Chapter 258 He Hong: It's too hard to be an undercover agent
Chapter 258 He Hong: It’s too difficult to be an undercover agent
Ma Su glanced at He Hong, smiled and asked: "Why can a general have such high opinions?"
He Hong was stunned and said with some embarrassment: "The prefect is making fun of the general. The general is a warrior. Although he knows a few words, he has absolutely no idea of strategy."
Ma Di walked up to him with his hands behind his back and said: "I heard that there was a general in Jiangdong named Lü Meng. He didn't know a few words at first and didn't like to study. Later, after being persuaded several times, Lü Meng started to study hard.
A few years later, he was reborn and became the commander-in-chief of the three armies. He also planned a perfect backstab plan to capture Jingzhou and kill the famous general Guan Yu."
"Do you know how Lu Meng stabbed Guan Yu in the back, and how many strategies he used in the whole process?"
"I know... I know." He Hong lowered his head in embarrassment and murmured in his heart: Could it be that the prefect has noticed that I have evil intentions? It seems that I have to deal with it carefully.
The result of the Battle of Shu, Wu and Jingzhou was one-sided. Guan Yu, who was so powerful in China, had no power to fight back during the whole process. He was like an unarmed child being beaten by Lu Meng, a giant with a sharp blade.
As if overnight, the battle situation took a turn for the worse, and Guan Yu was quickly defeated and killed.
But the actual process is not like this.
Since the death of Lu Su, an important promoter of the Wu-Shu Alliance in the 22nd year of Jian'an (217), the relationship between Sun and Liu has faced the crisis of rupture - because Liu Bei was forced to cede three counties before. With Liu Bei's victory in the Battle of Hanzhong
, its territorial power expanded rapidly, even surpassing the state of Wu.
At this time, Sun Quan was still sober. In order to prevent Liu Bei from turning around to settle accounts with him and recapture the three counties, Sun Quan offered to marry Guan Yu, hoping to marry Guan Yu's daughter for his son Sun Deng. If this was accomplished, Guan Yu's daughter would
It is possible to become the queen of Soochow, and the Guan family will also have the dual identity of important officials of Shu Han and relatives of Soochow, becoming the link between the two countries.
Sun Quan's move was, firstly, to drive a wedge between Liu Bei and Guan Yu, and secondly, to test the attitude of Shu's monarchs and ministers towards Wu, and to use this to judge whether Liu Bei would take action against Soochow next.
However, Guan Yu didn't know whether he only saw through the first layer but not the second layer, or he was arrogant and arrogant. He flatly refused Sun Quan's marriage request and spoke rudely. This not only made Sun Quan lose face, but also made Sun Quan conscious.
If we don't strike first, sooner or later there will be a battle between Shu and Wu.
There has been an irreparable rift in the relationship between the two countries.
Therefore, Lu Su's successor Lu Meng proposed to Sun Quan a complete plan to attack Jingzhou, and through a series of tactical means such as diplomatic confusion, secret alliance with Cao Cao, crossing the river in white clothes, buying people's hearts, and being surrounded on all sides, he finally completely defeated Guan Yu's counterattack.
, captured Jingzhou.
In August, Guan Yu still had great ambitions, soaring thousands of miles, and flooded the Seventh Army, which shocked China. In October, Lu Meng announced that he had surrendered Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, and successfully captured Jiangling and Nanjun.
How could the arrogant Guan Yu endure this tone? He immediately gave up the idea of defecting to Shangyong County to keep his useful life, and urged his army to go south, hoping to retake Jiangling.
However, the Wu army advanced too fast and did not give Guan Yu any chance. In November, while Lu Meng was pacifying Nanjun, Sun Quan sent the Shu Han surrender general Pan Jun to lead his troops to attack Wuling County. He defeated and beheaded Wuling's leader Fan Min, and pacified the county.
Wuling County, then moved to Lingling County, defeated and killed Xizhen, the northern captain of Lingling County; at the same time, Lu Xun also defeated Fan You, the prefect of Yidu, captured Zigui, Zhijiang, and Yidao, controlled the Three Gorges Passage, and pinched
Blocking Guan Yu's way back to Yizhou along the river also blocked Liu Bei's possibility of aiding Guan Yu from the east.
Although the Shu Han still had considerable strength in the Zigui area at this time, and local generals and local tycoons Zhan Yan, Chen Feng, Wen Bu, Deng Kai and others also fought desperately to resist, they were not the main force after all and had limited combat effectiveness, so they were all easily defeated by Lu Xun.
Deng Fu, the governor of Fangling, and Guo Mu, the governor of Nanxiang, and others of the Shu Han Dynasty led their troops from Fangling across Shennongjia to the south in an attempt to open up the Three Gorges passage, but they were all defeated by Lu Xun.
In just one month, tens of thousands of Shu Han troops were killed and captured by Lu Xun.
At this time, Guan Yu still had two choices. One was to retreat to Shangyong with a heavy army, and the other was to continue to urge the army south and take advantage of the lack of popular support to fight Lu Meng decisively.
Guan Yu chose two.
However, after entering the city, Lu Meng quickly won over the hearts and minds of the wealthy families and ordinary people, cutting off Guan Yu's first comeback. At the same time, he did not harm the family members of Guan Yu's soldiers, which destroyed the fighting spirit of the Shu army.
This was not the end. Lu Meng imitated Han Xin's strategy of "besieged on all sides" and had people singing songs of humiliation against the Shu army outside the city, vigorously publicizing that the Wu army had done nothing wrong to the soldiers' families.
Guan Yu's soldiers were suddenly demoralized and fled one after another, with 70% to 80% of them escaping overnight.
In the end, Guan Yu only had a dozen cavalry left, and he was defeated in Maicheng. He tried to escape back to Shu over the mountains, but he was chased and intercepted by the Soochow army. In December, Guan Yu was captured and killed.
Putting aside his personal position and emotions, Lu Meng's sneak attack on Jingzhou can be called a wonderful military operation.
From the beginning to the end, Lu Meng and Lu Xun planned and implemented this series of wars from a high-level perspective. The processes were interlocking and they were one step ahead, leaving no opportunity for Liu Bei or even Guan Yu to fight back.
Even until his death, Guan Yu never figured out how he, who had tens of thousands of elite troops, was defeated.
The death of Guan Yu meant that the Shu Han had completely withdrawn from Jingzhou, and it meant that Zhuge Liang's strategy of Long Zhongdu was bankrupt, and he was trapped in Yizhou. If he wanted to conquer Wei, he could only go out of Sichuan and Expedition to the North.
Ma Su took back his thoughts and looked at He Hong.
He Hong thought for a while and replied truthfully: "Lü Meng used a total of five strategies in the process of capturing Jingzhou. They were the Luo Yu strategy, crossing the river in white clothes, attacking people's hearts and asking for surrender, buying the people's hearts, and being surrounded on all sides."
Ma Su nodded. The first tactic he used in his attack on Jiaozhou was to "confuse the enemy." At first, he disguised himself as a bandit to lower the vigilance of Guiping prefect and even Jiaozhou governor Lu Dai, making them think that this was just a bandit.
It's just a small group of bandits making trouble, and they can be sent away by raising their hands.
However, in fact, Ma Di was not a bandit with no fighting power, but a man-eating tiger.
This kind of information misalignment is the key to winning consecutive battles.
Even after taking control of Yulin County, Ma Di still claimed that he was a descendant of Shi Xie, and continued to use the "tactic of confusing the enemy" to paralyze Sun Quan, pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger.
Next, he planned to use the four strategies of "crossing the river in white clothes, attacking people's hearts and asking for surrender, winning the hearts of the people, and being besieged on all sides" in order to return all the harm the Shu Han suffered thirteen years ago to Sun Quan.
Ma Su looked around at the crowd and ordered: "Sir, I order you to lead 800 men and horses to surprise Hepu in Guangzhou and cut off the Wu army's return route. Remember, you must go quickly and it takes two days to travel in one day."
"Yang Baiwan, I order you to lead two hundred soldiers and lurk on both sides of the mountains and forests along the main road from Jiaosha to Guiping. Shoot Lu Dai, Dai Liang, Xue Zong, and Chen Shi."
"Shisheng, I order you to lead a thousand men and horses, known as two thousand, to pretend to save the enemy from the main road, then turn back halfway and join me in a flanking attack on the Wu army."
"He Hong, I order you to immediately deliver the news to Lu Dai, saying that there are only 300 troops in Guiping City."
"The rest of the generals, follow me and sit in the city and wait for the enemy!"
The generals suddenly accepted the order and fled in all directions.
He Hong was left alone in the hall by Ma Su, accompanied by Lu Kai.
He said with a confused look on his face: "Sir, the general does not know Lu Dai and cannot contact him."
"No, you can do it." Ma Su looked at He Hong meaningfully, "I think you have been following the Lu family for a long time and have made many achievements. When you come to attend the meeting, I have ordered someone to vacate a big house for you.
A whole family of more than 30 people, including children and adults, stayed here.”
He Hong's expression suddenly changed, and he knelt down with a bang: "My lord, the last general has no intention of betrayal. It's all Cheng Hu and Lu Gou who have seduced and instigated..."
"Don't panic, general. I didn't say that you rebelled and surrendered to the enemy. As long as you handle this matter well and ignore the past, your family will be safe and sound."
After receiving Ma Su's assurance that he would not settle the scores, He Hong left with a scared look on his face.
Lu Kai held a pot of wine, poured a glass, and gave it to Ma Su with a smile.
"Brother-in-law, what a trick."
Oops, his political skills are too mature... Ma Di realized later that he had exposed another flaw. He immediately put his arms around his uncle's shoulders and laughed and said: "Brother, I have been wandering in the world for ten years, and I know a few things."
It’s very reasonable and logical to use imperial tactics, right?”
"Yes, yes!" Lu Kai chuckled: "Then how should we explain the deployment of troops as if they were hands on fingers and skillful with their hearts?"
"Brother-in-law, you were a bandit before. You have never led so many troops. How can you do it in a clear and orderly manner?"
Come on, there are so many flaws? Ma Su started brainstorming and quickly came up with an excuse.
"It has to be said that some people are born with superb military talents. For example, when Zhou Yu went to Red Cliff, it was the first time he led an army; Zhuge Liang had never led an army before he came out of his cottage."
Yes, it was indeed the first time Zhou Yu commanded troops in the Battle of Chibi, but he had been training troops in Poyang Lake for several years before, and had lived with tens of thousands of naval troops under his command day and night. He had already mastered the command and control of the entire army.
Before Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, he was very good at military tactics and strategies. As soon as he came out of the mountain, he first established military regulations and formulated laws so that every behavior of the soldiers could be followed by the law.
There are prerequisites for these two people to be proficient in taking charge of soldiers for the first time.
And you... Lu Kai looked straight at Ma Di and deliberately complained, "I have never seen a general who can lead the army so smoothly without legislating laws or establishing military power." After thinking about it, he suppressed this sentence.
.
Then he said: "My brother-in-law looks very much like the same person."
"Who?" Ma Su's heart skipped a beat.
"Ma Di, the general of Shu Han's expedition to the west!" Lu Kai said word by word.
"Ma Su, the general of Shu Han's expedition to the west? Brother, who is this? Among the Shu Han people, I only know one Zhuge Liang, oh, and Zhao Yun, but I have never heard of the others." Ma Su looked confused, as if he had never heard of this name.
This expression confused Lu Kai, who stared at him suspiciously: "Are you really not Ma Su?"
Ma Su still looked confused: "Brother hasn't told me yet, so who is Ma Su?"
Lu Kai was a little disappointed for a moment, waved his hand and said: "Forget it, you will know who Ma Su is sooner or later, alas..."
"Brother, why are you sighing?" Ma Su suddenly became curious.
Judging from what Lu Kai meant, he seemed disappointed that he was not Ma Su?
This is strange.
"Alas... What a pity, what a pity!" Lu Kai clasped his hands behind his back, raised his head to the sky, and sighed again.
Ma Su's curiosity was completely aroused and he asked: "What is the reason? Brother, you can tell me?"
Lu Kai glanced at him sideways: "I have another younger sister, who is seventeen years old and has a beautiful figure, no less beautiful than the third sister. She has been inseparable from the third sister since she was a child. They are deeply affectionate and admire Shu Han very much.
Ma Su, the general who conquered the West, once made up his mind not to marry anyone else. What Brother Yu thought was, if you were Ma Su, the two sisters could serve the same husband together and become a good story..."
"Brother, are you serious about what you said? Hey, what you said must not count!" Ma Su took a big step back, took his finger to Lu Kai, wiped his face, and said seriously: "That's right! I value both beauty and wisdom, hero and chivalry.
Incarnation... Chang Yuchun!"
After saying this, Lu Kai looked over with his hands behind his back, his mouth wide open, and his eyes showing disbelief.
Didn't you admit it?
No way.
According to how lustful my brother-in-law is, he can't be fooled?
Lu Kai didn't understand a little.
Ma Su smiled secretly, hiding his merit and fame.
As a person who has watched the scene of "Tang Bohu and Mrs. Hua's battle of wits and courage", how could he be tricked by Lu Kai!
Uncle, you are still too young, hahaha...
Lu Kai glanced at Ma Su angrily and snorted coldly: He meant to say, "Shuzi is disgusting."
In the end, he said: "I have something to do for my brother, so I'll leave first."
"..."
Ma Su looked at the empty lobby, his smile faded, and he sighed slightly.
In the morning, he confessed to Lu Meng that his real name was "Chang You", not "Shi San". Lu Meng's expression was so shocked that he could swallow a bundle of ham sausages alive, which made his scalp numb.
It was the same last time. When he changed from "Ma Liu" to "Shi San", Lu Meng lay on the bed and sobbed for half a night, not letting him be touched.
In the end, Ma Su tried his best and spent half the night to coax him.
This time I changed my name again, and I don’t know what kind of treatment I will receive when I return from this expedition.
Ma Su arranged all the affairs and ordered Zhang Xiu to keep an eye on He Hong and strictly guard the city. Then he returned to the inner courtyard with a slight uneasiness.
If Lu Meng was just an ordinary beautiful woman, then Ma Su wouldn't have to be so careful. Just let her be angry when she was angry, and she would be fine in a few days.
But Lu Meng also has another role. She is an important link between Ma Su and the Lu family to reach a strategic partnership.
Therefore, before taking Jiaozhou or even Jingzhou, Ma Su must position himself so that Lu Meng is on top.
Just like Sun Shangxiang's treatment after marrying Liu Bei, she was superior.
…
Yulin County, southwest border.
When the three thousand Wu troops were about to enter Jiaoshi County, they suddenly turned and marched northeastward.
As we drove quickly, we didn't see a single pedestrian on the road.
When they reached the foot of a mountain with lush vegetation, Lu Dai's brows became more and more serious. However, Dai Liang, Xue Zong, and Chen Shi were not aware of it and just kept their heads on their way.
Lu Dai raised his hand to stop the army, looked around the three of them, and said, "Everyone, have you noticed anything wrong?"
The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads. Dai Liang wondered: "Your Majesty, I haven't found anything wrong. This place is still more than two hundred miles away from Guiping. The scouts reported that two thousand bandit troops had left two days ago."
At this time, the city of Guiping is extremely empty, and our army has arrived and can be launched with just one drum."
Xue Zong and Chen Shi nodded in agreement: "According to the news from He Hong, the leader of the thieves sent another 800 troops to attack Hepu two days ago. At this moment, there are only 300 troops in Guiping City."
Lu Dai shook his head.
He looked at the three of them solemnly and said seriously: "I think Shi San is very knowledgeable in the art of war. He can always predict the enemy's advance, especially in order to gain advantage. Don't be careless in this trip."
After a pause, Lu Dai took a long breath and said solemnly: "I suspect that Shi San is not this person's real name."
This news was so shocking that the three of them were silent for a while.
After a long time, Xue Zong said, "If this person is not Shi San, Shi Xie's son, who could he be?"
"It can't be Ma Su, the general of Shu Han's expedition to the west, right?"
Xue Zong did not cover things randomly.
Looking at the world, there are only four people who are good at fighting today, namely Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Lu Xun, and Ma Su. And there is only one person who is good at using cunning tactics to defeat more with less, Ma Su.
In terms of age, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi are both in their fifties, and their age does not match the title of "Shisan".
Therefore, if there is a problem with Sergeant Three in Guiping City, it must be Ma Su.
This is a possibility that Xue Zong speculated based on the known information.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was stunned.
"Hahaha..." Chen Shi suddenly laughed, then asked:
"Brother Xue is worrying too much! How could Ma Su appear here when he is far away in Sichuan? Besides, the soldiers in Guiping City, except for the soldiers of the Lu family, are all a ragtag group. If this person is Ma Su, why don't we see a Shu soldier?"
"Throughout ancient times and modern times, no general has ever accomplished anything by going deep into the heart of another country single-handedly."
Everyone thought so, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s better if it’s not Ma Su.
Frankly speaking, if the enemy he faced was Ma Su, Lu Dai would even turn around and return to the army immediately, waiting for the large army to arrive before attacking Guiping.
Instead of carrying three thousand soldiers and horses to attack now.
The shadow of the famous tree, Ma Di's illustrious reputation in dozens of battles before, no one dares to look down upon him.
Although the possibility that Shi San was Ma Su was very small, Lu Dai was still a little worried. He took out the map of the area around Yulin and looked at it carefully.
He was not worried at all about eight hundred thieves attacking Hepu.
The city of Hepu County is high and deep, and there are hundreds of soldiers from the county. How can the bandits succeed without siege equipment?
What Lu Dai was worried about was that the quietness on this road was unusual. This road was one of the two main roads to Jiaoshi County, and there were usually many merchants traveling there.
There was no pedestrian on the road, so there was only one possibility, and that was that Guiping was closed.
And the closure of the city... means that the bandits are already on guard.
If you had been prepared, you would have taken some countermeasures.
What will be the countermeasures?
Thinking of this, Lu Dai suddenly shouted: "Come here, climb up this mountain quickly and check if there is any ambush!"
Immediately, a general responded and led a group of soldiers around the mountain.
Mountain.
Yang Baiwan stared at Lu Dai and others three hundred steps down the mountain. When he saw soldiers preparing to search the mountain, he angrily patted the tree trunk. He gritted his molars and said, "Withdraw troops."
