023 This side, looking forward to a thousand years
Ma Di cleared his throat and said with a smile: "There is a joke among the people in central Sichuan: it is said that Cao Rui, the lord of Wei, and four ministers who took care of life were on a boat trip. When the boat was in the middle of the river, it suddenly began to leak and sink."
"The situation is extremely critical. At this time, someone must be willing to sacrifice themselves and jump off the boat to save Cao Rui from drowning."
"At this time, you, Cao Zhen, stood up bravely, shouted, 'For the Cao family's hegemony...', and then jumped out."
"The ship's descent was temporarily suspended, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all praised you as a good general of the Cao family and a loyal minister of Wei!"
"But after a while, more water leaked and the downward trend accelerated again. One more person had to jump out to reduce the weight of the ship."
"So, Cao Xiu had no choice but to shout, 'For the sake of the people of the world...' and jumped out. The sinking of the ship was temporarily suspended."
"However, after a while, it failed, and the ship continued to sink. Chen Qun hesitated for a while, shouted, 'For the sake of loyalty and integrity...' and jumped in."
"The big ship didn't stabilize for long, and soon it started to draw water again. At this time, there were only two people left on the ship, Cao Rui and Sima Yi."
"Sima Yi stood up and shouted righteously, "For the great Wei Dynasty!"
"With that said, he threw Cao Rui out."
"Hahaha……"
As soon as Fang finished speaking, Ma Su laughed loudly and turned back to the top of the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, in the Chencang Road, tens of thousands of Wei soldiers looked at each other, tens of thousands of them were confused, and they had no idea what the point of this joke was.
Cao Zhen froze on the spot and remained silent for a long time.
…
Three days passed in a flash.
In the afternoon of that day, a gray-headed and gray-faced Wei soldier ran over from the south, rushed into Cao Zhen's camp, and reported in a panic: "Big... big... great governor, Zhuge Liang personally led an army of 150,000 to kill him." Come on, Young Master Cao Shuang was defeated and retreated into the narrow road with his remaining army and left!"
"What?!!"
Cao Zhen was shocked. After repeated confirmations, he still found it difficult to accept the fact that Cao Shuang had abandoned his father.
In other words, now he and his 70,000-strong army are blocked in Chencang Road, unable to advance or retreat.
Such a situation made Cao Zhen shocked and angry, and he couldn't get angry at all.
Those are 30,000 elite soldiers and horses, not 30,000 pigs!
As long as these 30,000 soldiers and horses guard the pass and hold on to the position, let alone Zhuge Liang's 150,000 soldiers, even if there are 1.5 million people, there is no way they can come over!
How was this battle fought?
Cao Zhen didn't understand and couldn't understand.
After the informant soldier continued to explain intermittently, he soon learned the details of the battle.
Three days ago, Zhuge Liang personally led his army to the north from Hanzhong, intending to flank the Wei army. When he reached the narrow entrance, he ran head-on into Cao Shuang's 30,000-strong army.
Cao Shuang originally planned to defend the main road.
He did the same thing on the first and second days.
Despite the Shu generals' various challenges and insults, and greetings to the eighteen generations of Cao family's ancestors, Cao Shuang resisted the urge to lead his army to attack under Du Xi's persuasion.
Du Xi said: "It is normal for the two armies to greet their ancestors before the formation."
"The ancestors of the Cao family have all been laid to rest, and we can't hear them."
Cao Shuang thought so. Anyway, the Shu general did not scold him personally, so he could bear it.
But unexpectedly, on the third day, Shu general Wang Ping (originally a Wei general) hung a woman's clothing on his weapon and humiliated Cao Shuang in front of the two armies, calling him a "woman", a "coward" and "a disgrace to the Cao family". ", "The coward grandson of Emperor Wu of Wei".
Cao Shuang lost control on the spot and shouted, "The traitor who betrayed my master has insulted me too much!" With red eyes, he raised his troops and rushed out.
Then he was beaten to a pulp by Zhuge Liang and fled in despair.
The narrow pass was also controlled by Zhuge Liang.
Cao Shuang's defeat caused loopholes in the Wei army's originally tight defensive formation, and Zhuge Liang made dumplings on the spot.
This is the first time Cao Zhen has encountered such a dilemma in his decades of military career.
After hearing the news, the military commanders from each battalion hurriedly gathered from various places and gathered in the tent, looking anxious.
Cao Zhen looked up to the sky and sighed, silently.
After a while, Cao Zhen asked: "How is the situation of the soldiers in each battalion now?"
A general came out in response and replied: "The situation is not good. Each battalion heard that the army was trapped and the soldiers were in a commotion. The last general has assigned personal guards to patrol around to comfort the soldiers and ensure that their emotions are stable."
The speaker is tall and has a big head, long arms and broad shoulders, a curly beard and broad face, and a majestic appearance. He is from Longxi, Wang Shuang, the general of the town army, has courage that no man can match.
Wang Shuang is one of the most famous generals in the Wei army who is good at fighting and has always been brave in battles. Cao Zhen was very pleased with his bravery, so when he sent out troops this time, he specially ordered him to accompany the army, supervise the generals, and be specifically responsible for all non-military movements of the generals in each battalion.
Cao Zhen stared at Wang Shuang and nodded: "Zi Quan, do you have any clever strategies to resist the enemy?"
Seeing that Cao Zhen spoke in a calm and peaceful tone, with no hint of panic in it, the generals in the camp gradually calmed down.
But Wang Shuang was keenly aware that there was a faint sweat on the governor's forehead, and he immediately raised his hands and said: "The Shu army has occupied the exit of the narrow passage, and our army is like a trapped beast. We cannot stay here for long. If we don't have a good general to cut off the rear,
Block the Shu soldiers coming from the south, then disperse the army into several groups, cross the mountains and ridges and return to Guanzhong, and then make a long-term plan."
"The last general is incompetent, but I am willing to lead an army of five thousand to cut off the rear!"
"Zi Quan!" Cao Zhen patted Wang Shuang's shoulder heavily and was deeply moved. He turned his head, looked around at the generals, and ordered:
"Generals of all ministries, quickly divide your troops and find a way out!"
…
How spectacular is the scene of tens of thousands of troops crossing mountains and ridges? Ma Su didn't know before.
Now he knows.
He watched helplessly as the Wei army climbed up the mountain and crossed the ridge in groups like ants, but he was helpless.
Because Wei Bing did not escape from the mountain where he was guarding, but chose to escape from the mountain on the opposite side of the mountain road.
There is no other way.
Ma Su lay on the mountain, beat his chest and stamped his feet, shouting that it was a pity, and at the same time secretly praised Cao Zhen for his decisiveness.
Seeing that the situation was critical, we immediately retreated without any hesitation.
I have to say that Cao Zhen is wise.
On the battlefield, when one party is made a dumpling by the other, the nature of the war changes.
From a close match to a one-sided fight.
Tens of thousands of Wei troops moved swiftly and escaped in just one afternoon.
Wang Shuang did not stay on the mountain road for long. He rushed over the mountains with a small group of guards before Zhuge Liang's army arrived, leaving most of the five thousand Wei soldiers in place.
He became a prisoner of the Shu army.
It wasn't until he saw Zhuge Liang's big flag and wooden chariot from a distance that Ma Di calmed down after being hung up for a few days, and then led the crowd to stand on the road to greet him.
The wooden cart drove slowly along the mountain road.
Ma Su didn't wait for the car to stop, so he rushed over, bowed and said, "Ma Su, the guilty general, please see the Prime Minister."
Zhuge Liang said "hmm" expressionlessly, looked around at the people who participated in the surprise attack one by one, with admiration in his eyes, and then ordered the army to set up camp, light a fire to cook, and reward the soldiers of the three armies.
Those who have merit must be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes must be punished; credit should be calculated first, and blame should be asked later.
This is the rule set by Zhuge Liang.
No one is exempt, including the Prime Minister himself.
So when Ma Su saw the Prime Minister's face, he knew that his "unauthorized surprise attack" incident was not over yet.
Zhuge Liang would never allow an uncontrolled alien to appear in the Shu Han army and make trouble from time to time.
We have to play the emotional card before the prime minister can hold him accountable...
With this in mind, Ma Di took advantage of the darkness and entered Zhuge Liang's handsome tent.
In the camp, the dim oil lamp flickered. Zhuge Liang was at his desk reviewing military aircraft.
Seeing the candlelight in front of him flickering violently, Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, straightened up from his duties, and said lightly:
"Youchang, you're here."
Ma Su was startled and paused: "You knew I would come?"
Zhuge Liang slowly turned his head and looked over: "I know a thing or two."
Ma Su stood at the door, hesitating in his steps: "It seems I shouldn't come."
Zhuge Liang smiled slightly: "But you are still here."
"..."
Facing Zhuge Liang's wise eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, Ma Di was instantly frightened, half-kneeling in the tunnel and said: "Prime Minister, I was wrong, I..."
Zhuge Liang smiled and waved his hand: "Get up quickly, you did a good job."
Ma Su stood up slowly and asked the question that had been hidden in his heart for more than a month: "Prime Minister, during the battle of Jieting, the general asked you for help, why didn't you come?"
It is said that at that time, as long as Zhuge Liang was willing to lead his army to Jieting, Zhang He would be disabled or disabled.
Longxi will decide on its own without fighting.
Then he sent his troops back to save Hanzhong.
Great things are done!
Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang wanted stability and quickly withdrew his army when he heard that Cao Zhen was coming to attack.
Zhuge Liang shook the folding fan in his hand and said with a smile: "Youchang, if you ask me for help, it means you believe in my ability."
"If I didn't help you."
"It shows that I believe in your ability!"
Hearing this, Ma Su suddenly froze.
Oops, it feels like myocardial infarction!
Prime Minister, he...he...he is indeed the most eloquent person in this era, and his ability to organize and express language is too strong.
Just one sentence made me feel a little carried away.
Wang Lang’s death was not unjust!
No, Wang Lang is not dead yet.
Ma Su stepped forward, held Zhuge Liang's big hand tightly, his eyes instantly moistened, and he choked with sobs: "Prime Minister, I have been thinking about you day and night, I finally see you alive!"
"No...no, he finally came back alive to see you!"
"..."
The chat continues.
Since it was the first time he saw Zhuge Liang in person, Ma Su was particularly excited. He kept asking questions throughout the whole process.
Zhuge Liang patiently answered each question one by one and his attitude was extremely kind.
Soon, Ma Su asked the question "Why the Northern Expedition?"
Under the dim oil lamp.
The two men met each other's eyes and cherished each other.
Zhuge Liang stared at Ma Su who was gradually calming down, secretly broke away his hands with force, and said in a deep voice:
"You Chang, do you know that the undercurrents of the Shu Han Dynasty today are surging and crises are everywhere. If I don't make the Northern Expedition, it won't be long before Central Sichuan will be in chaos without a war!"
Ma Su nodded and found a wooden pier to sit down on.
He understood what Zhuge Liang meant.
The Northern Expedition may not be successful in helping the Han Dynasty, but Zhuge Liang's pure faith is enough to infect everyone who is close to him, and transfer the conflicts within the Shu Han Dynasty, so that everyone can work together to create huge cohesion for the same goal (the Northern Expedition)
) and work hard.
Perhaps the true belief is this: "In his Northern Expedition, he did not strive for fame, honor, disgrace, or prosperity, but only wanted to have a clear conscience. In order to fulfill the late emperor's last wish to help the Han Dynasty, he was willing to use his heart, his life, and his
