66. Those who know the current affairs (Chapter 4K)
After traveling thousands of miles, making night raids, and capturing the outer city in one fell swoop, when Wang Zheng stepped across the suspension bridge, he felt satisfied and felt that the overall situation had been decided.
Based on several previous experiences, especially Linzi, the fifth capital of the Han Dynasty, Wang Zheng paid more attention to Pengcheng and focused more on its outer city. After all, the geographical advantage was too huge and the city had to have high walls.
This reminded him of Linzi, which has both a natural moat and a high wall.
That time, it was really impossible to insert a needle or pour water. If it hadn't been for Xu He's clever trick and the desperate efforts of the refugees to fill it in, it would have taken months or even months.
However, once the biggest hard nut is chewed, the defenses of the inner city and the palace city can be easily cut open like paper.
Wang Zheng originally thought that the same rhythm should be followed when attacking Pengcheng.
Unexpectedly, the four walls of the inner city were only seven or eight meters long, but with the guard's command and complete equipment, they once again stopped him and the heavenly army in their tracks!
I'm really impressed...
I was glad in my heart that I listened to Mi Heng's suggestion. Otherwise, if I had followed the previous plan and looked directly from Langya, the outer wall would be matched with this guard and this equipment...
Just thinking about it makes Wang Zheng's scalp numb.
He stared straight ahead, and from time to time there were small noises in his ears, either the wails of the wounded from the two armies, or the shaking of armor and the clash of guns.
Thinking back to his previous city battles, Wang Zheng thought to himself whether there was any other way to speed up the progress of the city in addition to using the trump card of system soldiers.
After all, after capturing Pengcheng, what can be seen is that there will still be several battles in the follow-up, and the opponent is Wen Chou Yuan Shu, who is famous in history. Wang Zheng really does not want the army to suffer too many casualties in Pengcheng.
Especially siege warfare...
If the damage was caused by those cold instruments, it would be impossible to make ends meet without any contribution from experience!
The generals on the side were also dissatisfied with the current progress. Wu Sheng's eyes widened and he wanted to lead the Tianzhu Battalion to ask for a fight, but Wang Zheng kicked him directly and shut up in anger.
I'm not even willing to use the Heavenly Army, why the hell do you want me to go to the Heavenly Execution Camp?
I really don’t feel bad for selling my father-in-law!
At this time, Xu Fang thought for a moment, seemed to have an idea, and took the initiative to suggest:
"General, the current situation, I think, can we use the three methods of knowing victory to solve it?"
The third victory?
Hearing this, everyone looked at him blankly and looked over.
There is no way, Yu Jin, Pan Zhang and Mi Heng are not present now, and every one of the remaining generals are illiterate and rough, including Wang Zheng.
Wang Zheng coughed dryly, feeling equally puzzled. However, in order to maintain his dignity, his expression did not show any signs of it. He just nodded and signaled Xu Fang to continue speaking.
Xu Fang himself knew who these colleagues were, but he didn't show off and quickly explained:
"Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that he knows the way to victory, and these are the five things."
"The one who knows what can and cannot be fought wins, the one who knows how to use a large number of people and the weak wins, the one who has the same desire from above and below wins, the one who prepares for surprises when there are no surprises wins, the one who is able to general but does not control the ruler wins."
"The third one is that those who have the same desire above and below will win!" Xu Fang said loudly: "In this case, if we meet in the end, why not do the opposite and make those above and below have different desires, so that it can lead to defeat?"
“Those above and below have different desires?”
Wang Zheng pondered for a while and said: "What you are saying is that the generals like the commander-in-chief and Du Bo on the opposite side may want to defend to the death, but the soldiers may not be so; even if the soldiers are of the same mind, the people, the prominent families in the city, and the gentry may not be so, so
, inciting them to have civil strife?"
"General, that's it." Xu Fang said: "Just like the people in Xiao County mistakenly thought that we were the Yanzhou army and surrendered without fighting, then we might as well continue to pretend to be Cao's army and massacre the city to intimidate, maybe we can make the greedy people among them
Please surrender because we are both dead."
"Well, that's a way." Wang Zheng nodded in agreement, then laughed and cursed:
"Then you can be more straightforward. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say in Sun Tzu's Art of War that "attack the city first, attack the heart first"?"
"The next priority is to attack the city, but the highest priority is to attack the heart?" Hearing this, Xu Fang was startled: "It's a small statement, but..."
Looking at Wang Zheng, Xu Fang hesitated and hesitated: "General, I don't seem to have seen these two sentences in Sun Tzu's Art of War."
Isn’t it from Sun Tzu’s Art of War?
Wang Zheng was also startled. Did he remember it wrong?
Just as he was feeling a little embarrassed, Zhang Rao suddenly interjected:
"General, you can slaughter the city and intimidate, but the general cannot pretend to be Cao Jun!"
Facing Wang Zheng's gaze, Zhang Rao said sternly: "The general is not literate and does not know Sun Tzu's art of war, but the people of Xuzhou are brave and brave, and they have long heard of it."
"Pengcheng is very different from Xiao County. Not long ago, this place was massacred by the Yanzhou army. Cao Cao and Cao's army hated Cao Cao with all their teeth!"
"The other side doesn't know the details of our army now. It's just that the soldiers are stubbornly resisting and there is even talk of stopping the army. But if we pretend to be Cao's army, I don't know if there are villains in the city who have different intentions. But the blood hatred remains and the pain remains.
When we have forgotten, if the enemy continues to force us to invade, I am afraid that the army and the people will unite and share the hatred of the enemy."
"Perhaps even the women, children, and children will climb to the top of the city tomorrow and fight to the death with us!"
After hearing this, Wang Zheng looked at Xu Fang first, and saw that he nodded slightly after thinking for a moment, recognizing Zhang Rao's concerns. He also thought of one of the reasons why Mi Heng suggested that he take Pengcheng that day. After pondering for a while, Wang Zheng said: "Major Zhang.
If your concerns are reasonable, then so be it."
"You can attack the heart, but you can't take the initiative to pretend to be Cao Jun."
"Send some people with loud voices to shout and make threats outside the shooting range of the opposite side."
"Find some more cloth and silk paper, write more straightforwardly, and tell the archers to shoot into the city by saying that those who surrender will be rewarded heavily and resist the barbarians stubbornly."
"Even if there is no internal response, it would be good to make people in Pengcheng panic and generate suspicion internally."
"Here!"
...
Naturally, Wu Sheng and Tianzhuying were responsible for the intimidation in front of the battle. Anyway, those words came and went. They had excellent physiques and had not participated in the battle today. They had plenty of energy and loud voices.
On the other hand, it is more troublesome.
There were very few people among the Yellow Turbans who could read, let alone write, so even Wang Zheng, the general, had no choice but to do it himself. He and Xu Fang worked tirelessly for more than an hour before writing thousands of copies.
Then they wrapped the arrows, and with a command, the Qingzhou archers raised their arms and shot thousands of surrender letters into the city.
It's almost dusk.
Even if the letter has an effect, it cannot be immediate in a short period of time.
Wang Zheng would not wait, and then ordered Chen Jiao to lead the heavenly army to charge and kill him again.
However, this time it turned out to be a feint attack. There was heavy thunder and light rain, but they didn't even get on top of the city for even a moment.
This kind of performance is considered to be within the previous discussions between Wang Zheng and others, so it is blameless.
Although he didn't say anything and even encouraged him, Wang Zheng still felt slightly dissatisfied with Chen Jiao when he thought of Zhang Rao's previous performance.
Just as the bright moon leaped over the treetops, and while he was discussing with the generals in the tent about attacking the city tomorrow, the sound of drums suddenly came from the opposite city.
Everyone was surprised and hurried out of the camp to watch.
At this time, the two armies set off countless torches at the same time. It was as bright as daylight, and dozens of bloody heads were seen hanging on bamboo poles, being patrolled around the city wall by Pengcheng soldiers, as if on display.
And the county lieutenant shouted loudly at the top of the city: "Don't wait any longer."
"If anyone is incited by you and wants to act as an insider and sell my city, this will be the end!"
"Although the edge of my sword is unfavorable, it can kill thousands of people without breaking the blade!"
Depend on!
Once again, the "counselor's" dream was shattered. Even though it was Xu Fang's plan, Wang Zheng still didn't hold back his anger. He was almost provoked by the ridicule and went into battle himself.
A small leak will sink a great ship!
General warned himself secretly. General's eyes were like daggers, staring at the county lieutenant without saying a word.
I remember you!
...
When Wang Zheng was anxious and unbearable, the atmosphere in Pengcheng was also extremely depressed at this time.
The army besieged and troops were approaching the city. People in Pengcheng were not unfamiliar with this encounter.
Before last year, Pengcheng State had nearly 100,000 households and a population of nearly 500,000. This level was only surpassed by Donghai and Xiapi counties in Xuzhou.
But when it comes to individual cities, Pengcheng is the highest in Xuzhou, with 50,000 households and a population of nearly 200,000. The land of one city accounts for half of the country's population and taxes.
But when Cao Cao swung his butcher knife, Pengcheng may have said that ten houses and nine empty houses at this time, but the whole city was in mourning for three months, and every family wore filial piety, but it was true.
At this time, the total number of people in Pengcheng, including the Xuzhou soldiers garrisoned, was less than 100,000.
So when the enemy appeared again, most of the people were completely panicked.
Another group of unfamiliar troops came and surrounded Pengcheng?
The outer city has been breached, and the troops have reached the inner city wall?
This atmosphere even spread to the prisons in Pengcheng.
...
As the capital of the country, Pengcheng even retains the style of the Western Han Dynasty in the prison area, with a total of three prisons.
There are Ruolu Prison, which specializes in imprisoning illegal officials and wealthy families, Xiting Prison, which houses female prisoners, and Pengcheng Prison, which is the largest prison and is responsible for detaining humble civilians and bandits.
Of course, every time there is a war, there will be civil unrest. After the massacre in Xuzhou, there were many bandits and thugs who took advantage of the situation. At this time, the three prisons were all overcrowded, and they were no longer as distinct as before.
Just like Lu Prison, now it is not only some prisoners with special status that are being detained, but also some death row prisoners who have committed the most heinous crimes.
Therefore, even though the royal army was pressing down on the territory, many jailers from the other two prisons were sent to assist in defending the city, while Ruolu Prison still retained nearly a hundred jailers to guard it.
At first glance, the place is still heavily guarded, but if the prisoners inside are paying attention, they can clearly feel that the guarding here is far less than before.
Not in numbers, but in attitude.
"Did something big happen?"
In the innermost cell.
A scribe who was about forty years old discovered this keenly.
He was wearing a blue robe of extraordinary material and exquisite workmanship. He had a good appearance and a good expression, and his complexion was fair and rosy. At first glance, he was from a good family.
What's even more strange is that even though he is in jail or in prison, he seems to have never suffered any hardship and is still well-dressed and handsome.
This is surprising.
Since it is a place where nobles are imprisoned, compared to most prisons in this world, the environment in Ruolu Prison is indeed much better.
But even so, a prisoner is always a prisoner, so why does this scribe act as if he is in charge of the post?
Not only was there no trace of decadence or panic, he was actually holding a feather fan in his hand at this moment.
You should know that it is only mid-spring at this time, and the weather is far from hot. Not to mention that the dungeon is humid, but also cool. The meaning of this feather fan is probably more about the so-called elegance and deportment, right?
What happened?
The scribe thought about what he saw, and looked around again. His mind moved, and he began to make more guesses.
Sure enough it’s not right!
Those who are about to be imprisoned are not of his status, but are real repeat robbers.
If calculated according to time, he should have been interrogated yesterday, but at this time, he was still in the cell.
Taking advantage of a jailer passing by on his routine patrol, the scribe finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked directly.
"What big thing happened recently?"
When the jailer saw the scribe asking such an impolite question, he was not annoyed at all. Instead, he bowed consciously and replied respectfully: "Sir."
Then he thought for a while, seemingly hesitating whether to say anything, and finally said after a while: "If we talk about things, a lot of things happened, but the biggest thing is probably that a group of unidentified tribesmen came to surround our city.
The outer wall has even been breached!"
"What?" This sentence made the scribe's face change drastically. He immediately stood up and came forward to ask: "Didn't Cao's army retreat to Yanzhou before I was imprisoned? Which prince came to invade?"
"How many men and horses are there?"
The jailer thought for a while and replied uncertainly: "Tens of thousands of people, I don't know the details."
"It's dangerous!" After hearing this answer, as a local and knowledgeable, the scribe thought for a moment and sighed: "The internal stability of our city is far inferior to that of the external fortress. Since the enemy has broken through to this point, it has become a besieged city.
situation!"
He looked at the jailer again: "Has the Prime Minister sent someone to ask Tao Qian for help?"
"If we don't hurry, it will be too late."
The jailer was not surprised that the scribe was so rude and called the governor of Xuzhou by his first name.
After all, even a humble citizen like him knew that Tao Qian was the reason why a local celebrity with little talent and learning, such as a scribe, was in this situation.
Tao Qian admired his reputation and promoted scribes as outstanding talents, but was unexpectedly rejected. In anger, he ordered Prime Minister Pengcheng to imprison him.
But even so, both the state minister and the prison officer treated the scribes with courtesy and courtesy.
There is no other way. This scholar has become famous at a young age and has been famous for a long time. He is also the leader of the local scholars in Pengcheng. He really cannot be ignored.
"Ask for help?" The jailer thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Sir, the thieves raided at night and came too fast. When the city noticed it, they were directly outside the inner city and surrounded all sides. I think they just want to ask for help, so I'm afraid they can't.
I can’t leave the city.”
At this point, the jailer consciously made a mistake. After all, no matter how famous the scribe was, he was still a prisoner, but he shouldn't have said so much to him.
At this time, the scribe also fell into a trance, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something, and the jailer took the opportunity to slip away.
A song of unknown origin?
Raid?
The scribe sat down slowly and began to think through the limited information in the jailer's words.
"Cao Cao is victorious in the battle with Lu Bu. I'm afraid he will have to recuperate and recuperate. He will not invade our territory again in the short term."
"And if we want to launch a surprise attack, there is the East China Sea to the east of Pengcheng. If the East China Sea is lost, and the Prime Minister is not a foolish and loyal person, I am afraid he has already asked for surrender, and he will definitely not continue to resist."
"Langya is to the north. If we attack from here, with the three cities of Yinping, Fuyang, and Wuyuan in front, even if they fall overnight, they will surely light beacon towers and light up smoke to warn our city, so the outer city will not fall so easily.
"
Before the scribe was imprisoned, Wang Zheng was still in Linzi and had not moved eastward. Little did he know that half of Langya had fallen to the Yellow Turbans at this time.
"Then it can only come from Yuzhou in the southwest!"
With a snap sound, the scholar's feather fan closed, his eyes flashed with light, and he had already made a guess.
"Unknown?" The scribe shook his head with a sarcastic smile: "Prime Minister, you can't be so stupid."
"You don't dare to declare it with your mouth and show it to the public, right?"
"If people knew that it was Marquis Yangdi's army that was attacking the city, I'm afraid everyone would be in danger and the morale of the army would be low, right?"