Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 183: The All-Stars Debut (6K)

The method of employing troops is to use the regular forces to unite and the unusual forces to win.

That is to say:
On the front battlefield, we must adopt conventional tactics, be able to build strong camps, fight slow battles, and advance like a torrent, step by step;
On the side battlefield, you should adopt surprise attack tactics, take the enemy by surprise, hit the vital points directly, win with a surprise attack, and break the deadlock.

The positive and the odd complement each other.

If you want to win by surprise, you must launch an offensive on the front battlefield that will scare the enemy.

Just like Cao Pi’s angry shout, “Liu Bei, old soldier, are you going to fight a decisive battle with me?”

Only when the front battlefield is in a blood-thirsty state can there be an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the flank battlefield.

same.

Liu Bei also intended to create the "momentum of a decisive battle" to conceal his true intentions.

in this way.

Only then would Liu Feng have the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Wuguan.

If he didn't use any tricks, defeating Cao Pi on the front battlefield alone would be impossible even for Liu Bei under the current conditions.

If they were in the Han River Basin, Liu Bei's home turf, then no matter how many people Cao Pi brought, Liu Bei would be able to drive Cao Pi back, and he would even have a chance to capture Cao Pi alive like he did last time with Cao Ren.

But now in Wancheng, Cao Pi's home turf, Liu Bei's naval advantage is of no use. Instead, he has to find a way to curb Cao Pi's cavalry advantage.

Although Liu Bei had ambitions to march north, he was not arrogant enough to overthrow everything.

The essence of keeping to the right path and using the unconventional means is just one word: poverty!

The poor have their own way of fighting.

Rich in strategy.

If Liu Bei was rich enough, he would have directly covered the enemy with firepower and would not have needed to play any tactical tricks with Cao Pi.

Having said that, Liu Bei would never complain about himself just because he was weaker than others.

A legacy is earned through fighting, not crying.

Liu Bei also had confidence that as long as he could find an unexpected opportunity, it would be Cao Pi who would cry!
Decades of wandering and perseverance had passed, and Liu Bei was not in any hurry.

It is right to respond calmly.

The same is true for Guan Yu.

The one who alone controls Jingzhou has his own way of fighting, and the general has his own way of fighting.

Guan Yu now, like Liu Bei, is in charge of the overall situation, but he focuses more on training the younger generation and giving them opportunities to gain experience.

This high hope that the monarch and his ministers placed on the younger generation was also one of the reasons why Liu Feng's strategy of northern expedition was adopted.

Whether it can be successful depends on fate.

The key point is: whether the younger generations have the spirit of being proactive and enterprising.

As long as we keep our enterprising spirit, we will definitely find opportunities to advance into the Central Plains.

The war horses galloped and the dust flew.

Liu Bei's transfer order soon reached Zhang Fei in Nanxiang City.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Fei took his guards and five flying troops from Nanxiang City and headed towards Wancheng.

Only a small number of county soldiers were left to garrison Nanxiang City.

In order to appease the people of Nanxiang and nearby Danshui, Shunyang and Xixian, the rumor that "Zhang He secretly surrendered to Liu Bei" also began to spread in various counties.

As Yu Fan had expected, some wealthy merchants in the south who were greedy for the huge profits from smuggling began to stir.

After confirming that Zhang Fei had led his troops to leave Nanxiang, some wealthy merchants took the lead in bringing Shu brocade to Wuguan.

For wealthy businessmen: as long as the profit is big enough, it is worth taking the risk!
Since ancient times, the acquisition of money, power, fame and fortune has been based on the ten-character motto: the bold will die of overeating, and the timid will die of starvation.

Unless blessed by destiny, an honest person can neither become rich nor gain fame.

a few days later.

Dozens of carts of Shu brocade were parked outside Wuguan.

A middle-aged man with a "kind" face chatted with Wang Chong, a deputy general of Wuguan, as if they were meeting old friends.

After a while.

Wang Chong returned to the pass and reported the details to Zhang He, the commander of Wuguan Pass.

After hearing Wang Chong's report, Zhang He couldn't help but frown: "Have you carefully tested it and found that it is really not a spy?"

In times of war, there were many spies pretending to be wealthy merchants or wealthy merchants who were willing to be spies.

In the past, Cao Cao was almost caught in a trap and burned to death by Lu Bu in Puyang because the wealthy merchants in Puyang city joined forces with Lu Bu to lure Cao Cao into the city with a false surrender plan.

This was no secret in Cao Wei.

Cao Cao also included the lessons of the Battle of Puyang in his military book to warn his generals.

Therefore.

Zhang He did not dare to be careless towards the wealthy merchants who came to Wuguan.

Last year, although Zhang He killed Liu Feng's spies and several military marquises who had committed crimes as a deterrent, he did not know whether there were other people in Wuguan who had accepted Liu Feng's money.

What Zhang He could be sure of was that Liu Feng's infiltration into Wuguan had always existed.

When attacking a city, attacking the heart is the best, attacking the city is the second best.

Secretly bribing the soldiers of Wuguan is also a method of winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

Wang Chong looked at Zhang He with some fear in his eyes and said quickly, "General, I have checked carefully and found that the thirty-six carts under the pass are all top-quality Shu brocade, and there is nothing else.

The leader is Xu Xin, one of the four brothers of the powerful Xu family in Nanxiang, who are known as "loyal, faithful, benevolent and righteous". I have also checked the people pushing the cart and the guards, and they are not soldiers. "

There was a pause.

Wang Chong added, "I think Xu Xin and the others are not spies. Thirty-six carts of Shu brocade can be exchanged for 20,000 dan of rice in the north. If Liu Feng is really so generous, I hope there will be more spies like him."

There are thirty pieces of Shu brocade in one cart, and thirty-six carts of Shu brocade have one thousand and eighty pieces.

At this time, the relationship between Han and Wei was tense, and Shu brocade was in short supply in the north.

Shu brocade was an extremely valuable luxury item for high-ranking officials and nobles. Some scholars would even rather eat coarse food than not wear a set of clothes made of Shu brocade.

The more people aspire to be upper class, the more they pay attention to the quality of Shu brocade.

For example, for the thirty-six carts of high-quality Shu brocade at Wuguan Pass, someone in Luoyang has already offered twenty dan of rice per piece.

However, a piece of Cao Wei's ordinary brocade was worth less than two shi of rice.

It can be seen!
Marx once quoted a sentence: What capital fears is no profit or too little profit, just as nature fears a vacuum. Once there is a proper profit, capital will become bold. For 50% profit, it will take risks, for 100% profit, it will dare to trample on the law, for 300% profit, it will dare to commit any crime, even at the risk of death.

This statement is essentially the same when applied to wealthy businessmen.

The profits from smuggling Shu brocade to the north and selling it are too huge!

As for whether food, war horses, copper, iron and other materials can be smuggled to the south after selling Shu brocade, it depends on the ability of the wealthy merchants who smuggle.

If you are capable, smuggling is not called smuggling, it is called making money together.

For those with less skills, smuggling is not called smuggling, it is called a mobile treasury.

Just as Wang Chong said, "If Liu Feng is really so generous, I would like to have more spies like him."

If you don't make money when you have the chance, you're a bastard. If you don't make money, it's a waste.

Seeing Zhang He remained silent, Wang Chong added, "If the general is not happy, I will seize all 36 carts of Shu brocade, and kill Xu Xin and others under the city as spies to serve as a warning to others."

As he spoke, Wang Chong glanced at Zhang He's expression again and swallowed secretly.

To be fair.

Wang Chong hopes that this relationship can last a long time.

Although draining the pond to catch all the fish may bring temporary benefits, they will not last long.

It is very difficult for a lieutenant general like Wang Chong, who has mediocre martial arts and intelligence and no prominent family background, to be promoted. It is very likely that he will only be a lieutenant general in his lifetime.

Since there is no hope of promotion, it is reasonable to make some money while taking office.

When working for others, one must have a pursuit, whether it is power, money, fame, or profit. Wang Chong just wants money.

Frightened by Zhang He's awe-inspiring power, Wang Chong did not dare to reveal his thoughts too much.

Above the gate, in addition to Liu Feng's spies, there were also the heads of several Wuguan military marquises, all of which had dried but were still hanging.

It is to intimidate the Wuguan soldiers who are greedy and have disloyal intentions.

Although Zhang He likes to pretend to be cultured and seems "kind" in his daily life, he will never show mercy when it comes to punishing soldiers who violate the rules.

Zhang He lowered his head slightly and weighed the options carefully.

Just as Yu Fan guessed: Zhang He also wanted to win people's hearts.

The fact that Xu Xin dared to take the risk of smuggling means that he is not loyal to Liu Feng and they are not on the same page.

If you are not of the same mind, you can take advantage of you.

If he can be bribed by Liu Feng, he can also be bribed by Zhang He!
It's nothing more than who gives more benefits.

"Let them in and prepare some good wine and food. I will entertain them personally." Zhang He rejected Wang Chong's proposal to kill and rob.

Wang Chong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt happy in his heart.

Zhang He was going to entertain them personally, which meant there was money to be made.

The meat can be given to Zhang He; Wang Chong wants to drink the soup!
Xu Xin entered the pass with great trepidation, but when he saw the wine and food prepared by Zhang He, he felt relieved.

"As long as the general can give me a favor, I will definitely reward you generously after the trade route is opened in the future!"

Xu Xin looked sincere.

In his heart, Xu Xin added: The four brothers of the Xu family have always been famous for their loyalty, faithfulness, benevolence and righteousness, and this is absolutely true!

Zhang He agreed with Xu Nuo and asked Xu Xin for information about Nanxiang.

Xu Xin thought that Zhang He was willing to "do a favor" and was very happy. Except for pretending to be ignorant of the rumor that "Zhang He secretly surrendered to Liu Bei", he answered all the questions.

If you start spreading this rumor before establishing a friendly relationship with Zhang He, you will only bring trouble to yourself.

What's more: Xu Xin did not believe that Zhang He had no spies in Nanxiang, and he must have heard the rumor that "Zhang He secretly surrendered to Liu Bei" a long time ago.

In fact, just as Xu Xin expected, Zhang He received the report from the spies two days earlier. He not only knew that there were rumors in Nanxiang, but also knew that Zhang Fei had gone to Wancheng.

Asking Xu Xin for information about Nanxiang was, firstly, to further confirm whether Xu Xin was a spy, and secondly, to confirm whether the information that Zhang Fei went to Wancheng was true.

Comparing the information from Xu Xin with that reported by the spies, Zhang He further confirmed his guess: it seems that Liu Bei is preparing to take Wancheng in one go, and he doesn't know whether Xu Huang and others can stop him.

Zhang He was vaguely worried.

If Wancheng was not defended, Liu Bei's momentum would become even stronger.

The Wei capital Luoyang would also be under Liu Bei's constant watch, which would have a serious impact on Cao Pi's reputation.

I'm not afraid of thieves stealing; I'm afraid of thieves thinking about it.

It was painful to have to be on guard every day to see if Liu Bei would come to attack Luoyang. Zhang He also thought about waiting for an opportunity to go south through Wuguan to share the pressure on Wancheng.

Before the idea was implemented, Cao Rui, who had just been named the crown prince, issued a military order to Zhang He to "stand by" after arriving in Chang'an.

In the past, Cao Zhen’s military order was “stationed at Wuguan and plan to attack Nanxiang”, which meant that Zhang He could choose to guard the pass or leave according to the specific situation.

But "on standby" is different, which means that Zhang He may be called up to the battlefields of Yong and Liang at any time, and he cannot go out to the south.

What Zhang He was more worried about was that Cao Rui would issue a "standby" order for the army, which meant that the situation in Longyou was more serious than expected!

After entertaining Xu Xin, Zhang He did not make things difficult for Xu Xin, but let Xu Xin pass through Wuguan and head to Tongguan.

Xu Xin wanted to open up a smuggling trade route, and these thirty-six carts of Shu brocade must be given to the dignitaries in Luoyang.

It just so happened that Zhang He also wanted to win over the hearts of the people in Nanxiang, and they hit it off and happily let him go.

Xu Xin was also a good person. He left a cart of Shu brocade in Wuguan as a favor.

Looking at the cart of Shu brocade left by Xu Xin, Zhang He couldn't help but sigh: "You may not be able to buy a piece of Shu brocade in the north even if you spend money, but this guy named Xu Xin can easily take out a cart of it as a favor. It's a pity that the previous emperor failed to conquer Xichuan."

Shu brocade is a scarce commodity in the north, but not in Xichuan.

According to incomplete statistics, the annual output of Shu brocade in Xichuan was 100,000 pieces last year. With the emergence of brocade officials specializing in production, the improvement of looms, and the expansion of state-run workshops, the output is still increasing.

This also led to a large number of powerful businessmen taking risks and trying every possible means to smuggle Shu brocade in an attempt to open up the northern market.

This is what hard currency is like. Even if the Cao Wei government strictly prohibits and cracks down on it, it cannot stop the powerful businessmen who are crazy for profit.

Just quickly.

Zhang He put away his smile again and ordered General Wang Chong to send someone to deliver the cart of Shu brocade to Chang'an and hand it over to Crown Prince Cao Rui for disposal.

Wang Chong's face looked a little grim: "Give them all away? General, won't you keep a few?"

Zhang He snorted coldly: "There are already rumors slandering me for secretly surrendering to Liu Bei. If I accept this cart of Shu brocade and don't report it, wouldn't that mean I am just sitting back and watching the rumors spread?

Your Majesty has just ordered the Crown Prince to come to Chang'an to supervise the affairs of Yong and Liang provinces, and I, relying on my great achievements, accepted benefits from wealthy merchants in the south. What do you think the Crown Prince will think?
Don't forget, you and I are both surrendered generals."

Wang Chong's expression changed again.

Zhang He defected from Yuan Shao's camp and surrendered to Cao Cao during the Battle of Guandu.

Wang Chong was originally a general under Li Yan. Because Li Yan hated him, he was afraid of being punished and defected to Wei, and then joined Zhang He's army.

now.

Li Yan followed Liu Chan to attack Longyou. Wang Chong, who had been under Li Yan's command, instigated Zhang He to accept benefits. If Cao Rui knew about this, Wang Chong would be in great trouble.

You said that you defected because Li Yan hated you?
What if you are pretending to surrender?
The charges have been brought against Wang Chong, and he cannot clear them even if he jumps into the Yellow River!

"General, please forgive me. I was greedy." Wang Chong felt a chill down his spine and quickly apologized to Zhang He.

Zhang He snorted coldly: "Don't blame me for not reminding you. As a surrendered general, you must always keep your identity and position in mind, otherwise you will die in the future without knowing how!"

After hearing Zhang He's warning, Wang Chong no longer dared to covet the cartload of Shu brocade and went to arrange for the men.

Zhang He compiled the further confirmed intelligence into a document and sent someone to deliver it to Chang'an to assist Cao Rui in making a decision.

at the same time.

Zhang He also sent a large number of spies deep into the southern part of Wancheng to find out the developments in the war in Wancheng.

The appearance of Zhang Fei and the five flying troops put more pressure on Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang in Wancheng.

As of now.

In addition to Guan Yu and Ma Chao, Liu Bei's generals such as Liu Feng, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong all arrived in Wancheng.

"Even Zhang Fei is here! Liu Bei, this old soldier, must want to take Wancheng by force." Xiahou Shang was very angry, and suddenly he understood Cao Ren's predicament when he was besieged in Fancheng in the past.

Surrounded by a group of fierce generals, if I leave the city I can't defeat them, but if I stay in the city I will feel frustrated.

When will Liu Bei be able to defeat a smaller force with a larger one?
Although it was a local situation of using more people against fewer, the "few" now was Xiahou Shang, and Xiahou Shang felt nothing but aggrieved.

"Your Majesty, why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?" Xiahou Shang became even more annoyed when he saw no reinforcements.

Xu Huang made a guess: "Liu Feng must have sent people to meet your majesty's reinforcements in advance. We only need to defend Wancheng."

Xiahou Shang slapped the city wall, unable to hide his anger: "Defend, defend, defend, just defend, how can we repel the enemy? Hateful!"

Xu Huang was speechless.

I also know that defending cannot repel the enemy, but we can’t defeat them!
Although Wancheng has cavalry, Liu Feng also has cavalry.

Although Liu Feng had few cavalrymen, Wancheng's cavalrymen were not many either.

The large shield that was like a tortoise shell gave Liu Feng's cavalry extremely strong defensive capabilities, and the archery of the Wancheng cavalry could not cause much damage to Liu Feng's cavalry.

In addition, the more than one hundred brave cavalrymen led by Liu Feng, Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong caused a great shock to the Wancheng cavalry, making Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang no longer dare to rely on the advantage of the cavalry to drive their troops out of the city.

And this moment.

The reinforcements that Xiahou Shang was longing for were blocked at Bowangpo, sixty miles northeast of Wancheng.

Unlike the burning of Bowangpo in the novel, the Bowangpo where Liu Bei ambushed and defeated Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin was actually located in the hilly area northeast of Wancheng.

Bowangpo is the northeastern gate of Wancheng, controlling the pass of Funiu Mountain and Yushui River. Because of its narrow mountain roads and dense vegetation, it has always been a strategic place for military strategists to deploy troops.

Huang Zhong chose to meet Cao Ren here in order to take advantage of the rugged mountains and rivers to weaken the advantage of Cao Ren's cavalry as much as possible.

of course.

The banner raised at Bowangpo was not raised by Huang Zhong, but by Kou Anguo.

Huang Zhong turned reality into illusion, hiding behind Kou Anguo, responsible for the core combat deployment and instructions.

At the foot of Bowang Slope.

Kou Anguo was leading four generals, Fang Yue, Pan Feng, Yu She and Mu Shun, to challenge Cao Ren in a show of force.

When riding a horse and holding a gun, he has some of Liu Feng's style.

The calls for battle were all "friendly greetings" to Cao Ren.

"Cao Zixiao, I heard that you have the title of 'General of Heaven', but you are just a reckless man, a traitor, how can you be worthy of the title of 'General of Heaven'?"

"The defeated dog that was captured alive in Fancheng in the past actually had the nerve to lead the troops south again, and the scene of him crawling before the horse is still vivid in my mind."

"You are now hiding in the formation, are you lamenting your old age and weakness, and will fall apart if you let the horse's hooves go?"

"Old man, do you know the Han general Kou Anguo? Do you dare to fight me, you defeated soldier?"

"."

Cao Ren and his left and right.

The eldest son Cao Tai, and generals Chang Diao, Zhuge Qian, Wang Shuang (same name), Zhu Gai, Yin Shu, Xu Shang, Lu Jian and others were all extremely angry and asked to go into battle.

Cao Tai even threatened to capture Kou Anguo alive for Cao Ren and present him to his camp.

If it was Liu Feng who came, the generals might not be angry, or they might wonder whether Liu Feng had any conspiracy.

However, the person who came was Lieutenant General Kou Anguo, and the generals only felt humiliated!

Since when did the great general of the Wei Dynasty become challenged and mocked by a small pseudo-Han lieutenant general?

Cao Ren also felt humiliated.

But Cao Ren did not indulge in his anger. Instead, he chose to restrain himself and keep his mind cool.

"Kou Anguo was Liu Feng's cousin before he changed his surname to Kou. Although he had been with Liu Feng for a long time, he was not famous for his fighting skills and his abilities were far inferior to those of Wang Ping and Li Ping under Liu Feng.

According to common sense, even if Liu Feng did not use an old general like Zhao Yun to intercept me, he should have used one of Wang Ping and Li Ping.

Now they have chosen a lesser-known cousin of the Kou clan to be the commander-in-chief. I'm afraid there is something fishy going on."

Cao Tai snorted disdainfully: "Liu Feng must have thought that he could stop the general with the strategic location of Bowangpo, so he appointed Kou Anguo as the chief general, hoping that he would be promoted for merit. How can he not fail if he appoints people based on personal connections like this?"

The ideas of Chang Diao and others are similar to those of Cao Tai.

It is reasonable in itself to share the opportunity to make meritorious service with relatives and brothers.

If you can't even trust your own family, how can you trust outsiders?

Those who have made great contributions will naturally be given priority to their own family members.

Heart to heart.

If Chang Diao and others were Liu Feng, they would also give priority to their own family members.

As for Cao Tai's words "How can we not fail if we appoint people based on personal connections like this?", everyone just pretended not to hear them.

When it comes to nepotism, who can compare to the Cao family and the Xiahou family?
If you, Cao Tai, were not the son of the general, you would not be qualified to speak so arrogantly here.

Cao Ren was still hesitating.

The humiliation of being captured alive in Fancheng has completely nailed Cao Ren, the "heavenly general", to the pillar of shame.

He originally wanted to defeat Sun Quan to re-establish his authority, but he never expected that Sun Quan had also guarded Ruxukou.

As a result, Cao Ren still bears the "shame" until now, and is criticized even more than Yu Jin who was captured in the past.

after all.

Although Yu Jin was captured, he was only a foreign general.

Cao Ren's surname was Cao, and he was a relative of Cao Pi.

Cao Ren is now walking on thin ice when leading his troops to fight, and is more cautious than ever before.

"Bowangpo is the only way to Wancheng. The enemy soldiers are in high spirits and our army is exhausted after traveling so far. We should not engage in battle with them lightly. Pass the order down. No one is allowed to go into battle without our order!"

Cao Ren finally chose to play it safe.

The officers felt even more aggrieved.

A great general of the Wei Dynasty actually had to avoid the edge of a pseudo-Han general?
Cao Tai, Chang Diao and others requested again, but were all rejected by Cao Ren.

Seeing that Cao Ren was determined not to fight with Kou Anguo, the generals and officers could only swallow their anger and return to their camps.

Cao Ren saw all the reactions of the generals and officers.

But Cao Ren did not change his decision.

Because Cao Ren knew very well: Wancheng was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and with Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang there, it would be no problem to hold it for two or three months.

Kou Anguo was just Liu Feng's vanguard.

And Liu Feng was Liu Bei's vanguard.

The opponent that Cao Ren was targeting was not Kou Anguo, nor Liu Feng, but Liu Bei behind Liu Feng!
Cao Ren will never forget the humiliation of being captured alive by Liu Bei.

And in Bowangpo Dazhai.

Huang Zhong was also surprised when he learned that Cao Ren would not fight: "How could Cao Ren even tolerate this?"

Cao Ren actually endured being challenged by a lieutenant general!
Such a result made Huang Zhong feel strange and solemn.

Yue Ju on the side suggested: "Since Cao Ren won't fight, why don't I go and raid the camp tonight? Whether I succeed or not, I can lure Cao Ren into a trap."

(End of this chapter)