Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 862 The Secret of Military Operations
Facing Wei Yan's inquiring eyes, Pang Tong felt a little moved, but after a moment of hesitation, he shook his head and said.

"No!"

"Why not?"

Pang Tong said bluntly.

"The matter of capturing Linzi involves the Prime Minister's plan for the Northern Expedition. Once the grain in Linzi is burned, it will greatly undermine the morale of the Qingzhou defenders and reduce their morale."

"Even though the western front is a bit slower, with General Wei in the front, he can divert the attention of a large number of defenders, making it easier to attack Linzi. The eastern front may be faster, but it is much more dangerous."

"In this matter, we should seek stability first."

How could Wei Yan not know this, but he knew even better that by the time he arrived in Linzi via the western route, the main force of the Northern Expedition army led by the prime minister would have already invaded Beihai County and even surrounded Duchang City where Cao Ren was stationed.

By then, whether Linzi was burned down or not would be just icing on the cake for the Northern Expedition. It would be a merit, but definitely not a great one. How could this satisfy Wei Yan?

On the contrary, if they took the eastern route and captured Linzi ahead of time, occupying the important granary of the Qingzhou defenders, the morale of Cao's army would be greatly affected when the news got out.

In this way, even if it is not the first merit, it is definitely a major merit.

"Shi Yuan..."

Wei Yan forced a smile on his face, pulled Pang Tong to sit down, and personally poured tea for Pang Tong, saying.

"Let's discuss this in detail, how about that? You see, the western front is smooth, even if Shi Yuan has a lot of clever ideas, they will still be useless."

Pang Tong's face remained unmoved, but his eyes flickered slightly.

And Wei Yan continued.

"But the eastern route is different. It may be a bit dangerous, but with Shi Yuan's ability, he will be able to solve the difficulties. Moreover, if we can successfully capture Linzi ahead of time through the eastern route, it will be a great help to the prime minister's northern expedition plan. This risk is worth taking."

Pang Tong's ugly face showed some movement, but he remained silent.

Wei Yan saw this and said.

"You must know that among the three wise men under the Prime Minister's command, he only let Shi Yuan serve as the military advisor. Doesn't this mean that the Prime Minister thinks highly of Shi Yuan? He must hope that Shi Yuan can achieve some results, rather than end up in vain like he did last time in Xuzhou."

"If Shi Yuan's performance is not good, the Prime Minister might ask Zhuge Kongming and Sima Zhongda to accompany the army next time. Sima Zhongda might even laugh at Shi Yuan in secret."

This method of provoking is very crude.

But when Pang Tong thought of Sima Yi's ugly face, his thick eyebrows couldn't help but jump.

Wei Yan saw this and knew that Pang Tong was already moved, so he spoke quickly.

"If we want to change the marching route from the west to the east, we need Shi Yuan and I to send a letter to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister will agree."

And this is the reason why Wei Yan patiently persuaded Pang Tong for a long time.

Without a military order, Wei Yan would naturally not dare to change the military route on his own. Even if he was beheaded for disobeying the prime minister's order, he would not dare to cry out for injustice.

Wei Yan also knew that he could not convince the prime minister by himself.

But if you get Pang Tong's full support and write a joint letter to the prime minister with Pang Tong, then the possibility of getting the prime minister's approval will be greatly increased.

After hearing this, Pang Tong lowered his head and pondered for a while. He had made a decision in his heart, but he still spoke with an embarrassed look on his face.

"This is still inappropriate, the risk is huge..."

"Shi Yuan, when a war breaks out, where is there no risk at all?"

"But Wenchang and I will share the risk with the Prime Minister. What about the rest?" Pang Tong asked in return.

"Does Shiyuan think that I want to take all the credit?" Wei Yan asked in surprise.

Pang Tong said solemnly, "What I am worried about is that Wen Chang will not listen to me after he leaves for the eastern route, leading to a great defeat and ruining the Prime Minister's plan for the Northern Expedition. If that is the case, I would rather not contribute even a little than to add a little risk to the Northern Expedition."

Wei Yan, who understood what was going on, was overjoyed and swore an oath to the sky.

"Wei Yan can swear to heaven that he will never act on his own if Shi Yuan does not agree with him on any military matters on the eastern front."

This was exactly what Pang Tong was waiting for.

The Northern Expedition is the right time to make achievements.

Pang Tong, who had just come of age, was valued by his teacher and given the name "Fengchu". He also hoped that this name could become famous in the Han Dynasty and prove that his teacher was also a famous teacher in the world.

Immediately, Pang Tong wrote a copy by hand, and he and Wei Yan stamped their seals on it respectively, and sent it urgently to Li Ji who was stationed in Pi Ting, about seventy miles away.

After sending the secret letter, Wei Yan was prepared to be rejected and assembled his army to set out to the western front at any time. At the same time, he was anxiously waiting for the prime minister's reply.

If Wei Yan was not now the commander-in-chief of an army and was not allowed to leave without permission unless it was an urgent matter, Wei Yan would have wanted to go to Pi Ting in person to ask for an audience with the prime minister and beg for permission.

After most of the day, Wei Yan finally received a reply.

When Wei Yan nervously opened the secret letter, he saw the word "Approved" written on it in large letters.

This made Wei Yan suddenly feel a strong sense of being trusted, and he was extremely grateful for Li Ji's appreciation and trust. He held up the secret letter and saluted in the direction of Pi Ting, saying.

"I, as a general, will not let down the Prime Minister's trust and will take Linzi and contribute to the Northern Expedition."

Upon seeing this, Pang Tong also bowed in the direction of Pi Ting and then said seriously.

"Wen Chang, there is no time to lose. Now that we have the Prime Minister's approval, we should quickly decide on a strategy for the eastern front."

"Does Shi Yuan have any ideas?" Wei Yan asked.

"I dare not say that I have it all planned out, but of course I am 70% sure, so I agree to march on the eastern front."

Pang Tong smiled, and his ugly face even showed some of Li Ji's wise and confident demeanor, and said.

"But unlike Wenchang's plan to wait a few days before marching, in my opinion, we should march north immediately and take Zhuxu City directly."

"Why? Once Cao Ren learns that Zhuxu has been attacked, he will certainly dispatch reinforcements to Zhuxu, and even strengthen defenses in the territory of Qi adjacent to Zhuxu. Isn't this alerting the enemy?" Wei Yan asked in great confusion.

"The teacher once said: The secret of using troops is to mobilize the enemy."

After a pause, Pang Tong spoke with a smug look on his face.

"I believe that Wenzhang has also heard of the name of the 'Four Crossings of the Red River' sand table simulation. This is also the real trick to breaking the deadlock."

Wei Yan also became excited when he heard this.

Almost all of Liu Bei's counselors and generals had tried to crack the "Four Crossings of the Red River", and Wei Yan was no exception, but the results were not satisfactory.

Wei Yan asked without thinking, "Has Shi Yuan really cracked the 'Four Crossings of the Red River'?"

Pang Tong's face froze, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, and he replied.

"Not even close."

Wei Yan then understood that there was no such thing, and he did not continue to ask how big this tiny bit was.

"Cough cough."

Pang Tong coughed twice and said, "If we want to attack Linzi from the east, the same principle applies. We must mobilize Cao's army to serve us, otherwise there is little hope."

(End of this chapter)