My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 524 Liu Zhang: A gamble to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle
I swear to God, with Liu Bei's thinking habits, he really didn't think of it at first:

After defeating Xiahou Yuan once, he could also take advantage of the situation and try to test the greed of his brother Liu Zhang.

It was for this reason that Pang Tong played a trick of acting first and reporting later, and acted on his own initiative. Only after the news had been leaked out did he come to Liu Bei to ask for forgiveness.

However, considering that the news of Xiahou Yuan's defeat could not be concealed, the difference between Pang Tong's small move and the slowness was only a matter of speed, and there was no qualitative change, so this self-assertion was not too serious.

After listening to Pang Tong's entire speech, Liu Bei could only criticize him verbally and asked Pang Tong not to make the same mistake again. Then he just went with the flow and waited and saw what would happen.

……

Several flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.

While Pang Tong obtained Liu Bei's forgiveness, he turned his attention back to Chengdu.

After Liu Zhang received the news in mid-April, he forwarded it to the Zitong front line and then summoned his main advisers to discuss whether they could seize this opportunity to do something.

Because the discussion this time was about military affairs, Liu Zhang, who was suspicious by nature, naturally had to consult several more aides. So in addition to Huang Quan and Fa Zheng, some other aides who claimed to be knowledgeable about military affairs, such as Wang Shang and Zheng Du, were also asked by Liu Zhang.

However, Wang Lei, who had previously reminded Liu Zhang most harshly to be wary of Liu Bei, was not reused by Liu Zhang this time because he was really unremarkable in military affairs.

After the staff gathered together, Liu Zhang expressed his thoughts:

"…That is exactly what happened. Xiahou Yuan was defeated so badly by Brother Xuande. Judging from the military information sent back from the front line, Xiahou Yuan's army of 60,000 to 70,000 may only have 10,000 or 20,000 left. At least 40,000 to 50,000 were annihilated by Brother Xuande or separated in the Dangqu area, and could not take care of the main force.

During this 20,000 miles, they might divide their troops in Langzhong, Nanchong and other places to resist step by step in an attempt to delay Brother Xuande's pursuit. Xiahou Yuan himself was accompanied by troops who fled back to Hanzhong, and there might not even be 10,000 of them - it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Xiahou Yuan was so weak.

Unfortunately, our army was not well prepared for the counterattack in advance. Now that the opportunity has come to us, we are not sure of winning - what do you think, what should we do?"

As Liu Zhang spoke, he sighed with a sad face, obviously feeling that this opportunity was not worth it and regretting that he had not prepared well enough.

Opportunities will only be seized by those who are prepared.

Liu Zhang's army had been blocked by Xiahou Yuan at Jiameng Pass for more than half a year, and had never thought of going out to fight back. Who could he blame? He could only blame himself for being too cowardly and lazy, and had not dared to think about it before.

The far-sighted staff members nearby also knew their own situation, so they did not dare to persuade Liu Zhang to advance rashly.

Huang Quan took the lead and advised in a serious tone: "My lord, although Xiahou Yuan was defeated, he is a famous general after all. Even if he has less than 10,000 soldiers, I am afraid that he cannot be defeated by ordinary people.

Moreover, this opportunity is fleeting, because as long as Xiahou Yuan goes upstream along the West Han River (Jialing River), withdraws to the north of Jiameng Pass, and blocks the Jinniu Road, this opportunity will be missed. In such a short time, even if we want to mobilize troops, we will not have time to withdraw troops from Chengdu to the north, and General Yan of Ba County cannot move his troops.

Then we can only mobilize Pang Xi from Zitong and Yang Huai and Gao Pei from Jiameng Pass, and hope to fight Xiahou Yuan with just these few men, which is too dangerous. "

After hearing this, Liu Zhang became even more timid and cowardly, not daring to take any further action. He looked at Fa Zheng again, but Fa Zheng only looked worried and didn't say anything.

Liu Zhang continued to inquire about this, and finally it was Zheng Du, who had not been given much importance before, who was quite courageous and offered advice:
"My lord, I think what Gong Heng said is biased! Our army relies on the garrisons at Zitong and Jiameng Pass to attack Xiahou Yuan's rear and block his main force. Of course, it will be very dangerous. Once Xiahou Yuan is desperate and fights like a trapped beast, it is really possible that he will kill General Pang and defeat him.

However, our army has more strategies to choose from than just blocking Xiahou Yuan's way back. We can completely race against time with Cao's army, go directly out of Jiameng Pass, advance quickly along the Jinniu Road, and seize Yangping Pass, the gateway to Hanzhong, which is currently short of troops!

As long as Yangping Pass is captured, even if Xiahou Yuan retreats, can he break through the pass again? By then, no matter how strong he is, it will be impossible for Xiahou Yuan to win if the battle turns from a field battle to an offensive! "

Zheng Du was the aide who persuaded Liu Zhang to "fortify the city and clear the fields" to deal with Liu Bei after Liu Bei and Liu Zhang fell out. His position was Zhonglang. It can be seen that this person has some knowledge in tactical deployment and specific offensive and combat strategies.

He pointed out sharply that if Liu Zhang's army felt that their own fighting power was insufficient and that a field battle was dangerous, they could completely transform the field battle into a battle to defend the city. First, they could attack Yangping Pass, which was currently under-guarded by the enemy, and then wait for Xiahou Yuan to attack the pass and seize the road.

After hearing this, Liu Zhang finally felt in a better mood for the first time today.

Indeed, Liu Zhang knew the combat effectiveness of the Yizhou army. But it was fine that they could not defeat Xiahou Yuan, who only had 20% to 30% of their own troops, in a field battle, but could they not defeat him in a city defense battle?
Holding on to dangerous terrain is the strong point of the Yizhou army.

Liu Zhang thought about it and finally became interested.

Huang Quan saw this and thought he was in trouble. He quickly dissuaded him, "My lord, don't be reckless! If you send someone to steal Yangping Pass, it would be great if you can succeed. But have you ever thought about the risks and mistakes involved?"

What if there are still some Cao troops left at Yangping Pass, even if not many, maybe one or two thousand, or maybe two or three thousand, and our army of tens of thousands arrives at the pass, and it is difficult to break through quickly within a few days? Or, even if our army is lucky enough to sneak down Yangping Pass, Xiahou Yuan will definitely attack the pass with all his strength after he returns. Cao troops stationed in Dingjun Mountain, Nanzheng, Mianyang and other places in Yangping Pass will also gather to block the pass and attack Yangping Pass from both sides.

By then, Yangping Pass will be an isolated pass, attacked from both sides, and without food. Once it is besieged by Cao's army, tens of thousands of troops will inevitably collapse. My lord, please think twice!"

Huang Quan pointed out very keenly: a pass is different from a city. If you are defending a city, there will be a huge amount of food and grass stored in the city, which can last for a long time.

But the checkpoint is just a wall, without much depth. If attacked from both sides, it would definitely be much more dangerous than a city.

Moreover, the party guarding the pass would store up food and grass in the city in the rear, because when guarding the pass, one side of the pass must be the enemy-occupied area and the other side must be our occupied area.

For the warlords who controlled Hanzhong, it was best to store the grain and grass of Yangping Pass in Mianyang County. They could transport as much as they consumed in the front pass from Mianyang City. This meant that once the pass was attacked from both sides, it would be impossible to defend it for long.

Liu Zhang had not thought of these details at first, but Huang Quan reminded him and he finally realized them. After thinking about it for a while, he felt that Zheng Du's statement was not so reliable.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhang was still suspicious and indecisive. He wanted to give Zheng Du a chance, so he signaled with his eyes, asking Zheng Du to explain the risks raised by Huang Quan to see if he had any way to avoid them.

Zheng Du also thought about it seriously for a long time, and replied: "I think that although what Huang Gongheng said is not unreasonable, that situation can be avoided. Indeed, Yangping Pass may be difficult to capture, or even if it is captured, it will be surrounded soon and lack food and grass.

However, there are reinforcements from the General of Chariots and Cavalry nearby. They have already taken Anhan County and may reach Nanchong County soon. After passing Nanchong and Langzhong, the General of Chariots and Cavalry can chase Xiahou Yuan all the way to Jinniu Road.

Therefore, even if our army fails, as long as we hold out for ten days or half a month, once the reinforcements from the General of Chariots and Cavalry arrive, we can attack from both sides, and with the help of both inside and outside, won’t Xiahou Yuan be completely wiped out?

Moreover, since the general came to Sichuan to reinforce the lord, our army has not won a single battle. However, the general has promoted new grains to the people, opened up border markets for trade, and benefited the people, so that poor scholars can buy books with a little money to study hard. Recently, they have won consecutive victories...

Excuse me, if our army does not make some achievements in the fight against Cao, what will the people of Shu think? This may be detrimental to long-term peace and stability. "

Zheng Du's last few words really touched Liu Zhang.

Liu Bei had been in Sichuan for more than half a year, so Liu Zhang was very clear about how to win the hearts of the people in Shu.

The double-season Linyi rice, the woodblock-printed Thirteen Confucian Classics, and all the benefits of sharing what is needed for the benefit of the people have led to many people in Chengdu now talking about Liu Bei's benevolent policies every day and feeling envious.

All this gave Liu Zhang an unprecedented sense of crisis. He felt that if he did nothing, he would eventually be boiled like a frog in warm water, and then he would be completely unable to resist.

Since inaction will slowly lead to death, you might as well give it a try. No matter how big or small the chance of defeating Xiahou Yuan is, at least there is a chance.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhang was impulsive and expressed his preference first: "In the current situation, we really can't do nothing. The enemy is strong and we are weak. What chance do we have if we just sit and wait? Instead of daydreaming about whether to fight or not, you should think carefully about what details you should pay attention to if you want to fight."

With just one sentence, Liu Zhang shifted the focus of the topic from "whether to fight" to "how to fight", and many staff members who had little say suddenly shut up.

Only Huang Quan and Fa Zheng saw the risks.

But Fa Zheng did not want to offend Liu Zhang, nor did he plan to make any strategic corrections. He was already thinking about how to offer specific tactics and personnel arrangements to his lord.

Only Huang Quan could not help but give a final reminder: "Please understand, my lord! Although Zheng Du's method makes sense, it is also based on a major premise, that is, Liu Bei will pursue Xiahou Yuan with all his strength and will not let our troops who sneaked into Yangping Pass be left alone for too long!
But what if Liu Bei didn't go all out to chase Xiahou Yuan? What if our army got trapped behind enemy lines and Liu Bei didn't help? "

Huang Quan's reminder was indeed very sharp.

If Liu Zhang asked Yang Huai to go to Gao Pei and immediately steal Yangping Pass.

This situation is actually exactly the same as in 1944, when the Allied forces were about to reach the outskirts of German-occupied Warsaw, and the local army in Warsaw rose up against the Germans - although Huang Quan is not a time traveler, he does not know what Warsaw was like in 1944.

The Poles could not defeat the Germans by themselves. Even though the Germans had been defeated repeatedly on the front battlefield, they were still more than capable of bullying the Poles. The only hope for the Poles was to cooperate with the Allies. But if the Allies saw that you were acting on your own and stopped cooperating, then the fate of the Poles would be obvious.

Unfortunately, Huang Quan’s reminder was once again not taken seriously by Liu Zhang.

"Brother Xuande is known for his benevolence and righteousness. How could he tolerate such a shameful act of not saving someone in danger? Gongheng, I know you are careful, but please don't say such words that are based on your own standards!"

(End of this chapter)