When Chen Chong returned to Chang'an, a new autumn arrived. Under the white clouds of Qingchuan River, the Qinling Mountains on the south bank of the Weishui River are undulating along the direction of the river. The valleys between the mountains are gentle and winding around the mountain tops. The horses were riding among them, the sky above their heads was endless blue, and white clouds were almost floating on the top of the mountains. There is not a breath of wind in the valley, but you can feel the steam in the air, making the rider feel as if he has returned to the North Sea.
Chen Chong and his group of more than ten people rode on the slopes in the valley like this. The weather was unexpectedly good. People took off their hats and only wore hunting clothes with tight collars and narrow sleeves. Most of them only carried short knives at their waists, and a bow bag and a pot of arrows on their horses. I said I came here to hunt, but even if I was just walking slowly in the autumn colors, I felt very comfortable.
At this time, traveling with Chen Chong were of course Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Qian Zhao, Chen Qun, and Zhong Yao. After returning to Bingzhou, Liu Bei and Chen Chong soon went south to Chang'an to discuss the Eastern Expedition. After almost two years of rest, the country's food, fodder, and soldiers have been fully replenished, but the puppet dynasty in the east has not yet recovered, so it is a good time to use troops to conquer. However, when interviewing Chen Chong in the mansion, Liu Bei always felt that the mansion was cramped and depressing, so he made an appointment with Chen Chong out of the city on the pretext of being relaxed about hunting, and they talked while walking.
In addition to them, they were followed by Wei Yan, Kong Ming, Pang Tong, Jia Kui, Deng Zhi, Meng Da, Yu Fan, Shi Tao, Yang Fu and others. Although they have different official positions and have been in the court for different periods of time, they are all Chen Chong and Liu Bei's favored descendants, so they are allowed to participate in important discussions. In the future, they will be able to handle politics better when they serve in high positions. director.
In addition, Liu Xie also followed the crowd. At this time, he was sixteen years old and had grown into a handsome and elegant young man. However, compared with Pang Tong and other Confucian scholars who had studied literature since childhood, he was still Affected by his parents, he has become more vigorous, so he has the impression that he is both civilized and martial, but martial arts is better than literature.
Speaking of which, before Liu Bei came, Fazheng had already written a draft plan for the expedition to the east, but he was still responsible for the affairs of Ba Mansion, so he did not accompany him. Therefore, what Liu Bei and Chen Chong discussed this time was this plan.
It was written in the grass that according to the intelligence collected in the past two years, after the Battle of Baideng, although the Eastern Dynasty still had enough resources to recruit and expand its army, it was difficult to replace the lost weapons and armor. It is said that now during the training of the Eastern Dynasty, They practiced stabbing with thorn sticks and practiced shooting with empty strings, hoping to save military resources in this way. It is obvious that their arsenal is empty.
In the interest of Fa Zheng, now that northern Xinjiang has been stabilized and there are no more worries, we can change our previous strategy of sending troops from Henan and enter from the north. Although the most important Juyong Pass is still in the hands of the Easterners, the Westerners have also mastered many secondary mountain trails and can start from there.
Therefore, he planned to raise another 200,000 troops from the five prefectures across the country, divide them into four groups, and attack Hebei from Fukou, Jingkou, Feihukou, and Wuruan Pass at the same time. On the one hand, they besieged important towns such as Yuanshi, Xiangguo, and Handan, and on the other hand, they relocated the villagers back to their country, forcing the Eastern Army to fight a decisive battle with them. As long as there is a way to win, and the people in the East are already panicking, as long as they show mercy, the other counties will surely surrender one after another. Overall, it was a big plan that could be accomplished in one battle and take several months to quell the bandit troubles.
Liu Bei appreciated the radical nature of this plan, so he reined in his horse on the bank of the Weishui River and said to Chen Chong: "The country has been divided for a long time, so we should fight for a quick resolution, so as to restore peace to the people of Kyushu."
Chen Chong did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked Qianzhao on the side: "Zijing, you went to Hebei two years ago. What do you think?"
What Chen Chong said was a story from the Second Battle of Pingcheng. At that time, Qianzhao gathered tens of thousands of people in Hebei. In two months, they gathered tens of thousands of people with great momentum. They once captured Xindu, the capital of the East. For a while, people in Hebei were panicked, thinking that Cao Cao's fall was imminent. Unexpectedly, in this critical situation, Cao Cao remained calm and rested for a full month at Juyong Pass before leading his troops back south. The people in Hebei saw that although Cao Cao had suffered a lot of losses, his army was in good order and his morale was strong. They immediately felt at ease and no longer participated in the military campaign. Qianzhao saw that the people around him were not attached to him, and there were many inner rooms in the city. Therefore, they did not dare to keep their word, so they had to go out of the city and fight hard with Cao Cao. When the forward encountered a slight setback, everyone fled south and dispersed. When they returned to Henan, there were only more than 3,000 people following them.
Qianzhao pondered for a moment and replied: "Cao Mengde is cunning and wise. Although his troops have been greatly damaged, he still has some elites. We cannot take them lightly. Although Xiaozhi's plan is good, it is a bit too strange. I Somewhat worried.”
When Liu Bei heard this, he waved his horsewhip lightly with his left hand and said with a smile: "What are you talking about? Since ancient times, how can there be any danger in using soldiers? Even a beautiful man like Bai Qi has some twists and turns against a fool like Zhao Kuo. !”
Chen Chong knew that Liu Bei's old habit of eager for quick success had relapsed, and he said slowly: "Then Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 tigers and wolves to attack Chu's repeatedly defeated people. It took three years to achieve full success. Could it be that he is an incompetent and mediocre general? ? Or is Cao Cao inferior to Xiang Yan?"
Liu Bei heard Chen Chong's objection, and a helpless smile appeared on his face, and asked: "In Ting Jian's opinion, what do you think of Xiaozhi's plan?"
Chen Chong slowly considered it and said: "It is a dangerous and dangerous victory over ancient and modern times. It shows off its military strength, but it is difficult to make a profit. The key point of this strategy is to force the enemy out of the city, but how easy is it? Our army is fighting over the mountains, and it is difficult to transport food and fodder. Once the Eastern Army How can a strong wall and a clear field be defended for a long time? Moreover, the troops are divided into four groups, how to respond? Once the city cannot be conquered, the troops will be forced to enter the city, and then Cao Cao will cut off the return route. Attack all the way. It can be said that the time, place and people are all right. If it is lost, it will lead to another disaster for the seven years of Yanxing."
Speaking of this, he emphasized: "Those who were good at using troops in ancient times, such as Wu Qi's expedition to the south and Sima Cuo's pacification of Shu, were simple in their actions, without any stunning appearance, but reaped practical benefits."
Liu Bei lowered his head and pondered, and gradually showed an expression of being convinced. He turned to the people behind him and said: "Then Ting Jian's intention is to let me send troops from Henan! What do you think?"
Pang Tong smiled and said: "What the teacher said is a safe opinion. The progress may be slower, but it won't be wrong. But I still prefer Xiaozhi's strategy."
Wei Yan also agreed, and he continued: "Wouldn't it be a joy in life to destroy the country in one battle? Recording it in the history of Qing Dynasty would be enough to be remembered in future generations."
Meng Da felt a little bit of Liu Bei's thoughts and lowered his head and said: "Xiaozhi is my good friend, so I should help him. But the dragon head is extremely talented and intelligent, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people. With national affairs as the most important thing, I think it's better to help him." It’s better to go to Henan.”
Zhuge Liang waited for them to finish speaking before finally replying: "What the teacher means is the same as what Fan Ju said about King Zhaoxiang of Qin. It is said that if you capture a land, you will gain a land, and if you capture a city, you will gain a city. By encroaching step by step, you will gradually get better. Crush all the Eastern bandits. By then, it will be the Eastern bandits who are anxious. Our army will wait for the work with ease, and use the masses to bully the few, so the chance of victory is 80 to 90 percent."
After he finished speaking, Liu Bei tasted it carefully, and all the hesitations in his heart were gone. He couldn't help but sigh: "Kong Ming said it very well. If there are people like you in the younger generation, I will do it." There is no need to worry about what will happen after your death." He then taught Liu Xie who was listening: "In a few months, you will work under Father Zhong, and you will get close to Zhuge more often. I think he has both moral character and talent, just like a son born Yiwu, you want to see Xian Siqi!"
Liu Xie waved his hand and said with a smile: "Father, I have stayed in my uncle's house for eight years. How can I not know that Brother Kong Ming is a Jianghan Wolong?" Before he finished speaking, he brought the topic back to the previous discussion and said slowly : "My uncle's plan is naturally sound, but it lacks a bit of a king's air. If Hebei can be pacified in one battle, it will naturally have the effect of convincing people's hearts. By then, won't it be much easier to pacify the four states and subjugate Nanchen?"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone couldn't help but be surprised. After all, Liu Xie's words were not the words of a minister at all, but he compared himself to the Qianlong Crown Prince. The others were silent for a moment, but Liu Bei immediately criticized: "How can you think of yourself so highly in life and work? Even if you have great ambitions and the time has not come, you should still keep your status and cherish the ditch. Otherwise, Hi If your anger is noticed by others, you will be manipulated by villains!"
Liu Xie looked quite disapproving, but he didn't want to offend Liu Bei, so he reluctantly bowed and said "nuo". Chen Chong saw that the situation was a bit awkward, so he rode between the two of them and smiled at Liu Xie: "Ah Jian, what you said makes sense. But it should be noted that people vary and things change. It would not be bad if those people in the south were mediocre people like Zhang Bu and Qin Feng [1]. Unfortunately, Liu Jingsheng was proud of himself and Sun Bofu was unkind. , Liu Boyu and Tu Chao are not figures who will bow their heads easily."
Due to his early experiences, Chen Chong had close or shallow contacts with Liu Biao, Sun Ce, and Liu Fan, so Liu Xie naturally would not question his judgment. But now that he mentioned it, he curiously asked: "In my uncle's opinion, which of these three is the biggest problem?"
Chen Chong thought for a moment and replied: "Liu Biao has the highest reputation, is the oldest, and is good at winning people's hearts. Unfortunately, he has unclear military skills and is in a war-torn place, so he will be the least harmful. Sun Ce's martial arts is just like his father's, and he is not inferior to Cao Cao." , and he is wise in knowing and employing people, so he can dominate one side, but he is cautious and likes to take risks, so it is not difficult to deal with him; only Liu Fan, who entered the pass last time, was in danger of becoming a big trouble, and after returning south , except for repelling Liu Biao and cultivating deep in southern China and abroad, there has been no major battle for several years. I don’t know what his plans are, and it is really as unpredictable as sinking into the abyss."
Liu Xie was stunned when he heard this. It was obvious that he rarely heard Chen Chong make such a comment. In his opinion, Jiang Biao's Sun Ce was obviously much more promising than Liu Fan, so there was a look of confusion on his face that he didn't quite agree with but didn't know how to refute. When Chen Chong saw this, he couldn't help but chuckle in his heart: Ajian is still a child after all!
He reached out and patted Liu Xie on the shoulder and said: "Ajian, you have to remember that talent and strategy are valuable, but manpower is sometimes poor. Being able to be self-restrained and calm in desperate situations is the most rare thing. You are still young now, so naturally you don't understand , you might as well follow the monks of Yuanjue Temple to copy Buddhist scriptures on weekdays, and you can also cultivate your moral character."
[1] Zhang Bu and Qin Feng: Both of them were reckless men who raised armies in the late New Year. Zhang Bu separatized the Qi State and Qin Feng became the king of Nanjun. However, neither of them had the talent to run a business, and they were destroyed in a spiral. Zhang Bubing was defeated and surrendered to Geng Yan. He rebelled and was killed. Qin Feng was trapped in Liqiu. After breaking the city, he annihilated three tribes. It is really difficult to call him a hero.
