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

Chapter 220 Sima Yi Falls into a Trap and Divides His Troops; Liu Feng Makes His Appearance (Seeking Votes)
Sima Yi remained silent.

Yu Fan's argument of mutual benefit caused Sima Yi to waver in his previous judgment.

Yu Fan's meaning is very clear:

Only if Cao Rui defends Luyang can he become the crown prince of Cao Wei.

same.

Only if Liu Shan conquers Luyang can he secure his position as the crown prince of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore.

The Battle of Luyang was actually a battle for Cao Rui and Liu Shan to establish their authority.

Cao Rui cannot lose; if he loses, he will not become the crown prince.

Liu Shan had to win; only by winning could he command respect from his subjects.

Then.

From Liu Feng's perspective, sabotaging Liu Shan's attack on Luyang from behind the scenes would give him a legitimate reason to do so.

From a purely political standpoint, Yu Fan's argument for mutual benefit is not problematic.

however.

Sima Yi had always been wary of Liu Feng, and he also knew that Liu Feng was as cunning as a fox.

Yu Fan's one-sided account was not enough to convince Sima Yi.

Some sayings are applicable across time.

People who claim to teach you how to make money are most likely just trying to make money off you.

same.

Yu Fan, who claimed to be talking to Sima Yi about mutual benefit, was most likely trying to trick Sima Yi.

The art of persuasion, which involves skillful maneuvering, prioritizes one's own interests over those of the other party.

Think of this.

Sima Yi chuckled coldly: "Yu Fan, no matter how eloquent you are, you cannot change my judgment. If you want to break through the city, do it openly and honestly. Don't always think about using underhanded tricks. I am not Xiahou Mao, so don't try to deceive me."

not to mention.

Even if Guan Ping and Guan Xing go to Luyang, so what? Luyang has the good generals and fierce soldiers of our Great Wei. Defending Luyang is as easy as turning one's hand.

In war, envoys are not to be killed. You should leave quickly and not try to show off in front of me any longer.

Yu Fan squinted and met Sima Yi's gaze.

After a while.

Yu Fan laughed loudly: "Sima Yi of Hanoi, his reputation is well-deserved. Sun Lü, let's go."

Seeing Yu Fan turn and leave without arguing, Sima Yi and Yu Jin's expressions became serious.

“Liu Feng is cunning and deceitful. He would never send Yu Fan to leak information just to hinder Liu Shan’s attack on Luyang. This is likely a smokescreen to cover up Liu Feng’s true purpose. We must be wary.” Sima Yi spoke cautiously, with a sense of being bitten once and then afraid of everything.

"But what if Guan Ping and Guan Xing go to Luyang, and the Prince of Pingyuan fails to defend Luyang?" Yu Jin only said half of what he meant.

Sima Yi understood Yu Jin's meaning: Although Guan Ping and Guan Xing's departure to Luyang could not determine the outcome of the Battle of Luyang, if Cao Rui lost, the investigation afterward would inevitably trace Yu Jin's inaction.

Even if Yu Jin and Sima Yi's original intention was to defend the city and not fall into a trap, they would still be held accountable.

This is similar to the core tactic of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao". Whether Sun Bin could break through the Wei capital was not important. What was important was whether Pang Juan had the courage not to return with his army.

War is a continuation of politics.

Not returning to base is tactically correct, while returning to base is politically correct.

same.

Sima Yi and Yu Jin also faced this choice.

Hold your ground?

no problem.

Cao Rui won, and the credit was shared equally.

Cao Rui lost, and the blame is shared equally.

a long time.

Sima Yi took a deep breath and found a middle ground: "First, send spies to scout out the defenses of the Han army's main camp and the marching routes of Guan Ping and Guan Xing, and then decide whether or not to leave the city."

the other side.

Yu Fan and Sun Lü successfully left the city.

Once they reached a relatively safe area, Sun Lu couldn't help but wonder, "Why didn't Zhongxiang continue to explain just now? I think Sima Yi was just deliberately deceiving us; in reality, my doubts haven't disappeared."

Yu Fan chuckled: "Sima Yi is a smart man. You can't be too blunt when talking to a smart man."

The purpose of going to Pingchun was not to win a verbal argument against Sima Yi, but to convey to Sima Yi the message that the Prince of Yan did not want the Crown Prince to win.

Once this message is delivered, Sima Yi will follow the path set by the King of Yan.

Now that my objective has been achieved, why waste my breath? The more I say, the more mistakes I make; the less I say, the more Sima Yi will have to guess.

Sun Lu was young and had not been with Liu Feng for long, so he was unaware of many confidential matters.

Yu Fan was older, insightful, and had followed Liu Feng for a long time, so he was clearer about Liu Feng's true thoughts.

Although Liu Feng was conspiring with Liu Shan to seize Pingchun and Yiyang, attempting to repeat the same tactics used when capturing Chang'an, in essence, Liu Feng was the one who needed military prestige the most.

Liu Feng has always presented himself to the world as a person of "brotherly love and respect, and brotherly unity," and has never shown the slightest covetousness for the position of crown prince.

He neither relied on the favor of his relatives nor was arrogant towards those from humble backgrounds. He was able to maintain his position and uphold his virtues.

however.

The reason Liu Feng acted this way was not because he was unaware of the cruelty of the power struggle, but because he believed in Liu Shan's character.

There is a crucial prerequisite for this: Liu Feng must take control of the military!

The fact that Liu Shan would not take action against Liu Feng does not mean that the rest of the court and the public would not take action against Liu Feng.

The rumors in Jiangling City proved that some officials who were wary of Liu Feng were involved. Even Fa Zheng frankly told Liu Feng without hesitation that he was indulging in the rumors because of selfish motives.

Entrusting one's life and death to others is not Liu Feng's style.

Therefore.

Upon learning that someone in Jiangling City was stirring up trouble, Liu Feng not only did not stop it but joined in, escalating the rumors to a point that even the initiator Cao Pi and the Jiangling City instigators were astonished.

Did Liu Feng not know the panic that the rumors would cause among the people after they escalated?

know!

However, this also presented an opportunity for Liu Feng to further consolidate his military power.

Liu Feng's plan had two layers:

The first layer is to repeat the same old trick, using the same tactics as in the battle to capture Chang'an to capture Pingchun Yiyang.

The first step was to secretly advance, using a reasonable method to make Liu Shan return empty-handed in Luyang, thus creating the impression that the Northern Expedition could not be accomplished without Liu Feng.

Trusting Liu Shan stemmed from brotherly affection.

To scheme against Liu Shan was to seek advantage and avoid harm.

As long as no one touches Liu Feng, he will always be the Great General Who Protects the Nation of the Han Dynasty.

The military power in Liu Feng's hands was also a sharp blade hanging over everyone's heads.

Want to spread rumors?

You should think it over carefully.

Liu Feng was not a foolish man who would willingly return to the capital to be tried when he had an army of 100,000.

If petty scoundrels dare to cause trouble, then we must purge the court of those close to the emperor.

Yu Fan's decision to come to Pingchun in person instead of simply sending someone to leak the secret was based on this core principle.

Sun Lu seemed to understand, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he remained silent and pondered the whole way.

Even if he is very intelligent, he is still only a twelve-year-old boy. Without rich experience, it would be difficult for him to understand Yu Fan's words.

After returning to Dazhai.

Yu Fan went directly to see Guan Xiong, who was left to guard the main camp, and told Guan Xiong to immediately abandon the main camp and retreat thirty miles to set up camp.

Guan Xiong was puzzled: "But the military order I received yesterday was to stay and defend the main camp and set up flags as a formality. Why are we suddenly abandoning the main camp?"

Yu Fan succinctly stated: "Sima Yi and Yu Jin will definitely send spies to investigate today. If they find the camp undefended, they will surely raid it."

Guan Xiong, unaware of Yu Fansun's "leak," exclaimed in surprise, "Why would Sima Yi and Yu Jin suddenly send spies to investigate?"

normal circumstances.

No one would be foolish enough to send spies to investigate the strength of a heavily guarded stronghold, unless they have obtained some secret information.

As he said this, a look of suspicion appeared on Guan Xiong's face.

“I told Sima Yi.” Yu Fan’s answer was more direct this time.

Before Guan Xiong could ask any further questions, Yu Fan said, "Captain Guan, this is a matter of great military importance and should not be investigated too deeply. Just obey orders."

Guan Xiong suppressed his surprise and doubt, knowing that he couldn't ask too many questions given his position.

Taking a deep breath, Guan Xiong accepted the order and said, "I'll make the arrangements right away."

The main camp only had five hundred soldiers to begin with, and with Guan Xiong's withdrawal, the entire camp became an empty camp without a sound.

When Sima Yi's scouts arrived, they only saw an empty camp and standing banners, and returned in shock.

"The main camp is completely empty?" Sima Yi was both surprised and suspicious. "Even if Guan Ping and Guan Xing were going to Luyang to help, it's impossible for the main camp to be completely empty. Could it be a trap?"

Sima Yi dared not be careless.

On one hand, they sent people to the Shiyang direction to gather military intelligence, and on the other hand, they sent people to the Luyang direction to gather military intelligence.

The military intelligence they gathered also made Sima Yi's expression turn serious.

"The camp that the Han army set up thirty li after retreating must be the troops left behind by Guan Ping and Guan Xing to guard the main camp. They must be worried that I would raid the camp. That old scoundrel Yu Fan is indeed up to no good. He claimed to have leaked secrets, but then he transferred the troops from the main camp. He doesn't want to leave any evidence at all."

Sima Yi was in a dilemma.

According to the scouts, Guan Ping and Guan Xing's troops were carrying provisions and supplies.

This means that Guan Ping and Guan Xing are most likely indeed preparing to go to Luyang to lend their support.

To pursue or not to pursue?

This is a problem.

"Go and fetch all the recent intelligence from Jiangling," Sima Yi instructed Sima Shi.

Sima Yi didn't care about the rumors in Jiangling; what he cared about was what Liu Feng was doing.

For Sima Yi, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and others were all old, and Liu Shan was unfamiliar with military affairs. The only one he needed to be wary of was Liu Feng.

Not long after.

Sima Shi brought over a box of intelligence, all of which was selected information related to Liu Feng. "Since returning to Jiangling City, Liu Feng has never left Jiangling City," Sima Shi added.

Sima Yi ignored it and simply flipped through each piece of intelligence quickly.

"The earliest ones are from half a month ago. Is there no intelligence from the last half month?" Sima Yi frowned.

Sima Shi said with some helplessness, "Father, Jiangling City is far away. It's already quite fast that we know about what happened half a month ago."

Sima Yi tossed the bamboo slip aside and said, "Send someone to make contact immediately. I need to know what Liu Feng has been up to lately!"

“Father, I don’t understand. Even if Liu Feng left Jiangling City in the past half month, so what?” Sima Shi couldn’t understand Sima Yi’s “seriousness”.

Sima Yi lightly rebuked, "Don't be careless!"
Our opponent is Liu Bei's most skilled son, who not only helped Liu Bei expand his territory, but also destroyed Sun Quan, whom neither the late emperor nor His Majesty could destroy. How can we underestimate him?
Underestimating the enemy inevitably leads to defeat; this is an unchanging principle of military strategy. How can you afford to be complacent?

After being reprimanded by Sima Yi, Sima Shi, though dissatisfied, dared not disobey and could only send someone to make contact again.

Since Guan Ping and Guan Xing were carrying supplies and provisions to Luyang, it would take at least six days to arrive from Pingchun to Luyang. If the soldiers' physical strength needed to be maintained in case of an attack, this time would be doubled.

Therefore, Sima Yi was not in a hurry to intercept Guan Ping and Guan Xing.

A few more days passed.

Thanks to the efforts of Cao Wei's spies, the latest intelligence from Jiangling finally reached Sima Yi.

Seeing that Liu Feng openly refused to help Liu Shan and was even slacking off in Jiangling City, spending his time sightseeing or trying to win people's hearts, Sima Yi finally felt relieved.

"Liu Feng, that soldier, wants to become a powerful minister!" Sima Shi sneered. "Unfortunately, he didn't know his place. Liu Shan is Liu Bei's own son, how could he allow Liu Feng, an adopted son, to seize power? Liu Feng is too arrogant."

Sima Yi smiled disdainfully: "Han Xin of the past was a man of great merit, and he even asked Emperor Gaozu of Han for a fake King of Qi. In the end, he died at the hands of a woman. People who are too arrogant will not have a good end."

"Father, should we divide our forces to pursue Guan Ping and Guan Xing?" Sima Shi asked eagerly.

Sima Yi replied without hesitation: "Now that the crisis at Pingchun has been resolved, Yu Jin's presence there is sufficient to hold the city. The Prince of Pingyuan is in Luyang, and my son and I cannot stay away from him."

You lead the vanguard to Luyang, following Guan Ping and Guan Xing along the way, but don't follow too closely to avoid being ambushed.

Subsequently.

Sima Yi then entered the city to see Yu Jin.

Regarding Sima Yi's decision to lead troops to Luyang to assist in the battle while Yu Jin remained to guard Pingchun, Yu Jin expressed his approval: "General Fujun, you may go without worry. With me here, Pingchun is safe. However, when you see the Prince of Pingyuan, please convey my regards to him."

Yu Jin wasn't stupid. Since he was going to cooperate with Sima Yi's strategy, he knew he had to share the credit.

Immediately.

Sima Yi mobilized most of the elite troops from inside and outside the city, with Sima Shi as the vanguard, and headed towards Luyang.

Yu Jin then led the remaining three thousand men to stay and guard Pingchun.

No sooner had Sima Yi left than Yu Fan arrived at the city of Pingchun to request an audience with Yu Jin.

Yu Jin did not want to see Yu Fan, but after hearing Yu Fan claim that he had a secret to tell him, he had no choice but to let Yu Fan enter the city again.

"Yu Fan, your scheme has already been exposed, what are you still doing here?" Yu Jin's tone was extremely unfriendly, and his right hand was stroking the hilt of his sword.

Yu Fan, however, spoke frankly: "Now that Shiyang is vulnerable, why doesn't General Yu directly attack Shiyang with Sima Yi? Why do you agree to Sima Yi sending troops to Luyang to assist him? Wouldn't this put General Yu in a dangerous position?"

Yu Jin frowned: "Yu Fan, this is a secret of our army. Aren't you afraid I'll chop you down with one stroke for being so direct?"

Yu Fan laughed and said, "General Yu, you misunderstand. I am not trying to spy on your secrets, but I am worried that you might be plotted against."

"You mean, Commander Sima is plotting against me? Yu Fan, it seems you really have a death wish. Don't think that just because you once showed me kindness, I won't kill you. Don't you even know how Chang Xi died?" Yu Jin's sword was already half-drawn.

Yu Fan was not afraid: "Times have changed."

At that time, Cao Cao was still alive, and Chang Xi had repeatedly rebelled, disregarding the interests of his friend, the general. In order to uphold military discipline and his own interests, it was not inappropriate for the general to kill Chang Xi.

But now, I am thinking of General Yu's interests. What good would it do General Yu to kill me?

Why don't you listen to what I have to say before making a decision?

Yu Jin then sheathed his sword.

Yu Fan added, "Indeed, having Sima Yi lead troops to Luyang to assist in the battle would also restrain Guan Ping and Guan Xing."

But it was Sima Yi, not General Yu, who went to Luyang. Even if Sima Yi was willing to share the credit, General Yu wouldn't get much.

After Sima Yi has rendered meritorious service, he can return to Luoyang and will surely be highly valued by Cao Rui in the future; but you, General, may stay in Pingchun for the rest of your life until you die in office.

He appears to be a former general, but in reality, he is just an exiled general in Pingchun, and he can't enter the core at all.

If General Yu makes a mistake in Pingchun in the future, his family in Luoyang will also be punished as a result.

However, if my previous suggestion is adopted, the great achievement of restraining Guan Ping and Guan Xing will belong to General Yu, not Sima Yi.

I truly feel indignant on General Yu's behalf!

Yu Jin remained silent.

Yu Fan's words were "every word a truth," directly touching Yu Jin's heart.

Although both involve restraint, the difference between restraint in Luyang and restraint in Pingchun is significant for Jin.

But now that Sima Yi has left, Yu Jin can no longer back out.

"I am already a general, why should I covet some minor merits? With me in Pingchun, who can break through? Yu Fan, don't disrupt the morale of my army!" Although Yu Jin felt regret in his heart, he refused to admit defeat.

Seeing that Yu Jin's anger had subsided, Yu Fan took another step closer: "General Yu, don't you plan to leave yourself a way out?"

Yu Jin's expression changed drastically, and he drew his sword again: "Yu Fan, are you courting death?"

“General Yu, we were both captured, so I thought I could understand you, and you could understand me.” Yu Fan not only ignored Yu Jin’s knife, but also plopped down on Yu Jin’s seat and poured himself some water.

Upon hearing the words "captured," Yu Jin's forehead veins bulged even more fiercely, barely suppressing the urge to kill Yu Fan.

“I was merely captured, while you are a surrendered general!” Yu Jin’s chest heaved, and he emphasized the words “surrendered general” in his voice.

Yu Fan shook his head: "General Yu misunderstands. I am not a surrendered general. It was the Prince of Yan who valued my talent and therefore asked Sun Quan for me. Or rather, I cannot be considered a prisoner. I was just used as a bargaining chip by Sun Quan when he was in dire straits."

Yu Jin was even angrier: "So what? I will never surrender! And don't even think about doing anything funny!"

Yu Fan smiled and said, "I greatly admire General Yu's bravery and loyalty. But doesn't General Yu want to leave his son in Luoyang a way out?"

Cao Pi may rely on the general's bravery and fierceness, but he may not treat the general's son well.

I am not here to persuade General Yu to surrender. I only hope that General Yu can do me a small favor by lying that there are troops gathering in Shiyang and tricking Sima Yi into returning to his army.

After Sima Yi returns to his army, they will join forces to attack Shiyang, and then lead Guan Ping and Guan Xing back to their camp.

In this way, I can give an explanation to the Prince of Yan after returning to Jiangling, and General Yu can also get what he wants.

"If General Yu's son can no longer stay in Luoyang, feel free to come to me. Given my relationship with General Yu, I can certainly ensure his safety."

Yu Jin chuckled: "How can military orders be changed so easily? Yu Fan, do you think Sima Yi will listen to me? Besides, do you know better than me what the consequences of falsely reporting military intelligence are?"

Yu Fan downed the water in one gulp: "I can make a show of force at Shiyang! It will be absolutely convincing! As long as I raise the banner of the King of Yan, Sima Yi will surely be terrified and retreat. How could General Yu possibly be lying about military intelligence?"

Yu Jin let out a long sigh: "Yu Fan, you can go back now. I'll pretend you were never here today."

"General Yu, why keep people at arm's length? In this warring states, we're all one family after all. For example, the Crown Princess's birth mother is the legitimate daughter of the Xiahou family. We all need to leave ourselves a way out," Yu Fan earnestly advised again.

Yu Jin was annoyed by what he heard, and directly ordered his personal guards to kick Yu Fan out of Pingchun City.

Instead of being angry, Yu Fan seized the opportunity and exclaimed, "General Yu, to show my sincerity, I will raise the banner first! General Yu, you must seize this opportunity! This is mutually beneficial! I have absolutely no intention of harming you!"

After Yu Fan was driven out of the city, the guard asked in confusion, "General, why don't you just kill Yu Fan?"

Yu Jin shook his head: "Yu Fan is Liu Feng's confidant. If we kill Yu Fan, Liu Feng will surely be furious and come in person. At that time, Liu Feng and Liu Shan will temporarily abandon their rivalry and join forces to attack. How can the Prince of Pingyuan in Luyang possibly stop them?"

How can we let Yu Fan ruin King Pingyuan's important plans? Our top priority is to help King Pingyuan become the crown prince; we must not create any unnecessary complications.”

Yu Fan, who had left the city, had a smile on his face.

This meeting with Yu Jin was deliberately arranged by Yu Fan.

The purpose was to take advantage of the fact that Yu Jin had no one to consult after Sima Yi left, and to deliberately instigate Yu Jin, thus creating a situation where things were done in the dark.

By then.

Even if spies discovered that a large number of flags had appeared in Shiyang, Yu Jin would not suspect Liu Feng.

Military strategy is a mix of deception and reality.

If used properly, even if it's real, it will be perceived as fake.

"Judging by the time, His Highness will be arriving in Shiyang soon. I should go and meet up with him." Yu Fan flicked his whip and turned to walk towards Shiyang.

As expected, things turned out differently.

Two days later.

Liu Feng appeared in Shiyang.

Along with Liu Feng, his former subordinates and close associates appeared: Fang Yue, Pan Feng, Yu She, Mu Shun, Yue Ju, Yang Xing, and other generals, as well as the Flying Army of the Five Divisions that had quietly arrived from Xincheng County.

Although Shu Han had many valiant generals who went down in history, most of them were not Liu Feng's direct subordinates and could not be considered loyal to him.

Naturally, they wouldn't have the opportunity to make a name for themselves.

When Liu Feng wanted to achieve extraordinary feats, he would generally prioritize using his trusted generals and soldiers.

With such limited benefits, it's natural to choose whoever is closest to you.

Otherwise, if those you cultivate all turn against you and don't support you, then all your efforts will be in vain.

It was precisely because Liu Feng was generous to his loyal followers that the fighting power of his loyal soldiers remained strong year after year.

Why did Xiang Yu fail?
It wasn't that Xiang Yu lacked skilled and fierce generals, but rather that he was unwilling to share the spoils.

Xiang Yu was like some bosses with screws on their heads, treating his long-term employees harshly and preferring to hire new people at high salaries rather than give his old employees a raise.

Liu Feng was different.

Liu Feng was willing to share benefits with his people. Even if someone was too incompetent to be helped, Liu Feng would still take care of them in other ways.

For example, the families of the soldiers were all taken good care of.

If the leader is generous enough, his subordinates will spontaneously protect him.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the General, Chief Clerk Yu has returned!"

Seeing Yu Fan return travel-worn, Liu Feng laughed and went out to greet him: "Lord Zhongxiang, you must have had a long journey."

Yu Fan also smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Sima Yi has already led his troops to Luyang. Pingchun City only has three thousand soldiers. Your Highness can attack with peace of mind!"

Subsequently.

Yu Fan then told Liu Feng about his two trips into the city.

It wasn't that Yu Fan wanted to show off, but rather that the more detailed Liu Feng's knowledge, the less likely he was to make a mistake.

The war is dangerous.

A surprise attack is even more dangerous.

If Yu Fan misjudges the situation, then Liu Feng's surprise attack on Pingchun will turn into Sima Yi and Yu Jin ambushing Liu Feng.

Although the possibility is extremely small based on the current situation, we must not be careless, especially at critical moments.

"Fortunately, Lord Zhongxiang entered the city twice, otherwise we might have been exposed." Liu Feng praised him generously, and said, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Lord Zhongxiang must be tired from his journey. He can stay in Shiyang to supervise the transport of grain and supplies. I want to go to Pingchun in person to see my old friend."

(End of this chapter)