Chapter 725 There are extraordinary things, and then make extraordinary achievements!
The natural chasm of the Golden Bull Road is a barrier of sword gates. One man can guard the gate and no ten thousand men can open it. Wei Yan is the commander-in-chief and guards it;
The Daba Mountain branch of Micang Road stretches for hundreds of miles and passes through more than ten counties. It is guarded by Zhang Fei and Fa Zheng is the military advisor...
Litchi Road is a dangerous road, so Zhao Yun is appointed as the commander.
In the direction of Yiling, Guan Yu and Ma Liang are stationed...the walls are strong and the wilderness is clear!
On this basis, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei were stationed in Zitong to ensure timely support along the way.
This is Zhuge Liang's general idea of defending Bashu. Through three dangerous roads and a majestic pass in Yiling... The Wei army has millions of people, but it is not that easy to defeat it...
And the overall details of the defense, the dispatch strategy, the support route...
And where are traps set up in these places, where ambushes are set up, and where are mountain roads blocked...
Zhuge Liang would personally inspect and make arrangements for every detail.
In order to understand every detail of the defense, he didn't know how many springs and autumns he had been busy, and how many nights he had spent?
In addition, Suli governs Bashu.
It can be said that... Zhuge Liang at this age is already thinking very hard, and for no other reason... Wei and Cao Yu put too much pressure on him.
Can.....
What he thought was a foolproof defense was suddenly...questioned...by his lord Liu Bei, and...Li Yan, who was usually respectful and humble to him.
"What does Li Shangshu mean by this?" Zhuge Liang looked at Li Yan in confusion. "
"I am not questioning Military Advisor Zhuge..." Li Yan opened his mouth, "I really cannot afford to defend Bashu..."
The five-year armistice has indeed brought a glimmer of peace to Bashu, but it has undoubtedly made the gap between Bashu and Cao Wei even greater. The two sides have exchanges and trade... According to Cao Wei's merchants, now all Cao Wei's soldiers and horses are equipped with Xuan Xuan.
Armor, invulnerable, equipped with black armor weapons, can cut iron like mud, cut stone and break tendons...
"Because of this..." Zhuge Liang interrupted: "That's why we should stick to the Lord!"
It is completely different from Zhuge Liang who was "focused on attacking" when he "departed the army". Now Zhuge Liang seems to be determined to focus on "defending".
I am willing to be such a coward...
This has nothing to do with the so-called "Previous Master"'s entrustment or the "Previous Master's" legacy, but the huge gap in strength between the enemy and ourselves.
If the gap is not big...or taking advantage of the enemy's civil strife, Zhuge Liang is confident that he can still match one or two, but the current situation...
The gap is simply an insurmountable chasm!
This gap cannot be bridged by strategy at all.
"hehe......"
Hearing Zhuge Liang's words about staying on the defensive, Li Yan smiled, and his smile was extremely sarcastic, "Now the enemy and my equipment are already so far behind, but what about five years from now? The princess of Cao Wei is Cao Yu, he is the medical immortal of the world.
He has a pair of skillful hands, and he has countless manufacturing diagrams hidden in his mind. Who knows if he drags his hands a few more times, how many Kit Kats can Cao Yu develop? Will one day, they fall from the sky...
What was the situation like when my lord captured Liu Zhang with a hot air balloon in the past? Are we, Bashu, just waiting to be killed like this?"
"Prime Minister Zhuge, our opponent is Cao Yu... For so many years, anyone who takes the defensive in front of him will have any good results? Lu Bu will take the defensive? Will the gate of Xiapi City not be opened? Shanyue
If we take a defensive stance, can we stop the raging war? Hundreds of thousands of people were burned to death overnight... Jiangdong took a defensive stance, but in the end he lost both his princess and his troops? Lessons from the past, Chen Gong
Isn’t he smart? Isn’t Zhou Yu smart? But their defense failed to stop Cao Yu’s offensive? Is Prime Minister Zhuge going to follow in their footsteps?”
Be conclusive...and argue with reason!
Zhuge Liang was stunned by Li Yan's words. He felt dizzy at first, and glanced at Liu Bei on the high platform. With just one glance, he seemed to have experienced an even greater shock.
Because... Zhuge Liang discovered that when Li Yan was speaking...
The lord Liu Bei cast an approving glance, as well as the meaningful smile and nod, all of which made Zhuge Liang feel like a light on his back as he exhaled a long breath. Zhuge Liang wanted to continue to refute, but he found...
..it's all in vain.
because......
Perhaps in the heart of the Lord, he planted the seeds of counterattack against Cao Wei five years ago. This battle... we must fight even if we don't fight!
really......
Liu Bei opened his mouth: "The Prime Minister has been busy with state affairs during this period, and he is really too tired to go to court despite his illness. The counterattack against Cao Wei after the five-year agreement will be under the orders of the Shangshu, and General Li Yan of the Central Guards will be fully coordinated. As for the route, I
I plan to personally lead the army out of Hanzhong from Jinniu Road and fight Cao Yu in Hanzhong..."
"Your Majesty..." Even though he was supporting his weak body, Zhuge Liang still wanted to persuade...
He could not watch helplessly as his lord Liu Bei gave up the inheritance he had finally acquired.
Speaking of this, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang meaningfully, "The Prime Minister has forgotten, but I have not forgotten. When I and Prime Minister Longzhong faced each other, the Prime Minister had deployed a grand blueprint for dividing the world. The Prime Minister mentioned it and waited.
If I seize Ba Shu, I can personally lead an army out of Shu Road to seize Hanzhong and break Chang'an. At that time... If I send another general from Jingzhou to the north, it will only take one great victory and the entire Cao Wei will fall apart...
.The Prime Minister was able to make those grand and lofty words in the past, but now... he is timid and cautious, and does not dare to take a chance?"
Speaking of which...
Liu Bei slowly walked down the dragon steps and walked in front of Zhuge Liang, "In the past, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao dueled in Guandu. This is what Cao Cao said. If it compares with the number of soldiers and horses? Then Cao Cao will never be able to compare with Yuan Shao in his life, but compared with
In terms of resourcefulness and courage, even if three Yuan Benchu are tied together, they cannot compare to Cao Cao. Today, I also have the same sentiments. If we compare soldiers, horses, and combat power, our little corner of Bashu will not be able to match the Central Plains even if it lasts for a hundred years.
In the land of Erzhou, I am only fortunate that in such a situation, I still have great courage and dare to fight with Cao Ziyu!
"Prime Minister, you are sick... You should live well and take good care of yourself when you are sick. I would still like to see the Prime Minister who spoke so eloquently in Wollongong, Nanyang, and was able to denounce Fang Dao and talk about the world!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Zhuge Liang opened his mouth, but a severe dizziness hit him.
With the sound of "dong" and "dong", Zhuge Liang fell to the ground.
"Imperial Physician, call the Imperial Physician quickly!" Li Yan was the first to greet him.
Liu Bei also moved closer to help Zhuge Liang. When the imperial doctor took him away, Liu Bei changed the topic: "Li Shangshu, the Northern Expedition... I still need you to worry about it!"
"Five years ago, when I came to the throne, I threatened that the Han and the traitors would not stand apart, and the royal family would not be in peace. I gave him five years of Cao Wei. After five years, I will definitely go north to attack. The edict has been issued. Not only the three armies are aware of this matter.
, and it has already been spread throughout the country... I don’t want to go back on my word!”
"Well...well..." Li Yan held up his hand.
Although the Dongzhou faction finally defected to Liu Bei, Li Yan understood Liu Bei better than Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei was chased by Cao Yu all his life and was as terrified as a lost dog. He was too eager to prove himself, to prove that he was not only good at being beaten passively, but also good at taking the initiative. Even if it took him his whole life... Liu Bei would have to defeat Cao Yu once.
.
This is Liu Bei’s obsession!
For a moment, Li Yan's mouth opened slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
only.......
This smile disappeared in an instant, and Li Yan turned into the humble, respectful, and frightened Central Guard Army again!
...
...
Inside and outside the prime minister's house, the imperial doctors came in and out.
Countless maids hurriedly carried water basins and walked inside. The wet handkerchief on Zhuge Liang's forehead was used one after another.
Even so, it took several hours for Zhuge Liang's spirit to improve somewhat.
Zhao Yun stayed by his side.
Zhuge wakes up
Liang immediately held Zhao Yun's hand and said, "Zilong, Zilong..."
"Prime Minister..."
Zhuge Liang's tone was weak. "The main warlord and...now there are two factions in the court. Li Yan advised your majesty to go to the north, and your majesty insisted on the northern expedition. But as the prime minister and the head of the officials, I still have to persuade him!"
Zhuge Liang held Zhao Yun's hand with more strength, "Tell my lord, I am not advising your majesty not to attack Wei, but to hold off. It is true that the greatest enemy of Shu Han is Cao Wei, and the five-year armistice agreement has passed."
It's true, because of this, Cao Wei will definitely send heavy troops to guard the Shu Road... In the past, when Emperor Gaozu went out to Shu Road, he would build a plank road openly, secretly visit Chen Cang, and get a surprise attack, but the lord openly attacked Wei... This
It’s different from Gaozu’s surprise! A head-on battle...is not conducive to our army!”
"Secondly, the world only knows that after Cao Yu captured Hanzhong in the past, he once said, 'Have you won Long? Will you look back at Shu?'" But they don't know that at that time, Cao Yu looked up at the sword pavilion and sighed, "The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky."
,,If Cao Wei goes south to attack Shu, then the road to Shu will be difficult...that is, Cao Wei. If Bashu goes north to attack Wei, then the road to Shu will be difficult...for this reason, the party that attacks first must go to Shu.
The Tao side has already lost ground and advantage before fighting... This is an incurable move!"
"Thirdly, my lord is obsessed with the grand battle of the past, and during the Longzhong battle, my plan was to divide the world into three parts. After the lord occupied Jingzhou, it was then that we could advance, attack, retreat, and defend... Now
, not only Jingzhou belongs to Cao Wei, but even Jiangdong has surrendered... Even if General Guan Shenwu went out from Yiling to conquer Jingzhou in consecutive battles, the battle line at that time was too long and supplies were very difficult. Now we
The army's strength, supplies, and baggage are not enough to support a long-distance march! What's more, there is also the threat from Jiangdong... Being attacked from both sides, it is difficult for General Guan to support himself alone.
"The fourth is to attack Cao Wei from Sichuan to the north. Even if the lord captures Hanzhong, then...attack Chang'an and march east to Luoyang...then we need to leave Qishan and cross Longxi. It is two thousand miles away. Longxi
The land is a flat plain, which is not conducive to our Bashu infantry... The transportation of grain and grass is very easy to be cut off by the Xiliang army... If the grain and grass are cut off, the Northern Expeditionary Army will become a lone army... It will be a big disaster if a lone army goes deep.
avoid!"
After half a day's rest, Zhuge Liang's thinking became extremely clear...
But after chanting so many words in a row, he felt a little tired...
too tired.
Not only physically tired, but also mentally tired!
After saying this, Zhuge Liang once again held Zhao Yun's hand tightly, "Zilong... have you remembered what I said?"
"Remember...note..." Zhao Yun nodded...
"Then you go tell the lord immediately and ask him to postpone the attack on Cao Wei... and ask him to give... ahem... give me some more time." "Zhuge Liang's words became more and more serious.
Not to mention, this time Zhuge Liang's analysis was clear and coherent...
Each one is well-founded and very convincing.
"Prime Minister, don't worry..." Zhao Yun held up Zhuge Liang's expectations and strode out of the room.
There were officials around who asked Zhuge Liang, "Why did the prime minister ask General Zilong to report to the lord alone?"
"Because..." Zhuge Liang's tone was weak, "Zilong is the most special one among all your Majesty's generals, and also the calmest one...Yide, Yun Chang, and Wen Chang have been holding it in for five years.
, now that they are eager to make meritorious deeds, they have forgotten how powerful Cao Ziyu is, but only Zilong has been around Cao Yu, and he knows better how terrible Cao Yu is! Opponents of this level cannot allow us to make any mistakes! "
Speaking of which...
Zhuge Liang looked out the door with a faint gaze, looking at the place where Zhao Yun's back disappeared.
Now he can only hope...
Zhao Zilong can turn the tide and let the lord take back his life!
Over there...
After leaving the Prime Minister's Mansion, Zhao Yun's deputy general brought the white horse and asked quickly: "General, do you want to go to His Majesty?"
Well.....
Zhao Yunyou
Some surprises, and some doubts in his eyes.
The deputy general said quickly: "Prime Minister Zhuge is the head of the civil service, and General Zilong is the head of the military attachés besides your majesty's two sworn brothers. The prime minister cannot persuade your majesty, so naturally it is necessary for general Zilong to persuade..."
Zhao Yun nodded, nodded, got on his horse, but turned the horse around... and walked in the opposite direction of the palace.
"General...you..."
"I won't go to the palace!" Zhao Yun's words were decisive...
"That......."
"Go to Shangshu Ling Li Yan's mansion..." Zhao Yun's eyes flashed with a glint...
He did not intend to bring Zhuge Liang's words to Liu Bei...
He even planned to tell Li Yan what Zhuge Liang said.
After all, Zhuge Liang never thought that Zhao Yun and Zhao Zilong, who had always been calm and cautious, would actually be the main "attack" faction!
.......
.......
Land of Bashu, Chengdu, Royal Palace.
"I'm not afraid of a decisive battle with Cao Yu, but the biggest problem in the Northern Expedition is food and ordnance!" Liu Bei said with emotion: "Back then, Cao Cao solved the food problem with military camps. Cao Yu went a step further and promoted the idea of dividing people into acres and abolishing capitation.
They even collected grain in the battlefield of Hanzhong... Today Hanzhong is already a large granary for Cao Wei!"
Liu Bei left Li Yan alone to discuss the Northern Expedition.
Nowadays, he is particularly obsessed with the "Northern Expedition"...
"Your Majesty... I have discussed with the state leader Wu Yi and the right general Huang Quan for a long time, and came to the conclusion that if each county can implement a forty-six tax split and one for every third tax, then after this autumn more taxes can be collected."
The collection of one hundred, five hundred thousand shi can provide enough food for the army for the Northern Expedition for half a year!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei suddenly stood up with a look of joy on his face.
"Is this true?"
"really!"
"Okay, with your words, I feel at ease."
"But... Your Majesty..." Li Yan changed the subject, and he looked worried as he read his book, "The Prime Minister seems to have always disapproved of the taxation of four to six, and he will draw one from every three, because of this
If it comes, it will overburden the people of Sichuan and Shu. It is very possible that because of these four-six taxation and one-third draw..."
Before Li Yan finishes speaking...
Liu Bei waved his hand, "I especially remember Chen Lin's sharp "Essay against Thieves" before the Battle of Guandu. The first sentence of it said: "There are extraordinary people, and then there are extraordinary things.
Do extraordinary things, and then achieve extraordinary results! Isn’t this an extraordinary time? You can take some extraordinary measures..."
"Then Prime Minister..."
Li Yan tried to continue asking, as if he meant something else.
Liu Bei understood, "Isn't the Prime Minister ill? I'll leave the tax collection and land affairs to you! Let him rest well!"