My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 547: The Contrary to Cao, the Difference Is Immediate
Early June of the eleventh year of Jian'an.

Yang'an Pass, west of Hanzhong and at the northern end of Jinniu Road.

Liu Bei had been building the new pass for more than half a month. The rammed earth walls, the trenches in front of the pass, and the pits covered with deer antlers and bitter bamboo sticks had all taken shape.

During this period of time, Liu Bei's army had temporarily stopped fighting, and Liu Bei's focus was temporarily shifted to forcing Liu Zhang to surrender, so that Liu Zhang would accept the change of control over Jiameng Pass, Zitong, and other lands north of the Fu River.

This work also progressed smoothly. Dong He completed his mission brilliantly and got exactly what Liu Bei wanted.

After dealing with all his worries and reaping all the benefits, Liu Bei was finally able to free up his hands and focus on dealing with Cao Cao's attack.

Liu Bei's advisers and staff also knew this, and all supporting work was carried out in an orderly manner around this schedule.

……

On the first day of June, Liu Bei, who was at Yang'an Pass, received a message from a messenger early in the morning saying that Zhuge Liang personally led Li Yan and the subsequent 50,000 reinforcements and arrived at Jiameng Pass last night.

Jiameng Pass is only 110 miles away from Yang'an Pass. It would take the cavalry half a day to reach there, and the infantry only needs a day and a half to march.

When Liu Bei heard that Zhuge Liang had arrived, he knew that there must be new news from the rear and that a decisive battle was about to come.

He immediately took Zhang Fei, Pang Tong and some cavalry guards with him and turned back to meet Zhuge Liang.

Half a day later, at noon that day, Zhuge Liang, who was marching there, was really welcomed in a camp thirty miles north of Jiameng Pass.

Because Liu Bei's army was too large, there were camps set up all the way from Yang'an Pass to Jiameng Pass, and even to Zitong County.

There was a camp every thirty miles over a hundred miles, with a total of three relay camps, which were very convenient for friendly troops to rest on the road.

This is the real situation of marching and fighting in ancient times. If the army exceeds 30,000 or 50,000, it has to be divided into many camps. It is impossible to station 100,000 or 80,000 troops in one place.

And precisely because of the large size of the army, Liu Bei would not pull all his troops to the front line until the eve of the decisive battle. He had to consider the difficulties of logistical supply.

When the troops were waiting in Jiangzhou, they ate food from the grain-producing areas in the rear. After being pulled to the front lines of Jiameng Pass and Yang'an Pass, the local grain production was not that large, so they had to transport more food and suffer losses.

Liu Bei's army had previously brought 50,000 main forces to the front line, and later another 20,000 soldiers surrendered from Wu Yi. It was already quite difficult to feed 70,000 people on the front line.

The last 50,000 reinforcements brought by Zhuge Liang and Li Yan were to be brought in just before the battle.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang had not seen each other for several months. Before that, they had only exchanged letters to ask for advice. When they suddenly met again, they had endless things to talk about.

Liu Bei was very courteous to talented people, and he would always be very humble when meeting talented people. Especially when meeting people, he would often dismount in advance.

But when meeting Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei never dismounted - he knew very well that if he dismounted, Zhuge Liang would have to dismount as well. In this case, then they simply didn't dismount, which was the most relaxed way for everyone to get along.

Liu Bei approached him, turned his horse's head and rode with the reins: "Sir, how are you? Jiangzhou is busy with military and civil affairs, and we have to raise money and food for the frontline army. It's really hard work."

Zhuge Liang also understood the situation very well. He calmly stepped on the reins and walked straight into the central army tent, chatting:
"These are just some of my duties, not worth worrying about, lord. A few days ago in Jiangzhou, I received news from the east that Cao Cao announced that he had defeated Ma Chao in Tongguan and recaptured Chang'an half a month ago. Counting the days, it is estimated that Ma Chao's rebellion has been quelled by him.

Although we were prepared for this, Ma Chao lost too quickly from the time he raised his army to the time he was defeated, so we couldn't take advantage of it directly. Fortunately, the time Ma Chao delayed allowed us to at least force Wu Yi to surrender and force Liu Zhang to surrender, so we got what we wanted.

In addition, before I went north this time, I had already arranged all the affairs of Jiangzhou. Dong He returned from his mission and has been transferred to Jiangzhou to take charge, so there will be no shortage of grain transportation in the future. In Jiangzhou, there is also Zhang Song who will help us keep an eye on General Yan Yan, so there will be no mistakes.

I also specifically sent a stone to test the waters, and through Zhang Song, I borrowed thousands of soldiers from General Yan. The reason was naturally to fight a decisive battle with Cao Cao. Our army did not lack the combat power of these thousands of Bajun soldiers, but I just wanted General Yan to feel that he was also directly involved in the fight against Cao, and he would be more loyal to us in the future. "

Zhuge Liang presented everything he knew in a concise and clear manner.

Liu Bei's camp had also been sending people to keep inquiring about Cao Cao's situation. However, the barrier of the Qinling Mountains made it difficult to gather intelligence on the western front, and some news was faster to get from the eastern front and send back in a roundabout way.

When Ma Chao first started his army, Cao Cao tried to keep a low profile and delayed the battle for as long as possible.

However, after Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao in the Battle of Tongguan, he changed his previous low-key attitude and devoted all his efforts to promoting Yang.

Therefore, to outsiders, the two pieces of news, "Ma Chao's uprising" and "Ma Chao's defeat", happened almost simultaneously.

After a preliminary analysis of the intelligence, Zhuge Liang realized that the Battle of Hanzhong was about to break out, so he led Liu Bei's army's follow-up 50,000 reinforcements north from Jiangzhou.

After Liu Bei heard what Zhuge Liang had said, the group had almost arrived at the central army tent. Liu Bei, relying on his excellent horsemanship and his ability to climb, jumped off his horse first, then helped Zhuge Liang and walked into the tent together.

After sitting down again, Liu Bei sorted out his thoughts and casually ordered: "It seems that we need to recall all the Bantun Barbarians in the Daba Mountain area on the eastern front, and have Wang Ping strengthen the scouts in the Chencang Road area in the west.

This will also make it easier to keep track of the latest movements of Cao's army heading south, and to choose the right time to consume Cao's army. Although we have to let Cao's enemy enter Hanzhong to consume him, we can't let him cross the Qinling Mountains too easily. We have to see blood every step of the way!"

Liu Bei had no objection to the established strategy of "letting Cao Cao in and fighting a protracted war of attrition in the Hanzhong Basin to wear him down". Zhuge and his brothers all thought this was a safe strategy, so he would definitely execute it.

However, the Qinling Mountains are difficult to navigate, and Liu Bei's army now has an absolute advantage in mountain warfare. Taking advantage of Cao Cao's eagerness to rescue Xiahou Yuan who was trapped in the Hanzhong Basin, bleeding Cao Cao along the way and "encircling and depleting reinforcements" is the right way.

Zhuge Liang had no objection to his lord's self-advanced adjustment. Instead, he felt somewhat relieved in his heart: it seemed that after not seeing his lord for several months since the beginning of the year, his lord's understanding of strategy had deepened.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but look at Pang Tong on the other side. Pang Tong happened to be looking at him, so he smiled smugly: "Learn war by fighting, that's how it is."

Zhuge Liang understood and smiled. It seemed that the lord had really led Shi Yuan to fight Xiahou Yuan several times, and his strategic vision had improved.

Many people's abilities are acquired through actual combat. As long as you are not too stupid, you will naturally grow as you fight more.

As they chatted, Liu Bei quickly ordered someone to bring a banquet to welcome Zhuge Liang and his party.

Everyone at the table naturally followed the previous topic and worked together to think of how to continue to make things difficult for Cao Cao on his way south.

……

Coincidentally, in the evening of that day, when the welcoming banquet was about to end, another team of messengers and scouts arrived from the direction of Jiameng Pass.

The messenger was originally going to Yang'an Pass to report the news. When he arrived here, he heard that the lord was welcoming reinforcements in the camp. The messenger went straight to the central army and reported the situation he had learned from the front. After a round of communication, the military intelligence was quickly delivered to Liu Bei. Liu Bei was not shy and directly opened the letter to discuss it in front of Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Zhang Fei at the banquet.

"Three days ago, we learned that Ma Chao had been defeated in Tianshui and had crossed the Qishan River to the south and entered Dazhong?" Liu Bei took it seriously after reading the beginning and even read it out loud for everyone to discuss together.

"Quick, get the map." Pang Tong on the side also hurriedly ordered his attendants to get the map. He had a thorough study of the topography of Shuzhong, but he had not studied much about Longnan.

You must carefully look at the map to understand the situation and see how to use or win over Ma Chao.

Zhuge Liang had a broad knowledge of the world's geography and had some understanding of the area between Longnan and Shu, but having a map to refer to would always be more intuitive.

The attendant quickly brought a map, and Zhuge Liang marked Ma Chao's position on the map according to what was written in the letter, and then quickly gave his analysis:
"My lord, please read this military intelligence. After Ma Chao was defeated in Tianshui, he retreated southwards across the Qishan Mountains and has now entered the basin south of the Qishan Mountains and north of the Minshan Mountains.

Our army's scouts searching to the northwest should have gone upstream along the Baishui River, crossed the Min Mountains along the northern tributary, and finally found Ma Chao.

In my opinion, if Ma Chao wants to surrender to our army and withdraw his troops, it is possible, but he has to take some smaller routes.

He can go down along the northern tributary of the Baishui River, pass the confluence of the Yinping Qiaotou Valley, pass the Baishui Pass, and reach the confluence of the Baishui River and the Xihan River, which is Jiameng Pass. "

Liu Bei followed Zhuge Liang's instructions and quickly sorted out the route. He felt very intuitive and comfortable. He also felt lazy: it was easy when Kong Ming came. Everything could be simplified and explained in a few words.

The road that Zhuge Liang was referring to is actually similar to the route that Jiang Wei took in history when he wanted to return to defend Hanzhong when Cao Wei invaded Shu.

After all, Ma Chao has now retreated to Dazhong, and in history Jiang Wei also settled in Dazhong. Since the geographical locations are the same, the route they take to return to the Hanzhong battlefield will be exactly the same.

However, during Jiang Wei's time, the Wei army divided its troops in advance and asked Deng Ai to block the Yinping Bridgehead. That place is also known as Qiaotou Valley, which is the node where the tributaries on the north and south sides of the Baishui River converge.

The two tributaries of Baishui River, the northern tributary leads to Wudu County, and the southern tributary leads to Yinping County. Wudu County and Yinping County are just along the banks of these two rivers.

Historically, it was precisely because this place was blocked and unable to be defended that Hanzhong was stolen by Zhong Hui from another group.

Now Baishui Pass and Jiameng Pass were in Liu Bei's hands, and there was no enemy blocking the Yinping Bridge. So Ma Chao could definitely move to the Hanzhong battlefield if he wanted.

However, it depends on whether Ma Chao is willing to come.

Liu Bei was the best at employing people and at understanding the psychology of those who came to surrender. He was not very familiar with Ma Chao before, but recently he had just heard about Ma Chao's deeds of raising an army, not to mention his shocking act of "raising an army directly regardless of his biological father being left in Xudu by Cao Cao".

Liu Bei, judging by common sense, naturally did not dare to trust Ma Chao too much, even though Ma Chao seemed to be useful and a staunch enemy of Cao Cao.

At this moment, after listening to Zhuge Liang's analysis, Liu Bei couldn't help but wonder: "Sir, do you think that if we invite Ma Chao to go south, will he agree? Will he think we have ulterior motives? Or will he want to stay in Dazhong and defend himself?
I heard that Ma Chao had suffered a series of defeats and fled all the way to Tianshui. Now he is in Dazhong, but there are not many soldiers and horses. I think the remaining soldiers are mainly cavalry. If he retreats to Hanzhong, he won’t be able to exert much combat power..."

As Liu Bei was speaking, he looked at Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong and asked them to express their opinions.

Zhuge Liang was more cautious and he was still considering the moral issues.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's silence, Pang Tong did not hesitate and analyzed from a military perspective: "My Lord, what you see is indeed reasonable. Ma Chao is a cavalryman. If we leave him in Dazhong, he can go out of Tianshui at any time to harass Cao Cao's rear, and we can also tie down more enemy forces. Our army is enough for the front battlefield in Hanzhong."

Zhuge Liang also understood the moral gains and losses at this time, and added: "My lord, you are worried that Ma Chao and our army will not trust each other for a while, which is also human nature.

After all, Ma Chao had just betrayed his father, and trying to win him over too quickly and forcibly would backfire. Ma Chao himself would also be anxious and fearful, and would become even more suspicious in the future.

In this case, it would be better to let Ma Chao stay in Dazhong. My lord can send an envoy to offer him gifts and military rations to win him over so that he can defend himself in peace.

Tell him also that if anything goes wrong, he can return south at any time and we will send a guide to take him through the Baishui River Valley in Minshan to Yinping Bridgehead.

If he doesn't want to return south, we will also provide him with reinforcements and weapons. If he changes his mind and wants to come back anytime, he can decide for himself."

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly and felt that Zhuge Liang's method was the most merciful and could give both sides a buffer period for contact and adjustment, so as not to recognize the master right away, which would be too abrupt.

However, Pang Tong, who was standing by, was more thoughtful. He listened to the conversation between his lord and Kong Ming, and soon raised another concern:
"My lord, you have good intentions in thinking this. But Ma Chao has fled from afar and is now wandering around without a place to go. If we reject Ma Chao right after we send him an envoy, will he think that we are wary of him and dislike him?"

Liu Bei originally thought that this plan was good, but after being reminded of this, he couldn't help but frown again and subconsciously looked at Zhuge Liang.

Fortunately, Zhuge Liang reacted very quickly this time, and without even thinking twice, he immediately came up with a backup plan: "This matter is easy, just explain the reasons in the letter sent by the envoy and it will be resolved.

The lord said, when our army heard that General Ma was rebelling against Cao, the reason we called on all the generals was that we did not want to be involved in the battle between Cao and Liu, and we did not want the soldiers of Xiliang to become pawns of Cao and waste their lives in vain.

However, the lord always acted in the opposite way to Cao, treating people with trust and loyalty. Cao Cao liked to let the newly joined troops die, but the lord liked to treat the newly joined troops well. Just after Wu Yi's 20,000 Yizhou troops surrendered, the lord had promised not to let Wu Yi's troops take the lead in the subsequent war. This is ironclad evidence.

The lord treated Wu Yi like this, so he should treat General Ma the same. But he was afraid that his old generals would complain about the hard work, so he asked General Ma to stay somewhere else temporarily, so that he would not be involved. When General Ma has rested and made up his mind, it will not be too late to come to help. "

These words really made Liu Bei's eyes light up, because they were said so beautifully.

Ma Chao was not allowed to come to the front battlefield for the time being, not because Liu Bei disliked him, but because he was afraid that other generals under his command would complain that their lord was not treating them fairly.

In this way, both sides should be given a buffer period to adapt to each other. After Ma Chao fights side by side as a friendly army and makes some small contributions, the other generals below will also be convinced, and then they can be fully accepted.

Moreover, the military rations and military equipment support promised by Liu Bei would definitely not be less. With this comparison, the superiority between Cao and Liu is obvious.

……

After agreeing with Zhuge Liang on the attitude towards Ma Chao, Liu Bei prepared the letter that day, and then asked Li Hui, who was with the army, to act as a messenger to cross the Baishui River, cross the Yinping Bridge, and go to Dazhong to meet Ma Chao.

Li Hui had just been sent as an envoy to Cao's general Feng Kai more than a month ago, and finally tricked Feng Kai into breaking out of Langzhong, where he was intercepted and severely injured by Wei Yan and Zhang Fei. After that meritorious service, Li Hui was promoted by Liu Bei.

Now he was very good at doing this kind of thing, and Dong He, another envoy who was good at making diplomatic missions, was now supervising the military rations in the rear. Therefore, when negotiating with Ma Chao this time, he could only let Li Hui take the stage again.

Before leaving, Zhuge Liang gave Li Hui some instructions and made his side's attitude clear. He then sent a boat to take Li Hui upstream along the Baishui River.

(End of this chapter)