My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 688: Yu Jin surrenders, Cao's camp is shaken

Chapter 688: Yu Jin surrenders, Cao's camp is shaken

The 13th year of Jian'an, the 19th day of the 12th lunar month.

This was the third day after Cao Ren broke out of Fancheng in the snow, and two days after Guan Yu captured Fancheng.

Early yesterday morning, Zhang Fei finally gave up pursuing Cao Ren's troops about ten miles south of Xinye City and cautiously withdrew his troops.

After more than a day of slow march, we finally returned to Fancheng safely.

"Yide has been working hard for the country and has sacrificed his life for it. My lord, with you and Yunchang working together, there is no need to worry about the prosperity of the Han Dynasty."

Zhuge Jin also went out of the city to greet him as soon as possible, giving Zhang Fei enough face. After a few polite words, he personally served three bowls of wine to welcome Zhang Fei.

A large amount of wine and meat were also arranged to comfort the soldiers who had experienced the bloody battle.

Zhang Fei took the wine from Zhuge Jin and drank it in three gulps, looking like he was drinking in a hurry and anxiously.

After putting down the bowl, he looked around for a few times before grabbing Zhuge Jin's arm and shaking it gently: "Where's the second brother? Is he recovering well?"

Zhuge Jin gently pushed Zhang Fei's hand with his fan bone and said to him in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, Yide. Yunchang just took some healing medicine and has been quite sleepy these past two days. I won't come to pick you up. This way your injury will heal faster."

Zhang Fei was completely relieved after hearing Zhuge Jin's personal account of Guan Yu's recent injury. "Hey, what's the big deal? I don't need my second brother to come and greet me. When can't we drink to celebrate a victory? It's right for him to recover from his injury. Thanks to Ziyu, we were able to stop my second brother."

Of course, Zhang Fei didn't want Guan Yu to come to the social event with an injury. How could a brother be so particular? But on the way back, Zhang Fei was still worried about this matter. Because he knew that Guan Yu was too particular about brotherhood and probably wouldn't take his own health seriously.

Unexpectedly, Tzuyu was actually very capable and managed to persuade her second brother to stop.

Apart from the eldest brother, there is also the Zhuge brothers. There should be no one else who can stop the second brother's decision.

But Zhang Fei had no idea that Guan Yu had also insisted on picking up his third brother.

Or maybe Zhuge Jin took into consideration that he had just undergone surgery for an arrow wound, had his arm flesh cut open and the bone scraped, and needed good recuperation, so he used a white lie to calm him down and let him sleep soundly in the government office.

Given the friendship between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, this "white lie" must have been very powerful in order to keep him stable.

Zhuge Jin felt that his eloquence was not good enough, so he wisely asked Wu Pu for help with some medicine - of course, what he borrowed was definitely not some knockout drug or anesthetic powder, but just some Chinese herbal medicine that could calm the nerves and help people sleep.

As Hua Tuo's disciple, Wu Pu had some skills. He knew that Situ was considering the general's recovery, so he kindly agreed to add some tranquilizing tonics to the daily soup to let Guan Yu have a good rest.

Zhang Fei actually suffered some minor injuries in the battle the day before. Thanks to his excellent breastplate and a full set of steel armor, he was mostly just skin and flesh wounds and minor internal injuries.

After entering the city, Zhuge Jin had a simple meal to fill his stomach, and then asked Wu Pu to check on Zhang Fei first.

Wu Pu examined the patient carefully and said that there was nothing serious. He prescribed some blood-dissolving ointments to treat internal injuries, as well as some tonics for conditioning, and that was all he needed.

Zhang Fei took the opportunity when Wu Pu was examining him to ask Zhuge Jin, who was waiting for the result, about the subsequent battle plan and whether he should immediately gather troops to the north to attack Xinye and expand the victory.

In response to Zhang Fei's eagerness to fight, Zhuge Jin slowed down his pace and patiently explained:

"Yide, don't be greedy for merit. You should recover from your injuries first and take it easy. Not to mention that you, Yunchang, and Zhongda are all injured. Although our army won the battle of Fancheng, we suffered heavy casualties.

If we only look at the number of people killed in the battle, it does not seem too tragic, but if we look closely at the composition, it is enough to be shocking.

Guo Jia used Fancheng as bait, knowing that the city would be captured, and he devised a desperate plan. Yunchang and Zhongda were both attacked, and although their lives were not in danger, their direct subordinates and confidants were killed and injured.

Although the time when Yunchang was trapped in the city wall and struggled to hold on was only a few cups of tea, Guo Jia's random crossbow shooting killed and injured many of Yunchang's swordsmen who were fighting to protect their master.

The Xianzhen Camp, which Zhongda had reorganized in recent years, was also cut off from reinforcement when Guo Jia dug holes in the ground to burn pillars and cut off the city walls. It was then counterattacked by Cao's elite troops, resulting in heavy casualties.

Although these losses are not impossible to make up, many of the general's trusted troops were killed or wounded in a short period of time. Even if new troops who showed courage and perseverance were promoted to replace them, it would be inevitable that the general would not know his soldiers and the soldiers would not know their general.

There will be problems in sending and receiving military orders and in carrying them out, so we still need to rest and adjust. Anyway, Fancheng has been captured, so Xinye is not important. Our army should wait until we can recover our combat power and take Wancheng in one go, then it will not be too late to go north.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and it’s almost the end of the year, and the weather is freezing cold, so it’s really not appropriate to start a war right away.”

Zhuge Jin's analysis was very thorough and completely convincing.

Zhang Fei let Wu Pu treat his minor injuries while he listened carefully and did not question any more.

After all, Zhang Fei had no clear understanding of the scale of the losses of Guan Yu and Gao Shun's direct troops. Zhuge Jin's previous letter was hasty and only mentioned the injuries of Guan Yu and Gao Shun.

Now that he is back and has observed his own losses up close, Zhang Fei has a new assessment.

He knew very well that if the army was to be combat-effective, the coordination of the core members and the leading role of the backbone members were extremely important.

Once the loss of close and direct troops increases, even if the replacements have sufficient combat skills, martial arts, physical fitness and combat experience, it is still necessary to re-integrate, slowly reward and win over the hearts of the people in order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Zhuge Jin's words especially reminded Zhang Fei of the cavalry he led to chase Cao Ren the day before yesterday, and many of his own guards were killed and wounded. Although they were only a few hundred people, they were all Zhang Fei's troops. If he wanted to restore his combat effectiveness, he had to reorganize them.

The New Year is almost here, so let's reorganize and replenish our troops as soon as possible, and take advantage of the opportunity of year-end rewards to boost military morale.

Let’s talk about the pursuit after the New Year.

Since he didn't have to worry about the war for the time being and could just celebrate the New Year with peace of mind, Zhang Fei couldn't help but think of his elder brother Liu Bei.

Did the eldest brother know that the second brother was injured by a crossbow? Or did Situ keep it a secret from the eldest brother for the time being, hoping to wait until the second brother's condition gets better before telling him? To avoid the eldest brother worrying?

With the eldest brother's temper, if he knew that his brothers were injured, he would definitely come here in person, and no one would be able to stop him.

With this doubt, Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask softly: "Ziyu, have you reported the injuries of my second brother and Zhongda to the lord?"

Zhuge Jin had indeed not reported yet, and he immediately explained:
"I am not hiding it from the lord, I just delayed it for two or three days. You know the lord's temper. If he heard about it, he would definitely come to Fancheng.

Now our army has to take advantage of the New Year to reorganize and will not continue to advance north immediately. If the lord crosses the Han River and heads north, how much more waste will it cost?

So I plan to delay for two more days, and wait until Yu Jin of Xiangyang surrenders. Then you and Yunchang will go to Xiangyang to celebrate the New Year and recuperate. Then I will tell the lord, and the lord will go directly to Xiangyang.

Next year, when our army is reorganized and ready to attack Xinye and Wancheng, it will not be too late for you to cross the Han River again and head north, which will save you unnecessary trouble.

This Fancheng has gone through a bloody battle and a fierce attack, and there was so much killing when the city was finally breached. Now I am still instructing the soldiers to quickly search and bury the bodies, for fear that there is an epidemic in the city.

In contrast, although Xiangyang was attacked several times by you and Han Sheng, the city was basically not damaged. As long as Yu Jin surrenders, Xiangyang can be taken over completely at any time. My lord, you are worth a lot of money, so it is safer to spend the New Year in Xiangyang."

Zhang Fei was a little disappointed at first, and he obviously felt that Ziyu was preventing his elder brother from caring about his brothers. But when he heard that Xiangyang would be taken over soon, he immediately turned his anger into joy, and the little thing just now was nothing.

"Oh? Xiangyang can finally open the city and surrender? Ziyu, are you so sure? How long will the negotiations take?" Zhang Fei couldn't help asking.

"It's just these few days. Anyway, you can celebrate the New Year in Xiangyang City!" Zhuge Jin did not brag, but spoke calmly and realistically.

……

Zhuge Jin certainly keeps his word.

Early the next morning after Zhang Fei was settled, at the ferry crossing of the South Water Gate of Fancheng, a well-organized fleet of warships crossed the Han River and headed south to the North Water Gate Pier of Xiangyang City on the opposite bank.

The purpose of the fleet's trip, of course, was to safely deliver Deng Zhi, the envoy responsible for persuading Yu Jin to surrender, to Xiangyang.

Zhuge Jin was not the kind of person who would endure hardship without any effort, and he did not like to do anything fancy like "a small boat with a leaf".

Since there is the condition to send more escort troops to strengthen the momentum of the envoys who are trying to persuade them to surrender, why not send them?
More escort troops can further deter Yu Jin and make him not hesitate any more. In this case, there is no need to force the difficulty just for the so-called "grace" of the lobbyists.

Deng Zhi had originally dreamed of "a small boat and a silver tongue to persuade the enemy to surrender", but it was unfortunately ruined by his boss, so he couldn't pretend to be too elegant.

What he does today will at most be mentioned as a few words of merit in official history in the future, but it is impossible for him to be selected as a joke in "A New Account of Tales of the World".

Deng Zhi's fleet appeared on the Han River in a show of force, and Yu Jin in Xiangyang City of course immediately received the news.

Yu Jin, who had not received any news from the outside world for a month or two, rode his horse at full speed in confusion and arrived at the North Water Gate of Xiangyang City, where he climbed up to look out in person.

"Guan Yu's navy suddenly arrived. Could it be that Fancheng has really already... or is it that Zhuge Jin can't wait any longer and is using trickery to bluff me into making up my mind sooner?"

Yu Jin was slightly shocked when he saw the enemy fleet in front of him, and couldn't help wondering what was going on. In the past month, Yu Jin occasionally climbed up to look and saw the flash of fire far away on the north bank. But the distance was too far to see directly, so it was difficult to make a conclusion.

In recent days, the enemy has been quiet. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm whether they have really captured Fancheng or are temporarily unable to fight.

Yu Jin watched solemnly for a while. As the enemy ships got closer, some of his hawkish generals reminded him whether to shoot.

Yu Jin was still very clear-headed about this kind of major issue, and quickly stopped his men from acting impulsively:
"What arrows are you shooting? We are not allowed to shoot arrows until the enemy shoots them! Maybe Zhuge Jin just sent another messenger."

Just kidding, he had already secretly reached an agreement with Deng Zhi before. As long as Fancheng was lost, he would be "isolated and helpless" and would be willing to surrender on some pretext. At the same time, he hoped that Liu Bei's army would not make a fuss for the time being.

However, the situation is not completely clear yet, and some of Yu Jin's hawkish generals are difficult to completely purge, and they also need these shields, so they continue to pretend to be compliant and drag it out. Now that it has come to this, how can we let the hawkish people ruin the big things?
Yu Jin still had some authority to subdue his subordinates, so Deng Zhi didn't even need to use the banner of an envoy this time. He just came to the outside of Beishuimen on a single boat in a dignified manner.

After a brief negotiation, Yu Jin opened the door, but only allowed this one ship to come in.

Deng Zhi was also very trustworthy and did not let the subsequent ships follow in the chaos. There was no need for that.

Yu Jin didn't want to add to the drama and was too lazy to go back to the shogunate to meet Deng Zhi again. He simply cleared out the top floor of the tower at the north gate of Xiangyang and casually placed a few tables for the reception.

Deng Zhi was quickly brought before Yu Jin, who bowed to him neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Yu Jin sat upright and asked solemnly, "Mr. Bo Miao, what advice do you have for me? You are not trying to tell me that your army has taken Fancheng, are you?"

Yu Jin said this to show his supporters. For the sake of his family, he had to show his unyielding loyalty to the end. At the same time, he could also take the opportunity to test the reactions of the crowd.

Deng Zhi did not speak immediately, but glanced around briefly.

Upon seeing this, Yu Jin thought that he wanted to dismiss his attendants, and was raising his hand to signal his generals and guards to leave.

Unexpectedly, Deng Zhi suddenly set him up, raising his hand first and saying, "No problem! I have no other intention in this trip, but I heard that when General Yu was in Cao's camp, he had a good personal relationship with many of Cao's advisers and staff.

Now, an old friend of General Yu has died at the hands of our army. I am here on the orders of the Minister of War to ask General Yu to look at something. If General Yu wants to pay his respects, he is free to do so."

Yu Jin's face suddenly changed color and he stood up: "Sir, you are not trying to say that Cao Zixiao has died in the city, are you?"

Deng Zhi remained calm as he took a scented wooden box wrapped in brocade from his attendant, untied the brocade and pushed it forward.

He said calmly, "Words are not enough. General Yu, you should read it yourself. You will know after you read it."

Deng Zhi pushed the wooden box two steps in front of him and stopped moving.

This was a bit rude in a formal negotiation. The two were more than ten feet apart, how could Yu Jin see clearly? The normal procedure should be to hand the box to Yu Jin's attendant, who would then take it to Yu Jin's desk.

But Deng Zhi needed to put further pressure on Cao's generals at this time, so naturally he had to adopt a cold and rude attitude.

Yu Jin's attendant was about to run over to pick up the box, but was stopped by Yu Jin. Then he stood up himself, walked to Deng Zhi's desk, and looked down at the contents of the box.

"Guo Fengxiao? Even he... So, Fancheng has really changed hands? I wonder what the whereabouts of General Cao Ren is."

Yu Jin screamed in shock, and those around him were also horrified.

Guo Jia actually died in Fancheng? How much loss did Cao's army suffer? How badly did they lose?
The moment he heard Yu Jin recognize Guo Jia, even the most diehard and hawkish Cao general in Xiangyang City became completely intimidated.

"Of course Fancheng has changed hands - last month, Situ used a trick to sail on dry land and secretly led our navy across the Baihe River, beheaded Zhuge Qian, defeated Cai Mao, and cut off the enemy's food supply in Fancheng.

Cao Ren was trapped for more than a month, and the people were in panic. He had no choice but to follow Guo Jia's plan and break out and return to Xinye when the Baihe River was frozen on a snowy night.

However, how could Guo Jia's little trick be hidden from Situ? When Cao Ren broke out, he was chased by the Right General with more than 10,000 cavalrymen and was defeated. Unfortunately, Cao Ren's body has not been found in the chaos. Perhaps he took advantage of the chaos to change the uniforms of the soldiers and wanted to escape.

As for Fancheng, where Guo Jia was staying, it was also captured by General Wei with one blow, and tens of thousands of Cao's troops were destroyed within two days!"

Deng Zhi was not stupid enough to tell the truth directly in response to Jin's surprised question.

At times like this, it would be a waste if you don't brag a little.

Guo Jia’s head is placed here, this is solid evidence.

Based on this solid evidence, and adding some minor details from the Spring and Autumn period, what is there to be modest about?
Besides, Deng Zhi's words were not a lie. Cao Ren was indeed defeated, and his body was not found in the army. Based on this, it seems reasonable to say that Cao Ren was defeated so badly that he was almost destroyed.

As for the fact that Guan Yu, Gao Shun, and Zhang Fei were also injured in the fierce battle, and Liu Bei's army also suffered heavy losses... there is no need to mention these.

It’s not that Deng Zhi was lying, but Yu Jin didn’t ask in the first place, so he simply omitted the question.

Anyway, Deng Zhi did not lie. When Yu Jin defected to Liu Bei's side in the future and the truth came out, Deng Zhi could not be accused of lying.

He just disclosed selectively.

Deng Zhi's nonchalant propaganda frightened Yu Jin and other generals.

"Cao Ren was defeated so miserably? The troops in Fancheng were almost wiped out, right? At least 70% to 80% of them were killed. Those who stayed behind to defend the city must have been killed, and those who broke out were probably also killed..."

Yu Jin thought so secretly and imagined Cao Ren's miserable situation in his mind.

At this point, the follow-up is actually a foregone conclusion. Even the most die-hard hawks would be shocked by the bad news.

Yu Jin no longer had to hide the truth from his subordinates like he did last time. He simply bowed to Deng Zhi and said:
“Situ was a master of strategy, and General Guan was feared throughout China. Jin was defeated by the two of them and fell into the predicament he is in today. There is nothing I can say.

But Cao Cao has always been very strict with his subordinates, so I would like to ask Mr. Bo Miao to convey that I hope your army will try its best not to let our families in the rear be implicated."

Having said that, Deng Zhi was finally relieved.

He took the opportunity to observe the reactions of those around Yu Jin. Seeing that no one dared to speak out, Deng Zhi could make it clear:

"General Yu is able to understand the current situation, so the Minister of Internal Affairs will not make things difficult for you. Your army only needs to open the north gate of Xiangyang and restrain the troops, allowing our army to enter.

After you are captured, you will not be forced to join the army, nor will you be sent to the front lines of Xinye and Wancheng to humiliate Cao Cao. Situ will take care of the specific treatment."

Deng Zhi didn't want to make it too clear, and Zhuge Jin had also told him that he didn't need to make it too clear unless necessary.

If the intention of the superior is unknowable, then his power is unfathomable.

What Yu Jin had to do was to trust Situ's operation unconditionally. Situ's operation was also fully authorized by the Grand Commandant Liu Bei, and the people below only had to execute it.

This is also the first thing Yu Jin should adapt to after switching identities.

Yu Jin thought for a while, sighed, and ordered the defense of Xiangyang North Water Gate to be transferred, and ordered all troops to return to the camp and not to move rashly.

An hour later, Deng Zhi led Huang Zhong's fleet, entered the north gate, and took over the city tower, city gate and dock.

The people and officials in Xiangyang City didn’t even know what was happening.

It was not until they saw large groups of cavalrymen in different uniforms appear on the long street and seize control of the government treasury and the headquarters of the General Zhennan that they realized that the city of Xiangyang had changed hands.

"Did Lord Xuande's troops attack the gate by surprise, so Yu Jin gave up the resistance?"

There were still many officials and civilians in Xiangyang City who were loyal to Liu Bei and missed the rule of Liu Biao. When they saw Huang Zhong's cavalry appear, many of them felt complicated.

In any case, the arrangements made by Zhuge Jin and Deng Zhi were excellent and benevolent, ensuring the peaceful takeover of Xiangyang while leaving enough face for the surrendered generals.

After the fall of Xiangyang City, Zhuge Jin immediately put on a full show and even sent spies in the army to spread rumors in the direction of Xinye and Wancheng.

It only says that "only three or four days after Fancheng was captured, Cao's army in Xiangyang was shocked to hear the news of Fancheng's incident and the people were in panic. Some of Liu Biao's old generals were frightened by the righteousness of the royal army to suppress the rebellion and took the initiative to surrender. The rest of Cao's army was stubborn and some died or were captured, and they all collapsed."

There is no doubt that the news spread by Zhuge Jin gave Yu Jin enough face. He did not tell the public whether Yu Jin surrendered or not, but only said that the loss of Xiangyang was not his responsibility.

The tragic news of the fall of Xiangyang and the tragic news of the fall of Fancheng three days ago reached Wancheng almost at the same time.

Cao Cao, who was in Wancheng, naturally couldn't avoid experiencing another extreme headache.

(End of this chapter)

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