My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 149 Yuan Shu's death in Shouchun is not a good thing

Submitting a memorial to condemn Huang Zu was not something Zhuge Jin was qualified to do in his current position.

Yuan Shu's land west of Xunyang in the north of the Yangtze River and south of the Dabie Mountains was temporarily stolen by Huang Zu, so the situation could only be dealt with coldly for the time being.

This area roughly corresponds to the prefecture-level city of Huanggang in Hubei Province in later generations. It was separated from Jiangxia (Wuchang) occupied by Huang Zu by only a river, so Huang Zu easily stole it.

To put it in a broader sense, this was the friction between Liu Bei and Liu Biao arising from the uneven distribution of spoils.

To put it simply, this was at least Huang Zu's violation of Liu Biao's control and his private dispatch of troops in order to expand his sphere of influence.

Although the reason for sending troops seemed reasonable on the surface, in order to "fight Yuan", everyone knew that Huang Zu was basically a country within a country in Jingzhou.

The Huang family has the final say on all affairs in Jiangxia.

The territory conquered by Jiangxia Army was obviously still under the command of Huang family, and Liu Biao would not be allowed to send local officials to take over. Huang Zu was just a warlord who was nominally subject to Liu Biao.

Therefore, after receiving these two pieces of news from Liu Ye, Zhuge Jin decided to personally move his troops north to station in a city closer to the front line to meet with Liu Bei and Guan Yu.

On the one hand, it would be convenient to discuss the subsequent battle of Hefei, and on the other hand, it would also be convenient to discuss how to write a memorial of condemnation, and then ask Liu Bei to send an envoy to Xu Du immediately.

……

As Liu Ye reported all the military affairs and left, Daxiaoqiao also came out from behind the screen and continued to massage Zhuge Jin's back and grind ink.

Daqiao knew that Zhuge Jin was about to set off again, and frowned slightly with concern:
"General, are you heading north in the next few days? I... I've heard my father say that you can't bring your family members with you in the army. If you do, there will be no one to grind ink for you or massage your back. Aren't the soldiers the ones who grind ink for you normally?"

"If I go to the war and can't take you with me, won't you not have to worry?" Zhuge Jin was not in a hurry to tell the truth, but continued to tease them with a playful tone.

Compared to when she was captured half a month ago, Daqiao has become much more docile and feels more secure. She said sincerely:

"We were naturally afraid when we saw the general's stern and murderous behavior that day. However, the general kept his word and did not humiliate us. I gradually understood that the general was not targeting us, but the law was unforgiving.

I have also warned my sister that even if the general treats us kindly in the future, we should not be arrogant and forget our status as relatives of the criminals."

Zhuge Jin saw that the strict laws and regulations had worked and nipped the "disrespectful attitude towards others" in the bud, so he didn't want to keep a stern face anymore, which was quite tiring.

He said with a slightly more amiable expression: "Since you have already understood the situation, I will not emphasize it any further. I do need to go north, but not in the next few days. I have to wait for Captain Gan's troops to return.

As for 'family members are not allowed to accompany the army' - what does this have to do with you? You are not family members, and I am stationed in Shucheng this time, not in the front-line field camp. "

Taishi Ci and Guan Yu have already captured Lu'an. When they besiege Hefei next, the Han army will have three great generals, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci, gathered together, so there is no need for Zhuge Jin to go to the front line in person.

He stayed in Shucheng, a little far away from the front line, to take charge of the overall situation with Liu Bei and give Liu Bei some advice.

In ancient times, soldiers were indeed not allowed to bring their families and wives with them, but this had nothing to do with Zhuge Jin. He was only guarding the city this time and did not even have to live in the military camp. Anyone in the city could be accommodated.

After hearing this, Xiaoqiao felt very uneasy and couldn't help asking, "Then the general is going to take us to Shucheng as slaves?"

"You guys should also clean up for the next few days." Zhuge Jin did not give a direct answer. After saying this, he withdrew his attention from the woman and began to think about "how to organize the wording of the memorial to the court to condemn Huang Zu after meeting Liu Bei, and how to find charges to accuse Huang Zu."

The two girls felt a little trembling in their hearts when they heard this. They felt both restrained and curious, and they themselves couldn't explain what kind of feeling they were in.

General Zhuge is usually very strict with the law, but he is indeed not a bad person.

And seeing how seriously he works, he can sometimes really inspire the people around him. Even though there are two stunning beauties serving him, he is already thinking about national affairs that those beauties can't even imagine.

As long as General Zhuge starts thinking about serious matters, no matter how beautiful a beauty is, she cannot interrupt his concentration.

Daxiaoqiao had never seen many men in his life, and had never seen a man who worked so hard.

……

A few days later, Gan Ning returned with his troops, cursing and scolding Zhuge Jin. When he met Zhuge Jin, he was still scolding Huang Zu for his lack of martial ethics.

Zhuge Jin hosted a banquet to welcome Gan Ning and said some soothing words to calm him down, saying that it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge many years later. Then he said that he would take Gan Ning with him to Shucheng first to prepare for the final general attack on Yuan Shu's core area.

Gan Ning was of course very happy to have a new enemy to deal with, but he was still a little worried when he thought about how Huang Zu had robbed him of several counties:
"When we were fighting for territory with Huang Zu, there were bound to be some minor frictions. Now the counties in the rear are not heavily guarded. If our army moves forward in large numbers, leaving the flanks empty and Huang Zu takes advantage of them, what will happen?"

Zhuge Jin laughed directly: "Just leave some elite soldiers in Wancheng to defend it. For small places like Xunyang and Songzi, you don't need to leave any soldiers at all, and just rely on the local militia.

Huang Zu's previous attempt to seize Yuan Shu's counties was understandable. We have to go to the court and have a verbal battle before we can legitimately cause trouble for him. If he dares to seize the counties that have been recovered by our army, it will undermine the overall situation of fighting against Yuan Shu, and everyone in the world will be able to punish him. At this critical moment, he dares to be so presumptuous that even Liu Biao dares not protect him!"

Zhuge Jin knew very well that before Yuan Shu's demise, if an internal conflict broke out among the princes who were fighting against Yuan Shu, the party that started it first would definitely become a public enemy.

Precisely because of this, Zhuge Jin did not leave many troops in Wuhu County and other places in the rear, because Liu Bei also knew that Sun Ce did not want to become a traitor at this critical juncture, so a few thousand elite soldiers would be enough to keep the situation under control.

Gan Ning thought about it and felt that this was indeed the case. Huang Zu should not be so bold, so he stopped worrying about it.

After resting for a night, Gan Ning's troops left a part of them to guard Wancheng, while Zhuge Jin and Gan Ning took 3,000 soldiers to Shucheng to meet Liu Bei.

The straight line from Wancheng to Shucheng is only 200 li, but the actual march along the Wanshui River and the Hangbu River is nearly 300 li. Shucheng is about 70 li away from Hefei, and it is the last stronghold before the attack on Hefei, so it is very suitable as the base camp for the attack on Hefei.

Zhuge Jin marched for six days before arriving in Shucheng, and that day was already the seventh day of June.

Liu Bei arrived many days earlier than him. When he heard that Zhuge Jin and Gan Ning were coming to join the army, Liu Bei went out of the city to welcome them personally.

Counting the days, they haven't seen each other for more than three months. After all, Liu Bei's previous territory was too narrow and long, so the preparation period for war was very long, and it took a long time to gather troops from all over the place in advance.

However, this time we captured Lujiang and connected Yuzhang, Danyang and Guangling, which would make dispatching much more convenient in the future without having to take detours.

Liu Bei was very excited when he saw Zhuge Jin from afar, and took the initiative to greet him. Zhuge Jin and Gan Ning also quickly dismounted and walked forward.

Liu Bei grabbed Zhuge Jin's arm and laughed heartily: "Zi Yu! I didn't expect you to be able to attack faster and more fiercely than Yun Chang! It really surprised me! In the first ten days, Yun Chang only broke through Ruxukou and Juchao, and then entangled with the Chaohu bandits for a long time.

You were able to capture Wankou in two days, Wancheng in three days, and even with the march, it took only ten days, and you were able to reach Shucheng before Yunchang. Wancheng is much stronger than other cities except Hefei. Even the famous generals in ancient times could not have captured it with one attack.

The situation is unstoppable and the problem is solved easily. This eight-character assessment is really exquisite. It's amazing that you can think of it so easily. You are really good at both civil and military affairs. "

Zhuge Jin felt a little embarrassed by what he said, and wondered how come the eight-character idiom he just casually said spread so quickly? Could it be that Liu Ye deliberately helped him spread it faster?

It seems that I have to be more cautious when mentioning idioms that have not yet appeared.

In order to avoid being too arrogant, Zhuge Jin had to organize his words and then changed the point of the mutual praise:

"Although our army was quick in breaking through strong cities, we were not as good as Yunchang in winning so many surrenders. I heard that wherever Yunchang broke through, the enemy troops surrendered one after another. Wherever I broke through, the enemy troops fled one after another. Even if there were surrenders, most of them were because they were surrounded and captured by our army, not out of their own will. It seems that we need to learn from each other in the future to gain more and gain less."

Liu Bei was also very happy to hear this. He was also happy to see Guan Yu's achievements, so he nodded repeatedly from the bottom of his heart:

"Yun Chang is good at being considerate of his soldiers and winning their hearts. He is truly outstanding in this respect and no one else can compare to him. I heard that Zi Yu used his power so much that the enemy troops were frightened and dispersed. It would be difficult to get them to surrender voluntarily.

Since ancient times, it is natural that it is difficult to use both kindness and force when fighting against an enemy. However, Ziyu, you have always lacked power, so it is a good idea to take this opportunity to build up your power. This way, when you conquer other rebellious princes in the future, you will have accumulated power to use. The enemy will not only fear your calculations, but not your reputation. "

After hearing these two tips, Zhuge Jin actually felt that he had gained a lot.

Indeed, reputation can be accumulated, and it is not only effective against the enemy in front of you. If you accumulate a lot, it will benefit you for the rest of your life.

In history, Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang were able to lead their troops to victory in battles in their later years, and a considerable part of this was due to the snowballing of their accumulated prestige, which made the enemy's will to resist less firm.

"Thank you for your teachings, my lord. I have benefited a lot from your words." Zhuge Jin thanked him sincerely.

The few of them chatted about military affairs and soon entered the city. Liu Bei set up a welcoming banquet and had people find a mansion to settle Zhuge Jin's attendants and entourage. Only then did they start drinking and talking happily, discussing the subsequent military affairs.

"Zi Yu, our top priority right now is to capture Hefei. Do you have any other good ideas?" Liu Bei had just drunk two glasses of wine, and his dependence was awakened a little. He thought that since Zhuge Jin was here, he could not fight a hard battle, so he had to come up with some tricks to reduce the difficulty.

However, Zhuge Jin smiled bitterly this time: "It is impossible to have new and ingenious strategies every time we attack a city. We still have to build a stronghold and fight a stupid battle occasionally. However, before I went north from Wancheng this time, I had the navy dismantle the tower vehicles used for siege.

If we go down the Yangtze River via the Wanshui River, to Ruxukou and then north to Chaohu Lake, we can reach the Hefei front directly. However, because of the detour, we will arrive seven or eight days later than my three thousand troops, so we cannot launch a sudden and rapid attack. "

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Seven or eight days is nothing. Yunchang, Yide and Ziyi have just completed the siege. Hefei City also has a wide moat formed by the Fei River diverted from Xiaoyaojin. Maybe after seven or eight days, Yunchang still hasn't filled the road needed for the siege.

By the way, there is one more thing, Ziyu, have you heard about it? Your brother is in Huaiyin, in charge of the summer harvest of winter wheat and the transplanting of rice seedlings, and he is doing a very good job. I heard that the rice seedlings have been planted for more than half a month, and most of them have survived.

Only 20% to 30% of the transplanted rice seedlings died, which was said to be due to the farmers' poor skills. When pulling out the seedlings, the fields were not irrigated enough to make the soil soft like mud, so the roots were damaged by hard pulling. Lingdi traveled between the two counties, gave personal advice, and temporarily promoted many old farmers who were good at pulling and transplanting rice seedlings, temporarily gave them salary, and made them village elders, and taught them everywhere.

This year, we finally figured out an important experience: both pulling and transplanting seedlings, the ground must be watered thoroughly to make the soil thinner for easier transplanting. With this experience of not damaging the roots, we will surely be able to promote it to more places next year and promote a good harvest. We will also be able to smoothly receive the victims who left under Yuan Shu's rule.

I'm telling you this just to let you know: your brother has written to you, saying that he can complete the task of encouraging farmers in the rear area today, and within half a month, he will bring reinforcements from Huaiyin to Yicheng to reinforce Zilong's troops. If we can take Hefei within a month, then we can meet up with Zilong in Shouchun and deal the final blow to Yuan Shu!"

After listening to this, Zhuge Jin calculated the time in his mind and thought that it should be possible to capture Hefei in a month. Zhao Yun and his second brother had to face Quyang and Xiacai before they could reach Shouchun. They also had insufficient troops, so it would definitely take a lot of time.

After having a clear idea in mind, Zhuge Jin also knew how to arrange the preliminary rhythm of each node according to the new schedule - of course, the plan would definitely not be completed perfectly according to the nodes, and there would definitely be changes in the middle.

Seeing him remain silent, Liu Bei suddenly had an idea and said:
"Zi Yu, do you think Yuan Shu will eventually be surrounded and killed in Shouchun? He still has some counties in Qiaodi that have not been lost. Runan is the Yuan family's old nest and has a deep foundation.

Cao Cao recently conquered Shangcai, but Yuan Shu is still resisting. If we can really achieve the feat of besieging and killing Yuan Shu, the Han Dynasty will surely be revived. "

Zhuge Jin frowned when he heard this question. He thought about it rationally and replied, "At this point in the war, Yuan Shu only has two fortresses left in the territory of the pseudo-Huainan Yin, Shouchun and Hefei, as well as the surrounding small counties of Quyang, Xiacai, Yangyuan, and Chengde. A total of six counties.

Of course, he could choose to live and die with these six counties and the pseudo-capital. But from the perspective of interests, Yuan Shu's stubborn defense of Shouchun is not good for us. First of all, it will definitely make our attack more difficult. Yuan's army is constantly shrinking, and there must be tens of thousands of soldiers in the city.

If Yuan Shu died, his power would be destroyed instantly, and Runan and Qiao would no longer resist. Cao Cao controlled the imperial court and could directly recruit them in the name of the imperial court. We would definitely not be able to snatch them away, and Cao Cao would gain two more counties instantly without bloodshed.

If Yuan Shu is timid and does not have the courage to live and die with the city, and chooses to retreat to the Yuan family's hometown in Runan for a final struggle, Cao Cao will not be able to quickly and completely take over Runan, and may be able to delay Cao Cao for half a year. Give us some other opportunities. "

Liu Bei stroked his beard after hearing this and said, "In that case, we can attack Hefei from all sides. Once we take it, we shouldn't attack Shouchun from all sides... It's really hard to grasp the opportunity between fast and slow. Well, since that's the case, let's discuss the rest after we have made progress on all fronts."

(End of this chapter)