Yang Yi withdrew in frustration, and the smile on Zhuge Liang's face slowly faded, turning into an indescribable sadness. He sat silently in front of the case, looking at the two military reports on the case, and felt sad in his heart.
She is no less depressed than Yang Yi.
They were both defeats, two defeats with different meanings. One was a defeat to an external enemy, and the other was a defeat to an internal opponent. Ma Di's defeat not only meant that the strategic goal of encircling and annihilating Zhang He had been completely achieved, but the battle of Longyou was over.
Having decided, he was forced to a dead end and could only accept Wei Ba's suggestion and retreat to Guanzhong with all his troops, regarding Guanzhong as the only outcome of this war.
What makes Zhuge Liang feel embarrassed is that this was originally the content of Wei Ba's Ziwu Valley strategy, and it was also the content of Xiang Lang's later suggestion. These two suggestions were rejected by him, but now he was forced to support it due to the situation.
This advice is to admit your mistakes.
It is not easy to admit one's mistakes, but what makes Zhuge Liang uncomfortable is not only the loss of face, but also the major setback for years of hard work.
Ma Di was defeated, and his efforts to support the Jingxiang Clan were thwarted. Wei Ba and his son became the first contributors to the Northern Expedition. He weakened the forces of dissenters and faced major challenges in his efforts to centralize power.
Ma Su, Ma Su, do you know the serious consequences of doing this? You are my most valued comrade, but now you have pushed me to the edge of despair.
The more Zhuge Liang thought about it, the angrier he became, and it hurt his heart and lungs.
Huo Yi stood aside, looking at Zhuge Liang's red eyes, looking at his somewhat distorted face, and sighed secretly. As the Prime Minister's Office, he understood the importance of this. But he could not comfort Zhuge Liang, such a thing
, can only be decided by Zhuge Liang himself, and such humiliation can only be endured by Zhuge Liang himself.
"Shao Xian, prepare the order." Zhuge Liang said hoarsely.
"Here." Huo Yi responded, quickly put down his pen and paper, and listened carefully.
Zhuge Liang's voice was quiet, but his words were clear. Huo Yi's expression changed after hearing a few words. He stopped the pen in his hand and stood up in surprise: "Prime Minister, no!"
"What's wrong?" Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly. He stretched out his broad palm, pressed it down gently, and motioned Huo Yi to sit down. "Now that things have come to a head, the overall situation is the most important thing, whether it's the Wei family or his son. Hanzhong Zhuge Liang
As for home, we can only talk about it later."
Huo Yi was stunned for a long time and sighed sadly.
…
Xiang Lang looked at the military report in his hand, and was inexplicably horrified. He didn't come back to his senses for a long time. His originally rosy face turned pale. Hu Ji saw that he looked wrong, so he quickly grabbed the military report from his hand and glanced at it quickly.
Halfway through watching it, his face became even uglier than Xiang Lang's.
"The Ma family in Xiangyang is finished." Xiang Lang was suddenly furious and slapped the desk with his palm. There was a loud "pop" sound, which made the writing and ink on the desk jump up and clatter to the floor. His face was ashen.
He gritted his teeth and said, "This guy is young and frivolous, and he doesn't know how to advance or retreat. He speaks in a clear and logical way. Now he's fine. No one will be seen when he's alive, and no body will be seen when he's dead. God knows in which corner he'll die, and he'll have no burial place."
Xiang Lang roared angrily: "He deserves to die, he deserves to die!"
Hu Ji was stunned. Xiang Lang was a kind man and rarely got angry with others. This was the first time he saw Xiang Lang yelling so loudly, and the person he was yelling at was Ma Di, whom he usually admired the most. The Ma family brothers treated Xiang Lang like their elders, and the Ma family
A brother treats Xiang Lang like a son, and it has never happened before that he scolded Ma Di like this.
"Xiang Gong, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists..."
"Victory and defeat are common things for military officers, but they are not easy to ignore. How many times have I told him that war is dangerous when soldiers are in danger, and war is dangerous when soldiers are in danger. He just talks perfunctorily, but has he really listened to my words?" Xiang Lang said angrily.
Staring at Hu Ji, it seemed that Hu Ji was the disobedient Ma Su. "He can be defeated, but he cannot disappear. The general who led the army in the battle left his men and ran away. How can he give orders in the army in the future? And
Who would think highly of him?"
Xiang Lang's roar echoed in the tent, making people's eardrums hurt. Not only did the guards' faces turn pale, but even Hu Ji did not dare to interrupt. He knew why Xiang Lang was so angry. Ma Di was defeated and escaped. Not only
It was his personal matter, and it was not only related to the reputation of the people of Jingxiang. What Xiang Lang was thinking about was that the Ma family in Xiangyang would never have a chance to turn around again.
Among the five permanent members of the Ma family, Bai Mei is the best. Ma Liang died in the battle of Liu Bei's Eastern Expedition, and the Ma family's last hope fell on Ma Di. Ma Di became Zhuge Liang's most valued general, leading troops in battles and expected to make great achievements. This was originally a matter of fact.
Good thing. But Ma Di was defeated. Not only was he defeated, but he also abandoned his men and fled. Even if such a person came back alive, what use would it be? Will he still want to lead troops in battles in the future? As a nobleman, his reputation is bad.
It was just a bunch of shit that was ignored, and the Ma family's hope of relying on him to rise again was completely shattered.
How could Xiang Lang, who had a close relationship with the Ma family and had high expectations for Ma Su, not be angry?
Xiang Lang roared for a while, burst into tears and broke down in sobs.
Hu Ji held the order in his hand with a sad expression. The food had been robbed and Zhang He ran away again. Zhuge Liang was now in a dilemma. To advance, he could only force the Wei army to burn the food and grass, but it was impossible to take it back. To retreat, he could only accept it.
With the help of Wei Ba, he retreated to Guanzhong. In his order, he asked Xiang Lang to cooperate with Wei Ba in the battle, which already showed this attitude. It stands to reason that Xiang Lang is a long history, and Wei Ba is just a soldier who joins the army and cooperates with the battle, so he should also be Wei Ba.
The right thing to do is to cooperate with Xiang Lang. Now, in turn, asking Xiang Lang to cooperate with Wei Ba shows that Zhuge Liang has acquiesced that Wei Ba is the winner in this internal battle.
At least a temporary winner.
Hu Ji hesitated and said to Xiang Lang: "Mr. Xiang, this military order..."
"No." Xiang Lang interrupted Hu Ji without any doubt. He glanced at Hu Ji: "If we want to enter Guanzhong, do we need Wei Ba's consent? If I go, I will go on my own. If we want to cooperate in fighting, we should also
He cooperates with the Prime Minister's Office in fighting, how can the Prime Minister's Office cooperate with him in fighting?"
Hu Ji smiled bitterly and said: "But the Prime Minister's military order is here..."
"This is an arbitrary order. It is against the rules and cannot be implemented." Xiang Lang raised his head and pondered for a moment: "This is an order given to me by the Prime Minister. It is only known to you and me. As for Wei Ba, I will treat it as the Prime Minister."
Give him the identity order and order him to cooperate with me in fighting."
Hu Ji frowned slightly. He knew that Xiang Lang had good intentions and could not let Zhuge Liang lose face, so he wanted to emphasize the dignity of his status and let Wei Ba cooperate with him in fighting. But he was very worried that if Wei Ba was dissatisfied and passive,
What should we do if we are lazy in fighting? Capturing Shanggui is the only result Zhuge Liang can strive for at the moment.
"Weidu, don't worry, let's send a message to Wei Ba first to see how he reacts." Xiang Lang glanced at Hu Ji and comforted: "You have to understand that it's not just us who are worried now.
Wei Ba is also anxious. Without the Prime Minister's army, it will not be easy for him to defend Guanzhong. If we unite, we will both benefit, and if we divide, we will suffer. If he can't even see through this, how could he come from Chang'an?"
Hu Ji nodded and agreed with Xiang Lang's analysis.
"In any case, the Prime Minister retreated to Guanzhong, just lowering his head. But the Prime Minister is the Prime Minister after all, and he has to save some face. Wei Ba is a young man and a soldier in the Prime Minister's Palace. He deserves to be aggrieved. I believe him
Once you have gained a profit, you will no longer dwell on this false reputation. If you don't even know this in general, it will be a disaster in the future."
Hu Ji smiled bitterly. He knew very well that this was the only face Xiang Lang could win for Zhuge Liang.
Xiang Lang persuaded Hu Ji and immediately ordered Wei Ba and Zhao Guang to cooperate with him in the battle, with the goal of capturing Shanggui. He said nothing about Ma Di.
The military order was quickly passed to Wei Ba. After reading the order, Wei Ba pondered it for a long time and smiled at Zhao Guang: "Brother, take a look, is there any hidden meaning in this?"
Zhao Guang took it and read it again, thought about it carefully, shook his head and said, "I don't see any deep meaning." He asked instead, "Why, do you see the problem?"
"Yes." Wei Ba nodded and slowly stood up: "I'm afraid the battle in Mumen is not ideal. Maybe... the outcome has been decided."
"You mean, the Prime Minister... lost?"
"Maybe it's the Prime Minister, maybe it's Ma Di. Comparing the strength of the two, Ma Di is more likely to lose." Wei Ba analyzed in a soft voice. When the tactical deduction was originally invented, Zhao Guang was a participant. In the past two days,
They often discuss the battle situation. Although they may not necessarily set up a formation, their thinking is still that of deducing tactics. After calculation, Zhuge Liang's success rate in trying to block Zhang He with two lines of infantry is still not high. In comparison, Zhuge Liang has
The main force is 30,000, and there are cavalry, and the journey is much closer. Ma Di only has 20,000 people, and they are rushing for 300 miles. There are probably not many who will fall behind in the middle. Coupled with the experience gap between the generals of the two sides, Zhang He is likely to choose Ma Di.
as a breaking point.
Judging from the time, Zhuge Liang and Ma Di should have rushed to the wooden gate. Whether it was blocked or not, the conclusion should have been reached by now. However, Xiang Lang's order did not mention the war at the wooden gate. There is only one possibility.
:Zhuge Liang’s plan failed.
After listening to Wei Ba's analysis, Zhao Guang raised his eyebrows and curled his lips when he looked at Xiang Lang's order: "If this is true, then capturing Shanggui is the only visible result for them. Why is he still so strong? Want to spend years with him?
Bullying our two juniors with our qualifications and status?"
Wei Ba smiled and said nothing. If his guess was correct, then Xiang Lang's intention was very obvious. He just wanted to test his attitude and save as much face as possible for the Prime Minister's Palace. Zhuge Liang agreed to retreat to Guanzhong, the leader of the Northern Expedition.
The merits that are beyond reproach have already fallen into the bag, so why care about such a false reputation. After all, they are all Jingxiang people, and it will not be beneficial to anyone if they fall out. Political struggles cannot be aimed at losing both sides. When it is time to give in, one must give in.
Let.
"Senior brother, after all, he is an old man and a prime minister with a long history. How can he cooperate with us two juniors in fighting?" Wei Ba warmly advised: "No matter who cooperates with whom, we all contribute to winning this battle anyway."
Zhao Guang smiled: "I also have merit?"
"Of course I have merit." Wei Ba chuckled and said, "Am I the kind of person who burns bridges when crossing rivers? Senior brother, when I was practicing boxing, you helped me break my hands. This time in the cavalry battle, you have to help me too."
Zhao Guang laughed heartily: "How dare you disobey me." (To be continued)