Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 475

Pound sent [-] troops to Linfen after capturing Pi's family.

Linfen is one of the only roads to Bingzhou. Now that they have won most of the Hedong area, they are preparing to enter Bingzhou.

After that, he led the main force to go south to Xie County, waiting for Shen Chen to summon him to double-team Cao Zhen's order.

However, because Shen Chen was afraid that the cavalry on Sun Li's side would not know where they were going, he didn't call him immediately. Anyway, wasting time was not good for Cao Wei, so he waited and watched the situation first.

And at the time when the two sides were in a stalemate, following Shen Chen's start of war on the western front, battle reports and official documents flew to all parts of the country like snowflakes.

Cao Wei responded by sending only 8000 people from Sun Li to help, and at the same time immediately mobilized the major families in the country to use the Jiupin Zhongzheng system to obtain money, food and population from them to make up for military use.

The rear was bustling with people, and after the edict was issued, countless small and medium-sized families made a sensation, wanting to compete for the places of top-rank and middle-rank families, and donated money, food and materials to the court one after another.

For a while, Cao Wei had the support of major families, and quickly formed a new army of tens of thousands of people in the rear, and began to enter the training stage.

In April, Wancheng, Nanyang, Zhuge Liang's prime minister's mansion, he was looking at official documents from various places.

Zhou Buyi was sitting next to him. Seeing him put down the official document after reading it, he asked aloud: "Prime Minister, Cao Wei is training recruits with great fanfare in the north. He claims to have 30 soldiers. I'm afraid he also guessed that we are preparing for a full-scale northern expedition."

Zhuge Liang lightly shook his feather fan and said: "Well, Cao Wei has been propagating that if we occupy the Central Plains, we will deprive the major families of their land and population, so they mobilized the major families to contribute money and efforts."

"But I remember they did this before, but there were very few responders. Why are they becoming so active now?"

Cai Du asked curiously.

Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "It's because Cao Rui used the ninth-rank Zhongzheng as a bait. Those who donate a lot of money and goods can be promoted from the low-rank to the middle-rank, and the middle-rank to the top-rank. Xiaoqing once said that people only care about immediate interests. We didn't have the Northern Expedition. They didn't feel any pain before the flesh. Now that Cao Rui has given benefits, they will naturally respond."

"I see."

Only then did Cai Du understand why the major families in the north were suddenly so active.

Zhuge Liang said again: "Xiaoqing sent me a letter saying that these are mobs, so I don't need to pay attention to them. If Cao Wei sends new troops to rescue them, even if they hurt them, I think it makes sense. How is it?"

Cai Du replied: "Prime Minister, Wancheng has stockpiled more than 300 million stones of grain and grass, and the wheat will be harvested in May this year. The grain and grass are all ready."

"Ah."

Zhuge Liang nodded slowly and said: "The late emperor's long-cherished wish was to conquer the Central Plains in the north and revive the Han Dynasty. Fortunately, God's will never ceases Yan Han, and the two generals Guan and Zhang assisted all the way. The late emperor of Xuzhou was also kind to Xiaoqing, and he was able to create a new era after he arrived in Jingzhou. This foundation has not yet been accomplished to this day. I can’t fulfill the late emperor’s long-cherished wish for a day, and I can’t sleep at night for a day.”

Ma Liang, who was on the other side, was pleasantly surprised: "Is the prime minister planning to launch the Northern Expedition in advance?"

"good."

Zhuge Liang said: "Although Cao Wei has recruited a large number of mobs, if given time and continuous training, I am afraid that a group of elite soldiers will be trained soon. I must not give Cao Wei this time to send troops in advance, just to catch Cao Wei by surprise."

Cai Du quickly said: "But the prime minister originally planned to send troops at the end of May, and now there is still a batch of weapons and equipment from the rear that have not arrived. In addition, the siege equipment still needs to be repaired temporarily. Is it too hasty?"

Although it is a derogatory term to sharpen the gun in front of the battle, it is often impossible to do it.Ordinary weapons and equipment can be placed in the arsenal and repaired and maintained all the time, but those large siege equipment cannot be used. First, it is not easy to carry, and second, they are basically made of wood.

Leaving aside the multi-story Yunlou equipment that weighs several tons, even ordinary catapults, punching carts, and nest carts weigh several hundred kilograms close to one ton. I am afraid that the march can barely cover thirty miles.

Moreover, wooden things are prone to brittleness after being left for a long time. Whether it is damp, rotten or moth-eaten, it will have a huge impact on wooden siege equipment.And the cost of maintenance is extremely high, far inferior to temporary construction.

Therefore, siege equipment such as cloud towers, rushing carts, catapults, ladders, wooden mantles, nest carts, etc. generally need to be prepared before the battle.

For example, in many siege battles in history, it was only after several months of siege that the military craftsmen would build it before attacking.When Lu Zhi led tens of thousands of elite northern troops to attack Zhangjiao's 20 Yellow Turban Army, he surrounded Guangzong. Emperor Han Ling thought he was too slow when building equipment, so he replaced him with Dong Zhuo, but Dong Zhuo was defeated.

Including Shen Chen's attack on Hedong County, he prepared for more than a year, built a large number of siege equipment in advance, and then used ships to transport them to the city. Otherwise, he would also need to temporarily build them outside the city and surround them for several months. Just now.

Zhuge Liang was preparing for the Northern Expedition, and these large-scale equipment were also being made temporarily, but if everything had been dealt with in early May, and now the troops were dispatched ahead of schedule, the equipment might not be able to keep up.

Hearing Cai Du's words, Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "It's okay, the equipment will be built temporarily after we reach the city. These things themselves are too bulky, and I can't transport the equipment to the front line by ship like Xiaoqing. Building too much in advance will slow down the marching speed."

Cai Du nodded and said, "The Prime Minister is right."

Zhuge Liang thought for a moment, and then issued an order: "Send an order to Wenpin, Lu Chang, and Gan Ning to ask them to assemble their troops immediately and come to Wancheng to stand by."

"only!"

Cai Du bowed his hand and said yes.

Zhuge Liang then said: "Send someone to Xiangyang to summon the Chariot General and General Wei."

"General Wei?"

Zhou Buyi was a little surprised and said: "Is the prime minister going to use General Wei?"

Zhang Fei had been commanding the cavalry in Nanyang before, but Liu Chan's third son Liu Cong was born a while ago, his grandson, so he made a special trip back to Xiangyang to have a look.

It is normal to recall Zhang Fei, the chariot and cavalry general. Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, the three armies are moving together, and Zhang Fei, as the cavalry commander, will definitely go out with the army.

But no one dared to use Ma Chao after Liu Bei's death, and he stayed at home all the time.

The main reason is that Ma Chao himself is a vassal, and he had a bad record of rebellion many times before. Liu Bei dared to use him because Liu Bei himself had a high reputation. He once competed with Cao Cao and could hold the scene.

The rest of the people did not have Liu Bei's charisma and great reputation, so Zhou Buyi was also surprised when Zhuge Liang used Ma Chao.

However, Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "After all, General Wei has been around for many years, and he is very experienced in leading troops and fighting. The late emperor treated him well, and he has a blood feud with the Cao family. I believe he should understand what he should do."

"Ah."

Zhou Buyi thought for a while and said, "The prime minister's words are reasonable."

Zhuge Liang said to Ma Liang again: "Ji Chang, you are responsible for recruiting the men and women on the list. Within ten days, everyone must be present."

Ma Liang hesitated a little and said, "Seeing that the wheat is being harvested in May, we are now recruiting the laborers."

They originally planned to attack at the end of May and the beginning of June, because Nanyang was still planting corn and wheat alternately at that time.May is the time to harvest the wheat that was planted last year, and young and strong labor is needed.

Zhuge Liang said: "It's okay, let's pass down the order. If the wheat harvest is not enough, the local government will send yamen servants, county soldiers, and officials. Even if the officials go to the fields themselves, they must harvest the wheat."

"only."

Ma Liang had no choice but to agree.

"Go."

Zhuge Liang waved his hands, motioning them to do the preparations.

Although it was decided to send troops ahead of schedule, what had to be done was still to be done. For example, the soldiers and horses scattered all over Nanyang were summoned, and then the civilian husbands were recruited for corvee service to start the official Northern Expedition.

They have almost prepared for this process before, including the list of civilian husbands and corvees, and they have already been assigned, just waiting for an order.

Therefore, in at most half a month, Zhuge Liang's army can leave Nanyang and take Henan directly.

Watching the three leave, Zhuge Liang slowly got up from the table, holding a feather fan in his hand, looked around, and walked out of the hall.

It was in the evening, and the weather in early summer was not particularly hot. As the sun set in the west, the gorgeous fire clouds in the distance seemed to burn half of the sky.

There is a twilight crow hovering outside the city, flying towards the mountains of the west city, the white clouds are blooming, and the scenery is beautiful and picturesque.

Zhuge Liang went all the way from the front hall to the back courtyard of the mansion. The courtyard is full of flowers, plants and trees, and green bamboos are planted beside the wooden porch.

"Prime Minister."

Seeing Zhuge Liang coming, the servants in the back garden saluted him one after another.

Zhuge Liang nodded in response one by one, and then went to the corridor and sat cross-legged.

These days, he has been dealing with official documents from various places every day, and looking at these complicated things will also make him physically and mentally exhausted.

Now that I have finally decided to go on the Northern Expedition, I don't know why I have relaxed a lot, and I feel that all the troubles of the past have been swept away at this moment.

Perhaps it was because after the Northern Expedition, he only needed to manage military affairs, and no longer needed to be like before. Liu Chan would send someone to inform him about some major events in the whole of Nanyang, including all parts of the south, and ask him how to deal with them.

Xiaoqing is right.

People should not be too tired, sometimes they should let themselves go and let themselves have a good rest, so that they will not be so exhausted every day that it will damage their lifespan.

Zhuge Liang thought in his heart.

Under the wooden corridor, he quietly looked at the vast world.

After a long time, the sky gradually dimmed, and Zhuge Liang was more excited than ever.

The time for the Northern Expedition is finally coming.

He got up slowly and walked into the study room. A lamp was quickly lit up in the room, and each lamp was like a bean, reflecting Zhuge Liang's slightly thin face.

He was sitting behind the table, listening to Shen Chen's words, he had already started to sit in the study room with a grand chair, less cross-legged would be bad for his feet.

He picked up the writing brush in his hand, and felt that he had a lot to say, but he didn't know who to say it to. Finally, he remembered that when he decided to make the Northern Expedition, he should report it to His Majesty first.

So he dipped the ink lightly, and slowly began to write on the paper.

"The first emperor did not start his business halfway, but the middle road collapsed. Today, the two points are divided, and the north is exhausted. This is the time of the northern expedition to the Central Plains and the revival of the Han Dynasty."

"I am deeply concerned that the Han and the thieves are not at odds, and that the king's career is not partial, so I led the northern expedition to fight against the thieves. I know that your majesty is worried. Fortunately, the guards are relentless. Those who are loyal and forget themselves outside will chase after the emperor. I want to repay your majesty for the special encounter."

"Your Majesty should sincerely open Zhang Shengting to honor the virtues of the late emperor and the spirit of lofty ideals. It is not appropriate to belittle oneself and use allusions to injustice to block the way of loyalty and admonition."

"In the palace, in the mansion, everything is one; whether the punishment is fine or not, there should be no similarities and differences. If there are criminals who commit crimes and are loyal, it is advisable to pay punishments and rewards to judge your majesty, so as to show your majesty's fair principles. .”

"Vice ministers Xu Shu, Pang Tong, ministers, ministers Jiang Wan, Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, etc., are all good and honest, and they are loyal and pure. No matter how big or small, if you consult them carefully, and then implement them, you will definitely be able to make up for the gaps and benefit a lot.”

"General Xiang Chong, who is gentle in nature and good at military affairs, tried to use it in the past. The first emperor called it Neng, and he was the superintendent with the approval of favors from all the people. I am foolish to think that if you consult him well in the affairs of the camp, you will be able to make the formation harmonious. , the good and the bad get what they want."

"A virtuous minister, far from a villain, this is why the Han Dynasty prospered; a pro-little man, a virtuous minister, is why the Han Dynasty fell. When the late emperor was there, whenever he discussed this matter with his ministers, he sighed and hated Yu Huan and Ling. Also. Deputy prime ministers, servants, ministers, chief historians, and soldiers who joined the army, this is a minister who has learned about Zhenliang's death festival. I hope that your majesty's relatives will believe in it, and the prosperity of the Han Dynasty will be counted. "

"The minister is a commoner, and he works in Nanyang. Gouquan lives in troubled times, and does not seek to be known to the princes. The first emperor did not regard his ministers as despicable, obscene and self-defeating. He paid three visits to the ministers in the grass hut, and consulted them on the affairs of the world. I was grateful, so Xu Xiandi drove away. Later, when Liu Biao was overthrown, and the army went south, the minister was appointed at the time of the defeated army, and was ordered to be in danger. It has been twenty or two years since then."

"The first emperor and his ministers were cautious, so he sent his ministers to take important matters before the collapse. Since he was ordered, Su Ye sighed, fearing that the entrustment would not be effective and hurt the late emperor's vision. Therefore, five years ago, when he crossed Lu in July, he went deep into the barren land."

"Now the south has been set, the soldiers are full, and the three armies will be rewarded, and the central plains will be set in the north. The common people will be exhausted, the trespassers will be wiped out, the Han Dynasty will be revived, and the old capital will be restored. This minister is loyal to His Majesty's duty by repaying the late emperor. Also. As for judging profit and loss, and making the best of faithful advice, then Shu, Tong, You Zhi, Yi, and Yi are allowed to do their jobs.”

"May your Majesty entrust your ministers with the effect of bringing back the thieves, if not effective, you will punish the ministers' crimes, so as to sue the spirit of the late emperor. If there is no word of virtue, then blame the concubine, unification, youzhi, yi, yun, etc. for the slowness Your majesty should also seek for himself, consult the good way, examine the elegant words, and deeply pursue the late emperor's edict. I am very grateful for your kindness. Now you should stay away, and you will be weeping before you, and you don't know what to say."

Zhuge Liang wrote the last stroke with a dignified expression. After the ink was dry, he carefully put the paper into the envelope, called his attendants, and asked him to send it to the court to hand it over to His Majesty.

When the attendants left, Zhuge Liang walked out of the study. It was already nighttime, and the crescent moon hung in the sky, full of stars, bright and vast.

He looked at the stars in the sky and said softly: "Emperor Xian, I will do my best and die. The Northern Expedition to the Central Plains and the revival of the Han Dynasty will not only return to Chang'an, but also recover Luoyang and unify the world. I hope that the spirit of the late Emperor will protect the great man!"

After he finished speaking, among the stars, there seemed to be a rather dim star that suddenly brightened, emitting a dazzling light, responding to his words.

Liu Bei.

As if watching him all the time.

(End of this chapter)