Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 242 236. Strategy to Defeat the Enemy
Although Ma Su was going to deliver a message to Chengdu, it was not that urgent considering the current speed of the war, so Ma Su just went there for sightseeing and it took him nearly ten days to reach Chengdu.

"Youchang? Long time no see, why are you in Chengdu?"

Ma Su arrived at the Prime Minister's Mansion and met Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang was also a little surprised by Ma Su's sudden arrival. As a talented person that Feng Xi specifically wanted, Ma Su should have been in Jingzhou at this time, but for some reason he returned to Chengdu.

"The Grand Commander ordered me to deliver this month's routine communication."

Ma Su opened the briefcase and handed the routine report from Jingzhou to Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang opened it and saw that it was full of polite words, with little substantive content, except for some changes in relevant policies.

"Haha, the Grand Commander asked you to come back, maybe he has something else to say? Let me think... could it be about the South Central Region?"

Zhuge Liang thought for a moment. Usually, these letters were delivered by postmen and messengers. Since Feng Xi asked Ma Su to come, it must be an important matter. Jiaozhou has just settled down, so I think nothing will happen in the short term. If it is about Jingzhou, it must be mentioned in the letter.

After much thought, the most likely scenario is that Feng Xi had some opinions about Nanzhong, so he deliberately asked Ma Su, a person of high status, to come here in person.

"The Prime Minister's prediction is indeed correct. Yesterday, the Grand Commander asked me to go there and told me about the southern expedition..."

Ma Su told the story of Feng Xi asking him and Deng Ai to meet him that day, but he only mentioned Deng Ai briefly and did not say much.

"I see...it seems that the Grand Commander thinks highly of You Chang. So what was the final result?"

Zhuge Liang smiled, knowing that Feng Xi must have his own unique insights in testing Ma Su's abilities, so he asked this question.

"I told the Grand Commander that day that I had three strategies..."

Ma Su told Zhuge Liang all his three strategies, and Zhuge Liang was speechless. To be fair, it is easy to attack Nanzhong directly and capture and kill Meng Huo, but it is unknown whether it can solve the problem once and for all.

Now Ma Su's words broadened Zhuge Liang's thinking and made him consider other possibilities.

"I heard that Youchang once went to Jiaozhou with the Grand Commander. I wonder how the Grand Commander handled the affairs of the Cham people in Jiaozhou?"

Zhuge Liang thought about how Feng Xi had been in Jiaozhou for less than a month, but the riot in Jiaozhou had calmed down instantly, and he couldn't help but ask Ma Su about it.

Ma Su recounted what Feng Xi had done. Of course, although Ma Su was quite talented, he did not understand this method that had been verified in the future. He could only repeat what Feng Xi had done, but he did not know anything more in depth.

"This move is indeed somewhat contrary to the usual style of our Han people... Our Han people rule the world with filial piety and virtue. Encouraging people to report on each other may encourage evil tendencies. It is better to use it less."

Zhuge Liang shook his head and fundamentally rejected the possibility of replicating Feng Xi's approach.

"Attacking the city is inferior, conquering the heart is superior... You Chang is truly a great talent. Stay in Jingzhou and study and gain experience. You will surely be a pillar of the Han Dynasty in the future."

Zhuge Liang encouraged Ma Su, which made Ma Su overjoyed.

"Oh, by the way, Prime Minister, before the Grand Commander came, he asked me to tell you to be careful when using troops in Nanzhong."

Ma Su was a little elated for a moment, but suddenly remembered what Feng Xi had told him before he came. He immediately paused and regained his serious expression. "What suggestions does the Grand Commander have?"

When Zhuge Liang heard that it was Feng Xi who gave the order personally, he couldn't help but take it seriously. In today's timeline, although Zhuge Liang has made some military achievements, they are relatively limited. Compared with Feng Xi who recovered Jingzhou with lightning speed and defeated Dongwu and Cao Wei, there is still some gap.

In addition, Zhuge Liang was a modest person, so he naturally took the opinions of Feng Xi, the "military expert", seriously.

"The Grand Commander said that there are many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the south, and there is no guarantee that there are no extraordinary people who can tame ferocious beasts, such as tigers, leopards, elephants, etc. If they use ferocious beasts to attack our army, ordinary soldiers will be caught off guard and will definitely be unable to defend themselves. We need to prepare early, and this is one of the things."

"Secondly, the Grand Commander has long heard that there is a country called Wuguo in the south of Nanzhong. Meng Huo has a close relationship with Wuguo. If he loses the battle with the Han Dynasty, I am afraid Meng Huo will ask Wuguo for reinforcements."

Ma Su conveyed Feng Xi's original words to Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang was not very familiar with the situation in Nanzhong. He had only heard of the name of Wuguo Kingdom and did not know the specific situation.

"Since the Grand Commander said so, I'm afraid he has already investigated the situation in the Ugo Kingdom?"

Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan, knowing that if Feng Xi did not understand the Wuguo Kingdom, he would definitely not let him be on guard.

"Prime Minister, I understand. The Grand Commander said that there is a rare item in the Wuguo country called rattan armor. This item is made of old rattan in the mountains, soaked in oil for 49 days, and then exposed to the sun. After repeated cycles, it will become impervious to swords and spears and will not sink in water. If you encounter it for the first time, you will suffer a great loss."

Ma Su couldn't help but find it a little funny when he thought about how Feng Xi was afraid but also had a sparkle in his eyes when he talked about the rattan armor, as if he was very greedy for that thing.

"I don't know if there is such a thing... But since we know how to make it in advance, it's not difficult to destroy it. We can just use a big fire to deal with it."

Although Zhuge Liang was somewhat shocked by the power of the rattan armor, once he knew its principle, it was not a problem to crack it. However, Zhuge Liang was still a little shocked. Feng Xi's ability to collect intelligence was really terrible. He had only been in Jingzhou for less than a season, but he had collected such clear information about the surrounding countries. It was like "knowing yourself and knowing the enemy".

"The Grand Commander also asked me to convey to the Prime Minister that the Grand Commander can also provide the things to defeat these two armies."

What surprised Zhuge Liang even more was what happened next, which was that Feng Xi actually had a way to break these two things.

"Youchang, please tell me in detail."

Zhuge Liang stopped fanning himself with the feather fan in his hand and quickly asked Ma Su.

"The Grand Commander once said that even though wild beasts have been trained, their wild habits are hard to change. They are afraid of sound, light, and larger animals. And the weakness of the rattan armor is also as the military advisor said, it is fire attack. Now, at the request of the Grand Commander, our Jingzhou Army has a new bow and arrow, called the Thunder Arrow, which is specifically designed to defeat wild beasts.

In the Battle of Xiangfan, the Grand Commander had used a relatively primitive thunder arrow to defeat the Cao Wei cavalry, causing their horses to be frightened and unable to obey. If the beasts were frightened, it would cause chaos in the enemy's formation. "

This Thunder Arrow is a rocket with fireworks tied to it. When shot into the enemy camp, the fireworks will explode, and there will be enough sound, light and flames. Even the rigorously trained Cao Wei cavalry could not withstand it, let alone the southern barbarians?
"This thing is amazing. Moreover, this Thunder Arrow can also be used as a normal rocket. It can ignite kerosene in a wider range."

Zhuge Liang knew the secret as soon as he thought about it. If this thing was shot at the rattan armor soldiers, the sparks would probably ignite the rattan armor directly, not to mention the support of kerosene and hay.

(End of this chapter)