My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 197 Cao Cao: How come I didn’t know that I sent troops to Jiangxia?

Considering that Pang Tong used the timer last time, he also gave Pang Tong two grace periods, and it really worked wonders in the end.

This forced Zhang Hu to not dare to defend Zhu County to the death, but to go out for a naval battle to block the Ju River waterway. Finally, Zhang Hu's death was used to intimidate Su Fei.

With the bonus of this historical credit, Guan Yu was more patient this time about "giving Pang Tong some more time to observe the actual effectiveness of his psychological warfare strategy."

The Yangzhou army continued to prepare for the siege of the twin cities of Shaxian and Xiakou according to the original plan, while watching the situation in the direction of Xiling and waiting for Liu Biao to respond.

……

From April 25th to 27th, the Yangzhou army was also busy on the front battlefields such as Shaxian.

Because the moat of the Twin Cities of Xiakou was too deep and wide, the engineering troops brought by Zhuge Jin, including some technical officers in charge of fortification operations, finally determined one thing after a brief assessment:
It is necessary to first block the entrance of the Yangtze River upstream, then gradually lower the water level in the moat, and then fill the river to create several channels for heavy siege weapons to cross the river. The construction workload will be very large, and it may take more than a month just to deal with the moat.

Of course, the advantage of doing this is that once the construction is completed under the enemy's crossbow firepower, the construction results will be very stable. Whatever Lu Gongcha ladder car or battering ram can be pushed directly to the base of the city wall steadily.

However, the firepower of the crossbows on the city walls of the twin cities of Xiakou and Shaxian was very fierce. Huang Zu must have formed some kind of path dependence, and he actually deployed a large number of bed crossbows and large yellow crossbows on each city wall, as well as a large number of individual crossbows and waist-drawn crossbows.

The large rattan shield fortifications prepared by the Yangzhou army according to the original combat specifications were repeatedly penetrated by powerful crossbows on the city walls, causing casualties.

The Yangzhou army had to temporarily cut down trees and use thick logs to build siege shelters to cover powerful crossbows, in order to protect the captured cannon fodder soldiers and their own archers who were filling the river.

Finding that such a long-term operation consumed too much manpower and resources, was too protracted and put too much logistical pressure, the Yangzhou Army quickly made fine adjustments and tried the second plan, which was to use trench bridge vehicles to cross the moat.

But after just two days of testing, this second plan was also rejected: the moat of the Twin Cities was too wide, and the Yangzhou Army could find enough thick and tall trees to build a trench bridge that was long enough to span directly across the two banks.

However, the moat bridge built in this way lacked piers in the middle and had poor load-bearing capacity, so it could not pass the ladders, let alone the Ge Gong car. If they used this method to cross the moat, the Yangzhou army would have to use lightweight flying ladders to attack the city wall. With the firepower density of Huang Zu's army, such casualties would undoubtedly be too great, so it was also rejected.

Fortunately, Guan Yu had no shortage of wise men. After finding that the two traditional solutions were not feasible, Zhuge Jin and Pang Tong discussed for a long time and brainstormed various ideas.

Perhaps inspired by Zhuge Jin's previous battles against Zhang Hu and Su Fei, Pang Tong suddenly thought of a way to "learn from the enemy's strengths to defeat them", and he offered a suggestion in high spirits:
"General, before this, Su Fei and Zhang Hu repeatedly used tower ships to cross the shallow and narrow parts of the river, blocking the waterways of Fankou and other places. In this case, why don't we do the opposite and use some old large warships seized from Su Fei to directly flatten the superstructures, calculate the difference between the height of the ship and the depth of the moat, and make the two as consistent as possible.

Then load more earth and rocks to make the draft as deep as possible, sail from the Yangtze River into the moat, and directly anchor at a fixed location, fixed end to end with anchor stones. Our army can shoot at the crossbows on the top of the city from the tower ship, and can also use counterweight catapults to clear the tower turrets, crossbows, and battlements on the top of the city.

If the enemy desperately tries to sink our ships, our soldiers can just withdraw and let the ships sink to become bridge piers. With the support of these sunken ships, the bridge will not be crushed by the Ge Gong car!

Anyway, the large warships that our army will build in the future will all be keel warships with a low and stable center of gravity. This clumsy flat-bottomed ship, although large, is so unstable that it is not suitable for our military's naval warfare tactics in the future. It is better to make use of it!"

When Zhuge Jin heard this strategy, his eyes lit up slightly. He thought that although Pang Tong didn't know much about military affairs, he was very fast at learning while fighting in actual combat. He learned useful things from Su Fei and Zhang Hu so quickly, and then applied them to other situations!
"Shi Yuan! I didn't realize that, given time, your ability to advise on military affairs and lead troops will be limitless. Okay, let's do as you say and give it a try."

Pang Tong took the order and immediately went to make arrangements.

……

It would naturally take some time for Pang Tong to use his new tactics to deal with the defenses of the twin cities of Shaxian and Xiakou.

Fortunately, the forced landing in Xiling that he had planned earlier soon reached the harvest stage - he had told Guan Yu at the beginning to give him three more days.

In fact, after only two days of waiting, on the evening of April 27, Liu Biao sent an envoy, Jingzhou Beijia Yi Ji, directly to Xiling to ask for an audience with Taishi Ci, the general of Yangzhou who was responsible for monitoring the Xiling battlefield.

Taishi Ci had received instructions in advance and knew that Liu Biao might send someone, so he did not dare to neglect him and immediately entertained him with good wine and good food, and told him to ask for anything he wanted. At the same time, he sent a fast boat to cross the river to inform Guan Yu and Zhuge Jin on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Because Taishi Ci did not expect that the envoy would be of such importance, Liu Biao actually sent a Beijia of a state directly.

You should know that Beijia is a full-time representative of the governor of a state. Generally, the matters involved are about peace between two states, which is very important. For example, Tao Qian's Beijia is Mi Zhu, Liu Zhang's Beijia is Zhang Song, and Liu Biao's Beijia is Yi Ji.

Yi Ji was Liu Biao's fellow villager from Shanyang County. He was brought from the north to the south to take up the post. He was definitely Liu Biao's confidant.

After Taishi Ci sent the letter by flying horse and fast boat, Guan Yu was overjoyed and could not help but become more convinced of Pang Tong:

"Shi Yuan's ability to predict the enemy is indeed extraordinary! He actually waited for Liu Biao's envoy! And it's so important. Let's put off the attack on Xiakou and Shaxian for a day or two, and let the people below deploy it step by step! We will quickly go to Xiling to meet Yi Biejia in person and show him more courtesy. We must ensure that Jiangxia is captured without offending Liu Jingzhou!"

Pang Tong couldn't help feeling a little proud when receiving the compliments, but he still had to be modest on the surface.

Zhuge Jin on the side was both relieved and a little regretful - if he had known that Liu Biao would attach so much importance to it and send Yi Ji to negotiate, he should have asked Liu Bei to come to Jiangxia in person and entertain him well!

Liu Bei was a killer in history! Mi Zhu, Yi Ji, and Zhang Song, all of them betrayed their former master and surrendered to Liu Bei after drinking with him, or at least served as Liu Bei's accomplices.

What a pity!

I am still not good enough at calculating and opening my third eye!

However, even if it was just himself and Guan Yu, it was not impossible for him to win over Yi Ji first to ensure that he could maintain a good relationship with Liu Biao after taking Jiangxia.

Zhuge Jin attached great importance to this and ordered Guan Yu to rush there immediately by fast boat and horse. The group arrived in Xiling just before noon of the next day.

Yi Ji only enjoyed a dinner and took a nap in Taishi Ci's military camp, and when he woke up he could talk about business. This efficiency was really good.

When Yi Ji saw Guan Yu and Zhuge Jin coming in person, he was also slightly surprised. He was originally worried about what attitude Liu Bei's army had towards Liu Biao.

Guan Yu had already been told by Zhuge Jin on the way, so when he saw Yi Ji, he came up and shook his hand gently twice, saying some words of admiration, and expressed the helplessness of Liu Bei's army:

"Mr. Ji Bo! I have heard of you for a long time! Alas, my elder brother actually received an imperial edict from Cao Cao in the name of the emperor to attack Huang Zu last December. Although Huang Zu was a traitor who killed angels, he really deserved to be killed.

But Cao Cao's move was undoubtedly intended to sow discord between my elder brother and Liu Jingzhou! My elder brother has always valued the brotherhood with Liu Jingzhou, so he has been patient until now. He was repeatedly urged by Cao Cao and had to send troops. In fact, in the past three or four months, we have been waiting for Liu Jingzhou to clean up the mess on his own!
It was a pity that Liu Jingzhou, a modest gentleman, seemed to know little about military affairs. Or was he restrained by the powerful families in Jingzhou and the rebellious people in various counties? In the end, he was unable to clean up the mess himself, which was a pity.

Although our army has come here to kill Huang Zu, we can guarantee that our army will not occupy an inch of Jingzhou land west of Shaxian and Xiakou, the two cities occupied by Huang Zu himself! As long as Huang Zu himself is dead, our army's actions will stop here and stop immediately! I also hope that Mr. Ji Bo will convey my eldest brother's intention of peace!"

Although Guan Yu was "arrogant to his superiors but cruel to his subordinates, kind to his soldiers but arrogant to the literati", he was still able to do a good job of respecting others if he was rehearsed and instructed in advance.

Just as in history, after Zhang Song went to Xu Du to meet Cao Cao, he passed through Jingzhou on his way back. Liu Bei treated Zhang Song with courtesy and asked his men to treat Zhang Song well in all ways. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also cooperated in the performance.

At this moment, it was nothing more than letting Guan Yu transfer the courtesy he had no chance to show to Zhang Song in this life to Yi Ji. Yi Ji felt honored when he saw that the other party was the General of Annan and the Marquis of Hanshou Ting appointed by the imperial court, but he valued him so much as an aide and deputy driver recruited by Liu Biao. What's more, Guan Yu also mentioned the General of Chariots and Cavalry Liu Bei, who also valued him very much.

Although there was still a gap between the courtesy he received and that from Liu Bei himself, Yi Ji was already a little dizzy.

Zhuge Jin, standing aside, added, in the spirit of the flowery sedan chair being carried by people:
"Mr. Ji Bo, I am General Zhuge Jin of Fubo. The reason why our army only surrounded the southern side of Xiling and left the other three sides open is to prevent the relationship between Jingzhou and Yangzhou from deteriorating.

We attacked Huang Zu just to kill him. Previously, Zhu County and E County were both strategic passes along the Yangtze River, which could block our army's Yangtze River navigation and logistics, so we had to take them. But Xiling, although also east of Xiakou, is slightly to the north and not directly adjacent to the Yangtze River.

Therefore, after evaluation, our army believed that even if we did not take this place, it would not hinder us from killing Huang Zu. That is why we only surrounded the south side, in order to prevent the Xiling defenders from taking the initiative to leave the city, heading south and east, and harassing the rear of our siege troops attacking Xiakou.

As long as they don't hinder our attack on Xiakou, after Huang Zu's death, our army will immediately withdraw its unilateral defense of Xiling and return Xiling to Liu Jingzhou's direct jurisdiction!"

Zhuge Jin's words really raised his attitude to the highest level.

It can be said that he is of high moral character and a breath of fresh air in troubled times.

Yi Ji was completely stunned after hearing this: In such a chaotic world, are there still princes who can spit out the fat in their stomachs that they can eat with just their mouths?

Is Liu Bei so pedantic? He won't take the territory?
Unfortunately, even if Liu Bei did not take this place, it would have become a hot potato for Liu Biao.

Although Xiling County has a vast area, its population is only about three to four thousand households, and most of them are concentrated in the narrow plain area relatively close to the Yangtze River. At least 70% to 80% of the area in the central and northern part of the county is mountainous area on the southern foot of Tongbai Mountain. The poor mountains and bad water are of no value at all.

Liu Biao must be crazy to make such a choice for such a small population gain, instead of bordering Cao Cao!
In contrast, Liu Bei never worried about these things, because Liu Bei was originally bordering Cao Cao, and the length of the state boundary between the two sides was very long, almost along the entire middle and lower reaches of the Huai River and the Fei River.

For Liu Bei, having another county with a vast area in the Tongbai Mountain area and having the main ridge of Tongbai Mountain as the boundary with Cao's army would not be a worry even if he had too many debts or too many lice.

Therefore, there is no garbage in the world, only resources placed in the wrong place.

After Xiakou and Shaxian were destined to be taken by Liu Bei, places like Xiling, which were left over from the invasion, were garbage to Liu Biao, but resources to Liu Bei.

Giving it to Liu Bei for free is the best resource optimization solution for both parties.

Therefore, Yi Ji could only sincerely interrupt Zhuge Jin: "No, no, no! General Fubo is wrong! Lord Xuande is a gentleman in the world, respected by the world. His benevolence and generosity are known to everyone! But this argument is unnecessary.

It is a shame to say that the people of Xiling are naturally tough, and the local officials and garrisons have long been spoiled by Huang Zu. My lord is really unable to control such a chaotic situation.

If they forcibly took over after Huang Zu's death, they might fear that their policies would not work and would harm the good local people, causing them to be increasingly oppressed by the out-of-control tyrants!

So this time, my master thought about it and decided to give Xiling to Lord Xuande. Lord Xuande is good at rectifying evil. Under Lord Xuande's governance, these people in the remote mountains will surely live a better life!"

When Zhuge Jin heard this, he almost laughed secretly: Liu Biao obviously didn't want to have a direct border with Cao Cao, but when he said it, it became "serving the people wholeheartedly". People who didn't know would really think that Liu Biao was so selfless.

Guan Yu, who was standing aside, originally could not hear these subtexts, but he had been given a cram school by Zhuge Jin and Pang Tong in the past two days, so he had no difficulty understanding them now.

So such a strange scene appeared: both Liu Bei and Liu Biao were showing off their acting skills, and each of them was humble standing on the moral high ground, which was even more tear-jerking than the story of Kong Rong giving up his pears.

The more Zhuge Jin was humble, the more modest Yi Ji became. He felt that there was something fishy going on.
Finally, Zhuge Jin sighed and accepted the kindness out of helplessness, then expressed his willingness to send troops to escort Yi Ji to the city gate, and called the Xiling defenders in advance to tell them not to act impulsively.

Finally, Zhuge Jin added: "Mr. Ji Bo has worked so hard and risked his life to persuade us to surrender. I really don't know how to thank him. Our army doesn't need to divide its troops to besiege the south side of Xiling, and Ziyi can save manpower and military supplies. These are all saved by Mr. Ji Bo's trip, and they should be given to Mr. Ji Bo."

Yi Ji was a decent person. He certainly didn't dare to accept large amounts of gold, silver, and jewelry when he was sent on a diplomatic mission to investigate the situation. After all, he was Liu Biao's fellow villager, so how could he betray his master so easily? He humbly refused repeatedly.

Even though Zhuge Jin repeatedly stated: This is not a gift, it is because of you that my army saved military expenses, and you deserve it.

Yi Ji finally refused and proposed an alternative condition: "General Fubo! If you really want to thank me, why not promise me one thing. After I enter the city and persuade Xiling to surrender, can you take me to see where Cao's army has entered the country?
Your army and Cao's army are both under the imperial court and act according to the emperor's orders. There shouldn't be any conflict, right? When the two armies meet, show me the strength of Cao's army so that I can report back to Xiangyang.

And to be honest, when I came here this time, I passed by Jingling first, and I also met my eldest son and General Cai Mao in Jingling. I really heard some bad rumors that may damage the relationship between your army and mine. If General Fubo can clarify it, it will be good for our mutual trust. "

Zhuge Jin immediately guessed that this was another task Liu Biao gave to Yi Ji. On the one hand, he asked him to persuade Cao Cao to surrender and hand over Xiling, and on the other hand, he also wanted to thoroughly verify the true and false movements of Cao Cao's army and Yuan Shu's army. In this way, Xiling would not be lost in vain, and at least some intelligence would be gained in return.

However, Zhuge Jin was certainly not afraid of Yi Ji's spying, because the rumors and strategies he and Pang Tong had come up with were "self-fulfilling prophecies."

At the beginning, he boasted to Su Fei that Liu Biao's army was coming to stab him in the back, but Su Fei didn't believe him. In the end, he treated him to good food and wine and kept him in the prisoner-of-war camp for three or four days. In the end, didn't he see Liu Qi leading his troops?

So this time, all we have to do is follow the same pattern.

Zhuge Jin immediately changed his expression and said, "This is easy, but Mr. Ji Bo has come from a long way and must be very tired. Why don't you rest for a day today? Tomorrow morning we will escort you into the city to persuade you to surrender.

Afterwards, when you have rested and recovered your strength, our army will send out a cavalry scout team to the north to the depths of Tongbai Mountain to scout out the movements of Cao Sikong's allies and the scattered Yuan Ni. Forgive me for being frank, the Tongbai Mountain is difficult to travel. If you are not familiar with riding and shooting, you really need to recover your strength before entering the mountain. Whatever you want to see, our army will let you see it to your heart's content. "

Yi Ji didn't see anything wrong with this, so he agreed.

So, the next day, Yi Ji, under the protection of Guan Yu's soldiers, explained his purpose to the commander of Xiling in advance. The commander then lowered the basket and lifted Yi Ji up.

After entering the city, the other party first verified Yi Ji's identity. Yi Ji then made some reasonable persuasion and took out Liu Biao's handwritten letter, which had all the seals on it, and it was confirmed to be correct.

In the end, the magistrate of Xiling County and a military commander in charge of guarding Xiling listened to the persuasion, opened the city and surrendered to Guan Yu.

After settling this matter, Yi Ji followed Guan Yu's army into the city, helped Guan Yu take over, and then rested in the city for a day or two.

He did ask the Yangzhou Army every day about "clearing the border and finding out the movements of Cao's army", how the preparations were going, and when they could set off.

But the reply I got on the first day was, "The mountain road is difficult to walk on. Please ask a doctor to help you recover and see how you look."
The reply I received the next day was, "General Annan has already left for Jiangnan to inspect the siege of Shaxian City. The general in charge of the handover here still needs to sort out the clues and cannot put together a cavalry scout team for the time being."

These reasons are all very reasonable, and the Yangzhou army really only delayed Yi Ji for two days, which was really very efficient.

On the morning of the second day of May, Taishi Ci finally gave in and agreed to send a cavalry team of a thousand men. He would personally escort Yi Ji north to search along the Daoshui River valley that flows through Xiling County to confirm the situation on the border.

(Note: "Daoshui" is the name of a river, which is still called "Daoshui" now. It flows south from Hong'an County, Huanggang to Xinzhou District, Wuhan. This place name has not changed since ancient times. It is called "Daoshui" in "Shui Jing Zhu")
The group marched and searched in the mountainous area for more than a day. On the afternoon of May 3rd, they finally discovered a Cao army heading south in the Tongbai Mountain area and Daoshui River Valley, more than a hundred miles north of Xiling County.

(End of this chapter)