My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 399: The Powerful One Can Do Anything
"Congratulations, you princes! You are really smart and foresighted. Zhu Ling knew he was no match for him, so he broke out from the west gate. That's how I was able to kill him!"

"Everything is as you expected. Otherwise, we would not have been able to capture a strong city like Pengcheng with so few casualties."

A few hours later, as Gao Shun slowly restored order in the city, Zhou Tai also brought Zhu Ling's head and hundreds of prisoners back to the city. All the generals reported the good news to Zhuge Jin at the same time, and they expressed their sincere admiration as soon as they met.

Zhuge Jin's expression was still calm. He sat in the main hall of the government office and ordered in a calm tone:
"These are just natural developments, so why bother about them? Now is not the time to celebrate. Our army should rest and recover their morale and strength.

It is better to use the remaining courage to pursue the enemy and continue to attack Pei County and Xiao County, taking advantage of the opportunity when the enemy is frightened and scared, and drive the Cao thieves all the way across Mangdang Mountain. This Xiaopei was also the place where the lord stationed his troops when he first arrived in Xuzhou to reinforce Tao Gongzu, and it can also be regarded as the western gate of Xuzhou.

If we take Xiaopei, Cao's army will have to go north from Fuli to attack Pengcheng and Xiapi if they want to turn the tables in the future, and they can no longer count on going east along the Sishui River from the west. This way, our army can save more manpower in the subsequent stalemate stage, and will not have to be tied down by Cao Cao. "

Gao Shun, Chen Dao and Zhou Tai naturally followed the general's orders and did not mention it.

Everyone went back to clean up the battlefield and sort out the mess. They spent two days resting and restoring the troops. Then they took advantage of the enemy's weakness and continued to expand their victory.

Two days later, Gao Shun's troops had just recovered their breath, and Guan Yu had almost completely occupied the entire Taishan County battlefield in the north, leaving only two counties west of Taishan. Guan Yu himself hurriedly returned to the south to join forces with Zhuge Jin to plan the next strategy.

During this period, Guan Yu also cleverly reorganized the Taishan bandits. Taking advantage of Chang Xi's loss of trust, he gradually recruited many Taishan bandits who did not think highly of Chang Xi and wanted to directly join his army, which in fact sidelined Chang Xi.

At that time, it can be suggested that Liu Bei still retain the title of general for Chang Xi and let him lead troops to fight outside, but the civilian post of Taishan County Governor can be filled by another civil servant. In this way, the situation of local tyrants in the Taishan area can be gradually alleviated, and it will no longer be a lawless place where the emperor is far away.

In Pengcheng, as the two sides reunited, Guan Yu learned that Zhuge Jin had made such rapid progress that even though Zhu Ling was determined to defend the city, he still managed to break through the fortified city of Pengcheng in just over ten days. Guan Yu was overjoyed and looked at Zhuge Jin with even greater admiration.

"Zi Yu is really full of brilliant strategies. When we attacked Xiakou together, we managed to delay the attack by Grandfather Huang for two or three months. Pengcheng is as strong as Xiakou was back then, but it is short of troops. However, we were able to capture the city in less than half a month. Even the famous generals in ancient times could hardly do that."

Guan Yuru praised sincerely. After that, he also assigned the follow-up tasks to Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin then repeated the plan he had mentioned to Gao Shun and Chen Dao, and Guan Yu agreed with it.

"Although Xiaopei belongs to Yuzhou, it is indeed the western gateway of Xuzhou. Nine years ago, when you first came to Xuzhou to rescue Lord Tao, Lord Tao asked you to station troops in Xiaopei to prevent enemies from the west. Now we can take Xiaopei, which will be of great benefit to our army."

Guan Yu made a few comments, then took out the map and distributed it to Zhuge Jin:
"My infantry will only go to Shiyang now, so why not let them turn around and head west to attack Pei County. Ziyu, your troops will head west along the Huoshui River to attack Xiao County.

In this way, I will be in the north and you will be in the south, and we will advance westward together. Zhang He and Guo Jia will not be able to stop us. Zhang He is brave and Guo Jia is wise. I will deal with Zhang He and you will deal with Guo Jia, and we will each use our talents to the fullest. "

Zhuge Jin thought so too, and the two of them hit it off immediately.

……

While Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu were making great achievements, the Cao army on the opposite side was in a miserable state.

Cao's army in the west of Xuzhou originally counted on the troops of Zhang He and Zhu Ling to hold out until the end of the Hebei Campaign and the return of the main force of Cao's army.

Zhu Ling originally planned to delay the battle in Pengcheng for a month or two, so that Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu would not have the energy to continue to expand the victory. However, his life was only delayed for more than ten days, at least thirty or forty days less than the original plan.

These extra thirty or forty days can be used by Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu to attack Xiaopei.

Because Zhu Ling refused to retreat, he lost another two to three thousand elite troops of Cao's army in Pengcheng.

This resulted in Guo Jia, who had retreated to Xiao County, having almost no tough veteran troops available.

Zhang He, who retreated to Pei County, only had the remnants of his army that had been defeated in the previous Battle of Fuyang at his disposal.

When the news of Zhu Ling's death in battle reached Xiao County, Guo Jia was also shocked and immediately sought advice from Zhang He on countermeasures.

Naturally, Zhang He had no idea at all. All he did was sigh and say that everything was up to Guo Jia. He would fight however Guo Jia said. He just had to carry out the orders and had no other ideas.

Guo Jia was helpless and sighed: "With this amount of troops, Xiaopei will definitely not be able to be defended. The east of Mangdang Mountain will probably be lost. All we can do is to delay the incident by deceiving the enemy and retreat slowly one by one.

It is only the end of September now. If we can drag it out for more than a month, lose Xiaoxian, Peixian and Fengxian one by one, and retreat to Mangdang Mountain in November, and take advantage of this time to gather people and supplies, and then rely on the steep mountain terrain to build temporary fortifications, camps and passes, perhaps we can control the scope of the losses before Sikong returns.

When the weather gets colder, it will be difficult for Guan Yu to cross the Mangdang Mountains, and by then the troops in Hebei will have returned from the battle of Yecheng. The newly conquered former troops of Yuan Shang can also be reorganized for my use."

Zhang He did not express any opinion and continued to do whatever Guo Jia said.

At this point in the Battle of Xuzhou, Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu were already "unstoppable, and the situation was easily resolved in a few steps."

Pengcheng and Mount Tai are like the bamboo joints that are difficult to split at the beginning, while Xiaopei and other places are like the hollow part of the bamboo after the military forces are exhausted.

After breaking through the bamboo joints, there will definitely be a long step backward, which cannot be stopped, no matter who can do it.

Therefore, there was nothing worth mentioning about the battlefield in Xuzhou in the next month or so. Guan Yu and Zhuge Jin expanded their victory westwards according to plan, chasing the enemy northwards.

With Guo Jia's ability, he could only delay time and slow down the pace, making Zhuge Jin take longer and walk slower.

The final progress was almost in line with Guo Jia's new expectations after adjustment.

Guan Yu, who was heading north, arrived at Pei County in early October and took about half a month to capture the city.

Zhuge Jin, who marched upstream along the Sishui and Huoshui rivers in the south, captured Xiaoxian County in mid-October.

The two armies then joined forces and captured Fengxian County at the end of October. In early November, they entered the Mangdang Mountain area and defended the dangerous area with Cao's army.

Due to the characteristics of the geographical environment, the increasingly cold weather and difficult roads, both sides were no longer able to change the battle line.

After Cao's army had retreated moderately, its forces were more concentrated and its supplies were much more abundant. It also relocated as many able-bodied civilians as possible from the three counties of Feng, Pei and Xiao, and moved them westward to Zhuqiu County and Xiayi County. The construction manpower it could mobilize was also very abundant.

However, Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu encountered logistical difficulties due to Guo Jia's scorched earth policy. Not only did they have to transport military rations from the rear of Xuzhou, but they also had to rescue the abandoned local women, children and civilians.

Finally, Guan Yu built temporary camps at several valleys and mountain passes on the east side of Mount Mangdang, while Guo Jia and Zhang He built camps at valleys and mountain passes on the west side of Mount Mangdang.

Both sides relied on the geographical environment that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, thus freezing the front line of the Battle of Xuzhou.

The details are unremarkable and there are no highlights, so I will not go into details.

……

However, although there was nothing remarkable in military affairs, Zhuge Jin was able to adapt to the situation and help get the job done politically.

After Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu worked together to recapture Feng County, the generals held a banquet in Feng County to celebrate their victory, as well as to celebrate the hope of reviving the enemy and the good omens. At the banquet, Zhuge Jin was relatively low-key, but other civil officials of lower ranks than him were not necessarily so.

For example, Chen Gong, who had been eager to make progress and make up for the "lost three years", took advantage of the opportunity to help Guan Yu with his advice and get to know him well, and boasted to Guan Yu after he got drunk:
“This time our army has recaptured Feng and Pei, although they are only two county towns, the importance of Xiaopei to the defense of the west side of Xuzhou is self-evident. General Guan’s extraordinary feat this time is of great help to our great cause of suppressing rebellion and reviving the Han Dynasty!

Moreover, Feng County is the ancestral home of Emperor Gao. Now that the Lord is the head of the clan and the leader of the royal family, if he can recover Fengpei, it will be enough to comfort the world. Why don't we also make some preparations, and after the Lord finishes the battle in Runan, he will come to Fengpei to offer sacrifices to the ancestral gods..."

Guan Yu was not interested in this kind of thing, so he did not comment. He just subconsciously looked at Zhuge Jin to see what he thought.

Zhuge Jin felt that it was a bit too much. It had not yet reached that point and should not be publicized in such a way.

He also found that after this period of contact, he had to admit that the real Chen Gong and the Chen Gong in the novel were very different.

In reality, Chen Gong was relatively secular in other aspects except that he remained resolute in opposing Cao, and he also had aspirations for his future career in officialdom.

The beautification in the novel is mainly due to Luo Guanzhong's simple consideration that "those who opposed Cao are all good people, and those who were killed by Cao Cao are even better people", which gave Chen Gong a lot of extra deeds. For example, in the official history, Cao Cao killed Lü Bushe's family, which had nothing to do with Chen Gong.

Zhuge Jin thought for a while and noticed that the scene suddenly became quiet. Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Chen Dao and Zhou Tai were all staring at him. Then he realized that everyone was waiting for him to express his opinion.

He cleared his throat and said casually, "Fengpei has been devastated by Guo Jia's relocation of the people and clearing of the countryside. If we celebrate with great fanfare, it will really disturb the people.

Besides, the lord had stationed troops in Xiaopei before, and later General Lu also stationed troops there. Now it can only be regarded as returning to the old place. It is better not to cause any complications, so as not to make the princes of the world feel frivolous. "

Guan Yu nodded slightly when he heard this. He also felt that the credit for taking back Xiaopei should not be so ostentatious that people would think he had never seen the world. It was not like he had not been stationed in Xiaopei before.

The other generals thought about it and felt it made sense, but Chen Gong felt lost. He knew that his suggestion was an exaggeration, but he also felt that sometimes it was necessary to make a fuss in order to find ways to boost morale.

Chen Gong carefully considered his words and advised: "What the princes said is indeed the kingly way, but our army has captured three counties at the border of Yan, Yu and Xu, and recovered the entire territory of Xuzhou. After all, it is a rare victory. Such a great victory, if we do not prepare a celebration worthy of its achievements to show our prestige, it will inevitably be detrimental to morale.

Moreover, if our army has reached this point, the Cao army in Hebei will probably return soon. In the future, our army will have difficulty advancing in this direction for a long time. If we don't find an excuse to prove that "our army has achieved an important strategic goal", how can we prove that our army "takes the initiative to stop attacking in this direction" instead of being forced to stop by the Cao army? This will have a great impact on the hearts of the princes who are watching the world. "

After hearing this, Guan Yu frowned and showed an expression of deep agreement, obviously convinced by Chen Gong.

In ancient times, wars were more concerned with status than modern wars are today.

Anyone with a little political knowledge knows that in later wars, one must state one's strategic goals before starting a war. Once the goal is achieved, the offensive can be stopped to establish authority. If you stop before achieving the goal, others will think you are afraid or weak.

Therefore, even in the 21st century, if the military operations of some countries do not go well or meet expectations, they will gradually lower expectations in their propaganda, and finally they can cover up and show that "in fact, we have achieved our strategic goals." At this time, it will not be so shameful to stop the attack.

Chen Gong's suggestion was also to find a "psychological anchor" for the Battle of Xuzhou, so that people in the world would think that Liu Bei had achieved all his strategic goals in the Xuzhou battlefield, and then took the initiative to stop and look for opportunities to attack Cao Cao in other battlefields. It's not that I can't attack on this line, but that I took the initiative to change the battle line.

The two excuses of "recovering the entire territory of Xuzhou" and "recovering the ancestral home of Emperor Gao" are obviously good interim propaganda goals.

After Guan Yu understood these reasons, he helped Chen Gong persuade Zhuge Jin: "Zi Yu, I think what Gongtai said is not unreasonable. We can find some excuses to celebrate the victory and ask you to return to Pei County to worship your ancestors. This will also be a perfect ending for our army's prestige in Xuzhou."

Seeing that Guan Yu had spoken, Zhuge Jin smiled calmly: "Of course I understand this purpose, but we can choose other means to achieve this goal, which will not only benefit us, but also avoid making the lord look ignorant and making a fuss over nothing."

Guan Yu: "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Zhuge Jin: "I remember that Yuan Shao's chief clerk, Chen Lin, continued to work for Yuan Shang for about two or three years after Yuan Shao's death? But before Cao Cao besieged Yecheng this year, I heard that he seemed to have escaped."

Guan Yu also heard about this incident, and recalled: "I remember this incident, but it can't be considered as running away. Chen Kongzhang was a great writer of his generation. He once wrote an article to insult Cao Cao. It is natural for him to worry about being punished by Cao Cao when Yecheng was broken.

I heard that he secretly left Yecheng in the summer and went to Linzi to seek refuge with his nephew Xiansi (Yuan Tan). They both served the Yuan family, and his nephew Xiansi could inherit the family lineage of General Yuan, so this was not considered betrayal.

In history, Chen Lin was captured by Cao Cao when Yecheng was captured, but that was because Chen Lin had nowhere to go. This life is different. When Yuan Shang was about to perish, Yuan Tan was still there. Chen Lin, who had offended Cao Cao so badly, would of course surrender to Yuan Tan.

He didn't dare to bet on whether Cao Cao would cherish his talent and not kill him. After all, he had scolded Cao Cao's grandfather and father. Of course he would run away if he had the chance. Anyway, he was still working for Yuan, which was not shabby.

Zhuge Jin followed Guan Yu's words and continued, "I remember that when Chen Lin wrote "On Behalf of Yuan Shao to Send a Letter to Yuzhou", he specifically mentioned a scandal involving Cao Cao in Feng County:
Moreover, King Xiao of Liang was the late emperor's mother, and his tomb was revered and dignified, and his hometown was surrounded by mulberry trees and cypresses, so it was appropriate to treat him with respect and awe. However, Cao led his officers and soldiers to personally excavate the tomb, breaking open the coffin and exposing the corpse, and looting the gold and treasures, which made the holy court shed tears and the people saddened.

Cao also appointed Lieutenant General of the Ministry of Personnel and Lieutenant of the Ministry of Personnel to search for gold and to expose all the bodies of the people. He was one of the three highest officials in the country, but he behaved like a tyrant, corrupting the country and abusing the people, and poisoning people and ghosts.

The Lord was the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan and the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, while King Xiao of Liang was the brother of Emperor Xiaojing from the same mother. The tomb of King Xiao of Liang is located on this Mangdang Mountain, between Feng County and Xiayi County.

The ugly act of Cao Cao described by Chen Lin was when Cao Cao was attacked by Lu Bu and only had three counties, Dong'a, Fanxian and Juancheng, in Puyang and Yanzhou. In the desperate situation, there was no food or money, so the beastly nature broke out and committed such an ugly act. Although many years have passed, Chen Lin still remembers it and tells the world.

When the lord stationed troops in Xiaopei, he only occupied Pei County, but not Feng County, and could not control the Mangdang Mountain area between Feng County and Xiayi further west. So this place is the latest realm that our army has never been to before and has just arrived at this time.

In this case, we can send some people to hastily repair the ground buildings of the Liang Xiaowang Mausoleum, and then we can invite the lord to climb Mangdang Mountain to worship in person.

Our purpose is not to worship a Liang Xiao Wang, but to show that Cao thief, like Dong Zhuo, also robbed the tombs of the previous kings of the Han Dynasty. However, as a descendant of the Liu family, my lord will allow the previous kings of the Han Dynasty to rest in peace and restore peace to the country.

At that time, if Cao Cao dares to send troops from Xiayi County to cross Mangdang Mountain and come to obstruct us, we will not hesitate to wait for them to tire themselves out and fight a field battle with Cao Cao's army in the mountains. I believe that with the bravery of our army and the southern soldiers' expertise in mountain warfare, it is more than enough to protect the lord.

Moreover, we can also write to Master Yuan and ask him to send Chen Lin here. This can achieve three goals at once:
Firstly, it was to warn Master Yuan and remind him that we were the winner of the wait-and-see agreement between Cao and Liu, and it was almost time for him to fulfill his responsibility.

Secondly, as long as Master Yuan publicly sends Chen Lin here, we can also publicize this matter in a high-profile manner to prove to other princes in the world that Master Yuan is obedient to our master and will do whatever he asks him to do. This will also be a warning and deterrence to other princes, so that they will think more carefully when choosing their side.

Finally, in the "Exhortation to Yuzhou on Behalf of Yuan Shao" written by Chen Lin, the Yuan family has not yet fulfilled any of the reasons for the attack. However, we have recovered Xiaopei and repaired the tomb of King Xiao of Liang, which at least fulfilled one of the paragraphs in "Exhortation to Yuzhou on Behalf of Yuan Shao".

Cao Cao once said: Those who are good at literature also need to be supplemented by military strategy. Although Chen Lin is good at literature, Yuan Shao lacks military strategy and is not worth worrying about.

Therefore, our memorial service this time is to slap Cao Cao in the face and tell him: Although Yuan Shao lacks military strategy, my lord has sufficient military strategy. Yuan Shao said big words and did not do things, my lord helped Yuan Shao achieve at least one of them.

How much will this help our army's prestige? How much will it help Master Yuan finally surrender?"

After Zhuge Jin finished speaking, Guan Yu was completely fascinated and convinced.

Chen Gong was even more stunned:
His motivation for putting on a show at the political level is the same as that of the princes. But in terms of the specific means, methods and approaches of putting on a show, the princes are simply eight streets ahead of him!

Any little show can maximize the value potential of political propaganda.

How come the princes know everything? How come they are good at everything?
What happened to the people who were said to only be able to farm, govern the people and manage finances, command the army and prepare for war, and lead troops to fight?
How come he is so proficient in even the niche areas of fame, morality and showmanship? !

(End of this chapter)