhuge Liang himself was not good at judging people."

"Ma Su doesn't have enough troops, right? Even if he sets up camp on the road, he can't defeat Zhang He."

"The troops were sufficient. Zhuge Liang gave Ma Su a lot of them."

"Brother Pig still can't beat Guo Huai."

"The main reason is that the country's strength is not good enough. There are not enough soldiers. We have to defend Jieting, guard the grain route, occupy various places, and prepare for a decisive battle with Cao Wei. "

"Cao Rui is really tough this time. The new emperor personally sits in Guanzhong to stabilize the morale of the troops in various places."

"Indeed, for the weak to defeat the strong, the big country must give itself a chance. It is too difficult for a weak country to destroy a rising big country."

Outside the tent, Zhuge Liang felt a little embarrassed.

Then there was more anger!
It’s not because Ma Su was angry.

But it was Zhuge Liang who was thinking.

Ma Su is such a capable person, but I actually entrusted him with the important task of taking charge of Jieting?

What on earth were you thinking at that time?

So Zhuge Liang was actually angry at himself, and even began to doubt his own abilities.

Unfortunately.

Zhuge Liang could basically see that this first Northern Expedition might be the best opportunity.

Because for the first Northern Expedition, supplies had been accumulated over many years, and the soldiers were well-trained and had sufficient food.

This is one aspect.

On the other hand, before this Northern Expedition, we can know this based on the background.

For a long time before this Northern Expedition, Shu Han maintained a low-key national policy as a whole.

There was almost no active external warfare.

So I reduced my presence to the lowest level.

Cao Wei's defenses were also the loosest.

I’ll think about the Northern Expedition later.

Cao Wei's defense in the Guanzhong area will definitely not be as loose as this time.

Besides, the Han Dynasty had just fallen not long ago.

There is also a certain market.

During this Northern Expedition, many people were willing to recognize the Han Dynasty's name.

But after the failure of this Northern Expedition.

The influence of the Han people will gradually decline.

Coupled with the failure of the first Northern Expedition, those who were willing to cooperate would likely be retaliated against.

In the next Northern Expedition, will there be another favorable situation similar to the instant response of the three counties?
It can only be said that it is difficult.

The more I think about it, the more regretful I feel!
The more Zhuge Liang thought about it, the angrier he became!
I was angry because I couldn't see that Ma Su was actually a boaster.

The best chance for a successful Northern Expedition.

That's how he ruined himself. Yes, he was not ruined by Ma Su, but by himself who specially promoted Ma Su.

All of a sudden.

Because of regret, anger, and self-blame, Zhuge Liang

The mood seems a little lost.

After all, Zhuge Liang had only been a rookie for a few years at this time.

He also did not become a mature politician like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang in later generations, who was in charge of the government of a country.

So the mood swings are quite intense.

On the contrary, it was Liu Bei, who had wandered for half his life and experienced many ups and downs.

Still remain calm at this time.

He just patted Zhuge Liang's shoulder gently.

In a very relaxed tone, he said with a smile:

"It's good enough to defeat the strong with the weak and still be able to escape unscathed."

"As for Ma Su, we know his strengths and weaknesses."

"When you employ him in the future, develop his strengths and avoid his weaknesses."

"Wouldn't it be possible to make the best use of everything and everyone in this way?"

Late Han Dynasty.

At the same time, Cao Cao saw the great victory of the Wei army in later generations.

I couldn't help but praise and said, "Not bad."

"Emperor Cao Rui was in charge personally. Cao Zhen defeated Zhao Yun, Zhang He defeated Ma Su, and Guo Huai held on despite being at a disadvantage."

"Our Great Wei is truly filled with talented people!"

And the sky continues.

[After the failure of the largest Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang took the initiative to plead guilty and demoted himself by three ranks. ]

【Liu Chan agreed to Zhuge Liang's request for punishment and demoted him to the rank of Right General.】

[But in reality, he still exercises the powers of the prime minister, which is no different from before. ]

[In May of the same year, Sun Quan won a great victory at Shiting, severely damaging Wei's eastern front troops.]

【And Sun Quan also wrote a letter, inviting Zhuge Liang to join the Northern Expedition, echoing each other from afar. 】

[It's a pity that when Sun Quan's invitation was sent to Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang had already retreated back to Hanzhong.]

[However, although the first Northern Expedition failed, the main force led by Zhuge Liang retreated safely without suffering too much loss.]

[Troops, horses, money, and food are still sufficient. ]

[A large number of Wei troops were sent to the eastern front for support, leaving Guanzhong empty again.]

【Seizing this opportunity, Zhuge Liang launched another Northern Expedition in November. 】

[This time, the target of the attack was set at Chencang. ]

[That is now Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. ]

【Chencang is located at the western end of the Guanzhong Plain and is an important passage between Guanzhong and Longyou areas. 】

[Once Chencang is captured, the connection between the Guanzhong Plain and the Longyou area will be greatly hindered.]

[The subsequent Shu Han army, whether to attack Longyou to the west, or to attack Chang'an to the east? ]

[It is very convenient. ]

【Therefore, Chencang is a very important place for military strategists and a must-fight place. 】

[The famous "Ming Xiu Zhan Dao, An Du Chen Cang" is here. 】

[But this time, the Wei State was actually somewhat prepared. ]

[Although their main focus was on the eastern front, the Guanzhong region on the western front was no longer as empty as it was during the first Northern Expedition.]

[Cao Zhen, who was in charge of the defense of Guanzhong, not only made preparations in advance. 】

[It even accurately predicted that if Zhuge Liang launched another northern expedition, his target would be Chencang! ]

[So Cao Zheng called in the defense master Hao Zhao to turn Chencang into an iron lump that was impervious to swords and spears. ]

[Sure enough, in December, Zhuge Liang led the Han army to the north and arrived outside Chencang.]

[Zhuge Liang knew that Chencang was a military fortress that was difficult to attack, so he asked Hao Zhao's fellow townsmen to persuade him to surrender.]

【I hope Hao Zhao can surrender.】

[This way Zhuge Liang could capture Chencang without fighting. ]

[However, how can a few words of persuasion from fellow villagers be enough to resolve a military and national issue? ]

【Hao Zhao sternly rejected Zhuge Liang's attempt to surrender.】

【Seeing that Hao Zhao was unwilling to surrender, Zhuge Liang chose to attack by force. 】

[From the perspective of military strength, Zhuge Liang, who had tens of thousands of troops, was capable of storming the city. ]

【But since ancient times, siege has always been a big problem. 】

[Hao Zhao, who only had more than a thousand defenders, had been prepared and continuously strengthened the defense measures in Chencang in advance, and prepared a large number of defense facilities.]

[The Han army used ladders and battering rams to attack the city walls.]

[Hao Zhao used rockets made of flammable materials to burn the ladder.]

[Heavy rocks were used to smash the ram.]

[The Han army built a well fence as high as the city wall and fired a rain of arrows at Chencang.]

[While providing cover from the rain of arrows, have the soldiers bring soil to fill up the trenches below the city.]

[Hao Zhao immediately repaired a new city wall inside the city after seeing this.]

[On the new city wall, the defenders had the advantage of terrain and were able to repel the Shu Han army's attack.]

【So the Han army outside the city dug a tunnel to enter the city.】

【But Hao Zhao immediately dug a trench inside the city to cut off the Shu army's tunnel.】

[Under the command of defense master Hao Zhao. ]

[The siege lasted for more than 20 days, but nothing was gained.]

[The army was trapped under the strong city.]

[After holding out for more than 20 days, Cao Wei's reinforcements finally arrived. ]

【Zhuge Liang saw this and could only lead his troops back.】

[Wang Shuang, a fierce general of Cao Wei, felt that the Han army was retreating in a panic, and was eager to make a contribution, so he wanted to pursue Zhuge Liang. ]

[As a result, he was ambushed by Zhuge Liang and easily killed. ]

[But killing a powerful general would not change the situation of the war, and the Second Northern Expedition ended. ]

……

Outside the sky.

Sun Quan of Jiangdong watched this passage.

The mood is very good.

(End of this chapter)