Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 286 I want it all!
Xiakou, Snake Mountain tent.

"Report!"

The scout trotted up the mountain from the foot of the mountain, entered the tent, and said: "My lord, Cao Cao raised an army of [-] troops, marching south from Sui County, and has captured Nanxin City. With Gao Lan, Zhang He, and Guo Huai as the vanguard, the troops reached Anlu City. Today. Anlu City asked for help, but Governor Wen of Xiakou City did not dare to move lightly."

"Anlu City is here!"

Zhuge Liang spread out the map of Jiangbei, pointed with his feather fan, and asked, "Where are Cao Cao's troops?"

"Informing the military advisor, Cao Cao's army has arrived at Nanxin City and is stationed on the spot. He ordered all the ministries on the left and right to plunder the people and lead the three armies to besiege Anlu City." the scout said.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei each claimed to have 40 troops, but Cao and Liu did not have so many troops. They were all just bluffs.

After a year of consolidation, Liu Bei deducted Zhang Fei's 2 troops. Liu Bei gathered Wu and Chu troops and gathered [-] navy and army sergeants to station in Jianghan.However, Guan Yu had [-] soldiers and horses in Jiangling, Wenpin had [-] troops, and Liu Bei only had [-] troops as a mobile force.

After two years of recuperation, Cao Cao sent [-] troops to march south.Cao Ren was stationed in Xiangfan with [-] troops and horses. Cao Cao gave Cao Ren [-] troops. Now Cao Cao has only [-] mobile troops.

In contrast, in order to take care of Bashu.Liu Bei's military strength was at a disadvantage, and the southern army's combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the northern army.Therefore, Liu Bei did not dare to station in the north of the Yangtze River, so he could only arrange his camp in Snake Mountain in the south of the Yangtze River.

Liu Bei stared at the map, frowned slightly, and said, "How dare Cao Cao be so trusting and send his soldiers out to plunder the people? How dare he not be afraid of me crossing the river to attack him!"

Zhuge Liang stroked the feather fan gently and speculated: "Liang thought that Cao Cao's move might be to lure his lord to cross the river."

"Ok?"

Liu Bei thought for a while and said: "But Cao Cao deliberately sent his soldiers out to plunder the people, but he was actually on guard. When our army crosses the river to attack the enemy, Cao Cao should use his cavalry to defeat our army!"

"Exactly!"

Zhuge Liang saw through Cao Cao's thoughts and said: "Cao Cao was afraid of the defeat at Chrysostom and did not dare to go south via Gong'an, so he asked Cao Ren to contain General Guan. He led the army south with Sui County and made a relaxed gesture to lure the lord across the river and attack him while the situation was strong."

After a pause, Zhuge Liang guessed and said: "Although Cao Cao has many soldiers and horses and thousands of good cavalry, he has no boats and boats and it is difficult to cross the river. Although our army has few soldiers and horses and many defenses at Jinkou, we have thousands of boats and boats to advance and retreat." freely."

"Therefore, Liang thought that although Cao Cao's troops and horses were strong and he had the superiority of cavalry and pawns, the only way to defeat the lord was to lure him across the river. Cao Cao's move now will definitely be a lure for the enemy, and the lord must not fall into his plan. We should follow our army's old strategy. Use boats to patrol the Han River and defend Queyue City in the north of the Yangtze River until Cao's army is exhausted."

When he heard that Cao Cao was going south, and Zhang Fei and Lu Yi were divided into Shu, Zhuge Liang suggested that Liu Bei take a defensive stance.In the direction of Nanjun, Guan Yu was in charge of Gong'an City; in the direction of Jiangxia, Wenpin was in charge of Queyue City (Xiakou).Liu Bei led his army to camp in the south of the Yangtze River in Xiakou, and used naval maneuvers to return to Gong'an and Queyue City for support.

And if Cao Cao attacked the city, he would use Gong'an and Queyue City to deplete the morale of Cao Cao's army. When Cao Cao was exhausted, Liu Bei led his army across the river and took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Generally speaking, the strategy of defensive counterattack was adopted, not taking the initiative to fight Cao Jun who had the advantage in land warfare, but using the terrain and fortified cities to kill Cao Jun's fighting spirit.

And this was Sima Yi's tactic against Fang Geliang in history, holding on to the dangerous point and not being able to escape.However, Zhuge Liang is better than Sima Yi. He not only defends, but also counterattacks.

Gan Ning, who was appointed as the governor of the Han River, was very unwilling and said: "Military advisor, why not send your elite soldiers to cross the river to attack them? Although they cannot severely damage the enemy's army, they can also demoralize the enemy and enhance the prestige of our army. If we stand firm and do not fight now, I'm afraid It hurts the morale of Jiangbei soldiers."

With that said, Gan Ning offered his hand to Liu Bei and asked for battle, saying: "My lord, I would rather lead a small number of elite soldiers across the river to seek opportunities to defeat the enemy and enhance the power of our army."

"General Gan, don't be anxious!"

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said with a smile: "The opportunity has not come yet, so we must not underestimate the enemy. When the opportunity comes, General Gan will have his own use."

"To promote hegemony, follow the advice of military advisors."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said: "You are in charge of the Han River. You are a naval general and you should not fight lightly."

"promise!"

Seeing that Liu Bei agreed with Zhuge Liang's words, Gan Ning had no choice but to agree.

Liu Bei looked at Yin Guan and asked, "How is the movement in Jianghuai today?"

Yin Guan pondered for a while and said, "Please tell me, my lord, that there is no movement from General Huo and he is still stationed at Ruxukou."

After a pause, Yin Guan said: "My Lord, Cao Cao is approaching the north of the Yangtze River and has many troops. Why not let General Huo lead his troops to attack Hefei north to share the pressure on our army in the north of the Yangtze River."

"No!" Ma Liang stopped him and said, "Liang and his disciples spoke to each other one after another. They secretly thought that General Huo had stationed troops in Dongguan and planned to attack Hefei in the north. However, the troops and horses have not moved yet, so there must be a plan. Liang often heard that General "Outside, if your orders are not accepted, it is better to exchange military reports and let General Huo arrange his own military strategy."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said in praise: "General Zhongmiao is unparalleled in the world, and he is not an ordinary general. In the past, when he went to Jiangdong, he often held his troops motionless and waited for the opportunity. If a fighting opportunity appeared, he would move like thunder, lead his troops into battle, and lead them to defeat the enemy. . When I said goodbye, I should take Hefei and return it, and I should believe it."

Don't be suspicious when you employ people, don't use people when you are suspicious.This is vividly demonstrated in Liu Bei. In terms of sincerity in treating his subordinates, neither Cao Cao nor Sun Quan can compare with Liu Bei.So much so that Liu Bei rewarded his defeated subordinates without punishing them.

Brothers Meng Da and Shen raised three counties to surrender to Cao Cao, but Liu Bei did not kill the three family members.So when Huang Quan surrendered to Cao Cao and heard that Liu Bei killed his family members, he didn't believe it at all.After all, he didn't even kill Meng Da's family members, so how could he kill his family members.

This also led to the fact that although civil and military officials were grateful to Liu Bei, they either surrendered or ran away when faced with emergencies, such as Liao Li, Hao Pu, Shi Ren and others.

Liu Bei looked around at the civil and military forces and ordered: "The navy patrols the river, and all the ministries must not slack off. Ji Chang crossed the river to appease Zhongye and asked Queyue City Defense if it needed more troops or more crossbows."

"No!" Wu Chu Wenwu responded.
-
Not to mention the confrontation between Cao and Liu in Jiangxia, under Liu Zhang's welcome, Zhang Fei, Lu Xun, and Pang Tong entered Bashu.

Strangely enough, when Lu Xun led his troops through Yiling, he felt something in his heart, so he changed the proposal to "Xun" and reported it to Liu Bei.In the letter, Lu Xun also said something strangely, the terrain of Yiling is steep, if Bashu invades Jingzhou and stops the enemy here, a fire attack strategy can be used.

Liu Bei, who received the letter, believed that Lu Xun's reputation was better than that of Lu Yi, and that he would surely make great achievements if he entered Bashu from the west.Regarding the terrain of Yiling, Liu Bei believed that only by camping among the grass and trees can we attack with fire and burn the enemy to the ground.

Zhang Fei and Lu Xun entered Bashu, and Liu Bei asked Meng Da and Fazheng to station themselves at the dangerous point between the Three Gorges and Baidi in the name of Yizhou generals to prevent Liu Zhang from suddenly closing the waterway into Shu and making it difficult to enter Shu.

Yizhou, Fucheng.

Zhang Fei looked at the catalog of supplies sent by Liu Zhang, kept smiling, and said: "Liu Zhang is really rich, with thousands of horses, one hundred thousand stones of grain and grass, and 3000 million yuan in money. He also asked a certain sergeant from Baishuiguan, a certain governor, to add [-] troops. After flying around for many years, this is the first time I have seen such a generous person."

Lu Xun poured cold water on him and said: "General Yide, this is money to buy your life. This trip is hundreds of miles north to Hanzhong, and it is all difficult and dangerous Shu Road, making it difficult for carriages and horses. Moreover, the soldiers in Guanxi are brave. If you underestimate the enemy, you will be defeated. .”

Zhang Fei looked at Lu Xun and Pang Tong. He was not angry, but smiled and said, "Bo Yan knows military strategy well, but now that he is deep in Bashu, I dare to ask Shi Yuan and Boyan how to act?"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had different attitudes toward Lu Xun, Liu Bei's son-in-law.Guan Yu believed that Lu Xun came from a noble family and was too Confucian and lacked the heroic spirit to become Liu Bei's eldest daughter and son-in-law.

But Zhang Fei is different. He likes Confucian scholars.Zhang Fei liked Lu Xun very much as his eldest brother and son-in-law.He often stayed at Lu Xun's house and talked about Confucian classics.Although Lu Xun was talking and Zhang Fei was listening, Zhang Fei was also enjoying it.

Pang Tong stroked his beard and said: "General Zhang, the road to Shu is difficult and dangerous. Why not stay at Baishui Pass to observe the situation of Wu and Chu on the pretext of inquiring about the war. If the lord forces Cao Cao to retreat, General Zhang can take the opportunity to lead his army to attack Chengdu. By welcoming your lord into Shu, you will be able to take the lead in Shu!"

After a pause, Pang Tong said worriedly: "We will march north to Hanzhong with [-] soldiers and horses, not to mention that the road to Shu is difficult and dangerous, and Hanzhong is difficult to defeat. Even if we enter Hanzhong, we will still have to fight with the horses and Han to fight for Hanzhong. Not to mention that we can't. Whether we win or not, even if we win, our army will be alone in Han, and it will be difficult for us to lead the lord into Shu."

Zhang Fei put down his wine bottle and said in response: "What the military advisor said is true. The Qiang soldiers in the northwest are brave. How can Fei not know how powerful they are? And if Liu Zhang makes a mistake in the northern campaign to Hanzhong, I and the [-] soldiers will die on the Shu road." "

"otherwise!"

Lu Xun organized his thoughts and said: "General Yide and Ma Han are Cao Cao's vanguard. If they capture Hanzhong, Hanzhong will be in Cao Cao's hands. Since Cao Cao captures Hanzhong and the northwest, he will compete with our army for Bashu. At that time, Liu Zhang , Cao Cao, and my lord, the situation is complicated, and I am afraid that Bashu will not be able to take control of me. Moreover, Bashu is rich, and if it is massacred by soldiers, it is not the lord's intention."

After hesitating for a while, Lu Xun said: "Why not capture Hanzhong first, and then cooperate with the lord to march west to Bashu. If Cao Cao comes to fight for Hanzhong, Hanzhong will be the battlefield, and the enemy will be kept outside Bashu, and all Bashu will belong to the lord."

"If we march north to Hanzhong, there will be dangers as mentioned by Commander Pang. However, if we take Chengdu directly, I'm afraid it will damage my lord's reputation. It is beyond my lord's power to betray allies and annex the country."

Today, Liu Bei is burdened by his reputation and has developed a personality.One day, his character will be destroyed and Liu Bei will suffer backlash.Although Bashu can be convinced, he still has to spend time appeasing everyone.

Zhang Fei took a few sips of wine and said in a deep voice: "In this case, we must not ruin my brother's reputation. Then go north to Hanzhong and meet Ma Chao for a while. Take Hanzhong, find an excuse, kill Liu Zhang, and offer Bashu to Brother, I can also implement Zhong Miao’s strategy of confronting the North and the South."

"General Yide!" Pang Tong advised.

"No need to say more!"

Zhang Fei took a sip of wine and said in a deep voice: "Hanzhong and Bashu, I want them all! When I return to Wuhan, let's see if Kong Ming still dares to underestimate me!"

"promise!"

　The night is gone, no waiting

　　
　
(End of this chapter)