Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 8: Murderous Intentions and Paper Talk
Although Zhao Yun was surprised to hear that Liu Chan was leading his troops in person, he was secretly relieved. At least the emperor was not here to hunt or have fun.

Moreover, the emperor must have obtained the consent of the Chief Secretary and the Minister of the Interior for him to bring out so many troops.

Liu Chan listened to the gurgling water in the deep ravine, looked at the exposed riverbed, and said:
"I feel that we cannot rely on the Prime Minister for everything.

"If this world belongs to me, then I should be like Gaozu, Shizu, and the late emperor, and participate in the critical moments of life and death, otherwise I am afraid I will regret it in the future."

As he spoke, Liu Chan took out from his waist the letter written by Wan Yun and the other two to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun took the scroll without having time to think about what Liu Chan said. There were two mud seals on the rope where the scroll was tied, one with the seal of the Shizhong and the other with the seal of the Changshi.

While Zhao Yun was opening the bamboo slips, Liu Chan untied the reins and continued walking north on his horse.

That is the direction of Guanzhong.

Although he didn't know how unlikely it was to win the next battle, he also didn't know whether his visit would boost morale or make the soldiers feel restrained and demoralized.

But here he comes.

How should I put it? It has only been eight days since he traveled through time, and he has been acting all the time. He has neither friends nor relatives. This world does not feel very real to him.

What supported him in coming here was, first of all, his selfish desire not to be a prince of peace and happiness, with his life and death controlled by others.

Secondly, it is the small and insignificant obsession of making up for the Prime Minister's regret.

As for the so-called Cao Wei cruelty to the people, that's why he wanted to restore the Han Dynasty three times, and the Five Barbarians' invasion of China, that's why he wanted to unify the world.

You say no, that's impossible.

His values ​​are so red that they are red-hot. He always sits on the side of the grassroots people. Good deeds done by good people can make him cry his eyes out with the help of background music. As the new generation of children are becoming more and more patriotic, he feels that there is hope for the country.

But you said that these noble causes are the reasons why he is not afraid of death or loss and is now coming to the Northern Expedition. For him at the moment, it is indeed a bit empty and pretentious.

He felt that he was not worthy.

Perhaps when he truly sees the pain and struggles of the lower-class people, he will want to do something.

But he really didn't have the opportunity to deeply understand the pain and struggle of the people.

He just felt like a player of a strategy game, not thinking about life and death, not thinking about justice, only thinking about winning or losing.

If he doesn't come, he will definitely lose.

He may not win even if he comes.

But at least it was his own choice, and he can't blame others when he regrets it in the future.

Of course, he is an optimist, or rather he chooses to be an optimist.

Because I heard that all the people who do great things in the world are extreme optimists, otherwise they can't accomplish anything great.

What's the point of hesitation and looking back?
Looking back on two thousand years of history, I have seen many strategic battles and played many strategic games. I have the art of war in my memory and have also read some novels about military strategy. So what if I become Zhao Kuo for once?
The worst that can happen is a dead ball!
And who dares to say that I can’t win?
I am the chosen one!
I was chosen by God to travel here!
As he walked, Liu Chan suddenly felt a little sleepy.

It was more than a thousand miles from Chengdu to here. There were no horses in Shu, and he did not dare to tire the warhorse. He could not abandon the Tiger Cavalry and run away first, so he ran all the way for seven days, stopping and starting.

He hadn't slept much since he woke up the day before yesterday. As soon as he lay down, he started thinking about how to defeat the enemy.

However, it is futile to think about it. Without being on the battlefield in person and knowing both ourselves and the enemy, it is impossible to come up with a solution out of thin air.

So last night I wanted to go to bed, but after taking a nap I got up again. I wanted to get out of Xiegu as soon as possible to see the situation on the battlefield and the situation between the enemy and us.

I can only say that I am far worse than Sima Shi. He was still sleeping soundly the day before the coup, but I was here thinking about this and that.

Zhao Yun slowly caught up with his horse, and did not ask Liu Chan why he wanted to lead the army in person. He just looked at Liu Chan with eyes that were more passionate and profound than before.

A group of more than 40 riders continued to walk north on the plank road. Near noon, they finally arrived at the entrance of Xiagu Valley, the end of the plank road.

Liu Chan stood on the plank road across the Qinling Mountains and was completely stunned.

An unprecedented sense of openness came over me.

The vast and fertile Guanzhong Plain suddenly appeared before his eyes. His sight had an end, but this plain seemed to have no end.

His body began to tremble slightly for no reason and uncontrollably, starting from his heart, and then the trembling spread to his limbs and internal organs.

He suddenly thought of a sentence.

——When you have a sharp weapon, you will naturally feel murderous intent.

He seemed to be longing for this fertile plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Because I am the Son of Heaven? he thought.

Or is it the same for everyone?
"Your Majesty, our camp is on the right.

"That black dot further away is Meiwu, built by Dong Zhuo. Cao Zhen of the pseudo-Wei is currently stationed there."

Zhao Yun introduced him to Liu Chan.

Liu Chan looked in the direction Zhao Yun pointed.

Nearby, more than 20 square camps consisting of hundreds or thousands of small tents were scattered in an orderly manner on the Guanzhong Plain, forming the camp belonging to the Han army.

In the distance, there was indeed a vague square dot. Based on my experience of climbing high places and looking far into the distance in my previous life, I estimated that it was more than 20 kilometers away from here.

Liu Chan scanned the plain from east to west, and his sight was suddenly attracted by a tall earthen plateau rising from the ground on the left bank of the sloping water.

This loess plateau is a direct extension of the Qinling Mountains, almost touching the Wei River that runs across Guanzhong.

"General Zilong, that place seems very suitable for us to station troops." Liu Chan pointed to the plateau. Zhao Yun was a little surprised and said happily:
"Your Majesty is indeed as the Chief Secretary and Minister have said, you possess a keen eye, a sage nature, and possess the demeanor of the late emperor!

"That plateau suddenly rises over thirty feet from the ground, but it is called Wuzhangyuan because its narrowest point, connecting to the Qinling Mountains to the south, is only five feet.

"However, the widest part of the plateau is four miles wide and ten miles long, so even an army of 100,000 can be deployed there.

"If this old minister had not been using this as a decoy to prevent the enemy from knowing our true strength, then Wuzhangyuan would have been the best place for us to camp; it would have been easy to defend but difficult to attack."

Liu Chan then looked towards the camp on his right, and thought about what Zhao Yun said about setting up a false attack, and soon understood why the camp was set up on the right side of the sloping water.

Chang'an is on the right. If it hides to the left side of the sloping water, it will appear to be defensive.

As for setting up camp on the right side with their backs to the water, it is very likely that they are waiting for the transfer of military supplies.

That's why Cao Zhen didn't dare to act rashly and stayed stationed in Meiwu in the northeast.

This means that Ma Su has not been defeated yet.

Or perhaps, the news of Ma Su's defeat had not yet reached Cao Zhen.

"General Zilong, how long have Cao Zhen's troops been here?"

"On the sixth day, after we learned that Cao's army had crossed the Yellow River, we dispatched troops from Jigu and camped there. We also transported food, fodder, and armor from Xieshui day and night to prevent him from knowing our strength."

Liu Chan nodded thoughtfully.

If you leave the valley early and do not occupy a more advantageous position to attack in advance, but instead camp at the valley entrance for a long time, it will be easy for people to see your flaws.

After some calculation in his mind, he estimated that Zhang He should not have arrived at Jieting yet.

Then maybe I still have some time to make arrangements.

A group of people walked down the plank road, and Liu Chan took the lead and walked to the edge of the sloping water.

Due to the dry season, the river is about one person's height deep, but the water flow appears to be only a little over half a meter.

The riverbed was largely exposed, with dry aquatic plants lying on it.

"General Zilong, I have been thinking a lot on the way here from Chengdu.

"I've got some ideas now. How about I discuss them on paper?"

"Your Majesty, please!" Zhao Yun also wanted to hear what the emperor could say.

Liu Chan slowly sat down on the bank of the sloping water.

"How many soldiers are there here who can fight?"

"Your Majesty, there are only 3,000 battle-hardened soldiers. The remaining 18,000 are half old and weak, and half garrison soldiers stationed in the fields."

Three thousand elite soldiers?

Liu Chan felt a chill in his heart when he heard this.

Not to mention the elderly and the weak.

The so-called garrison soldiers are those who have to serve in the military for two years in their lifetime. In the first year, they receive military training in their own county and are called regular soldiers.

The next year, they would be sent to Chengdu to guard the city or to the border to garrison, and they were called garrison soldiers.

The main job of these 18,000 old and weak garrison soldiers is basically farming, so it is difficult to say how much combat effectiveness they have.

However, the 4,000 imperial troops who set out from Chengdu traveled light, obtained food on the road, and walked 60 miles a day. It was estimated that it would take another ten days to reach Jigu, and they would have to rest for a few days before they could be combat-ready.

I wonder if the suspicious troops here can hold out until that day.

But this was indeed within Liu Chan's expectations.

"That is to say, it is almost impossible for us to defeat them on the front battlefield, right?"

"Yes, unless they are also old and weak."

"But I want to defeat them." Liu Chan said slowly.

"Not only do we want to defeat them, we also want to inflict massive casualties on them.

"what to do?
"Then we can only resort to strategy and take risks.

"I have a plan in mind. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I don't know if it will work."

Although Zhao Yun was surprised, he was happy to listen to the young emperor's theoretical discussions.

"Your Majesty, please speak. I am all ears."

Liu Chan: "General Zilong, do you know about the battle in Qi and Lu where Han Xin defeated Long Ju with the help of the Wei River?"

Zhao Yun: "Yes, it is said that Han Xin made over ten thousand sandbags, blocked the Wei River, pretended to be defeated, and lured Long Ju to cross the river.

"After they were halfway across, they dug up the sand dam, splitting Long Qie's army into two on the left and right by the swollen Wei River. Han Xin turned back and attacked fiercely, killing Long Qie. The army on the right bank of the Wei River then scattered."

After listening to Zhao Yun's words, Liu Chan thought for a long time and finally said:

"I want General Zilong to intercept this sloping stream and lure Cao Zhen halfway across the river, then attack him."

(End of this chapter)