When Jia Xu mentioned the news of Zhang Song's death in battle, Cao Zhi was shocked. Just now, Cao Zhi was just getting angry and didn't know anything about it. Now when he heard it, his face turned pale, his brows furrowed, and he forced himself to hold it back.
Zhang Song's surrender to Cao Zhi is still a secret. At this time, he cannot reveal it in front of Liu Zhang's envoys, so as not to arouse Liu Zhang's dissatisfaction and further defect to Cao Zhi and no longer form an alliance with him, which would make things worse.
The gain was not worth the loss, so Cao Zhi could only choose to frown and endure it, without showing sadness or anger.
It was probably at this time that Jia Xu thought of what he was going to say next. It seemed that he could not let the envoy sent by Liu Zhang listen any longer, so before he began to speak again, he turned around and waved to Cao Xiu, indicating that he would lead the way.
The envoy who came first to report the news went down to rest.
Cao Xiu understood and invited Liu Zhang's envoys out.
At this time, Jia Xu continued in a low voice: "Liu Zhang, this idiot, is trying his best to disperse his troops along the way. He thinks that without those burdens, he can pretend to be a civilian and choose all the roads, trails, mountains and waterways, just to escape safely.
Come to the Lord!"
"Asshole!" Cao Zhi cursed harshly.
After hearing Jia Xu's introduction, Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said to Cao Zhi: "Lord, this is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, but it is an opportunity for us!"
Cao Zhi asked in surprise: "What chance?"
"There is a vacuum in Yizhou, and everything is in chaos. I dare say that Liu Zhang's old ministers and generals are not necessarily willing to follow Fazheng and surrender to Liu Bei. It is because Liu Zhang suddenly left, and they have no choice but to obey Fazheng. This is
This is our opportunity. I suggest that your lord immediately send troops to Yizhou, and be sure to pick up Liu Zhang on the road and take him back to Yizhou. Liu Zhang can now serve as the flag in our hands to regroup the old Yizhou troops.
A chess piece that competes with Liu Bei for time and speed. Since my lord has several times more troops than Liu Bei and Zhang Lu, we will definitely gain a certain advantage!"
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Xia Houyuan, who was led by Cao Zhi, immediately asked: "Do you want us to divide our troops into Shu?"
"Yes! My lord chooses to lose when he is hungry, and he will never come back again! I think my lord, I have never thought about letting Liu Zhang really dominate Yizhou forever, right?" After Zhuge Liang said this, he stared at Cao Zhi with burning eyes.
People who are engaged in politics and strategy have a greater gambling mentality than ordinary people. They can often see opportunities that ordinary people cannot see, and even those opportunities are only as big as a gap.
Cao Zhi was forced to think deeply by Zhuge Liang's bold idea. At this time, he also believed that this was an opportunity for his ambition. Zhuge Liang's final intention was very clear. He wanted Cao Zhi to take advantage of this opportunity and not only occupy the
Hanzhong and Yizhou were also taken care of.
But before Cao Zhi finished chewing Zhuge Liang's proposal, Xia Houyuan objected: "My lord, Kong Ming's opinion is too bold and too risky. Our army is now newly defeated and has low morale. The strength of Zhang Lu and Liu Bei is
There has been an increase again and again. I don’t think dividing our troops now will be beneficial to our army. Please think twice, lord!”
As soon as Xia Houyuan finished speaking, Jia Xu said: "Of course General Xiahou's opinion is correct, but when Liu Bei and Zhang Lu's troops first arrived in Shu, the people's hearts must not be convinced yet, and there must be some unconvinced troops who have surrendered or turned against them.
The one who is missing now is Lord Ming. Let’s call him up. As long as we take Liu Zhang back to Yizhou in time and cultivate kindness to win the hearts of the people, Kong Ming said there is still a chance... Lord, instead of having nothing to do here, it is better to make a detour
This road can be regarded as a way to enter Hanzhong in the future. One plan can solve two difficulties, why not do it!"
Jia Xu's position is also very obvious. He stands with Zhuge Liang and supports his opinions. He wants Cao Zhi to seize the opportunity and open up new paths when he is in a quagmire when he marches into Hanzhong.
Xia Houyuan was once again dissatisfied and wanted to argue, but Zhuge Liang came up with another fantastic idea: "Actually, I also have some ideas about marching into Hanzhong. Maybe we can do it at the same time..."
"Oh, Kong Ming also has an idea on how to enter Hanzhong, why didn't you say anything just now?" Cao Zhi said with a reproachful tone, but in action he invited Zhuge Liang to sit back down with him again. He was obviously interested in Zhuge Liang's next plan.
, and placed high expectations on it.
When Xia Houyuan heard that this Confucian scholar also had thoughts about the stalemate war in Hanzhong, he could only shut up and wanted to see this young counselor make a fool of himself.
"Lord, please look!" Regardless of what others thought of him now, Zhuge Liang did not follow Cao Zhi's guidance and sit down after finishing his words. Instead, he led Cao Zhi and others to the map hanging on the wall of the tent and pointed
Looking at the twisting curves of Hanzhong on the map, he said: "There is not only one way to enter the hinterland of Hanzhong, Ziwu Valley, but also here!"
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, he pressed one of his index fingers on a place called Chencang (today's east of Baoji) on the map. Chencang is in the northwest corner of Hanzhong, and is specifically called Chencang Mountain. There is a place there.
Dashan Pass was built as a strategic military pass by Lu to prevent enemies from attacking from the north. Dashan Pass relied on the natural dangers of Chencang Mountain. This military fortress was built there. It can definitely be regarded as a dangerous place where one man can guard the pass and no one can open it.
As soon as Zhuge Liang pointed out this military fortress, Xia Houyuan immediately objected, "Not to mention that Chencang Mountain is extremely far away from us. We have considered that place before, but it is an absolute natural danger that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If our army wants to
Traveling long distances to conquer it is simply impossible."
"It all depends on human effort!" Zhuge Liang was not discouraged by Xia Houyuan's accusations, nor did he mean to give up. He talked eloquently: "Zhang Lu set up Dashan Pass just to defend against enemies from Liangzhou and other places in the north. No one ever thought that
There will be enemies coming up from south to north to attack their rear. As long as our army can send out a group of surprise troops to cover up their whereabouts and quietly appear behind the Sanguan Pass in Chencang Mountain, there will be no chance at all. After taking Chencang, our army will go through Chencang Mountain.
, can appear in front of Yangping Pass in the hinterland of Hanzhong. Originally, the lord planned to attack Hanzhong Zhang Lu and Liu Bei from front to back, and then capture Hanzhong. Now due to Liu Zhang's sudden defeat, it is actually impossible to form, but why don't we rely on our own strength?
Leave some troops in front of Ziwu Valley to contain Zhang Lu and Liu Bei's main force, and then divide the troops into two groups, all the way from Chencang mentioned earlier, all the way into Shu, forming a situation of encirclement on three sides against Zhang Lu and Liu Bei?"
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking his bold proposal, everyone in the big tent fell silent. Indeed, Xia Houyuan, Zhang Zha and others had not considered the possible route of attacking Hanzhong by Chen Cang and others before, but they were all rejected one by one.
, because the kind of dangerous location built on the mountain is not the first choice for a large army to attack. But it is true that as Zhuge Liang said, it is not that there is no chance at all, but it is an absolute advantage for Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Zhang He and others who command thousands of troops.
On the other side, no one is interested in sneak attack on a remote frontier pass.
Zhuge Liang had not dared to express this idea just now. It was precisely because he considered that Xia Houyuan and other Cao Jun generals should have this idea, so he had been brewing it in his stomach. How to find a good opportunity to express it
My own point of view is a knowledge of counselors.
Moreover, even Zhuge Liang himself believed that his plan was too risky, and he did not want to come up with this opinion easily unless absolutely necessary.
But now the situation has changed dramatically. Liu Zhang lost Yizhou, and Cao Jun lost the support from the southwest. When Liu Zhang's situation in Yizhou suddenly changed, Zhuge Liang's plan seemed to change from passive to active.
Zhuge Liang keenly thought of using this opportunity to divide Cao Zhi's troops into Shu and Hanzhong. Using Cao Zhi's powerful strength, he could complete the feat of encircling Hanzhong on three sides. This plan was both bold and risky.
, but at this time many possibilities and feasibility emerged. It was imperative to capture Hanzhong. Entering Yizhou and annexing Shu was also Cao Zhi's future vision.
Those who can be in Cao Zhi's big tent today are all Cao Zhi's trusted subordinates. Some things are actually tacitly understood by everyone when there are no outsiders. For example, Cao Zhi intends to annex Yi after obtaining the surrender of Hanzhong.
State, these people know it very well.
As Cao Zhi's direct descendant, Xia Houyuan is also very aware of Cao Zhi's current and future plans, but at this time, he secretly admires Zhuge Liang, a seemingly young counselor, for being able to overcome the situation when the overall situation is not good for them.
Next, he was really impressed by his ability to draw inferences from one instance and his agility. He was able to use all the possibilities available to Cao Jun in such a short period of time to find a way that could not only reverse the situation, but also a shortcut that could completely solve all the problems in the northwest and southwest in one fell swoop.
, this is what distinguishes Zhuge Liang from ordinary counselors, or people who can shine in difficult situations.
Even Xia Houyuan, who had been standing in the opposition ranks, was stunned by Zhuge Liang's bold plan, and the others felt a sense of enlightenment. After a while of silence in the big tent, a more heated discussion broke out.
After Cao Zhi, Jia Xu and others became very interested in Zhuge Liang's plan, someone quickly called for detailed maps of the Chencang Mountain area and some guides who were familiar with the terrain of Hanzhong prepared before entering Hanzhong to inquire about the specific situation.
, to demonstrate the feasibility of Zhuge Liang’s proposal.
After a night of intense discussion and research, all the generals agreed that Zhuge Liang's plan of detouring into the Chencang Mountain Pass was feasible.
Later, Cao Zhi decided to stay behind Xiahou Yuan and continue to contain the main forces of Zhang Lu and Liu Bei in Ziwu Valley. He sent Li Dian and Cao Xiu to lead a force of 5,000 men to bypass Chencang Mountain, attack Dasan Pass, and advance to Yangping Pass and even Nanzheng.
important passes and roads. He also asked Jia Xu to immediately contact Zhong Yao who was stationed in Chang'an. Han Sui put pressure on Ma Teng, who actually controlled Liangzhou, and asked them to cooperate and approach Chencang.