My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 611: Gan Ning and Yan Yan, advancing thousands of miles

"Congratulations, Your Excellency! Your Excellency is a man of great foresight and foresight. Every word you say is as powerful as iron and stone. You were able to make General Yan surrender without a fight. This is truly rare in ancient and modern times!"

On the night after Yan Yan decided to surrender, Qin Mi took a small boat back to Jiangbei and met Zhuge Liang at night to tell him the good news. After expressing his admiration and emotion, Qin Mi also expressed his respect and emotion from the bottom of his heart.

Every word he said was true and sincere, without any flattery. Because the principles he used to debate with Zhang Song during this mission were all from Zhuge Liang's "On Departure", and Qin Mi himself also learned it on the spot.

At best, he just played the role of Zhuge Liang's mouthpiece, and his actual eloquence was far from as strong as he showed this time.

Even with this, he could easily make Yan Yan, who had 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers, surrender without a fight. This shows how well Liu Bei had done to win over the people before the war, and how irrefutable and deeply rooted the truth of Zhuge Liang's argument was.

After Qin Mi congratulated, other civil servants around Zhuge Liang also followed suit to congratulate.

"Lord! Now that the vital point of Jiangzhou has been eliminated, it is the perfect time for our army to move forward, pursue the victory and expand the results of the battle. This opportunity cannot be missed!"

Zhuge Liang gently put down his feather fan and calmly made a gesture of pressing down, signaling everyone to stay calm:
"Don't worry. I have already told Xingba not to worry about General Yan cutting off his food supply. After bypassing Jiangzhou, we can move forward at full speed.

Now that I think about it, the vanguard should have already approached Fujie. If nothing unexpected happens, Fujie can also besiege without attacking, and continue to divide the troops and go upstream along the river. Wait for General Yan to come out in person to put pressure on them to surrender. "

When everyone heard this, they suddenly understood and became more convinced of Zhuge Liang's arrangement.

It turned out that Zhuge Lingjun had already thought about maximizing the use of General Yan after his surrender. He used General Yan's example to persuade the counties along the upper reaches of the river to surrender.

This idea may be hard to come by for ordinary people. Even if they did, they might not be so bold and dare to act ahead of time. In history, when Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun entered Sichuan, Zhang Fei forced Yan Yan to surrender, and then used Yan Yan to persuade other Yizhou civil and military officials of lower status to surrender.

But Zhang Fei did it only after he was sure of success, so it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Zhuge Liang now relied entirely on his careful deductions before the war and his grasp of people's hearts, firmly believing that he could do both, besieging the city to persuade people to surrender while advancing alone.

This move seemed to be more risky and radical than Zhang Fei's in history, but with Zhuge Liang's personal supervision, it was easy to implement.

Others did not think that Zhuge Liang's behavior was rash at all, and they all thought it was reasonable.

Finally, Zhuge Liang himself made a statement, which was considered as a summary: "My deployment is still a little risky. When you use troops in the future, don't imitate them randomly.

This is to minimize the harm to the people in Shuzhong and strive to reach Chengdu before the spring plowing next year, so as not to miss the farming season next year and have to rush for time. "

All the civil and military officials expressed their gratitude for the lesson, and said that they would never take such risks unless they encountered such special situations where time was of the essence.

……

The next morning, Zhuge Liang crossed the river in person. When he arrived at the bank of the Yangtze River, two miles away from the city gate to the west of Jiangzhou, he stopped and sent someone to pass the message.

After Yan Yan confirmed that Zhuge Liang himself had crossed the river, he kept his promise, opened the city gate, and led only a hundred cavalrymen out of the city to meet Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang was guarded by Han Dang and Zhou Tai. In front of the soldiers of both armies, he once again announced to Yan Yan the purpose of Liu Bei's army's advance, saying that it was only to purge those pro-Cao factions in Yizhou who did not want to contribute to the country and only wanted to live in separatist rule.

Liu Zhang himself would never be held accountable, and he would be guaranteed to be the governor of a large county or a senior official in the imperial court for life.

After the announcement, they poured wine into the river - anyway, Liu Bei's army always kept their promises in the end after making such a grand announcement, so there was no need to worry.

Afterwards, Yan Yan ordered the city gates to be opened, allowing Han Dang's troops to enter the city and temporarily take over the west gate of Jiangzhou to show his sincerity.

Zhuge Liang also trusted his men and, under the protection of Zhou Tai and hundreds of cavalry, he went straight into the city and went to the residence of the prefect of Ba County. He had a banquet with Yan Yan and Zhang Song to comfort them and at the same time, he also put on a complete show to completely complete Zhang Song's character.

In this way, when outsiders look back on this past event in the future, they will only think that "Yan Yan and Zhang Song were both inspired by Liu Bei and decided to turn from darkness to light on a whim."

Moreover, in this kind of situation, helping others is helping yourself. The more Zhang Song and Yan Yan were persuaded by Zhuge Liang's "On Departure", the more other civil and military officials in Shu would pay attention to Zhuge Liang's article.

This is the same principle as that of Pang Tong and Fa Zheng.

After three rounds of drinking, and having said enough words of comfort, Zhuge Liang asked someone to bring him a petition that Liu Bei had given him in advance, which was sealed with the seal of the Grand Marshal's Office.

"When the lord decided to go to war, he drafted a reward. If General Yan and Zhang Biejia are willing to surrender, I would like to recommend General Yan as the General of Suppressing the Barbarians and the governor of Ba County. Ziqiao will be the Cao Yuan of the Taiwei Mansion and stay in Yizhou temporarily. In the future, he will help me promote the law of substitution and sort out civil affairs. When this matter is settled and there is a change in the world, he will naturally be used for another important purpose."

Yan Yan was originally under Liu Zhang, but he did not have the title of general. After all, Liu Zhang himself was a vassal with "great power but low status". Therefore, giving Yan Yan the title of miscellaneous general and the title of governor of Ba County was already very good, and it was also because he brought troops and territory to surrender.

Huang Zhong, who had previously conquered Shangyong and cooperated with Liu Bei in the battle of Hanzhong last year, is now only a general of miscellaneous rank. Previously, Liu Biao only gave Huang Zhong the rank of Lieutenant General. Moreover, Huang Zhong still does not have the status of a local official, nor the power of a governor. In this way, Yan Yan's official position is higher than Huang Zhong's.

As for Zhang Song, Liu Bei did not give him a very high official position all at once. He only gave him a Cao Yuan, a powerful Cao in the Taiwei Mansion. As mentioned earlier, each Cao had three levels: Cao Yuan, Cao Shi and Cao Subordinate. Cao Shi was the deputy of Cao Yuan.

Previously, the famous scholar Liu Ba came to surrender and was promoted to the level of Cao Yuan. In theory, his status was equal to that of Zhang Song, but this was also to protect Zhang Song.

Zhuge Liang had already said that if Zhang Song could make some efforts in the subsequent reforms of the substitute labor system and the rent-and-labor system, he would be able to quickly gain merit and be given another official position in the future.

Yan Yan and Zhang Song were both very satisfied with the rewards and did not mention thanking him.

If you are rewarded, you should naturally contribute.

Zhuge Liang did not hide his intentions and urged Yan Yan, "General, you have been in Ba County for many years and have great prestige. After you have rested for a while, can you please go to Fujie, Jiangyang and other places to persuade the garrison to surrender?
In fact, it is not impossible for our army to capture these cities by force. General Gan and Captain Jiang should have already surrounded the cities separately.

I just don't want any more lives to be lost, and I don't want the war to be delayed until next year's spring plowing season, wasting the people's farming time. We can all fight side by side to fight the rebellion and revive the Han Dynasty, and be loyal and righteous together."

Yan Yan quickly stood up and bowed his head to promise: "Don't worry, sir. I have been guarding the city these days, so I am not tired. There is no need to rest. I can set off tomorrow."

"In that case, thank you very much, General. After the task is accomplished, the lord will certainly reward you handsomely." Zhuge Liang nodded in praise and encouraged Yan Yan again.

……

So the night passed in silence, and Han Dang's troops, led by Zhuge Liang, firmly grasped the defense of the west gate tower of Jiangzhou City and handed over the treasury.

The rest of Jiangzhou is still guarded by the old subordinates left by Yan Yan, which is also a manifestation of trust.

Zhuge Liang also opened part of the treasury and took out money and silk equivalent to three months' military pay for the surrendered soldiers and distributed them as rewards. He also took out most of the wine and meat stocks in the city, as well as dried fish transferred from Jiangbei, and gave the surrendered soldiers a three-day feast, and rice was provided to their heart's content.

Zhuge Liang also personally supervised the distribution and delivery of rewards and meals to ensure that there was no empty pay and no blood draining of soldiers.

This strict military management method also makes grassroots soldiers feel refreshed.

Many people have served in the army for half their lives, but have never encountered such transparent money and food management, where the rewards and food that are promised will never be withheld.

I believe that within a few days, these former soldiers of Liu Zhang’s army will be willing to fight for Liu Bei.

On the other hand, Yan Yan, with his old soldiers who had been replaced, boarded dozens of light and new warships provided by Zhuge Liang. They set sail from Chaotianmen Wharf early the next morning, going upstream to carry out the mission of persuading the enemy to surrender.

The fleet used oars and sails and traveled day and night, and the soldiers took turns rowing the boats, sparing no effort.

Therefore, the fleet sailed at a very fast speed and reached Fujie County in just three days, a distance of more than 400 miles.

Fujie County is the later Hejiang County of Luzhou, which is the hub where the Chishui River, a tributary of the Yangtze River on the south bank, joins the Yangtze River. It controls the water transportation between the hinterland of Bashu and the southern Zangke County. Usually, there are thousands of standing troops stationed here, which Liu Zhang uses to guard against the southern barbarian tribes in Zangke.

(Note: Zangke County is equivalent to most of today's Guizhou)
Before Yan Yan arrived, Gan Ning had already passed through Fujie County, leaving only Jiang Qin to divide his troops to encircle it.

When Jiang Qin learned that Yan Yan was sent by Zhuge Liang, he did not dare to neglect him. He immediately welcomed Yan Yan with great courtesy.

After a night's rest, Jiang Qin arranged his troops in neat battle array outside Fujie City the next day as usual, with drums and gongs beating and flags displayed to boost military morale.

After scaring the defenders, Yan Yan personally went out to persuade them to surrender, saying: "Captain Wu, Taiwei Renyi, and Lord Zhuge love the people and work hard. Wherever our army passes, the people are not harmed.

I surrendered as a General of the Central Army, so why don't you surrender with me? Wang Lei and Zheng Du are treacherous and deceitful, and they have no regard for justice. They only want to gain a little profit. Don't let them use you!"

Yan Yan couldn't make any great arguments in front of the two armies. After a few words, the other side was indeed shaken, but still expressed the hope that Yan Yan could enter the city to discuss in detail and verify his identity.

Yan Yan knew that the commander of Fujie had a past relationship with him and had once been his subordinate, so of course he was not afraid.

So he entered the city generously, and did not even ask the other party to open the city gate, allowing himself to be lowered into the city by a hanging basket. Qin Mi, who came with him, also hurriedly expressed that he was not afraid and was willing to follow General Yan into the city.

Seeing them so fearless, the defenders became even more timid. After they went up to the city, Yan Yan spoke passionately and emotionally, and Qin Mi explained the reasoning and paraphrased Zhuge Liang's "On the Departure of the Army" to help the defenders save their lives.

With a two-pronged attack, Fujie County was finally opened without any danger, and the 4,000 defenders surrendered to Liu Bei's side intact. The surplus grain in the city treasury could also be immediately used by Liu Bei's army to supplement the front, avoiding the dilemma of lack of food during the expedition.

With this successful case, Yan Yan and Jiang Qin joined forces and continued to advance triumphantly and pursue the victory. Two days later, they arrived at the important town of Jiangyang County.

Jiangyang County is the later Luzhou, and is also the hub of Luoshui and Yangtze River. From here, it can turn into Luoshui and go north to threaten Chengdu, but it still needs to pass through Luocheng in the end, and it cannot bypass Longquan Mountain, the last barrier outside Chengdu.

Therefore, according to Zhuge Liang's pre-war plan, he intended to take Jiangyang and Baidao (Yibin) further upstream on the Yangtze River at the same time, and then advance from the south along the Minjiang River and Luoshui River to attack from both sides and disintegrate Liu Zhang's army's southern defense.

When Yan Yan arrived in Jiangyang, Gan Ning had already besieged the city for four days and had built a siege camp, all that was left was assembling heavy siege weapons.

Gan Ning was overjoyed to learn that Yan Yan came so quickly, and he reminisced about their old friendship with Yan Yan - Gan Ning was not like Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, he had previously participated in the Battle of Dianjiang with Xiahou Yuan, and could be said to have fought side by side with Yan Yan.

Because of this friendship, Gan Ning naturally trusted Yan Yan more fully. He did not ask about the matter of persuading Yan Yan to surrender, nor did he intend to compete for credit. He just let Yan Yan do it freely.

Yan Yan, moved by the trust of his comrades and the lack of factional prejudice, worked even harder, with tears in his eyes as he tried to persuade them. He argued that "for those of us who hope to achieve great things, the only way out is to follow the Grand Marshal, and only then can we leave our names in history."

In the end, it only took a little more effort than when I did Fu Jie, but I still managed to persuade him successfully.

On the seventh day after Gan Ning's siege of the city and three days after Yan Yan's arrival, Jiangyang County opened the city and surrendered. Thousands of defenders defected, and the government treasury's money and grain were taken over.

And at this time, it was only the middle of November.

Just half a month after the war began, Liu Bei's army on the southern front advanced 700 miles upstream along the Yangtze River with almost no fighting.

The efficiency of this deterrent forced landing is enough to make people dumbfounded.

Unfortunately, Yan Yan's repeated attempts to persuade them to surrender basically became a spent force after they advanced to Jiangyang.

Because going further ahead is no longer the territory of Ba County, but the territory of Jianwei County, and the garrison commander there is not an old friend of Yan Yan.

Baidao County, which controls the throat where the Minjiang River and the Yangtze River meet, is an important town under the jurisdiction of Jianwei County. Liu Zhang sent generals such as Wu Lan and Lei Tong to garrison it.

On November 19, Gan Ning finally advanced to the city of Baidao. As usual, he let Yan Yan try it first, but unfortunately he was shot back by a volley of arrows ordered by Lei Tong.

Seeing that Wen's negotiations were useless, Gan Ning had no choice but to start preparing for an attack, so that Liu Zhang's army on the southern front could also see the power of Liu Bei's army.

It took several days to build the siege camp step by step, transport the parts of the siege equipment, and start assembling them. They also divided the troops into groups outside the city to set up shields for firing and to cover the auxiliary soldiers pushing carts to fill the trenches.

It is estimated that all preparations can be completed within seven or eight days and the general offensive can be launched.

Yan Yan, who was free, was unwilling to eat for free, so he discussed with Gan Ning and decided to take a small army to persuade the counties along the way to surrender. Gan Ning agreed.

Because when they came before, in order to save time, they just advanced upstream along the main channel of the Yangtze River and did not have time to control the inland counties on both sides of the Yangtze River that were not along the river.

It was after reaching Baidao that Gan Ning's rapid advance really slowed down. At this time, he was already more than 900 miles away from Jiangzhou by water. Advancing 900 miles in 18 days was basically as fast as marching by land without fighting.

During the eight days when Gan Ning was preparing to attack Baidao, Yan Yan also worked tirelessly to persuade the surrender of some small counties located between Baidao and Jiangyang, and on the north and south banks of the Yangtze River, which roughly corresponded to Zigong, Chishui and other places in later generations.

The bad news that Gan Ning had advanced all the way to Baidao spread like snowflakes to Chengdu, leaving Liu Zhang dumbfounded for a long time.

I totally cannot understand why Liu Bei's army's progress on the southern front was as easy as a tourist march.

(End of this chapter)