Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 340: Western Pines and Northern Songs
  April, Jiangzhou.

Zhuge Liang browsed the battle report from Hanzhong, and the smile on the corner of his mouth was particularly eye-catching.

Seeing this, Deng Zhi asked curiously: "Commander, how is the war in Hanzhong? Is it a great victory?"

Zhuge Liang handed the letter to Deng Zhi and said with a smile: "Huo Du rushed to Hannan from Dongba Road and seized Hanshan Mountain. Xia Houyuan's army fought and was killed by General Huang Lao. Cao's army was defeated and fled to the north of Han Dynasty. Now Micang Road has been After being cleared, General Xingba led ten thousand people into Hannan and joined the army."

"Cao Jun elected Ma Chao as commander, retreated and set up camp, using retreat as advance to prevent Huo Du from crossing the river. Now our army has occupied the dangerous strategic point in Hannan and has solved the siege of Mianyang."

Deng Zhi read the letter and suddenly felt admiration. He said: "In the battle of Hanzhong, the enemy was guarding a dangerous place and it was difficult to rescue them. Unexpectedly, Huo Du followed the old example of Changping and sent out soldiers to cross the dangers of Bashan Mountain and attack Hannan. To kill the enemy general Xiahou, there are few in the world who can match him with his troops."

Zhuge Liang stood up and stroked his fan, recalling Huo Jun's arrangements before and after the battle, and said with emotion: "Sun Tzu said: 'All warriors rely on the right combination and win with surprise. Therefore, those who are good at surprising are as endless as the heaven and the earth, and as endless as the river and the sea.' Huo Dushan To move the enemy and invaders, the combination of magic and rightness can lead to defeating the enemy. The force is as strong as a falcon, destroying knots with one strike, which captures the essence of the art of war."

Sun Tzu's Art of War has only thirteen chapters and six thousand words, and the words are cherished like gold. In the chapter on tactics, Sun Tzu spent a lot of pen and ink talking about tactics, but if you refine Sun Tzu's core views, eight words can be summarized, that is, "to treat people without harming others."

What does it mean to ‘cause others without harming others’?
  Without it, it means taking the initiative in war and mobilizing the enemy instead of being mobilized by the enemy. Later generations emphasized the elimination of enemies in mobile warfare, and this was the intention.

Whoever takes the initiative in the war has a higher probability of winning.

As for how to grasp the initiative in war, it is a very popular topic. A series of subjective and objective factors such as terrain, sergeants, commanders, and logistics will all affect the ownership of the initiative in war.

Since Huo Jun traveled through time, his military talent may have been illuminated. He has an extremely strong ability to capture fighter planes, and has an extremely deep understanding of war.

Military is a science, and you can reach an ordinary level through diligent study, but you still need talent to become the commander of an army.

Deng Zhi put down the letter and said: "Military advisor, this summer Hou Yuan was beheaded, Cao's army in Hanzhong panicked, and the siege of Mianyang was solved. So, Cao's army may be withdrawing soon!"

Hearing this, Zhuge Liang looked at the scenery outside the hall, sighed melancholy, and said, "Xia Houyuan died in the battle, because he was afraid that Cao's army would not withdraw and instead send more troops!"

"Send more troops?" Deng Zhi was slightly surprised and said, "Did the military advisor say that Cao Cao would personally lead the army into Hanzhong?"

"Today's situation is good for the enemy, not for me."

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said: "Our army crossed the Yangtze River to fight, cut down the grain trains in Shu, walked thousands of miles of grain roads to Shu, and transferred it to Yizhou. Although we benefited from water transportation, we sailed against the current and suffered a lot of losses. The grain was The cost of supplies is countless.”

"Liu Zhang is trapped in Shu, and our army is divided into two parts, thousands of miles apart, making it difficult to dispatch. It is a taboo for military strategists to use the troops from Hanzhong alone to defend the troops from the Central Plains."

As he spoke, Zhuge Liang looked worried and said, "Cao Cao is always good at using troops. Given the current situation and hearing that Xia Houyuan was beheaded, he will definitely lead his soldiers south to conquer Hanzhong."

"If we follow the advice of the military advisor, Cao Cao personally conquered Hanzhong, and now we should reinforce Hanzhong so that Huo Du can lead his troops to defend against the enemy!" Deng Zhi suggested.

Zhuge Liang frowned slightly and said, "If we want to attack Hanzhong now, where will the soldiers come from? Where will the food and grass come from?"

"Hanzhong is located in the mountains. If ten stones of grain are transferred to Hanzhong, one stone may be left. Moreover, for the large army's grain and grass, the common people have to work as corvees. However, it is not easy to transport grain for Huo Du at the beginning of the Badi. What's more, with the help of troops in Hanzhong, Dafa Civil Service?"

How could Zhuge Liang not know that he was advancing to Hanzhong?

The core is that there are no more soldiers and horses in Badi to mobilize, and to mobilize troops to reinforce Hanzhong, civilians are also needed to transport food. In mountainous terrain like Hanzhong, it is not excessive to support three people with one soldier.

Historically, Liu Bei defeated Bashu and rested for three years before heading north to Hanzhong. But the Battle of Hanzhong, which lasted for half a year, finally led to the Shu Han men fighting and the women being lucky, and they took Hanzhong from Cao Cao.

In today's plane, the land of Shu has not yet descended, and the land of Ba has just arrived. If the Yangtze River had not connected the three prefectures of Yi, Jing, and Yang, and the water transportation was convenient, the logistics would have collapsed long ago if the Badi army was solely relied on to supply Huo Jun and Guan Yu.

Even if there are soldiers and food, there is still a lack of civilians to transport food for the army. If the people of Badi are forcibly recruited on a large scale, it will inevitably cause a large-scale rebellion.

Fighting in Hanzhong is really a torture of each other. The logistics are very difficult and whoever fights suffers.

"This~"

After hearing what Zhuge Liang said, Deng Zhi was also in trouble.

Zhuge Liang paced in the hall and said: "Although the situation is not favorable for our army, our army is not helpless!"

"Please tell me, military advisor!" Deng Zhi said.

Zhuge Liang stroked the feather fan gently and said with a smile: "Zhang Lu currently lives in Jiangzhou, and I have Lao Bo and Miao Dai Liang to invite him."

Deng Zhi's eyes brightened slightly, as if he understood something, he raised his hands and smiled: "The military advisor is wise!"

"good!"

Zhuge Liang looked at the mountain scenery outside the window, holding a fan and thinking, thinking about how to coordinate the war between the west and the north.

In the war to the west, the three armies of Guan, Zhang and Zhao took Shu. Guan Yu captured Guanghan County and also included Baishui and Jiameng Passes. Now his troops have passed Mianzhu and will join Zhang Fei soon.

Zhao Yun surrendered to Jiangyang Governor Cheng Ji, defeated Qianwei, and marched into Chengdu. Li Yan has been appointed as the governor of Qianwei in Nan'an. Zhang Fei broke through the Three Gorges of the Tuojiang River. Because he had few troops, he stayed in Xindu to wait for Guan Yu's troops.

The three armies gathered to form the capital, Liu Zhang reduced his troops; Huo Jun occupied Hannan, Cao Cao conquered Hanzhong...

However, I don't know how long it took, and the attendant announced, "Military advisor, General Zhenxi has arrived outside the hall."

"Follow me to greet you!"

Zhuge Liang calmed down, arranged his clothes, and went out to meet Zhang Lu with his left and right men.

"Liang has seen Mr. Zhang!"       "You have a military division to come out to meet you!"

Zhang Lu followed Zhuge Liang into the hall and asked, "The military advisor asked Lu to be invited. What's the important matter?"

Zhang Lu also has a clear positioning of himself. After he surrendered to Liu Bei, in addition to being a mascot, he could also play a role in Han and Ba. Now that Zhuge Liang invited him to the state capital, he must be looking for something.

"Mr. Zhang, speak quickly!"

Zhuge Liang invited Zhang Lu to the table and said, "I have been living in Hanzhong for twenty years. Liang is confused. I wonder if I can help him solve his doubts?"

"Please!"

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said sadly: "Huo Du made a surprise attack on Hannan and killed the enemy general Xiahou Yuan, thus breaking the siege of Mianyang. However, when Cao Cao heard that Xiahou Yuan died in battle, he was furious and wanted to lead an army to conquer it himself."

"There are few soldiers in Hanzhong now, and the army is deep in Shu. Liang wants to persuade the lord to abandon Hanzhong and orders Huo Du to retreat to the Shu road. After Bashu is stabilized, he will raise the army in the south and conquer Hanzhong again. I wonder what Mr. Zhang will do?"

"This?"

Faced with Zhuge Liang's question, Zhang Lu was caught off guard. He never expected that Zhuge Liang would ask about this issue.

"Please teach Mr. Zhang to show off!"

Zhang Lu pondered for a long time and said: "Kongming wanted to abandon Hanzhong and take Chengdu, which was not a wise move. Hanzhong is the throat of Bashu. Although the mountain road is rugged, Bashan is not a natural hazard, so without Hanzhong, Bashu will be unobstructed."

"And Cao Cao went south personally, not to capture Hanzhong, but to capture Shu!"

"If Cao Cao takes control of Hanzhong at that time, he will definitely mobilize heavy troops to attack Bashu. Bashu is shocked three times a day. Even if Liu Gong is here, he can't calm people's hearts!"

"Liu Zhang, the housekeeper dog, saw Cao Cao coming to help, and he would definitely defend the city. A heavy army cannot conquer the city, and a small army cannot stop the enemy. If Cao Cao and Liu Zhang respond internally and externally, Yizhou will hardly be owned by Liu Gong!"

"Therefore, as Lu sees it, Hanzhong cannot be given way. Without Hanzhong, there would be no Bashu. If the disaster stops at the door, then the people of Bashu will be safe."

Zhuge Liang poured tea for Zhang Lu and asked, "What Mr. Zhang said is an enlightenment! However, there are few soldiers in Hanzhong. Now Liang wants to increase his troops, but he has no soldiers to spare."

"Even if there are troops available, the people of Ba will be hard-pressed to support them at the beginning of the war. Food and grass will be transferred and tens of thousands of people will be recruited. If not handled properly, civil unrest will occur in Ba. This is what Liang is worried about."

Zhang Lu's face straightened slightly and he said in a deep voice: "What is happening now, there is no distinction between Han and Yi in Bazhong. Men should fight and women should be lucky. Don't hesitate to help Hanzhong from the north!"

Hearing this, Zhuge Liang was overjoyed and said, "Mr. Zhang is well-known in Bazhong. Can you help Liang?"

"Since this is what the military advisor said, how dare Lu disobey him?" Zhang Lu responded.

"good!"

How could Zhuge Liang not know the importance of Hanzhong?
  He used the excuse of abandoning Hanzhong to test Zhang Lu's willingness to help Liu Bei. If Zhang Lu wanted to help Liu Bei, with his knowledge he would definitely advise Zhuge Liang not to abandon Hanzhong and fight to the death to intercept Cao Cao in Hanzhong; if Zhang Lu was unwilling to help Liu Bei, he would agree with Zhuge Liang's suggestion of abandoning Hanzhong.

This test is necessary. Without Zhang Lu's sincere help, Zhuge Liang's difficulty in supporting Hanzhong operations would go up a few steps.

As expected, Zhang Lu was determined to help Liu Bei, pointed out the importance of Hanzhong to Bashu, and expressed that he would send Hanyi from Bazhong to help the frontline operations. In this way, Zhang Lu passed the test and was able to let Zhuge Liang accept him into the palace.

As for Zhang Lu, he surrendered to Liu Bei and his whole family was in Wuhan. In fact, he had little choice but to help Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei is not helped and Liu Bei is defeated and Hanzhong is lost, it will mean that he will lose what he gained from surrendering before. The sunk costs were too high, leaving Zhang Lu with little choice.

Using his identity as a heavenly master to send Bazhong's Han and Yi religious people to support the battlefield was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Zhuge Liang exchanged a few words with Zhang Lu, and Zhang Lu said goodbye and left.

Deng Zhi looked for an opportunity and asked: "With the help of Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, we can send corvees to transport grain. But there are few soldiers in Hanzhong, what should we do?"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a while and said: "The three armies are attacking Shu. Most of the Shu area has been captured by our army, except Chengdu and several counties. Now the gain of attacking Chengdu outweighs the losses. Why not dispatch troops and horses to reinforce Hanzhong and leave some troops outside Chengdu? .”

Deng Zhi looked puzzled and asked, "Why is this?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Tightening is worse than loosening. Our army has gathered a large number of troops to besiege the city. If Chengdu holds firm, it will be difficult to break the city in the short term. Why not reduce the number of troops and leave [-] troops outside Chengdu, which can not only aid Hanzhong but also look for opportunities?" Defeat the enemy and take advantage of the situation to capture the city."

"The military advisor is wise!" Deng Zhi praised.

If Liu Zhang does not surrender, even if it is surrounded by heavy troops, Chengdu will probably not be able to defeat it. It is better to deploy troops to attack Shu to reinforce Hanzhong. Twenty thousand sergeants were left to confront Chengdu, with neither more nor less troops.

If Liu Zhang saw that the number of troops taking Shu was reduced, he would order someone to lead the army into battle. If Liu Zhang were defeated at that time, people in Chengdu would be in chaos, and Liu Zhang generally had no intention of sticking to it and would probably surrender.

If Liu Zhang holds the city and cannot leave, this is equivalent to helping Liu Bei. When Cao Cao retreated and defended Hanzhong, Liu Zhang himself surrendered.

Of course, the more important thing is that the number of soldiers and horses in the expedition to Shu is reduced, which allows the soldiers to eat in the Shu counties outside Chengdu, without the need for Jiangzhou's supplies. All the saved grain and grass can be invested in Hanzhong to ensure Hanzhong's logistics.

Zhuge Liang rearranged the priorities of investing resources based on the progress of the war between the two sides. After all, there are only so many resources, and you can’t have both ends of the spectrum.

In the early days, Zhuge Liang allocated resources to the army conquering Shu, allowing them to capture Shu as soon as possible.

Now Liu Zhang only has the city of Chengdu and the surrounding counties left, where he is stubbornly resisting. The war in Hanzhong intensified. Once Cao Cao got Hanzhong, Bashu would no longer exist. Therefore, the resources previously invested in conquering Shu should be transferred to Hanzhong.

(End of this chapter)