Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 677: Young Man Has Many Strategies

Weishui, now Weifang River, also originates from the Yimeng Mountains, flows from southwest to northeast, and flows into the sea.

During the Chu-Han Contention, Han Xin took advantage of the fact that the King of Qi had been persuaded by Li Shiqi and launched a surprise attack on Linzi. The King of Qi was caught off guard and fled across the Weishui River to Gaomi, where he asked Xiang Yu for help.

Xiang Yu sent Long Ju to lead the army, who went north from the Yishu River Valley and then from Zhucheng to Qi, not through Muling Pass. Because Han Xin occupied Linzi and the area west of Weishui, Long Ju first went to Weidong and joined forces with the Qi army.

After the Qi and Chu armies joined forces, Long Ju led his troops westward and fought with Han Xin at the Wei River. Later, Long Ju was killed by Han Xin because of a false defeat. Han Xin crossed the Wei River and was able to pacify Qi.

Therefore, if you want to enter Qingqi, you can enter Qi from the eastern area of ​​Qi, except for Muling Pass in the south of Qi. It's just that you can't take Qingqi all at once. And you need to go the opposite way of Han Xin. *** Linzi, instead of going east to An Gaomi.

If Huo Jun wanted to reach the Qidong area at the moment, he had two choices. First, as Huo Fan said, he would take the remote sea route and occupy the Weidong area. Second, he would follow Long Ju's marching route and head northeast from Ju County to the counties in the upper reaches of the Wei River.

Zhucheng is not far from Ju County, less than 200 li away. Although the distance seems short, there are many mountains and hills along the way, as well as many lakes and swamps, which are very unfavorable for marching.

During the Qi Dynasty, Zhucheng was a section of the old Qi Great Wall. At present, in order to defend against the Han army's advance from Zhucheng, Sun Quan sent Sun Li, the governor of Langya, and Dai Ling, the governor of Chengyang, to garrison there.

Huo Fan analyzed the situation and said, "The governor led a large army to station in Ju County, but was blocked in the south of Qi. Fan thought that he could take the sea route to Chengyang, plunder the cities of Donglai, and lure the two thieves Sun Li and Dai Ling to attack. If he could defeat the two thieves Sun Li and Dai Ling, Fan would occupy the cities, welcome the army in the south, and pacify Weishang in the north, then the east of Qi could be safe."

"The Wei River is not a natural barrier. If we cross it and march westward, we will be able to sweep all the counties above Zibo. If it is not strong enough to conquer Qi, our army can eat the food in Qidong, Yishu, and hold out for a long time with the Wei army, looking for an opportunity to defeat Sun Quan and sweep Qingqi."

If the Wei River is used as the dividing line between eastern Qi and western Qi, eastern Qi has two counties, Donglai and Chengyang, and western Qi has four counties, Beihai, Qi, Le'an, and Jinan. In terms of population, eastern Qi is not as good as western Qi. However, the grain from the two counties of eastern Qi and the two counties of Langya and Donghai on the Yi River is enough to compete with western Qi.

From this perspective, the solution that Huo Fan was thinking of is obvious.

The best plan was that if Cao Wei was unprepared, Huo Fan's troops would be ineffective. If he could defeat Sun Li and Dai Ling and receive support from Huo Jun's troops, he would be able to march straight into Linzi. The worst plan was that if Cao Wei was prepared, Huo Fan planned to open up a second battlefield in the east of Qi and fight a protracted war with Cao Wei.

Huo Fan bowed to Huo Jun and said, "The above thoughts are just my shallow views. I hope the governor will correct them."

Huo Jun smiled and asked Huo Fan to sit down, saying: "He made a surprise attack from the neighboring sea, and the soldiers could not enter, and then he took Weishang. It is true that the young man has extraordinary ideas!"

As he spoke, Huo Jun looked at Jiang Ji and asked, "Zi Tong, what do you think of Shi Zai's strategy?"

Jiang Ji stroked his beard and chanted, saying: "General, the troops are out of place, and if we can succeed in taking the cities, it will be beneficial to the war. But if we are blocked by dangerous terrain and cannot enter Qi, many soldiers will return because of lack of food!"

If Huo Fan's plan is to succeed, he must enter Buqi. If he is blocked by the Wei army at Buqi, the troops from the various cities will attack from behind and cut off the sea route. Even if Huo Fan is not surrounded, he will withdraw due to food and grass problems.

Huo Jun pondered for a moment and said, "If we want to succeed, we must conquer Buqi, then take all the cities, clear the road to Qidong, and conquer all the counties on Weishang. In addition, Ju County needs to be stationed with troops and horses to prevent Wei troops from attacking Muling. From this point of view, the number of troops going to Panghai will be at most 10,000."

Jiang Ji thought quickly and asked, "Commander-in-chief, Major General, have you ever thought about how Sun Quan would react if our army entered Qi?"

Huo Fan frowned and thought deeply, then said, "If our army enters Qi territory unexpectedly, Sun Quan will send out troops to resist, or seize the dangerous places to prevent our army from using force; or take advantage of the small number of soldiers in the detachment to send out a large force to defeat us!"

Jiang Ji bowed to Huo Jun and said, "The governor is famous throughout China, and the Han army is brave. When our army enters Qi, Sun Quan should be worried that the Han army is good at fighting. The Wei soldiers are Qi people, and whenever the battle goes against them, their troops will scatter."

"So from Ji's point of view, Sun Quan will hold his ground, and send people to recruit cities and ask Cao Rui for help as the governor of Qingzhou. Our army has traveled 2,000 miles and is now a guest in Qi. If we continue without fighting, the cities will rebel, and we will have nothing to eat. We can only return to Xu and Huai!"

What Jiang Ji was worried about was the problem that Sun Quan would face in dealing with the Han army that invaded Qi after the Han army opened up the road to Qi.

Most of the soldiers under Sun Quan's command were from Qi. Once they were defeated by Huo Jun, they would not fight to the death for Sun Quan because their hometown was in the local area, but would flee from the army. Taking this into consideration, Sun Quan would most likely lead his troops to defend the area instead of fighting a decisive battle with the Han army.

Once Sun Quan entrenched himself in the city, the Han army would not be able to quickly capture the city and would instead be caught in a security war. There was a high probability that they would be forced to withdraw their troops due to the long expedition. Therefore, the important issue was how to quickly defeat Sun Quan after entering Qi.

Huo Jun nodded slightly, agreed and said: "Zi Tong's words make sense. The long-term strategy is useless. If we can send troops to the east of Qi, we should find a way to lure Sun Quan into battle."

"Exactly!"

Jiang Ji nodded and said, "It is not feasible to send troops out now, but we should think carefully about how to defeat Sun Quan!"

Huo Jun had an idea and asked, "We are going to use the troops on the sea route now. Do you dare to lead the troops?"

Huo Fan walked into the tent and said in a deep voice: "Fan is willing to lead the troops to the battle!"

"How many soldiers are needed?" Huo Jun asked.

Huo Fan thought for a moment and said, "Please send 5,000 elite infantry and cavalry. I can capture the two counties of Buqi and Zhucheng." "I will give you 10,000 elite infantry and cavalry. You must clear a way for the army to enter Qi." Huo Jun ordered, "Zhuge Dan and Tang Zi will be the deputy generals. They are from Qingxu and can recognize the terrain."

Tang Zi and Zhuge Dan were both from Langya, Xuzhou. Tang Zi was from Licheng, and lived on the coastal road. With two people assisting Huo Fan, there would not be too many problems in the terrain of the march.

"promise!"

Huo Fan led Generals Zhuge Dan and Tang Zi out and received military orders.

By the time the three generals left the tent, it was already late at night. Huo Jun felt very hungry and called his attendants to let them know that he was going to have a meal.

At this time, the attendant quickly stepped into the tent and said, "Report to the governor, there is victory news from Jianghan!"

Huo Jun was holding chopsticks, so it was inconvenient for him to read the newspaper. He motioned to Jiang Ji and said, "Zi Tong, open the newspaper for me and see if Kong Ming has any good news."

"promise!"

Jiang Ji skillfully opened the victory report and read the details of the great victory at Laokou. He could not help but smile with joy and said, "Commander-in-chief, the Prime Minister defeated the Wei army at Laokou, killing nearly 10,000 prisoners and capturing more than 5,000 soldiers. Generals Niu Jin and Jia Si were killed in the battle. Sima Yi withdrew his troops overnight and escaped across the Yu River. Now he is confronting our army in Wancheng!"

"color!"

Huo Jun laughed a few times and said, "I said that Kong Ming lived up to everyone's expectations and was able to defeat Zhang He and Sima Yi. Now that the two generals have been defeated and fled, the situation in Jingwan will belong to the Han!"

Jiang Ji handed the letter to Huo Jun and said with emotion: "Although the Prime Minister has not used many troops, he is a cautious person. He may not win big, but he is not easy to lose. Xi Ji advised the governor to let the general go to Jianghan, but the governor insisted on using the Prime Minister. I am not as good as the governor."

Regarding the use of personnel for the Northern Expedition, Jiang Ji's targeting of Huo Jun caused some criticism on Zhuge Liang. In his eyes, those who could lead the troops of Jianghan to the Northern Expedition must be outstanding in military tactics and have great military achievements. However, Huo Jun insisted on using Zhuge Liang and placed Lu Xun in Guanxi.

Judging from the current situation, Huo Jun's suggestion that Zhuge Liang send troops to Jianghan was obviously a very correct choice. After all, Zhuge Liang's ability to defeat Zhang He and Sima Yi was enough to prove his talent.

Huo Jun didn't have time to eat. He read the military report carefully and said, "A great victory at Laokou, Kong Ming won. The troops of Wei, Jing and Wan are more than enough to defend but less able to attack. The enemy's plan to defeat us has failed. Our army will be able to concentrate on conquering Qing and Qi in a short time."

Huo Jun couldn't help but comment, "Kong Ming set up camp by the water, used the floating bridge as a lure, and hid his troops in the reeds. His use of troops was brilliant!"

Zhuge Liang's victory at Laokou was really a beautiful victory, and all the operations before that were just foreshadowing. For example, why did Zhuge Liang want to attack Yuyang? It was not because Yuyang was too important, but because Laokou, south of Yuyang, was the battlefield selected by Zhuge Liang.

For example, why did Zhuge Liang go to harvest wheat in person? It was not because it was fun, but to lure Zhang He and Sima Yi south to Yuyang.

As for why Zhuge Liang set up camp by the water, it was because Sima Yi was going to attack his floating bridge. Then, for the battlefield of the floating bridge, Zhuge Liang pretended to be defeated and set up an ambush, thus defeating the Wei army.

Not only that, Zhuge Liang not only chose the battlefield cleverly, but he was also able to foresee before deploying his troops that Cao Wei would target him and that the Wei army would be eager to fight.

One thing leads to another, Zhuge Liang's foresight is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Even Huo Jun had to praise Zhuge Liang's brilliant tactics.

The impact of the Battle of Laokou not only allowed Zhuge Liang to seize the initiative on the Jingwan battlefield, but also allowed Huo Jun to have no worries and concentrate on conquering Qi and Lu.

It can be said that the Battle of Laokou gave Southern Han the initiative in the Northern Expedition. Unless Cao Rui had reinforcements to dispatch, he would have to wait for the battle reports from the three places, hoping that one of the troops would win and then withdraw the surplus troops to help the two places. If one of the troops failed, the situation of Cao Wei would deteriorate further!
Jiang Ji put away the letter for Huo Jun and asked, "Commander-in-chief, now that the Prime Minister has defeated the Wei invaders, would you like to write a letter?"

"Can!"

Huo Jun chewed the fish meat and said with a smile: "By the way, tell the Prime Minister that I have sent someone to take care of his hometown. After the Northern Expedition, he will be able to return home to worship his ancestors. Besides, the county lord is lonely, I hope he can share the Prime Minister's responsibility!"

"promise!"

Zhuge Liang wrote a letter to ask about Huo Jun's recovery of his hometown Langya, but because Zhuge Liang left his hometown too early and his memory was too vague, he only asked about the situation briefly.

Before Zhuge Liang asked, Huo Jun had already sent Zhuge Dan back to his hometown in his spare time. He asked Zhuge Dan to take care of Zhuge Liang and his brothers' hometown and to offer sacrifices to their parents.

There were too many scholars who fled south. Since Huo Jun's northern expedition, whenever he recovered a county, he would send people to offer sacrifices or take care of the local people's houses when he heard that there were high-ranking officials in the court, as a gesture of friendship. However, because of this incident, the scholars in Xu Huai supported Huo Jun's northern expedition.

Now that Zhuge Liang's hometown has been recovered, Huo Jun will naturally send people to take care of it, without Zhuge Liang having to write a letter.

ps: Chapter 3 is on the way!
(End of this chapter)