My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 599 Liu Zhang bites the hook
Liu Bei was coerced by Fa Zheng and Pang Tong and was forced to make arrangements to fight at any time. He also listened to Zhuge Jin's expedient plan and adopted the strategy of "moving generals but not troops" for the upcoming war in order to keep it secret.

In the following month, capable generals were dispatched from Jing, Yang and other places to Sichuan in a low-key manner to ensure that they arrived on time in case of any emergency.

This decision was made in a relatively secretive manner, so apart from the generals who were transferred and the people around them, most of the other irrelevant civil and military officials in the camp did not know about it.

Of course, the top brass, especially those around Liu Bei, probably knew about it. When executing this order, Xu Shu, who was in charge of dispatching work, took the opportunity to advise Liu Bei:

"My lord, I dare not question Situ's suggestion. From the perspective of the overall situation and strategy of the world, it is indeed the safest to mobilize generals instead of troops for the sake of surprise and deception. However, if we do so, when the time comes for battle, it will easily lead to the soldiers not knowing the generals and the generals not knowing the soldiers, and the combat effectiveness will definitely be reduced..."

Liu Bei had also fought for more than 20 years, so he could immediately understand Xu Shu's concerns and admitted that he was right: "That's the truth. How could Zi Yu not have thought of this? He just chose the lesser of two evils and still felt that it was better to adjust it than not. Moreover, it's not impossible to think of other ways to improve this..."

As Liu Bei spoke, he reviewed with Xu Shu the extra points that Zhuge Jin had thought of when he was deducing the situation with him that day.

Zhuge Jin's solution to the problem of soldiers not knowing their generals and generals not knowing their soldiers can be summarized in a few words: "When dispatching generals, do not dispatch those with too high a rank. After dispatching them, they can be used only as vanguards to fight against generals. If you really need to dispatch a small number of high-ranking generals, then use them as military officers to give advice and suggestions."

It was precisely because of this consideration that Zhuge Jin suggested that Liu Bei should mainly use the surrendered generals who were recruited when Sun Ce of Jiangdong was destroyed to fight naval battles. Zhuge Jin did not take into consideration that the Jiangdong generals in history were good at naval battles, but also because they came to Liu Bei late and were of low rank. Therefore, even if they were thrown out as vanguards and brought fewer soldiers, the other side would not complain.

If they were old generals from the Yuan Dynasty who had already held high positions, or others who had defected earlier, and were asked to leave their troops and enter Sichuan alone or with only their personal guards, they would not be able to play much of a role.

After all, for those people, their abilities are tied to the troops they lead. It is because of their unity and cooperation over the years that their combat effectiveness is strong, not because of simply parachuting in a general to increase combat effectiveness out of thin air.

When Xu Shu heard that Situ had already thought of these problems, he was impressed. At the same time, he had a deeper understanding of how to do things specifically - the lord and Situ both knew the disadvantages of a general who did not know the soldiers, so they had to urge the generals to hurry up and march into Sichuan as soon as possible.

Because only if they arrive earlier, they will have more time to familiarize themselves with the troops and get used to the personnel. If they arrive just before the war, they can only join the army and cannot lead the troops themselves.

The generals who were summoned also understood the meaning and naturally rushed to Shu at full speed.

Fortunately, this kind of travel without a large army was faster. The generals were generally in good physical condition and could change horses, so it was not a problem for them to travel more than 200 miles a day.

Finally, it took more than half a month for them to rush to Jiangzhou and Zitong from all over the country. Then they took the time to run in the troops and familiarize themselves with the situation, preparing for war in a state of enthusiasm, relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

While Liu Bei's army was making decisions, dispatching generals, and coordinating the troops in preparation for battle.

In Fucheng of Guanghan County, Fa Zheng has also been busy with several things in an orderly manner in the past month and a half.

Among them, the highest priority and the one that must be done first is naturally to deceive and persuade Liu Zhang.

Fa Zheng knew very well that one cannot just rely on empty talk to deceive people. One must first build momentum and create a sense of crisis that "Liu Bei's army may face fighting on multiple fronts."

So starting from late August, shortly after he returned to Fucheng, Fa Zheng helped Pang Tong spread rumors and exaggerate the situation.

Meng Da was in charge of this matter, and it took him three or four days to spread the news. A few days later, seven or eight days after the initial spread, the rumor first spread back to Chengdu - Fucheng is still three or four hundred miles away from Chengdu. It took only four days for the rumor to spread to Chengdu after it appeared in Fucheng. This efficiency is already very good.

If Mianzhu behind Fucheng could not be managed by Fa Zheng, and Meng Da could launch attacks in Fucheng and Mianzhu almost simultaneously, it would be impossible for the disease to spread so quickly under normal circumstances.

After confirming that the news had spread, Meng Da immediately returned to find Fa Zheng, reported the relevant situation, and then asked for instructions on the next step:

"Xiaozhi! The rumors have spread. I'm sure they have spread to the streets of Chengdu! What should we do next? Should we report this to the Lord and remind him to pay attention to this matter?"

Fa Zheng, however, changed his previous positive attitude and very tactfully put the brakes on Meng Da: "And then? Then of course we should continue to wait and see what happens. We are not in a hurry."

"Wait and see? No rush?" Meng Da was caught off guard by this turn of events.

Because a few days ago, when Fa Zheng gave him the task of the previous stage, it was very urgent and he was asked to complete it as soon as possible. How could he change his mind in just a few days?
Fa Zheng saw that Meng Da hadn't reacted yet, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "That's right, just wait and see. Zi Jing, think about it, the rumor just appeared in Chengdu, if we act so positively, what will the lord think?
There are many counselors around the lord who want to calculate benefits for the lord, get more conditions from the general, and lower the price! I am not needed at this time. Wang Lei, Zheng Du, who doesn't hope to help the lord get some benefits in exchange for more promotion opportunities? "

(Note: Meng Da's courtesy name was changed to "Zidu" after he officially surrendered to Liu Bei. His original courtesy name was Zijing, because it overlapped with Liu Bei's uncle Liu Yuanqi's courtesy name Zijing. Theoretically, in this life, Lu Su surrendered to Liu Bei, so his courtesy name Zijing should also be changed to avoid taboo. But for the sake of everyone's unified understanding, I will not meddle in it. Otherwise, readers who skipped reading will not understand.)
Fa Zheng's words woke Meng Da up and he immediately realized his previous recklessness.

Meng Da was not a man of wisdom and strategy in history. Moreover, Meng Da had never been reused and had never held real power in the local government, so he lacked practical experience in governing.

It was only because of his tight grasp on Fa Zheng's thighs and reliable loyalty that he was able to participate in these major events.

So it was normal for him not to understand it for a while. As long as he could learn humbly and correct what Fa Zheng said immediately, there would be no problem.

Moreover, Meng Da did not know the high-level advisers close to Liu Zhang. How could he know the political views and attitudes of Huang Quan, Wang Lei, and Zheng Du like Fa Zheng?

"In that case, I will keep a closer eye on them to see if Wang Lei and Zheng Du react. Don't worry, I will just keep an eye on them but won't take any action. I won't alert them. Once we are sure that the Lord knows about this, we will make our next move."

After Meng Da figured it out, he took the lead in expressing his determination, saying that he would absolutely follow his friend's arrangements and would not interfere. However, at this point, he seemed to want to show his own value, and he still added a reminder very earnestly,
"However, Xiaozhi, there is one more thing you need to prepare for. After all, we are stationed in Fucheng, which is closer to the front line. If the news from Zitong is known to Chengdu, but we don't know about it, won't it make it more obvious?
Have you thought about it? If the lord asks you about this in the future, asking you whether you heard on the front line that Liu Biao of Jingzhou was seriously ill and that Cao Cao might compete with Liu Bei for Jingzhou, and if you did, why didn't you report it, what will you say then?"

Upon hearing this, Fa Zheng only smiled slightly, and pointed at Meng Da with two fingers, saying, "Of course I have thought of this kind of thing a long time ago, and I have also prepared an excuse for 'knowing but not reporting'.

After the Battle of Hanzhong last year, Cao's army was defeated and part of it was surrounded and annihilated. Although most of the surrounded Cao's army surrendered to the general, some of them hid in the mountains and forests to avoid being hunted down, or pretended to surrender to the general and then became deserters in order to blend into the civilian population.

We have been guarding Fucheng for more than half a year, and we have captured some Cao army deserters. When the time comes, we will take out a few stubborn captives who refuse to surrender and pretend to torture them to death. We will also provide some witnesses and confessions.

I can only say that we heard about the rumor when it first started, but after a detailed investigation, we found that some of the rumor spreaders were defeated soldiers of Cao's army. I suspected that the remnants of Cao's army who were loyal to the thief were lurking and wanted to sabotage the anti-Cao cause, so I chose to ignore these rumors at first.

When my lord finds out from Chengdu that the rumor was not entirely spread by Cao's defeated soldiers, but was spread by other merchants, and the news is true, I will pretend to be negligent and apologize to my lord.

Although this plan is crude, it would definitely not be hidden from Zhuge Lingjun or Pang Changshi. However, Wang Lei and Zheng Du around Liu Zhang are not known for their brilliant ideas, so it is enough to deceive them. "

Meng Da was completely impressed when he heard this. He then followed Fa Zheng's instructions and continued to prepare. ...

Because Fa Zheng temporarily remained silent, Liu Zhang's reaction was naturally much slower.

However, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Sometimes, you just have to wait.

After the rumors had spread in Chengdu for five or six days, Wang Lei, Zheng Du and other hardliners against Liu Bei finally realized everything and sent people to conduct preliminary verification.

All sources of information were consistent, and they all said that Liu Biao was suffering from a carbuncle on his back, which had now worsened. Cao Cao's army also began to move closer to Jingbei to prevent any accidents.

After Wang Lei confirmed the situation, he finally couldn't resist the temptation and took the lead in gritting his teeth to go to see Liu Zhang and report the matter.

"My lord! I have heard that Liu Biao is seriously ill and that Cao's army and Liu Bei may have a major battle in Jingzhou. I am afraid that the entire Huai River line will be in turmoil. At this good opportunity, our army should persuade Liu Bei to fulfill his promise and withdraw the redundant garrison in Shuzhong from the territory of Yizhou!

Now the war between Cao and Liu may break out again at any time, and Cao Cao's main force has already moved eastward, and he has obviously given up the idea of crossing the Qinling Mountains and taking the western route. Even if Liu Bei leaves 30,000 men in Hanzhong, it will be enough to resist the northern route. We can give him some leniency and allow him to keep 50,000. On the contrary, it is unreasonable to keep 100,000 men as he does now!"

Compared with Wang Lei, Zheng Du, another hardliner against Liu, was in charge of money and was more sensitive to money and grain. As soon as he heard the news, he also came to the emperor to petition.

However, when Zheng Du came in, he had already heard Wang Lei's speech. So he changed another angle to continue to persuade Liu Zhang, and his speech was naturally about the expenditure of money and grain:

"My lord, Chengdu is about to run out of money! Last year, Liu Bei won the victory, and the gold and silver rewards we paid have greatly reduced the remaining money in the treasury. If we continue to provide military funds to Liu Bei every year, it won't be long before our army will fall apart. What should we do if Liu Bei wants to threaten my lord again?

Moreover, since the beginning of autumn this year, Liu Bei's efforts to win people's hearts have become more and more intense. In several counties bordering Guanghan County and Zitong County, many people secretly escaped to Liu Bei's army's jurisdiction during the corvée season to serve corvée and earn wages. In Jiangzhou, the number of people attracted by Zhuge Liang was even greater.

Moreover, this year, half of the paddy fields in Shu County were planted with Linyi rice, and now the autumn harvest has come, and the second season of rice has also been harvested. The people's praise for Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang's good governance has reached a climax.

If you don't show that our army cannot be bullied, I'm afraid Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang will become even more aggressive and cut the flesh with a blunt knife. In another year or two, the people of Yizhou will be won over by them, and then you won't have the energy to fight back!"

Liu Zhang was a little flustered after hearing two rounds of advice from different angles, but he was still somewhat sober now. He said fearfully, "Do you want me to break off with Brother Xuande? The enemy is strong and I am weak. How can we do such a thing now? You are misleading me!"

Wang Lei and Zheng Du said in unison: "How could we advise you to fight a rock with an egg? We just hope that you can be both firm and flexible, and not show weakness all the time. Otherwise, if we allow you to station troops today and provide money and food tomorrow, Liu Bei's appetite will grow bigger and bigger, and sooner or later he will be cut by a blunt knife and resort to armed resistance.
We are only fighting with words. As long as we are polite, even if we can't agree on many terms, Liu Bei will not dare to risk the world's disapproval by resorting to force. Now that Liu Biao is seriously ill, this is a golden opportunity to negotiate a price. If Jingzhou is really taken over by Liu Bei, we will definitely not be able to make an offer if we want to."

"Let me think about it again! Think about it again!" Liu Zhang was cowardly after all, and he was still undecided. Finally, based on his understanding of Liu Biao, he felt that this matter was indeed more reliable.

"But... Brother Jingsheng is already sixty-seven, and he will be sixty-eight after the Chinese New Year. At such an advanced age, and confirmed to be a back abscess, it is indeed possible that he will die at any time... Alas, this is the only good opportunity to make an offer in decades."

In the end, it was the fact that Liu Biao's natural life was coming to an end that made Liu Zhang feel a sense of crisis.

There are only a few princes left in the world. From now on, the death of any prince will be a rare event that happens once every few decades. If I make an offer now, maybe I can live a few more years of good life.

Anyway, it was just a talk, just to ask Liu Bei to stop extorting money and food from him, not any other excessive demands.

"For this matter, you should first draft a negotiation proposal to see what price we should offer if our army sends someone to negotiate." Liu Zhang made the decision and ordered to make a plan.

After giving the order, he suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead, "Where did this news come from?"

Wang Lei was stunned, and quickly told the truth: "Most of them are spread by merchants. There are legends along the northern coast of the Fu River and the southern coast of the Min River. The news from the Fu River seems to be a little faster."

Liu Zhang could not help but frown: "If that's the case, why didn't Xiaozhi report that he was guarding Fucheng? Didn't he hear that Liu Biao was seriously ill?"

When Liu Zhang thought of this, he decided to find someone to inquire about the matter.

Wang Lei thought that his lord wanted to entrust him with the investigation, so he did not leave in a hurry, but stood in the hall waiting for more instructions.

Liu Zhang pondered for a while, then looked up and saw that Wang Lei had not left yet, so he couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't you done it yet?"

Wang Lei was stunned: "My lord, do you want me to find out why the Fucheng garrison commander did not report this rumor..."

Liu Zhang's face was stern: "Let you do your job! Just follow the instructions I just gave you! I will make other arrangements for this matter."

Liu Zhang said this, and waved his sleeves to let Wang Lei leave. Then he asked his attendants to quickly find Huang Quan and let Huang Quan be responsible for verifying the problem of the frontline guards knowing the intelligence but not reporting it.

Huang Quan was still relatively cautious, so he did not persuade Liu Zhang to renegotiate the terms with Liu Bei like Wang Lei and Zheng Du did. In Huang Quan's opinion, it was better to have less trouble than more, and he should just turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it, instead of getting involved in muddy waters.

However, Liu Zhang did not ask him for this matter, but to find out why Fa Zheng did not report it. Huang Quan thought this task was no problem, so he accepted it generously.

As a result, Wang Lei and Zheng Du were busy preparing negotiation conditions. Huang Quan also took people to Fucheng to investigate openly and secretly, and went straight to Fa Zheng to ask about the matter directly, hoping to see if there were any flaws in Fa Zheng's response.

Unfortunately, Fa Zheng had already made all the necessary preparations and had the evidence ready. Huang Quan did not find any valuable truth after going through the routine work, so he could only return to Chengdu to report.

"My lord, Fa Xiaozhi did not report it immediately because he found that a considerable number of the first group of people who spread this rumor admitted after being tortured that they were the Cao army's defeated soldiers who fled last year. Fa Xiaozhi was cautious."

"Is that so? It seems that Xiaozhi is very cautious..." Liu Zhang stroked his beard and made a few comments. Then he slapped his forehead.
"If that's the case, it shows that Xiaozhi has no selfish motives in this matter, and he's not radical. Hurry up and call him to see me, and I'll give him some instructions.

"For this negotiation, let him represent our army to negotiate with Brother Xuande. He is prudent and will not make a wild offer like sending Wang Lei did, which would easily anger Brother Xuande."

"I will do it right away." Huang Quan bowed to Liu Zhang and accepted the order, then said goodbye.

-

PS: I won’t separate the chapters about the enemy’s perspective, and merge the 5,000-word chapters together.

(End of this chapter)