My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 770 Who can beat Zhuge in a game of tug-of-war?
Zhuge Jin was discussing military intelligence with Zhou Yu when he suddenly heard that his own spies had sent an urgent secret report from the east. He was too lazy to make blind guesses.

Zhuge Jin naturally turned to Zhou Yu and said with a smile: "Gongjin, why don't we take a look at the secret report from the front and discuss it later? Maybe this information can solve a lot of our doubts and save us from blind guessing."

Zhou Yu naturally had no objection and directly expressed his willingness to follow the arrangements.

Soon, a staff member in charge of spy work came to the central military tent and handed a bamboo tube to Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin opened the letter and read it in front of him, then asked a few questions in a low voice, then waved his hand to signal the other party to leave temporarily and wait outside the tent.

Then, Zhuge Jin turned to Zhou Yu and said, "Our spies hiding in Luoyang have contacted Wei Huang, Geng Ji and other close officials who were once trusted by Cao Cao. The information they revealed has confirmed that Cao Cao has assembled several troops in Liyang.

And it should have been going on for some time, at least seven or eight days, maybe even longer. We don’t know exactly how many troops there are, whether there are more, or whether there are other gathering destinations. But at least it shows that Cao Cao wants to launch a counterattack in Hebei - what does Gongjin think? "

Zhou Yu stroked his beard, thought carefully for a while, nodded and said, "It is indeed confirmed that Cao is going to mobilize troops in Hebei. But we don't know the scale and the urgency of the time. However, it is already very good to be able to find out to this extent. I didn't expect that the Minister of Justice could also contact the close officials in the Luoyang court. I heard that Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others were also trusted by Cao Cao before, and now they have abandoned the dark and joined the light."

Zhuge Jin certainly would not respond to Zhou Yu's comment, nor would he explain. He just smiled in a mysterious and indifferent manner, thus removing the issue.

If you ask him how he knew to contact Geng Ji, Wei Huang and even Ji Ping in advance, and secretly try to get them to be his accomplices, this matter certainly cannot be explained to outsiders.

He couldn't say, "I have read history books and know that people like Geng Ji and Wei Huang broke with Cao Cao in history."

When Zhuge Jin sent the spy network lurking in Luoyang to contact these people, he also had the mentality of giving it a try. After all, even if he failed, he would only lose a few spies who came forward to contact them directly.

Zhuge Jin could afford this level of loss. Moreover, he had already taken isolation measures before contacting and testing. If Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others had betrayed the contact person at that time, it would not have led to the entire network that Liu Bei's camp had infiltrated and lurked for many years being uprooted. It would only have been the loss of those few people.

The final result also proved that this move was a good bet, and it was a great success with little money. The hard work of infiltration and rebellion in the three years of truce was not in vain, and now it was time to reap the fruits of the effort.

Zhuge Jin gently brushed aside Zhou Yu's feelings and doubts, and went straight to the point and responded:
"We don't need to worry about whether Wei Huang and Geng Ji's information is reliable or not, or why they chose to join the light. Let's assume that this information is reliable. Then, Gongjin, if Cao Cao wants to take action, what specific target do you think he will choose?"

Zhuge Jin wanted to use a rhetorical question to directly state his guess and ask Zhou Yu if it was true. But when the words came to his lips, he thought it would be better not to put pressure on Zhou Yu and limit his performance, so he stopped.

Zhou Yu also saw that Zhuge Jin must have a preset answer in his mind, but there was no need for him to reveal it, so he stated his thoughts in a matter-of-fact manner:

"If Cao Cao wants to attack Hebei, he will just choose a target between our group and Zilong's group. In any case, it is almost impossible that they are gathering troops in Liyang to go down the Yellow River to Puyang and Dongjun to deal with Ziyi and his men.

Although it is true that Liyang can reach Ziyi by water, Ziyi's Eastern Army is not far enough from the Northern and Southern Armies. Once the battle starts, he can only hold out for five or six days, at most seven or eight days, before reinforcements arrive to support him.

Moreover, in the Dongjun and Puyang areas of Yanzhou, there is Shanyang Lake to the south, and Mangdang Mountain, which borders Peijun, is further south. Those places are not as flat as the Hebei Plain, and there is no escape. If Cao thief really chooses Ziyi as his opponent, Ziyi will use the terrain to drag him around for a few days, and all his efforts will be completely in vain.

As for the remaining two groups, our army and Zilong’s group, I think they are most likely coming for our army.”

Zhuge Jin listened to Zhou Yu's analysis and said with amusement, "Oh? Why do you think so? If we apply the reason we just analyzed that 'Cao Cao will not choose Ziyi', wouldn't it be more difficult to get friendly reinforcements if they choose to deal with Zilong than if they choose to deal with us?
Zilong and Mengqi are on the battlefield of Handan, in a remote corner further north. The other armies of our camp have to travel the longest distance to assist Zilong.

In contrast, we are in Guantao County. Guantao is barely sandwiched between Zilong and Ziyi's armies. If we are attacked, we can ask Zilong and Ziyi to come to our aid together. Although Zilong will not arrive faster, Ziyi can arrive faster than in the first case. Doesn't Cao want to make full use of this time difference?"

As mentioned earlier, after excluding Taishi Ci's troops who were sent to Yanzhou, there are still as many as 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers and horses left in Hebei from Liu Bei's camp.

But these 70,000 to 80,000 people were not stationed in one place, but were divided into two groups. One group was led by Zhuge Jin himself, attacking Guantao from the east to the west, and finally continued to attack Yecheng. The other group was led by Zhao Yun and Ma Chao, attacking Handan from the north to the south, and continued to attack Yecheng after taking it.

If Cao's army really counterattacked, they would definitely have to make a choice between these two groups of troops, choosing one as the first target and defeating it before attacking the other.

Zhou Yu couldn't help but laugh when he heard Zhuge Jin's question, but he didn't take it seriously: "Si Tu is testing me. Judging from the time and speed of the friendly forces' reinforcements, it is indeed more cost-effective for Cao Cao to go north from Handan to counterattack Zilong.

But Zilong's troops are mostly cavalrymen, so he can just run away if he can't win. Even if there are infantry siege troops, it will be easier to move them because of their small number. If it really doesn't work, he can just escape to the west into the Taihang Mountain Valley and hold out for ten days or so while waiting for help.

By that time, Cao Cao would seek a quick victory but would not be able to win. As time went on, our army's reinforcements would arrive, or we would achieve a greater breakthrough on other battlefields. Cao Cao would suffer a complete loss and a disastrous defeat. How could he dare to be so rash?

Therefore, it is most likely that they will seek battle with us. Although we are more likely to get friendly reinforcements than Zilong, we are completely located in the Hebei Plain. There are no mountains, rivers or swamps around us to hide in, no place to defend, and we can't even find a city that has been captured that can accommodate so many troops.

This was also because our army had advanced too aggressively before, leaving some Cao army strongholds behind. However, these strongholds did not threaten our army's food supply at the beginning, so in order to advance faster, we did not divide our troops to eliminate them one by one.

Now, if Cao's army is likely to arrive within a few days, it will be too late for us to remove the obstacles in the county town behind us. We still have to find another way to strive for a relatively favorable environment for the decisive battle, but this battle is probably unavoidable. "

Zhou Yu spoke very carefully, analyzing the pros and cons of each possible choice of Cao Cao, and the conclusion he finally reached was also very convincing. Zhuge Jin only took a brief look at it and had to admit that great minds think alike.

Zhuge Jin stroked his beard and continued to analyze the plan: "In this case, we must make full preparations for the battle with Cao's army near Guantao as soon as possible to meet Cao's counterattack.

Gongjin, tell me, should we move our army back and try to hold out for a few more days with the enemy so that we can wait for reinforcements?" Zhou Yu thought quickly and immediately rejected this idea: "No, if we move our army back, Cao Cao will know that our army may have noticed his movements and intentions, and then he may give up seeking a decisive battle, or temporarily change the battle objectives.

Then we have to re-evaluate and speculate on the thief's new movements and new intentions, which is a lot of work and we may not be able to guess it correctly. It is better to take advantage of this time, when we have probably guessed his intentions, but pretend that we have not guessed it, and wait for Cao thieves to attack us.

On the other hand, if we move camp before the battle, we will definitely have to abandon the existing camp with some defensive fortifications and replace it with a new camp built from the ground up. Such a camp will definitely not be as strong as the old camp, and the actual combat results on the battlefield will definitely be weakened.

So in my opinion, our army should just pretend that they didn't find anything, know nothing, and continue to defend as usual. But we can quietly strengthen the existing camp, and don't strengthen the outer defense line, just strengthen and build inside the camp, and try to make the enemy not see the flaws.

For example, we can hide during the day and move out at night. We don't do any construction during the day, but dig a second trench in the camp at night, and pile up the excavated soil on the spot or raise the existing camp wall. In this way, even if the enemy's lookouts in the city see our siege camp, they will not see any movement during the day and will not be alert. "

Zhuge Jin thought about it and felt that Zhou Yu’s suggestions on the tactical level were all very good, and each one hit the nail on the head for the current situation.

If he began to move his camp back eastwards and move closer to Taishi Ci now, Cao Cao would immediately know that Zhuge Jin had seen through his plan, and the battle might not be won.

But Zhuge Jin actually hoped that this battle would be successful.

Since I have predicted Cao Cao's possible intentions a little in advance, even if there is only a few days difference, it is enough for me to gain more advantages.

Moreover, Zhuge Jin felt that Cao Cao had overestimated himself. Even if Cao Cao assembled more than half of the main forces of the Cao army to seek a decisive battle in the field, he might not be able to win the 70,000 to 80,000 troops of Liu Bei's camp in Hebei. The premise was that the Cao army took the offensive and Zhuge Jin could defend the camp.

Zhuge Jin is not afraid of a decisive battle.

After sorting out the causes and consequences, Zhuge Jin's response strategy becomes clear.

"Then follow what Gongjin said. You will be fully responsible for the matter of hiding during the day and moving out at night to secretly strengthen the camp. In addition, send someone to inform Zilong to be ready to withdraw from the Handan front at any time and move closer to our army.

However, in the siege camp outside Handan, we still need to maintain momentum and reduce the number of soldiers and increase the number of stoves - well, it should be said that we should reduce the number of soldiers but not the number of stoves, so as to continue to confuse the Cao army in Handan. We still need to attack the city in the next few days, even if we just pretend to shoot arrows, but the momentum of sending people to shout must be sufficient.

In the final stage, if it really comes to the moment of decisive battle, Cao's army finds that the main force of our army outside Handan city has retreated and moved closer, and wants to counterattack the siege camp of Handan, they can let those troops retreat northward on their own and move closer to the Taihang Mountains, occupying a valley pass and temporarily holding on for a few days. Don't be afraid of being trapped in a desperate situation. Anyway, as long as the outcome of the frontal battlefield is decided, troops will definitely be sent to rescue them.

Also, send someone to contact Ziyi. Well, Ziyi, Wenyuan, and Zhongda are too far away from Jizhou, so it is not as easy to gather as Zilong. Moreover, they have to cross the Yellow River again to get here, which will take even longer...

How about this, let Ziyi take the cavalry unit from the troops I allocated to him before, and return quickly and quietly to join our army. At the same time, let Wenyuan allocate the cavalry unit from the Xuzhou army, and also join Ziyi to join our army.

The infantry of Ziyi's army and the existing infantry of the Xuzhou army will all be handed over to Zhongda to lead, and continue to hold off Cao's army on the Yanzhou front and wait for an opportunity to move. If they do find that there are loopholes or gaps on the Yanzhou front during the decisive battle, they can take the initiative to strike first. "

After Zhuge Jin finished speaking, he asked Zhou Yu for his opinion in a friendly manner to see if he had anything to add or to advise.

Zhou Yu felt that this plan was quite reliable and had a high possibility of being implemented, so he agreed to it in its entirety.

After all, Geng Ji and Wei Huang's intelligence could not be delivered too many days in advance. Zhuge Jin only learned about it now, and Cao Cao might appear at any time in the next few days. So if we expect the main forces of the Xuzhou army to come to our aid, it will probably be too late.

In this case, it is better to play it safe and first transfer the troops that are sure to arrive. It would be best to transfer only cavalry and not infantry.

Therefore, the final decisive battle is estimated to be fought by the combined forces of more than 40,000 soldiers under Zhuge Jin and Zhou Yu, plus the cavalry under Zhao Yun and Ma Chao, as well as the cavalry under Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao.

The total force is estimated to be less than 100,000, but the proportion of cavalry will be very high, almost bringing all the cavalry in Liu Bei's camp in the entire north to participate in the decisive battle.

There was no other way. They only detected the enemy's possible movements in the last few days before the battle, so it was too late to mobilize the infantry. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to bring Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao's cavalry to the battlefield of the decisive battle. It was also one of the values of Zhuge Jin's early recruitment of Geng Ji, Wei Huang and other internal supporters.

Over the next two or three days, everything went as planned by Zhuge Jin and Zhou Yu, and was arranged and deployed in an orderly manner.

Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci did a good job of keeping secrets.

Zhao Yun's main cavalry retreated in a circle, heading towards Guantao, and was not discovered by Cao's army in Handan at the first time - of course, Cao's army might have reacted two or three days after Zhao Yun left, but by then it would not matter. Maybe the decisive battle had already been launched, and there was no way to change the target.

Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao, with the previously assigned cavalry and the Xuzhou cavalry, quietly crossed the Yellow River to the north in Jibei County, and then went upstream along the Yellow River.

It is unlikely that Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao would arrive at the Guantao battlefield on the first day of the decisive battle launched by Cao's army. But they would definitely arrive much faster than Cao Cao had expected.

Therefore, the time difference left for Cao Cao to fight Zhuge Jin alone has actually been compressed to the limit.

As long as Zhuge Jin can withstand the first wave and defend the camp, reinforcements from his cavalry units will soon arrive in an endless stream.

(End of this chapter)