Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 179: The sound shook Guanzhong, Zhuge Liang took over Longyou (6K)

Zhuge Liang sat quietly at the table, gently waving his feather fan in the firelight, his eyes warm.

But I feel a lot of emotion in my heart.

Since Zhuge Liang had no children, he was unable to pass on his life's learning to his descendants, which often made him feel deeply regretful.

Although Zhuge Qiao was adopted as a son by his brother Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Qiao's talents were not outstanding.

to this end.

Zhuge Liang was very strict in disciplining Zhuge Qiao. Even though Zhuge Qiao was not yet an adult, Zhuge Liang arranged for him to be a grain officer.

There is also Ma Liang's younger brother Ma Su.

Originally, Zhuge Liang was planning to bring Ma Su with him to train him, but for some unknown reason, Ma Su was suddenly appointed by Liu Bei to go to Changsha to assist Changsha Prefect Ma Liang in governing the country.

Although he didn't understand why Liu Bei did this, Zhuge Liang had no choice but to give up the idea of letting Ma Su follow him to gain experience.

Although Deng Ai also had talent and ability, he was trained by Zhuge Liang on behalf of Liu Feng, so it was impossible for him to be too close to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang still failed to find a disciple suitable to inherit what he had learned throughout his life.

Never thought.

I actually met Jiang Wei in Ji County!

The more he got to know Jiang Wei, the more Zhuge Liang felt a sympathetic liking for him.

He was a well-dressed man in the county and lost his father at a young age.

Despite his misfortunes, he never gave up on himself. Instead, he worked diligently and tried hard to improve his talents and reputation in order to gain fame and honor for his family.

He is not cruel or ungrateful, but attaches great importance to friendship and loyalty. He has good manners and is dignified, worthy of the name of a gentleman.

His talent and character are far superior to Zhuge Qiao and Ma Su, and he is not as good as Li Shao and Ma Liang.

and many more.

This is also why Zhuge Liang, who was always busy with affairs, was willing to take the time to wait for Jiang Wei to sober up from his hangover.

Jiang Wei was also quite excited by Zhuge Liang's courtesy.

Even though I got drunk on purpose last night and waited for Zhuge Liang to arrive with some ulterior motives, this is also the basic requirement for survival in troubled times.

You can't know a person's heart just by hearing about him.

If Zhuge Liang could not meet Jiang Wei's expectations, then Jiang Wei would also think "Zhuge Liang is nothing special", just as Jiang Wei had previously said to Liang Xu "If Zhuge Liang cannot see through my plan, why not destroy him?"

The king chooses his ministers, and the ministers choose their king. This is the norm in troubled times.

Jiang Wei's eyes were bright and his words were quite respectful: "I cannot protect my home and my city, so I am not worthy of the Prime Minister's title of 'Sir'."

While talking.

Jiang Wei couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

If he were facing someone else, Jiang Wei would at most be polite and express his intention of "I am willing to submit to the Han Dynasty" without feeling any trepidation:
It's nothing more than changing jobs for a different boss. There's no such thing as loyalty. It's just a matter of mutual benefit.

However, when facing Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei was worried that Zhuge Liang would underestimate him because of his "disloyalty to Cao Wei."

Yesterday when he was at the gates of the city, he said, "Although I am not talented, I also know loyalty and righteousness. I eat the food of Wei and guard the land of Wei. How can I betray my master and seek glory just because of Zhuge Gong's three-inch tongue?" And then he changed his attitude this morning?
No matter how you look at it, it doesn't make sense.

This complicated state of mind made Jiang Wei feel anxious and worried at this moment. He wanted to return to Han and follow Zhuge Liang, but he was afraid of being underestimated by Zhuge Liang.

The subtle changes in Jiang Wei's expression did not escape Zhuge Liang's eyes.

Zhuge Liang was not uncommon in his state of mind.

Underestimate?

That depends on the person.

not to mention.

In Zhuge Liang's mind, Cao Wei was just a fake Wei.

As a descendant of a county official of the Han Dynasty, Jiang Wei was loyal because he did not defend the Wei territory.

An elegant smile appeared on Zhuge Liang's face, and every word he said was like a bright lamp illuminating Jiang Wei's heart.

"The general is a descendant of a good official of the Han Dynasty, so he should guard the cities of the Han Dynasty, not the cities of the pseudo-Wei Dynasty.

It was not the fault of the county officials that Cao Pi usurped power. It was not easy to survive in troubled times. In order to protect their families, the county officials had to respect the pseudo-Wei. This was not out of moral inferiority or disloyalty, but they had to do so due to the situation.

Liang once discussed the world with His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, who said, "To protect the country, the ruler and his ministers, who are all meat eaters, must work together; to protect the world, even the humblest of men have a share of responsibility."

The fall of the Han Dynasty was the fault of the meat-eating emperors and their ministers. How can we blame the loyalty of people all over the world for this reason?
Now, Your Majesty has appointed the Crown Prince as the general to lead the army to recover the lost territory. The general would rather be punished by Ma Zun than to help Ma Zun defend the city with all his heart. This is a noble cause.

Being able to protect your family and restore Han territory, you deserve the title of 'superior scholar'!"

Zhuge Liang was good at speaking nice words.

In just a few words, Jiang Wei's identity as a "surrendered general" was clothed in the cloak of "righteousness".

And this is indeed the case.

Ma Zun did not trust the officials of various counties and detained their families in Ji County.

Jiang Wei was only able to reunite with his family because he was an official in Ji County, while officials in other counties, such as Li County Magistrate Jia Kun, did not receive such good treatment.

If officials' families need to be detained in order to make them willingly pledge allegiance, the so-called righteousness between the monarch and his subjects is just a joke.

Although Liu Bei would also keep the officials' families in the main city, he would not force them to stay. It was more for the convenience of protection and comfort rather than detaining them as hostages.

This is why, according to historical records, after Huang Quan was forced to surrender to Wei, he did not worry that his family would be held accountable by Liu Bei, and even Meng Da’s son was treated well.

Liu Feng borrowed the argument of later generations such as Gu Yanwu's "To protect the country is the responsibility of the monarch and his ministers who eat meat; to protect the world is the responsibility of the humble common people" to discuss the world with Zhuge Liang. After Zhuge Liang quoted it, Jiang Wei regained his respect and expectations for the new Han Dynasty.

Jiang Wei had also heard of Liu Bei's adopted son Liu Feng.

At the age of twenty, he entered Xichuan and followed Liu Bei to fight in Xichuan, seize Hanzhong, defend Shangyong, and protect Jingzhou. He expelled Sun Quan from Jiangling and resisted Xu Huang in Maicheng. He also fought alone against Xu Huang, Xiahou Shang, Cao Zhen, Zhang He and other famous generals of Cao Wei in Nanxiang, and defeated Yu Jin in Shiyang and beheaded Wen Pin.

His reputation for being a good fighter had already spread to all the states of Cao Wei.

And Liu Feng was merely Liu Bei's adopted son!
It is amazing that an adopted son who could not inherit the throne could do so much for the new Han Dynasty and did not show any intention of competing for the succession.

Jiang Wei once discussed Liu Feng with Liang Xu and others, and he felt that he would never be able to remain calm if he were in Liu Feng's position.

But Liu Feng did it!

So the question is, why didn't Liu Feng worry about "the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked"? Why didn't he worry about "his achievements surpassed his master and he was jealous of him"?
This was the most confusing thing for Jiang Wei and others after discussing Liu Feng.

Could it be that Liu wanted to emulate Wang Mang's humility before he usurped the throne?

And today.

After talking with Zhuge Liang and hearing Zhuge Liang quote Liu Feng's words "To protect a country, its ruler and his ministers who eat meat plan it; to protect the world, even the humblest man has the responsibility to do so", Jiang Wei suddenly realized.

There were all kinds of suspicion and distrust in the past, simply because that was the prevailing trend in Cao Wei.

The king suspects his ministers, the ministers suspect the king, the generals suspect their soldiers, the soldiers suspect their generals, and everyone suspects each other.

When in doubt, hold relatives hostage.

People who live in such an environment naturally have a natural suspicion of everyone around them.

But this new big man is fundamentally different!
This difference made Jiang Wei feel envious.

Under Zhuge Liang's gentle and friendly comfort, Jiang Wei finally let go of all his guard, kowtowed and cried: "Prime Minister, your noble character makes me ashamed! If you don't mind my vulgarity, I am willing to serve you."

Jiang Wei is a proud man.

It was useless for Cao Zhen to make Jiang Wei kowtow, and people like Ma Zun were even more disdainful.

But when facing Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei kowtowed sincerely and was willing to be his dog and horse!

Zhuge Liang was waiting for Jiang Wei to say this. He was overjoyed and quickly helped Jiang Wei up: "Please stand up quickly! Now that I have the general, I am willing to taste his food!"

There was a burst of laughter.

Subsequently.

Zhuge Liang then summoned Liang Xu and others to meet Jiang Wei.

Although Liang Xu and others held higher official positions than Jiang Wei, they all followed Jiang Wei as their leader.

Seeing that Jiang Wei had decided to return to Han, Liang Xu and others no longer hesitated and expressed their willingness to submit.

Zhuge Liang was even more delighted.

If only Jiang Wei surrendered, Zhuge Liang would have to find another way to make the other counties of Tianshui submit. But with Liang Xu and others, all the counties of Tianshui could be conquered with just a single order!

Those who could serve as Gongcao or Zhubu in Ji County were basically those who had a good reputation in the county.

Among the officials in the counties of Tianshui, many were involved with Liang Xu and others, either as relatives or friends, or as fellow students, or as having a grudge against their ancestors, and so on.

This also prevented Zhuge Liang from directly using Ji County's hostages to threaten officials from other counties.

In order to convince the Tianshui officials, they had to do the opposite of Cao Wei's approach.

Cao Wei used hostages to restrain county officials, so Zhuge Liang released the hostages and allowed them to return home and reunite with their families.

Sincerity is the sure winner.

Who would resist the temptation of reuniting with their loved ones?

Zhuge Liang's decision moved Jiang Wei, Liang Xu and others deeply.

Jiang Wei was even more excited and asked for orders: "Guo Huai has deployed 500 soldiers at Mumen Road. The garrison commander Hu Zun is Guo Huai's confidant. He is talented in both civil and military affairs. He was recruited by Zhang Ji, the late governor of Yongzhou and a famous official of the pseudo-Wei.

This man is quite good at commanding troops, and he is grateful for Zhang Ji's kindness and courtesy, so he will not surrender. I am willing to lead my troops to Mumen Road to capture and kill this man for the Prime Minister!"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "It's not that I don't trust Bo Yue. Since I know Hu Zun is good at using troops and will not surrender, I should take advantage of the victory to put pressure on him with my great power.

Otherwise, Hu Zun will find a chance to counterattack Qishan, and Liang is afraid that this will frighten the crown prince; Generals Wei Yan and Zhang Yi can lead their troops to go with Bo Yue."

Zhuge Liang did not hesitate.

Mumen Road is the throat leading from Ji County to Qishan. If Mumen Road cannot be obtained, one has to go around Shanggui to travel to and from Qishan.

It will be extremely disadvantageous for future defense and counterattack in Tianshui.

The wooden door path must be taken down as soon as possible!
If time is wasted and Hu Zun really uses the strategy of "besieging Wei to save Zhao", it will definitely disrupt Zhuge Liang's overall plan in Tianshui.

And the facts turned out to be just as Zhuge Liang had expected.

Hu Zun of Mumendao has already learned about the changes in Ji County.

When Ma Zun was escaping, he did not forget to send someone to inform Hu Zun. Obviously, he wanted to use Hu Zun's mouth to increase the persuasiveness of the excuse that "Jiang Wei and others colluded with Zhuge Liang and led to the loss of Ji County."

Therefore.

After confirming the intelligence that Ji County had been captured by the Han army and comparing the military strength of both sides and his own situation, Hu Zun decided to abandon the Mumen Road and counterattack Qishan through the Mumen Road in order to disrupt Zhuge Liang's plan in Tianshui.

Hu Zun reacted quickly.

Zhuge Liang reacted faster.

After noon, before Hu Zun had time to abandon Mumen Road, Wei Yan, Zhang Yi and Jiang Wei had already arrived with their troops.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Hu Zun directly abandoned Mumen Road and did not dare to go to Qishan. Instead, he took a detour to Shanggui.

Wei Yan and others took advantage of the situation to capture Mumen Road, opening up the shortest passage between Ji County and Qishan.

As Liang Xu and others followed Zhuge Liang's military orders to issue proclamations to various counties and returned the families of the counties, officials in Tianshui County surrendered one after another.

Ma Zun ran away, the county officials surrendered, and his family was sent back by Zhuge Liang. The county officials were not ignorant, so they would not be stupid enough to die for Cao Wei. Two days later.

Liu Chan arrived in Ji County.

Zhuge Liang was a man who knew his limits. He always remembered that Liu Chan was the main general in the attack on Yongzhou, and he would not usurp the throne and take over things that Liu Chan was supposed to do.

For example, how to reward Jiang Wei, Liang Xu and others had to be decided by Liu Chan, and Zhuge Liang was only responsible for proposing plans.

This was also to increase the military prestige of Prince Liu Chan.

Liu Chan's performance did not disappoint Zhuge Liang.

Although he was far inferior to Cao Pi and Sun Quan in terms of political scheming, Liu Chan's greatest advantage was that he inherited Liu Bei's generosity!
Treating sincerity with sincerity is precious in an age when rituals and music have collapsed and people are suspicious of each other.

Liu Chan, who was only sixteen years old, was like a blank sheet of paper and had not yet been infected by the various bad habits that followed Zhuge Liang's death.

Zhuge Liang had already made up his mind: first, let Jiang Wei and others see Liu Chan's generosity to reassure them; then let Jiang Wei and others see Liu Feng's bravery to frighten them; and finally, let Jiang Wei see Liu Bei's benevolence to win his heart.

Appreciation is appreciation.

Zhuge Liang also did not forget his duties as the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.

You need both kindness and authority.

Only by combining kindness and force can we truly gain the submission of people near and far.

Zhuge Liang also collected soldiers from various counties in Tianshui, as well as surrendered soldiers and refugees, and gained a new force of 4,000 people, who were handed over to Jiang Wei for command.

Liu Chan also recommended Jiang Wei as a warehouse official, and gave him the title of General Fengyi, and sent him along with the battle report through Hanzhong to Xincheng and then to Jiangling.

If we say that Zhuge Liang was only launching a tentative attack on Tianshui at the beginning, he was not absolutely sure about taking Tianshui County, nor did he have the intention to carry out the subsequent plan.

And now.

Tianshui County had been captured, and Ji County had a large amount of food, fodder and arrows, as well as an additional 4,000 soldiers and horses as well as outstanding talents such as Jiang Wei and Liang Xu.

Subsequent plans can also be implemented.

In order to implement subsequent plans, battle reports must be sent to Jiangling in a timely manner.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to capture Yongzhou relying solely on Zhuge Liang's troops in Tianshui.

If we can’t take Yongzhou, it will be difficult to defend Tianshui County even if we get it!
after all.

The reason for capturing Tianshui was not because of the strength of Zhuge Liang's army, but because he caught Cao Wei by surprise.

Being able to stop Cao Wei’s counterattack is a real skill!

Jiang Wei offered another suggestion: "Although Shanggui is easy to defend but difficult to attack, we only need a small number of troops to hold back the Shanggui defender Zhou Tai and make him afraid to leave lightly.

However, the road from Chencang to Shanggui was rugged and difficult for the army to move. If Guo Huai wanted to transfer troops from Guanzhong to Tianshui, he could only take a detour through Jieting in the north.

The Prime Minister can send his generals to Jieting, set up a city in a dangerous place, and block Guo Huai's army from coming to support.

Bo Cheng and I and others can help the Prime Minister to first capture Nangan and Longxi, and then return to Guangwei to set up defenses in Lueyang and Shanggui.

"When Cao's reinforcements retreat, Longyou can be secured; from now on, we can slowly plan to take Liangzhou and spy on Guanzhong, and then the general situation will be achieved!"

Jiang Wei did not know the plan of Zhuge Liang and Liu Feng. He wanted to conquer Longyou first and then Guanzhong.

Zhuge Liang did not comment and signaled everyone to continue.

Liang Xu then said: "Nan'an Governor Yang Ling was born into the Hongnong Yang family. Like Ma Zun, he was arrogant and self-righteous. He was suspicious and jealous. The officials in Nan'an counties have long been dissatisfied with Yang Ling.

If the Prime Minister wants to conquer Nan'an, he can use psychological tactics and will surely be able to take over the south bank without bloodshed.

You Chu, the prefect of Longxi County, was different from Ma Zun and Yang Ling. He was both civil and military, and was good at showing kindness. Most of the county officials trusted him.

Moreover, You Chu, like Hu Zun, was appointed by the former Yongzhou governor Zhang Jili and would never surrender!

Therefore, I think that we can drive the troops of Nan'an to counterattack Longxi, which will not only increase the military prestige of the Prime Minister, but also avoid the Prime Minister's troops from having to travel through Longxi and suffer excessive fatigue.

Yin Shang also said, "Jincheng in the northwest of Longxi is guarded by the pseudo-Wei generals Hao Zhao and Wei Ping. They are both brave and skilled in fighting. They are also former subordinates of the former Jincheng governor Fufeng Su Ze. If they hear that Longyou is in urgent need, they will definitely send troops to rescue us. We must be on guard."

County officials such as Liang Qian and Shangguan Zixiu also had something to say.

People who have just joined the group naturally need to speak up actively so that they can actively participate in this new group.

Since it was to help Zhuge Liang make decisions, it was also for the future prospects.

After the officials of Tianshui County spoke, Zhuge Liang summarized the current intelligence and looked at the people in the hall: "Who is willing to go to Jieting, Nan'an, and Longxi?"

This time, Zhuge Liang did not take out the small jar for Wei Yan and Meng Da to draw lots.

A trick has been used three times; if you use it again it becomes old fashioned.

Wei Yan glanced at Meng Da and said, "General Meng, I won't compete with you this time. You choose first, and the rest will be mine."

Meng Da snorted.

to be frank.

When Zhuge Liang listed these three places just now, Meng Da was also worried that Zhuge Liang would let the generals draw lots again.

Meng Da has completely lost confidence in his luck in drawing lots!

If a gambler gambles to the end, he will have nothing!
Staring at the three places on the map, Meng Da was also thinking secretly.

[Nan'an is the easiest to capture. Even if we face a counterattack from the Wei generals in Jincheng, there will not be too much pressure, and the credit should be the smallest.

Longxi is remote, and You Chu can convince the county officials, so it is not easy to attack the city. This place should be a detachment used for containment, responsible for supervising and driving the troops in Nan'an.

Jieting is the key to whether one can gain a foothold in Longyou, and this is where great achievements can be made.

Strange, with Wei Yan's talent, it is impossible that he couldn't understand, why didn't he compete with me for the credit? 】

Fighting is fighting.

After meeting Wei Yan in Dongchuan and fighting several battles, Meng Da truly understood Wei Yan's talents.

I finally understood that Wei Yan's words, "If Cao Cao comes with the whole world, please reject him for the king; if a general comes with an army of 100,000, please swallow him for the king," were not just an exaggeration.

In the past, Meng Da thought that Wei Yan was just a farmer in Xinye, who dared to boast after making some contributions under Liu Bei. He even despised Wei Yan for not knowing what a hundred thousand troops meant.

And now.

Meng Da didn't dare to think so.

No matter how arrogant he is or how unwilling he is to accept the facts, Meng Da cannot pretend to be blind.

Although he didn't understand why Wei Yan didn't want to fight for the credit, Meng Da didn't want to give up the great achievement of Jieting, so he actively asked: "Prime Minister, I am willing to lead the troops to Jieting to resist the Guanzhong army."

Wei Yan glanced at Meng Da and said provocatively: "General Meng, Jieting is not an easy place to defend. Can you really stop Guo Huai? I think you can choose to lead the army from Nan'an to Longxi, which will make it easier to achieve merit."

Meng Da's anger instantly rose, and he glared and shouted, "General Wei, you just said you wouldn't fight with me, are you going to go back on your word?"

Wei Yan snorted, "I am thinking about General Meng. You have never seen the ferocity of the Wei army in Guanzhong. If we lose Jieting, wouldn't it be a big mistake for the Prime Minister?"

Meng Da's beard was about to jump up.

What do you mean I have never seen the ferocity of the Wei army in Guanzhong?

I have never fought against the Wei army in Guanzhong, so isn't it normal that I haven't seen anything like it?

Meng Da suddenly reacted.

[No wonder Wei Yan deliberately let me choose first. Was he trying to get the Prime Minister to deny my request so that he could go to Jieting?]

really.

After hearing Wei Yan's words, Zhuge Liang became hesitant. Jieting was of vital importance and could not be lost.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's hesitation, Meng Da became anxious and asked again: "When Your Majesty had not yet entered Sichuan, I followed Your Majesty.

For more than ten years, I have never competed for merit, and have been wholeheartedly working for Your Majesty. I have also studied the art of war for twenty years, so how could I not be able to stop Guo Huai?

In Zigui in the past, if I hadn’t stopped Lu Xun, the outcome of Jingzhou would have been uncertain!

If I can defend Zigui, I can definitely defend Jieting. Please allow me to do so, Prime Minister!"

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but glare at Wei Yan. You're always causing trouble for me!
Wei Yan lowered his head guiltily, not daring to meet Zhuge Liang's eyes.

Zhuge Liang sighed secretly.

It is a fact that Wei Yan is fierce.

It is also true that Wei Yan was arrogant.

Among those who followed Zhuge Liang to take Longyou, few could make Zhuge Liang worry-free!
They are fierce indeed, and none of them will submit to anyone else.

This was because Li Yan was busy maintaining his relationship with Liu Chan and did not participate in the competition for credit, otherwise it would have caused Zhuge Liang even more headaches!

ponder for a moment.

Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice: "General Meng is devoted to His Majesty, how could I not know that? Jieting will be guarded by General Meng. I wonder how many men General Meng is going to take with him? How will he defend it?"

Zhuge Liang did not prepare all the standard answers for Ma Su as recorded in history when Ma Su guarded Jieting.

The generals you lead are different, so the way you give orders will naturally be different.

Although Meng Da had never witnessed the ferocity of the Wei army in Guanzhong, he was not unfamiliar with military affairs. He also defended against Lu Xun's attack in Zigui.

Liu Feng only suppressed Meng Da because of their different positions, and did not completely deny Meng Da's ability to use troops.

The same is true of Zhuge Liang.

The prerequisite for suppression is that the person being suppressed has certain abilities, rather than being a pure mediocrity.

Considering the crucial nature of this battle and its high likelihood of affecting his future career, Meng Da did not brazenly claim that he would only bring his own troops.

"The Prime Minister wants to seize Nannan and Longxi, but he has too few soldiers. I want to defend Jieting, but he has too few soldiers either.

Please ask the Prime Minister to allocate 5,000 Dongchuan soldiers to me, and send a general to garrison Liucheng to prevent the Wei soldiers in Linwei from going north. Within a month, I will ensure that not a single Wei soldier will pass through Jieting!"

Meng Da vowed to tell Zhuge Liang the plan to defend Jieting one by one.

It was not only to show his talents in front of the generals, but also to make Zhuge Liang believe that he had the ability to defend Jieting.

He pondered for a long time.

After careful consideration, Zhuge Liang agreed to let Meng Da lead the troops to guard Jieting, and at the same time ordered Zhang Yi to station troops in Liucheng.

He also sent Jiang Wei, Liang Xu and others to take Nannan, and supervised the Nannan troops to take Longxi.

Wei Yan led his troops to Shanggui.

Since Ma Zun and Hu Zun both led their troops to retreat to Shanggui, the lieutenant generals left outside Shanggui had few soldiers and could only allow the two generals to lead their troops into Shanggui.

If there were no generals stationed outside Shanggui, the Wei army would also counterattack Qishan.

As soon as the news came out.

The sound shook Guanzhong!

Guo Huai in Chencang was even more shocked.

Guo Huai never expected that his deployment in Tianshui County would be easily broken by Zhuge Liang.

What shocked Guo Huai even more was that the main general in the attack on Tianshui was actually Liu Bei's crown prince Liu Chan!
"Liu Bei's strategic focus is not in Wanluo!"

“Something big is going to happen!

(End of this chapter)