My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 137 Zhao Yun: Why am I the one who lures the enemy again? (Chapter 135 has been rewritten)

(Chapter 135 was rewritten at noon today (August 8st). Friends who read it in the morning can refresh and read it again. I will say it again in case you are not notified)
After Liu Bei, Zhuge Jin and Lu Su discussed and decided on the four-pronged strategy for attacking Yuan Shikai, they each went back to prepare for implementation.

Because Liu Bei's territory was too long and narrow, and was also an enclave, sufficient time must be allowed from planning to the start of the war.

Apart from anything else, it might take Zhuge Jin more than ten days to finish the pre-war military meeting in Guangling and then take a boat up the Yangtze River back to Chaisang.

If the purpose was to deceive Yuan Shu, the troops had to hide during the day and move at night when passing through certain sensitive river sections, and hide in the harbors on the south bank during the day. It would be normal for them to take more than half a month to complete the journey.

After returning to Chaisang, he had to gather troops from all over Yuzhang. Before the war, a considerable part of Yuzhang's troops were stationed in the southern mountainous counties to eliminate the remaining bandits and thoroughly investigate the local hidden households and escapees, and they had to be gathered back when the war started.

It is normal that this kind of bandit suppression work cannot be completed in one or two years. When Zuo Rong died at the beginning of last year, countless monk-soldier fanatics fled to the mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi. Zhuge Jin was able to completely eliminate them in three years, which was considered a genius in domestic affairs and pacifying the people.

It takes at least half a month to assemble the troops. After the assembly is completed, there will be a short run-in exercise to allow the soldiers to spend a few days to adapt to the new command system, and to check for any logistical problems, which will take another half a month in total.

Therefore, the final date for starting the war will be at least one and a half months after the military meeting, and it will definitely not be possible to catch up even if it is faster.

Liu Bei's army concluded all military discussions on February 20th, and the final date for the first wave of attack was set on April 10th, more than 40 days later.

Zhao Yun would fire the first shot in the anti-Yuan campaign on the tenth day of April, attacking Huailing County from Xuyi County.

Seven days later, on April 17, Zhang Fei will attack Wujiang from Chu County - seven days may seem a bit long, but in fact Liu Bei's army must leave enough time for Yuan Shu's troops to react, so that they will misjudge that Zhao Yun is the main attack direction, and thus mobilize troops in other directions.

If it were shorter, Yuan Shu's troops in the rear would not have had time to mobilize.

There did not need to be too long an interval between the third and fourth waves of offensive and the second wave; Liu Bei's army only left a five-day interval.

On April 22nd, Guan Yu, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning would launch an attack at the same time on the Yangtze River, which was more than 600 miles apart upstream and downstream.

In terms of the distribution of troops for the four attacks, Zhao Yun had only 5,000 troops, Zhang Fei also had 5,000, Zhuge Jin had the most, with a full 15,000 people, and Liu Bei and Guan Yu had 10,000 people.

There were 45,000 soldiers in total, 35,000 of them were sent to attack, and 10,000 were left to guard the city, supplemented by temporary able-bodied men and local militia. After all, Lu Bu and Sun Ce were not pushovers, and if they didn't leave any elite soldiers to guard the city and relied entirely on local militia, their homes would be at risk of being stolen.

Even the 35,000 attacking troops were not all deployed for land battle. Zhuge Jin suggested that Liu Bei allocate at least 5,000 people to be responsible for naval patrols to maintain the safety of the Yangtze River waterway and prevent Sun Ce from crossing the river.

……

Each unit returned to its respective attack bases and prepared for battle.

Time quickly came to mid-March, and Zhao Yun, the commander of the First Army in Huaiyin, had basically completed other daily preparations before the attack.

Because he was so close, he basically didn't need to travel or assemble. With still twenty days before the battle, Zhao Yun already had nothing to do.

However, everyone wants to win and make achievements. Zhao Yun has always been the one who stirs up hatred. Last year, he fought back and forth with Ji Ling between Xuyi and Huailing. He himself was tired of this kind of life.

This time, the task given to him by his lord was to further capture Huailing, or at least pretend to attack Huailing, to attract Ji Ling's main force and stick to the Huaihe battlefield to prevent Ji Ling from reinforcing other places.

In Zhao Yun's understanding, the so-called "at least pretend to attack Huai Ling" certainly does not exist! At least, just like last year's feint attack on Xuyi, we must actually capture Xuyi City, and this year we must also capture Huai Ling!

If possible, you should even find ways to expand the results of the battle.

On the tenth day of March, Zhao Yun returned home early from the county commander's office after finishing all preparations because he had nothing to do. He also ordered people to send more wine and meat to his home, so that he could have a drink with his wife Zhuge Zhi, who had just been married for two months, during the evening.

He had been busy with military preparations in the previous few days and had not even been able to go home for dinner with his wife.

Zhao Yun was not a procrastinator, which was the opposite of Zhang Fei. Whenever he was given a task with 40 days to prepare, Zhao Yun would finish it in 20 to 30 days, preferring to take some time off at the end.

He is just like a middle school student who finishes his summer homework as soon as the summer vacation starts.

Zhuge Zhi was a little shy as it was rare for her husband to come home so she hurried to prepare water, food and washing, and waited for Zhao Yun to clean up before drinking.

Zhao Yun drank a few cups with his wife and suddenly sighed subconsciously. Zhuge Zhi was observant and asked if there was anything wrong with the military affairs.

Zhao Yun did not dare to say much, but just sighed: "Zi Yu has helped me a lot, I just regret that I am not good at naval warfare, and this time the battle against Yuan is easiest to achieve success by water.

In theory, attacking Huailing was not a bad task, at least it was easier than Yide's mission. After Yide captured Wujiang, he had no waterway to advance, and could not bring heavy equipment, so he had no place to use his weapons. He could only hope that the enemy would come to rescue Wujiang so that he could seize the opportunity to fight in the field.

If my attack on Huailing goes smoothly, I can continue to go upstream along the Huai River. With the water transportation of the Huai River, I can also transport some heavy siege equipment to the front line. As long as I have great ability, it is possible to attack Shouchun. It’s just that I am not strong enough and the troops are not enough, how can I blame others. "

Zhuge Zhi didn't know much about military affairs, so he just listened quietly.

But she was a member of the Zhuge family after all, and she followed her second brother, was trained by her eldest brother's secret scroll, and learned a lot of mathematics and common sense. After listening to Zhao Yun's sigh, Zhuge Zhi quickly grasped a key point:
"So, the biggest advantage of your team over General Zhang's is that they can carry and transport heavy equipment on board, making it easier to attack. Is Huai Ling City built directly on the Huai River? The warships at the dock can unload the equipment and go directly to the battlefield? I wonder how big our army's largest warship is now?"

When Zhao Yun heard that his wife had pointed out the key to the problem, although it was not a remarkable insight, the fact that a woman could realize this made Zhao Yun's eyes light up.

As expected, she is the sister of Zhuge brothers. She is extraordinary.

Zhao Yun raised his glass and took a drink, then answered casually, "The largest ship equipped by the Huaihe River Navy is still about the same size as a 500-man battleship, but it does not have so many cabins.

Last year, Kong Ming was in Haixi and instructed the Mi family to build new ships according to the keel method, saying that they should build ships with a low center of gravity and stability. So recently, several new ships of the same size as the 500-man fighting ship were built, but there was no upper cabin in the middle section, only the bow and stern had ship towers and parapets.

This new ship has a middle deck that can carry heavy equipment, and even a ladder can be pushed directly onto the ship, as long as the dock pier and the ship deck are at the same height. I was unwilling to feint to attract Ji Ling, so I had two not-so-large ladder trucks prepared. I have tried it and found that they can be installed on the deck. When we get to the dock, we can just lay the planks and unload the cargo to attack the city."

Zhao Yun was actually satisfied with the current equipment. If Zhuge Liang had not started some small pilot projects in the shipbuilding industry in Guangling County last year and built low-deck ships with keels, Zhao Yun would not even be able to ship ladders. The superstructure of traditional fighting ships is too troublesome. There is no place to put the ladder on the deck. Even if it is placed, the center of gravity is too high. A wave or a gust of wind may overturn the ship.

The new ship that Zhuge Liang tried to build was still wobbly even after the ladder was installed. It needed a calm day for safe marching. Strong winds and waves were also not an option. Even if the ship did not capsize, the ladder on the deck would fall into the river when the hull tilted, and even wooden wedges on both sides of the wheels would not be able to hold it in place.

Moreover, it seems that it can only carry equipment of 15 feet in length at present, and the maximum height cannot exceed 17 or 18 feet, otherwise it will be dangerous.

Zhuge Zhi listened quietly to her husband's explanation. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind: "Since the ship cannot be modified in a short time, can we ask Aliang to modify the ladder truck? If we can have better siege equipment and transport it directly to the dock outside the city, we can launch a surprise attack as soon as the cargo is unloaded. The Yuan army will definitely be caught off guard."

Zhao Yun frowned slightly when he heard this. "The ladder vehicle was developed by Gongshu Ban in the Warring States Period, and it has been seven or eight hundred years. Although later generations have made some changes, they are only slight adjustments. It is too much to expect Mr. Kong Ming to make new improvements within ten days, right?"

Zhuge Zhi thought for a moment and said, "How can we know if we don't try? I remember my elder brother gave Aliang a few secret scrolls, which contained a lot of ingenious and imaginative knowledge. Maybe Aliang can draw inferences from them?
Besides, my eldest brother actually assigned the task of feinting to my brother-in-law, so he should be responsible for it. If my eldest brother cannot take responsibility, it is reasonable for him to let Aliang help. "

Zhao Yun didn't want to cause too much trouble, so he just whispered, "Mr. Kong Ming has been busy raising rice seedlings for the past two months. Isn't that too much trouble?"

Zhuge Zhi couldn't help but laugh. She obviously knew more about her brother's current situation than Zhao Yun did:

"Don't worry, March and April are relatively quiet months. The rice seedlings should be raised in mid-February, and the fields should be flooded with water in April and May to loosen the soil, so that the roots of the rice seedlings can be loosened. Then, we can reach to the bottom of the roots and pull them up completely without damaging them, and then move them to the fields for replanting.

Now is the time when the seedlings are growing in the field, and it is not time to irrigate, pull up and transplant the seedlings yet, so Aliang should have half a month of free time. "

Zhao Yun couldn't help but stand in awe when he heard this.

He had always believed that there had never been a situation in ancient times where rice and wheat were grown in rotation on the same piece of land. The fact that the Zhuge brothers could think of this method and experiment with it was already a genius.

I didn't expect that my wife, a woman, would be so studious and understand the farming skills of raising seedlings and transplanting rice seedlings so clearly. She is worthy of being the daughter of the Zhuge family.

With his wife's endorsement, Zhao Yun was assured that his mission would not be delayed, so he finally plucked up his courage. The next morning, he took some gifts and went with his wife to his brother-in-law to sincerely ask for advice.

Zhuge Liang is now in charge of rice seedling cultivation and also lives in Huaiyin, because Huaiyin is located between Sheyang and Haixi, and can take care of both ends. On busy days, Zhuge Liang will go out to inspect the fields, and when he is free, he will return to Huaiyin for a short stay.

……

The next morning, Zhao Yun and Zhuge Zhi came to Zhuge Liang's residence, but still did not see Zhuge Liang. Instead, Huang Yueying came to receive them.

This really made Zhao Yun a little nervous: "Sir, are you busy with official duties? I heard that there is no time for raising rice seedlings recently, and it is not time to pull out the seedlings yet..."

Huang Yueying was cheerful, and she was also filled with the freshness of a newlywed. She said with a smile, "No! I haven't been busy these past ten days, but Aliang is always restless. He said that his waist was bent from exhaustion a few days ago, so he rode his horse to the training ground early in the morning. He said he wanted to ride a horse and shoot arrows to relax his muscles."

Zhao Yun heard this and immediately found an opportunity to repay his gratitude: "Why didn't you say so earlier? I was negligent. If you want to keep fit, just come to me. I will certainly teach you carefully. Are you still in the training ground now? Why don't I go there right away..."

Huang Yueying: "No need, Aliang said he would be back for lunch soon. If General Zhao goes now, he might miss it."

Zhao Yun did not say anything else, but put the gift down respectfully and let Zhuge Zhi chat with Huang Yueying for a while. He went to the yard to build up his strength. At noon, Zhuge Liang came back as expected.

Zhuge Liang was also a little embarrassed when he saw Zhao Yun coming to his house. This was the first time Zhao Yun came to his house after getting married. After all, he was now his brother-in-law, so if he had any requests, he would be embarrassed to refuse.

Compared with when I went to Yecheng a few months ago, the situation is very different.

Zhuge Liang invited Zhao Yun to have dinner with him, and then Zhao Yun found an opportunity to explain his purpose.

"…That's roughly it. I thought that since we have warships now, we can transport siege equipment that is less than 15 feet high. Huailing is close to the Huai River and the city is small. I wonder if there is a way to improve the ladder to facilitate a surprise attack on Huailing. And the time can't be too long, at most half a month."

When Zhao Yun said this, he didn't have too high expectations. After all, as long as some minor adjustments were helpful, it would be good.

However, after hearing this, Zhuge Liang suddenly had an idea: "I remember last year when we attacked Yuzhang, every time we failed to attack, I would go back and talk to my elder brother about the shortcomings of siege equipment.

My eldest brother did summarize it at the time and said that the biggest problem with ladders for sieges was that the ladders were too long and narrow, and the ladder body could not be too high. The top section of the ladder was still too slanted, and one needed to hold the crossbar with both hands to climb, making it very easy to be shot down by the defenders.

Later, I thought that if the ladder was modified into a segmented spiral ladder with wooden boards on all sides, instead of reaching the top in one step, perhaps the ladder could be built higher.

Moreover, the slope of the last section does not need to be so steep, so the end can be changed into a solid wooden board, and the soldiers can directly step on it to charge and attack the city. Because they can hold weapons and shields with both hands, the disadvantages when facing the defenders can be greatly reduced..."

Zhuge Liang roughly described his ideas, and he didn't know that the new thing he was about to create was an experiment between the traditional ladder vehicle, the later "Linchong Lu Gongche" and the Western "siege tower".

Due to the time constraints, even if Zhuge Liang made some improvements based on the ladder, it would certainly not be able to achieve the same effect as the authentic siege tower and Lu Gongche.

Siege towers had already appeared in the West during the same period. However, the Chinese Lü Gong Chariot did not appear until the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties or the beginning of the Sui Dynasty. At least there is a clear record in the "Book of Sui" that when Emperor Yang of Sui attacked Goguryeo for the third time, the Sui army generals relied on Lü Gong Chariot to reach Liaodong City (Liaoyang) first.

However, the height of the wall of the small city of Huailing is only between 150 and 200 meters, and it has not been measured. Further upstream of Huailing, to Zhongli and Yicheng (Bengbu), the city walls are generally not very high.

If the improved equipment could lead to a quick and successful surprise attack, perhaps not only could Huailing be captured, but one or two bridgeheads could also be secured within Yuan Shu's Huainan County. Subsequently, at least important towns like Quyang and Xiacai would be needed to resist Zhao Yun.

In this way, Zhao Yun's feint attack to lure the enemy was not perfectly completed? It can definitely attract more main forces of Yuan's army to return to Shouchun and defend Xiacai!
Zhuge Liang thought about it and felt that this was a promising idea. There would be no loss if it failed, so he just spent half a month improving the two ladder vehicles and installing some anti-arrow shields on the sides of the vehicles.

These baffles can facilitate the installation of fixed spiral stairs and prevent soldiers from becoming live targets for crossbows on the city walls when climbing these spiral stairs.

"Leave this to me. Just give me half a month. If it's longer, I won't have time. I have to go back to worry about transplanting seedlings. No matter how much improvement can be made, Brother Zilong should use it first."

Zhao Yun was overjoyed: "How dare I ask for anything! If you can help me a little, I will be very grateful!"

(End of this chapter)