Han family achievements

Chapter 583: Calculation
Zhuge Jin met the gazes of the crowd, knowing that he was being tested, and with a slightly thoughtful expression, he said, "Right Sima, I think that we cannot wait at this moment, and we must dispatch troops as soon as possible without delay."

Liu Bei became interested and said, "Please tell me in detail, sir."

Zhuge Jin paused again and said, "There are five reasons. First, winter is approaching, and it is not appropriate to use troops. We should fight quickly and make a quick decision. Second, the Yuan brothers are fighting among themselves, but fundamentally, our imperial army is the biggest threat to them, which is why they broke up and did not fight. Third, although Yuan Shao died of illness, he used nearly 100,000 troops and fought for years. Many of his subordinates are brave generals and sharp soldiers. We cannot underestimate them. The example of General Xiahou is not far away. Fourth, we cannot let the Yuan brothers drag on this year. If we can catch our breath, it will be more difficult for the imperial court to eliminate them. Fifth, our army's morale is high and our spirit is strong. This is the best time to use it! In summary, I ask the right Sima to order all armies to go to war immediately and attack together, so that the Yuan brothers cannot take care of each other. Within a month, we will definitely recover Yangzhou and eliminate the rebellion. Please understand, right Sima."

Liu Bei's face showed great excitement. He looked at Xu Shu and said with a smile, "What you said is exactly what I want. But there is still one more thing to worry about. Except for the 20,000 soldiers led by my second brother Yunchang, the other armies are not ready yet, especially the food and grass, which are still on the way. What should we do?"

Zhuge Jin knew all this a long time ago, and said calmly, "I think that as long as all the armies are coordinated, they don't need to participate in the battle. They just need to show off their power. I estimate that the place of the decisive battle will be Danyang and Kuaiji counties, so we only need the Guanzhong Langjiang and Xuzhou to send troops."

Liu Bei frowned slightly. Xu Shu did not mention this idea last night.

Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "Right Sima, I agree with what Mr. Zhuge said. However, General Xiahou was defeated and dismissed. Xuzhou and Wujun are being reorganized. In order to prevent Zhang He's sneak attack, they are on the defensive. In addition, the new General has not been decided yet, so I am afraid that they cannot send troops for the time being."

Zhuge Jin disagreed and said, "I don't think so. If my guess is correct, the new Zhonglang Jiang may have already arrived in Guangling County or even Wu County."

Liu Bei looked slightly surprised and asked, "Why do you say that?"

He was the Right Sima, and his status was second only to Cao Cao. If there was a new General of the Central Army of Xuzhou, he should be the first to know about it.

Zhuge Jin looked at Liu Bei with a calm and firm face, and said: "I don't know anything, but I have inferred it based on the current situation. The destruction of Yuan is imminent, and the arrow is on the string. There is no reason for the court to delay the appointment of Xuzhou Lieutenant General. The reason for this is probably to keep it secret and confuse the Yuan brothers."

Liu Bei thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "I will send a letter to Xuzhou immediately. If a new General of the Household has really arrived, we will arrange a time to dispatch troops, annihilate Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang in one fell swoop, and pacify Yangzhou!"

Xu Shu, Guan Yu and others all nodded.

Just as Zhuge Jin said, the imperial court has mobilized troops from all over the country, with nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses. The arrow is on the string and has to be fired!

Even in the coldest months of winter, we still have to send troops!

Liu Bei thought carefully for a while and said, "Yuan Shao left behind many brave generals and counselors, especially Zhang He, Feng Ji and others. We should not underestimate them. We should be on guard against the lesson of Xiahou Dun. I think..."

"Report!"

Before Liu Bei finished speaking, a clerk rushed in, holding up an official document and said in a hurry: "Report to Mr. Liu, the Grand Marshal's Mansion is 400 miles away and urgent."

Liu Bei hurriedly stood up, took the letter, tore it open and read it.

Everyone looked at Liu Bei. A letter from the Grand Marshal's Mansion at this moment must be something big!

Liu Bei kept looking up and down. When he finished reading, he looked puzzled and muttered to himself, "Great victory..."

No one dared to disturb Liu Bei, but Guan Yu spoke up and asked, "Brother? What happened?"

Liu Bei quickly calmed down, sat down with a smile on his face, and said, "It's good news. Ten days ago, General Huang Zhong led Xiahou Yuan, Lu Bu and other generals to defeat Han Sui, Ma Teng and other rebels in Weinan, and have already occupied Qishan and Jicheng."

Xu Shu, Zhuge Jin and others were overjoyed. Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "This is indeed good news." Huang Zhong's victory over the rebels in Liang Province would certainly boost the morale of the army. This was naturally good news for Liu Bei.

However, it also put pressure on him. Liu Bei sat there and pondered, "Huang Zhong leads the armies, with nearly 40,000 soldiers and horses. In addition, it is almost winter, so he should not continue to advance and consolidate the results of the battle until next year."

Xu Shu nodded slightly. Liangzhou is a vast territory. On the right, the Hexi Corridor extends all the way to the Western Regions, which is more than a thousand miles long.

In addition to the vast territory, there is also a very complicated situation. Various ethnic groups live together, and they are not of our kind. It is impossible to pacify them with one battle.

According to Xu Shu's judgment, it would take at least three years to completely pacify Liangzhou, and that was assuming that the imperial court could properly suppress and pacify the rebels and curb their rebellion as much as possible.

Zhuge Jin heard something in Liu Bei's words, raised his hand and said to Liu Bei loudly: "Right Sima, I think that in conquering Yangzhou, it is better to attack the heart than the city. Not all people in Yangzhou are rebellious, I am willing to go and persuade you to surrender."

Liu Bei showed a delighted look on his face and said, "Sir, do you have any candidates?"

Zhuge Jin had already prepared a plan, and said, "I had some friendship with Feng Ji in my early years. This time I am willing to lobby him and make him understand the righteousness, know shame, and lead his troops to surrender."

"How sure are you?" Liu Bei asked immediately excitedly.

The reason why Zhang He was able to defeat Xiahou Dun unexpectedly was because of this person's advice. If this person surrendered, then Yuan Xi in Danyang would not be a concern.

Zhuge Jin looked confident and said, "Twenty percent."

Liu Bei's smile froze, but he still said, "The rebels are vicious. It will be too dangerous if you leave. My second brother is brave and rare in the world. He is capable of pacifying the two Yuans."

Zhuge Jin said calmly, "Right Sima, the 20% I mentioned is because of my friendship with him, which is only worth 20%. But with the royal army of our court by his side, it can be increased by 40%. In addition, the internal strife between the two Yuans can add another 20%. And with the reputation of Right Sima and General of Guanzhong, there is still 20%..."

Liu Bei was surprised and delighted, and said, "Doesn't that mean we are 100% sure?"

Zhuge Jin stood up, raised his hand, and said, "Please ask the Right Sima to write a letter, the general content of which is that those who surrender will be forgiven for their past."

This was not difficult for Liu Bei. He asked doubtfully, "Is that all? If you have made great contributions, you may be awarded a high position and generous salary."

Zhuge Jin said: "Forgiving such rebellious people is already a great favor from heaven. How can we grant them high positions and generous salaries?"

Liu Bei was a little confused about Zhuge Jin. He wondered if he was just bragging in order to gain merit, so he turned to Xu Shu.

Xu Shu nodded imperceptibly.

Seeing this, Liu Bei looked outside and said, "Okay. Five days is the deadline. After five days, regardless of whether the Lieutenant General of Xuzhou arrives or not, and regardless of whether you succeed or not, I will personally lead the troops to suppress the rebellion!"

Guan Yu, Xu Shu, Zhuge Jin and others all stood up and raised their hands, saying, "Your subordinates obey your orders!"

(End of this chapter)