My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 691 Liu Bei Enters Xiangyang

Some are happy and some are sad.

Just when Xudu was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, it was also the New Year of the 14th year of Jian'an, and the city of Xiangyang was decorated with lights and colors for a few days.

Xiangyang City was officially taken over by Huang Zhong on the 21st day of the twelfth lunar month.

However, in order to protect Yu Jin and let other captured enemy generals surrender with peace of mind, Zhuge Jin needed to put on a show and let some of the stubborn Cao troops who were kept in the dark break through and bring back false news to Cao Ren.

All this work took a day or two. Finally, on the 24th, we took over the entire city smoothly and restored order in the city.

After doing all this, on the 26th, Zhuge Jin ordered the generals who needed recuperation, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Gao Shun, to be relocated back to Xiangyang one after another.

At the same time, he finally officially sent a messenger to inform Liu Bei in Yicheng about the injuries of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and told Liu Bei that both of them had been treated and had no problems, and they just needed to continue to recuperate.

The Zhennan General's headquarters originally left by Liu Biao in Xiangyang City was also cleaned up again and urgently rearranged.

Throw out all the things that Cao Ren brought when he occupied the city, and restore it to the way it was before Liu Biao was alive. Then Guan Yu, Gao Shun and others can move in to recuperate.

The decoration and furnishings are actually not important, and it is not Zhuge Jin's turn to take care of such trivial matters.

But what Zhuge Jin cared about was the symbolic meaning behind this matter. He hoped to leave a subtle impression on the old people in Jingzhou.
That is, "Cao Cao came to Xiangyang as a destroyer. Liu Bei returned to Xiangyang to avenge his brother, to uphold justice for his nephew, and to restore order."

These details were more or less helpful for Liu Bei to quickly and thoroughly gain control of the hearts of the people in northern Jing.

What are we trying to achieve by going through wind and rain? Not just personal glory and wealth, but mainly to save the Han people faster and better.

The messenger sent by Zhuge Jin arrived in Yicheng on the same day. The next day, the 27th, Liu Bei arrived in Xiangyang early in the morning with a group of cavalry escorts led by Chen Dao to meet Ziyu and his second and third brothers.

Liu Bei and his entourage arrived early the next morning. He came on horseback instead of taking a car, which gave off a strong military vibe.

With Liu Bei's martial arts and horsemanship, he could definitely cover this distance in one day without having to wait until the next morning.

But Liu Bei specially brought Liu Qi with him this time. Liu Qi was weak, so Liu Bei had to take care of his frail nephew.

This is also very important. Liu Bei came to Xiangyang in the name of revenge for his brother and justice for his nephew. Now Xiangyang was finally recovered. If he did not bring his nephew with him when he entered the city for the first time, it would be easy for people all over the world to gossip about him.

Why not seek this kind of reputation that can be obtained at almost no cost?

Before arriving, Liu Bei even sent someone to take care of him, ordering Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to recover from their injuries and not to leave the city to welcome him. Only Zhuge Jin was allowed to meet him alone.

He knew his second and third brothers too well. If he didn't give the formal order in advance, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would definitely wait in the snow with their injured bodies.

Now that they had received the official order and Liu Qi's schedule was uncertain, Guan and Zhang had no choice but to give up. When Liu Bei arrived, only Zhuge Jin, with a group of guards and civil officials, was there to greet him.

Of course, five steps away from Zhuge Jin, there was a greeter standing who was beyond Liu Bei's expectations.

This man was dressed in cloth and had been disarmed. He stood respectfully with his hands hanging down, without even looking up at anyone. He was none other than the now extremely low-key surrendered general Yu Jin.

Liu Bei had very little contact with Yu Jin before, and only met him when Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian. At that time, Yu Jin also followed Cao's army and conquered several counties in Xuzhou, while Liu Bei went to rescue Tao Qian. When he helped defend Xiapi, he saw many generals of Cao's army.

But that was fourteen years ago. Even though an adult's appearance rarely changes, it is still very difficult to recognize someone you only met once or twice fourteen years ago.

However, Liu Bei once again demonstrated his extraordinary ability in employing and identifying people. Without Zhuge Jin notifying him in advance, he took a quick look at Yu Jin and quickly guessed his identity based on his clothes and attitude.

After Liu Bei dismounted and exchanged greetings with Zhuge Jin, he naturally turned to the side and calmly comforted him: "General Yu, it is a cause for celebration that you have abandoned evil and joined the light. In the future, we should work together to suppress the rebellion and revive the Han Dynasty, so as to live up to the name of a Han minister."

Yu Jin was stunned, and his first reaction was, "Zhuge Jin must have told Liu Bei in the letter that he would send Yu Jin to welcome him."

But Liu Bei seemed to have read Yu Jin's inner thoughts from his subtle changes in expression. He smiled openly and patted Yu Jin's arm:

"What is Wen Ze thinking about? Is he thinking about how Zi Yu mentioned you in the letter? In fact, Xiangyang has just been taken over, and Zi Yu has to be busy with many things, so how could he have time to mention these things! Could it be that Wen Ze has forgotten the past fourteen years ago..."

As Liu Bei spoke, he recalled a little and mentioned what he had seen and heard before and after the Battle of Xia Pi fourteen years ago.

Yu Jin was shocked. After a brief recollection, he was surprised to find that part of his experience in the Battle of Xuzhou fourteen years ago actually matched the memories mentioned by Liu Bei.

This was the first time that Yu Jin negotiated with Liu Bei in person. Originally, he did not understand why Liu Bei was so good at identifying and selecting the right people. But after seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears, he had to admit defeat.

"Liu Bei is so respectful to the wise and humble? He can remember so clearly an enemy general whom he only met once more than ten years ago and never spoke to? This is really... a gifted talent. His ability to use people is indeed not inferior to Cao Gong.

No wonder even though he has been traveling around the country for more than ten years, there are still so many people who follow him loyally and serve him wholeheartedly. If I had met Liu Bei when I was still a nobody, would I have been won over by him like I was loyal to Cao Gong..."

Yu Jin couldn't help but deduce this scenario in his heart.

Seeing that he was distracted, Liu Bei did not force him to express his opinion immediately. Instead, he said tolerantly that General Yu must have lost his composure because of his emotion.

So Liu Bei did not put pressure on him, and quickly turned around to greet the other civil and military officials in the team, including those old ministers of Liu Biao who had just followed Yu Jin to surrender.

Among them were Song Zhong of Zhangling, Han Song of Nanyang, and Liu Xian of Lingling. These were all great Confucian scholars under Liu Biao, or deputy governors in charge of foreign affairs, and many of them were known for their pro-Cao line.

However, these civil servants did not have any political achievements that actually offended Liu Bei, nor were they considered to be the deep-rooted clan bandit forces in Jingzhou, unlike the families of Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue.

Therefore, before the fall of Xiangyang City, they would not follow Cao Ren and Jia Xu to retreat to Hanbei and go down this path to the end.

The attitude of these people is "Although they don't want to follow Liu Bei first, if Liu Bei really has the ability to take Xiangyang and Nanyang, they are willing to cooperate with Liu Bei, in order to stay in their hometown and serve as officials in peace. Even if they are marginalized, they don't want to leave their hometown."

It is just like what Lu Su said to Sun Quan before the Battle of Chibi in original history: "If we surrender to Cao, we will just be handed over to our fellow villagers, and we will be promoted to higher positions so that we will not lose our prefectures and counties."

As long as these people admit their weakness, there are still some jobs for local officials. At most, they will be marginalized without good positions and real power.

Yu Jin stood there in a daze for a long time. When Liu Bei went to deal with other people and calmed down Song Zhong, Han Song and others, Yu Jin came to his senses and awkwardly bowed to Liu Bei's back, showing full courtesy.

……

After pacifying the surrendered ministers and generals, Liu Bei generously mounted his horse again and invited Zhuge Jin to ride into the city, with all the civil and military officials following behind him.

Zhuge Jin still had some sense and kept half a horse's length behind when riding.

Liu Qi, who had little presence, was half a horse's length behind Zhuge Jin and was riding quietly on the other side of Uncle Xuande.

The group soon arrived at the former Zhennan General's headquarters and Jingzhou Governor's Mansion.

Liu Bei dismounted and entered the room. He turned around and pulled Liu Qi by the hand, saying gently, "I heard that Ziyu has specially ordered people to restore this shogunate to the size it was when Brother Jingsheng was alive. My dear nephew used to live here. If you see anything wrong, just tell me. I will order people to take care of it."

Liu Qi was deeply moved after hearing this. Looking at his father's old residence, tears suddenly came down.

He wiped his eyes and said quickly: "Uncle is kind, fraternal, and trustworthy, which is rare in the world. The scale of this place is just like when my father was alive. Situ is also a trustworthy person in the world! I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart!"

There was a large group of surrendered officials watching nearby. Liu Bei felt that this was outrageous and hurried to help Liu Qi in public:

"Hey, nephew, get up! Why do you have to do this? I used to be a clan leader, and I should uphold justice when my Han relatives are bullied."

Liu Qi was weak, and when Liu Bei pulled him up, he stood up, and the matter was forgotten.

After everyone entered the mansion, Liu Bei allowed others to inform Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The three of them met in the courtyard. Zhang Fei's injuries were very minor, just some flesh wounds. He immediately rushed up, saluted and complained: "Brother, why do you still need to..."

Liu Bei did not let him finish and stopped him gently, "Third brother! Why are you so reckless? If you insist on going, how will Yunchang cope with it? Wouldn't he be the only one who can't leave because of his injury?"

If Yunchang forces himself to help the injured, what should Zhongda do? In this case, it is better to treat them equally. However, seeing that you have been listening to Ziyu's instructions these days, I will allow you to drink one more jar later. Yunchang's arm is injured, so he can't drink too much. "

Liu Bei suppressed Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's inner anxiety with just a few casual words.

Indeed, among the three generals, Gao Shun is the least distant and has the lowest official position. What's more, he is the most seriously injured. We can't let a man with a broken leg go out to meet the enemy, right?

Therefore, it would be better to let the two who were not so seriously injured not go out to greet the guests, so that they can serve as a foil for Gao Shun and appear less abrupt.

Liu Bei was such a good person, and considering Gao Shun, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had no resentment at all.

Since they were all family, these empty formalities were soon dropped. Liu Bei took Guan and Zhang back to the hall and sat down, and first asked about the injuries.

Guan and Zhang did not hide any details and told everything completely truthfully.

After hearing this, Liu Bei knew that Zhang Fei's minor injuries were nothing serious, so he carefully looked at Guan Yu's injuries through the bandages and listened to Zhuge Jin's recounting of the details of scraping the bones to treat the poison.

After listening, Liu Bei also sighed: "Yun Chang's courage is rare in the world. He can still play chess with such ease even when his bones are being scraped and his flesh is cut. This is unheard of in ancient and modern times." After listening, Guan Yu blushed and said: "It was Ziyu who let me play chess that day. Usually, when he plays chess with me, I know I will lose within fifty moves. But that day, he fought with me for hundreds of pieces. His repeated mistakes gave me hope. I was so engrossed that I forgot that I was being scraped by the sharp knife.

Who knew that just as Wu Pu said that the wound had been shaved, stitched, bandaged and applied, Zi Yu beat me with a ruthless move! Really..."

Guan Yu still feels aggrieved when he talks about that game of chess.

Since ancient times, there have been academic masters who control their grades to give their classmates hope of catching up and encourage them to work hard. But controlling grades to this extent is really too cowardly!
Liu Bei couldn't help laughing after hearing this, and turned to Zhuge Jin: "Zi Yu, you too... Yun Chang has already had his bones scraped, so what's the harm in letting him win a round!"

Zhuge Jin also laughed: "That won't work! He has never beaten me in his life. If he wins this time.

Next time he misses this kindness and gets injured again. Let the doctor play chess with me while healing. Should I let him play chess with me or not?
So it’s better not to open this hole. It’s better for Yunchang to be careful in the future and never get hurt again.”

When Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help laughing. The depressing atmosphere caused by his brother's injury was completely swept away, and everyone laughed it off.

Being able to beat Zhuge Situ in chess is considered an honor in this world and is very valuable.

Zhuge Situ usually didn't play chess with anyone casually. Among the people he was willing to play with, only his second brother Zhuge Liang could beat him. Others who were too good at chess were generally not qualified to play with Zhuge Jin, so he would not challenge them.

Anyone who is high enough to force Zhuge Jin to play chess with him cannot beat Zhuge Jin. Anyone who can beat Zhuge Jin is not qualified to force Zhuge Jin to play chess.

Therefore, we cannot let Guan Yu reap the benefits just because he is injured!

But this kind of train of thought can only be understood by people who have a very close relationship.

Generally speaking, those who appear to be brothers need to be hypocritical and polite, so it is impossible for them to make such a joke.

Feeling the harmonious upper-level atmosphere within the group, the welcoming banquet for Liu Bei soon began.

Guan Yu was injured, so there wasn't much wine in front of him, but all the other meats and vegetables were available. Liu Bei, Zhuge Jin, and Zhang Fei ate and drank whatever they wanted.

After three rounds of drinks, Liu Bei also asked Zhuge Jin about the next battle plan and rhythm against Cao Cao, and asked Zhuge Jin to calculate when they could expand the offensive again and to what extent they should fight at least.

Zhuge Jin had actually thought about this question a long time ago, and he didn't need to wait for Liu Bei to arrive before preparing. So he could immediately blurt out:

"The New Year is coming to an end. Before Cao Ren retreated, he blocked the channel at the mouth of the Baihe River with reefs. It would take more than half a month to clear it again and ensure that the large naval ships in the Han River can pass safely.

Fortunately, the end of December and the first month of the lunar calendar are the slack seasons for farming, the water level of the Baihe River is relatively low during the dry season, and it is just right for doing this.

Our army can mobilize auxiliary troops to focus on remediation, and then restore the previously excavated water storage depressions in the middle reaches of the Baihe River to their original state, and dismantle the water-blocking cofferdams.

After finishing all this, it will be almost spring ploughing in February. Northern Jing has just been settled. Last year's war left much of the area around Xiangfan in ruins. Since our army has waited so long, it doesn't matter if we wait another month and a half.

I thought that by the end of the busy spring farming season, which would be early April, we could continue to advance northward and attack Wancheng.

Before that, if the enemy in Xinye is weak and they want to retreat, then our army can adapt to the situation and slightly advance the attack time. For example, with a small number of troops, we can use Xinye as a springboard at the end of March and attack Wancheng as usual in April. "

Liu Bei listened, nodded silently, and recalled the doctor's advice that Guan Yu had just relayed to him. He checked the time and then smiled and said:

"That's perfect. Wu Pu told Yunchang to rest for a hundred days and not to move easily. Zhongda wants him to rest even longer. If it's delayed until the beginning of April, it won't be exactly a hundred days."

Liu Bei finished his calculations by talking to himself, then turned to Guan Yu and raised the wine cup in his hand: "Yun Chang, when the time comes, you will still be the one to capture Wancheng. No one will take away the credit. How do you think?"

Guan Yu was very moved when he heard this, and said quickly: "If we can march north faster, how can we miss the opportunity because of my injury... It doesn't matter who took Wancheng, our army has already taken Xiang and Fan, and we don't need this little military achievement!"

When Guan Yu said this, it was from the bottom of his heart.

He really doesn't need this little bit of merit now. He is already a general of the Wei army, and he has conquered Xiang and Fan. How many military merits are there in the world that can make him so excited that he must fight for them?
There are only a few targets such as Xudu, Luoyang, Chang'an, and Yecheng that are more valuable than Xiangyang. For Guan Yu, the others are dispensable. He should focus on the overall situation and not care about personal merit.

Liu Bei comforted him: "Zi Yu will not deliberately change the deployment plan for your military achievements. He said that the beginning of April is the most appropriate, and he must have considered it thoroughly. What are you worried about?

Anyway, we have to stop for at least one or two months in the cold winter, so we don’t mind stopping for another month. Now there is no chance for a surprise attack, and Cao thieves can’t make much preparations in this short time. "

Guan Yu blushed upon hearing this. Fortunately, his face was already red, so there was no obvious change. He then picked up the wine cup again, left the table, greeted Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin, and drank a cup each.

Liu Bei accepted it calmly and finished drinking it while sitting down. Zhuge Jin stood up and returned the greeting before drinking.

Guan Yu calmly accepted the subsequent arrangements, but Zhang Fei was a little impatient. After finally waiting for his second brother to calm down, he quickly followed up on the topic of his eldest brother and Ziyu and asked:

"Brother! Second brother needs to rest for a hundred days, which is what he deserves. But my minor injury will heal soon! I will definitely be able to go into battle after the New Year! While Second brother is recovering, you have to find something for me to do. Cao Ren was recently defeated, and if our army pursues him as soon as possible, we will definitely be able to expand our victory. We must not miss this opportunity!"

Liu Bei pretended to be serious and scolded with a smile: "Ziyu has explained it so clearly, there is no need to rush. I will naturally give you a chance when the time comes. As for the specific arrangements, don't ask me, just do whatever Ziyu says."

Zhang Fei heard this and quickly brought the wine back to try to please Zhuge Jin: "Zi Yu, tell me what job you are going to assign to me."

Zhuge Jin smiled and said, "I have made it very clear just now. Northern Jing has just been damaged by the war, and next year's spring ploughing must not be delayed.

Moreover, Xiang and Fan have just been pacified, and the lord also needs to take charge in person to win over the hearts of Liu Biao's old subordinates. These things would normally take several months, so why rush?

It's not that you're in a hurry to fight. I have thought of a job for you, but it doesn't involve going directly north from Xiang and Fan. I need you to lead the troops somewhere else to support a pincer attack. If you are willing to be transferred, I will let you lead the troops.

My original intention was to hope that Zhongda would accept this mission. Zhongda was also good at attacking strongholds, but unfortunately he broke his leg in the Battle of Fancheng.

In addition, as the Qinling Mountains were covered with snow in winter, the threat to Hanzhong from Guanzhong and Shangluo was greatly reduced, and the number of troops needed to garrison Hanzhong was also reduced. Previously, Wei Yan and Wang Ping were needed to guard Hanzhong together, but now one of them can be dispatched to lead troops down the Han River to help in the battle.

I originally thought of letting Wenchang be Zhongda's deputy general. If you insist on going, let Wenchang be your deputy general. You two cooperated well in Bazhong and Hanzhong."

When Zhang Fei heard this, he didn't bother to ask how Zhuge Jin was going to transfer him or which front he was going to go to, and he agreed immediately:
"That's perfect. I can do what Zhongda can do. Wenchang has been with me for many years. We worked together to defeat Changsha in Jingnan. Later, he followed me to Sichuan to fight Xiahou Yuan. He is already very familiar with it. Ziyu, just tell me where you want me to be transferred to."

Zhuge Jin asked someone to bring a map, and then pointed to the map and said: "The two counties of Jiangxia and Zhangling originally passed through the Xinyang Valley Road, crossed the Tongbai Mountain, and connected to Runan.

After our army captures Xinye in the future, the key obstacle to threatening Xudu will be crossing the Tongbai Mountain.

Although Tongbai Mountain is not as high and steep as Funiushan Mountain, and the pass of Tongbai Mountain in Fangxian County is not as strategic as the three passes in the south of Luo, if our army attacks head-on along the road of Bowang, Fangxian, and Yexian County, and Cao's army holds on, it will be easy to drag on for days and months and turn it into a war of attrition.

But the advantage of our army is that the part of Runan County south of the Huai River is also under our control.

Originally, if we went north from Runan County to harass Xudu, we would easily be isolated and deep in the enemy's territory and be cut off. But if our army took over Xinye, Bowang and other places in the future, the situation would be completely different.

We don't have to count on the troops heading north along the Ru River to attack Xu Du directly. As long as this detachment can advance northwest along the north side of Tongbai Mountain and cut off the communication between the Yexian-Bowang defenders and Xu Du, we can cut off the enemy's retreat.

Therefore, if Cao wanted to avoid this situation, he had to station heavy troops in layers on the Ruying Plain to protect the rear of the defenders on the Tongbai Mountain defense line.

After a series of defeats in northern Jing, Cao's army lost more than 100,000 men and was already stretched to the limit. By then, he would have no spare strength left in Nanyang County.

If it really comes to that, Cao Cao will have to withdraw all the troops south of Tongbai Mountain and reinforce the troops north of Tongbai Mountain. Our army will be able to take Wancheng easily.

Therefore, as long as you go to Runan, and then cooperate with the attack along the Ru River, threaten the rear of Cao's Tongbai Mountain defense line, and force them to shrink and retreat, you will be the first to break Wancheng and seize the entire Nanyang territory. "

Zhuge Jin easily deduced the subsequent strategic prospects. After Liu, Guan and Zhang deeply understood it, they also felt that this plan was completely feasible and it was a great plan that would not be leaked.

In other words, the reason why Zhuge Jin dared to reveal the entire plan so long in advance without fear of leaks was entirely because he knew that Liu Bei's camp already had the hard power to implement this plan.

Even if Cao Cao knew, he would not be able to resist given his current lack of troops after a series of defeats.

The gap in overall hard power between Cao and Liu has begun to emerge.

The book data of Cao being strong and Liu being weak has been reversed after the change of ownership of Jingbei.

Before dividing up Liu Biao's inheritance, Cao Cao's account figures for Liu Bei were approximately 5.5 to 4.5.

After the bargaining chip of Jingbei was returned, the population and effective arable land of both sides became exactly 50-50.

Liu Bei also had the advantage of industrial production capacity and the ability to grow double-season rice in some rice-producing areas in the south.

So even if the population and arable land are equal, Liu Bei's weapons and food production capacity are obviously much higher than Cao Cao's.

The handicraft productivity of both sides can actually reach 30:70, with Liu Bei accounting for 70.

The grain production was 40% and 60% respectively, with Liu Bei getting 60%.

It's just that the population and the number of soldiers are 50-50.

After digesting the territories of Liu Zhang and Liu Biao and sorting out the internal affairs, Liu Bei could consider a full-scale northern expedition.

(End of this chapter)