Zhuge Liang, who was in the Shu army camp, also learned the news about Jicheng.
But he looked... even calmer than Zhang He, as if everything was under his arrangement, including Zhang He's marching route and the places he captured, everything was as he expected.
Zhuge Liang is like having a clairvoyant.
How can Zhang He win if he has something to lose?
"Zhang He will be ecstatic after the fall of Hebei City. He will mistakenly believe that our army is exhausted and cannot fight, so he will attack our army in a large scale. This battle is an opportunity for our army!"
"Haha, Zhang He would never have thought that this was the prime minister's plan. If he didn't throw a few pieces of meat to him, would he be confident enough to send troops?"
Wei Yan couldn't help but laugh when he thought of the changes in the military camp during these days. When the soldiers had three meals a day and had enough to eat and drink, the mental outlook of the entire army changed.
The shouts of killing were loud in the school grounds, and the soldiers seemed to have endless energy.
It's a pity that these days, the prime minister is unwilling to confront the Wei army head-on. Even if he encounters the incoming Wei army, he will pretend to fight for a while and then quickly retreat.
This also made the soldiers hold back their energy and wanted to compete with the Wei army.
"Prime Minister, the last general invites you to fight!"
Wei Yan was the first to speak.
Ma Dai quickly followed up and said loudly: "Prime Minister, I also want to fight. I have never fought Zhang He before. I hope the Prime Minister will give me this opportunity!"
"And the general, I'm really suffocating these days. Haha, when we get to the battlefield, the general will tear off Zhang He's head and give it to the prime minister as a chamber pot!"
Wei Yan glanced disdainfully at the generals who asked for battle, and shouted loudly: "How dare you despise Zhang He? He leads 40,000 Wei elites. What if you attack and let Zhang He escape?"
At this time, Zhao Yun stood up, cupped his fists and said, "Prime Minister, hand Zhang He over to the general!"
Everyone looked at the veteran Zhao Yun in surprise.
In this Northern Expedition, Zhao Yun's task was not unimportant. Before leaving Qishan, Zhao Yun and his deputy Deng Ai led the army as suspects and went out to the Baoxian Road to drag down Wei's general Cao Zhen.
Then after the defeat at Matsu Street Pavilion, he quickly returned to the defense and helped Zhuge Liang stabilize the situation.
Now, we have to count on this veteran to fight against Zhang He.
Zhuge Liang looked at Zhao Yun seriously. As a commander-in-chief, he was really unwilling to use Zhao Yun like this. After all, Zhao Yun was older and was no longer the young general in white who went in and out of Changbanpo seven times!
However, such an important matter can only make people feel at ease if it is handed over to Zhao Yun.
"Zilong, this battle is of great importance, I can only leave it to you!"
"Prime Minister, please rest assured, Zhang He has nothing to worry about!"
After confirming the commander of the Shu army, Zhuge Liang looked at the many generals in front of him and immediately began military deployment.
"Ma Dai, please remember! Wei Yan is Zhao Yun's deputy general, responsible for fighting Zhang He head-on. Deng Zhi's 5,000 troops captured Wudu, making the Wei army think that our army is going to retreat from Wudu."
"Wu Yi, you will lead 8,000 soldiers and horses to set up traps in the Didao area and be responsible for blocking the county soldiers who attack with the Wei army. Zhang Xiu, your soldiers will serve as a reserve team."
Zhuge Liang quickly made arrangements, looked at Ma Dai and said, "Repeat it again!"
"Yes!" Ma Dai repeated the deployment just now, and the generals looked a little more serious. Wei Yan reminded: "Prime Minister, you have sent all the troops out, and there is no one around you..."
"It doesn't matter, this battle is the decisive battle, there is no room for any mistakes, everyone should go back and prepare."
When the generals left, Zhuge Liang suddenly stopped them and said with a smile: "By the way, I suddenly remembered that when you fight, you must remember one place."
"Where?"
"Qingshui County...the people here must not be disturbed, and you cannot be rude to the people."
Although I don't know why the prime minister gave such a strange order, the soldiers followed the order one after another.
At the same time, Jiang Tuo has surrendered many tribes by relying on his behavior of throwing coins. These tribes have expressed that their ancestors are from Qingshui County, so they also want to recognize their ancestors and join Qingshui County.
In Lu Qing's view, Jiang Tuo was throwing money around.
That's right! Big bucks!
Because every time Jiang Tuo talked with these village leaders, he would first brag about how wealthy his Qingshui County was, with endless food to eat and endless money to spend, as if he had a golden mountain.
Then, he patted others on the shoulder and called them brothers, saying that as long as they took refuge in Qingshui County, Qingshui County would selflessly assist them by sending food, equipment, and salt.
Inspired by Jiang Tuo, countless camp leaders shed tears and knelt in front of Jiang Tuo, shouting, "Sir, sir." Many leaders immediately ordered the young men from their camps to follow Jiang Tuo. Combat.
This made Jiang Tuo's lips curl up to the sky.
Looking at the complacent Jiang Tuo, Lu Qing became worried.
He felt that there was something wrong with Jiang Tuo's brain.
Seeing that behind his two thousand elite soldiers, there were three thousand farmers following in a chaotic manner. These people had no order at all. Some of them didn't even have weapons. They were carrying farm tools and wearing tattered clothes.
With the addition of these people, the army's strength has taken a big step back.
Just giving away so many things for no reason, in exchange for a few adults and these powerless farmers?
"Sir, please don't be deceived by these copycat leaders. They may only succumb to you for supplies. If we don't help them in the future, they will hate us."
"Lu Qing, you are judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's heart. Didn't you see just now? The leader insisted on dragging me into a blood alliance and making a covenant, and even gave me the only crowing rooster in the village. Kill it and let us eat it."
"People are so kind, but you say they have bad intentions!"
Lu Qing looked up at the sky, speechless.
Why are you still so innocent? Like a little white rabbit. Didn't he know just now that the leader of the cottage had received materials and wealth, and he was almost grinning from ear to ear? And yet, you still foolishly gave him money!
As Jiang Tuo's bodyguard and counselor, Lu Qing felt it was necessary to remind his lord: "Sir, even if he sincerely surrenders to you, what use are the old, weak, sick and disabled in his village?"
"To subjugate the enemy's troops without fighting, doesn't this mean that I am a god with my troops? They surrendered before I even sent out my troops!"
What a fart!
Lu Qing was even more speechless.
Is that a surrender? That's why I bow to your ability!
"Along the way, if you encounter a village, talk to their leader. I know that these bandits were common people in the past and were forced to go up the mountain. But, what's the use of getting to know these people?"
"They are just a group of Guizhou chiefs, illiterate and unable to help at all. Are you leading the soldiers to march in the mountains just to socialize with them?"
Lu Qing said a lot in one breath. He was not blaming Jiang Tuo, but felt that Jiang Tuo was not doing business properly.
Hearing this, Jiang Tuo's expression finally became serious and he looked at Lu Qing seriously.
Thanks to Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he relied on the powerful landlord class to make his fortune and began to implement the clan system. The economic strength of these powerful landlords also began to develop without restrictions, and they gradually competed with the eunuchs and clans, becoming the three pillars of the empire. One of the pillars.
By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eunuchs were in decline, the clan was in decline, and the gentry took advantage of the situation to rise. They basically controlled the administrative power from the central to the local level, and also occupied a large amount of land and soldiers, forming private armed forces.
In order to safeguard their own class interests, the gentry began to control the election of officials and formulate a strict hierarchy. The common people in Guizhou endured the oppression of the gentry and worked hard.
This also makes the status of the common people's leaders in Guizhou very low, and no one thinks highly of them.
Therefore, Lu Qing did not understand Jiang Tuo's behavior. What was the use of making good friends with the people of Guizhou? This is an era that values bloodlines. Just like Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty, who weaved and sold shoes, didn't he also talk about the Queen of Zhongshan Prince Jing?
There is no point in having too many people. When you come out to hang out, you have to look at your background.
But Jiang Tuo knew very well that the clan system was the biggest cancer in Chinese history.
The emperor of flowing water, the powerful family.
The noble families continued to evolve. From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, although the imperial examination system was established and a large number of scholars from poor families were employed, there were conditions for taking the imperial examination, and they had to prove the strength of their family.
Just like the poet Li Bai, because his ancestors were in business and had a dark history, he was not even qualified for the imperial examination.
Until Huang Chao appeared at the end of the Tang Dynasty. As a failed scholar who failed three consecutive imperial examinations, he understood the truth. Since he could not join the noble clan, he would physically eliminate them.
So, he directly overturned the table, and as the saying goes, "The inner treasury was burned to ashes, and the bones of the princes were trampled on in the streets." He killed the heads of the nobles and soldiers by the Yellow River, and slaughtered all the top nobles of the Tang Dynasty.
Even, in order to avoid future troubles, the genealogies of these noble families were burned.
A noble family, right? A powerful family, right?
Look at me wearing golden armor all over the city.
Jiang Tuo said solemnly: "A man was born in troubled times, and he should do something and something not to do. Now along the way, what we see the most are bones. Those are the bones of us Han people. Some died of hunger and cold, and some died of cold." People die because of bullying, and people who are seriously ill die without treatment.”
"They are also human beings, why are they living so miserable lives?"
Jiang Tuo said coldly: "We in Qingshui County are rich, so what's wrong with giving out some supplies to support them? They are Han people and our compatriots. In my opinion, they have the same status as those noble families, no different!"
Lu Qing remained silent and looked at Jiang Tuo.
"Lu Qing, don't forget your origins. Five years ago, we were bandits just like them!" Jiang Tuo patted Lu Qing on the shoulder and reminded: "You don't have to persuade me with words like this from now on."
"yes!"
