Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Chapter 216 Zhuge Qiao offers a protracted war, Cao Pi wins Liu Bei with bold words (seeking pursuit)

Liu Bei accepted Wei Yan's suggestion and credited Jiang Wan with the capture of Pan Jun.

Those generals who have made meritorious deeds will either receive direct rewards or accumulate meritorious deeds.

Liu Bei, who had a military background, was well aware of the demands of military officers.

As a general, rewards and punishments must be clearly defined to unite the morale of the army. Words must be deeded and deeds must bear fruit.

Only when rewards and punishments are clear and rewards and punishments are proportionate can people's hearts be conquered.

After appreciating the merits.

Liu Bei also ordered Pan Jun to be escorted.

Liu Bei's mood was very complicated for this Jingzhou governance that he had high hopes for in the past.

How much I respected Pan Jun's character in the past, now I hate Pan Jun's betrayal.

As soon as Pan Jun arrived, Ma Chao's eyes turned red.

Although the general was inevitably killed in battle, he could not kill Pan Jun with his own hands, and Ma Chao had no idea.

Ma Chao held back his anger.

As a hussar general of the Han Dynasty, Ma Chao could no longer act as arbitrarily as before.

In front of Liu Bei, Ma Chao could not go beyond the rules.

Staring at Pan Jun with tiger eyes, Liu Bei slowly said: "Pan Jun, I have never treated you badly, why did you betray me?"

Pan Jun's hair was disheveled and he snorted coldly: "Why don't you treat me badly?"

"Although I was in charge of Jingzhou in the past, I couldn't control Mi Fang's Nanjun, I couldn't control Liao Li's Changsha County, and I couldn't control Xiangyang County and Township under Guan Yu."

"The only ones I can manage are the four small counties of Yidu, Wuling, Lingling and Guiyang."

"After Lu Meng captured three counties, only Yidu County, Wuling County and half of Lingling County reluctantly obeyed the order."

"Even so, I am still working hard."

"I tried to appease the Jingzhou nobles for you, but you allowed Zhuge Qiao, Mi Fang and Mi Zhu to jointly impeach me."

"You are so nepotistic that you dare to say so brazenly that you have never treated me badly?"

"How ridiculous!"

Liu Bei was silent.

In the past, Pan Jun was transferred from Jingzhou. Although there were impeachment factors, it was more based on Guan Yu's strategic considerations for the Northern Expedition.

Guan Yu and Mi Fang couldn't move, and the only one who could move was naturally Pan Jun.

Zhang Fei was furious and shouted: "Pan Jun, aren't you ashamed to say this?"

"You used to be just a small county magistrate of Xiangxiang. If my brother was really nepotistic, how could he make you the ruler of Jingzhou?"

"Do you really think that there is no one around my brother?"

"After my brother entered Shuzhong, he still served as the shepherd of Jingzhou. Instead of appointing someone else to be the shepherd of Jingzhou, he would be entrusting all the important responsibilities of Jingzhou to you."

"Brother asked you to stay in Dianzhou. You can't impress Mi Fang, the governor of Nanjun, and Liao Li, the governor of Changsha, with your literary skills. You can't impress my second brother with your martial arts."

"They are both famous officials in Jingzhou. Why can Ma Liang live in harmony with Mi Fang and my second brother? Why can Prime Minister Zhuge be admired by civil and military officials?"

"Isn't this your own problem?"

"As the ruler of Jingzhou, you don't think of ways to establish favor and prestige, but you only blame others for your mistakes."

"You can't control Jingzhou because you look down on Mi Fang and my second brother and cherish the feathers of your famous official. What does it have to do with my brother?"

"You blame others for your lack of ability, and you surrender to the enemy when you are unhappy. I have never seen such a shameless person like you!"

Although Zhang Fei respected scholars, he would never tolerate anyone humiliating Liu Bei.

With these words, Pan Jun was scolded bloody.

Pan Jun was so angry that his hands trembled and he retorted angrily: "Liu Zichu is right. When a man lives in the world, he should be surrounded by heroes from all over the world. How can he talk to you and other soldiers!"

As soon as these words came out, they immediately aroused public outrage.

Bingzi is a small soldier.

Although all the generals present were born as small soldiers, they all became generals after fighting bloody battles without fear of life and death.

Calling a general a soldier is sheer contempt.

"Although I have few studies, I will not harm my cousin. Having someone like you among scholars really brings discredit to scholars."

"A gentleman values ​​virtue, and being petty is not a gentleman, but a hypocrite."

"In the past, Song Zhong was favored by Liu Biao and surrendered to Cao Cao, but he was ignored by Cao Cao and rebelled against Cao Cao; the same is true for Pan Jun today. He is treacherous, ungrateful and capricious. It seems that he also inherited it from his master."

"Many of the famous officials in Jingzhou are those who seek fame and reputation: Liao Li who abandoned the city and fled, Ma Su who abandoned the army and fled, and Pan Jun who betrayed his master and defected to Cao Cao, can be called the three shames of Jingzhou."

"It's ridiculous for a shameless person to say that His Majesty is nepotistic."

"If you are not capable, practice more. Complaining is nothing."

"A small county magistrate, who was promoted to govern the country for nothing, really thinks he has the talent to govern. Such arrogant and ignorant people actually have the honor to live in this world."

If Pan Jun only responded to Zhang Fei, the generals would not be angry. Who would have expected that Pan Jun actually said "You soldiers" and directly fired the map cannon.

How could the generals fighting on the battlefield endure this?

You say something, I say something.

This mockery was much stronger than Zhang Fei alone.

Pan Jun clenched his fists.

The generals' scolding made it difficult for Pan Jun to refute.

The prisoner can only use his words. If he can't argue with his words, then he will be incompetent and furious: "Liu Bei, kill him if you want, why bother to humiliate him again!"

Liu Bei sighed secretly.

I regretted questioning Pan Jun.

People like Pan Jun will never find problems in themselves.

When I heard about Pan Jun's reputation, he promoted Pan Jun in an unusual way. Pan Jun was directly qualified to govern Jingzhou from the Xiangxiang county magistrate of a small school, and he was left in Dianzhou affairs.

Such a promotion is only possible during wartime.

For a regular promotion, Pan Jun would be the governor of Lingling County at most.

result.

Not only did Pan Jun fail to meet Liu Bei's expectations, he actually made Jingzhou's internal worries worse.

What kind of Zhizhong would be at odds with Mi Fang, the governor of Nanjun, and Guan Yu, who was in charge of Jingzhou affairs?

This is Jingzhou on the front line, not Yizhou where there is no war in the rear.

You can't focus on national affairs, but only care about selfish desires and interests. Using such people to govern the country is Liu Bei's mistake.

Ma Chao's eyes were red: "Your Majesty, I am willing to share the merits of the war with all the generals, but I only hope that I can kill Pan Jun with my own hands!"

Pan Jun sneered coldly: "Ma Chao, you are just a cruel person who betrays his father and his son, and kills orphans and mothers."

"You want to take revenge after your younger brother dies. Then how many people in this land of Yongliang want to kill you and then kill you?"

"Liu Bei, you claim to be benevolent and righteous, why don't you kill Ma Chao to avenge the people of Yongliang?"

"Are you afraid that killing Ma Chao will chill the hearts of the soldiers?"

"Why don't I teach you a way? As long as Ma Chao kills himself to apologize, you won't have to worry."

Ma Chao was furious: "Cao Cao imprisoned my father and uncle, why can't I resist? Zhao Qu can collude with Jiang Xu to kill my wife and children, why can't I kill Jiang Xu's orphaned mother?"

Although he was angry, Ma Chao resisted the urge to draw his sword and kill Pan Jun.

Now Ma Chao is no longer the Xiliang warrior who only knew how to kill people in the past. As a minister, he must consider Liu Bei's reputation after all.

Although revenge is satisfying for a while, it is not good if it affects Liu Bei's reputation.

Liu Bei saw that Pan Jun had found another opportunity to antagonize others, and sneered and ordered: "Zhang Fei listens to the order, and you will be the executioner. Read out Pan Jun's crime to the sergeants, and he will be executed on the same day!"

Ma Chao's eyes looked a little more lonely.

Zhang Fei glanced at Ma Chao and stepped out to take orders.

Pan Jun looked at Ma Chao and mocked him more: "Ma Chao, you can't kill me."

Before Ma Chao could speak, Liu Bei said: "The soldiers have been fighting for several days and are already exhausted."

"I can't bear to let the sergeant work hard for Pan Jun anymore. Meng Qi is a hussar general and he should be considerate of the sergeant."

"Would you like to be a swordsman for a while?"

Ma Chao's lonely eyes were stunned for a moment, and he was overjoyed and said: "May you respect His Majesty's holy decree!"

Pan Jun's expression changed drastically, and he struggled and said, "Liu Bei, how dare you humiliate me like this!"

If you accuse the generals of being soldiers, then let Zhang Fei be the supervisor and beheader; if you use words to bully Ma Chao, then let Ma Chao be the swordsman.

Liu Bei would not let the generals in the army feel cold just because of Pan Jun's few words.

All the generals also raised their hands: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Ma Chao didn't care how Pan Jun struggled and insulted him, and just dragged Pan Jun out of the handsome tent like a chicken.

Zhang Fei also came out with the order.

Thunderstorms come and go quickly.

Zhang Fei read out Pan Jun's crime in public and threw down the beheading order; Ma Chao raised his sword and beheaded Pan Jun with one blow.

After killing Pan Jun, Ma Chao felt that his thoughts were extremely clear. He looked in the direction of the commander's tent and respected Liu Bei even more.

In the handsome tent.

Liu Bei left Fazheng and Zhuge Qiao behind to discuss the next war.

"Sima Yi changed his generals before the battle, which caught me off guard."

"Sima Yi took away most of Cao Zhang's tens of thousands of troops. If we hold on to the city, it will be difficult to capture Chang'an."

"Xiaozhi, Bosong, do you have any good plans to deal with it?"

Liu Bei couldn't help but think of the elegant middle-aged man who followed Cao Cao when the Han River was demarcated.

Those who can be valued by Cao Cao must have learned from talents.

Today, Liu Bei saw Sima Yi's talent for the first time.

Thinking back to the scene where Zhuge Qiao alienated Sima Yi in front of Cao Cao, Liu Bei became more murderous towards Sima Yi.

Zhuge Qiao said: "Cao Pi has great trust in Sima Yi. I have repeatedly used tricks to drive a wedge between Sima Yi, but I still can't shake Sima Yi's position in the puppet Wei."

"If we use our tactics directly against Sima Yi, we won't be able to capture the city of Chang'an."

"I have a plan that may help us capture Chang'an City."

Liu Bei said in an appreciative tone: "What good idea does Bo Song have?"

Zhuge Qiao said solemnly: "Sima Yi chose to break through and retreat. Although he had the courage of a strong man to cut off his wrist, he was still a little impatient after all."

"The lack of intelligence made Sima Yi mistakenly believe that Chang'an City had changed hands, and he did not know that Cao Pi was about to visit Guanzhong in person."

"If Cao Pi does not come to Guanzhong, then all the generals in Guanzhong will listen to Sima Yi's orders; but if Cao Pi comes to Guanzhong, Sima Yi can only make suggestions for Cao Pi."

"Therefore, we only need to use strategies against Cao Pi."

Unable to become a general, no matter how resourceful Sima Yi was, he could not control the situation.

There was a pause.

Zhuge Qiao added: "Today's puppet Wei, in addition to having to deal with His Majesty's military power in Guanzhong, also has to face the military power of General Jingzhou and the harassment of Sun Quan from Jiangdong."

"If Cao Pi was based in Luoyang, he might be able to coordinate all directions; but instead he came to Guanzhong!"

"Your Majesty does not need to attack Chang'an by force, you only need to drag Cao Pi in Guanzhong; wait until there are changes in Jingzhou and Jiangdong, and then decide whether to attack Chang'an by force."

"During this period." "Your Majesty can divide his troops to capture Yixian County, Wugong County and Zhouzhi County, and send a message to appease Fufeng County and Anding County."

"At the same time, we recruited refugees to build a new city in Wuzhangyuan and supervise the six cities of Shanggui, Linwei, Chencang, Xixian, Wugong, and Zhouzhi in the Wei River Basin."

"These seven cities are called the seven stars of the Wei River. They can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating."

Liu Bei pondered: "Bosong wants to station troops in Wuzhangyuan?"

Zhuge Qiao nodded: "Your Majesty needs a suitable city to supervise Yongliang's military affairs."

"Yixian, Wugong, and Zhouzhi are not dangerous enough; although Chencang is dangerous, the city is too small; Shanggui and Linwei are too far away from Chang'an."

"Only by building a new city using the five-foot plain land and occupying the entire upper reaches of the Wei River can we support all directions."

"in this way."

"Whether Chang'an City is captured or not, His Majesty has a strategic buffer. There is no need to worry that Cao Pi will use Chang'an City or Tongguan to send troops."

"To compete for the core of Yongliang, we should take the soldiers and the people as the basis for victory and fight a protracted war with Cao Wei."

“Accumulate small wins into big wins, trade space for time.”

Hearing Zhuge Qiao's "discussing protracted war" again, Liu Bei was slightly surprised: "When the Prime Minister was in Hanzhong in the past, he also mentioned Bo Song's 'protracted war'."

"It's just that Bo Song's speed in pacifying Liangzhou is too fast, which makes me a little more confused about Bo Song's 'protracted war'."

"Today Bo Song mentioned 'protracted war' again. I always feel that it is a bit unreal."

Zhuge Qiao smiled and said: "The puppet Wei's control over Liangzhou is too poor and cannot last long. There is no conflict with me mentioning a 'protracted war'."

"Today is different from the past. Sima Yi in Chang'an City is not comparable to Zhang Ji in Yuzhong."

"It is impossible to capture Chang'an City in a short time."

"Since we can't fight in a hurry, we naturally have to compete with who can last longer."

Liu Bei looked at Fazheng and asked for his opinion.

Fazheng was also amazed at Zhuge Qiao's strategy: "When using troops, one must judge the situation and decide when to fight urgently and when to slow down the fight. It all depends on the time."

"Your Majesty, I also agree with Bo Song's strategy. Gradually encroach on Yongliang. There is no need to rush to attack Chang'an City."

"The more urgent your Majesty's attack is, the tighter the Puppet Wei's defense in Chang'an City will be; if Your Majesty does not attack Chang'an City, the Puppet Wei will have to guess your Majesty's intentions."

"As long as there is any disturbance in Jingzhou, it will make Cao Pi suspicious!"

"Moreover."

"Your Majesty has a prince supervising the country in Chengdu, a prime minister in Hanzhong to coordinate all directions, and a general in Jingzhou. Even if your Majesty stays in Wuzhangyuan for a year, it will not affect the affairs in the rear."

"Although Cao Pi's eldest son Cao Rui also has the ability to be a human master, he still harbors resentment towards Cao Pi because of Cao Pi's death."

"Without a prince to supervise the country, Cao Pi would never dare to confront His Majesty for a long time in Guanzhong."

"As long as Your Majesty is not in a hurry, Cao Pi will be the only one who is."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Cao Pi's skills stop here."

Zhuge Qiao added: "Your Majesty can send the battle report from Guanzhong and the next plan to Hanzhong, and the prime minister will wait for an opportunity to put pressure on Cao Pi."

Liu Bei nodded, summoned Zhao Tong, and asked Zhao Tong to return to Hanzhong through Xiegu to deliver the message.

The next day.

Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei to attack Zhou Zhi City, Ma Chao to attack Yi County City, and Zhao Yun to attack Wugong.

The puppet Wei army was defeated, and the defenders of the three cities either abandoned the city and fled, or simply opened their doors and surrendered.

Liu Bei spoke kindly to the officials and people in the three cities.

Simultaneously.

Liu Bei also sent a large number of messengers to the cities of Fufeng and Anding counties to post notices that the puppet Wei army had retreated to Chang'an.

Just a few days.

The people of the two counties and city officials who were still waiting and watching raised flags in response to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei took the opportunity to order the recruitment of refugees, and ordered the people of the two counties to send supplies, preparing to burn earth to build a city in Wuzhangyuan and open up wasteland for farming.

One side is happy, the other side is sad.

Sima Yi led his army back to Chang'an City in a hurry. When he found that not even a hair had fallen out of Chang'an City, he felt reassured.

The city of Chang'an is there, and the food and grass are there.

Then these tens of thousands of troops don't have to worry about lack of food.

But when Zhu Ling said that Cao Pi had arrived at Tongguan, Sima Yi and his men were stunned.

"Why did your Majesty come to Guanzhong?"

"Who asked your Majesty to come down?"

Sima Yi was a little angry.

Just after taking care of Cao Zhang, Cao Pi came again.

Zhu Ling did not dare to hide it and said truthfully: "They are the reinforcements invited by General Anxi from Luoyang."

Xiahou Mao!
Sima Yi's face instantly turned livid.

When Cao Zhang wanted to leave Xiahou Mao to guard the city of Chang'an, Sima Yi disagreed, thinking that Xiahou Mao had little military skills but was good at family business.

However, Cao Zhang insisted on using Xiahou Mao to defend the city.

Although Zhu Ling defended Chang'an City, Xia Houmao caused greater trouble for Sima Yi!

"Xia Houzhu, why don't you die!" Sima Yi was so angry that he yelled.

Xia Houmao's excuses for Zhu Ling could deceive others, but not Sima Yi.

In order to survive, Xia Houmao directly sold Pan Jun, which also indirectly caused Sima Yi to have to cut off his wrists and stay behind the ban.

Now that Yu Jin has not returned yet, Sima Yi expects that Yu Jin is in danger.

For Sima Yi, one death in the ban is far better than the death of a hundred Xiahou Mao.

Zhu Ling shuddered and whispered: "The supervisor should be careful, General Anxi and His Majesty have always been friendly. We are just foreign ministers after all."

Although Zhu Ling also hated Xiahou Mao, Xiahou Mao was Xiahou Dun's son and was extremely friendly with Cao Pi.

After all, there is a difference in the intimacy between foreign ministers and clan members.

In addition, Sima Yi also severely offended Xiahou Yuan's son Xiahou Ba. If he was not careful, Sima Yi would be slandered by rumors.

Sima Yi summoned Zhang He, Su Ze, Xian Yufu and other senior generals to exchange information with each other.

"Your Majesty was bewitched by a villain and left Luoyang. I have to go to Tongguan in person to advise your Majesty."

"Liu Bei is now in great power and is invincible. If I haven't returned, I can't leave the city without authorization."

"After I leave, General Zuo will be the commander-in-chief of Chang'an. If Cao Zhang and Xiahou Ba refuse to obey orders, General Zuo can capture and imprison them."

Sima Yi issued the military order seriously.

In the past few days, Sima Yi had established prestige in the army, and even Zhang He admired Sima Yi.

If Sima Yi hadn't changed his generals before the battle and led his generals to break out of Liu Bei's siege, I don't know how many people would have been killed at the foot of Wugong Mountain.

The most important ability in the military.

If you are capable, you can gain military morale even if you are from a humble background; if you are incompetent, even if you are a relative of the emperor, you will be despised.

"The supervisors can go with peace of mind. I'm waiting for you in Chang'an City, which is as safe as Mount Tai!" Zhang He accepted the order with his hands raised.

Su Ze, Xian Yufu, Zhu Ling and other generals also gave their assurances.

Sima Yi issued another tactical order to strengthen the walls and clear the country. After carefully instructing the generals, he took a boat to Tongguan.

When it was dark, Sima Yi arrived at Tongguan.

"Zhongda, how is the war in Guanzhong?" When Cao Pi saw Sima Yi, he quickly got up and came to see him without taking a rest.

When Sima Yi saw Cao Pi, he asked bluntly: "Why did your Majesty come to Tongguan? Don't you know that the son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall?"

"Before I left, I advised your Majesty that if you have any undecided matters, you can ask Taiwei Jia. Could it be that your Majesty's coming to Tongguan was a plan by Taiwei Jia?"

Seeing Sima Yi's serious tone, Cao Pi did not dare to say that this was Cao Zhen's plan, so he lied and said: "Xiahou Mao urgently asked for help, so I brought troops to Tongguan to supervise the war in Guanzhong."

Sima Yi's tone became cold, and he raised his hands and asked for orders: "Your Majesty, please kill Xia Houmao to correct the military regulations!"

Cao Pi was startled: "Zhongda, why do you say this!"

Sima Yi said coldly: "Xia Houmao was guarding Chang'an City. Just because Liu Bei's surprise troops appeared outside Chang'an City, he was so frightened that he abandoned the city and fled."

"Not only that, Xiahou Mao was captured alive by Liu Bei's surprise troops, so that rumors spread that Pan Jun was collaborating with the enemy."

"Cao Zhang refused to listen to my advice and insisted that Pan Jun was Liu Bei's internal agent. I originally wanted Xian Yufu to ask for details, but unexpectedly Xiahou Ba attacked and killed Pan Jun without permission."

"After Pan Jun was captured alive by Wei Yan, Xia Houmao was worried about being accused, so he ran to Luoyang for help."

"Xiahou Mao has repeatedly violated the laws of the army. If he doesn't kill him, how can he convince the generals?"

Cao Pi hesitated.

In the past few days in Tongguan, Cao Pi had actually become aware of these secrets.

Xia Houmao is not stupid either.

After finding out that Cao Pi originally intended to fight in person, he told all these things.

Cao Pi was also very angry at first, but in the end he absolved Xia Houmao of his crime.

At this moment, Sima Yi proposed to kill Xiahou Mao, but Cao Pi naturally refused to agree.

"Zhongda, I think the most urgent task is not to reward merit and punish crime, but to compete with Liu Bei again." Cao Pi changed the subject and no longer mentioned Xiahou Mao's matter.

Sima Yi couldn't help but his eyelids twitching.

Fight with Liu Bei again?

Your Majesty, are you crazy or am I hallucinating?

What is the situation now? Your Majesty, can't you see clearly in your heart?

Sima Yi suddenly felt so tired!
For an instant.

Sima Yi regretted recommending Cao Zhang.

If Cao Zhen had been asked to come to Chang'an directly, the outcome might have been different.

One careless move and the whole game is lost.

Taking a deep breath, Sima Yi cupped his hands and advised: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is so powerful now that it is not appropriate to fight again."

"As long as Chang'an City is used as the foundation, the walls are fortified and the fields are clear to wait for Liu Bei. Liu Bei cannot attack Chang'an City, and cannot get supplies of food and grass. When his food is exhausted, he will naturally retreat."

Cao Pi frowned: "The city of Chang'an can only be protected by strong walls and clear fields; I want to drive Liu Bei back to Hanzhong, not let Liu Bei gain a foothold in Guanzhong."

"I have brought an army of fifty thousand this time, plus Chang'an's troops, there are also a hundred thousand troops!"

"Although Liu Bei was lucky enough to win a few battles, his sergeants must have suffered casualties, and the division's veterans are exhausted from fighting for days. How can he withstand my army?"

"When I personally arrive at Chang'an City, the morale of all the soldiers will be greatly shaken. If we counterattack Liu Bei, we will definitely be able to defeat ten of them with one, and there will be no disadvantage in any direction."

Sima Yi was speechless at Cao Pi's confidence.

If Cao Cao came to Chang'an City, with the prestige of Cao Cao's army for half his life, his morale would be greatly shaken.

Cao Pi
"Your Majesty!" Sima Yi urged again, Cao Pi must be stopped from being confident.

Although they are both personal conquests, Liu Bei's personal conquests and Cao Pi's personal conquests are completely different concepts.

Cao Pi waved his hand and interrupted Sima Yi's advice: "Zhongda, you have to have confidence in me!"

"If I can replace the Han Dynasty and establish the Wei Dynasty, it proves that I am the man of destiny. In the past, Liu Xiu was able to defeat Guanzhong, so can I!"

"No need to say more, come with me to Chang'an City tomorrow!"

"I want to tell the false emperor Liu Bei that he is old and the Han Dynasty has died. Now the world of Wei is also my world!"

(End of this chapter)