Having said this, Hu Fan paused: "Besides, my Hu family has been beholden to the Huan family for three generations. Even if I have hurt their hearts and no longer want to serve them, it would be unjust to turn against my old master right away. Now I accept it. Your title is to recruit troops in the nearby area, prepare to join the army, and will not participate in this Western Expedition. However, I am already very sure of the outcome of this war. Huan Chu’s strength has been exhausted, and the restoration of the Jin Dynasty is irreversible.”
Liu Yu nodded with satisfaction: "It's good that you can see the general trend. Huan Xuan usurped the throne and harmed the country and harmed the world. You have fought for him to repay your kindness. You have done your best. There is no need to blame yourself. In the future, I will also wipe out all the enemies. Hu, when China is restored, there will be battles and meritorious deeds, so don’t worry about it.”
Having said this, Hu Fan hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Jinu, if it's possible, can you, can you spare Huan Xuan's life?"
Liu Yu's face changed slightly, and he turned to say: "How is this possible? He is guilty of treason, and his ambition killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The originally powerful Jin Dynasty was weakened by him. , I don’t know how long it will take or how much effort it will take to recover. I can pardon all the soldiers of the Chu army, but not the Huan family!"
Hu Fan sighed: "After all, my Hu family has been greatly favored by the Huan family for three generations, and I myself contradicted Huan Xuan in person, and he did not harm me because of it. He treated me with great importance. From the perspective of repaying the favor, I must do this Mention. Even if you don’t pardon Huan Xuan himself, can the Huan family leave one or two people to inherit the incense, so as not to kill them all and do too much, which is contrary to the way of heaven?"
Liu Yu's heart moved: "The way of heaven?"
Hu Fan said seriously: "When the Sima clan usurped Wei and established the Wei Dynasty, there was the Gaoping Ling Incident. Huan Fan, the ancestor of the Huan clan, was the think tank of Cao Wei's general Cao Shuang at that time. He tried his best to assist Cao Shuang. However, he was burdened by Cao Shuang's weakness and the whole clan was destroyed. Yi, in order to declare his authority, Sima Yi was extremely ruthless against the Cao Shuang and Huan clans, killing tens of thousands of people, even babies. Such atrocities, even our Emperor Sima Shao heard about them. He looked shameless and sighed, saying that his ancestors were so cruel and brutal, which would bring disaster to future generations."
Liu Yu nodded: "So you mean, Huan Xuan, who finally usurped the Sima clan in the Jin Dynasty, is also the retribution of heaven?"
Hu Fan sighed: "I know that Brother Jinu is upright and does not believe in ghosts and gods, but I am a general in the Hu family, and my ancestor Gong Tan Zun is the general of Cao Wei. I have witnessed the bloody rain in those years and taught our descendants, If you do anything too much, there will be endless troubles. If you leave a thin line in life, you will be rewarded in the future. The Sima family also tried to kill the Longkanghuan family, but there were always fish that slipped through the net. Years later, they usurped the Jin Dynasty and took revenge. Brother Jinu, you are of course an invincible hero. , but your descendants may not be as capable as you. If you kill too much, your descendants will suffer retaliation, which may not be a good thing."
Liu Yu said seriously: "What you said makes sense, I will seriously consider it. Huan Xuan rebelled, and almost all the Huan family responded and participated. It is far-fetched to say that anyone is innocent. However, Huan Wen and Huan Chong also made great contributions to the country." It is not impossible for a person of great merit to pardon some descendants who are not deeply involved in the matter based on his achievements. However, now that the decisive battle is imminent, it is too early to talk about these matters. I came to pick you up today on a special trip, not to replace Xi. I will rush back to the capital in the evening, and there are still many things that need to be dealt with. Before I leave, I want to ask you from a purely military perspective, what is the current situation as you see it? How will it develop?”
Hu Fan frowned slightly: "Although Huan Xuan's defeat is almost certain, if he takes the right measures, he may be able to last longer. Even if he takes the initiative to surrender, he will remove his imperial title and return the emperor to the empress. Maybe Brother Jinu you will forgive him."
Liu Yu smiled and said: "There is no need to analyze impossible things. If he really does this, I will indeed forgive him, because I don't want the war to continue and the lives of people to be devastated. But Huan Xuan is a man who dreams of having power. He has already tasted it. How can you give up the benefits of being an emperor? You can give up your life, but you can never give up the throne. You only need to analyze the war, and there is no need to say more about political affairs. "
Hu Fan nodded: "If Huan Xuan recalls Huan Zhen, defends Jiangling, and relies on the favorable location and people to fight the Western Expeditionary Army, there is a 50% chance of winning. Although in this way, the Western Expeditionary Army will gain a lot of Jiangling along the way. However, the battle line will also be lengthened. From Yuzhang to Jiangling, if we want to fight steadily and advance by land and water, we need to take the food and grass from Xiakou or Baling. We must divide our troops. Once we divide our troops, Huan Xuan will have Chances are, his military strength is several times better than that of the Western Expeditionary Army. If the main force is concentrated and the navy comes to fight, the outcome will be difficult to say."
Liu Yu nodded: "What if Liu Yi doesn't divide his troops, concentrates his forces, and takes Jiangling directly?"
Hu Fan said with a smile: "This is a cruel move. It ignores the back roads and food roads, but seeks a quick victory. However, Jiangling City is the capital of Jingchu and has been in operation for hundreds of years. The city is high and the pond is deep. It is definitely not a one-shot move." And if they can win, most of the Chu army officers and soldiers' families are in the city, and they will fight to the death to protect the city and their families, and the fortifications to defend the city are also very complete. Although the officers and soldiers of the Beifu army are brave and good at fighting, their military strength is at a disadvantage. If the defenders go out of the city and set up camp on the hill, and they are at horns with Jiangling City, then even if Brother Jinu personally commands it and has a hundred thousand strong soldiers, it will be difficult to break through. Attacking the city is a poor strategy. If it takes too long, then our strength will be If the food road is attacked again, there is a danger of the entire army being annihilated. If I were the coach, I would not choose such a style of play."
Liu Yu smiled and said: "What about the aspirations of the people? If Huan Xuan faced a powerful enemy and did not even have the courage to fight, and directly trapped Jiangling City, what would the powerful soldiers and people of Yongzhou in Jingxiang think of him? Will there be a large-scale attack on him? defection?"
Hu Fan shook his head: "The Huan family has been operating in Jingxiang for more than sixty years. It is not a day's work. The favor often affects several generations. Just like me, even if I invest in your account now, I don't want to do it at this time." To add insult to injury and counterattack the Huan family, the most they can do is to stand still and not help each other. What's more, if Liu Yidun's army cannot conquer the city quickly, the outcome will be decided, and time is in Huan Xuan's favor, so that will not happen It’s a situation where powerful people from all over come to invest.”
Liu Yu curled his lips: "So, the Western Expeditionary Army's chances of winning this time are not high, especially since Huan Xuan defends the city without fighting, so there is almost nothing he can do?"
Hu Fan thought for a while and said: "If Huan Xuan defends the city, don't waste time in Jiangling. The army will go to sweep everywhere. First, take the food from Xiakou and Baling. This can clean up the outside and ensure the retreat. Wait. When reinforcements from the direction of Jiankang continue to gather, the situation is different. But this requires time and patience. Moreover, based on my understanding of Huanxuan, he will not choose to defend the city or fight decisively in the Jiangling area. His biggest problem Possibly, they are marching eastward with troops, and proactively seek a decisive battle with Liu Yi in the Xiakou area, and counting the time, it will be almost two to three days later, Xiakou, Zhengrongzhou!"
