Ever since the news of Cao Cao's capture of Hanzhong came back, Jingzhou, where people's hearts were floating, began to stabilize in an orderly manner. The Cai family and the Kuai family had completely calmed down, and even realized that they did not do anything too obviously stupid after Xiahou Dun's death.
From a territorial point of view, the loss of the merged state to Hanzhong is of course disproportionate; strategically speaking, as the breeding base for Han war horses, the loss of the merged state also meant that Cao Cao lost a convenient channel to purchase war horses.
From the perspective of population, taxation and wealth, the entire Bingzhou is not necessarily better than one county in Hanzhong, it can barely be considered equal to him.
But from a strategic point of view, Bingzhou is far less important than Hanzhong. It connects Guanzhong to the north, Bashu to the south, Longyou to the west, and Jingxiang to the east to reach the Central Plains. The most important thing is that as the gateway to Yizhou, Hanzhong can be lost , which means that Cao Cao can use troops against Sichuan at any time.
On the premise that Jingxiang has been obtained, if Yizhou can be included in Cao Cao's strategic backyard, then Cao Cao's basic position will be even more powerful than that of the great ancestor Liu Bang.
In addition to the fact that the emperor of the Han Dynasty holds the most powerful banner in the world, the Jingzhou nobles have reason to believe that Cao Cao is still the most popular candidate to win the world. This bet was not wrong.
In the General's Mansion in Linxiang County, the seat of Changsha County, the sycamore trees have begun to turn yellow.
Several people under the tree listened to the wind and had different thoughts.
Liu Bei was very uneasy, so much so that it would not be an exaggeration to call him panic.
When Zeng Longzhong invited Zhuge Liang out of Qigu Thatched Cottage, he decided to unify the army first, taking Jingxiang first, and then Yizhou. Now he occupied half of the world and competed with Cao Lu for supremacy.
Because Zhuge Liang expected that Cao Cao and Lu Bu would fight to the death in the Central Plains. Even if he barely captured Jingxiang, people's hearts were unstable. Once the two sides reached a stalemate, he would be able to rely on his status as Liu Qi's eldest son to become famous. Capture Jingzhou.
After Jingzhou is obtained, he can drive out of the Central Plains and compete with Cao Lu.
But now, Cao Cao's hand has reached Hanzhong, and you can feel that he is staring at Yizhou with saliva from 800 miles away.
If Yizhou is in the hands of Liu Zhang, then he thinks Zhuge Liang's strategy is very feasible, because Liu Zhang is just a dandy who has suffered from the shadow of his ancestors, but if it is in the hands of Cao Cao, the natural dangers of Sichuan will be brought into full play. , who is preferable?
However, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have different thoughts. They are looking forward to it. Let's fight. Let's fight Yizhou. There are natural dangers in Sichuan. Even if Liu Zhang is a soft persimmon, you will definitely not be able to eat it for a while. When the time comes, you can Leading the army in the city, he crossed the Xiang River and captured Lingling, Wuling and Nanjun. Immediately the indestructible Xiangyang became the gateway of his family, and the eldest brother became the veritable master of Jingxiang.
Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, had a serious look on his face. He was not surprised at all that Cao Cao would capture Hanzhong. Bingzhou had been lost and Jingxiang was unstable. Based on the previous situation, Cao Cao was unable to start a battle with Lu Lin in the Central Plains for the ownership of the dynasty. .
He also analyzed it from Cao Cao's perspective. Judging from the situation at that time, there were only two ways in front of Cao Cao. Either take the three counties of southern Hunan and reunify the Jingzhou territory. This could stabilize the civil strife and eliminate the No worries.
Either conquer Hanzhong, open the door to Yizhou, and gain strategic importance for yourself, so that you can balance the impact of losing Bingzhou.
If there was anything he didn't expect, it would be that the ten tribes of Guanzhong were invited to join the three counties. On the surface, it looked like they were diverting pressure from the west, but the ten tribes of Guanzhong were not completely obedient to Cao Cao's orders. , so there are too many uncontrollable factors.
Even Zhuge Liang himself was a little confused when Cao Cao gave up the three counties. After taking Hanzhong, the whole situation became clear at a glance, and he couldn't help but admire Cao Cao's clever layout.
Lu Lin, who owned Beiguo and Xuzhou, wanted to use troops against the Central Plains. He could no longer avoid the threat of the Shibu in Guanzhong. The biggest problem in entering the rich three counties from a barren land was that the desires and ambitions deep in the hearts of the Shibu people were aroused. Once they come out, they will definitely not stand by and watch indifferently during the war in the Central Plains.
Cao Cao was really very thorough in controlling people's hearts and matching the battle situation.
Even so, judging from the current situation in Yizhou, unless there is an internal problem within himself, Cao Cao will not be able to attack Yizhou for a while, because he still needs to take care of Lin Mo in the north.
Zhuge Liang is now neither worried about Yizhou's surname Cao like Liu Bei, nor is he eager for Cao Cao to be trapped in war and conquer Jingzhou like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
He is a counselor, and what he needs to do is to make an accurate judgment on the next development of the world's situation. Only in this way can he be able to get ahead of others and not be controlled by others everywhere.
Last time, Lin Mo suddenly sent troops to capture Taihang Mountain and Bingzhou, which directly disrupted Zhuge Liang's plan and caused his plan to devour Jingzhou to fail.
Therefore, this time, he must make the most accurate judgment.
Judging from the situation, he, like Pang Tong, is more inclined to Lin Mohui to use troops in Guanzhong, because the ten troops are an extremely unstable factor. If this undercurrent hidden under the calm lake is not cleared away, it may be counterattacked by him at any time.
The question is, what means will Lin Mo use to prevent Cao Cao from taking advantage of the situation when he is at war with the ten tribes in Guanzhong.
Want to trade Guanzhong for Yizhou?
That was obviously impossible, after all, Yizhou couldn't escape there, but taking advantage of Lu Lin's battle with the ten tribes in Guanzhong to sneak attack on the North was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Kong Ming, I wonder if I should write a letter to comfort Liu Zhang. I'm really worried that if Hanzhong is lost, Shuzhong will be shocked three times a day, and he will surrender without a fight." Liu Bei asked with a frown.
"Hey, I see, there's no need to go to such trouble."
Zhang Fei waved his hand and raised his eyebrows and said: "Although Cao Cao has captured Zhang Lu, his troops and horses are all in Hanzhong. Why not surprise Lingling and Wuling before he can react? Even if he only captures one county, he will not be able to react." It can give Liu Zhang confidence."
Guan Yu squinted his red phoenix eyes, stroked his long beard and nodded: "Brother, what the third brother said is not unreasonable. This move can also prove one thing to the soldiers and people in central Sichuan. As long as Cao Cao dares to enter Sichuan, eldest brother will lead his army to sneak attack Cao Cao's rear. This is comparable to Writing letters is much more useful."
Liu Bei was noncommittal and looked at Zhuge Liang asking for his opinion. The latter slowly shook his head.
"My lord, although Cao Cao is in Hanzhong, there is still general Cao Ren in Jingzhou, and there are 100,000 troops in Jingzhou. There is no opportunity to use troops at this time.
Furthermore, although the number of soldiers and horses in the army has expanded to more than 50,000, most of them are new recruits and lack combat power and still need training.
Thirdly, Jiangdong Sun Ce has also been coveting Lingling and Wuling. He can't take Guangling. If he wants to enter the Central Plains, the only way to enter the Central Plains is Jingzhou. He won't watch us take it. "
"Military advisor, although I don't know the military as well as you, I also know that you can't train elite soldiers for hundreds of battles just on the school field. There is no place more effective than training on the battlefield. If they are not allowed to participate in the war, they will not be able to see the real battlefield. What does it look like and how does one become elite?”
Guan Yu asked coldly, and then continued: "As for the Jiangdong Rats, they can't even defeat Zhang Liao, how can they be my and Yide's opponents?"
A mere Zhang Liao can break through thirty thousand with eight hundred. Does Jiang Dong know what war is?
"Second brother is right. Now that Cao's army has just arrived, the main force is in Xiangyang. He has not spread his troops to the counties yet. The prefect Liu Du is a weakling. He can break through in a few days. Military advisor, don't look forward and backward. "
From Zhuge Liang's point of view, he has now made a judgment. If Lin Mo uses troops against the ten tribes in Guanzhong, then he must have a way to stabilize Cao Cao. At this stage, Cao Cao can only go west to Yizhou, and that is the time to send troops. It’s a great time to regain Lingling and Wuling.
But Guan Yu and Zhang Fei no longer agree with him anymore. Apart from the fact that he has occupied his brother for a long time and left the two of them alone in the empty boudoir, the biggest reason is that Zhuge Liang has not fought a single battle since he took office.
He even stopped them from starting a war several times. He thought that if he could just get the dragon and the phoenix, he would be able to settle the world. Who knew whether he would fight or not.
"Yun Changyide, Jiangdong Sun Ce is known as the little overlord, so he should not be underestimated."
In fact, Liu Bei himself didn't take Sun Ce too seriously. After all, his old son Sun Jian was the one who went to fight Dong Zhuo with him in the Jujube Alliance. What he said sounded a bit like mud.
Liangzi felt quite bitter.
The purpose of entering Jiaozhou was to rescue Wu Ju. The goal was achieved and Wu Ju was brought back safely, but the biggest wish was for the Sun-Liu Alliance.
Because of Sun Jian's death at the hands of Huang Zu, the alliance has always been ambiguous. Zhou Yu supported the alliance, but Sun Ce could not let go of it and even crossed the border several times. Jiang Xia’s behavior.
After Sun Jian's death, the two sides fought bloody battles for several years, until the battle with Sha Xian, where Huang Zu was defeated and fled, his family members were all killed, and the conflict between the two parties completely reached an irreconcilable level.
However, the general trend is that no one can escape the fate of being annexed without an alliance, so Zhuge Liang has been committed to this. For more than half a year, it has generally had some effects, but such an alliance is unstable.
Because Sun Ce is also thinking about Jingzhou day and night. If he wants to attack Lingling and Wuling, the prerequisite is that Cao Cao must draw away all his troops. When Jingzhou is empty, he can capture the two counties and even Nanjun with lightning speed. create an established fact.
Otherwise, as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei said, it will simply lead to self-destruction.
"My lord, both Cao and Lu must be in a state where they have no time to take care of it, then it's time for us to take action. Please wait a moment, lord." Zhuge Liang let out a long sigh and bowed with a feather fan in his hand.
"Then don't do anything?" Liu Bei still listened to Zhuge Liang's words, but his strength continued to grow, his military strength reached an unprecedented peak, and he saw the princes outside the area looting territory, and he felt very itchy.
"Send a letter to Liu Zhang, telling him that if Cao Cao dares to invade the country, the lord will lead an army to rescue him to reassure him." This is the only thing that can be done at the moment.
Liu Bei nodded and then walked towards the council hall.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei looked at each other, disdained to talk to Zhuge Liang, and left.
In fact, we can't blame them for looking down on Zhuge Liang. If he wants to prove himself, he needs to use a war to clear his name, just like Lin Mo back then.
If he could reach that height, I think Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could still bow their heads and obey orders.
Zhuge Liang, who was still optimistic, just waved his feather fan and retreated.
When he returned to his temporary residence, meals were already prepared.
Even the rice was served to Zhuge Liang, but he almost didn't feed it to his mouth. As far as women are concerned, Huang Yueying can be regarded as a good wife and mother.
However, she is not only a good wife and mother, she is also a first-rate master of mechanisms and is very good at inventions.
Apart from anything else, Wooden Cow and Flowing Horse were actually invented by Huang Yueying.
As early as when the two met, Huang Yueying heard that Zhuge Liang was talented and had a photographic memory. In order to test him, she specially showed him the structural diagram of the wooden cow and flowing horse that he invented. He was not the only one he saw. There were also other series of mechanical drawings. Including wooden dog, wooden man, wooden tiger and so on.
When it was time to get married, he made it clear that when Zhuge Liang welcomed the bride, he would not sit in a sedan chair, ride a horse, or take a boat.
This condition really stumped Zhuge Liang. After thinking hard for a long time, he couldn't find a way to solve it. Finally, he suddenly remembered the machine drawings he had seen at Huang Yueying's home. He actually reproduced the wooden cow and flowing horse based on just a glance of memory. With this thing Pushed Huang Yueying home.
The magical thing about the wooden cow and flowing horse is of course not like what later generations said, like a perpetual motion machine that can walk on its own without the help of human power. It still needs people to push it, but it can carry a load of up to 400 kilograms and consumes less manpower. In addition, the single wheel is flexible and basically Wherever the Master can pass, this wooden cow and stray horse can also pass. It can be regarded as a manpower-saving artifact.
Another important point is that the cow tongue of Mu Niu Liuma is a mechanism. Once it is flipped over, it can lock the entire car. It is a very awesome braking system.
Huang Yueying is not good-looking, but her talent and learning are worthy of Zhuge Liang. What warms his heart the most is that Huang Yueying can often see through her own fatigue.
"In recent days, every time my husband comes back, there is a trace of fatigue and helplessness hidden in his eyebrows. I think it is because the time has not come yet and he is angry again."
For example, even if Zhuge Liang didn't say anything, Huang Yueying could make a rough guess.
When around Huang Yueying, Zhuge Liang will feel very relaxed and even a little comfortable.
He smiled and nodded: "Yes, the direction of the battle is beyond my expectation. Judging from the current situation, Lin Mo is still more likely to attack Sizhou. I just don't know how he will paralyze Cao Cao."
"Lin Mo's tactics are always unexpected. It's really not easy to guess his thoughts."
People in this era pay attention to eating without talking and sleeping without talking. Since they want to talk, they simply don’t eat first. Huang Yueying took the initiative to analyze: "But no matter what, there must be an unprecedented war between Cao and Lu. As long as you wait patiently, there will be a fight." I will wait for the opportunity to rise."
Zhuge Liang sighed deeply.
Yes, A Chou knows the trick very well, but unfortunately, the lord and the two generals don't know the key to it.
Before the time has come, forceful action will only be counterproductive. Even though the combined military strength of each county is 50,000, as long as one is not careful, everything will be lost.
Swing the sword, only this time.
The three pits in Taoyuan were too difficult to navigate, and Zhuge Liang shook his head sadly.
But in his heart, Zhuge Liang can actually understand Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Liu Bei has endured it for long enough. Now he needs soldiers and food, but he can still only look across the Xiang River and watch others drinking and eating meat. It is inevitable that he feels a sense of disparity in his heart.
As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, in the final analysis, he did not really show his military tactics in front of them. It was more about strategic positioning, and this positioning was destined to be a development direction and could not have immediate results.
One of them is arrogant and the other is anxious, how can they convince themselves.
When Han Xin worshiped the general, a group of people under his command were dissatisfied, but he was able to show his skills on the battlefield immediately.
Therefore, Liu Bei needs to be patient and wait, and so does himself.
"Actually, even if Cao Cao mobilizes his troops, the emperor's current troops may not be able to stabilize Lingling and Wuling at the same time, let alone Nanjun. Sun Ce will never watch you move him north to the Central Plains. The passage is blocked.
Moreover, he had a reason to send troops. His father's hatred was irreconcilable. Whether he went up the river to Jiangxia or via Guiyang, he had hidden murderous intentions. "
"What Madam said is true, so we must wait for the opportunity. As long as we are sure to take down Lingling and Wuling counties in one go, Sun Ce must mobilize his troops before the Cao-Lu war is over. Otherwise, the final result will be that both sides will suffer. This He doesn’t understand the truth, but Zhou Yu also understands it.”
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, he picked up the chopsticks and started using them.
When the husband moves his chopsticks, Huang Yueying can naturally have a meal together.
This meal is very simple, but it can calm Zhuge Liang's mood a lot.
After dinner, Zhuge Liang got up and was about to go to the room to look at the map to find some inspiration, but Huang Yueying stopped him, "Husband, there is something that may help you."
When you hear it, you can tell that Huang Yueying has some fantastic inventions. Of course, Zhuge Liang is very interested in her inventions.
When we came to the backyard, there was a crossbow placed there, with a tripod underneath and a crossbow that was one size larger than an ordinary crossbow. It had ten arrow holes.
"Is this a strong crossbow?"
"The Yuan Rong crossbow can fire ten arrows at a time."
Huang Yueying started to demonstrate directly as she spoke. The crossbow was loaded with arrows and the arrow positions were arranged in advance, so she just walked up and pulled the firing mechanism with difficulty.
Whoosh whoosh~
Ten arrow holes fired arrows at the same time. Ten arrows were nailed to the wooden stakes in the backyard and penetrated three-thirds of the way into the wood, which shows how strong their penetrating power is.
"Wonderful, this object seems heavy. Of course, the sergeant cannot use it freely on the battlefield, but if it is used at a city gate or a military stronghold, it must be a defensive weapon, especially when there are insufficient soldiers and horses. This crossbow Vacancies can be filled!”
Zhuge Liang was extremely excited. He walked up and looked up and down, unable to put it down.
Of course he understood what Huang Yueying meant by deliberately placing this invention in front of him. It was simply that when fighting for Jingxiang in the future, this crossbow could be deployed in the rear to defend against sneak attacks by Jiangdong's soldiers, so that more troops could be mobilized. to the front lines.
What is a good wife? This is called a good wife.
Zhuge Liang held Huang Yueying's hand and said softly: "Thank you, madam."
"Since we are husband and wife, why should we say thank you? I can only hope that I can share my husband's worries so that this thing will come out in vain." Huang Yueying smiled shyly.
He is indeed grateful to Huang Yueying.
Not only because this Yuan Rong Crossbow filled the gaps in the future strategy she had formulated for Liu Bei, but also because she could always light an oil lamp to guide the direction home when she was exhausted physically and mentally.
The micromanaging nature, the tempers of Guan and Zhang, and the turbulent situation actually made Zhuge Liang very tired before he actually took action on the battlefield.
But Huang Yueying can always wash away the dust of the world for him after he returns home, dusting him off.
Marrying a wife should be like Huang Yueying.
There is actually some controversy regarding these inventions, so please make your positioning based on the judgments in the book.
(End of chapter)
