As Shu Han marched north to attack Longyou in late November, almost all of Wei's forces from Longyou to Luoyang were mobilized. Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Chu and Cao Hong, with the remaining 20,000 central army infantry and cavalry, were still marching towards Longyou. The war can wait for them, but things like offering sacrifices to the gods at the beginning of the year cannot wait. The first rays of sunrise arrived in the second year of Taihe. In the morning, about 20,000 troops lined up in armor and helmets on the open ground outside Shanggui City and south of the Wei River, waiting for the opportunity. The emperor, his ministers, and a considerable number of Longyou officials jointly completed the rituals of offering sacrifices to heaven and reviewing the troops. At a temporary court meeting held in the city just after the sacrifice to heaven, Sima Yi, as the highest-ranking official in Longyou except for General Cao Zhen, publicly announced the establishment of Qinzhou and the two policies of naturalizing the Qiang people. Although the emperor was not in the court, Sima Yi, the Sikong who was in charge of the Shangshu affairs, was there to issue government orders, which did not violate the court laws at all. After the court meeting, all the ministers bowed and dispersed, but Sima Yi stopped one person. Sima Yi looked at Guo Huai and said softly, "Governor Guo, please wait a moment. I have something to tell you." Guo Huai turned around and looked at Sima Yi in surprise. The ministers and generals beside him did not dare to ask, and walked out without changing their pace, leaving only Guo Huai, Sima Yi and Yang Fu in the hall.
"I wonder what Sikong wants to tell me?" Guo Huai bowed humbly. Sima Yi looked at Guo Huai expressionlessly: "Of course it is a matter of the court. Let's go to the side hall to talk. Minister Yang will also be there to listen." Yang Fu nodded to Guo Huai, and Guo Huai hurriedly bowed in response. Sima Yi walked in front, and Yang Fu and Guo Huai followed behind him to the side hall. None of them spoke while walking, and the scene fell into silence for a while. Guo Huai was the governor of Yongzhou, but Sima Yi, as the Recorder of the Secretariat and the Minister of Works, was the head of the civil officials of the Wei Dynasty. No matter from which perspective, Guo Huai could only look up to him at this moment. "Bo Ji," Sima Yi's expression became a little better after the three of them sat down. "I came to ask you about the affairs of Yongzhou and Qinzhou on behalf of His Majesty and the court." "What we said today was recorded in the book with Yang Shizhong listening beside us. You can say whatever you think." Guo Huai stood up and bowed, saying, "I understand. Please ask your question, Sikong." Yang Fu nodded without making any comment, and sat alone at the table, his eyes almost closed. It didn't matter to Yang Fu, he was just there to listen, and just listening was enough. Sima Yi nodded and said, "First of all, all prefectures and counties have been changed. The governors are responsible for government affairs and not military affairs. Yong and Liang provinces have been delayed due to border affairs." "Does Boji want to be a general and lead troops, or does he want to be a governor and herd people?" Choose one of the two? ? Guo Huai frowned. Although Sima Yi asked so easily, for Guo Huai, a simple choice might lead to a completely different life trajectory for decades to come. Although his father and grandfather were both herdsmen, the current situation is the time to use military force! In addition, Your Majesty is a horse emperor who can lead troops. How can being a governor compare to being a general to bring honor to the family? In just three breaths, Guo Huai confidently responded with his hands clasped, "Sir, I am willing to serve as a general and lead the army to fight for the Wei Dynasty and defeat those who are disloyal! I hope Sir can convey my wishes to Your Majesty." Sima Yi looked up at Guo Huai for a moment, nodded with a slightly satisfied look and said, "Bo Ji is willing to be a general, and this official thinks he is also very good." "Since you want to be a general, would you rather be in Yongzhou or Qinzhou? In Qinzhou, you can only lead troops to fight like an ordinary general, but in Yongzhou, you can unify the troops of the state." Guo Huai pursed his lips slightly, but his mind was quickly analyzing Sima Yi's words. Qinzhou led the troops to fight like an ordinary general. There must be a general who led the troops above him! Who else could it be if not Left General Zhang He? Guo Huai bowed and replied: "As a general, I should obey the orders of the emperor first. Wherever your majesty and the court tell me to go, I will serve there!" Sima Yi's eyes began to show some surprise, and even some appreciation: "The third question is, how should we recover Qishan and Xixian areas now?"
Guo Huai did not give answers quickly like he did to the first two questions, but instead spent a full half incense stick of time thinking about the answer. Sima Yi had been practicing Qigong for twenty years in the court, so he was not in a hurry at the moment. He calmly waited for Guo Huai's answer. Yang Fu was even more amazing, his eyes were completely closed, and he almost looked like he was about to fall asleep. But as soon as Guo Huai spoke, Sima Yi and Yang Fu looked at Guo Huai first. "Reporting to the Minister of Works, I think that defeating the enemy without fighting is the best strategy! Zhuge Liang has led his army from a long distance, so he will not be able to last long. In addition, the road to Shu is difficult, and it is not easy to transport food and grass." Guo Huai replied calmly, "Whether it is Qishan, Xi County, or the two counties of Wudu and Yinping further south, these are all mountainous and rugged areas." "It is easy to hold a stalemate, but difficult to attack!" Sima Yi raised his lips slightly, looked at Guo Huai and asked, "Are you saying that Wei should confront the Shu army? And then wait for the Shu army to retreat?" Guo Huai explained: "I am not suggesting a standoff, but rather that we should confront each other and force Zhuge Liang to attack with military intelligence." "After all, if the standoff lasts for a long time, the first one to collapse will be Zhuge Liang, not Wei!" Sima Yi laughed and said, "How can we confront them? Send a large army to confront Zhuge Liang face to face? Aren't you worried that His Majesty will urge you?" Guo Huai shook his head and explained: "Wudu County is vast, and now that Wei has the power of Qiang and Hu, we can naturally take multiple routes at the same time!" "We can confront each other in the Qishan and Yangxi areas. Besides that, we can also order a detachment of troops to go south through Dazhong and take Yinping! If the Shu thieves can attack Wei, then Wei can also attack Shu!" Sima Yi originally laughed at Guo Huai for being too thoughtful, but when he heard about Guo Huai's plan of advancing troops from multiple directions, Sima Yi was shocked. Sima Yi suddenly stood up from the table, greeted the two of them, and then walked back to the hall. I came here just for the map. Sima Yi frowned and looked at the map of Longyou and Yizhou. Thanks to Zhang Yi's map, the road between Dazhong and Yinping was also clearly depicted. "Brother Yishan." Sima Yi turned to look at Yang Fu: "Have you been to Dazhong?" Yang Fu also said in a serious tone: "Although I am from Longyou, how can I have been to the entire Longyou? In a remote place like Dazhong, I am afraid that only Qiang people live there!" "Is it feasible?" Sima Yi asked again. "What do you mean by feasible or not? From a military perspective, I don't know if it is feasible or not!" Yang Fu replied sternly, "Marching and fighting is not a joke. How can you mobilize troops to fight based on just a map?" Sima Yi thought for a few moments, gritted his teeth and asked: "It's always okay to give it a try, right? Qinzhou wants to gather the Qiang people to cultivate land, send some troops there, even if it doesn't work, it's also good to bring the Qiang people back to cultivate land!" Yang Fu said noncommittally: "I'm sorry I can't report this risky matter together with the Minister of Works!" Sima Yi knows the emperor better than Yang Fu. The current emperor's style of marching and fighting is steady, unlike that of young people. He either relies on numbers to win, or emphasizes logistics over military strategy. But for something that was bound to not be a loss, Sima Yi believed that the emperor would still be willing to give it a try! Sima Yi ignored Yang Fu and said to Guo Huai directly: "Bo Ji, go back first. I will tell His Majesty what you said today. Don't worry." After Guo Huai bowed and left, Sima Yi said goodbye to Yang Fu and went to see the emperor alone, telling the emperor all the suggestions Guo Huai had just made. It was obvious that Cao Rui was quite surprised after hearing Sima Yi's words.
Although Cao Rui was not aware of many specific historical details, how could he not have heard of the story of Deng Ai's surprise attack on Shu via Yinping in the original history? Cao Rui was only excited for a moment before he calmed down. His emotions went through such rapid changes that even his facial expression didn't change much. Cao Rui said calmly: "We can give it a try by sending troops to Dazhong, but I think it is better not to send soldiers from Wei." "Just send the Qiang soldiers." Sima Yi was puzzled: "How can the Qiang and Hu soldiers fight properly?" Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "I didn't say to send Qiang soldiers to attack the city. It's always okay to explore the way for Wei!" "There is one more thing." Cao Rui said with a smile: "If the Qiang soldiers move those tribes that are unwilling to surrender inland, then the hands of the Wei Kingdom will not be dirty." Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, then he clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's strategy is beyond my reach!" Cao Rui sneered: "What strategy? I just don't want to send the Wei army." "Wait until the Qiang chieftains from Luomen arrive in Shanggui tomorrow, and then we'll discuss this!" Sima Yi bowed and took his leave. The military strategy that Sima Yi just mentioned seems feasible from the map. After going south through Dazhong and conquering Yinping, wouldn't the Zitong County in Yizhou be further south? Wouldn't this force the Shu army to retreat? But this is easier said than done, like putting an elephant in a refrigerator. The point is not the idea, but the fact that you don’t know whether the idea can be successfully executed! Cao Rui understood that the fundamental reason why Sima Yi was interested in this kind of extraordinary military strategy was because of Sima Yi's adventurous character. But Sima Yi was willing to take risks, but Cao Rui was not. He could face the enemy head-on with an upright army, and his soldiers were brave and his generals were outstanding, so why should he be afraid of Zhuge Liang? Using a trick to divide the troops would most likely lead to your own downfall, especially when the person on the other side was named Zhuge Liang. As for Guo Huai's remarks, they were already very detailed. But the more outstanding Guo Huai was in the overall situation, the more he should be allowed to experience more specific matters under Zhang He. After all, at this time, Guo Huai had been following Cao Pi's personal route since he took office. An official like a governor, a pastoral official, could not be said to have much ability to lead troops, and he had not served in the central army or the foreign army with the famous generals of the Wei Dynasty. For Cao Rui at the moment, there is still time to train Guo Huai. Let him stay in Qinzhou and serve as a general under Zhang He! (End of this chapter)