Sima Ju was hoisted into the city by a hanging basket with some complicated emotions.
Last year, he and Xu He separated Qingzhou and occupied the county seat. Now they have been forced to surrender in front of the local emperor. Instead, he has to work as a lobbyist for the government and army to persuade Xu He to surrender.
Things in the world are unpredictable and fate plays tricks on people.
Xu He was already waiting for him on the city tower. When he saw him and the lobbyists coming up, his expression was unclear whether it was the joy of meeting old friends again or the anger of facing the officers and soldiers.
Anyway, with a stiff expression, he said with the same complicated mood: "Sima Ju, you surrendered the army, why are you here with me?"
Sima Ju was slightly embarrassed. Xu Shuo, the lobbyist beside him, smiled and said: "General Sima and General Xu have been old friends for many years. Now that our old friend comes to visit, wouldn't General Xu welcome him?"
"snort."
Xu He rolled up his sleeves with a cold face and walked towards the tower.
Sima Ju was slightly stunned, because the two of them had a friendship before and were equals in the Yellow Turban Army. Now that he has surrendered to the army, what do you mean, Xu He, is showing off to me instead?
Fortunately, Xu Shuo observed his words and remembered his mission, so he whispered to Sima Ju: "General Sima, I still have envoys and governors to serve, so please be patient for now."
Sima Ju took a few deep breaths, barely suppressed his unhappiness, and followed Xu He into the tower.
Xu He sat down by himself, but Sima Ju was not polite to him. He sat opposite him and said straight to the point: "Xu He, you should know the purpose of my visit this time. Whether you surrender or not, I will tell you the truth."
talk."
"What if I don't surrender?"
Xu He also lost his temper and stared at him.
Some people may wonder, if the enemy comes to the city and launches a massive attack, knowing that they can't defeat it, wouldn't it be a bad idea to surrender?
But what if every ancient thought this way? Then there wouldn’t be so many city defenses and sieges.
There are many reasons for being unwilling to surrender? For example, in the Battle of Suiyang, was it because An Lushan was a rebel? Zhang Xun, who defended the city, was an officer.
How could the army surrender to the rebels?
So even at the last moment? Zhang Xun was determined not to surrender.
This is loyalty.
Later, the famous scholar Zang Hong rebelled against Yuan Shao because Yuan Shao prevented Zang Hong from rescuing his friend Zhang Chao.
Before Zhang Chao was finally killed by Cao Cao, he still firmly believed that Zang Hong would come to save him.
After Zang Hong heard about this incident, he was angry and anxious. He ran barefoot and cried. He was about to summon soldiers to attack Cao Cao, but was stopped by Yuan Shao.
It was precisely because of this incident that Zang Hong hated Yuan Shao to death, so he rebelled with the whole city? He held the city and defended it? In the end, he was besieged by Yuan Shao for a year. When the city was broken, not one of the seven or eight thousand people in the city surrendered, and he died generously.
This is righteousness.
The reason why Xu He didn't want to surrender had nothing to do with loyalty.
He was originally a peasant who was exploited by powerful landlords. It was the great sages who launched an uprising to save him, allowing him to stand up and make the decision and become the ruling class.
After he occupied the county seat, he killed powerful people, treated the people well, and gained the support of the people, and became the leader of the second county.
Therefore, if Xu He is not loyal to anyone, it is not because of righteousness.
He simply hopes that the people under his rule can live a good life? He hopes that he will no longer be bullied by the powerful like before? No longer become the ruled class? That's all.
Therefore, Sima Ju's trip to persuade him to surrender was destined to be fruitless.
Xu Shuo has always been eloquent. He was from Beihai. Because he was literate, he worked as an official in Guan Yu's army. After persuading Li Bo to surrender, he made great contributions and became the chief registrar.
But even though he was eloquent and told Xu He how bad his situation was now, and how the new governor treated the people well, Xu He refused to let go and refused to surrender.
At the end, Xu He was annoyed by what he said. He slapped the table and issued an order to evict the guests: "It's useless to talk more. I won't surrender. If you want to fight, then fight. You go, Sima Ju. If it weren't for me and you, we wouldn't surrender."
Even if we are old friends, I will definitely send you back with your heads."
Sima Ju and Xu Shuo looked at each other in confusion. Xu and Youyan refused to enter and refused to surrender no matter what. It seemed that this trip was in vain.
In desperation, the two had no choice but to leave and go back to report.
Liu Bei was commanding the army to build fortifications outside at this time. Only Chen Mu and Jushou were in the camp. After hearing the reply, Chen Mu nodded and said: "This is expected, please retreat."
After Sima Ju and Xu Shuo retreated, Ju Shou frowned and said, "Xu He is unwilling to surrender. It seems that the only way is to attack by force."
"Not really."
Chen Mu put down his book and said with a smile: "The spies from the Military Intelligence Department said that Xu He generously donated land to the people in Banyang County of Changguo. It can be seen that he is a kind-hearted person who cares about the people. If such a person can read some books and become an official
Being a county magistrate may be a good official, but being a rebel is his greatest weakness."
Jushou smiled and shook his head and said, "You won't try to influence the people again. Your Majesty will not allow it. Just give up on this idea."
"I promised my eldest brother that I won't take advantage of the people. Don't worry about that."
Chen Mu smiled.
Jushou said suspiciously: "Since you don't care about the people, why are you talking about Xu He's weaknesses?"
"Of course it has other uses."
"oh?"
Jushou was curious: "What's the use?"
Chen Mu said slyly: "Guess what?"
Jushou racked his brains, but he couldn't figure out Chen Mu's plan.
Although he is also a top strategist, he cannot keep up with Chen Mu's thinking on this point.
The reason is very simple, counselors are different from counselors, and their positioning is also different.
Some counselors are good at cunning schemes, such as Xun You, Jia Xu, Fazheng, Lu Xun, and Xu Shu.
Some counselors are good at planning, such as Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Xun Yu, Sima Yi, Ju Sue, and Tian Feng.
There are also some counselors who are good at psychology, such as Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and now Chen Mu is also added.
A counselor is not only as simple as making plans for marching and fighting, but also providing reference opinions to the lord according to the situation.
For example, before Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he was afraid of Yuan Shao's surprise attack on Xudu, so he hesitated. Guo Jia believed that Yuan Shao was indecisive and would not dare to come, so Cao Cao could go to Xuzhou with confidence and boldness.
So Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei, but Yuan Shao did not dare to act rashly, allowing Cao Cao to advance eastward smoothly and successfully capture Xuzhou.
Under Cao Cao, the three great counselors each performed their own duties. Xun Yu was the top strategist, Xun You was the top tactician, and Guo Jia was the top psychologist. They could not only guess the enemy's thoughts, but even predict Sun Ce's intentions.
Death can be described as a true natural genius.
Jushuo had the same abilities as Xunyu, and he was also a master of strategy. Including the matter of courting the emperor, Jushuo thought of it a year earlier than Xunyu, and advised Yuan Shao to hold the emperor hostage to order the princes. Unfortunately, Yuan Shao was short-sighted and did not listen to the advice.
Therefore, from his strategic perspective, if Xu He's human weaknesses cannot be used to make a fuss, the only way to attack Xu He is to besiege him, not to attack him forcefully.
This human weakness naturally refers to Xu He's love for the people.
But Liu Bei was benevolent and did not allow Chen Mu to do this.
Therefore, Jushou really couldn't guess what kind of medicine Chen Mu was selling in his gourd.
"I can't guess."
Jushou smiled bitterly and said: "Anyway, there should be no other way besides a strong attack."
Chen Mu smiled mysteriously: "You will know after a few more days."
Jushou shrugged. He wanted to know what kind of tricks Chen Mu wanted to do.