My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 64: Just capture the city, then you don’t have to set up camp (this chapter is a free chapter)

After the Zhuge brothers confirmed each other's identities, they naturally wanted to immediately talk about what they had seen and heard over the past two or three years, and then discuss the military affairs at hand.

Unfortunately, the fleet was still drifting on Pengli Lake (Poyang Lake), and the northwest wind was strong in winter, so Zhuge Jin did not dare to ask anyone to build a gangway to board the ship.

In the end, he signaled the other party to follow him downstream and dock nearby on the east side of the lake.

On Zhuge Liang's boat, Gan Ning had already taken out the grappling hook and the springboard with an iron spike.

Seeing Zhuge Jin being so cautious, he had no choice but to put it back and shook his head secretly:

"Humph, if this is a naval battle, wouldn't it be just a matter of pulling the boat over with a hook and jumping directly? Why would we need to go to the shore?"

After another half a quarter of an hour of steady sailing, the fleet found a place suitable for anchorage.

Gan Ning was the first to jump ashore and helped set up the springboard.

Then Zhuge Liang helped the two sisters get off the boat, and Gan Ning took Zhuge Jun directly ashore.

Anyway, a thirteen-year-old child is not heavy, so he picked it up with one hand.

On the other side, Zhuge Jin was obviously much more refined. He was dressed very formally today, wearing the brocade robe and jade belt awarded to him by Liu Xie. He was afraid of getting stained with mud, so he walked very carefully, looking a little ridiculous.

Fortunately, as the eldest brother, he was waiting for his younger siblings to come and visit him, so it didn't matter if they were a little slow.

Zhuge Liang quickly ran over and saluted: "Brother! You have suffered a lot in the past few years."

Zhuge Jin accepted his greeting, but felt a little embarrassed and quickly denied it:

"Why bother? In the past two years, I have been taken care of more by my mother and uncle, but there is nothing I can do to help them.

In the end, my uncle was allowed to start his own business. Ah Liang, you won't blame me for my decision, right? Even though they took the initiative to propose it. "

Zhuge Jin had already written about these things in his letters home, and his brothers and sisters all knew about them, but they still felt they were a little strange.

Hearing his elder brother's guilty conscience for making the decision alone, Zhuge Liang choked up and comforted him:

"After all, our biological parents are gone... It's only natural for stepmother not to bother them in the future. The dead are gone, but the living still have a long way to go.

How can I blame my eldest brother for this? If he hadn't worked hard for this family and sought official positions, we wouldn't be able to reunite and save my uncle now."

Zhuge Jin originally wanted to ask about Zhuge Liang's life experience, but seeing that the place was muddy and it was not suitable for long conversation, he stopped talking and forced the topic back to military affairs.

He glanced at the strong and tall general with a stubble beard next to his second brother, and reminded him: "Aliang, you haven't been introduced yet. You are quite capable. I helped you escape from Liu Biao, and you were able to bring reinforcements? This is..."

Zhuge Liang then realized that he was being rude and quickly introduced himself:

“This is my new friend from Fancheng, Gan Ning Gan Xingba, from Ba County.

Liu Jingzhou is not clear about rewards and punishments, and he is frustrated there. He is willing to come to Yuzhang together to make achievements, kill the bandits and serve the country. "

When Zhuge Jin heard that it was Gan Ning, his eyes lit up. It was an unexpected surprise.

The second brother is really something. He even brought Gan Ning here without saying anything?! Their life trajectories should not have much in common.

For a moment, Zhuge Jin almost doubted whether his second brother was also a time traveler?
Fortunately, he recalled the letters between his second brother and him and ruled out this possibility.

Zhuge Jin asked hurriedly, "Brother Gan..., what is your current position? To be honest, I am only a lieutenant now, and I cannot offer you a high position. If you don't mind, let's work together to serve the country and get a title for our wife and children."

Gan Ning cupped his hands and said, "It's OK. I was originally with Liu Yan and Liu Biao, and I only served as a county magistrate, Qujun Hou, and military commander.

I have always liked to associate with people who are clear about gratitude and resentment, and who are fair in rewards and punishments. The rank of an official is not important to me."

Zhuge Jin was stunned when he heard this and wanted to explain a few words.

But on second thought, it must be that the second brother had said a lot of nice things to deceive Gan Ning along the way, causing the other party to think that he was some kind of "wise leader".

In this case, I'd better keep my words to myself to avoid being inconsistent with my second brother's preset propaganda.

We'll talk about the rest after this battle, when we go back and reconcile our statements.

Zhuge Jin smiled heartily and bowed to Gan Ning, "Since that's the case, I won't say much. Xingba is really open and generous.

Let me introduce you, this is Chen Dao, Chen Shuzhi, a subordinate of General Zhengnan, who is leading 2,000 soldiers with me to Yuzhang to reinforce my uncle."

After the main generals got to know each other, Zhuge Jin went straight to the point: "Our army arrived almost a day earlier than you, so we have roughly inquired about the surrounding enemy forces and contacted the patrol boats sent by Yunchang.

This place is northwest of Pengze County. A dozen miles further south is the county town. There are about one to two thousand bandit soldiers in the town - this is just a rough estimate.

The only heavily defended place within a hundred miles is Chaisang County upstream, which you passed at dawn today. There are at least five thousand defenders.

According to the military intelligence conveyed by Yunchang's scouts, the bandit Zuo Rong now has 50,000 to 60,000 people, including about 10,000 regular county soldiers with experience in battle, and at least 10,000 fanatical Buddhists. The rest are ordinary civilians and a mob.

The main forces of the enemy were mainly stationed in three counties: Nanchang County, the county seat that controlled the Gan River, Haihun County that controlled the Xiu River, and Chaisang County at the mouth of the lake upstream of Pengli Lake.

Nanchang was garrisoned by Zuo Rong himself, with at least 20,000 men. Haihun County was not very important at first, but more than half a month ago, after Yunchang led the first batch of reinforcements to Xi'an, he deployed defenses along the Xiushui River and counterattacked, and had already captured two small counties along the Xiushui River. Zuo Rong had to withdraw heavy troops to guard against Yunchang, which resulted in the garrison in Haihun increasing several times.

The upper and lower reaches of Pengli Lake are Chaisang and Pengze. Zuo Rong was always on guard against rescue from Jiangxia, so he stationed a large number of troops in Chaisang.

As for Pengze County, where the Yangtze River flows out of Pengli Lake in the lower reaches, it was connected to the territory of Zu Lang, the bandit leader of Jing County. Zuo Rong seemed to have been on good terms with Zu Lang before, so he was not on guard.

We are short of troops now, and it is unlikely that we can attack Chaisang by force. So before you come, I have planned to take Pengze County to rest first. Then I will rest the soldiers and recover from the long expedition, and then make plans. Second brother, Xingba, what do you think? "

Zhuge Jin directly and systematically recounted the enemy situation that he had found out in advance because he arrived first.

Although Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning were new here, after hearing such a detailed explanation, they had some intuitive understanding.

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but be curious: "Brother, you only arrived one day earlier than us, how could you find out so much information? Even if the relevant captain's scouts helped you, your fleet cruised on the Pengli Lake for a whole day, but it didn't attract the vigilance and interception of Zuo Rong's army?"

Zhuge Jin smiled calmly: "Have you forgotten that when you first met me, I was flying the banner of Yuan Shu's army.

The enemy situation around Pengli Lake is complicated. There is Huang Zu in the west, Zu Lang in the east, Zuo Rong in the south, and Liu Xun of Lujiang in the north.

When I was in Guangling, I found out that Liu Xun's naval commander was named Zhang Duo. He was originally a Chaohu bandit and was cowardly and unwilling to fight to the death. When I helped Lord Xuande to capture Guangling City, he and Liu Ye fled without a fight.

Now Zhang Duo only dares to station at Ruxukou and Wankou, and rarely patrols Pengli Lake. Occasionally, I fly Yuan Shu's flag and sail on the north bank, and Zuo Rong's city defense troops dare not spy on me, for fear of friction with Yuan Shu. "

When Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning heard this important news, they both nodded.

Zhuge Liang, in particular, although he had not yet engaged in actual combat, was already keenly aware that such a complex relationship between the enemy and us was indeed suitable for sneak attacks and pressure.

Because when an unfamiliar force suddenly appears in the surrounding area, you have to consider where they come from and whether they are an enemy or a friend, and you cannot overreact.

After the two brothers went around and understood the situation thoroughly, Zhuge Jin also wanted to test his younger brother, so he asked bluntly:
"Aliang, you said in your last letter that you have made up for the study of Sun Tzu and Wu Tzu with Mr. Shuijing and Mr. Pang Degong in the past two years. Now that we have informed you of the enemy situation around us, tell me, if you are the one to fight this battle, how will you take over Pengze County first to rest?"

Zhuge Liang knew that his elder brother must be confident. After all, his elder brother had already won two battles for the General of the Southern Expedition in Guangling County. This time he was just testing him.

Zhuge Liang wanted to prove himself, so he thought about it seriously and suggested: "The combined strength of my elder brother and Xingba is more than 3,000 people, at least twice as many as the garrison of Pengze County.

The Art of War states that if you surround the enemy out of ten, you should attack them out of five. It is still a bit difficult to attack by force, but the key to this battle is to conquer the enemy's heart first.

The reason why Zuo Rong was able to deceive and coerce so many people was that he was trusted by three governors of three counties, Zhao Yu, Xue Li and Zhu Hao, and he was so powerful that he could dominate others.

Including the fact that he defeated his uncle last year, wasn't it because of Zhu Hao's influence? But now the situation is different.

My uncle has already been granted the title by the imperial court, and Zuo Rong has killed his master three times, so his loyalty has been lost. It would be best if we can use our power to win over his heart and force him to surrender."

Zhuge Jin did not express any opinions, but just listened quietly to what his second brother said.

He has always been worried that Zhuge Liang, who made his debut ten years earlier than in history, might have lost some of his edge due to his lack of maturity.

Even though I tried my best to inspire him and trained him in an all-round immersive way for three months before his debut, it was still far inferior to ten years of self-study.

It now seems that Zhuge Liang's basic military tactics and vision have been established, but he still lacks practical experience.

Then he would give his second brother a chance, and then he would help him out and let him practice as soon as possible.

Ensure that after the "Yu Zhang Copy" is completed, Zhuge Liang can basically reach 80% to 90% of his historical strength when he came out ten years later.

After careful consideration, Zhuge Jin suggested: "Since this is the case, why don't we give it a try? We will go to Pengze County and make a big show to boost our military power.

Then use force to intimidate, convince people with reason, take out the emperor's edict, and see if you can persuade them to surrender - Aliang, do you want to try it yourself? I'll let Shuzhi send out scolding men and shield bearers to protect you.

Don't worry, with my uncle here, the enemy won't dare to rush in and open the city gate. You'll be absolutely safe if you stay out of the arrows' range."

Zhuge Liang was also a little nervous, but more of an anticipation.

"Don't worry, big brother. I'll go and try it right away. This way, our army won't have to waste time and materials, and we can set up a siege camp right away.

If I succeed, the army can directly enter the city and station there, wouldn't that be wonderful? It's too muddy to talk for long here, I'll go to the county government office tonight and tell you about my experiences in the past few years."

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PS: This is the first of four updates tonight, but it is still free. There are still a few minutes until 12 o'clock.

After this is released, I will release a statement of thanks in a few minutes.

After 12 o'clock, I will try to release the third chapter of words as soon as possible. However, if there is a system lag in the backend, it may be a few minutes slower, so it depends on the actual situation.

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I'd like to add one more thing: my remarks on the listing were blocked. I don't know why. Maybe I mentioned some historical figures or something, or I was too blunt.

So, I can only upload the VIP chapters first.

(End of this chapter)