Three Kingdoms

Chapter 33 Zhuge Liang Captures Meng Huo Seven Times (2)
Meng Huo said: "Although I grew up in Nanman, I have read many military books and know the art of war since I was a child. If the prime minister is willing to let me go back, I will lead my troops to fight you again. If the prime minister can still catch me Stay with me, I will definitely be convinced."

Zhuge Liang said: "If I catch you again next time, I won't let you off easily. Remember what I just said!" After finishing speaking, he ordered his men to untie the ropes tied around Meng Huo's body, and invite him to come. Go to the banquet to eat together.

While eating, Zhuge Liang said to Meng Huo, "My Great Shu Kingdom has strong soldiers and horses, and is invincible. I win every battle. You are a reckless man from the southern barbarians. Why do you refuse to surrender my Great Shu Kingdom?" Meng Huo bowed his head and remained silent. .

After the banquet was over, Zhuge Liang asked Meng Huo to ride on his horse and watch the Shu army camp together.Meng Huo recorded the distribution of troops in the camp of the Shu army.Zhuge Liang said to Meng Huo again: "You are so stupid for not surrendering. I have so many elite soldiers and brave generals, and sufficient food and grass. How can you defeat me? I advise you to surrender my Dashu as soon as possible. Wang, isn’t it great that all descendants are Nanman kings? What do you think?”

Meng Huo said: "I have always wanted to surrender, but my subordinates have been stopping me. Now I go back to the barracks and order them all to surrender to the prime minister." Zhuge Liang agreed and let Meng Huo go.

When Meng Huo returned to the barracks, he immediately issued orders. He sent people to invite Dong Dana and A Huinan to discuss important matters. At the same time, he ambushed the warriors in the barracks and killed Dong Dana and A Huinan when they entered the barracks. .The bodies of Dong Dana and Ah Huinan were thrown into the deep river.

Meng Huo led another army to attack Ma Dai.As soon as he entered Ma Dai's army camp, he found no one there. He asked the locals what was going on, and the locals told Meng Huo, "Ma Dai has already transported all the food and grass back to the Shu army camp."

Meng Huo returned to his big army camp and said to his brother Meng You, "Now I know the actual situation of Zhuge Liang. As long as you follow my plan, you will be able to defeat Zhuge Liang!" Meng Huo whispered in Meng You's ear. After talking about his calculation, Meng Duo nodded his approval.

Meng You prepared a lot of gold and silver treasures and ivory and other rare and exotic objects, and led some of his men to carry these treasures to Zhuge Liang's big army camp.

Zhuge Liang was in the barracks discussing with Ma Su, Lu Kai, Jiang Wan, and Fei Yi how to deal with the Nanman army.At this time, a soldier reported to Zhuge Liang: Meng Huo's younger brother Meng You brought a strange object to offer.Zhuge Liang smiled and said to Ma Su, "Do you know why he came?" Seeing that the note written by Ma Di was exactly what he thought, he couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing loudly, "I've already thought about the plan to capture Meng Huo. What you think is exactly what I think."

Zhuge Liang immediately called Zhao Yun into the barracks, whispered in Zhao Yun's ear the plan to capture Meng Huo, and told him to lead the troops to prepare first.He also asked Wei Yan to enter the barracks to listen to the order, Zhuge Liang also whispered in his ear, and Wei Yan immediately led the troops to prepare.Immediately afterwards, Wang Ping, Ma Zhong, and Guan Suo were called to enter the barracks to obey the order, and the three of them followed the order and left.After everything was ready, Meng You was called into the barracks.

Seeing Zhuge Liang, Meng You hurriedly said: "My brother Meng Huo was caught and released by the prime minister. He is very grateful to you and specially asked me to thank the prime minister." Zhuge Liang asked, "Where is your brother now?" Meng You hurriedly Said: "My brother went to Yinkeng Mountain to fetch treasures again, and he will be back soon." Zhuge Liang asked again: "How many troops did you bring?" More than 100 soldiers carrying boxes and driving chariots." Zhuge Liang ordered Meng You to call his men into the barracks to meet him.

After a while, more than 100 fierce-looking barbarian soldiers walked in.Zhuge Liang looked at them all carefully.Order them to eat together at the banquet outside the barracks.

Meng Huo waited for news from Meng You in the barracks.At this time, two of Meng You's subordinates ran back to report to Meng Huo: "Zhuge Liang accepted the gift from the king happily, and the second king received a warm reception. The second king told the king that you are ready to attack the Shu army in the middle of the night. He's inside as an internal response."

Meng Huo was overjoyed, and immediately ordered [-] troops to attack in three directions.Then call the big and small leaders to gather in the barracks.

Meng Huo said to his generals: "Lead your own troops and attack the Shu army at midnight tonight. Everyone must hold torches in their hands and prepare to attack the Shu army with fire. I will lead the army to catch Zhuge Liang!" "

All the leaders, big and small, strictly obeyed Meng Huo's orders.When it was getting dark, all the Nanman troops rushed towards the Lushui River.Meng Huo led more than 100 brave and loyal men to Zhuge Liang's army camp. After entering the barracks, Meng Huo found that there was no one in the Shu camp.Meng Huo walked into Zhuge Liang's headquarters and found that Meng You and his men were drunk on the ground.

It turned out that Meng You fell into Zhuge Liang's trick.Zhuge Liang sent Ma Su and Lu Kai to drink with Meng You and his men for fun.Meng You and his men's wine were all poured with Mongolian sweat medicine, and Meng You and the others passed out after drinking it.There was a soldier who hadn't drunk much and was still a little lucid. He gestured to Meng Huo, pointing anxiously at his own mouth.Meng Huo was taken aback, knowing that he had been ambushed by Zhuge Liang, he quickly rescued Meng You and fled outside the camp.

Just a few steps out of the barracks, Wang Ping led his troops to kill him.Meng Huo was shocked, and fled to the left. At this time, the flames burst into the sky, and another army came to kill him. Wei Yan led the team in front.Meng Huo was flustered and fled to the right. At this time, Zhao Yun led his troops to kill him. Meng Huo didn't care about anything, and fled to Lushui alone.

At this time, there were more than a dozen barbarian soldiers on the Lushui River approaching the bank by rolling their boats.Meng Huo jumped into the boat.But he was caught by Ma Dai immediately.It turned out that the barbarian soldiers on those ships were all pretended by Shu soldiers.

Zhuge Liang appeased the surrendered Nanman soldiers and released them all.Shu soldiers rescued the fire in the barracks.Zhuge Liang ordered Meng Huo to be taken to the barracks.

Zhuge Liang pointed at Meng Huo and said with a smile: "I have seen through your tricks long ago. You asked your brother to pretend to offer treasures so that he could respond internally. How could you hide your tricks from me! Now you are caught by me again." Now, are you convinced now?"

Meng Huo said, "It's because my younger brother Meng You is greedy for food and drink, so he missed a big deal. If I were to present treasures and my younger brother sent troops to attack, he would definitely succeed. This time, God wanted me to fail, not I can't, how can I be convinced!"

Zhuge Liang said: "I let you go three times, why are you still unwilling to admit defeat?" Meng Huo bowed his head and remained silent.

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I will let you go again." Meng Huo said, "If the prime minister lets me go back again, I will prepare soldiers and horses to fight you to the death." Zhuge Liang said, "Okay, I will let you go again. Read military books diligently, and study how to use soldiers to fight. If I catch you in the next battle, I will definitely not let you off easily!" After finishing speaking, he ordered him to untie his rope and let his men go.

Meng Huo came to the mouth of the Lushui River with his remnants of the defeated army. At this time, Ma Dai, the general of the Shu army, led his troops to stop there.Ma Dai pointed to Meng Huo and said, "Next time I catch you, I will never let you go!" Meng Huo was too frightened to make a sound.Meng Huo and his soldiers crossed the Lushui River by boat and headed directly to their camp.As soon as they reached the entrance of the military camp, Zhao Yun led troops to block their way.Zhao Yun also pointed to Meng Huo and said, "Prime Minister Zhuge let you go again and again, don't forget the kindness that Prime Minister Zhuge has shown you!" .Wei Yan led troops to block the entrance of the cave.Wei Yan pointed to Meng Huo and said:
"Our army has already occupied your lair, but you still persist in defying us! If we catch you next time, you will die." Meng Huo hurriedly took other soldiers to another cave.

Zhuge Liang defeated Meng Huo's third attack, and the whole army cheered up.

Zhuge Liang said to the generals at all levels: "The second time I caught Meng Huo, I deliberately took him to various barracks to let him know the actual situation of our army. His younger brother discussed, first pretending to ask Meng You to come and offer treasures. This is to let Meng You be an undercover agent. Meng Huo will then lead troops to attack us secretly and use fire attacks to deal with us. I caught Meng Huo for the third time and did not kill He, I want to convince him, and I don't want to kill his subordinates. I'm telling you all these things today, I hope you don't misunderstand, and I hope you will continue to work hard, and don't be arrogant and underestimate the enemy."

The generals at all levels said: "The prime minister is resourceful and resourceful. Neither Jiang Ziya nor Zhang Liang can compare to you."

Zhuge Liang said: "This is all thanks to everyone, don't be humble and refuse." The generals at all levels were very happy after hearing Zhuge Liang's words.

Meng Huo was defeated by Zhuge Liang three times, but he was still not convinced. He borrowed troops everywhere, and he borrowed hundreds of thousands of strong barbarians to prepare to fight Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang immediately knew about Meng Huo's military operations.Zhuge Liang asked his soldiers to push the cart he was sitting in to observe the terrain in the forest ahead.When they came to a river, they asked Lu Kai, "What kind of river is this?" Lu Kai said, "This is the Xi'er River." Zhuge Liang saw that there was no boat on the Xi'er River, so he ordered his men to cut down trees and build a small boat to test it. When crossing the river, the wooden boat sank automatically as soon as it reached the center of the river.Zhuge Liang asked Lu Kai again: "What's going on?" Lu Kai replied: "It's not a big deal. There is a big bamboo mountain on the upper reaches of the Xi'er River. The bamboo on the mountain is thicker than a person's waist, and it can be tied with bamboo. You can use boats to cross the river. You can also use big bamboo to build a bamboo bridge."

Zhuge Liang immediately sent [-] soldiers to Dazhu Mountain to chop bamboo and build a bridge.He also dispatched a large army to build a city with big bamboo on the north bank of the river, and used the river as a trench. He also ordered an army to set up camp on the south bank of the river. A total of three camps were set up, waiting for the attack of the Nanman army.

Meng Huo came to attack the Shu army with hundreds of thousands of troops.They have reached the Xi'er River.Seeing Zhuge Liang appearing on the south bank, Meng Huo immediately ordered an attack.Zhuge Liang hurriedly ordered the army to return to the stronghold and stick to it.Meng Huo yelled and cursed in front of the camp for three days, but Zhuge Liang did not send a single general to fight.

The Nanman soldiers took off their clothes in front of the Shu army's barracks to tease the Shu army again.The generals of the Shu army were very angry, and they all called for battle to attack the Nanman soldiers.Zhuge Liang never approved them to play.Zhuge Liang said: "The soldiers of the Southern Barbarians have never understood the etiquette of a great country. At this moment, they are coming here with great vigor, and temporarily avoid their sharpness. Let's stick to it and wait for them to relax. I will naturally defeat the enemy. big plan."

So the Shu army just stood firm and did not fight. After a few days, Zhuge Liang saw that most of the Nanman soldiers were lax.Immediately summoned generals at all levels to discuss in the barracks, Zhuge Liang said to his generals: "Who dares to fight?" Everyone was vying to fight.

Zhuge Liang whispered his plan in secret to Zhao Yun and Wei Yan's ears. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan immediately set off with troops, Zhuge Liang ordered Wang Ping and Ma Zhong, and Wang Ping and Ma Zhong also set off with troops.Zhuge Liang ordered Ma Dai: "Abandon the three large barracks on the south bank and retreat to the north bank. As soon as I lead the army back to the north bank, you immediately tear down the bamboo bridge and let the bamboo bridge float to the downstream. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan will catch the opportunity in the downstream. Get up and cross the river." Ma Dai took the order and set off.Zhuge Liang said to Zhang Yi again: "After our army retreats to the north bank, we will burn more fires in these three camps. When Meng Huo finds out, he will definitely send troops to chase after him, and you will send troops to cut off Meng Huo's retreat."

Zhang Yi took the lead and set off.Zhuge Liang only asked Guan Suo to protect him.The army retreated to the north bank, and many bright lanterns were placed in the three barracks.Seeing this situation, the barbarian army has been afraid to act.

The next day, Meng Huo led an army to the camp on the south bank of the Shu army and found that there was no one there.Meng You asked Meng Huo: "Is this Zhuge Liang's plan?" Meng Huo said: "Probably not. The Shu army retreated overnight. It must be a major event in the country. Either the Wei army conquered Hanzhong, or Dong Wu attacked Baidi City. .This is our good opportunity, we should take the opportunity to hunt down the Shu army."

Meng Huo led the army to the Xi'er River, and immediately ordered his soldiers to cut bamboo to build a bridge, preparing to attack the Shu army on the other side of the river.Meng Huo said to his generals: "Zhuge Liang will stay on the other side of the river for a day or two at most. Most of the Shu army has no combat effectiveness. We will succeed this time."Zhao Yun and Wei Yanzao waited here for a long time, and Wang Ping and Ma Zhong also led troops to kill them.

Meng Huo was caught in an ambush, and the hundreds of thousands of troops were immediately surrounded. He knew that this time he would be defeated again, so he hurriedly led dozens of personal guards and fled into the valley.He saw the fire rising to the sky from the south, north, and west. He was afraid of being ambushed again, so he had to flee to the east valley.

As soon as he turned around the mountain pass, he saw dozens of Shu soldiers protecting Zhuge Liang in front of a big tree. Zhuge Liang was sitting on the cart, laughing loudly: "Meng Huo! God wants you to fail, I've been waiting for you here for a long time!" Meng Huo was furious, and said to his soldiers:

"I've been teased by him three times. If I'm asked to meet him here today, I must chop him and the car he's sitting in to pieces!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed to Zhuge Liang first.There was only a loud bang, and Meng Huo and his soldiers fell into a big pit dug in advance.Zhang Yi led his troops to capture Meng Huo and tied him up with ropes.

Zhao Yun and Wei Yan escorted all the captives from Nanman to the camp of the Shu army.Zhuge Liang ordered them to be released again, and all the leaders of Nanman thanked Zhuge Liang for not killing them.

After a while, Zhang Yi put Meng You in front of Zhuge Liang again.Zhuge Liang said to him: "Your elder brother Meng Huo has been obsessed with obsession. You should advise him. I have captured you four times. How can you show yourself?" Meng You shamelessly begged Zhuge Liang to spare him the death penalty.Zhuge Liang said: "I don't want to kill you today. You must dissuade your brother Meng Huo after you go back." Meng You quickly knelt on the ground to thank Zhuge Liang for his kindness.

Zhuge Liang ordered Meng Huo to be brought up again.As soon as Zhuge Liang saw Meng Huo, he asked, "You have been caught by me again this time. What else do you have to say?" The warriors pulled Meng Huo out and chopped him down.Meng Huo was not afraid at all. He turned to Zhuge Liang and said, "If you let me go again, I will surely repay you for capturing me four times." Sit down and drink.

Zhuge Liang asked Meng Huo: "I let you go four times, why are you always unconvinced?" Meng Huo said: "Although I am a rude person in the South, I am not like the prime minister who always calculates others and has many tricks. How can I be convinced? !" Zhuge Liang said, "I'll let you go back and see if you have the ability to fight me again." Meng Huo said, "If the prime minister catches me again, I will surrender to you."

Zhuge Liang released Meng Huo.Meng Huo led his men away.On the way, Meng Huo ran into Meng You.Meng You said: "I came here specially to join forces with my elder brother and prepare for a decisive battle with the Shu army." Meng Huo said: "Our caves have been taken by the Shu army. What should we do?" Meng You said: "Don't worry about this. There is a Tulong cave in the southwest, and the owner of the cave, King Duosi, is very familiar with me, so let's go to him first."

When the Meng Huo brothers came to the Tulong Cave, King Dosi greeted them personally.King Dosi heard what happened to Meng Huo, and immediately said loudly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, if the Shu army dares to come again, I will kill him without leaving a piece of armor, and I will make Zhuge Liang die without a place to bury him!"

Meng Huo was very happy and asked Dosi how to deal with the Shu army.Dosi replied: "There are two roads leading to the outside, and there is a road in the northeast, which is the road that the king took here. The road is flat, but as long as the intersection is blocked with big stones and logs, even if they have a million troops I can't get in. There is a small road in the northwest, which is rough and difficult to walk on, and the road is also very narrow. There are many poisonous snakes and beasts around this small road. Elimination, you can only walk through it when the sky is about to dawn. There are four poisonous springs nearby: one is called dumb spring, the water is very sweet, but once you drink it, you can no longer talk, you become dumb, and you can't reach three. The sky will die. The second is called Miequan. This spring water boils on the surface, but if you go down to take a bath, the skin will rot immediately and the bones will fall off. The third is called Heiquan. The spring water is clear, but if the spring water splashes on the body , then the whole body will turn black, and you will die immediately. The fourth is called Rouquan, and the spring water is so cold that it is about to freeze.

There are no birds and insects living nearby, and it is lifeless. Only General Fubo of the Han Dynasty has been here, and no one has been here since then.We immediately blocked the road to the northeast, and the king hid in the cave. If the Shu army came to attack, they would surely come from the west when they saw that the east road was cut off.There is no water on the west road. If the Shu army sees these four springs, they will definitely drink the spring water. Even if they have a million troops, they will be wiped out by then.Where are we using knives and guns. "

Meng Huo laughed loudly after hearing this, and said, "Now I finally have a place to live. No matter how clever Zhuge Liang is, he won't be able to use any tricks this time. I can finally take revenge."

Meng Huo, Meng You and King Dosi just drank and had fun all day long.

Zhuge Liang saw that Meng Huo had not sent troops for several days, so he ordered the army to leave the Xi'er River and march south.

(End of this chapter)