Chapter 366 Taking the world as the chess game and the common people as the chess pieces
Chapter 366: Use the world as a chess game and all the people as pawns
Author: Playing with Basilisk
Chapter 366: Use the world as a chess game and all the people as pawns
On the afternoon of October 6, the 24th year of Jian'an, after Guo Jia sent a letter of challenge to Shen Chen in the morning, Shen Chen sent a stern letter back in the afternoon, agreeing to the battle.
At this time, in the Yancheng County Yamen, Xia Houyuan was sitting at the top as the chief general of this expedition, followed by Guo Jia, and then Xu Huang and other generals.
As one of the Eight Tigers of the clan, Xiahou Yuan's status in history is second only to Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, and should be similar to Cao Hong. The only problem is that Cao Cao once called Xiahou Yuan "General Bai Di", which means an idiot general.
But no matter what, now that Cao Ren and Cao Hong are dead, except for Xiahou Dun, his status in the clan is extraordinary. Although he cannot be compared with Xiahou Dun, who has never won a war or been promoted, but even if Guo Jia is Cao Cao's best He is one of the trusted advisors, and his status cannot be above him.
Now Shen Chen sent someone to deliver the letter to Cao Ying. After Xia Houyuan read it, he said angrily: "Shen Chen's little thief is too arrogant. He even scolded Wei Wang Yuan Rang and me in the letter. He also said that this battle will involve me and Yuan Rang." I went to see Zilian and Zixiao, he was really brazen, I swear to kill him!"
"Cough cough cough cough."
Guo Jia's face turned pale, he covered his mouth and coughed, and said rather weakly: "There is no need to worry about the general. The most important thing in this battle is to rescue the former general. If the former general can be rescued, great things will happen."
"yes."
Xu Huang also added: "When the former general joins us, there will be more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. Shen Chen will not be able to do it, and the most he can do is stick to Xiangfan. By then, Nanyang will be returned to the king of Wei. Even if Shen Chen defeats Jiangdong, it will be An important place has been lost, some verbal attacks, no need to worry about it.”
"Um."
Xia Houyuan nodded thoughtfully.
Although he was called an idiot general by Cao Cao, it was Cao Cao himself who wanted to cover up his command errors and put the blame on him.
In fact, Xiahou Yuan is still very good at fighting, at least his record is much better than Xiahou Dun's.
Therefore, Guo Jia and Xu Huang's persuasion had an effect. Xia Houyuan thought for a moment and said: "Ling Jun has a clever plan. Since Shen Chen is willing to come to his door, I will fight with him and cover Yuan Rang's retreat."
"that is."
Xu Huang suddenly hesitated.
"Just what?"
Xia Houyuan asked.
Xu Huang hesitated and said: "I just feel something is wrong. If I were Shen Chen, it would be more beneficial for him to continue the stalemate. Why would he choose to agree to fight with us outside the city? I'm afraid there is fraud in it."
Guo Jia smiled and said: "It was because I guessed that he would definitely go to war that I took the initiative to write a gauntlet and cover the former general's withdrawal from Xiangyang."
"oh?"
Xu Huang wondered: "Why is this?"
"Ahem."
Guo Jia coughed twice more and said softly: "You have been on the front line for so long that you don't know the difficulties at the rear. Do you know what the situation is like for the people in the north now?"
Xu Huang cupped his hands and said, "Please let me clear up my confusion."
Guo Jia shook his head and smiled bitterly and said: "I am the minister, and I handle the government affairs of the world. From the past year to this day, according to the official documents that have passed through my hands, there have been no less than twenty rebellions in the rear area alone. Although they are mostly minor troubles, they have become more and more serious. The people are in dire straits, and the country's strength has been reduced. Extremely difficult.”
Xu Huang said in surprise: "I didn't expect the rear area to be so turbulent."
"yes."
Guo Jia nodded: "The King of Wei made several expeditions to Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Yongliang to the west. You in Guanzhong should also know that in the early years, there was no food in Guanzhong and had to be transported from Guandong, so people had to be recruited and sent out for corvee service. After that, The King of Wei moved the population of many counties in Liangzhou and settled in Hedong and Zuofengyi, and the situation was slightly better."
"But what does this have to do with Shen Chen?"
Xu Huang was still puzzled.
Guo Jia continued: "Imagine that the King of Wei owns such a large north. Years of war have destabilized the country. Liu Bei can only hold the land of two states. How can he not waste the people's power in fighting the King of Wei?"
"I see."
Xu Huang suddenly realized and said: "Jingzhou was divided into three parts, Nanyang was ours, Jingnan was returned to Sun Quan, Nanjun, Jiangxia, and Xiling were flooded again, and Shen Chen could not get enough food and grass, so Liu Bei could only benefit from it." The state sends grain and grass far away."
"Exactly."
Guo Jia said: "Moreover, Liu Bei's initiative to attack Guanzhong this time was also a labor-intensive expedition. Now both Shen Chen and Liu Bei need to transport grain from Yizhou. The burden of the people's corvee will only be more than us, not less. We I can't hold on anymore, can Liu Bei be alone?"
Xu Huang gave a thumbs up in admiration: "Your Majesty is really a plan of gods and ghosts. He can even calculate these things."
Guo Jia smiled and said nothing.
It is indeed difficult for ordinary people to see these things, but as a top resourceful man and understanding the current situation of the Wei State, he can naturally guess that Liu Bei, who is competing with Cao Cao for national power, is at the end of his power and wishes to fight an early decisive battle.
Therefore, one urgently needed to rescue Xiahou Dun, and the other needed to resolve the Xiangfan war as soon as possible. The two sides hit it off immediately, so they decided to have a fierce battle in the wild to determine the outcome.
According to Guo Jia's calculations, no one can do anything about this battle.
After all, Shen Chen's military morale is now strong. Although his number is slightly smaller than that of Cao's army, his commanding ability and military strength cannot be underestimated. Therefore, Guo Jia does not think Xia Houyuan can defeat Shen Chen.
However, his strategic goal must have been achieved. After rescuing Xiahou Dun, Cao's army relied on their numerical advantage to defend various cities in Nanyang and occupy Nanyang.
By then, Jingzhou will lack the important source of population and food in the Nanyang Basin, and its war potential and overall strength will inevitably decline.
The best case scenario is that Sun Quan escapes back to Jiangdong, which can not only attack Shen Chen, but also weaken Sun Quan and prepare for Cao Cao's capture of Yangzhou in the future.
The worst outcome is that Sun Quan dies in Jingzhou and Liu Bei sends troops to Jiangdong. They can also continue to open up new battlefields in Yangzhou.
So this is a plan to kill three birds with one stone, Guo Jia will make Shen Chen lose all his money this time.
"good!"
After listening to Guo Jia's analysis, Xia Houyuan felt that it was very reasonable. He stood up and said, "Then according to your command, I will leave the camp tomorrow and fight to the death with Shen Chen!"
At that moment, Xia Houyuan immediately ordered to strictly organize the troops and display the banner to strengthen the military power.
The next day.
In the early morning, Cao Jun from Yancheng set out.
In early winter in October, although the weather was getting colder, it didn't snow. The sun hung in the mid-air, as if it didn't have much temperature and was slightly pale.
After the meal time, Cao Jun's soldiers, who had had breakfast half an hour ago, had already formed up and left the camp.
Just as several camps were deployed around strategic locations around Fancheng, Xia Houyuan and Xu Huang also built several camps around Yancheng and Lingyangpo.
Among them, the chief general Xia Houyuan, the deputy generals Xu Huang and Zang Ba, plus more than ten other generals, led a 60,000-strong army and left the camp in a mighty manner and headed south.
Xia Houyuan and Xu Huang brought 40,000 troops before, but there were still 20,000 to 30,000 Cao troops in the Wancheng and Xinye areas behind. In addition, Zang Ba has brought nearly 20,000 troops. The total number of Cao troops is now 90,000, which is the same as Shen Chen's. The number of troops is comparable.
Therefore, in order to prevent Shen Chen from sneaking into the camp, Xiahou Yuan believed that an army of 60,000 was enough to cover Xiahou Dun's retreat, and 30,000 people were left in Yancheng and many camps outside the city, which should be absolutely foolproof.
Although it would take more than three hundred miles to retreat from Xiangyang to Yancheng, it would take a long detour and at least four days. It would definitely be impossible to arrive on the battlefield to attack Shen Chen.
But the task of covering Xiahou Dun's retreat can definitely be accomplished. As long as Xiahou Dun comes back, they will be victorious.
So this time Xia Houyuan can be regarded as having already moved all his troops.
When he was approaching the beginning of Yuzhong, his troops had been assembled. Xu Huang was stationed in the camp. Go south.
Almost immediately after Xia Houyuan left the city, Shen Chen's army of 40,000 troops also moved out in the direction of Fancheng, more than 20 miles away to the south.
This time he sent a total of more than 30,000 people from Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong, plus 3,000 Huangmen soldiers from Shen Tao's command, to Zhuyang Yin County to attack Xiahou Dun. He also ordered Wenpin Zhou Buyi to lead 20,000 people to garrison Fancheng and surrounding forts. , he personally led Samoko, Lu Chang and other troops from his headquarters, and went north to meet the enemy.
Both sides had large numbers of men and horses. Looking from a distance, the armies on both sides were lined up in a row, forming multiple military formations for several miles. They moved forward slowly and stopped at the ancient pavilion three miles south of Lingyang Slope. Come down.
The ancient pavilion was originally a vast plain, surrounded by villages and countless fertile fields, but after being flooded by floods, it had long since become a ruin.
The soldiers stepped on the loess soil formed by drying the mud, and the softness under their feet made many people feel uncomfortable.
If it's spring, perhaps sprouting young grasses will emerge from the soil below, absorb nutrients from the mud full of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, grow vigorously, and bring vitality back to the land buried in the mud.
But it is early winter, and there is still a fishy smell and rotten smell after the flood recedes between the sky and the earth. Looking around, the world is desolate and desolate, mixed with the howling of the north wind, which only brings a cold and icy chill to people. , and that kind of pale sadness.
Shen Chen was riding on his jade horse with a Tiger Blade hanging on his waist. He looked far away at the horizon and saw countless dense black spots suddenly appeared on the vast wilderness, as if the entire horizon was blocked. Full.
As the distance between the two sides got closer and closer, the black figures gradually took on outlines and features, and finally turned into black-clad and black-armored Cao Wei soldiers who stepped in neat steps and made dull footsteps.
Cao Jun's uniform is black, even the flag.
The uniforms and flags of the Jingzhou Army are the orange color inherent to Han Dynasty soldiers.
So in the eyes of Cao Wei soldiers in the distance, they saw countless black spots appearing on the horizon.
When the distance began to get closer, those black spots turned into bright red colors, like the rising sun, embellishing this desolate world with a touch of light.
"Stop!"
When Xia Houyuan saw that the enemy had appeared a mile away, he raised his hand to signal.
"Stop!"
When the messengers at the rear saw Xia Houyuan's gesture, they immediately waved their flags.
Soon the military order was issued to all the camps. Because it took some time to convey the order and due to inertia, the soldiers walked several dozen meters forward before stopping and reorganizing the team.
The Jingzhou Army did not stop on the other side and walked forward for more than a hundred meters. The two sides were half a mile apart, which was about two hundred meters, and then they stopped.
The enemy and our troops lined up in a line, facing each other from a distance away from the bows and arrows. Between the enemy and the enemy, we could even clearly see the armor on each other's bodies, the weapons and spears in their hands, and the faces of Cao's and Jingzhou's troops.
Shen Chen was riding on a Yuluo horse and was located in the center of the battle formation. His main general, the Chinese Army, was at the forefront of the battle formation. There were three or four square formations stretching for several miles to the left, right and diagonally behind.
There are seven or eight square formations at the rear, each with three to four thousand men, forming a pyramid-shaped triangle formation.
Guo Jia frowned when he saw such a formation on the opposite side from a distance. He calmed down again after a moment and said to Xia Houyuan beside him: "As I expected, Shen Chen is also eager to repel us. He will probably be able to hold it back soon." Can’t stand it any longer.”
Xia Houyuan said happily: "Since he wants to challenge us, we will also formulate a triangular awl formation to hedge against them."
"No."
Guo Jia's pale face showed a hint of illness, and he shook his head and said: "Our mission is to delay time and let the former general evacuate as soon as possible. The right way is to entangle the opponent. We cannot hedge against them. We should form a defensive formation."
Defensive formation?
Xia Houyuan looked dissatisfied. Shen Chen's arrogance made him extremely uncomfortable. The enemy wanted to attack, why couldn't he also attack?
But Guo Jia was right, the top priority now is to rescue Xiahou Dun.
So I had no choice but to say: "Then just listen to your orders."
Guo Jia glanced at him. As a counselor who was best at controlling people's hearts, he naturally knew that Xia Houyuan was unhappy.
But there is nothing we can do about it.
In fact, according to Guo Jia's thinking, the best way is to abandon Xiahou Dun and bring down Liu Bei and Shen Chen.
Xiahou Dun used small buckets to feed his army in the city. If he really had nothing to eat, he caught rats, boiled leather, and even ate the corpses of soldiers, but he could still last for three to five months.
However, the national strength of Liu Bei and Shen Chen cannot tolerate any further delay, and the people in the rear must already be in dire straits.
Although Cao Cao's north is about to collapse, it has a solid foundation after all. If he grits his teeth and suffers the people, there will still be no problem if he can survive for another year and a half longer than Liu Bei.
Even if Xiahou Dun's entire army is annihilated by then, as long as Jingzhou cannot recover for one day and Shen Chen cannot recapture Nanyang for one day, Yizhou's rear will completely collapse and Liu Bei's territory will be on the verge of collapse.
This is much better than taking risks to rescue Xiahou Dun.
But Guo Jia couldn't say.
Not mentioning that Xiahou Dun was Cao Cao's most trusted and favorite clan general, and simply saying that Xiahou Yuan was Xiahou Dun's brother, it would be impossible to agree.
Therefore, Guo Jia could only save him, and he had to choose the safest way to rescue him.
So what is the safest way?
Of course it was to hold back Shen Chen's main force.
As long as Shen Chen's main force is here, Xiahou Dun can safely evacuate.
Thinking of this, Guo Jia said to Xia Houyuan: "General, don't be impatient. The most important thing now is to rescue the former general. When the former general comes back, everything will be easy to talk about. Let's delay for a while before Rong Jia's formation."
"oh?"
Xia Houyuan wondered: "What's your idea?"
Guo Jia said solemnly: "I have always had a doubt as to why Shen Chen suddenly sent out so many reinforcements. This is impossible. Even if Liu Bei got the news and immediately sent Huang Zhong to organize troops, how could he be so How many soldiers are there? I want to go to the front and ask."
"You can't do it."
Xia Houyuan said hurriedly: "If we go to the front of the formation, I'm afraid Shen Chen will kill him in pain."
"It's okay." Guo Jia waved his hand: "Wen Ruoyi was talking to Shen Chen in front of the battle. He has high attainments in Confucianism and would not act like this."
As he spoke, he said to the boy next to him: "Follow me into the battle."
The two boys, one behind the other, led Guo Jia's horse forward slowly. Guo Jia was riding on the horse, holding on to the saddle tightly, coughing twice from time to time, and was already extremely reluctant to go to the battlefield.
"Brother, what does that mean?"
Zhou Buji was puzzled when he saw a middle-aged Confucian scholar riding a white horse slowly forward.
Shen Chen looked over and saw that the middle-aged Confucian scholar was wearing a wide robe, a blue crane cloak, and a white fox fur tied around his neck. He looked quite like a high-ranking aristocrat in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
His skin is quite fair, and although the corners of his eyes and between his eyebrows are already covered with wrinkles, it is not difficult to tell that he must have been a handsome young man when he was young.
The middle-aged Confucian scholar came to the center of the battle formation. He was a hundred meters away from Shen Chen's army, which was already within the range that bows and arrows could cover. However, he was not afraid. He rode on horseback and faced Shen Chen's coach from a distance in the direction of the central formation. Give him a bow.
"My husband would like to invite Shen Daru to speak in front of the formation."
A boy in his teens hurried over and shouted at the banner of coach Shen Chen from 20 to 30 meters away.
"Those Confucian scholars."
Shen Chen shook his head and said: "It's always whimsical. What kind of scholar is trying to convince me?"
"Master, don't pay attention."
Disciple Xie Hui on the side said: "Just shoot these rotten scholars."
Shen Chen said with a smile: "I came over to talk to him in front of the battle. He was so courageous, but I didn't dare to go there and wanted to shoot him. Wouldn't it make the world laugh at me for being rude and unrighteous? It doesn't matter, I'll just go over there."
Looking at it in the past, it was nothing. With his current strength value, he was probably only weaker than the top five tigers. Zhang Liao and Gan Ning may have been similar to him at his peak, but now they are all old, and he is still in his prime. When he met Zhang Liao He is confident enough to kill him, let alone a Confucian scholar?
As he spoke, he urged his horse, and a man slowly moved forward and approached.
He was still more cautious and did not get close to the Confucian scholar. Instead, he was seven or eight meters away, about 120 meters away from Cao Jun's formation. In this way, he was at a hundred paces position, and it was almost difficult to shoot arrows, which was very safe. .
When he got closer, Shen Chen looked at the Confucian scholar, raised his hands and said, "Donghai Shen Xiaoqing!"
"Yingchuan Guo Fengxiao."
Guo Jia also bowed his head and returned the gift.
Guo Jia?
Shen Chen was quite surprised, this guy is not dead yet?
It seems that he indirectly changed the entry of history and prevented Guo Jia from going to Saibei.
However, I haven't heard any news about Guo Jia in these years. I only heard a few years ago that Guo Jia was the minister of law when Cao Cao claimed to be Wei Gong.
Probably because of poor health and living in seclusion, my sense of presence is so low.
Shen Chen thought to himself.
After Guo Jia finished the ceremony, Shen Chen said again: "Guo Lingjun's name is like thunder in my ears. I don't know what to say when I come to the front of the formation and face the soldiers of the two armies?"
Guo Jia smiled and said: "My classics are not as good as Wen Ruo, let alone Jing Xinggong. Even they can't argue with the general, how can I do it?"
"oh?"
Shen Chen wondered: "If that's the case, then why did you invite me to talk before the battle?"
Guo Jia thought for a while and said: "Jia has something unclear, please ask the general to clarify it."
"Please tell me."
Shen Chen stretched out his hand to signal.
Guo Jia then said: "I wonder if the general can play games?"
In ancient times, game did not mean a contest, but an invitation to play Go.
"The Analects of Confucius·Yang Huo" - Are there no gamers?
There are records of Go in the Spring and Autumn Period. By the end of the Han Dynasty, the game became more and more popular. Cao Cao also liked to play Go. By the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it gradually became popular all over the country. It is said that every household in Nanliang had a chess board, and even the village children could talk about a few moves of Go. The wind is amazing.
Shen Chen actually doesn't study Go well, and mostly likes to play chess that he invented himself, but he's not completely incompetent, so he nodded and said, "Yes."
Guo Jia dismounted with the help of the boy. The other boy held a mat in his hand. He spread the mat on the ground between the two of them, then turned around and ran towards his home military formation. After a while, he held the chessboard again. Come over with the chess pieces.
The boy who supported Guo Jia helped Guo Jia onto the mat, and after Guo Jia sat down cross-legged, he also ran back to his military formation, carrying an incense burner, a pot of tea and two teacups, and put the things on the table. On the table.
Shen Chen curled his lips.
These Confucian scholars are really full of bad habits.
Especially during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the so-called Seven Sons of Jian'an and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were, at best, the character of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but at worst, they were pretending to be elegant.
It is obvious that the common people are living in the heat of water, but they compare themselves to the gods who only care about their own freedom and happiness.
This is just like many people in later generations who yearn for the splendor of the so-called Republic of China. They only see the people at the top living in luxury and wealth, but fail to see how hard the people at the bottom live.
Compared to that group of people, Shen Chen admired Tao Yuanming's self-sufficient attitude more.
Make enough food and clothing by yourself.
After all, it is much better than this group of corrupt people who rely on family power to squeeze the people, and then use the people's wealth to let themselves live a luxurious life.
But he didn't say anything. Guo Jia could do whatever he liked, as long as he was happy.
After the boy had laid out the mat, placed the chessboard, set up the incense burner, and filled the two cups with tea, Guo Jiacai stretched out his hand and said: "Please!"
Shen Chen turned over and dismounted, his armor creaking, and walked to the edge of the mat, but instead of sitting down cross-legged, he half-crouched.
This is a habit he developed in the military. If he encounters an emergency, he can stand up with a spring of his legs, mount his horse and retreat immediately, unlike sitting cross-legged and needing support from his hands to get up.
Seeing his caution, Guo Jia just smiled and said to Shen Chen: "General Suwen is a famous scholar in the world. I have also read "Zhuzi Yan" and "Shen Shi Jing". The affairs of the world are left to the world. People, today we will use the country as the chess game and the country as the chess board to have a good game of chess."
"Your Majesty, you are very courageous. Are you planning to use the world as pawns?"
Shen Chen asked rhetorically.
Guo Jia looked at him seriously and said: "If it were anyone else, it would definitely not work. But as a general, he is naturally qualified to use the country as a chessboard and the world as chess pieces."
"Okay, but I have something to say first. My chess skills are not very good. If you want a wonderful game, you are wrong."
Shen Chen put his words aside, he really didn't study Go very much, but Zhuge Liang also liked to play chess, so he studied with him for a while before. Although he had a certain level, there was still a big gap between him and the top players.
"It doesn't matter."
Guo Jia placed four seats, then stretched out his hand and said: "I won't guess, the general will go first."
In ancient Go, seats were not eliminated, and whoever moved first took advantage.
Shen Chen was not polite, put the white chess basket on his side, and said, "Let's begin."