Liu Bei coughed and said with a calm expression: "Fourth brother, you might as well tell me and see if there is anything different from what I think."
Chen Mu pondered: "I can only think of three strategies: the upper, middle and lower strategies. The best strategy is to attack the heart, and the middle strategy is to use countermeasures. Send people to Luoyang, bribe the eunuchs, spread rumors, and fabricate General Lu to be afraid of fighting and to support his troops. The emperor is suspicious.
Even if there is no substantial evidence, the general will definitely be replaced. If the general is replaced by a general with mediocre abilities, he can be easily defeated."
This is how Lu Zhi was replaced in history, but it was not because of Zhang Jiao's counter-intentional plan, but because he was stabbed by one of his own people. Because of the stalemate in the war in the north, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty sent the eunuch Zuo Feng to see the situation. The result was that Zuo Feng
Feng asked Lu Zhi for a bribe, but Lu Zhi refused. After returning, he spoke ill of Lu Zhi, causing Lu Zhi's plan to besiege Guangzong to fail. Dong Zhuo, who replaced him, failed to show his strength and was defeated by the Yellow Turban.
The consequence of this incident was that the main force of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou was preserved. Although Huangfu Song was free to lead his troops northward to extinguish the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou. But in fact, because Zhang Jiao had died of illness at this time, the Yellow Turban army had no backbone and fought independently.
.Huangfu Song only defeated Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao. The other Yellow Turban troops fled in all directions and were not completely wiped out.
The later Black Mountain Army, Baibo Army, and the remaining troops in Qingzhou and Jizhou, which once numbered one million, were born at this time.
Everyone knows the outcome of these Yellow Turban remnants. It was an advantage for Cao Cao. When the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou were developing rapidly, Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin lured the wolf into the house and killed himself. At the same time, he asked Cao Cao to collect the remaining Yellow Turbans, which laid the foundation for Cao Cao's early days.
Only by laying the foundation for his military strength did Lao Cao have the strength to unify the north and dominate the Central Plains.
However, Liu Bei didn't know much about the emperor's character. He only heard that it was a little absurd. However, no matter how absurd, no fool would commit such a big taboo of changing generals before the battle. He couldn't help but feel suspicious and asked: "Although the emperor behaves strangely, but before the battle,
Changing generals is a big taboo, it should be more than that."
"hehe."
Chen Mu just smiled and had no intention of arguing with Liu Bei. He just said: "This plan is a business without capital. It is nothing more than consuming some money. The Yellow Turban Army burned, killed and looted, and the money they spent was not their own.
Bribery doesn't hurt. If it succeeds, it will make a huge profit, and it doesn't matter if it fails. That's why I decided it was the best policy, not that it will definitely work."
"I see."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "What about Zhongce?"
"In the siege of Zhongce, I saw on the map that Guangping was built on the Ming River. The upper reaches of the Ming River are Fu River and Dalu Ze. I saw that the Fu River was during the spring flood and the water flow was fierce. It can be seen that the water potential of the Ming River at this time is similar to that of the Ming River.
The waves of the Ming River are as vast as the Ming River. If I open my horn, I will build a dam and store water in the upper reaches of the Ming River. When General Lu attacks the city, I will pretend to be defeated and withdraw from the city. When General Lu enters the city, I will immediately divert the river water.
Pour it in and flood the three armies. After the water has passed, take advantage of the Northern Army's unsteady foothold, raise your troops again, and counterattack into the city, then you can decide the outcome in one battle."
When he said the last sentence, Chen Mu stretched out his hand and held it in a confident tone, as if everything was within his grasp.
Liu Bei broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. He was originally from Youzhou, not far from Jizhou. He once came to Julu for a study tour, so he naturally knew what lakes and rivers were nearby and the relationship between the city and the rivers.
Guangping was built on the Ming River. The upstream is Dalu Ze. There is also a Fu River on the other side of the Zhang River in Quzhou. Although the water system is not as complicated as in the south, it is better because the city is built along the river and the moat is connected to the Ming River.
River water. If you want to flood this poisonous plan with water, it is really not difficult.
If the Yellow Turban Army follows this strategy, I am afraid that Master Shijun will be in danger.
No, I have to mention it to Master.
Liu Bei wanted to turn his horse around and go back, but suddenly he thought that the situation was not too bad now, and it would not be too late to raise it again when he got to Guangping City. Then he stopped his thoughts and said with sadness: "This plan is indeed dangerous, wait until the time comes.
At the foot of Guangping City, I must tell Master immediately to be careful of Zhang Jiaojun's water attack strategy."
Chen Mu smiled and said: "Actually, brother, you don't have to be so panicked. Zhang Jiao comes from a humble background, and his subordinates are all poor people who can't even read a few characters. There is no strategist around him. I guess he can only use bad strategies and will never think of this.
.”
"What's the next step?" Liu Bei asked again.
"The next step is to defend the city. Guangping City is small and there shouldn't be too many defenders. But the advantage is that the Ming River is used as a moat. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Just slowly use up our troops."
Chen Mu shook his head: "This is a stupid method, but it can barely work. Our army is small after all. If we want to besiege a county with 30,000 troops, there will inevitably be some omissions. As long as Zhang Jiao is not stupid, we can use the Ming River to transport supplies and troops.
, if we fight a war of attrition, the outcome can only be between 50 and 50, and it is difficult to predict the final result."
From a historical perspective, Lu Zhi's military campaign was considered a failure. Moreover, his successor Dong Zhuo was also defeated and did not completely wipe out the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou. But this does not mean that the Yellow Turbans cannot be defeated, because Zhang Jiao will soon.
Death from illness, as long as it takes that time, all problems can be solved.
The only question now is whether the court will give Lu Zhi a chance to consume.
But this has nothing to do with Chen Mu. What he has to do is to use all means to ensure that Liu Bei's army grows stronger in this incident if he wins in chaos. As for whether Lu Zhi will be dismissed from his post and whether this expedition will fail,
Chen Mu didn't care.
Liu Bei sighed: "The plan of my fourth brother is really shocking. Fortunately, you are my fourth brother. If you were the counselor beside Zhang Jiao, my country would be in great danger."
Chen Mu said: "Isn't it true that eldest brother is here? Isn't it possible that eldest brother and I have different plans?"
"This...this...there are slight differences, but the general direction remains the same."
Liu Bei squeaked, casually fooled him, and changed the subject: "Look at the mountains over there, the wild flowers are blooming, and they are growing beautifully."
Chen Mu smiled, instead of asking more questions to embarrass Liu Bei, he turned to look at the scenery in the distance.
They have been walking from Handan for more than an hour, and are preparing to go to Yiyang in the northwest. Although there are mountains along the way, they are basically hills with a height of 100 feet. The mountains are not dense. There are more trees on both sides of the road, and there are very few villages and farmland.
.
As mentioned before, the population of this era is generally concentrated near cities. About twenty or thirty miles away from the city, it begins to become deserted, with barren mountains and ridges, and few pedestrians coming and going.
When the vanguard army walked past the fork in the road leading to Quliang, Chen Mu saw the three forks in front of him were densely forested, several thatched tea stalls were empty, and there were blood stains on the ground.
In ancient times, roads were inconvenient and transportation was underdeveloped. County towns were often separated by hundreds or even hundreds of miles. If there were no horses and walking by foot alone, it would be normal to walk for several days. Therefore, transportation was difficult everywhere.
There are usually hawkers operating shops at the forks of the road, providing food and accommodation for pedestrians going north and south.
When Liu Bei saw this scene, he sighed: "What a pity in these troubled times, the merchants here are so innocent, but they were harmed by thieves."
Chen Mu stared at the ground for a while, then suddenly shook his head: "Be careful of an ambush."
"What's wrong?"
Liu Bei clenched the sword in his hand.
Guan Yu suddenly became alert. Zhang Fei looked around and whispered: "Fourth brother, where is he?"
"There may be thieves hiding in this forest, but I just don't know if they have the courage to take action." Chen Mu looked at the woods not far away.
There were bloodstains on the ground but no corpses. There were also ruts deep into the forest, and the weeds and basil beside the road were bent. There were various signs indicating that there was an ambush in the woods.
However, the woods are not dense, and there are not many people who can hide. There are four to five thousand people standing against the sky. Chen Mu speculates that it is not the ambush sent by Zhang Jiao, or a small group of yellow scarf troops nearby, or other resistance forces who took advantage of the situation.
power.
In fact, Chen Mu's guess was correct. This force was an insurrectionary army from Luo City, Wu'an County, west of Yiyang County. They said they were insurgents, but they were actually just a group of people fishing in troubled waters.
After the Yellow Turban Uprising, in addition to the Yellow Turban Army, there were rebellions everywhere in the world. There were hundreds of forces, large and small, ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 people, and 3,4,000 small ones.
The leader of the Wu'an group, He Liang, was originally a ranger from Luo City and made friends with heroes everywhere. Last month, when the world was in chaos, He Liang rose up and attacked the county town in the name of the Yellow Turban Army, burning, killing, and looting, which made him very popular.
However, God is not as good as man. He Liang never expected that he had just conquered Wu'an County and had not enjoyed it for a few days before he was defeated by the imperial court's reinforcements. Originally there were tens of thousands of people, but now there were only three or four thousand left. He had no choice but to
Under such circumstances, the only option was to flee eastward and prepare to defect to Zhang Jiao in Guangping.
However, all the gold and silver treasures that He Liang grabbed were abandoned in Wu'an. Now he has nothing to gain, and he is worried that he will not be reused because he did not contribute money to the Yellow Turban Army. Therefore, He Liang has been in a bad mood for several days.
While passing through Yongnian Township, an escaped slave of the Deng family under He Liang offered advice. He said that the wealthy Deng family in Handan and the wealthy Tian family in Lingqiu had large business transactions every month. The Tian family would buy horses, cattle and sheep from the north and sell them to the Deng family.
, the Deng family will prepare ironware and food for the Tian family, and the two parties have always maintained a good cooperative relationship.
The current year is not peaceful, and this deal is likely to be temporarily cancelled. But he knows that the land in several villages outside Handan City is the property of the Deng family, and a large amount of grain is stored there. Although there is not so much gold and silver, but
Bringing this batch of food is also a guarantee.
Even if the Yellow Turban Army does not accept them at that time, with this food, they can still recruit troops and buy horses, gather people again, and plan for another big thing.
This strategy was immediately adopted by He Liang, who attacked Yongnian and several other towns and robbed this batch of grain.
As a result, He Liang, who was driving the ox cart driving grain and grass, had not yet reached Yiyang territory and was resting on the roadside. A spy reported that regular troops from the imperial court were coming from the south direction of Handan.
Hearing the news, He Liang was so frightened that he hurriedly led people to hide the things in the woods.
In the forest, He Liang and others did not dare to breathe.
Although the opponent's number was about the same as his own, and his side was still hidden in the woods, the psychological shadow of being defeated by the imperial court a few days ago was still there. How could He Liang dare to take the initiative to attack? He just hoped that the opponent would not find him and leave as soon as possible.
However, the more you fear, the more likely it will come. He Liang saw that when the officers and soldiers came to the fork in the road, there was a strong man with a leopard head and eyes. He suddenly looked towards the forest, seemed to have noticed something, and roared: "Where are you, you rat, get out of here."
come out!"
Rumble!
He Liang felt as if there was a thunderous sound in his ears, and his ears were roaring, making him dizzy and almost fainting.