Chapter two hundred and forty-ninth mutual understanding
"What you have to worry about now is not whether you can win the battle, but the next step after occupying Jinzhou. Although Menghu is fierce, he is now a skinny tiger. It will be easy to win and destroy him. What you should worry about now is
, among the thousands of miles of beautiful rivers and mountains in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which piece should we grab first?"
Liu Ling asked with a smile.
His words also aroused everyone's confidence and interest. Zhao Er asked his soldiers to place some torches around a few people, making the area as bright as daylight. Moreover, they could also keep warm by the light of the fire. The weather in the north at the end of October was already bad.
It was getting cold, and the temperature difference between day and night was very big. I also asked the soldiers to take the map and spread it on the ground. A few people didn't mind getting dirty and sat on the ground in a circle.
Zhao Ba vigorously clicked on the map and said: "In my opinion, if you want to fight, hit the Huaizhou and Zhengzhou lines, and then go straight to Kaifeng! Although Chai Rong is a tiger, that was before, and now he is in Kaifeng
No one is willing to listen to the emperor's orders unless he travels 500 miles. Although there are many Kaifeng defenders, most of them are forbidden troops who have never fought before, which is not a cause for concern. It is not a big deal for our 50,000 soldiers to defeat a sick tiger and destroy the Southern Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop.
impossible!"
Zhao Ba's view was very simple. He believed that as long as Chai Rong was killed, Zhou would be destroyed.
Wang Banjin is old and has enough prestige. He has been leading the Shenzhan Camp. He knows Zhao Ba well and knows this subordinate better than anyone else.
"Courage leads to courage. After all, you are still a fool!"
Wang Banjin rolled his eyes at Zhao Ba and said.
Zhao Ba scratched his hair and smiled and asked, "What did I say wrong again?"
Liu Ling knew that Zhao Ba was straight-tempered and lacked tact, but he was brave in battle and took the lead. He was a fierce Zhang Fei-like character. But the fierce Zhang Fei also outsmarted Yan Yan. Zhao Ba indeed had few bright spots in terms of wisdom.
.
He explained with a smile: "We can't open Feng's idea so early. Chai Rong is not dead yet, and he is still the emperor of Zhou Dynasty. Although he is too sick to get out of bed, most important affairs in the court are controlled by Pei Yan, the Huangmen servant.
The book is in the hands of Xu Zhonghe. But no matter what, when it comes to the generals of the Twelve Guards and the local powerful people who dare to stand on their own, aren't they afraid of causing the public outrage of the entire Zhou Kingdom? It's the same for us, if
If we directly send troops to Kaifeng, even if we successfully capture Huaizhou and Zhengzhou along the way, if our troops are directed towards Kaifeng, we will probably attract all the princes of the Zhou Kingdom to fight against us."
"As long as Chai Rong is alive for one day, the emperor of Zhou Dynasty will still be a big flag. If this flag does not fall, the people below will not dare to rebel no matter what. Once we kill or capture Chai Rong, even if it is just to surround him with soldiers,
If we go to Kaifeng, those generals from the Great Zhou Dynasty who are waiting for the opportunity to take over Kaifeng will immediately swarm in!"
Zhao Ba thought for a moment and realized that this was really the case.
"Forget it then. Although we are not afraid of them, it is really uncomfortable to be bitten by a group of vicious dogs. Why not go and beat the dogs first, kill every one you see, and then eat the dog meat!"
His words were very crude, but they revealed the secret behind them.
Wang Banjin nodded and said with a smile: "I finally got the idea."
Zhao Ba was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he said before he understood.
Liu Ling said with a smile: "Contempt the enemy strategically and attach importance to the enemy tactically. This is what a great man said. You must remember it."
Zhao Er thought for a while and said: "From the subordinates' point of view, it is better for us to leave Jinzhou and go west to attack Cizhou, Yanzhou and Danzhou. There are no famous generals guarding this line, and there are no soldiers who are good at fighting. There are many defenders in the city.
They are county soldiers with little combat experience. Since Xixia occupied the four northwest continents of Zhou State, all Zhou army soldiers have retreated to the east of Jinzhou. There is not even a court army with a strength of more than 10,000 people within thousands of miles to the west of Zhou Dynasty.
, and there are frequent riots in this area, and the rebels are separatist, it should be easiest for us to take this place, and if we take thousands of miles of territory, our territory will increase several times!"
Liu Ling nodded without comment.
Hua Ling thought for a while and said: "My subordinates believe that although the land in the northwest of the Great Zhou Dynasty is easier to acquire, and the territory of thousands of miles is indeed attractive, it has been war-torn, whether it is the land occupied by Xixia in the northwest, or the land in the southwest from the south
The four states captured by Shu were all conquered for many years, and the people were mostly in wasteland. The thieves were rampant, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands. These forces did not care whether the outsiders were members of the imperial court.
They are still our men. As soon as they enter their territory, they will turn into wild dogs protecting their food. Even if they cannot win, they will bite here and there. Even if they occupy it, suppressing the bandits will be a big trouble.
.From the perspective of my subordinates, it is better to take the Jiangzhou front line."
He stretched out his hand and pointed on the map and said: "If we take Jiangzhou and go south to attack Jiezhou, we can form an offensive against Luoyang, the Xijing of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Luoyang is the Xijing of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It has been in business for more than ten years and has not experienced war.
It is very rich, and the terrain here is flat, which is very suitable for our cavalry to fight. The only difficulty is that the city wall of Luoyang is tall. According to the intelligence, Luoyang has 20,000 defenders, and we only have 50,000 soldiers. It is difficult to fight a tough battle. "
Liu Ling hummed and asked Wang Banjin, "What do Marquis Zhongyi think?"
Wang Banjin thought for a while and said: "I think what General Zhao and General Hua said is feasible. If we go west, although there are many rebels, it is still a good opportunity to increase troops on the spot. These rebels are not very effective in combat.
, but there are a lot of people. As long as we pick up a few arrogant ones and cripple them, we can estimate that we can expand to hundreds of thousands of horses. Although these people are not strong in combat, they can still show their appearance. As long as they are beaten hard, they will also
We no longer have the courage to rebel. Let them guard the state capitals for us and save us the trouble of dividing our troops to defend the city."
"And the people here have suffered from wars all year round, and I'm afraid they have little respect for the Zhou Dynasty. As long as the farming method is carried out on this large area of land, in less than a year the people will see good days, and who will care about it?
Are the officials Han Chinese or Zhou people? As for those who rebel, give them one and a half official positions, let them change from bandits to officials, and then they can live a peaceful life, and their hearts will settle down."
"If we follow General Hua's wishes to attack Xijing Luoyang, this strategy is also very good. Luoyang's influence on the Great Zhou Dynasty is second only to Kaifeng, and although this place is important, its defensive strength is much weaker than that of Kaifeng, Tokyo. Although there are
There are 20,000 soldiers, and the city is tall, but once it is breached, it will be of great significance. We captured the two capitals of the Eastern and Western Capitals of the Great Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop. This can be said to be the greatest victory in the history of our Han Dynasty."
"Besides, there are countless grains in Luoyang warehouse in Xijing. If we take it here, the supply of grain and grass will no longer be a concern. By then, if we raise tens of thousands more recruits from the country, we will be able to create a good situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Just
You need to persist for one year, and by then you will be able to raise 200,000 lions!"
Liu Ling smiled and said: "You have told me all the benefits, you old fox!"
Wang Banjin smiled and said, "Except for what idiot Zhao Ba said about Kaifeng, what General Zhao and General Hua said are all reasonable."
"Your Majesty?"
Zhao Ba tentatively wanted to ask where Liu Ling meant to attack first. Liu Ling waved his hand to signal Zhao Ba not to rush, but asked: "Now tell me, what are the disadvantages of attacking these places?"
What was an advantage just now is now a disadvantage.
Zhao Er thought for a while and said: "Although the northwest is vast, it is barren and chaotic. Once it is successfully occupied, it will take at least one year and as many as three to five years to stabilize it. With our military strength, we will be unable to stabilize the northwest after occupying it.
Let’s look at other places.”
Hua Ling said: "It's almost the same as occupying Luoyang. Even if you capture it, it will be very expensive. If you want to raise new soldiers, you won't be able to fight far in a year or two. Moreover, Luoyang has a special status. If you don't do it, there will be countless hungry wolves.
It’s unclear whether we can still contain them with our military strength after repeated battles.”
Wang Banjin said: "If we attack the northwest, the front is too long, and the supply of food and grass will be a problem. And there are so many rebels, and suppressing the bandits will consume a lot of energy. If we take Luoyang, the casualties will be huge, needless to say, it is far away from the territory of the Han Dynasty.
It’s so far away that once it’s surrounded, it becomes an ancient city, which is difficult.”
"There is a saying that the lesser of two evils is the lesser of two evils. Now that we have two delicacies in front of us, we have to decide which one is easier to swallow without choking."
Zhao Ba concluded with a rare and elegant sentence.
Liu Ling laughed and said: "That's what it means. Let's sit down and discuss it. In this moment, the pros and cons will come out. Where to fight is good and where to fight is not good. It's obvious. No matter what, Jinzhou must be taken.
. Let’s go here today, just to give you a sense of certainty, and we can wait until we get to Jinzhou to make a final decision.”
He stretched and pointed to the vaguely visible Ganniu Mountain in the distance: "I remember that place is called Ganniu Mountain?"
Everyone nodded, wondering what Liu Ling thought of again.
Liu Ling said with a smile: "I remember the last time I fought Ouyang Zhuan, I fought two unnamed beasts there. I grilled them and ate them. They tasted delicious. I still have endless aftertaste when I think about it. It doesn't matter if I take a day off in Zhuma County tomorrow.
Well, let’s go take a look again?”
Everyone laughed, and Wang Banjin said: "Last time we divided the troops with the prince, the prince led the cavalry and his subordinates led the infantry. The subordinates have never tasted this delicious food. Since the prince said it, I must go tomorrow."
Zhao Er said: "It's a pity that last time I only snatched one hind leg to gnaw, and even the bones and few pieces of meat were eaten by Hua Ling. My subordinates will go there tomorrow!"
Hua Ling said: "Whatever nonsense you said, it was obviously eaten by the king..."
He held back a few words.
Liu Ling laughed loudly and said: "I will fight you tomorrow and I will pay you back as soon as possible."
Everyone stood up laughing, and Liu Ling led the people back to the camp. They were talking and laughing along the way. Everyone saw that the loneliness in the prince's eyes had faded a bit, and they were all happy in their hearts. Everyone was looking forward to the early arrival of the war. Then
When the prince gets busy, the sadness in his heart may fade away. Now I heard that the prince took the initiative to mention that he wanted to go hunting, which was not common in the past. Naturally, several people were unwilling to take away the nature of the prince. They agreed to go early tomorrow morning.
After hunting game in Gunniu Mountain, everyone went back to rest.
Liu Ling looked at the backs of several people who had dispersed. As their backs gradually disappeared, the relaxation in his eyes gradually faded away. When he looked again, they were still desolate. (To be continued)
