Riding and cutting down the imperial bandits of the Three Kingdoms 29. Although the tiger walks away, the tiger's den is still difficult to break through
29. Although the tiger walks away, the tiger's den is still difficult to break through
Everyone entered the cabin and took their seats.
It was also the first time he met Wang Zheng. Compared to Shen Shu, he at least had some interactions with Wang Xiong. Zhao Ning and the Zhao family had only met Lu Ji before, but now that they finally met him, they immediately showed enthusiasm and initiative.
"The Zhou Mu Bai Arowana uniformed himself and went to the enemy's country in person. His courage and boldness really make me admire him." Zhao Ling flattered him with a serious look on his face: "This is the true character of a hero!"
Wang Zheng smiled slightly when he heard this and thought to himself: "How can you cherish your life when doing great things?"
Besides, although Guangling County is now outside his sphere of influence, the cities and towns along the river, such as Tangyi, are secretly controlled by Jiangdu. How dangerous is it to come by boat?
However, given Wang Zheng's current status, he visited Jiujiang twice in person. At best, he was very courageous. At worst, just like Guo Jia's evaluation of Sun Ce, he was indeed unprepared.
Therefore, he did not answer Zhao Ning's compliments. He only asked his attendants to serve tea, and after some pleasantries, he returned to the topic.
Wang Zhengxian asked Lu Ji: "It has been half a month since I left Yangzhou. What is the situation in Shouchun now?"
"Your Majesty."
Lu Ji, who had already established his position as a king and minister, naturally could not be as carefree as Zhao Ning when facing the king's government. He hurriedly said respectfully: "Our army is unstoppable in Jibei, with good news coming frequently. In addition, Liu Biao's Wenpin Department and Our general Wu Sheng's troops have all arrived at Pingyu City in Runan County, so Yuan Shu summoned the generals five days ago, ordered the three armies, and dispatched the vanguard troops to Pingyang in Runan two days ago."
"The general is already aware of this matter." Wang Zheng nodded. The reason why he returned to Jiujiang for the second time at this time was precisely because he had received the news that Shouchun Yuan Shu had already begun to send out troops, and he was ready to move the tiger away from the mountain. "What else?"
"Yang Hong originally suggested that Feng Feng be the commander of this army, but Yuan Shu finally decided to go out in person, not only because of the persuasion of Gu Yong and other ministers, but it seems that..."
Having said this, Lu Ji paused, hesitated and then said: "There is also the impetus of the palace wind."
The argument used by Gu Yong and others to persuade Yuan Shu to personally conquer Xudu was simply that the Northern Expedition to Xudu was a major event concerning the order of the world, and its grandeur was no less than that of a war to destroy a country.
And in a war of this scale, once the commander is victorious, he will definitely be famous all over the world. If Feng Feng is used as commander, he may be in danger of shocking the commander with his great achievements in the future.
And since this military expedition was not just for Yangzhou, but all three powerful princes in the south had their share, and the initiator was Xuzhou, so even if he failed, Yuan Shu did not need to worry about damage to his reputation. It can be said that winning would be beneficial, and losing would be harmless, so what? Personal expedition?
However, Yang Hong always insisted on his opinion and believed that Yuan Shu could never leave Shouchun. The two sides were at a stalemate for a while, and Yuan Shu was also hesitant.
But it was Mrs. Feng who stepped forward at the critical moment.
The woman said that Liu Biao of Jingzhou was old and a Confucian scholar, so he would never lead the army in person, but Wang Zheng in Xuzhou had already promised that he would definitely go out in person.
If Feng Feng is the commander-in-chief of Yangzhou, it may be difficult to fight against them. Wang Zheng will naturally be the leader of the alliance. Then once they win, won't the glory and reputation after the war be exclusively reserved for Wang Zheng?
There is a more critical point. After conquering Xudu, how will Emperor Xian and the princes of the court deal with it?
Should we go to Xuzhou or Yangzhou?
These words completely moved Yuan Shu. He was also confident of victory in this battle, and he began to think more about how to distribute the fruits of victory after the war.
What Liu Biao valued most was Yingchuan County, but what he valued most was Emperor Xian!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shu immediately decided to leave Yang Hong to guard Shouchun, while he personally led the three armies to conquer the front line.
"Yuan Shu went on an expedition this time. Feng Feng, Liang Gang and other veteran generals from the Runan clan also took him with him, but he left Yang Hong behind to guard Shouchun." Lu Ji said: "There are also generals like Gan Ning who patrolled the city in Shouchun.
, Li Ren is his deputy."
"Did Gan Ning stay in Shouchun?"
Wang Zheng was startled when he heard this. Yang Hong was Yuan Shu's mastermind. Yuan Shu did not take him to the front line to fight, but stayed to take charge of Shouchun. It was probably because Shouchun was his fundamental place and there was no room for error. It was reasonable.
As for Li Renmo, his performance in the past few years has been poor. Not only has his status and prestige in the Yangzhou army been damaged, but more importantly, his reputation has not been very good. In both battles, he was defeated and returned.
People can't help but think that it is a bad luck star. Yuan Shu thinks it is an eyesore, so he is not willing to bring it with him in such a battle.
but...
Why did Yuan Shu keep Gan Ning, a newly attached general who was famous for his bravery, in Shouchun?
Isn’t this overkill?
Seeing the surprise on Wang Zheng's face, Lu Ji guessed his doubts and reminded him: "My lord, Gan Ning is a general under Liu Biao. Naturally, he cannot be taken to the front line this time."
Wang Zheng reacted immediately and nodded repeatedly.
Yes, in Yuan Shu's opinion, this time the three parties joined forces to attack Cao Cao, so the Jingzhou army is now a friend rather than an enemy. If Gan Ning is brought over and the people of Jingzhou are dissatisfied, wouldn't it be a small gain but a big loss?
However, Gan Ning's stay in Shouchun was not good news for him. Wang Zhengsi thought, as a time traveler, he naturally knew Gan Ning's abilities. This person was already brave enough to be worthy of all men, and coupled with a careful mind
Yang Hong, the two of them, one in culture and one in martial arts, complement each other, which will probably make his next plan more difficult!
After pondering for a moment, Wang Zheng looked around: "Has it been determined when Yuan Shu's main force will leave the city?"
These are all military secrets. Although Shen Shu and Zhao Ning are direct descendants of aristocratic families, they naturally don't know about it. Although Lu Ji is a captain, his rank is still low after all, and he only knows a little bit about it, so only Li Shu can answer in detail.
"Reporting to Zhou Mu," Li Shu said: "As far as the general knows, tomorrow is the first day of the month, and Yuan Shu will do a series of sacrifices, accommodating the society, making you, offering sacrifices, and building teeth. Then the day after tomorrow should be the swearing-in ceremony.
The army will be dispatched in four days."
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, there must be an oath to be sworn in. Before taking the oath, sacrifices must be made. There are four sacrifices: heaven, earth, ancestors and the military god Chi You.
It is a kind of sacrifice to report the upcoming conquest to the Emperor of Heaven, to express respect for Heaven's punishment and to punish the enemy in the name of the Emperor of Heaven. She is the land god, and the meaning of Yishe is to show to the land god that the conquest of the enemy is to defend the country and open up new territories.
, so it is called "Yishe". You were made to offer sacrifices to the ancestors, and the sacrifices were to sacrifice the military god and Yaqi. The military god was Chi You, and Yaqi was the military flag. In ancient times, there was an ancient saying, "The Yaqi is the essence of the general."
According to the saying "the appearance of the army", starting from Guangwu, the armies of the Eastern Han Dynasty often had a "tooth-building" ceremony before going on an expedition, that is, to put up a big flag and then "to show their teeth".
Wang Zheng was dumbfounded as he listened to Li Shu's explanations. He had been fighting for almost two years. It was inevitable to swear oaths in every war, but the sacrifices were basically just showing off "Huang Tian" in the early stage, and then they came ashore clean.
Even this was omitted, I didn’t expect there were so many etiquettes.
Or would a high-ranking kid like Skeleton King know how to play...
Secretly sighing, Wang Zheng coughed and asked: "Very good, how many troops and horses are left in the city?"
"It's hard to say the exact number," Li Shu said, "but based on the troops left in the city, I estimate it should be about 10,000 horses."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but ask: "Shouchun was the capital of the King of Chu in the past. It was originally a big city. After Yuan Shu came to Yangzhou, he repaired and built the city walls many times. Now he has left Yang Hong and Gan Ning to take charge of everything. That's it. Yuan Shu himself is not here, and with the late general and Brother Lu as internal agents, it may be difficult to defeat him quickly. I don’t know my lord..."
Hearing this, Lu Ji, Zhao Ning, and Shen Shu all looked at Wang Zheng.
A strong city, brave generals, masterminds, and more than 10,000 garrisoned troops. These are all the advantages of Yuan Shu's home field, and Wang Zheng has not even had a city as a stronghold in Jiujiang. He took such pains to divert Yuan Shu away from the mountain. Now he has indeed succeeded. How to capture Shouchun?
This question not only hovered in Li Shu's mind, but also everyone else was puzzled.
Wang Zheng did use Wang Xiong's mouth to tell Lu Ji a "best strategy" for outsmarting Shouchun, but in fact this so-called "best strategy" was rejected by Wang Zheng when Guo Jia first proposed it. Of course, later on, Wang Zheng also told them clearly that due to changes in the situation, he would use another "medium strategy" to deal with Shouchun...
But what exactly this strategy is, Lu Ji and others still don’t know.
Waterbirds flew high and the waves rolled. As the waves rippled slightly, the autumn wind from the river rushed into the cabin, rolled up the curtains and rustled. Many people in the cabin were silent, waiting for Wang Zheng's explanation.
Counting all the strategies that Wang Zheng has used since he entered Shouchun, he first deceived Yuan Shu into believing that he came to Shouchun to attack Xudu by surprise, and then used counterintuitive tactics to drive a wedge between Yuan Shu and Yang Hong. Although it failed in the end, it was also a coincidence. He used various means to transfer Yang Hong away from Hefei, and then used prominent officials in the city to create public opinion, which aroused Yuan Shu's pride and forced him to play hard to get.
Then he made close and distant contacts, secretly reached an alliance with Liu Biao, and joined forces with the latter to make peace, further adding fuel to the fire and stimulating Yuan Shu's unrealistic ambitions, and finally drained the fire and diverted the tiger away from the mountain.
Now Yuan Shu is about to leave Shouchun and go north. It seems that he is done, but another contradiction arises...
Although the tiger has moved away, it is still difficult to break into the tiger's den!
It should be noted that the Xuzhou Army currently does not have a single garrison in Jiujiang, and it lacks a city to stand on. It is like a castle in the air, and no matter how strong its strength is, it has no place to use.
Taking a step back, there are indeed some people from Guo Jia and Huang Zhong in Lu'an and Hefei, but even in the nearest city of Hefei, if you want to reach Shouchun, you have to pass through the two important towns of Chengde and Xiquyang, which are thousands of miles apart. It's really hard to take things by surprise, so what kind of surprise attack...
And if Wang Zheng abandons everything and adopts a frontal attack, not only will his previous positive image in Yangzhou be destroyed, this unjustified backstab will immediately trigger a local backlash in Jiangdong. Even if he wins in the end, he will definitely lose money. heavy.
Besides, from the perspective of Lu Ji and others, this year alone, the Xuzhou Army has experienced several battles, including the battle against Kong Rong in Beihai, the battle against Yuan Tan at Mount Tai, and the battle against Sun Ce in Jiangdong. Yes, Wang Zheng did win in the end, but the long-term victory The army has become a long-tired army...
Under such circumstances, a frontal attack is not advisable.
Not to mention that if the strong attack encounters obstacles, if the attack cannot be taken for a long time, giving Yuan Shu time to react, and then letting him lead the army to kill, it is still unclear who will win. It is really not worth the loss.
So what to do next?
Naturally, Wang Zheng would not choose a frontal attack. If he wanted to seize Jiangdong with force, he would have led his soldiers back to Xuzhou long ago to recuperate and go south again next spring.
The decision he and Guo Jia made after discussing it was that the most difficult step was to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Once this step was successfully taken, the next step would be easy. It could only be said in four words: Repeat the same trick.
As for which old trick it was, and how to repeat it?
Wang Zheng smiled slightly at Lu Ji and others, and slowly revealed the next step of his plan.
After everyone heard this, they were shocked and surprised.
Zhao Ning, who was as tall as Zhao Ning, couldn't help but admire the case, but Shen Te, who was cautious, immediately showed worry. Lu Ji and Li Shu looked at each other, and after a long while, Li Shu said in a deep voice: "My Lord, I feel that this plan is too risky. ."
Lu Ji added from the side: "Although the strategy is dangerous, it also contains surprises and surprises."
"It's more than unexpected!" Zhao Ning on the side said loudly: "It's absolutely brilliant! The person who came up with this plan is a true national scholar!"
"If this strategy is successful, Wangzhou Mu will have a great reputation and great righteousness. It can be said that he will become the guest and the master in an instant."
Zhaoling looked excited and said: "With the honor and righteousness in hand, even if Wangzhou Mu encounters some obstacles in the process of capturing Shouchun in the future, it doesn't matter. We can conquer it slowly. There is no need to be anxious. The most important thing is that once If Shouchun is captured, the cities in Yangzhou will be able to spread the word!"
No one had any objections to Zhao Ning's analysis. They looked at Wang Zheng again. In addition to their previous admiration, they were even more awe-struck. They all thought in unison:
"I heard that this son was favored by Huang Tian and was granted divine power. Now it seems that he is not only gifted with divine power, but probably also gifted with wisdom!"
Otherwise, how could someone of such age and origin come to have such a city and such a strategic plan?
"If this plan is successful, Shouchun will be in the pocket of this general." Wang Zheng was very satisfied with the approval of Lu Ji and others, which greatly satisfied his "good counselor" mentality, and although this plan was Guo Jia's I came up with it, but I also made the right judgment.
Then he looked at Shen Shu and called out: "You two are from a famous family and have great talents in governing the country. In the future, the six counties and hundreds of cities in Yangzhou will be in need of help. I will listen to my instructions."
Everything in the world is for profit.
Regardless of whether Lu Ji, Li Shu or the Shouchun nobles represented by Shen and Zhao, the reasons for their willingness to join the royal government were all the same. It was simply because the wealth Yuan Shu gave them was either not enough or they did not want it.
The reason why I don't want it is naturally not that I don't like wealth, but that I don't think highly of Yuan Shu.
They were not optimistic, because they felt that the wealth offered by the other party was hot. Since they chose Wang Zheng, they may not necessarily think that the other party was the right one, but at least they were a wise master, and they had several percent more chances than Yuan Shu.
So they would naturally accept the wealth and honor given by Wang Zheng, and the more the better.
"I am really unworthy of having the talent to govern and secure the country." Shen Shu said hurriedly: "However, the state shepherd does not think that I am weak in virtue and incompetent, and I am willing to do the hard work of dogs and horses."
The summons was even more direct, and he immediately bowed down and prostrated: "I summon you to pay homage to your lord. From now on, I will go through fire and water without hesitation with just a word from my lord."