Wang Zheng's heavenly army's physique is better than that of ordinary people, which means that in many cases, whether it is weather or terrain, unfavorable factors still exist, but the impact is not significant. This allows more strategic considerations to be unexpected and to anticipate the enemy.
There is no need to adhere to many common sense in the art of war.
When attacking Linzi, on the day when Wang Zheng chose to attack with all his strength, it rained heavily. This not only surprised Li Jiayuan, the county lieutenant, but also shocked Xu He. Chen Jiao's glasses not only defeated the outer city in one day, but also defeated the city in one day.
The Duiliu thieves had the upper hand. According to this theory, the negative impact of the heavy fog is not as great as that of the heavy rain, and the same can be said for the capture of Pi.
But the problem is...
Today’s opponents can’t always reason either.
Just like when he attacked Linzi, Wang Zheng dared to be the first to attack and capture the city, but now in Xiapi, Wang Zheng did not dare to do the same.
Just kidding, if he was surrounded by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei during a fierce battle, it would be his turn to suffer from numb scalp.
Of course, even though he thought so in his heart, he should not express these words with his mouth, lest he become the enemy and lose his prestige. Wang Zheng just smiled and asked: "Wen Gui, if you were Liu Bei instead, what would your enemy be?"
Now that all the strongholds around you have been taken out, Xiapi has become an isolated city, and even more troops are approaching the city, what will you do?"
"How will we respond?"
Always practice empathy when encountering the enemy. This method has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people after being advocated several times by Wang Zheng. Pan Zhang also considered the consequences before making the suggestion. He said: "If there is only one man in the front, the general will think about it."
Try your best to hold on as long as possible first, then ask for reinforcements from outside, and at the same time look for opportunities to defeat the enemy."
"The way to be cautious." Wang Zheng nodded: "But now we are not just together, but surrounded on all sides?"
"Surrounded on all sides, it is difficult to defend the isolated city. This is a certain death situation!" Pan Zhang pondered for a while and said: "Of course you can't just defend it blindly!"
"If you are the last general..." At this point, Pan Zhang first looked at everyone, and finally at Wang Zheng. He hesitated for a long time, then coughed and said: "We can only choose the opportunity to take the initiative to find that glimmer of hope.
."
Take the initiative?
Wang Zheng shook his head slightly after hearing this, and first tactically rejected Pan Zhang's opinion.
He could even tell that this might not be what Pan Zhang meant.
Of course, if it were Wu Sheng and Xu Fang, he might really make this choice, but neither Wang Zheng nor Liu Bei should make this choice.
This is not just a matter of vision, but also caused by differences in status.
The Han Dynasty ruled the world with loyalty and filial piety, and the mainstream value of society was to attach importance to fame and despise death, especially those who joined the army. Even if they were defeated, they would fight to the death, just to get a piece of jade.
Under such circumstances, ministers sometimes do things that they know they cannot do but do them.
Only those in power can truly put aside the fetters of morality and loyalty, and truly consider the overall situation, general trend, and interests, instead of worrying too much about temporary gains and losses for the sake of fame.
Looking around at everyone, Wang Zheng said loudly: "If I were the general, faced with this situation, I would only have one choice!"
He said every word: "It is not advisable to defend passively. The only way is to break out of the encirclement actively!"
As soon as these words came out, there was an immediate uproar. Even though Wang Zheng was the head coach, it was still hard to accept such words that went against the generals' three views.
"Of course, breaking out is a better term." Wang Zheng didn't take it seriously, waved his hand and said with a smile, "To be honest, that's evacuation."
He glanced at Yu Jin and suddenly asked: "Wen Ze, do you still remember Xu He?"
"Of course I remember." Yu Jin was startled when he heard this: "Why did the general suddenly mention this defeated bandit?"
Wang Zheng shook his head, knowing that although Yu Jin had been in the army for a long time and was locked in loyalty by the system, he had always looked down upon the Yellow Turban bandits other than the Heavenly Army. This was contempt from the bottom of his heart.
However, this matter has nothing to do with right or wrong. The Heavenly Army is the product of a plug-in and should not be compared with other Yellow Turban Army. Therefore, it is not convenient for Wang Zheng to correct it.
But he always had self-awareness in his heart. Step by step, he went from being a junior to today. He defeated powerful enemies one after another. However, he mostly relied on external objects and plug-ins to defeat his opponents. Although he did not feel resentful about it, he still won the battle in the end.
It's not good to feel complacent.
Therefore, Wang Zheng has never had the idea of "what's the point if his generals are defeated".
In Wang Zheng's view, Xu He, although defeated, was a rare and outstanding figure among a group of mediocre Yellow Turbans. In terms of talent, he may still be above Zhang Rao.
"Victory or defeat is determined by God, and the defeated bandit may not be incompetent." He said sternly: "When we were in Guang County, Linzi County Lieutenant led a large army to invade. Xu He wanted to persuade the general to evacuate. Although the general did not agree, he did not agree.
What I said that day is still fresh in my memory, and I think it makes sense."
As he spoke, he looked around at the crowd and said loudly: "The art of war has it that if the enemy is completely victorious and I cannot fight, then there are only three things: must surrender; must make peace; must leave."
"If you surrender, you will be completely defeated; if you make peace, you will be half defeated; if you leave, you will not be defeated. Those who are not defeated will have a chance to win."
"This is the true meaning of taking the best strategy."
"So..." Looking around, Wang Zhengdao said: "If you know you are outmatched, instead of fighting to the end, strategically withdrawing, conserving your strength, and leaving it for later plans, it is actually a very correct choice."
"The general feels that Liu Bei will look for an opportunity to break out." Yu Jin asked: "Can you guess which way the opponent will choose? We might as well make arrangements in advance, and we must not let this person go!"
"I can't guess." Wang Zheng shook his head: "But Liu Bei will naturally not choose to break out from the front. The rest will be either from the northeast, northwest, or southeast."
"Then, let's disperse our forces and prepare to intercept?"
Where can we continue to divide our troops? Wang Zheng waved his hands and said: "If we divide our troops again, even if we have intercepted them, how can we stop Liu Bei's troops from breaking through? You must know that dogs will jump over walls when they are in a hurry, and rabbits will bite when they are in a hurry.
Not to mention Liu Beijun’s three tigers?”
From the beginning, Wang Zheng only wanted to conquer Xuzhou in one battle, but did not attempt to destroy Liu Bei in one fell swoop.
Just kidding, the old Liu family has had more than tens of millions of descendants in the two Han Dynasties for hundreds of years, but in Liu Bei, you can see the resilience and bachelor spirit of his ancestor Liu Bang. The most terrifying thing about this kind of people is that they become more courageous with every setback.
, if it can be removed, the sooner the better.
But on the other hand, before you are sure of killing with one blow, you can be an enemy, but you cannot make a mortal enemy!
He and Liu Bei are still in a conflict of interests. Liu Bei lost Xuzhou, and his first priority was definitely not revenge, but quickly finding a place to grow slowly, regain his strength, and then seek revenge.
But if he is forced to panic, for example, if Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, or even other Liu Bei's cronies are killed at this time, it will force Liu Da'er to stop caring about his grand ambition of "never giving up" and only
I became red-eyed and chose to fight him to the death.
Now is not the time for a decisive battle with Liu Bei. With this thought, Wang Zheng said calmly: "If Liu Bei wants to break through, he will block it if he can, and let him go if he can't."
"General, you can't do that." Yu Jin was very anxious when he heard this, and inevitably said: "If the tiger returns to the mountain, there will be endless troubles!"
"Wen Ze, Liu Bei is not the only enemy we have!" Wang Zheng shook his head: "The price of killing Liu Bei will be very high. If we do this, we will avoid future troubles, but what about now?"
He sighed: "Looking at the future, we must also preserve the present first. If we can't get through today, how can we talk about tomorrow?"
"This..." Yu Jin looked around and saw that everyone was also full of doubts. His eyes fell on Pan Zhang and motioned for him to give some advice, but Pan Zhang shook his head.
Don't let Liu Bei go!
Yu Jin thought, his words still don't carry much weight, he has to find someone who can speak usefully!
That's right! Yu Jin's eyes lit up and he asked Xu Fang to persuade the general to give up the idea of letting Liu Bei go!
Just as he was thinking like this, Yu Jin looked around, but found that he didn't see Xu Fang's figure. He was startled again, Xu Fang didn't come with him?
After discovering this fact, Yu Jin stayed for a moment, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind. Xu Fangmo had already seen something?
Could it be that from the beginning, when the general asked Wu Sheng to gather Yuan's army to attack the prime minister, his intention was not to capture Pi, or was it not mainly about the city?
Are you trying to force Liu Bei to withdraw his troops? Give up Xuzhou?
At this time, everyone in the hall was silent for a while, and the drop of a needle could be heard. Wang Zheng didn't take it seriously. He took a sip of tea and inadvertently glanced at the map hanging on the wall.
He was also thinking at this time, which way Liu Bei would take to break out?
Although I have the understanding to let the opponent go, what if I have the opportunity to kill him?
Besides, even if the other party escapes, don't let him escape too easily!
.....
The twilight is deep and night is falling.
Outside Xiapi City, the vague fog enveloped the dense darkness.
In the complete silence, thousands of troops and horses faced each other.
In the master bedroom of the county mansion, Liu Bei woke up from his dream.
He just had a dream.
It was the same in Xiapi in the night, and it was also in the thick fog. The sky-shattering killing cries tore up the long night, and the fog covered the blood. Countless densely packed arrows penetrated the thick fog and shot from unknown places.
Come. Between the quiet fog and the boiling night, the hesitant soldiers seemed to be floating in the sea of clouds, losing their torches and picking them up again, and they would fall into invisible traps at any time.
The sound of the horn makes the fog billow; the sound of the drum shakes the night.
Fortunately, it was just a dream. Liu Bei smiled bitterly and remained silent for a long time before strange thoughts suddenly appeared in his mind.
When our ancestor went to Hongmen that day and after defeating Pengcheng, when he returned to his dream at midnight, would he be like him now, with only discouragement and disappointment in his chest?
"Hey."
He laughed dumbly, shook his head, stood up, pushed the door open, walked to the window of the outer hall with his hands behind his back, looked at the night in front of him, in a daze, and said nothing.
I don't know when, Zhang Fei also came to Liu Bei's side. It was rare that this black-faced evil star was quite quiet today, and he didn't make a sound for a long time.
a long time.
Liu Bei took a long breath, watching the faint turbid air rising in front of him, swirling, and finally dissipating, and suddenly said: "Third brother, now that things have come to a point, Xiapi cannot be saved."
"Xuzhou can't be saved!"
"Brother." Zhang Fei looked sideways at Liu Bei. Seeing his sad expression, he didn't know what to say for a moment. He just consoled him: "Victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists!"
"Do you think being a brother means the gains and losses in this battle?" Liu Bei shook his head: "No, no, no matter who is a prince, general, trafficker or pawn, he will suffer more and less happiness during his lifetime?"
When he said this, Liu Bei did not look at Zhang Fei, but murmured to himself: "Our brothers are now embarking on the great cause of prospering the Han Dynasty, and we are fighting for the glorious road of war. How can we not encounter dangers?"
"Failure is not something that should be scary, but it happens that I feel afraid of something as ordinary as this, and I feel like retreating. Hey, I really am not my husband!"
"Third brother," Liu Bei looked out the window coldly, looked into the distance for a long time, and then said calmly: If that Shuzi knew about it, wouldn't he laugh out loud because he was so unprepared?"
"Shuzi..." Hearing Liu Bei mention Wang Zheng, Zhang Fei's eyes also shot out cold murderous intent, and he said every word: "Brother, don't worry!"
"I will wash away the humiliation of this battle with the blood of the thieves and bandits!"
"If you hold a heart of hatred, you will fail the next time you meet Wang Zheng!" Liu Bei took a deep look at Zhang Fei and said sincerely: "After this battle, I have learned that this son must not be treated like a bandit.
In one game, we lost because we underestimated him!"
"But it's okay!" Liu Bei closed his eyes, raised his head, took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions slightly, and opened his eyes again. With a flick of his robe sleeves, his eyes suddenly looked like daggers, and his voice was sharp: "The days are long!"
Zhang Fei looked to the side and saw that his eldest brother suddenly became energetic, and his whole body once again exuded a familiar aura, covering the entire veranda.
It was a lofty, arrogant, and soul-stirring aura.
When they first met that day, no matter whether they were as unruly as Zhang Fei or as arrogant as Guan Yu, they were all heartbroken because of this, and only then did they swore sworn homage to Taoyuan after hearing about his ambition.
"Brother is right!" Zhang Fei said solemnly: "The days are long! This time, let's just remember it!"
"good!"
Liu Bei looked at Zhang Fei's stubborn face, raised his eyebrows, patted his shoulder, looked into the distance again, and suddenly sang in a rhythm that cracked the stone:
"Where to go!"
"The ancestral temple is dead!"
"My soul is lost!"
"To what party do you belong?"
This is a famous saying in "General Tian Dan Attacks Di". It comes from "Warring States Policy" written by Liu Xiang, a great master of the Western Han Dynasty. Its general meaning is:
"Go to the battlefield bravely. The ancestral temple where we worship will be lost, and the souls of our ancestors will be lost. Where can we return!"
Tian Dan was from Linzi, Qi County, Qi State, and he was half a fellow villager with Wang Zheng.
The most proud achievement of this famous Qi general in his life was to use the five-mile city and the seven-mile country to lead the defeated army and rely on the Fire Ox Formation to defeat the Yan State, which was known as the country of ten thousand chariots at that time, and regain the lost land of Qi State.
.
Zhuojun, where Liu Bei was born, was the hometown of the former Yan State.
When he was forced into a desperate situation by another Qijun man, Liu Bei sang Tian Dan's poem about the defeat of another group of Yan people hundreds of years ago. Liu Bei just wanted to remember this moment of defeat!
Of course, regardless of the standpoint, the meaning in this poem is simple, yet generous and pathos, which is more consistent with the ideals of military strategy.
Only those who dare to die can have the energy to live.
When Zhang Fei heard this, he was also moved and sang along:
"You can go! The ancestral temple is dead, and the soul is lost. To what party will it belong?"
"Bring me the sword!"
He recalled the past. Since entering Xuzhou, he first fought against Yuan Shu, and then was trapped in Wangzheng. There were more than dozens of major and minor battles. Up to now, most of the old soldiers from the plains who followed that day have withered. The blood of thousands of soldiers has finally been replaced.
What happened was that he was once again forced to the point where he chose to run away in a hurry.
I, Liu Bei, have no place to stay again!
He is not angry, and even more unwilling!
Amidst the sound of footsteps, Liu Bei drew his sword and danced. The green light passed by, bringing up the candle shadow and shaking it red.
"The wind is blowing and the clouds are flying!"
In the passionate and clear voice, Zhang Fei looked at the cold sword light in front of him, and it seemed that all the battles he had participated in were resounding. The victory and defeat were instantaneous, and the gains and losses were overturned. He could not help but sing along:
"Weijiahai is back home!"
At this time, Liu Bei was already walking in the court. As soon as he finished speaking, he slashed with his swing, cracking a stone table:
"kill!"
When he put the sword back into its sheath, he was furious and slowly said the last sentence: "A brave warrior is here..."
"Guard the four directions!"
I have gained an unparalleled warrior, but I am once again left with no place to defend...
All of this is because of Wang Zheng!
a long time.
Liu Bei suddenly called out: "Third brother, make preparations early."
"But..." Zhang Fei nodded after hearing this: "When will our army take action?"
"You and I both know the power of Yun Chang." Liu Bei raised his scabbard and pointed toward the northwest: "Since he said it was five days, Wuyuan will be conquered in five days!"
"We can't do it too early, and we can't do it too late."