Shu Chen

Chapter 199
Winter, December.

The forest trees have changed from their previous emerald green attire, and are completely covered in silver.

A thin layer of snow covers the mountains, paths, watersides, and eaves. The dark green is stained with frost and white, and the branches are crystal clear. After the sun clears, the sun is heavy, and a unique "ink painting" is outlined.

Hanzhong County, outside Mianyang City.

Zheng Pu led his retinue to ride a few horses, with snowflakes in his beard and hairpin, and drove the horse slowly towards the south bank of Mianshui.

The prime minister has always been quiet.

During the winter season when things are quiet, I usually stay overnight in a courtyard outside the city.

That is the house Zhuge Qiao built.

Just like many generals Liao Zuo successively bought houses in Longyou and Hanzhong, Zhuge Qiao also set up properties in Hanzhong because Zhuge Pan grew up, intending to let his wife and children occasionally live there for several months.

After all, the affairs of the Northern Expedition were cumbersome, and it was by no means a one-day job.

Those who follow the army, no matter who they are, have the opportunity to take leave and return to Chengdu once every few years.

For example, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister, never went back to Chengdu.

Zhuge Zhan is five years old, but in the memory of the prime minister, he is still one year old.

However, after Zhuge Qiao bought the house, when Zhuge Pan and Zhuge Zhan were older, they could occasionally come to Hanzhong to live for a while.

The house falls against the mountain.

The sloping roof house with overhanging eaves is built with wooden structure and thatch, which is a legacy of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.The interior of the house is clean and concise, with both the heaviness of history and the sense of simplicity and stability.

Perhaps it is this back-to-basics environment that fits the Zhuge family's family style.

Zhuge Qiao, who had received the news a long time ago, stood outside the house and waited.

When Zheng Pu saw him, he hurriedly jumped off his horse ten feet away, threw the reins to his servants, and strode over with a big leather bag. Before the people arrived, he came first, "Ge Jun leaned on the door to stand in the snow, Did you know that I brought wine?"

As always, the jokes and informality are heartwarming.

Hearing this, Zhuge Qiao also laughed.

Arching his hands slightly, he said jokingly, "Of course, I'm afraid Mr. Zheng will come empty-handed and disappoint my kindness!"

"Ge Jun's words are not afraid of the prime minister's family law?"

"If I don't practice virtue and act like Zheng Jun, my father will not complain about how I treat him. Hahaha~~"

"Hahaha~~~"

The two laughed out loud.

Zhuge Qiao signaled an old man to lead the accompanying followers to the other room, and then he held onto Zheng Pu's hand and entered, "Zheng Jun, please rest with me, my father should be back at the evening meal tomorrow."

The prime minister went to inspect.

In the winter of these years, the severe cold is better than the whole year.

Whether it is the barbarian tribes who migrated from Nanzhong, or the Qiangdi tribes who were forced to register as households, it is inevitable that houses will be crushed by heavy snow or cattle and sheep will freeze to death.

Therefore, at the end of each year, when the prime minister inspected the military camps of various ministries and rewarded soldiers, he would also go along the counties to inspect the livelihood of Li Shu, ask the old and the young, etc., so that the people of Hanzhong County could feel at ease.

This is also the reason why Zheng Pu was specially told to wait in the house outside the city when he was sent to Hanzhong.

"I was in a hurry."

Gently nodding his head, Zheng Pu kept walking, "It just so happens that I haven't had a reunion for a long time, so I should meet you tonight to have a conversation."

After saying that, he raised the big leather bag in his hand and shook it, with a smile on his brows, "Green Ant's new fermented wine, a small red clay stove; it will snow in the evening, can you have a drink?"

"Ha, that's exactly what I mean!"

Zhuge Qiao laughed heartily.

Immediately, Yang Mei asked suspiciously, "Empress Zheng Jun's words seem to be rhetoric but not prose, and they seem to be vulgar but elegant. I don't know what kind of literary style this is?"

Zheng Pu smiled slightly, and waved his hands, "I'm just speaking casually, so I don't care about Ci Fu or Ci Fu."

"Oh~~"

Zhuge Qiao didn't delve into it either, and continued talking and laughing, "Isn't Zheng Jun bringing kumiss? I also bought some intraoperative drinks recently. It's a rare get-together. Why don't you drink mine?"

Although not as rich as the "state-owned three-year reserves", as the grain and fodder produced in Hanzhong County gradually increased each year, the land of Bashu reduced the transfer of military grain, and the trade with Jiangdong war horses resumed, and the imperial court relaxed the ban on alcohol. .

Blocking is worse than sparse.

Men in the Qin and Han Dynasties were fond of wine, so long-term suppression is not good after all.

Moreover, Longyou and Liangzhou are considered to be places of bitter cold. If the soldiers in the winter and spring seasons did not give some wine to warm them up and drive away the cold, they would easily breed complaints.

"It's the machine wine brewed at home."

Shaking his head slightly, Zheng Pu smiled coyly, "You should drink mine. Ge Jun is more sleepy than me now, I'm afraid I drank Jun's wine, and my conscience is disturbed day and night. Haha~~~"

"Hehe~~"

Zhuge Qiao was slightly embarrassed by this.

The prime minister is strict with self-discipline. Since he was appointed as a foreigner, he has relied on the government for his food and clothing with him, and he does not care about his life.

Zhuge Qiao also followed suit, saying he was penniless.

Even the money for the house now was raised by selling the gold, jade and jewelry that Zhuge Ke gave when he came to Han to buy horses in the past.

It was night, and the two arrived and talked.

After a general description of farewell love and gossip, Zhuge Qiao followed the prime minister's instructions and explained to Zheng Pu the deployment of troops and horses in various places after Li Yan returned to Chengdu: as well as the three people's recommendations for Wei Yan, Guan Xing, and Jiang Wei. The letter was forwarded to him for reading.

This is why he rested and bathed at home these days.

Otherwise, as the son of the prime minister, how can he talk about resting~~
After turning over the letter, Zhuge Qiao made a speech with a smile, "Although I want to go to sleep with Zheng Jun, I also know that Zheng Jun needs to think about it in order to discuss with my father tomorrow, so I won't bother you." , I live in the next room, if Mr. Zheng has any questions, you can find me anytime."

"Okay, please trouble Ge Jun."

Zheng Pu hurriedly got up to see him off.

After closing the door and returning to sit on the couch, he looked carefully at the strategy of Wei Yan and the three of them with a lamp, then closed his eyes and meditated.

What the three of Wei Yan planned and said were all different.

Wei Yan, who was fierce in military use, suggested that the prime minister should put down Liangzhou first on the grounds that Jincheng County is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and use a few troops to guard Longyou and Xiping County to confront against Wei Wei, and the main force is to go out of Xiaoguan to attack Anding County.

In this way, the army against Wei Guanzhong will inevitably come to a decisive battle.

If the big Han wins, it will regain Guanzhong and the foundation of the Dingding King and Hegemony, and it will inspire all the scholars and commoners in the world who have the Han family in their hearts.

At that time, Liangzhou has no support from the Wei Dynasty, and people will inevitably have different ideas.

Regardless of whether the four counties in Hexi will raise the counties and counties to surrender, the big man can take it slowly while appeasing Guanzhong, coerce or lure or send troops to Pingliangzhou.

It is equivalent to a battle to determine the universe.

It is also to completely overwhelm the fate of the country whether the great man will recover or not.

Unsuccessful, they become benevolent.

And at the end of the return letter, a touching sentence was added, "Prime Minister, we are old ministers, and those who report the late emperor's kindness should fight for the day and night!"

It can be regarded as expressing feelings about the death of General Wei Zhao Yun.

However, his plan was a bit eager for quick success.

Not to mention whether the garrison soldiers in various places can resist the harassment of Liangzhou soldiers and horses after the main force of the Han Dynasty has all left Xiaoguan.

He waits for work with ease, how can it be so easy for us to attack the city and loot the land!

What Guan Xing said was much more secure.

According to the previous prime minister's plan, he asked to lead the army to attack Zuli County in Wuwei County, and then threatened him by approaching Shuyin Fortress.

In this way, the connection between Niwei Guanzhong and Liangzhou can be completely cut off.

It also means that the Guanzhong Silk Road is completely cut off.

The Qianghu tribe and Haoyou in the four prefectures of Hexi have always been on both sides of the head, and everything is done for profit.

Without the materials from the Silk Road against Wei, they will inevitably look for Shu brocade and tea from the great Han in the future.

At that time, no matter whether the big man secretly wins over some tribes to become attached to them, or deliberately instigates internal disputes among the parties by deliberately selling unfairly or distributing materials, it will cause the four counties of Hexi to split into melee.

It can also create opportunities for the big man to attack.

This plan is stable and stable, which is very suitable for the current situation where the great man has insufficient background and cannot over-loss soldiers.

The only shortcoming is that the effect of this strategy is too slow.

The Haoyou and Qianghu tribes who have survived in the four counties of Hexi to this day are not reckless.

According to Guan Xing's plan, they can't provoke their mutual attack without three or five years of work.

Moreover, once the big Han soldiers are temporarily, these ambitious people who are accustomed to splitting and combining may not be able to let go of their grievances and swear to protect themselves again.After all, compared to the interests of the Silk Road, their desire for separatism is the fire that started the prairie fire.

All in all, this plan is too slow, with too many uncertain factors, and it is difficult to make achievements.

If Wei Yan's plan was too hasty and Guan Xing's plan was too slow, then Jiang Wei's plan was based on the strengths of both of them.

He suggested that nothing should be changed and that things should be done as originally planned.

At first, the prime minister planned to use Zheng Pu and Guan Xing to attack Zuli County, and Wei Yan and Li Yan to attack Jincheng County from both sides, so as to contain all the troops against Wei Liangzhou and create a surprise attack opportunity for Ma Dai's troops.

But after Li Yan fell for it, the plan was abandoned.

Based on this, Jiang Wei, after ambush Li Yan's victory with Ni Wei, would feel that the great man's spirit was frustrated and turned to seek stability, and his defense against the Wuting Nishui (Zhuanglang River) valley was lax.

This is also human nature.

No one would have thought that after the big man tried to circumvent the Siwang Gorge and failed to attack, he would try again immediately.

Even if there was an example in the battle of Wancheng in the past, Ni Wei Jiaxu suggested that Zhang Xiu pursue Wei Wu and Cao Cao for the second time.

This place is different from Wancheng.

In the pursuit in the hinterland of the Central Plains, if you are defeated, you can still return without losing your troops.

But if you sneak into Wuting Nishui River Valley, once you lose, you will fall into a predicament with nowhere to escape.

Just like Zhi Wudai and Bai Huwen before, they were chased by Guo Huai's army, and because the road was rough and difficult to retreat, the tribe returned with heavy casualties.

Jiang Wei's plan was a plan to plot people's hearts by surprise.

It was more steady than Wei Yan's desperate bet, and more vigorous than Guan Xing's steady and steady game.

After Zheng Pu looked at them one by one, he couldn't help frowning slightly, and sighed deeply.

It's not that he didn't have any thoughts in his heart, but it was true-the prime minister summoned himself back to Hanzhong, not just to plan a military battle.

Because of the strategy of the three of Wei Yan, each took its own strengths, made some adjustments and integrated them together, which is the most suitable strategy for the current situation of the big man.After all, the background of the war between the Han and Wei Dynasties is very different, and no matter how they plan, it cannot be changed.

For such an obvious reason, he didn't believe that the prime minister would not understand it in detail.

And now that he has studied it thoroughly, he sent someone to invite him back, obviously the drunkard's intention was not to drink.

oh~~
The prime minister really intends to promote me to the group~~
Sighing softly in his heart, Zheng Pu gently folded the three letters and placed them on the desk, then blew out the grease lamp, and lay down on the couch with all his clothes on.

Baozhong County, Baogukou Barracks.

In the big tent of the Chinese army, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang put down his pen on the table and gently rubbed the root of his nose with one hand to relieve the fatigue of his eyes from long-term eyesight.

The siege of the military camp here is the last place where the prime minister inspected Hanzhong County.

This year, the hearts of the army and the people in Hanzhong County are quite stable.

After the death of General Wei Zhao Yun, the prime minister asked his deputy Deng Zhi to lead his army and stationed in Chenggu County.

Deng Zhi is one of the Dongzhou scholars.

However, he was not valued under Liu Zhang.

When the first emperor Liu Bei established Shu, he was no more than the governor of the residence and pavilion in Pi County.

Later, the late emperor went out to visit Pi County, met Deng Zhi, and talked with him. He was so talented that he was repeatedly promoted to the position of Minister.

He can be regarded as an important minister single-handedly promoted by the late emperor.

Moreover, since he took office in the military, he has clearly judged rewards and punishments, and is kind to soldiers, so he has been accepted by the army.

Lu Yi, the prefect of Hanzhong, is a simple and honest man. Since he took office, he has been in charge of farming and continued the military rations, which has a good reputation.

These two people led Hanzhong together, so that the imperial court would have nothing to worry about after Zhao Yun, the general of Wei, and the prime minister could lead the army without any worries.

Of course!

After Li Yan resigned from the army and returned to Chengdu, the prime minister planned to lead the army to attack Liangzhou himself.

After all, among the many generals in Longyou, Wei Yan has the highest qualifications and official position; if the prime minister does not go personally, Wei Yan has to lead the overall situation.However, with Wei Yanhao's "conspiracy" combat style, the prime minister can rest assured when he is the leader of the road; if he is allowed to command the tribes in Longyou, the prime minister will not be able to sleep at night.

There is no way, the big man is too weak.

Failure in the military battle cannot be tolerated.

After Li Yan's defeat, if Wei Yan loses again, it may be difficult for Longyou to survive.

Based on this, the prime minister also roughly adjusted the functions of various officials.

For example, Xiang Lang, the military adviser of the Prime Minister's Mansion, will be relieved of the duties of the Prime Minister's Mansion and will take over the post of Governor of Liangzhou from Li Yan.

On the one hand, it is to look up to Lang De.

Since the prime minister went to Longyou, it was the best choice for him to come back and sit in Hanzhong County, which connects Bashu and Longyou.

On the other hand, Xiang Lang is good at government affairs and short of military warfare.

The Prime Minister's Mansion had many assistants acting as agents for government affairs, and since Jiang Wan was sitting in Shu, it was better to let him leave Zhenzhou County as early as possible to prepare for the future.

Well, in the mind of the prime minister, Jiang Wan is more suitable than Xiang Lang to sit in the center.

Because Jiang Wan had at least a little knowledge of military affairs.

As for Wei Yan, who has the highest authority in the army, the prime minister plans to invite him to be the governor of Liangzhou when the next army is dispatched.

In order to appease his emotions of not being able to supervise the war after Li Yan, and to inspire his heart to make contributions on the battlefield.

As for the deployment of soldiers and horses by other generals, that was the main reason why the prime minister called Zheng Pu back to Hanzhong.

Just as Zheng Pu expected, the prime minister had a preliminary conclusion on how to attack Wei Liangzhou.

Calling Zheng Pu back to discuss together is not only to see if there are any omissions or supplements, but also to take this opportunity to assign functions to the younger generals of the Han Dynasty.

Because the prime minister feels that time is not forgiving.

For example, when the cold wind came in through the gaps in the curtains and swirled around the corners of his clothes and his gray hair and beard, he felt the severe cold of late winter.

This body is old and not as strong as it used to be.

Chill, loss of appetite, poor eyesight, etc., made the prime minister feel powerless for the first time in his life.

The deceased is like a husband who does not want to leave day or night.

The prime minister muttered something silently in his heart.

He tightened his sleeves, slowly lowered his eyelids, and also covered up his loneliness.

(End of this chapter)