Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 748: Temple Calculation Defeated Hu
The sky was dark and snowflakes were flying.

At the gate of Daxing Palace, Huo Jun rode a carriage straight into the palace road, the wheels of the carriage making a rumbling sound.

Greeted by the Minister Dong Yun, Huo Jun got off the carriage and brushed off the snow foam on his cloak.

As they entered the palace, the room became increasingly hot due to the braziers used for warmth, so Huo Jun took off his cloak.

Dong Yun took the initiative to reach out to take the cloak and said, "Prime Minister, Your Majesty and the Prime Minister have been waiting in the inner hall for a long time."

"Why?"

"This is a matter concerning military and national affairs, so I am not in a position to say much. The Prime Minister will know later." Dong Yun said humbly.

"good!"

In the inner hall, Liu Chan had already sent people to prepare seats. When he saw Huo Jun entering the hall, he stood up and took the initiative to greet him.

"My dear father, you live deep in the southern mountains. I wonder if you can find an immortal there?" Liu Chan asked.

Huo Jun bowed and smiled, saying, "There are no immortals in Nanshan, mostly noisy young men studying hard."

Since Huo Jun decided to return home to study, he built an academy in Mount Zhongnan, recruited talented young people, and taught them mathematics and classics.

Although his teaching career was short, Huo Jun enjoyed it very much. He sorted out the mathematical knowledge since the Han Dynasty and taught it systematically.

The classics were taught by other Confucian scholars. Occasionally, when Wang Can was in the mood, he would go up the mountain to explain a few articles, and then drink and have fun with Huo Jun.

Sitting at the table, Liu Chan glanced at Zhuge Liang and asked, "I wonder if Zhongfu has heard about the Xianbei invasion?"

Huo Jun hesitated for a moment and asked, "I have heard a little bit about this. I wonder what your majesty and the prime minister intend to say?"

Zhuge Liang held the fan and cupped his hands, saying, "To be honest with you, Prime Minister, I have called you all together to discuss Xianbei affairs. When it comes to whether to use military force against Xianbei, you all have different opinions. Bo Yan, observing the current situation, believes that it is not appropriate to go to war with Xianbei. We should build the Great Wall to protect ourselves, accumulate national strength, and then use military force to march north."

After a pause, Zhuge Liang said, "I think what Bo Yan said is not without reason. However, there are five things that determine victory or defeat in war: one principle, two heaven, three earth, four generals, and five methods. Compared with the Xianbei, the Han has two things, the principle and the method, while the Han is weaker, only heaven and earth."

"Han and Hu each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so only the general can determine victory or defeat. The prime minister's military strategy is better than Liang and Boyan, the best in the world, and the Hu people cannot match him. Now I want to ask the prime minister about the Xianbei!"

Five factors determine the outcome of a war, which is a point made by Sun Tzu at the beginning of the Art of War.

Before a war, one needs to make calculations in order to determine whether one can defeat the enemy, and the five things are the five directions of calculations.

Tao refers to whether the monarch and his subjects, the military and civilians can have the same thoughts, whether the upper and lower levels can work together and share life and death with each other.

Weather refers to the war climate when the war breaks out, and whether one's side can gain the climate advantage.

Land refers to the distance between the battle site and the army, as well as the specific terrain of the battle site.

The level of a general is generally evaluated from five aspects: wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage and strictness.

Law refers to the military system, whether officers are qualified, and whether military supplies can be supplied truthfully.

In terms of Han and Xianbei, the Han is better in terms of morality and law because of the Xianbei's organizational problems. As for the objective environment of heaven and earth, since Han is the attacking party, Xianbei has the advantage of heaven and earth. Now, since Han lacks enough advantages, it is natural to ask Huo Jun to be the advisor.

Huo Jun sorted out his thoughts and said, "It is no small matter to attack the Xianbei in the north. If we win, the Han will recover its old territory. If we lose, the Xianbei will prosper, Liaodong will be divided, and the Western Regions will be difficult to survive."

"Looking at what Kebineng has done, Jun believes that he has great ambitions. If my prediction is correct, Kebineng will strengthen the country's strength, sweep the northern desert, rule the desert, and compete with our Han Dynasty."

"If we attack the Xianbei now, the country will have three advantages. First, the Xianbei yamen is located in Chengle, adjacent to Bingzhou, not in the northern desert, so there are traces to follow; second, the world is in chaos, and the Chinese have entered the north, and there are many of them, so we can respond. Third, Kebi was able to rise from a weak position, so he ruled the people with his relatives, and his subordinates, the big clans, all have their own ideas."

"While there are three advantages, there are also three disadvantages. First, our army has few cavalry while the Hu cavalry has many, and they are more elite than ours. Second, the Xianbei are nomadic people. If they know that a large army is approaching, they can move their tents and flee, and it will be difficult for our army to find the main force. Third, our army wants to attack the Xianbei and recover the Hetao counties. There are too many soldiers and horses, and it is difficult to keep the food and supplies for a long time."

"What about the Prime Minister's intention?"

Zhuge Liang gradually understood what Huo Jun meant and asked. Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "Looking at the current situation, if we want to defeat the Xianbei, we should use elite cavalry to attack the Yazhang and defeat Kebineng's troops, so that the Xianbei government cannot carry out orders. Then, we can order each tribe to choose a route and advance together to wipe out the Xianbei tribes in the north."

"Raid the tooth tent?"

Zhuge Liang was surprised at first, but then he quickly became troubled and said, "Although the Chengle royal court is adjacent to the border, the Xianbei are all over Shuo Shang. It may be difficult for our army to attack the Yazhang by surprise. But if we can succeed, we can accomplish our goal in one battle."

Liu Chan was very happy and asked, "Now that you have a strategy, I wonder when you can use the troops?"

Huo Jun smiled helplessly and said, "Although we have a strategy to use troops now, it is not the right time to use them. Besides, our army has a plan to attack the Yazhang, how could Ke Bineng not know it?"

"This~"

Liu Chan was puzzled and asked, "When can we deploy troops?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan and analyzed, "Kebi was able to start a rebellion with a weak body, and his left and right brothers ruled the tribe with blood relatives, so Kebi was able to lead the majority of the tribe himself, and used it to intimidate the barbarians who were not obedient. If you want to use elite cavalry to raid the Yazhang, you have to take advantage of the weakness of the king's court to have a chance to succeed."

Huo Jun nodded slightly and said, "In the past, Wei and Huo of the Han Dynasty went out of the border many times and fought in the desert north for thousands of miles, but it was because it was difficult to find a garrison. Even if they could defeat most of them, after the Han soldiers returned home, they gathered under your rule again."

"To eliminate the northern threat, we must strike and kill. Break through the tent and capture and kill Kebi Neng. If Kebi Neng dies, the Xianbei tribes will be leaderless. The Holy Dynasty will send envoys to call for surrender, and the tribes outside the Great Wall will come to surrender and submit to our great Han Dynasty."

"Then how to break it?"

Liu Chan asked: "Or how can we find a good opportunity to strike and kill the enemy with one strike?"

Zhuge Liang frowned and analyzed, saying, "Kebineng is a blood relative, he values ​​the inner circle over the outer circle. Although Budugen surrendered to Kebineng, there is a hatred between the two of them for killing their brother, so it is hard for Kebineng to trust him."

"Now that Budugen's nephew Xieguini has surrendered to the Han Dynasty, it would be better to let Xieguini send a secret letter to Budugen, so that Kebineng will be suspicious of Budugen, or the two will hate each other. This will be beneficial to China."

"It's not just that!"

Huo Jun pondered for a long time and added: "Since Kebi is able to negotiate peace with the Han, he must be planning to invade the northern desert. Your Majesty, why don't you issue an edict to order the generals of the border counties to submit a report describing the situation of the Xianbei tribes. Also, find merchants to go north and carefully survey the terrain to prepare for any emergency."

"promise!"

Liu Chan was overjoyed and said with a smile: "No one in the court can match Zhongfu's military strategy. Lord Lu built the Great Wall to resist foreign invaders, while Zhongfu wants to sweep across the northern desert. The difference in strength is obvious!"

Hearing this, Huo Jun had another idea and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Wall still needs repairing!"

"Why?"

Huo Jun smiled and said, "Building the Great Wall will show that our dynasty has no intention of attacking the north. This will make Ke Bineng relax and concentrate on managing the northern desert."

"Ok!"

Zhuge Liang nodded in agreement and said, "If our army takes cavalry, Ke Bineng will be suspicious and alert to our army. Now we are repairing the border cities, loosening the outside and tightening the inside, showing the enemy weakness, which will be beneficial to our army's planning."

Stroking his beard, Zhuge Liang said: "We are preparing our troops, storing military supplies, and secretly watching the changes in the Xianbei. If we find an opportunity, we will be able to send troops!"

"Prime Minister, I think the same as you!"

Huo Jun said calmly, "Although Kebineng is a man of great strategy, he is not a cautious person. The Xianbei have invaded for years, and there are few Chinese who fight back. They have long been arrogant and lazy. If the Xianbei make any mistakes, it will be an opportunity for our dynasty to use military force."

"color!"

Liu Chan excitedly stood up from his seat and said, "All the troops, money, food, and official dispatches in the country are subject to your orders. I will do my utmost to help you and create achievements that have never been achieved in the two Han dynasties."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)