Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3787 When the people are in harmony, the gods bestow blessings; therefore, every action will be successful.

Anyone who has raised a naughty child knows that naughty children are not stupid, but rather they use all their cleverness for crooked purposes.

Sometimes Zhao Yun felt that Wei Yan was just like that.

When Pang Tong inquired about Wei Yan's whereabouts, Zhao Yun couldn't help but smile wryly. He exchanged a glance with Zhang Liao and then reported truthfully without concealment, "Reporting to the strategist, General Wei... led his troops south several days ago and should be in Yanzhou by now..."

Actually, Wei Yan didn't leave that quickly, and if Pang Tong hadn't killed Shen Rong right away, he might have been able to get some information about Wei Yan, but now...

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Pang Tong's face darkened abruptly, his already dark complexion turning even blacker. "That bastard Wei Yan! How dare he act without orders, venturing deep into enemy territory! What does he care about military discipline? If his reckless actions disrupt our lord's overall plan, or if our army is trapped in an encirclement, resulting in the innocent loss of soldiers' lives, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to atone for his crime! It's simply..."

Pang Tong paused mid-sentence, his angry words trailing off. He scanned the map several times, then sighed softly, his tone complex, as if reflecting on an unexpected turn of events. "Very well… perhaps… how many troops did Wei Wenchang bring?"

Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao were puzzled to see that Pang Tong's anger came and went so quickly, and that he had changed to such an attitude.

Zhao Yun cupped his hands and said, "Two thousand five hundred elite cavalry."

Pang Tong frowned. "A bit too much..."

Unable to suppress his doubts, Zhang Liao asked, "Strategist, should we...bring back Wen Chang? You just said that conquering territory is not the priority; doesn't Wen Chang's departure contradict this? I failed to stop Wen Chang before; I am guilty, truly guilty."

"It's not a crime..." Pang Tong waved his hand and said, raising his head slightly to think for a moment before continuing, "It's just that Wen Chang's actions have disrupted our plans a bit..."

Seeing that the two were still somewhat puzzled, Pang Tong said, "The lands of Ji and Yu are flat and open; why doesn't our lord ride down and sweep across the Central Plains?"

Both Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao sought advice from Pang Tong.

Seeing that the two were listening intently, Pang Tong analyzed the advantages and disadvantages, saying, "It's not that our army is incapable of attacking, but rather that we are unwilling to resort to the short-sighted strategy of 'draining the pond to catch all the fish,' which would only exhaust the resources of the Central Plains and undermine the foundation of our lord's regime."

Pang Tong slowly said, "Cavalleria are indeed a nation's most powerful weapon, invincible in charging into battle, but their daily maintenance and wartime consumption are far greater than those of infantry... and the Central Plains... don't have as much fodder as the deserts of Youzhou..."

Pang Tong glanced at Zhao Yun and asked, "If there's no fodder, what will the warhorses eat?"

Unlike Youzhou and the Northern Regions, where grasslands are plentiful, the Central Plains are mostly developed into farmland, and even forest land is relatively scarce.

Because of the relatively backward production technology in the Han Dynasty, in order to support their large populations, regions like Jizhou and Yuzhou had large-scale farmland around almost all towns, rather than grasslands and wastelands.

While warhorses are certainly better suited for surprise attacks in this terrain, what will they eat if a large number of cavalrymen march south for a long period of time?
Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao seemed to realize something.

Pang Tong shook his head and sighed, "If it weren't for our lord transferring grain supplies from Shangdang and Taiyuan to Hanoi, relying solely on the spoils from Wen County... Alas, Cao Mengde..."

Pang Tong's gaze returned to Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao. "A large army marching south, sweeping across Shandong, is not that our lord does not wish it, but truly that he cannot, and it is not permissible."

"My lord once made a bet with Guo Jia. If, in times of great chaos, one had to sacrifice one of four—the ruler, the minister, the scholars, or the people—which would it be?" Guo Jia remained silent, unable to answer. It wasn't that he lacked wisdom, but rather that, as a member of the gentry, he couldn't bear to sacrifice himself. Yet, in times of chaos, rulers, ministers, and gentry often prioritize the safety of the people over their own! Little do they know that, for the sake of the nation, the people must never be sacrificed!"

Pang Tong's voice echoed within the tent: "In the past, Fengxiao used the analogy of the ruler as the head and the subjects as the limbs, saying that the people were like insects, easily driven away and discarded. This is the ignorant view of old Han officials and corrupt scholars! But what my lord holds is completely different! The people are not insects, but the flesh and blood of the Han Dynasty! The lifeblood of millions of common people forms the lifeblood of the nation. If the flesh and blood are lost, the body will rot, and how can the head and limbs survive? Just as a person eats, it is not merely to satisfy the head's desire, but to refine the essence through the mouth and stomach to nourish the whole body! What the ruler thinks and desires should be what the entire body of flesh and blood seeks! This is the foundation of my General's military and political affairs!"

Pang Tong paused for a moment, then said, "If our army marches south, tens of thousands of cavalry will consume mountains of grain daily, their food supplies dwindling with each meal. The cost of a single cavalryman is five or ten times that of an infantryman! Cao Cao's territory has long been ravaged by war, the people are impoverished, and the granaries have long been emptied by Cao Cao's repeated raids. This autumn harvest, due to the war's conscription, is scarce, and the harvest will inevitably be affected. If our army arrives suddenly, even with gold and silk, the markets will be deserted; where will we buy grain? We will be forced into a desperate situation of competing with the people for food! This would be robbing the mouths of starving people of their grain, and incurring the wrath of the people!"

"Some might say, why not follow the example of Anyang, behead the powerful and seize their grain reserves to fund the army?" Pang Tong sneered and shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the direction of Anyang outside the tent. "Beheading Shen Rong is easy. But beheading a local tyrant is easy; establishing a new order in a county is difficult. Seizing their grain only provides temporary relief. Afterward, officials must be dispatched, systems established, refugees appeased, and production restored. Each city captured is like adding another burden to one's back. The more territory one occupies, the more one's military strength is divided, and the more scarce good officials become."

Pang Tong smiled, as if he had already seen through Cao Cao's scheme and trap. "Cao Mengde's scheme is nothing more than the old laws of the six states! The mighty Qin could conquer the world, but it lacked the power to govern it! The Han emperor could seize the world, but he lacked the power to change it! The Han followed the Qin system! Why? My lord has a theory; the words 'land' and 'technology' can explain it!"

"Shandong has the land, but lacks the skills!" Pang Tong said firmly. "However, improving their skills is not something that can be done overnight. If the methods used are not carefully chosen, the enemy will take advantage of the situation. For example... this Wei Wenchang..."

Pang Tong sighed, "Wei Wenchang's southward campaign has stirred up trouble. The powerful clans throughout Shandong will surely seize this opportunity to 'settle accounts,' dumping all the debts and exploitative practices accumulated over the years onto our army! If our army occupies their cities, it will be tantamount to tacitly assuming all their old debts, like wiping away the filth of the Cao family and the corrupt officials of the old Han dynasty! Even if we execute these corrupt officials, how can the gold and silver in their treasuries instantly transform into edible millet or warm cloth?"

Pang Tong's voice grew increasingly heavy. "Now, in autumn and winter, the people of Shandong and the Central Plains have no food for the next day, no grain to sustain their lives. If our army occupies a city, we will have a responsibility to pacify the people. Opening granaries and distributing relief, reducing taxes and waiving rent might provide temporary relief, but it's unsustainable. Relief with grain means our troops will be useless; killing local powerful families will terrify them, causing them to turn against us, defect to Cao Cao, and coerce the people to resist our army. At that time, our army will face thousands of coerced people. Killing them would be morally wrong; letting them go would cause internal strife. Do you two have a good solution to this dilemma?"

Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao looked at each other, frowned and pondered for a long time, but still shook their heads, indicating that they had no solution.

"This is Cao Mengde's overt strategy," Pang Tong laughed. "Once you enter this trap, there's no way out, just like the Qin Dynasty. What was the Qin King's strategy? Relocating people, building cities, melting down gold, seizing households—wasn't every policy aimed at the six states east of the mountains? But what happened? The deeper the policy went, the more devastating the harm, the greater the people's resentment, until finally the six states, using Chen and Wu as a pretext, rose up to throw the world into chaos!"

Pang Tong said in a deep voice, "The Han Dynasty initially had its capital in Chang'an, later moving to Luoyang. Emperor Gaozu founded the dynasty, and Emperor Guangwu restored it. Although both were of the Liu family, it was no longer a single Liu clan. Therefore, does the loss of their ruler necessarily harm the world? But when a new ruler ascends the throne, new ministers rise, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers rotate as usual. If officials are constantly replaced, what will become of the world? To break Cao Cao's current situation, we must lift the shackles and use the people as our weapon!"

Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao were both taken aback upon hearing this.

"Where did these scholars come from? What was the purpose of these officials?" Pang Tong sighed. "For four hundred years, the Han Dynasty nurtured nothing but aristocratic families and officials... The Cao family, haha, the Cao family used aristocratic families to destroy aristocratic families, replaced officials with officials, and held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords... What use was it all?"

Both Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao fell into deep thought.

They certainly didn't understand that only those who betray their own class would carry out a thorough revolution.

To become a thorough revolutionary, one must first abandon or betray the interests of the class to which one was born or belongs, because only in this way can one fully devote oneself to the revolution that overthrows the existing class structure.

This kind of "betrayal" is a true awakening of class consciousness, enabling them to transcend personal interests and pursue broader social change.

Cao Cao merely promoted officials from humble backgrounds; it wasn't even a betrayal. He was simply using the common people to coerce the powerful clans, just as he used the emperor to coerce the feudal lords. Therefore, he couldn't possibly implement any substantial reforms. "Therefore, the aristocratic class should also be constantly renewed and replaced!" Pang Tong looked at Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao, his face serious. "If only the ruler and his ministers are replaced, and the old problems of the aristocratic class are not eliminated, and no change is considered, it will become a chronic disease, like a festering sore, gnawing at the body of the Han Dynasty."

Pang Tong pointed to the map and said to Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, "Therefore, greedily seizing territory is a poor strategy... My lord, your previous feigned march north to Hanoi was not to capture Ye City, but to lure Cao Cao's army to the He-Luo region and seek an opportunity for a decisive battle. Only in this way can we endure a hard-fought battle for the time being, and thus achieve a long-term strategy to secure the realm! This aligns with the principles of the people's will, and is not merely a display of military might!"

Pang Tong glanced at Zhao Yun, then at Zhang Liao, and said earnestly, "What our lord plans is what a dignified and benevolent army of a true king should do! We, as his generals, should not merely seek temporary glory and fame by slaying generals and capturing flags; such actions are beneath us! We must consider the suffering and well-being of the people! The world is founded on the people, and the people are of utmost importance!"

Pang Tong's words have transcended the purely military realm and risen to the strategic level of vying for the right to rule the world and establishing a dynasty!

For Zhao Yun in particular, it was as if an invisible stone had been lifted off his shoulders.

Having guarded the northern frontier for many years, he personally experienced and led the arduous process of integrating the Han and non-Han peoples and pacifying the local areas, giving him a deeper understanding of the concept of the people. Now, hearing Pang Tong so clearly and firmly expound on the General of the Cavalry's emphasis on the people, he was deeply moved, and his gaze became even clearer and more resolute.

Although Zhao Yun did not successfully distill the so-called "success of revolution usually depends on the collective action of the broad oppressed class" into a high-level theoretical summary, he personally experienced such "collective action"...

Having experienced the hardships of the north and witnessed the helplessness of the poor, and even bearing the dying wish of the Black Mountain, Zhao Yun, more than any other military officer, longed to see the happiness and well-being of the people. His lifelong pursuit was always in perfect harmony with the principles of conduct and the ambition to save the world upheld by the Flying Cavalry.

When Zhao Yun sought refuge with Fei Qian, he felt that Fei Qian was different from the old officials of the Han Dynasty and also different from other warlords. Otherwise, Zhao Yun might very well have chosen Gongsun Zan, as in history, since Gongsun Zan was at least considered one of the warlords of the Han Dynasty who openly resisted foreign enemies and rejected the Hu people…

Of course, historically, after Zhao Ge went to Gongsun Zan's place, he discovered that the Gongsun family was all show and no substance...

Historically, even after joining Liu Bei's forces, Zhao Yun twice disregarded his political life and official position to "dissuade" Liu Bei. One instance was after Liu Bei conquered Yizhou. Many believed that the fields and houses in Chengdu should be distributed among the generals according to their merits. Zhao Yun advised, "Only after the empire is pacified, and everyone returns to their hometowns to cultivate their land, will it be truly appropriate. The people of Yizhou have just suffered from war; their fields and houses should be returned to them so they can settle down and resume their livelihoods. Only then can they be conscripted and their hearts won."

The second instance occurred before the Battle of Yiling, when Zhao Yun advised Liu Bei against attacking Wu. Liu Bei threatened to execute anyone who advised against it, but Zhao Yun still submitted a memorial stating, "The traitor to the state is Cao Cao, not Sun Quan. We should first destroy Wei, then Wu will naturally submit. Although Cao Cao is dead, his son Cao Pi has usurped the throne. We should take advantage of the people's hearts and quickly plan for Guanzhong… We should not leave Wei unattended and fight Wu first; once the armies clash, the conflict will be difficult to resolve."

Zhao Yun's "populist" ideology ran counter to the fundamental demands of the aristocratic class at the time for expanding their own interests.

A person who always speaks from the perspective of ordinary people and harms the interests of the elite will naturally find it difficult to gain the genuine support of that elite circle.

Therefore, despite Zhao Yun's exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements, his official rank remained low, even lower than that of Wei Yan later on. It wasn't until Liu Shan ascended the throne that Zhao Yun was appointed General Who Conquers the South and General Who Guards the East, and throughout his life, he never received the power to "establish his own office," his title remaining only that of a Marquis. This disparity in treatment was undoubtedly due to various complex reasons, but his repeated defiance of the emperor's wishes and his refusal to align himself with the aristocratic class likely played a significant role.

But now it's different.

Upon hearing Pang Tong's explanation, Zhao Yun maintained a calm expression on the surface, but he was very pleased inside.

Fei Qian hasn't changed!
The Flying Cavalry has not changed!

If Zhao Yun had previously told Zhang Liao that he didn't mind taking the position of Protector-General, he wouldn't have had any reservations at all...

It didn't align with human nature or sentiment, but after hearing Pang Tong's overall strategic explanation, Zhao Yun completely let go of any remaining emotions he might have had.

Pang Tong glanced at the two men, then changed the subject, "My lord is here in disguise, intending to use the gentry of Ji Province to send a message to the Cao family… Therefore, we need to find a way to incite Cao's army in Ye City to mobilize and annihilate a portion of them, only then can we stabilize our rear. You two have been trapped in Ye for some time now, do you have any plans?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously, a long-brewing plan surfaced in their minds.

Zhao Yun stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Strategist, General Wen Yuan and I have besieged Ye City for quite some time and have some understanding of the mindset of the defending generals. We have devised a plan that we might try to lure Cao Cao's army out of the city, and perhaps annihilate a portion of them."

Pang Tong raised an eyebrow, showing interest: "Oh? Zilong is known for his brilliant strategies; please explain in detail."

Zhao Yun calmly stated: "Ye City's defenses are formidable, and its commander, Chen Changwen, is known for his caution and resourcefulness. A direct assault would result in heavy casualties; a prolonged siege would also deplete supplies and jeopardize our lord's plans… Therefore, General Wen Yuan and I can create a false impression within the camp, feigning impatience due to the siege, disagreements over rations, or even heated arguments, leading to discord between the generals… Subsequently, I can lead a portion of my troops to establish a separate camp a few miles west of Ye City, at a distance from General Wen Yuan's camp. The camp's layout can be somewhat hasty, thus creating an illusion for the enemy within the city… In daily operations, we can also deliberately create the illusion of lax defenses and slack soldiers."

Pang Tong listened and nodded slightly, but did not respond. Instead, he listened quietly until Zhao Yun finished speaking.

Zhao Yun slowly said, "Chen Changwen is cunning and will surely send spies to investigate... We can maintain a relaxed exterior but a tight interior, letting them gather information... They might say that our lord is approaching, and that the Protectorate General of the Northern Region is being replaced, which I do not wish for... They likely see this as an opportunity, either sending troops out of the city to attack our outpost to gain victory and boost morale, or trying to bribe us with gold, silk, and official positions to persuade us to defect... At that time, General Wen Yuan and I can set up an ambush and strive to annihilate their elite troops who leave the city in one fell swoop!"

A glint flashed in Pang Tong's eyes, and then he looked at Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao quickly cupped his hands and said, "Strategist, I did not say anything..."

Zhao Yun waved his hand, interrupting Zhang Liao, "I have lived in the northern regions for a long time, and my longing for Chang'an grows stronger each day. Now, if a great battle can pacify the world, may I rest for a few days to recover from the harsh winds and snow of the desert?"

Pang Tong remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "This matter... still requires the lord's decision. Let's set that aside for now and discuss the attack and defense of Ye City."

Zhao Yun nodded.

Zhang Liao looked around and then added, refining the details of the plan to lure Ye City: "If Ye City launches an attack, whether it targets Zilong's position or attacks my camp, we will feign weakness. Wait until they have penetrated deep enough and their forces are spread out and unable to maneuver, then swiftly intercept them and cut off their retreat. Simultaneously, all our ambush troops will emerge and launch a pincer attack. This pincer attack will surely severely damage or even annihilate Cao Cao's army that has come out of the city!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! This plan perfectly embodies the principles of deception and reality, truly a marvel of military strategy! If we can use this as bait to successfully annihilate a portion of the troops in Ye City, the situation on the northern front can be temporarily stabilized, and our army's worries about the rear will be greatly reduced! Let us proceed according to the plans of the two generals! I will remain in Anyang and await your good news!"

Zhao and Zhang left the central command tent, feeling the crisp autumn air and the gentle breeze on their faces.

Zhao Yun looked up at the vast, clear blue sky, his heart filled with a sense of peace and clarity.

The winds and snows of the North, the fertile plains of the Central Plains, and the safety and well-being of countless people all seemed inextricably linked to the outcome of this battle. And Zhao Zilong, whether he continued to guard the northern frontier or fought elsewhere, the direction of his silver spear and the burning passion in his heart never wavered…