The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 92 Do you think I don't know anything about military strategy? Zhuge Liang's Bowangpo (Abridged Version) (1st Update)
From the ruler's perspective, both virtuous ministers and sycophants are merely eyes and ears.

Be close to virtuous ministers and keep away from petty men, and you will have sharp ears and clear eyes; be close to petty men and keep away from virtuous ministers, and you will become deaf and blind.

Yuan Tan mistakenly believed that Hua Yan and Kong Shun were virtuous ministers, and he listened to and believed their opinions.

Furthermore, with the close cooperation of the two, Yuan Tan temporarily entrusted Hua Yan with the command of three thousand infantry and cavalry.

To say that Yuan Tan was foolish is not entirely accurate, since in Yuan Tan's mind, Hua Yan and Kong Shun were roughly equivalent to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong for Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei knew that Yuan Tan was making this comparison, he would definitely have mocked him, saying: "What are Hua Yan and Kong Shun? How dare they be compared to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong?"
Hua Yan, who had obtained command of three thousand infantry and cavalry from Yuan Tan, unleashed his pent-up anger once again, fueled by the newfound courage of the three thousand infantry and cavalry.

[Liu Bei, you traitor! Previously, my troops were inferior to yours, so I dared not pursue the matter of your killing my nephew. Now, I command Yuan Shao's three thousand infantry and cavalry, plus the two thousand from Pingyuan, making five thousand infantry and cavalry at my disposal. Who can stop me?]

After receiving the military order, Hua Yan arranged for his concubines to serve Yuan Tan before hurriedly leaving the mansion to mobilize troops.

Kong Shun followed, asking worriedly, "Hua Gongcao, are you really going to fight Liu Bei? Liu Bei is already a brave and skilled warrior, and now he has gained a battalion of cavalry. What if..."

Hua Yan sneered: "If Liu Bei hadn't obtained that battalion of cavalry, I could have captured Liu Bei without Yuan Shijun's three thousand infantry and cavalry. Now that I have five thousand infantry and cavalry in my hands, even if Liu Bei is brave and skilled in battle, what can he do to me?"

Just as Kong Shun was about to persuade him again, Hua Yan interrupted him: "Kong, you stay in the mansion and block Yuan Shijun for me. Don't let Liu Bei's men in. I'm afraid Yuan Shijun will soften his heart and let Liu Bei go."

Seeing Hua Yan's confidence, Kong Shun kept his remaining words to himself and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I wish Hua Gongcao a resounding victory."

After mustering all five thousand infantry and cavalry, Hua Yan led them straight to Longcou.

"Hua Yan has taken the bait."

On the earthen slope of Longcou, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei stood side by side on horseback, while the scouts had just finished reporting the intelligence that about five thousand infantry and cavalry from the plains were heading straight for Longcou.

Liu Bei was slightly surprised: "Why is the strategist certain that it is Hua Yan and not Yuan Tan?"

Zhuge Liang smiled confidently: "If Yuan Tan wanted to punish you, he would have sent a messenger to deliver a letter to question you before sending troops. This kind of attack, which is launched without warning and at dusk, is definitely an attempt to catch you off guard."

Liu Bei scoffed: "Hua Yan, are you trying to fool me by saying I don't know anything about military affairs? I have a thousand cavalry! To protect tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians heading north to Zhuojun, I have scouts all within a fifty-mile radius. Who can launch a surprise attack right under my nose?"

Behind Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong rode in a row, awaiting orders.

"Strategist, this battle is now in your command." Liu Bei handed the sword seal to Zhuge Liang, having no interest in fighting Hua Yan.

Liu Bei's thought at that moment was: What level is Hua Yan? Does he even deserve my attention?

Zhuge Liang accepted the sword and seal and said with a smile, "Then I will make a fool of myself."

Subsequently.

Zhuge Liang turned to the four men and ordered, "Longcou has mountains on the left and forests on the right, which can be used to ambush troops. Commander Guan can lead five hundred swordsmen to the mountain to ambush them. When their army arrives, let them pass and rest them. Just wait for the shouts of battle to rise up, then launch an attack to cut off their retreat."

“Zhang, the Registrar, can lead five hundred White Feather Soldiers to ambush in the forest, and attack as soon as the battle cries begin; Huang, the General of the Central Army, can lead five hundred cavalry to wait quietly on the main road, and attack when the enemy arrives; Zhao, the Commander-in-Chief, can lead more than thirty of his loyal followers as the vanguard to provoke Hua Yan, not to win, but to lose.” “If we follow the plan, we can capture the thief.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei grinned in dissatisfaction: "The strategist is so biased! Zilong has just arrived, and you have already appointed him as the vanguard. I also have dozens of elite cavalry under my command. I don't even need to feign defeat to capture Hua Yan."

Zhuge Liang chuckled lightly: "If it's just about capturing Hua Yan alive, Zhang Zhubu's martial prowess alone is enough!"

Zhang Fei was pleased by the praise and proudly raised his head: "I can take Hua Yan's head from among ten thousand troops as easily as taking something out of a bag."

Just as this momentum was building, Zhuge Liang ruthlessly crushed Zhang Fei's pride: "But what I want to capture is not just Hua Yan, but Hua Yan's entire army!"

Then Zhuge Liang sighed again: "You really don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. Chief Clerk Zhang, have you forgotten what your job is? Weapons, armor, provisions, horses, gold and silver, clothing and such, if they are not naturally captured on the battlefield, Chief Clerk Zhang, are you going to become a blacksmith or a weaver, or go back to Zhuojun to farm and become a farmer?"

Zhang Fei was speechless for a moment, then lowered his head and whispered, "Strategist, why didn't you say so earlier? How was I supposed to know you were eyeing the soldiers, armor, and provisions?"

This was Zhao Yun's first time participating in a battle commanded by Zhuge Liang. Although he didn't ask questions as directly as Zhang Fei, he still looked bewildered, staring wide-eyed like a complete novice.

The one who understood Zhuge Liang's core strategies best was Guan Yu.

When Guan Yu followed Zhuge Liang to resist Liu Dai and Wang Zhong in Xiaopei, he witnessed Zhuge Liang use a simple trick to raise enough supplies, armor, money, and provisions to arm two thousand men for Liu Bei.

"Strategist, we mustn't seize too much; we must leave some for Yuan Tan," Liu Bei couldn't help but remind him.

We cannot afford to have too much of a falling out with Yuan Tan right now. We should leave him some room to maneuver, lest Zang Ba and others from Langya easily push their sphere of influence into Qingzhou.

For Liu Bei, neither Yuan Shao nor Cao Cao could be allowed to cause any significant changes in the power structure of the world. Maintaining the existing power structure and allowing for steady and small-scale changes was the most advantageous approach.

"General, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, his brows furrowed with unwavering confidence. In his mind, he seemed to have sketched out the entire landscape of Longcou to Pingyuan City, and he also seemed to have rehearsed the deployment and evolution of the two sides' troops hundreds of times.

Hua Yan was unaware that his proud 5,000 infantry and cavalry were, in Zhuge Liang's eyes, nothing more than a series of terms and numbers related to weapons, armor, provisions, horses, gold, silver, and clothing.

Zhuge Liang even regretted that Longcou was too close to Pingyuan City.

Being too close would mean that Hua Yan wouldn't carry much food and supplies, and Zhuge Liang wouldn't be able to effectively turn those supplies into spoils of war.

For Zhuge Liang, capturing Hua Yan was as easy as capturing a duck; the most important things were the soldiers, armor, provisions, and supplies.

After the four generals received their orders, Zhuge Liang emphasized again: "Remember, what I want is the spoils! Especially you, Commander Guan, you understand my intentions best, which is why I placed you in an ambush on the mountain. If even one of you escapes, you will all be punished!"

The four generals stood tall and imposing.

Guan Yu straightened up, opened his phoenix eyes, and cupped his hands in response: "Rest assured, strategist, if even one person escapes, it will not be considered a merit for me!"

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(End of this chapter)