I will not be king in the Spring and Autumn Period

Chapter 215 Chapter 235 Chapter 236 Three Immortals

After confirming the matter of this expedition to Shujiu, the whole state of Chu immediately became busy.

The Wu people's invasion was obviously a great challenge to Chu's dominance in the south.

Therefore, recovering Shujiu has extremely important strategic significance for Chu State.

Therefore, at this moment, no matter which side of the Chu Kingdom, or even the old nobles who were not satisfied with the usurpation of the throne by the King of Chu, are making intensive preparations for the war.

This was not only because it was about Chu's face, but also because everyone wanted to "stand out" in front of the King of Chu.

Even though these people are dissatisfied with the King of Chu in their hearts, they must at least ensure that King Chu Xiongwei will not be held accountable for his "unfavorable financing".

At this time, Li Ran was also very busy.

Logically speaking, he, Li Ran, should be the most idle of all of them.But what is he busy with?

It turned out that he was hurrying to write a letter to Zichan.He wanted to tell Zichan his current situation, and to report the news that he was going to Shujiu with the team.

After all, he went to Shujiu with the team this time, and he thought it was very likely that there would be friction with Wu Guo.

As we all know, Wu State and Jin State are now in a strategic alliance relationship, so he thinks it is necessary to inform Zichan of this matter in advance, so that Zichan can send a letter to Jin State in advance on his behalf.In order not to make the world mistakenly think that Li Ran has passed through Chu State.

……

In a few days, Wu Ju will lead the army to set off.

The helpless Li Ran had no choice but to go out with the army before he got a reply from Zichan.

Speaking of which, since Governor Li Ran, it was the first time that he accompanied him in the army.

Therefore, at this time, he only felt a lot of pressure.

Because as far as war is concerned, he is indeed quite inexperienced.

Even though he was accompanied by Sun Wu, the future warrior saint, he was still restless and uneasy in his heart.

As for why?
Li Ran himself couldn't tell that he was an ugly Yinmao, but this feeling has been lingering in his heart for a long time.

The marching speed of the Chu army is extremely fast, which is due to the fact that the successive kings of Chu have always paid great attention to the construction of official roads in the territory on weekdays.

Therefore, it took less than half a month to rush all the way to Licheng.

This place is only fifty miles away from Shujiu, so Wu Ju had planned to attack Shujiu from this place a long time ago.

It was night, Wu Ju sent an order to let the army set up camp outside the city, and then called Li Ran and the accompanying generals to send the order to the main tent.

After everyone was seated, Wu Ju looked around for a week and asked:

"What's your opinion on attacking Shujiu this time?"

As a general, Wu Ju already had a rough idea of ​​how to attack Shujiu.

The reason why he asked this question was clearly to test Li Ran's strength.

Several lieutenants who were staying were talking a lot of nonsense, but Wu Ju just ignored them, and finally turned his attention to Li Ran again.

"I don't know what sir thinks, what should I do?"

It can be said that Wu Ju is now at his fingertips to catch the ducks on the shelves.

Hearing the sound, Li Ran also knew that he would definitely not be able to hide today, so he just cupped his hands and replied:

"I'm really ashamed, because Li Ran has never been here before, and he doesn't know the terrain here, so I have to wait until I see the terrain tomorrow before I can give the doctor an answer."

It's not that Li Ran deliberately procrastinated, but that he really doesn't know the terrain here.

In the era of cold weapons, the role of terrain on the battlefield is far more important than any other factor.

The so-called timing, location, and harmony.When it comes to harmony between the weather and people, it is often not something that can be decided by the general in command.But only this "geographical advantage" is the element of war that the generals can make the most of when they are actually going to war.

Although Li Ran didn't know much about the battlefield, he still understood this truth after all.

Before the start of the battle, horse scouts, secret agents, and guides must all be dispatched first.The chief general should observe the terrain himself in order to take advantage of the advantages of the terrain or avoid its disadvantages, and formulate the most reasonable tactical strategies, and finally rely on these to win the final victory.

Regarding Li Ran's seemingly "delayed" reason, Wu Ju was not in a hurry to refute, but even agreed with it to some extent:
"Well, sir's concerns are quite reasonable, so I will go with you tomorrow."

After the words fell, Wu Ju waved his hand and signaled everyone to retreat.

And when Li Ran returned to his tent, after Sun Wu heard what Li Ran said in the tent, he immediately raised a question:

"Tonight, Wu Ju seems to be targeting Mr. again on purpose?"

Even Sun Wu could see the abnormality of Wu Ju tonight.

Called everyone over, but only asked Li Ran a question, and then... nothing more?
This is not intentionally targeting Li Ran, what is it?
Li Ran heard the sound, but only made a wry smile, and sighed:
"Hey, he is trying to tie me and Chu State firmly together."

When Sun Wu heard this, he couldn't help frowning again and said:
"Could it be? The King of Chu and Wu Ju intend to completely force Mr. Chu into a minister of Chu through this battle?"

Of course, Sun Wu could also see that the reason why Wu Ju was so keen on obtaining Li Ran's opinion was obviously that he deliberately wanted to make this battle give the world the illusion that Li Ran had already communicated with the state of Chu and offered his assistance with all his strength.

In other words, no matter how the battle is fought, there is only one final conclusion, and that is that he——Li Ran has contributed to Chu.

In this way, as long as the news is spread, no matter whether it is true or not, no matter how Li Ran tries to identify himself, it will become a fact because of this incident.

As the saying goes, "people's words can be feared".

At that time, among all the Zhou people, who can trust Li Ran?

In short, this is actually asking Li Ran to "betray relatives"!

"In order to get Mr. to submit, they really took great pains!"

Rao Sun Wu couldn't help but complain about this sentence.

But Li Ran only smiled "hehe", and replied noncommittally:
"Hey, I just blame myself for being too high-profile on weekdays. As the saying goes, 'a gentleman hides his treasures in his body and waits for the time to move'. Things have come to this point, and my 'hiding treasures in the body' is obviously not going to work, so I can only It's 'wait for the moment'."

Indeed, when things got to this point, there were not many choices he could make.

"Yeah? That doesn't sound like what Mr. said."

Sun Wu was a little surprised.

Because this was the first time he saw Li Ran so helpless.

In the past, Li Ran always gave people a feeling that no matter what happened to him, but this time, Li Ran's sense of powerlessness was so strong that he even said something like "waiting for the time" which sounded like It's a bit frustrating.

Sun Wu frowned tightly, and looked at Li Ran, feeling quite worried for a while.

He was worried that Li Ran was trapped in the state of Chu, which would further affect his ambition.

But who would have thought that Li Ran shook his head and smiled, signaling that he needn't worry:
"It doesn't matter if it comes, I have actually already made preparations. Before I came to Shujiu, I had already written to Dr. Zichan to explain that this fight between Wu and Chu is the best choice to transfer Chu to the north. With the wisdom of a doctor named Zichan, he will be able to realize the mystery of it."

After Li Ran said this, he couldn't help sighing again, and said emotionally:
"Hey, the universe is so big, the heaven and the earth are so wide, even the two emperors, the sage kings, will always have headaches and helplessness, let alone me and other mortals?"

"What Li Ran has done in this life, as long as he can be chaste and not change, and he doesn't go against his heart, even if he dies, he will have no regrets."

Hearing this, is Li Ran ready to lie down?

of course not
After Li Ran arrived in Qufu, he no longer had any thoughts of lying down.

Li Ran's soliloquy was nothing more than a reminder to himself: even in the midst of chaos, he should not follow the trend and forget the original.On the contrary, we should stick to our beliefs and not lose our pursuit of great goals.

Of course, his so-called "great goal" is not to become the kind of hero who saves the people from suffering and saves the common people from dying.

Or rather, not quite.

Because he understands that no matter how great heroes are born in this world, in the end they are nothing but passing clouds.

And what Li Ran wants is not to be a hero for a while, but a way of peace that can last forever.

What is "immortality"?
Lide, meritorious service, Liyan also!
Lide: To create virtue, to benefit the public;

Meritorious service: saving disasters and eliminating difficulties, making contributions to the times;

Make a statement, the words are meaningful, and the reasoning is enough to pass on.

-

Chapter 236_ I'm afraid it's a bloody battle

For Wu Ju, it should be considered a good choice to bind Li Ran and Chu State together intentionally or unintentionally.

Only in this way can he completely let go of his guard against Li Ran.

It was also because of this that in this battle against Shujiu, he proposed to the King of Chu that Li Ran should go out with the army and force him to offer advice from the side.

Li Ran is also well aware of this.

The next day, accompanied by three or two generals and guides, Wu Ju, Li Ran, and Sun Wu set off from Licheng, and slowly approached Shujiu in the direction scouted.

I don't know if I didn't come. After I came, Li Ran suddenly discovered that the closer to Shujiu, the more complicated the terrain nearby. Mountains, rivers, and rivers criss-cross, and deep forests and canyons are scattered all over the place.

Within a radius of ten miles from Shujiu, apart from an official road, there was no other road that could accommodate a large army.

And this official road is not only quite rugged, but also not very wide, it can only pass two military vehicles side by side at the same time.

Obviously, it is extremely difficult to march with military vehicles from here.

Li Ran stood halfway up a mountain, looked around, but saw that apart from the surrounding mountains, he could hardly find any traces of human activities nearby. It can be seen that the terrain here is so rugged that it is impossible for the army to fight here. .

"Is this the only way to Shujiu?"

Li Ran couldn't believe it, and immediately asked Wu Ju.

Hearing the sound, Wu Ju nodded in response, and then frowned again.

"Although Shujiu was a vassal of our state of Chu before, he has never had much contact with our state of Chu. Except for the usual tribute and alliances, there is actually very little contact with him."

"In addition, the mountains here are undulating and there are many side streams. If you want to build a road here, it will cost a lot. Therefore, there is always only one official road from my country of Chu to Shujiu."

The state of Chu actually built a large number of official roads in its own country, but in the area connecting Shujiu, due to the long distance, it is beyond reach.

Of course, on the other hand, it is also due to the arrogance and arrogance of the Chu people. They always think that Shujiu, and even Qunshu Zhongbang, are just subordinate small states, so they definitely dare not betray Chu. So I didn't pay much attention to it before.On weekdays, there is only one official road connecting Shujiu, which is enough.

However, with the rise of Wu State in the east, it is obvious that Chu State's control over this area is not as good as before.However, none of the successive monarchs of Chu since then had thought of how to deal with this situation.Therefore, it is inevitable that there will be a predicament like today.

And this has led to the fact that if the army of Chu State wants to attack Shujiu, its offensive strategy is very limited.

Rao Wu Ju, a doctor with a military background, was at a loss for what to do when he saw this situation.

After all, the state of Chu had always been fighting for hegemony from the north.Whether it is against Zhou State or against Chu State, the main tactics are based on the hedging of military vehicles.

Therefore, no matter which side it is for, a lot of manpower must be invested in road construction.Even, whoever has a good road repair can mobilize more military forces in a short period of time, and whoever is more likely to gain the strategic initiative.

But now facing enemies like Shujiu and Wu, they are actually better at field battles, so in places where chariot battles are impossible, the Chu army will suffer relatively more.Moreover, it will be even more uncomfortable for Chu Jun.

"If you drive straight in here, if you encounter an ambush by the Wu army, our army will have no way to retreat..."

"Zhu Fan's son grasped this point, so he captured Shujiu with lightning speed, and our army came thousands of miles away to fight, since Zhu Fan got the news, he must be prepared. "

Several generals expressed their views one after another, and they were not optimistic about the current situation.

People are always very realistic.

Although all the Chu people are very arrogant, when faced with practical difficulties, no matter how arrogant they are, there will always be times when they bow their heads.

After all, this is not a child's play house, this is a serious battlefield.

"What do you think sir?"

Wu Ju turned to look at Li Ran and asked.

"What do you think the doctor thinks?"

Li Ran asked directly.

Wu Ju was taken aback when he heard the sound, and then smiled deeply.

"Shu Jiu must not be lost, even if Wu Ju's life is at stake, the Wu people must not let the Wu people get Shu Jiu so easily!"

Then, Wu Ju seemed to use a very impassioned sentence to express his determination to take back Shujiu.

Any plans for that?

Don't Have
is storming
There is only one way to attack Shujiu, and it is obviously unrealistic to open up a new way now.

And their Chu army came from afar, and they couldn't delay for too long.

That being the case, there is only a strong attack.

Although Wu Ju only brought [-] soldiers this time, these [-] soldiers were all elite troops trained by him himself.

He was fully confident that if he really wanted to start a battle, his combat effectiveness might not be inferior to the Wu soldiers led by Zhu Fan.

Moreover, according to the Malai report, there were not many Wu troops stationed in Shujiu, but there were only [-] people.

It is reasonable to have no problem in taking down Shujiu with a force several times over.

After listening, Li Ran nodded silently.

Obviously, at present, organizing a wave of strong attacks quickly is undoubtedly the most suitable plan at present. After all, once the war is dragged on, it will be even more unfavorable to the Chu army.

For one thing, the Wu army relied on the shipping of the Jianghuai system, so supplies, food, and grass were easily replenished, while the Chu army's supply line was very long, and they could not rely on the enemy for food, so it was difficult to guarantee whether the follow-up supplies would be in place.

Secondly, the morale of the Chu army is low now. Once the war is delayed, the morale will only drop again and again.
At this time, even Sun Wu beside him didn't see any other better way.After all, as the attacking side, the Chu army must bear greater pressure.

After some observation, several people were about to return, but at this time a scout suddenly ran down the mountain to report:
"Report!"

"The king of Wu, Zhu Fan, personally led [-] Wu troops to rescue him, and now he has arrived at Shujiu!"

not good!As soon as the news came out, even Wu Ju couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.

As the attackers, they don't have a proper attack plan in the face of Shu Jiu's dilemma.Now as the defender, Wu Jun has an extra 2 people for no reason. Isn't this even more difficult for Chu Jun?
Wu Ju's old face darkened, and suddenly there was a cloud over his head.

"Little Zhufan, the reaction is quite fast."

Cursing this secretly, Wu Ju couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath.

On the other hand, Li Ran said calmly:
"It must be that Zhu Fan came to Shujiu for reinforcements when he saw that Chu State sent a large army to take revenge."

"It seems that this battle is quite difficult to fight. I'm afraid a tough battle is inevitable."

Li Ran only made a rough inference on the current situation, but as far as the current situation is concerned, this inference may soon become a reality.

Just now, Wu Ju planned to take Shujiu with the advantage of three times the number of troops. Even if there is a loss, the odds of winning are pretty sure.

However, now the Wu army has [-] more troops, and at the same time it is the defender, and the terrain is more dominant.Therefore, if he wants to attack again now, his chances of winning are very slim.

"Hehe, this is not a tough battle, it is simply a bloody battle..."

Wu Ju corrected Li Ran's words, and was quite depressed for a while.

"coming!"

At this time, Sun Wu's deep voice instantly reminded everyone.

Several people hurriedly looked up, and saw a cloud of dust at the pass closest to Shujiu, and saw a large number of soldiers in military uniforms rushing out of the pass, and the bright red Wu Jun flag was waving in the wind under the scorching sun. Wu Wang Zhufan actually led the army to go out of the pass to meet the battle!

Seeing this, Wu Ju's face became even more gloomy.

(End of this chapter)