"It is said that this trail is very steep and full of thorns. How can I let the military advisor work with the army?" Liu Bei shook his head quickly.
"My lord is too cautious. He didn't let us go to the front line when we first entered Shu. What are you worried about?" Pang Tong asked in confusion.
Liu Bei explained: "Military advisors are the ones who strategize and don't need to risk their lives on the front line. This is what Lan Ziyu told me when I entered Sichuan. I must protect you. People say, 'A snake can't fly without a head, and a bird can't fly without wings.'" , I naturally have to cherish it carefully."
"Lord, this..." Pang Tong was very moved after hearing this.
Zhuge Liang quickly added: "My lord is right. The main force in Shu will send out troops at the beginning of next year at the latest. Shi Yuan and Xiaozhi will also be accompanying the army as staff. My lord also needs to have some confidence in Yide. Judging from the fact that he has led troops independently several times. Come on, the three generals are capable of making plans, and they may not be able to stand alone. It is said that Sun Quan once jokingly called Wu Xia Amen. Now Lu Meng is the governor of Jiangdong, and Yide is no longer the general who lost the city in Xuzhou..."
"The words of the military advisor are true..." Liu Bei sighed with emotion. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had sworn an oath in Taoyuan, have grown into the pillars of the sky, and they can no longer look at them from the past.
Zhuge Liang: "Just in case, Liang suggested adding another lieutenant to this side of the army."
"Who does the military advisor recommend? Zilong or Hansheng? How many generals should be left to go with the main force?" Liu Bei guessed.
Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and smiled: "Jingzhou's soldiers and horses are now in great momentum. I don't expect there will be any fighting in the short term. It is better to transfer Ma Mengqi back to Yizhou and follow Yide to take a small road to attack Wudu."
"Is this...appropriate?"
Liu Bei seemed very hesitant. After all, Ma Chao was once a prince, and his position in the army was higher than Guan Yu. If he was transferred to Shuzhong to fight with Zhang Fei, it would be more difficult for Zhang Fei, who was the commander in chief.
Zhuge Liang explained: "There is nothing to worry about with Yide commanding the army. General Ma has a high prestige among the Qiang and Di people. The chance of victory for this partial army will increase if he is with the army."
Liu Bei shook his head repeatedly, "The military advisor didn't know something. Yide heard about Meng Qi's bravery and asked to fight with him many times. Otherwise, how could I transfer them to two places? If Ziyu hadn't been in Jingzhou to mediate, the second brother Maybe we have to compete with him."
"Since General Ma has Ziyu's guidance, I think he will obey the order." Zhuge Liang pondered.
Liu Bei looked confused: "Yide is only a general who conquers the captives, while Meng Qi is already a general of Pingxi. Can a commander with a low rank and a high rank conquer the masses?"
"Whether you can convince the crowd depends on the military power given by the lord. This has nothing to do with the specific official position. Besides, can you still not believe in Yide's martial arts?" Zhuge Liang asked rhetorically.
"I agree with what Kong Ming said. The name Ma Meng is worth tens of thousands of soldiers. Has the lord forgotten how Liu Jiyu surrendered?" Pang Tong nodded in agreement.
Liu Bei frowned, "Since the two military advisors have the same opinion, I will immediately write to Yun Chang and ask him to mobilize Mengqi Linju's troops and horses to Sichuan, and order Yide to lead an army of 10,000 out of Langzhong, and Ziyuan to lead an army. Ten thousand troops will leave Chengdu, and the three armies will meet at Baishui Pass before November."
Zhuge Liang affirmed: "I will accompany your lord to see him off at that time, and by the way, I will check the situation of Deng Shizai's grain storage in the fields."
"Just follow the military advisor." Liu Bei nodded.
Among the three main and deputy generals, Wu Yi had the least actual combat experience and the weakest reputation. Mrs. Wu turned a deaf ear to Liu Bei in order for her brother to escape unscathed.
In order to take care of his uncle, Liu Bei not only allocated 10,000 elite soldiers to him, but also asked him to select two additional generals to accompany the army.
Yizhou's generals have varying abilities and are generally weak. The slightly outstanding Yan Yan is under Zhang Fei's tent in Langzhong. Tong, he only chose Wu Lan, a military general of his own race who was relatively outstanding in martial arts.
At the beginning of November, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang went to Baishuiguan to work with wine and meat.
The three teams, totaling 25,000 people, had been assembled more than ten days ago. Among them, Langzhong was the closest and arrived earliest, and Ma Chao, who came from Jingzhou the farthest, arrived second.
On the contrary, Wu Yi's troops, who set out from Chengdu, arrived last.
After Liu Bei arrived, he gathered his generals to decide on the leader. Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Wu Yi were separated in front of the tent. When Zhuge Liang saw that everyone had arrived, he hurriedly winked at Liu Bei.
Liu Bei nodded knowingly: "This sneak attack on Wudu is intended to attract Cao's army in Hanzhong and cooperate with the main force in Yizhou to capture Hanzhong next year. Now I ask the military advisor to assign tasks to everyone."
Zhuge Liang looked around at the crowd and said: "This time we will enter Wudu via the Qiangdi Trail. Because the route is remote and dangerous and there are no food routes, there will be no logistical supplies for this battle. You must be self-sufficient to fight and support the battle. Try your best to buy time for your lord to seize Hanzhong, but if you can't resist it, return from the original route, do you all understand?"
"Wei." Zhang Fei and others responded loudly.
"The following will select a general and two lieutenants. My lord means that the general will be determined by a battle between generals. What do you three think?" Zhuge Liang asked meaningfully.
Liu Bei was stunned. What did Zhuge Liang want to do? If there is any damage before the battle, wouldn't it be a bad start? But now that the order had been issued, Liu Bei himself could not change it, so he could only frown and look at the three of them.
"I thought it was cold in Baishuiguan early, so I tried to warm myself up. Do you dare to read a book?" Zhang Fei became very excited.
"You can't get what you asked for." Ma Chao said concisely.
"Uh... My lord, military advisor, the last general knows that he is outmatched, so he is willing to serve as deputy general." Wu Yi blushed and clasped his fists.
Liu Bei nodded quickly, "That's good, the general will be born between Yide and Meng Qi."
Zhang Fei and Ma Chao returned to their camps to prepare for the battle. Yi Chuoyuan asked reproachfully: "Why did the army arrange it like this? They are both the pillars of support. No matter who is injured, Bei can't feel at ease..."
Zhuge Liang walked slowly and leaned against Liu Bei. He held the other man's hand with both hands and comforted him: "Don't worry, my lord, the two generals will definitely finish the order."
"How can swords and guns be counted without eyes..." Liu Bei shook his head.
Zhuge Liang continued to explain: "Both Yide and Meng Qi are enemies of ten thousand people. If there is an unfair fight, even if the lord directly appoints the chief and deputy generals, they will definitely be dissatisfied with each other, and Yun Chang, Zilong and others will also be dissatisfied." There is no way to understand Meng Qi's strength. Only through a competition can we know the difference.
In addition, since the emperor settled Yizhou, only Yide has been fighting externally for a long time, and has never cooperated with Meng Qi and Ziyuan. By using generals in front of the battle, everyone can get familiar with each other, which can not only establish the prestige of several generals. , and it can also condense the morale of the three officers and soldiers, which can be said to kill three birds with one stone. "
"Is it true that nothing will happen?" Liu Bei frowned.
"My lord, just watch the battle with peace of mind. What do you think, General Ziyuan?" Zhuge Liang nodded to Wu Yi.
Wu Yi was very depressed at this time. He felt that he should stay at home and not appear in the tent. He should have left with Zhang Fei and Ma Chao just now. The conversation between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei did not avoid him at all. He probably wanted to Let yourself know the difference.
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