Xia Houmao took the picture but did not look at it. He pressed it on the picture, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, raised his head and said to Wei Ba: "Wei Ba, what do I do to you, General?"
Wei Ba bowed and responded: "The general treats the virtuous and the corporal with courtesy. He does not treat me as a confidant because of my lack of knowledge and talent. Ba is deeply grateful."
Xia Houmao smiled: "Wei Ba, you are too humble. At your age, it is very rare to have such intelligence. However, even if you are a genius, if you immerse yourself in classics, you will only become a doctor in the end. You don't
Do you think this is a pity?"
Wei Ba understood. He felt excited. After pretending for so long, Xiahou Mao was finally willing to trust him and wanted to use him. He came to Chang'an just to get close to Xiahou Mao and prepare for Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition.
, are all means, not ends. Even if we talk like this for a lifetime, he will not be able to complete the task, but he cannot take the initiative to mention it. He can only wait for Xiahou Mao to invite him, otherwise it will arouse Xiahou Mao's suspicion. Now, he has been waiting for a long time
How could he not be excited when the opportunity finally came to him?
If he were still the little white-collar worker in his previous life, he would definitely be beaming with joy now. However, after nearly a year of reflection, especially the past two months as a spy, he lives in fear every day and spends two hours every day reflecting on gains and losses.
Man, he controlled his emotions very well.
He was not excited, but rather a little embarrassed.
"The general fell in love by mistake, and I feel ashamed that I don't deserve it. Ba has self-awareness, and he is a fish in the cauldron. He is lucky to be able to survive."
Xiahou Mao didn't speak, but looked at Wei Ba quietly, unnaturally showing the aura of a superior.
Wei Ba hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said: "General, I once said that I... don't want to be my father's enemy and fight on the battlefield. If I can escape Hanzhong alive, my father..."
As Wei Ba spoke, he choked up a little and his eye circles were red. Xiahou Mao saw this and sighed: "Wei Ba, I didn't force you and your son to be enemies. It's really a pity for your talent. In addition, I want to tell you.
One thing, your father... can't come to Guanzhong, and you father and son will probably not have the chance to meet on the battlefield."
Wei Ba raised his head in surprise, with tears in his eyes, and his expression of sadness and worry was just right. "General, what do you mean by...? Could it be my father..."
Xia Houmao quickly waved his hand: "Wei Ba, don't get me wrong, your father is fine. It's just that he has now taken charge of the farming affairs in Hanzhong. It seems that he will not follow Zhuge Liang to send troops, so it is unlikely that you and your son will be there."
Meet on the battlefield."
Wei Ba breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned slightly and sighed quietly: "I still got him involved after all."
Seeing Wei Ba's relaxed tone, Xia Houmao felt happy in his heart, and then advised: "I can't blame you. Zhuge Liang is jealous of the virtuous and capable, so he probably wanted to take away your father's military power. Your matter is just an introduction, otherwise you will use your body to
What does paying for your life have to do with your father? Wei Ba, your Wei family has no future in Nishu, so you can bear to waste your talents and watch the entire Wei family decline?"
Wei Ba didn't speak, just sighed. Xiahou Mao looked at Wei Ba intently, feeling a little nervous. Of course he hoped that Wei Ba would work for him, but he was worried that Wei Ba had ulterior motives. It was a very dangerous thing to surrender a general.
By the way, it may be a miracle, because the surrender comes from the enemy, and the understanding of the enemy is unmatched by any detailed operation. But if you use it wrongly and fall into the opponent's trick of surrendering, it will be a disaster. Like this
Although it is not common, it is not uncommon either.
At this moment, if Wei Ba is unwilling to serve him, then he will be very disappointed, but if Wei Ba takes too much initiative, he will be very nervous and cannot believe Wei Ba. The contact during this period of time is very likely to
became a dishonorable experience.
Wei Ba knew Xiahou Mao's psychology very clearly at this moment. It wasn't because he had a clever plan, but because he was cautious enough and spent enough time to figure out Xiahou Mao's possible psychological reaction. If you were more cautious about this kind of thing, you might lose the opportunity.
But rushing forward may cost your life and fail in your efforts.
"General, I am very grateful to the general for his great kindness, but I really have no ability..."
Xia Houmao breathed a sigh of relief, laughed, stood up, walked in front of Wei Ba, leaned down, and looked at Wei Ba condescendingly, with a smile of wisdom on his face: "Wei Ba, I sincerely
Do you want to deceive me when I treat you?"
Wei Ba was "shocked" and hurriedly avoided the table and fell to the ground: "General, why did you say this?"
"Hahaha, Wei Ba, let me tell you, I have sent people to Hanzhong to inquire. You are dishonest. You are obviously the youngest and most promising person in the Prime Minister's Palace to join the army. Not long ago, you participated in the Battle of New City.
The first achievement in defeating Sima Yi. How can such a young man be an inconspicuous person in the Prime Minister's Palace?"
Wei Ba said with "fear and uneasiness": "The general praises you so much that you cannot deserve it."
"In the past, you hid your clumsiness like this out of filial piety. I can understand it and appreciate it very much. But now, your father has been ostracized. If you still want to hide your clumsiness, then I don't think so. Wei Ba, you can do it yourself.
"
Xia Houmao said, his face darkened, and he looked at Wei Ba seriously. Wei Ba was very embarrassed, his expression changed, and he struggled for a long time before bowing and saying: "Thanks to the general's wrong love, Wei Ba can't thank you enough. In this case
, Wei Ba has six words to dedicate to the general."
Xia Houmao's eyes tightened: "Say."
"Build walls high and store grain widely."
Xia Houmao was stunned for a moment. Although he did not fully understand the meaning of these six words, he could feel that Wei Ba was advising him to prepare for war. This was entirely for defensive purposes. If Wei Ba advised him at this moment,
He might not be willing to send troops to Hanzhong, but it would not be a surprise. However, Wei Ba advised him to prepare for war, which was beyond his expectation.
At the same time, the vigilance in his heart completely disappeared. If Wei Ba really pretended to surrender, how could he come up with such a strategy?
"Please tell me in detail."
Wei Ba nodded. "Prime Minister Zhuge... I'm really ashamed. I'm still used to this title..."
Xia Houmao waved his hand tolerantly and said with a smile: "It's okay, go on."
"Prime Minister Zhuge has been intending to send troops to Guanzhong. It has been nearly a year since last March to Hanzhong. Since he sent my father to farm, it shows that he has no plans to send troops in the near future. According to common sense, it will not be until the autumn harvest at least.
after."
Xia Houmao nodded. He was not too concerned about the situation in Hanzhong before. When Wei Ba came to surrender, Xia Houhui reminded him that this was an opportunity, but it also contained great risks. He had to confirm whether Wei Ba was really surrendering or pretending to surrender. He
Then a large number of agents were sent into Hanzhong. Wei Ba killed Zhuge Qiao and then was killed on the way to escape. Wei Yan was at odds with Zhuge Liang openly and secretly, and now Zhuge Liang arranged for him to go to farm. All this information was obtained by agents.
It can be speculated as to when Zhuge Liang will send troops, and it is not different from what Wei Ba said.
"We have been preparing for two years. Once we take action, it will definitely be a thunderous blow." Wei Ba continued: "With the current military strength in Guanzhong, if we want to fight head-on and repel the Shu army, we have little chance of winning, unless we ask General Cao Zhen to rush to Guanzhong and fight in person.
Command the battle and deploy additional troops. According to my preliminary estimate, if there are less than 50,000 people, there is no chance."
"The consumption of food and grass for fifty thousand people is not a small amount. Temporary recruitment will make you busy, and long-distance transportation will consume a lot of money. Therefore, I advise the general to stock up on food. Even if a fifty thousand army travels day and night to reach Guanzhong, it will take more than ten days. If
If there are some unexpected twists and turns, the general will need to hold on for at least a month before reinforcements arrive. If there is no strong city, how can the general hold on? Therefore, I advise the general to build a high wall."
Xia Houmao listened quietly. When he agreed with Wei Ba's suggestion, he felt an unspeakable shame. Wei Ba's suggestion to him was based on one foundation, that is, facing Zhuge Liang.
When attacking, he could only passively defend and wait for reinforcements. Although he knew that he was not good at military affairs and was not interested in it, he was still a little unhappy to be ignored by Wei Ba.
After Wei Ba finished explaining these six words, he seemed to have done something wrong and left in a hurry. Xiahou Mao did not force him to stay. He returned to the back hall and prepared to tell Xia Houhui about the conversation with Wei Ba. As soon as he saw Xiahou Hui
He was surprised at first by the red and swollen eyes.
"What's going on here?"
"It's nothing, I just thought of her father and felt sad for a moment." Princess Qinghe winked and signaled him not to ask any more questions. Xiahou Mao also knew about the three horses in the same trough, but he didn't think about that now.
"Uncle, how was the conversation?" Xiahou Huiqiang said with a smile.
Xia Houmao thought about it, and finally said with a self-deprecating smile: "It seems that it is no secret that I am not familiar with military affairs. In the eyes of Wei Yan and his son, they only have your uncle, the general, and not me at all."
Xia Houhui frowned slightly. She couldn't see any flaws in Wei Ba, but it was precisely because she couldn't see any flaws that she was even more worried. It was perfect, and there were only two possibilities: either this was indeed true, or this was
A carefully deployed plan, the other party's caution is unimaginable. If it is the former situation, it will bring unimaginable benefits, but if it is the latter situation, it will bring a disaster.
The greater the risk, the greater the opportunity. The choices involved will test people's wisdom and courage even more.
…
Wei Ba returned to the post house and was about to enter the door when Dunwu suddenly pulled him and jumped in front of him. He held the knife in one hand and slowly pushed the door open with the other.
Wei Ba stopped where he was, naturally assuming a vigilant posture, and his hands in his sleeves were ready for emergency situations.
The door opened, and a man wearing a bamboo hat and sitting with his back to the door slowly turned around, revealing a half-familiar face.
Wei Ba was stunned for a moment, then understood: "Xiaoyu?"
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