The Zhuge brothers watched the final battle on the tower for a while. As the fighting gradually died down and Chen Dao came back to report the results, they did not want to stay upstairs all the time, so they asked Chen Dao to escort them to the county government office.
In the middle of winter, the wind is too cold at high altitudes. It was the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month when Zhuge Jin sent troops from Guangling, and today is already the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
On the way to the county government office, Zhuge Jin asked Chen Dao casually: "Uncle Zhi, it's rare that you don't have to protect me, but you go to accompany A Liang in battle. How do you feel? You must have been dissatisfied at first, right?"
Chen Dao originally wanted to deny it and say a few nice words, but seeing that Zhuge brothers looked so wise, he panicked for no reason and decided that it would be better to tell the truth.
Brother Zhuge is so smart. If he lies, he will be found out immediately, right?
So he said sincerely and slightly apologetically:
"I was a little reluctant at first. I thought the second young master was just more handsome and more elegant, but the saying in the army that 'Liang'er is ten times more talented than Jin'er' was probably a boast.
Now it seems that the second young master is at least an unparalleled talent. With a few words, he can basically persuade a city to surrender. Although there was a bit of fighting in the end, there were still fanatical Buddhist thieves causing trouble. If they were just ordinary soldiers, they should be able to persuade the city to surrender without bloodshed. "
Zhuge Jin heard this and smiled proudly. Zhuge Liang was shocked and blurted out: "Who dares to spread such rumors? It is simply unreasonable..."
Zhuge Jin quickly gave him a hand: "I said this by chance when my mother was surprised when I first performed meritorious service for General Zhengnan. General Zhengnan came to my house to thank me. These guys in the army are not unworthy. It’s okay, they were telling the exact words.”
Zhuge Liang was originally angry because some crazy people called them "Liang'er, Jin'er", but when he heard that it was Song who said it, he stopped saying anything.
Indeed, her stepmother must have high expectations for her. When she and her mother and brother separated a few years ago, her mother felt that she was far better than her elder brother in terms of intelligence and enlightenment.
Not only did his family think so, but Zhuge Liang himself also thought so before.
It wasn't until his eldest brother's first batch of letters home was sent to him more than three months ago, describing his experiences and progress over the years, that Zhuge Liang's understanding of this issue gradually changed.
"It turns out that there are so many people under General Liu who think that I am better than my eldest brother... Even if I can't be ten times better, I must at least be better than my eldest brother, so as not to embarrass my eldest brother! I will continue to work hard in the future and make good use of my eldest brother's abilities. Learn from them all, and then use your own refinement and creativity to reach a higher level!”
Zhuge Liang was spurred by these words and felt quite encouraged.
…
The group soon arrived at the county government office. Because it was a long water march, even if there was no fighting, Zhuge Jin was very tired, so Zhuge Jin was not busy doing things, and he had no energy to chat with his second brother.
They just asked people to cook food, boil water, and clean up first. They took a short rest and waited for Gan Ning to come back and report the results of the battle.
Without seeing Gan Ning, everyone felt uneasy and had no intention of doing anything else.
Finally, after cleaning up, boiling water, and preparing a few meals, Gan Ning finally took some soldiers and hurried to the county government office to report his victory.
Until this moment, the battle of Pengze was considered a certainty.
"It's not easy for Xingba to risk his own life. Sit down quickly and drink some wine to cleanse yourself."
Zhuge Jin lowered his rank to greet Gan Ning personally, bowed his hands, and then asked the maid to wash Gan Ning's hands and face with warm water. He also personally brought a bowl of slightly scalding hot water to Gan Ning, and reminded him to drink it slowly.
While Gan Ning was scrubbing and thanking him, he took the water and was about to drink it. Zhuge Jin even reminded him, but he was still slightly burned, so he had to slow down.
"Hey, Ning Yijie is a martial artist. Even in winter, there is no need to drink hot water. Just mix it with something cold." Gan Ning thanked him carelessly and ordered others to mix water.
Zhuge Jin quickly stopped: "No, cold water is boiled water. We must prevent diseases from entering through the mouth. Even if our Zhuge family drinks cold water, we also boil it and then let it cool. Now that the city has just been broken, we haven't had time to finish it. Let it cool down, and you will see how quickly Xing Ba chases down and annihilates the remaining enemies."
After Gan Ning heard this compliment, he was deeply impressed, so he calmed down and said: It turns out that even if the water is not cold, it can prove that he can kill enemies quickly.
Zhuge Jin took the opportunity to ask about the battle status and achievements, so as to further slow down the opponent's drinking speed.
Gan Ning blew and took a sip and said: "In the end, more than 1,200 people were captured and forced to land. Most of them were county soldiers who were kidnapped from Guangling and Danyang. In the chaos, two to three hundred people were killed and injured. There were about five to six hundred people who opened the east gate and fled.
I asked roughly, and found that most of those who resisted and fled were those who fanatically believed in Zuo Rong. It is deplorable that this thief deceived people's hearts to this extent. It reminded me of our rice thief in Yizhou.
There are also a few county soldiers and marquis who have defected before the battle. Some of them opened the door just now to kill the thieves, and some helped me lead the way. I have brought them all and are waiting outside the county government office. If the captain wants to know more details, he can ask them directly. "
Zhuge Jin nodded and quickly ordered: "Please come in quickly, let's have some wine and food together, and talk slowly."
Gan Ning got up and left the house, and soon brought two officers in. When they saw Zhuge Jin, they bowed their heads and bowed: "The guilty general Li Yi\/Li Wu pays homage to Colonel Zhuge!"
Zhuge Jin waved his hand: "Get up, it doesn't have to be like this. Since my second brother promised to forget the past, our army will naturally keep its word. If you are willing to abandon the enemy and turn to the light, the court will not treat you badly - tell me, where are you from, where were you originally? What is your position in the bandit army?"
The two looked at each other, and Li Yi held up his hand and stated: "We are brothers. I was originally a Marquis of Qujun in the Guangling County Army. When Zuo Rong was planning a rebellion in Guangling, he killed Lord Zhao. I was powerless. I had no choice but to endure and become a thief.
The next year, Zuo Rong fled south across the Yangtze River and was taken in by Lord Xue. Later, he killed his master again and plotted a rebellion, annexing the Danyang County soldiers. My younger brother Li Wu was originally the commander of the village, but Zuo Rong was afraid that he would not be able to control the Danyang County soldiers, so he promoted him He was promoted to one level and transferred to Danyang County soldiers.
As far as we know, Zuo Rong's current focus of defense is in the south, where he is confronting Guan Xiaowei, who just arrived in Yuzhang at the beginning of the month, in Haihun County. We don’t pay much attention to the counties in Penglizehukou in the north. The county soldiers who stayed in the area were all those who had been recruited from Guangling and Danyang over the years. The soldiers from Yuzhang County, who he had expanded rapidly in the local area, were all left in Haihun and Nanchang. "
Zhuge Jin nodded and looked at Zhuge Liang. Both brothers saw a slight benefit.
Seeing his eldest brother's inquiring eyes, Zhuge Liang took the initiative to analyze and report: "Brother, I think this is a good thing for our army. At least the Yuzhang County soldiers did not have the pain of leaving their hometown, and many did not know that Zuo Rong had betrayed his master several times.
The soldiers in Guangling and Danyang counties suffered much more, and their desire to return home was much stronger. They are also well aware of all of Zuo Rong's past misdeeds, which is why they were so easily persuaded to surrender by our army today.
In my opinion, it is better for us to work hard and spend a few more days to take down the Chaisang and completely tighten the pockets at Pengli Zehukou. In this way, both the upstream and downstream roads along the river will be blocked by our navy.
If he fights with Zuo Rong later, he can catch a turtle in a urn. Once the battle goes against him and he wants to escape, he can only leave Yuzhang by overland and over the mountains. In this way, he will not be able to take away too much supplies and wealth, and the soldiers will also be unable to withstand the journey over the mountains. army, and most of them chose to stay and surrender, so as to avoid the pain of long-term pursuit. "
Zhuge Jin couldn't help but secretly gasped when he heard this, thinking that his second brother had just won a small victory, and suddenly a newborn calf was not afraid of tigers, and his appetite suddenly increased several times.
How could Zuo Rong say that there were at least 50,000 or 60,000 troops? Zhuge Liang was not thinking about how to defeat the opponent, but how to prevent the enemy's main force from escaping and continuing to flee after defeat.
Even though we haven't won yet, are we already thinking about total annihilation?
However, there is still truth in what Zhuge Liang said, but he just thought too far and has not yet written a word. Zhuge Jin did not want to dampen his brother's enthusiasm, so he continued to ask the two surrendered officers:
"Do you know the composition of Zuo Rong's troops in Chaisang City? Previously, our army scouts said that there were about five to six thousand enemy soldiers in Chaisang?"
Li Yi quickly added: "It is true, and there are only a few more. There should be more than 6,000 people. Among them, there are more than 1,000 county soldiers brought from Guangling and Danyang each, and about 2,000 local Yuzhang soldiers. , and two thousand believers streaming in.
However, the captain must not underestimate the two thousand believers from other counties. These believers are no better than the county soldiers. The county soldiers are often coerced out of helplessness. However, the believers who are willing to follow Zuo Rong across the county and survive to this day are all extremely fanatical and have difficulty in life and death.
The believers who came from other counties were even more terrifying than the new ones from this county. These people had been swept away by the waves and never changed their minds. Although they were not strong in martial arts, they were brave enough to fight without fear of death and would not retreat even after being seriously injured. "
General Yi Ting spoke of the fanatical believers in Zuo Rong's army so horribly that Brother Zhuge had to pay more attention to them.
Zhuge Jin looked at his second brother and inquired in an inspiring tone: "How is it? Are you planning to try to persuade him to surrender again and try to capture Chaisang? It's better to just give up and continue south to Lushan Mountain to find a way to become a close friend with his uncle and Yun Chang. The power?"
As Zhuge Jin spoke, he also pointed at the map so that his second brother could quickly understand.
Lushan Mountain is the scenic spot in Jiangxi in later generations. It was already called this name in the Han Dynasty. It is located on the west bank of Poyang Lake/Pengli Ze.
Because of the existence of this mountain, the lake will be slightly squeezed and narrowed in this area. There is no other county between Haihun County and Chaisang County.
Even if they can't capture Chaisang, if Zhuge's army can ensure that they have absolute naval superiority, they can set up a stronghold in a dangerous place in Mount Lu, close to the mountains and lakes, and cut off the connection between Haihun and Chaisang——
Of course, it must be close to mountains and lakes, and you cannot camp directly in the mountains.
Firstly, Lushan Mountain is steep, so there is no need to occupy too high a place; secondly, since it is difficult to obtain water, if you blindly pursue being condescending, you will become Ma Su.
In this way, we can condescendingly threaten the flanks of Haihun County in the south, and block the waterway from Haihun and Nanchang that the enemy forces in Haihun and Nanchang will use to leave Jiangxi through the Great Lakes.
At the same time, it can form a rivalry with Guan Yu's army heading east along Xiushui River in the west.
Of course, the above explanations are all from God’s perspective. When Zhuge Jin talks to Zhuge Liang, he won't speak in such complicated and detailed terms.
The two brothers are both extremely smart people. They can understand something just by dialing a few words or even pointing at a certain point on the map or looking at it.
As expected, Zhuge Liang quickly understood his elder brother's compromise and prudent plan, and immediately analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative plan.
I saw him looking at the map and talking thoughtfully: "Brother's alternative strategy of turning into Lushan Mountain, defending according to danger, and blocking the enemy's throat is better than the strategy of taking Chaisang first. It's bigger, so there's no problem that it can't be taken down.
Our army took Pengze today, which was considered a sudden sneak attack. It is estimated that the defenders of Chaisang did not even know that Pengze was missing at this moment. Judging from the map, the Chaisang defenders would be rewarded with defeat in one day at the earliest.
If all the boats on Daze are captured and blocked by us, and the messenger who reported the defeat cannot cross the lake immediately and has to take another detour to find a boat, then the Chaisang defenders will not know the bad news until two or three days later at the latest. This is also possible.
The defenders of Haihun County should have received the defeat report and responded after two to three days. Judging from this speed, our army will take a short rest tonight and head straight into Lushan Mountain early tomorrow morning. The enemy will not have time to react. We can certainly be the first to set up camp on the east side of Lushan Mountain, on the main road next to the lake. "
After Zhuge Liang analyzed the stable aspects of his method, he paused for a moment and then talked about the shortcomings of his method:
"However, this method also has two drawbacks. First, when our army really defeats Zuo Rong in the future, it will not be able to completely wipe out Zuo Rong's army. Once the Chaisang defenders hear that Haihun or Nanchang's main force has collapsed, they will inevitably disperse. Or they may flee to other places along the Yangtze River. The fanaticism of Zuo Rong's army will inevitably lead to corruption and harm to many places.
Secondly, with Zuo Rong's military discipline, if they planned to abandon Chaisang and other places to retreat, and there were still enough river boats, they would definitely loot Chaisang before leaving, completely wiping away the remaining wealth and food reserves of the people, causing extreme chaos. Great disaster—Didn’t Zuo Rong already do this twice when he was in Guangling and Danyang? How can such a thief be allowed to roam around and harm the people? "
Zhuge Liang's focus was entirely on Zuo Rongjun's style.
This is an army that will loot and loot thoroughly wherever it goes and before retreating in defeat.
Zhuge Jin is also very clear about this. When Liu Bei first attacked Guangling County, he couldn't buy any surplus food from the people. This was because the savings of the wealthy households in Guangling had been robbed two years ago.
Bu Lianshi's father was originally a petty official, but her family was so poor that they were robbed by Zuo Rong's army.
In the late Han Dynasty, many princes had to exercise some restraint on robbery because they were afraid of offending powerful people or aristocratic families, or because they needed face and reputation.
Even Yuan Shu still needs to use his hands to others, such as recruiting various bandits, letting them take action before recruiting them, and then clean up the imperial edict and collect the imperial edict fee.
Those who really dare to rob without distinction are the Xiliang Army and various troops who take advantage of fanaticism and superstition. You can completely scrape the land without any psychological burden. Anyway, you don't need reputation. Once you scrape it off, you will never come back.
And Zuo Rong was even more disgusting than Zhang Lu, because Zhang Lu was a "bandit" after all. He was hiding in Hanzhong and had no place to run around. His parents and fellow villagers could not see him without looking up. Zuo Rong was a rogue bandit. After ravaging one county, he moved on to another. He ravaged three counties in three years.
All this must end in Yuzhang! Completely eliminate the entire Zuo Rongman clan! All the eggs at home have to be fried!
Zhuge Jin was also inspired to have a sense of responsibility, and finally decided to go a step further. Even if the difficulty increased, he still had to make sure to do his best.
He wants to use Jiangxi as the base of the Zhuge family to build and farm the land. This land will take a long time to operate. He can't do any of the short-sighted things that Zuo Rong can do.
Zhuge Jin helplessly muttered: "Ah Liang is right. You really can't be afraid of difficulties, so don't be in a hurry to join forces with your uncle and Yun Chang to form a horned force. We'd better think about it before the enemy army reacts. Let's see how to get Chaisang.
But we were able to persuade Peng Ze to surrender today, after all, because we had more troops than the defenders, twice as many as the defenders. After taking Pengze this time, the strength of the troops increased by another 1,200, and our total strength was only about 4,500, which was only 70% of the Chaisang defenders.
It is even more difficult for the attacking side to persuade the defenders to surrender, who are more numerous than themselves, even if they have the imperial edict and the right to do so. We can no longer expect the enemy soldiers from Guangling and Danyang counties to defect before the battle. Try to find new bargaining chips and break down the enemy's will to resist - Ah Liang, what can you do? "
This time Zhuge Jin was sincerely discussing and asking questions, not testing his brother.
Because he had just come across this idea, he had not made up his mind before, let alone thought about it in advance.
After all, Zhuge Liang was still just about seventeen years old. Although he had read through Sun and Wu's Art of War, he only applied it on the first day.
He thought for a long time but couldn't think of a way.
In the end, the brothers inspired each other and discussed each other for a quarter of an hour before they each gained something.
Zhuge Liang suddenly suggested: "Brother, I think it would be good to put it together according to the idea we just discussed - the key to Chaisang's attack on the heart is to break the will of the fanatics among the enemy.
Therefore, we can criticize those generals in Zhe Rong’s army who claimed to be Buddhists, and expose them while claiming that they were collecting money and looting for Buddhist services, but in fact only a very small part of the proceeds from looting was used to give alms to Buddhist monks and build pagodas. Above Galan.
I think that after Pengze County was captured by us, a lot of property would be found in the homes of the monks, soldiers and generals who were killed in the city. We would show these properties to the captured fanatical believers to let them know how hypocritical their generals are. , and then release some of the most powerful believers whose beliefs have collapsed back to Chaisang, and let them spread the word secretly to undermine the prestige of those monks and generals who are amassing money.
On the other hand, as you just said, Zuo Rong established his prestige by showing off his pomp, preaching miracles and grand scenes. For example, he used more than 100,000 kilograms of copper to melt and cast a Buddha statue. This tall, majestic, and golden thing can best inspire the worship and submission of ignorant people.
Therefore, we can also think of ways to create some miraculous things and show them to those who believe in fanaticism to let them know that Zuo Rong is a hypocrite, and even spread the word that only by following a heresy like Zuo Rong will you fall into hell and suffer eternal suffering in the future - —
After all, if you want to make those ignorant people fearful and change their minds immediately, that's the only way to do it. If you reason with them, they may not understand. As for how to get rid of evil spirits and superstition in the future, we need to figure it out slowly over the long term, and it cannot be eradicated now. "
Among the two brainstorming points that Zhuge Liang summarized, the first one is actually that he himself contributed more, while the second one is obviously that Zhuge Jin made more contributions——
In terms of normal intelligence and strategy, as long as Zhuge Jin doesn't know the historical answer to the battle in advance and relies on his own calculations, he is really not as good as his seventeen-year-old brother.
But when it comes to technical means, relying on scientific and technological foresight to scare the ancients and frighten superstitious people, Zhuge Jin obviously has the advantage.
Even if he just builds some "Kongming Lanterns" and creates flying miracles to spread some propaganda posters in Chaisang City, it is still Zhuge Jin who is good at it.
Zhuge Liang, who was only seventeen years old, could not create a Kongming Lantern, unless his eldest brother deliberately created a god and gave him the credit.
"Okay, let's rest today and wait for the soldiers to regain their strength. Tomorrow our army will cross Penglize and set up camp in the south of Chaisang City to prepare for the attack and heart attack. The specific plan will be discussed tonight." Zhuge Jin finally made the decision.
I brought my younger brother with me to brainstorm and inspire each other, and it turned out to be much more efficient.
