Zhuge Liang waved his goose feather fan and said with a faint smile: "At least eight thousand."
Liu Bei's cheeks twitched and his heart felt cold. He glanced at Zhuge Liang. The latter was like a prodigal, squandering his family property without caring.
"Eight thousand?" Yan Feng looked at Zhuge Liang in surprise: "Sir, are you serious?"
"Of course I take it seriously." Zhuge Liang lowered his head and sighed: "Oh, sir, you also know that my lord's family is poor, and these eight thousand soldiers are really a thorn in his side, but my lord is General Ma's ally, and we can't even say anything to General Ma's attack on Sichuan, then
Will other warlords respond?
If my lord doesn’t need some soldiers to guard the stone city in case of a sudden attack, what’s the harm if I say eight thousand or all of my lord’s soldiers are transferred?”
Yan Feng looked at Zhuge Liang for a while. Zhuge Liang's face was full of sincerity and he immediately bowed to Liu Bei: "Uncle Huang, you are indeed a benevolent and righteous king, and you deserve the title. I will go back and tell my lord, the friendship between the emperor and uncle, the Ma family's decision
Don’t dare to forget.”
Liu Bei tried his best to suppress his emotions and said calmly: "General Ma and I are good friends. Unlike in these troubled times, when the princes join forces for profit, what you said is beyond the pale."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Yan Feng agreed repeatedly and went, and Liu Bei shouted from behind: "Sir, please say hello to my nephew Ma Chao and Ma Dai for me."
Liu Bei had a kind smile on his face. It wasn't until Yan Feng was sent out by the soldiers that he could no longer be seen. Then he looked at Zhuge Liang and said, "Kong Ming, what do you mean? There are 12,000 of us, and we managed to pull him up."
Even if our troops want to show their kindness to General Ma Teng, there is no need to do so."
"My lord, don't worry, let's go into the inner room and talk." Zhuge Liang also changed his cool and handsome demeanor just now, his face became serious, and he followed Liu Bei into the inner room.
"My Lord, please forgive me." As soon as Zhuge Liang entered the inner room, he bowed to Liu Bei.
"Sir, what's your crime?" Liu Bei glanced at Zhuge Liang and asked doubtfully, "Sir, are you for eight thousand soldiers? Since you promised to give them, you have your own reasons. I would not have reduced one soldier, if not for your advice.
, I, Liu Bei, have been trapped in the Han River for a long time. I will not enter Chang'an, and I will not be here today. Let alone 8,000 men, I am willing to send all the soldiers and counselors out."
"That's not what Liang said." Zhuge Liang said, "My lord, forgive me, but Liang made two miscalculations this time. The first is that Han Sui did not send troops south. Han Sui must not have known that someone was framing him.
Han Sui is known as the Fox of Xiliang. From his humble birth to today, he has hundreds of thousands of troops from Xiliang. We cannot hide our actions from him, and Liang has no intention of hiding it from him.
Obviously, Han Sui cared more about gaining Yongliang hegemony.
The second is that Ma Chao would be defeated so quickly and miserably. The most unexpected thing for me was that Ma Chao was seriously injured and returned with only 13 people. Most of the 50,000 Qiang cavalry surrendered and the more than 30,000 Xiliang army was wiped out.
, it was an unprecedented defeat, and the Xiliang Army became a stepping stone for the Sichuan Army."
"What do you mean, sir?" Liu Bei frowned and said, "This battle was fought by Ma Chao. How could it be that you, sir, had the control? How could you be guilty?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Lord, this is related to our strategy. I originally planned that Ma Chao marched into Hanzhong. In order to fight Cao Cao, Liu Zhang would definitely not use Jing Yi's troops. He would use the bravery of Xiliang's cavalry and Ma Chao's cavalry to command the wizards.
, Liu Zhang fought against the Xiliang army for the first time and was bound to be defeated.
In this way, Ma Chao can enter Hanzhong, Ma Teng will follow up, and Han Sui will also want to take advantage. My lord, think about it, what will Liu Zhang do at this time?"
Liu Bei frowned and said: "Hanzhong is the gateway to Western Shu, a major population and food town, and the main channel for refugees from Guanzhong to enter Sichuan. Liu Zhang will definitely use Sichuan troops to fight Ma Teng and Han Sui in a decisive battle."
"By the way, Liu Zhang is going to have a decisive battle, what will happen to Xiliang?"
"Han Sui and Ma Teng will march out with all their troops, and Xiliang will be empty."
"Yes." Zhuge Liang sighed: "At that time, Xiliang was empty, and there were many mountains in Hanzhong, which was not conducive to cavalry galloping. The Xiliang army was undisciplined, and the people of Hanzhong must have hated it. I dare to say that if Liu Zhang fought decisively, 300,000 troops would march out.
In Hanzhong, there are Qi Miao such as Huang Yueying and Fa Zheng, generals such as Zhang Ren and Wei Yan, fierce generals such as Huang Zhonghao, Huang Quan, Li Yan, Jiang Wan and other logistics wizards.
At that time, we only need one army to guard Chencang and accept it in the name of Ma Teng's allies. What will happen to the defeated Xiliang soldiers? They can only surrender to us. We can Xu Tu Xiliang, and Liu Zhang fights a decisive battle with the Xiliang army. Even if he wins, he will still be strong.
The serious injury, coupled with the large-scale rebellion in Jingyi before, has made the injury worse. The Lord's time is about to come."
"What a pity." When Zhuge Liang said this, he sighed bitterly.
Liu Bei pondered for a long time and did not comment on Zhuge Liang's planned strategy. He thought: "So this time the military advisor urged Han Ma to attack Sichuan again? In this way, our opportunity has not been lost. The military advisor can still take advantage of Ma Teng and Han Sui's troops to enter Hanzhong.
, the decisive battle between Liu Zhang’s troops and Han’s horses…”
Liu Bei suddenly paused as he spoke: "Does the military advisor think that the Han and horse armies cannot break through Hanzhong?"
Zhuge Liang nodded: "We will definitely lose."
Zhuge Liang raised his head and said: "Lord, I just analyzed that there are several prerequisites for Ma Chao to conquer Yangping Pass. First, the Sichuan Army and the Xiliang Army fought for the first time. I only heard about the name but not the reality. I am not familiar with the Xiliang Army's battle."
If you follow the law, you will definitely suffer losses.
Second, the Sichuan Army was led by Liu Zhang within two years. He put down the rebellion and swept across Jingzhou. However, the Xiliang Army was well-known and the Sichuan Army knew it. They were not sure that they could defeat the Xiliang Army. In front of the Xiliang Army, they would
It creates fear and fear, which is enough to destroy an army.
As soon as Liu Zhang arrived at Yangping Pass, he was defeated by Ma Chao. It was because of these two reasons: he was not familiar with the enemy's combat power and his soldiers were afraid. How could he not be defeated?
Third, Liu Zhang had no cavalry and could only be beaten passively. Liu Zhang defended the city for fifteen days, but except for the last night to lure the enemy, he never opened the city gate. This was Liu Zhang's self-awareness and a disadvantage of the Sichuan army.
Finally, there is Ma Chao's military talent, which cannot be ignored. Ma Chao is a bit reckless in his actions, but his ability to command cavalry is unparalleled in the world. A patchwork warlord cavalry army, in Ma Chao
In your hand is a bowl of water that can be poured into any crack.
Coupled with Ma Chao's reputation as a mighty general, no matter how ulterior motives those Xiliang warlords and Qiang soldiers had, they did not dare to disobey their orders.
These eight words, deployment in moderation and execution of orders and prohibitions, are enough to increase the combat power of the same cavalry unit several times under Ma Chao."
"But what about now?" Zhuge Liang continued: "Ma Chao's Xiliang Army has served as a stepping stone for the Sichuan Army. The Sichuan Army defeated Ma Chao's Xiliang Army. Liu Zhang has already claimed that the Sichuan Army is the best army in the world. Regardless of whether this is Liu Zhang's shameless boast, "the world
These five words "First Army" are enough to make the Sichuan Army fearless.
From the moment the Sichuan Army completely defeated the Xiliang Army, the Sichuan Army achieved a complete transformation.
The tactics, combat power and deterrence that the Xiliang Army relied on fell apart in front of the current Sichuan Army and would not play any role. On the contrary, the Xiliang Army would be afraid. Even General Shenweitian, whom they admired, was defeated miserably.
Thirteen people returned in embarrassment after being seriously wounded. How could the Xiliang army not be afraid of the Sichuan army?
Morale waxes and wanes.
Liu Zhang formed another cavalry and gained the support of the Qiang people. I dare not say about the other Qiang tribes, but the Qingyi Qiang will definitely turn to Liu Zhang. The Qingyi Qiang were the first to betray the Xiliang army and directly led to the defeat of the Xiliang army. They have already fought against the Xiliang army.
The army broke up.
Han Sui, the old fox, has always been ambiguous. After all, he is also the leader of the Xiliang Army and will not take the initiative to offend other Xiliang warlords.
The Tsing Yi Qiang had committed such a serious crime and could not rely on Han Sui. Due to emotions and reasons, the Tsing Yi Qiang, the largest tribe of the Western Qiang, would all rely on the Sichuan Army.
Other Qiang tribes will also have relations with the Sichuan army, at least not as hostile as before.
Strength waxes and wanes.
Ma Teng and Han Sui joined forces. The two brothers were eager to plot against each other in order to gain control of Xiliang. Will they work together?
Lord, do you remember that Huang Yueying fought against the Jiangdong Army and the Jingzhou Rebels in Jiangling? He was not united. The more troops and horses he had, the lower his combat effectiveness.
I expect that the Xiliang Army will dispatch more than 100,000 people this time, but without the authority to intimidate them, these 100,000 people are not even as strong as the 50,000 soldiers commanded by Ma Chao, and Ma Teng and Han Sui's ability to command on the battlefield is much worse than Ma Chao.
Not just a little bit.
Morale, strength, unity, the Xiliang army is in a mess, Liu Zhang is on the verge of victory, morale is strong, the horse and infantry troops are all ready, is it not clear who will win and who will lose?
Moreover, my lord, the soldiers are constantly sending reports of the Yangpingguan battle. Have you analyzed the battle of Liu Zhang's victory and Ma Chao's defeat? In this battle, the Sichuan army used various strategies skillfully and took advantage of the situation perfectly. It can be called a model of the weak defeating the strong.
, enough to be recorded in the annals of history.
I heard that just fifteen days before the decisive battle, the Sichuan army was afraid of the Xiliang army. When they heard the sound of the Xiliang army's horse hooves, they could hardly hold their spears. However, fifteen days later in the decisive battle, they were completely transformed and refused to retreat to the death. Why?
Liu Zhang could not hold out at first, personally supervised the battle, defeated the Xiliang army, and humiliated the Xiliang army. The two armies talked and laughed happily. When all the Sichuan soldiers were afraid, the commander was able to stand on the top of the city and talk and laugh calmly, which was the greatest encouragement to the soldiers. This
This is also the reason why the Sichuan Army did not collapse at a tense moment.
This was Liu Zhang's first step, first to stabilize the morale of the army, and then to improve morale. Throughout the Battle of Yangping Pass, Liu Zhang spared no effort in improving the morale of the Sichuan army and weakening the morale of the Xiliang army.
Because he knew that if the Sichuan Army could not improve its morale and dare not resist the Xiliang Army, no matter how much preparation he made for the decisive battle, such as alienating, ambushing, and restraining troops, it would be in vain. The Sichuan Army would be like tofu in front of the Xiliang Army.
Just collapse.
The decisive battle was chosen on the 15th day, just a few days after the Xiliang army attacked the city. Generally speaking, at this time, the siege force had lost all its energy and had to rest. However, Liu Zhang saw Ma Chao's arrogance and despised the Sichuan army. As long as he
If a decisive battle is proposed, Ma Chao will definitely respond.
So when to choose the decisive battle, the initiative lies entirely in the hands of the Sichuan army.
Taking advantage of the refugees and defeating the Xiliang army, Liu Zhang gained both fame and fortune. Fame was the name of sheltering the refugees and slandering the Xiliang army for trampling on the refugees. However, this was enough to make the soldiers feel that the Xiliang army was evil and the Sichuan army was just. It was important to improve morale.
It has excellent effects.
Moreover, this battle was directly a turning point in the morale of the Sichuan Army and the Xiliang Army. Without this hand-to-hand victory, the Sichuan Army, which had been in seclusion, would still be afraid of facing the Xiliang Army. It can be said that after this battle, the Sichuan Army would no longer be able to defeat the Xiliang Army.
I am afraid of the Xiliang army. The army that swept across Jingzhou is back again.
But Liu Zhang was not satisfied. He wanted the Sichuan army to completely overwhelm the Xiliang army in terms of morale, so he threw his corpse into the city, Pang De surrendered, and Pang De fought against Ma Chao.
It can be said that the unparalleled Xiliang Army hastily faced the battle when it was extremely exhausted and had extremely low morale. The states of both sides were exactly two extremes. The Xiliang Army was at its lowest point and the Sichuan Army was at its peak.
It may be like what they did on the 15th, using a sweeping force to suppress the Sichuan army.
In addition, Liu Zhang also relied on defending against the city to disrupt the Xiliang army's attack, making surprise attacks, spreading his wings, alienating the Qingyi Qiang, and striking a fatal blow at the critical moment. Wei Yan ambushed in Jiguan Mountain, which Liu Zhang left behind.
Follow up.
Liu Zhang did all this because he had a clear idea of Ma Chao's intentions. He despised the Sichuan army, was eager to win, and urgently sought a decisive battle. Therefore, Liu Zhang decided the time and location of the decisive battle.
What is ridiculous is that as soon as Ma Chao started, Liu Zhang used a wheel battle to destroy Ma Chao's personal combat power. This can be said to be the last and biggest loss faced by the Xiliang Army. Ma Chao could not command and charge, and the Xiliang Army could no longer
It is called the Xiliang Army.
Understand the people's hearts, cleverly take advantage of the situation, seize the advantage of the land and people, attack the enemy's key points, attack from the front and rear, and instigate the enemy's rebellion.
Heavy infantry, long-armed soldiers, hook-and-scythe soldiers, school swordsmen, ground swordsmen, and strong archers, no matter whether they existed before or not, as long as they could restrain the cavalry, Liu Zhang prepared them in advance and brought them to the battlefield.
Liu Zhang took advantage of all available conditions.
There is only one day for the decisive battle, but the preparation starts from the day of defeat.
The Sichuan army fought on foot against the cavalry outside Yangping Pass, defeated the strong with the weak, and gained an unprecedented victory. It was really an arduous act. The efforts made for this battle are amazing, and it is precisely because of the hardship that they can
This shows Liu Zhang’s talent as a commander.
After Cao Cao, Liu Zhang's status as the world's leading hero was established at the Battle of Yangpingguan, and the Sichuan Army became a powerful army in the world. It also started from this battle.
Add to this the generals like Wei Yan who are good at taking risks, dare to take risks, and have the ability to take risks, generals like Zhang Ren who are able to conquer the enemy with their own strength, Huang Yueying who is a master of law and other wizards, Huang Zhong who is so powerful and such a fierce general, and Liu Zhang has become a full-fledged general.
How can Han Sui and Ma Teng defeat such a hero? Apart from a strong army, Han Sui and Ma Teng have nothing but intelligence and logistical talents. Liang dares to say that Han Sui and Ma Teng will be defeated."
After listening to Zhuge Liang's words, Liu Bei was silent for a long time. At the beginning, Zhuge Liang of Nanxiang planned the world for himself. He first captured Yongliang Pass, followed the example of strengthening Qin, and used the troops of the Three Qin Dynasty to go south to Bashu. He could seize the power of the world and divide the world with Sun Quan and Cao Cao.
Now that Liu Zhang is so tyrannical and capable ministers and generals have gathered together, the people's hearts and minds were unstable at first. After a rebellion, Jing Yi's people have returned to their hearts. It is very difficult to conquer Bashu.
Zhuge Liang probably saw Liu Bei's worries and said to Liu Bei: "My lord, don't worry. Although Liu Zhang is strong, compared to Han Sui and Ma Teng, he is a violent and inferior man who cannot be mastered. He is definitely not as good as my lord."