Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast.

This is episode 123.

Last time, some dumb moves by the strategist, Ma Su, doomed Zhuge Liang's northern expedition, as Sima Yi

captured several key locations and threatened to wipe out Zhuge Liang's entire army. Some clever

deployments and one daring bluff later, however, Zhuge Liang had managed to pull his entire

army back to safety inside his own kingdom,

but all the territory that he had gained on the campaign was gone again.

The Wei commanders Cao Zhen and Guo Huai recovered the three counties that Zhuge Liang had

captured, claiming a measure of redemption after getting their butts kicked by him earlier.

Meanwhile, Sima Yi returned to the hamlet of Xicheng, where he and his massive army of

150,000 men, had turned and run at the sight of Zhuge Liang calmly strumming his thither,

because Sima Yi had suspected an ambush.

But now, after questioning some locals, Sima Yi learned that Zhuge Liang only had

2,500 soldiers in the town at the time, with no generals, a staff of civil officials, and

definitely no ambush. Furthermore, the locals told him that the Shu forces he had encountered

in the mountains while retreating were just decoys. Lamenting a missed opportunity, Sima Yi looked skyward

and said, I am no match for Zhuge Liang. But even so, Sima Yi had managed to end Zhuge Liang's northern campaign,

when he led his army back to the city of Chang'an,

the Wei Emperor Cao Rui told Sima Yi,

It is all thanks to you that we have recovered the lost territory.

The Shu forces are currently in Hanzhong and not yet exterminated,

Sima Yi replied, I would like to request a large army to conquer the riverlands and repay your

...