Chapter 178 Kill the chicken to warn the monkey (seeking the moon)
Chapter 178: Kill the chicken to scare the monkey (please vote for me!)
With only 4,000 soldiers and horses under his command, how to capture the three counties of Liangdong guarded by 9,000 soldiers and horses?
This goal is a bit too ambitious.
If he were not practicing the map in a dungeon at this moment, but in reality, Ma Su still had 50,000 cavalry at his disposal, the situation might be much better.
But in reality, Sima Yi, who was stationed in Tianshui County, also needed to be considered. His 50,000 to 60,000 troops could support Liangzhou at any time.
From this perspective, the dungeon experience is quite fair.
——Ma Di was unable to use his original troops and horses, so he could only bring in three fierce generals to develop his troops on the spot; the defenders of the three cities of Liangzhou also did not get any help from Sima Yi, and could only rely on the existing 9,000 troops and horses with him.
deal with.
How can we capture the three counties of Liangdong and clear the dungeon map?
Ma Su fell into deep thought.
In this era, there are many ways to capture one or even several cities, but three are often used: hard attack, persuasion to surrender, and outsmarting.
Ma Su first eliminated hard attacks.
First, there were not enough troops.
Secondly, the walls of the three cities of Jin Xiwu are more than two feet, or even three feet high. In order to prevent the city gates from being easily breached, there are urns behind the city gates, which are two "concave"-shaped city walls and gates.
Even if he had a ten-fold advantage in military strength, Ma Su would not consider the option of attacking the city forcefully, not to mention that his military strength was still at a disadvantage.
Maybe you can try to persuade them to surrender, but it can only be a try...
Xu Miao, Guo Huai, and Fei Yao were all important ministers of the Wei State's border defense, and their families were all in Luoyang as hostages. It was impossible for them to rebel against Wei. Once they rebelled against Wei, their families would surely be killed.
So, we have to be smart.
Ma Su racked his brains to search for strategies suitable for the current situation from thousands of years of military cases he knew, and considered the feasibility of each strategy one by one.
…
Jincheng, market entrance.
Kneeling in front of the road was a young man who was tied up with five flowers and a dull expression. Behind the young man stood a majestic executioner with a broad-bladed ghost-head knife on his shoulder. The bright blade reflected dazzling light in the sun.
Guo Huai raised his arm slightly to signal.
The executioner shouted loudly, and the knotted muscles on his arms shook violently. The ghost-headed sword drew an arc from top to bottom, and the sharp blade cut off the neck bone, and severed the entire head from the young man's body.
The head rolled on the ground a few times, was instantly stained with mud, and stopped on the ground not far away. The eyes that had lost their vitality were still wide open, facing the direction of Guo Huai.
Guo Huai stared at his head for a moment and sighed slightly: "I also obey orders. When you get to the underworld, don't blame me. If you want to blame, blame your father for surrendering to the enemy. If you want to blame, blame this country for not being able to tolerate you..."
The assistant who was responsible for recording the execution reported: "General, Dai Jun, the son of the rebel Dai Ling, has been executed!"
"The bodies were put together in one place and buried."
Guo Huai gave the order and raised his head to look at the sky. The sky was covered with clouds today and the cold wind was blowing everywhere.
It is late autumn and early winter, and the land west of Hexi is becoming increasingly bleak and cold.
It makes people feel an inexplicable sadness.
‘Everything in the world is impermanent.’ Guo Huai sighed secretly.
After Cao Zhen, the governor of Yongliang, was defeated in Guanzhong, the situation in the world suddenly became turbulent, and the situation of Wei State became even more unfavorable.
First, Zhang He lost a series of battles, then the Shu Han captured the two counties of Yinping and Wudu, and then Ma Su marched westward into the Qiang land and recovered several large tribes one after another.
The Shu Han's momentum surged, and their troops were so sharp that no one could stop them for a while.
If it weren't for the poor foundation of the Shu Han Dynasty, coupled with the difficulty of traveling through Shu and the difficulty of transporting grain, it is absolutely impossible for Wei to still lose an inch of territory.
All knowledgeable people are keenly aware that this Shu Han is different from before.
While the Shu Han had a great talent in governing the country like Zhuge Liang, they also had a general like Ma Di who was good at fighting and could rarely defeat anyone he faced.
This information should have attracted the attention of the Emperor of Wei.
The city guards located on the front line of Longliang were also speculating whether Emperor Cao Rui would quickly adjust his strategy and regard Shu as the number one enemy. However, Cao Rui decided to take the lead in attacking Sun Quan, the king of Wei and Wu who proclaimed himself emperor, and the three groups of Soochow. Start a war.
As a result, the three fronts fought fiercely for nearly half a year, and in the end they only captured a few small towns in Jiangbei.
However, the Shu Han took advantage of this opportunity to unify the Western Qiang, and their national power expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This situation is quite bad, but something even worse is yet to come. More than a month ago, Zhang He led his army to pursue the invading Shu general Ma Su, but was ambushed and the entire army was wiped out. Even Zhang He himself was killed.
At this time, the entire Wei court began to feel uneasy. Both the emperor Cao Rui and the civil and military officials began to re-examine the strength of Shu Han, the weakest country in the Three Kingdoms.
The final conclusion is that although Shu only has one state, its national power is no less than that of Soochow, and even better!
This conclusion is incredible.
But I have to believe it.
Cao Rui responded quickly and immediately increased the number of troops on the western front. He sent Sima Yi to lead tens of thousands of troops to station in Longyou to protect Liangzhou. At the same time, he deployed defenses on various roads from Guanzhong to Hanzhong.
After the arrangements were made like a patchwork, all the kings and ministers of the Wei Dynasty breathed a sigh of relief.
But this does not mean that the western front is now safe. The situation in Liangzhou is still very serious.
The young man who was beheaded by Guo Huaichu just now was Dai Ling's eldest son Dai Jun. He followed his father to join the army in Liangzhou. He was left in the city because he did not participate in the previous pursuit of the Shu army.
The news that Dai Ling rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Shu reached Luoyang. Cao Rui was furious and ordered the execution of Dai Ling's entire family in Luoyang as a warning to others.
What he didn't expect was that Dai Ling's family in Luoyang had been picked up first, leaving only the eldest son Dai Jun trapped in Jincheng.
The holy order was immediately transmitted to Liangzhou, and Guo Huai was ordered to kill Dai Jun immediately.
Although Guo Huai couldn't bear it, he could only act as ordered.
Dai Ling was a native of Jizhou. He had been in the army for nearly twenty years. He was appreciated by Zhang He for his calm temperament and good knowledge of military strategy. He gradually rose from the rank of commander to deputy general. Before he surrendered to Shu, he was already a guard of the army conquering Shu.
In private, Dai Ling is a low-key person, treats people well, and has a good relationship with the generals in the army.
Guo Huai's personal relationship with Dai Ling was fairly good, or lukewarm. In fact, all the generals in the Wei Kingdom had such personal relationships with Dai Ling, with neither kindness nor resentment.
But now, he killed his eldest son.
Thinking of this, a hint of guilt and helplessness appeared on Guo Huai's lips. Although it was Dai Ling's eldest son who was killed today, it could not be that Cao Rui was warning the Liangzhou guards who were worried about the power of the Shu Han. This Liangzhou guard , including him Guo Huai.
This must have been one of the reasons why Cao Rui specifically ordered him to kill Dai Jun personally, in order to convey to the Liangzhou guards a zero-tolerance attitude towards those who rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Shu.
At the entrance of the market, Dai Jun's headless body had been dragged down for burial by soldiers who felt sorry for him. A few people still gathered around, looking at the large dark red area printed with blood on the ground, as silent as cicadas.
Guo Huai turned around and went back to his house. After walking a few steps, someone suddenly shouted loudly from behind him: "Master Guo, please stay."
Guo Huai looked back at the sound and found that it was Ma Di.
I was immediately shocked.
Why is he here?
Ma Di has the standard appearance of a southern scholar. He is short, fair-skinned, and handsome. Like Zhuge Liang, he has the demeanor of an elegant gentleman. His first impression is quite favorable.
But in fact these are all illusions.
Guo Huai knew Ma Su's true nature very well. He was capable of both literary and military skills, but he was not as gentle and weak as he seemed on the outside.
"Master Guo, could you please take a step to speak?" Ma Di took a step forward and approached Guo Huai, his eyes threatening.
There are only three steps between the two.
Guo Huai glanced at the two guards beside him, then at the two disheveled men behind Ma Di, weighed the combat capabilities of both sides, and quickly chose what he thought.
"Please go to the house and tell me."
Guo Huai recognized one of them at a glance as General Zhao Yun of the Shu Han Dynasty. Although the other one was not recognized, he thought he was not a good person.
The group came to the residence of the Jincheng prefect and the Qiang school captain. Guo Huaiping stepped back and looked at Ma Su.
"Your Majesty is here, is he here to kill me?"
Ma Su smiled and shook his head: "No."
"Then you are here to persuade me to surrender." Guo Huai looked particularly determined.
Ma Su shook his head again: "No."
What is that for?
Guo Huai frowned and looked at Ma Su doubtfully.
Apart from persuading surrender and assassination, he didn't think Ma Su could have anything else to do with him.