At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 320 Abandoned City

Zhou Qi gave Zhuge Liang his own sword, which shows how much he values ​​him.

The last person to have this honor was the famous Chu general Xu Huang and Xu Gongming, who was also the first person under Zhou Qi to be awarded the rank of Zhonglang General.

In the past, Zhou Qi attacked Jingzhou for the first time, but he was unable to do anything when facing Xiangyang.

Seeing that the war is dragging on, if they can't make any achievements, they can only retreat in embarrassment, which will cause a huge blow to the morale of the entire Yangzhou.

At this critical moment, Xu Huang was ordered to do something in danger, and was awarded a tiger talisman and a sword by Zhou Qi, allowing him to kill first and then show off, so he could act expediently.

At that time, Xu Huang recruited 3,000 elite and courageous men. They traveled lightly and simply into the barren land, over mountains and ridges, through no-man's land, and finally arrived at Changsha County. They traveled down the Xiang River and finally captured Changsha County with only a thousand people. The county governs Linxiang.

After that, Xu Huang seemed to have activated a plug-in, and his soldiers fought more and more, defeating the Jingzhou army led by Liu Pan, and finally even besieged Jingzhou Prefecture to govern Hanshou, completely breaking the battlefield situation, and single-handedly changing the trend of the entire war. , which laid a solid foundation for Zhou Qi's second attack on Jingzhou.

At the beginning, no one except Zhou Qi was optimistic about Xu Huang's risky move. Only Zhou Qi always trusted him.

Now, the person Zhou Qi gave the sword to for the second time turned out to be just a young boy.

Huang Zhong and Yan Yan, the two veterans, inevitably had some thoughts in their minds, but they did not dare to say anything more.

After the army set off, Yan Yan couldn't help complaining to Huang Zhong while Zhuge Liang was handling the army's logistics: "Our army is already at a disadvantage in terms of strength in this battle with Chunyu Qiong."

"My lord wants us to defend Ye County and also want us to defeat Chunyu Qiong. At least he should send an experienced and prudent military advisor."

"Zhuge Liang is young and has no experience in leading troops. How can he be able to serve as a military advisor?"

The military advisor not only provides advice, but also has the power to supervise the army.

Even the coach Huang Zhong had to listen to Zhuge Liang's opinions at some point.

Yan Yan did not look down on Zhuge Liang, but he felt that the battle with Chunyu Qiong was very stressful, and Zhou Qi should not send someone who was not familiar with military affairs to cause trouble.

Huang Zhong also had a serious expression on his face and said: "Zhuge Liang's political talents are indeed good, but he has no military experience. I am also worried that the other party will point fingers at random."

Seeing that the two old generals didn't like Zhuge Liang very much, Wenpin suddenly said: "What do the two generals think is the most admirable thing about our lord?"

Huang Zhong said without hesitation: "Of course he has the ability to lead troops."

"My lord started from a humble background, but he was able to rely on his own abilities to conquer the north and south, and to lay such a foundation for the Chu Kingdom. This is inseparable from his outstanding military capabilities."

Yan Yan pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "What Han Sheng said makes sense."

Wenpin said, "I think the most admirable thing about my lord is knowing and employing people."

"Looking at the now famous civil servants and generals of the Chu State, almost all of them were promoted and re-employed when their reputations were not yet known, and they were allowed to fully display their talents."

"It is precisely because of my lord's ability to recognize and employ people that the Chu Kingdom has today's foundation."

When Huang Zhong and Yan Yan heard this, they immediately fell silent.

This is true.

No matter how powerful Zhou Qi is, he is only one person after all, and it is extremely difficult to achieve anything.

The state of Chu is what it is today, which is inseparable from the loyal and capable civil servants and generals under its command.

Before Zhou Qi reused them, these people were either unknown or depressed. Except for Huang Zhong, almost all of them began to shine after taking refuge in Zhou Qi.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, Wenpin continued: "Zhuge Kongming was first recruited by the prince as his disciple, and he followed the prince for many years, and the two were inseparable. Later, he was appointed by the lord to govern Jingzhou. Just after he took over, he started a turmoil in Jingzhou. The huge waves were so great that even a powerful force like the Kuai clan was wiped out in a snap.”

"How can such a person be mediocre?"

"Now, the lord has even asked him to join the army and awarded him a sword. Don't the two generals still know the lord's intention?"

Huang Zhong's heart moved slightly and he said: "You mean, my lord values ​​Zhuge Liang very much and is deliberately cultivating him?"

Wenpin sighed: "It's more than just valuing and nurturing."

"My lord first asked Zhuge Liang to follow the crown prince for several years to cultivate his relationship. Then he made him serve as the governor of Jingzhou and handle the most difficult government affairs in Jingzhou. Now he is asked to join the army."

"It can be seen that the lord is training Zhuge Liang as a person who can assist the prince to achieve great achievements in the future!"

They have a relationship and are similar in age. If Zhuge Liang is more proficient in government affairs and military affairs, he will be the first person under Zhou Ji's command in the future.

Perhaps, only Lujiang Zhou Gongjin can compete with him.

Listening to Wenpin's analysis, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan's expressions changed slightly. They didn't expect that their lord had this idea.

Seeing the two people's expressions changing, Wenpin immediately said with sincerity: "My lord, he has a keen eye. Since he dares to entrust Zhuge Kongming with such an important task at such an important moment, he must have real talent and learning."

"Now that Zhuge Liang is in the king's heart, if what he does is not too excessive, we should still obey him."

Huang Zhong and Yan Yan looked at each other and nodded slightly.

If Zhuge Liang is just a capable junior, as the founding hero of Chu State, they will naturally not be afraid of each other.

However, if His Highness the King of Chu regards Zhuge Liang as his future lone and important minister, then the two of them have to pay attention to it.

Even though they are proud, they have to consider their descendants.

If Zhuge Liang really turned against Zhuge Liang because of the conflict of spirits, by the time his generation passed away, Zhuge Liang would have already taken charge of the military and state power.

At that time, the second generation would have to look at Zhuge Liang's face to act.

When Zhuge Liang learned that he was going to be canonized as a military advisor, he already knew the painstaking efforts of His Royal Highness the King of Chu.

He was grateful and planned to take this opportunity to make contributions and become famous.

However, Zhuge Liang also knew that his qualifications were still relatively low, and he had no foundation or reputation in the army. On the other hand, Huang Zhong, Yan Yan, and Wenpin were all generals of the Chu State. They had been on the battlefield for many years and had great military exploits.

With Zhuge Liang's wisdom, he naturally knew that such a person might not think highly of him.

In this way, even if he has a strategy to defeat the enemy in the future, the generals may not adopt it.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhuge Liang deliberately mentioned that he was still relatively junior, just to see how much His Highness the King of Chu valued him.

Unexpectedly, King Chu's reaction was that Zhuge Liang was a little unbelievable, and he actually handed over his sword.

Zhuge Liang was moved and determined to defeat Yuan's army in this battle. As soon as the army left Xiangyang, Zhuge Liang found Huang Zhong, Yan Yan, and Wenpin. After saluting, he said bluntly: "I hope that when the generals march north to Ye County, they can stop their flags and only raise the banner of three thousand soldiers and horses. .”

Huang Zhong asked: "Why?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Be real and unreal, and be unreal. Hide our true military strength so that we can be surprised later."

Huang Zhong thought about it for a while and felt that it was okay. He immediately agreed and ordered his soldiers to stop their troops and move forward.

The army crossed the entire Nanyang County and finally arrived at Ye County.

Ye County, also known as Pingdingshan in later generations, is the junction of Nanyang County, Yingchuan County and Runan County.

There is Zhanshui crossing to the north of Ye County, which has become a natural barrier for the county.

The landform of Ye County is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The Funiu Mountains lie across the southwest border. The remaining veins of Tongbai Mountain extend from the southeast to the west, and finally confront the remaining veins of the Funiu Mountains, forming the famous "Nanxiang Passage".

It is precisely because of the special geographical location of Ye County that the geographical location of this county is very important.

Historically, when Cao Cao was conquering the Yuan brothers, Liu Biao sent Liu Bei to lead his army north to invade and seize the city of Nanyang County. They once reached Ye County, but were finally stopped by Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin.

After Zhuge Liang and others arrived in Ye County, they sealed the city gates, confiscated all the ships on the Zhanshui River, and then began to strengthen the city walls and build defense equipment.

A few days later, Chunyu Qiong and others led their troops to attack. They couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed when they saw that there was no ship on the vast Zhanshui.

Seeing this, Gao Lan said in a deep voice: "The responsibility of a pioneer is to open roads in the mountains and build bridges when encountering water. Since all the ships on the river have been confiscated, we can just order people to build them all day and night!"

Although Chunyu Qiong didn't get along well with Gao Lan, he knew that what he said was reasonable, and immediately ordered people to start felling wood to build ships.

But if we really have to build a boat to cross the river step by step, I'm afraid it will take a lot of time.

Chunyu Qiong thought about it, and finally mobilized his connections in Yingchuan, asking all the major families in the territory to contribute, and even recruited all the fishing boats dozens of miles downstream of Zhanshui River.

Although Zhuge Liang could confiscate the ships in Ye County, the lower reaches of Zhanshui were located in Yingchuan, so many ships were retained.

With the help of the Yingchuan nobles, Chunyu Qiong quickly gathered many ships. While building ships on the north bank of Zhanshui with great fanfare, he quietly crossed the river at night.

It's night, the moonlight is like a waterfall.

Zhuge Liang stood on the city wall, looking at the Zhanshui River bathed in moonlight in the distance, and murmured to himself: "Counting the time, Yuan Jun should be able to cross the river tonight."

Wenpin, who was standing nearby, heard this and said doubtfully: "Hasn't the military advisor ordered all the ships on the river to be seized? Yuan Jun is probably still building ships on the north bank at this time. How can he cross the river at night?"

Zhuge Liang said: "How can we seize all the ships on the river?"

Wenpin frowned and said, "Even if we can't collect them all, it might not be easy for Yuan Jun to recruit them."

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "The general has forgotten that Chunyu Qiong's family is a prominent family in Yingchuan. With the ability of the Yingchuan family, it is not righteous to help Chunyu Qiong prepare a boat to cross the river?"

Wenpin understood, and then said anxiously: "Since the military advisor has already expected this, why not set up an ambush in advance to repel Yuan's army crossing the river?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said: "Yuan's army must be cautious when crossing the river. Even if we set up an ambush in advance, it will only be a small victory at best. This will expose the strength of the troops in the city and make Chunyu Qiong more cautious."

"Let them cross the river. There is no navy above Zhanshui, so we can't stop them."

But Chunyu Qiong captured a large number of ships in a short period of time, and then used the secret of Chen Cang to cross the river at night. By the time the sky became bright, most of the 30,000 troops and horses had crossed.

Chunyu Qiong asked people to set up camp near the mountains and rivers. Then he looked at Gao Lan with a proud look on his face and said, "Do you know what I am capable of?"

Gao Lan remained silent.

Chunyu Qiong's performance this time was indeed beyond reproach. If Gao Lan still made sarcastic remarks at this time, he would be humiliating himself.

Seeing that Gao Lan was silent, Chunyu Qiong also felt quite bored, and immediately said: "Most of the soldiers did not sleep well when we crossed the river last night, and we will rest for a day. After the grain and grass are transported to the camp, we can attack Ye County in a big way."

"Today, let's send out scouts to explore the reality of Ye County."

In the afternoon of the same day, the scout reported: "The city is heavily guarded. According to the oral accounts of the captured people nearby, there are about 3,000 reinforcements coming to the city."

"Three thousand soldiers and horses."

Chunyu Qiong murmured in a low voice, knowing that if the three thousand soldiers and horses could not stand firm, it would not be very easy to break through the city.

Fortunately, he has 30,000 troops under his command, which is ten times the strength of the opponent. Moreover, the city wall of Ye County is not very tall. As long as he builds siege equipment, it is not difficult to capture Ye County.

With this in mind, Chunyu Qiong immediately asked Gao Shun to build siege equipment within three days.

The next day, Chunyu Qiong led his troops to call for formation, but the gate of Ye County was closed tightly. No matter how much Chunyu Qiong's soldiers yelled and cursed, there was no response from the city.

Chunyu Qiong sent people to tentatively attack several times, but the resistance from the defenders on the city wall was fierce.

Without siege equipment, it was impossible to storm the city wall.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and Yuan Jun's siege equipment had been completed.

Chunyu Qiong ordered his soldiers to attack Ye County day and night. The defenders in the city were very tenacious. The two sides fought fiercely for ten days. The defenders suffered heavy casualties. Yuan Jun still failed to climb half a step onto the city wall.

When Huang Zhong looked at the number of casualties sent by his subordinates, his eyes turned red. He found Zhuge Liang and shouted in a deep voice: "If all the soldiers and horses were sent to defend the city, why would the soldiers suffer so many casualties?"

Zhuge Liang rubbed his brow slightly tiredly and explained patiently: "A little impatience will mess up the big plan. If you want to defeat the Yuan Army's vanguard, you must not move rashly with the seven thousand hidden troops."

Huang Zhong clenched his fists and shouted: "In the past ten days, Yuan's army has been attacking fiercely day and night. Nearly half of the three thousand defenders have been killed or injured, and they are all exhausted."

"If those seven thousand soldiers and horses are not used, Ye County will not be able to defend it!"

Zhuge Liang did not continue to reply to Huang Zhong, but asked Wenpin: "Is the people of Nanyang County migrating south smoothly?"

Wen Pin said: "Everyone knows that the war is about to start, so they don't need much persuasion from the government at all, so they all cooperate to move south. In three to five days, people who are willing to move should be able to enter Xiangyang County."

Zhuge Liang asked again: "How long will it take for the Zhao army led by Yuan Benchu ​​to arrive at Ye County?"

Wen Pin said: "According to the detailed reports from General Chen's men, Yuan Benchu ​​will arrive in Ye County in two or three days."

Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, then turned to look at Huang Zhong and said, "Abandon the city!"

(End of this chapter)