Chapter 201: Not successful in the journey

Humans are the most volatile animals, and the common people are the most volatile animals. As for the varied temperament, there is no better than humans.

In many cases, people's encounters are really subtle. For example, the acquaintance between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. If it weren't for experiencing the suffering of exile in the north, Liu Bei, who started out as a young young man, would not have taken seriously the young man seriously. If it weren't for the depressed and unsuccessful days in Kuai Yue's army, Zhuge Liang would not have valued Liu Bei, the great Han emperor who fled with the title of Left General.

Now, a river of disasters in the chaotic times has gradually changed from turbidity to plainness. In the north, Cao Cao's power unified Hebei, Youzhou, and Liaodong, and successively surrendered. In the south, Gao Chong was like a sharp sword hanging out of the sheath. He cut off all enemies blocking the road. Liu Bei, who was struggling to survive between Cao Cao and Gao Chong, finally failed to wait for the day he hoped. His death not only marked the complete failure of the Emperor Liu Xie's bloody edict, but also unexpectedly showed that the four hundred years of Han Dynasty had reached its end.

Under the arrangement of fate, the monarch and ministers were already in the same way as humans and ghosts. Just when Liu Bei buried his body in an unknown place on the banks of Jingshan, Zhuge Liang was commanding the Northern Expedition Army to march towards Pengcheng, the capital of Xuzhou. After the battle in Lingbi, Zhuge Liang ordered Zhang Liao and his troops to guard Xiaoguan to rush forward, while leading the main force to flee Lejin. Zang Ba pressed against the Cao army, who had no time to retreat, had to guard the city and wait for Cao Cao's reinforcements to come and rescue him.

Lingbi is located on the east side of Yinling and Luming Mountains, connected to Xiaoguan, the ancient battlefield of Gaixia in the south, and the ancient Bian River in the north. Its west side is located at Xiyang County.

After defeating Cao's army Le's army, Zhuge Liang immediately summoned the generals here to discuss the next combat strategy.

However, this military discussion has nurtured too many disharmonious factors from the beginning.

The development of the Northern Expedition this time was unexpectedly smooth. Why did the Cao army, known for its strength, react so slowly and vulnerable? While winning successive victories, such a thought flashed through the minds of the generals of Gao Chongjun.

"Is this a trap?" Chen Deng, the prefect of Guangling, was the first to express his doubts.

"Military Secretary Zhuge, I think it's better to wait until the coach arrives before marching!" After hearing Zhuge Liang's order to siege the city, Chen Deng's cautious speech was obviously in a rebellious manner.

Chen Deng was not convinced by the young deputy military advisor in front of him. Based on his qualifications to be effective, Chen Deng could be considered an old-level figure, but Zhuge Liang was the last to submit. If Gao Chong had not been strict in governing the army and the military orders should not be violated, Chen Deng would not be willing to be under Zhuge Liang.

"Military advisor Zhuge, Yuan Long said that Le Jin and Zang Ba reduced their troops to Pengcheng and tried to use the city as a long-term plan. We lacked siege equipment, so it would be better to return the troops for the time being and make a decision when the favorite commander arrives!" Li Tong, who has always used his troops stably, also advised him.

"Hmph, the enemy soldiers were defeated by abandoning their armor. It was the time when our army took advantage of the victory. You don't need to say much!" Zhuge Liang waved his hand to stop Chen Deng and Li Tong, and said disapprovingly.

To create conditions for Liu Bei to raise an army, it is necessary to further expand the scale of fierce battle between Gao Chong and Cao Cao and attract more strength to both sides. Xuzhou is connected to Huaihe in the south, Qingzhou in the north, Yan and Yu in the west. The geographical location is very important. If occupied by Gao Chong, you can directly penetrate Qing and Ji in the north, cut Cao Cao's rear into two parts, and block Yan and Yu in the west, threatening Cao Cao's depend on Chenliu and Xudu, who started his business. Therefore, Zhuge Liang had enough reason to be sure that the military operation to seize Pengcheng would greatly hurt Cao Cao's nerves. As long as this plan succeeds, the subsequent large-scale battle will inevitably be.

"I hope everything goes well in the lord?" Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh. Under Ling Tong's meticulous "personal protection", Zhuge Liang's central army commander's battalion was kept tightly, and even a bird could not escape Ling Tong's sharp eyes. It was precisely for this reason that it was difficult for Zhuge Liang to contact people outside again.

These days, Zhuge Liang's heart has been in a state of panic and restlessness, but on the surface, he still had to maintain a calm expression and could not show any flaws.

Alas, I don’t know what happened in Jinling?

Did Liu Chun and Wu Fan act as the instructions before leaving?

Also, can the lord Liu Bei, who arrived in Jingshan area, contact enough people?

Based on time, we should be able to raise troops at this time. Maybe the lord is galloping on the vast plains of Jingxiang, but unfortunately, he cannot be with him.

Zhuge Liang can only be buried in his heart now, and he can't find someone to talk to.

"But, our army encircled Pengcheng, wouldn't it be that the rear route was exposed to the iron hoof of Cao's army? If Cao Cao's cavalry came to Runan and Qiao County, the result would be unpredictable." Chen Deng retorted without any weakness. He was famous for his resourcefulness and knowledge of the geography of Xuzhou, and he also participated in the first Northern Expedition with Gao Chong. His words were well-founded and thorough, which immediately attracted everyone's frequent nods.

"Zang Ba's letter is here. Do you want to see it? As long as we step up the pace of siege, we should cooperate inside and outside, and we will not worry about not going down Pengcheng!" Zhuge Liang suddenly stood up and shouted in a letter.

This Northern Expedition was led by Zhuge Liang. Before leaving, Gao Chong verbally promised that Zhuge Liang would lead the army first. Now, Chen Deng and Li Tong were clearly suspicious of the order. This was clearly because they looked down on themselves. If they could not silence this evil spirit, how could they issue orders in the future?

Chen Deng and Li Tong were just expressing his own opinions and had no other ideas, because when Gao Chong was commanding troops, the generals in the tent were often able to express their opinions without any worries. However, this time, Zhuge Liang, who was eager to establish authority, regarded this opinion as an unbearable provocation.

For a moment, both sides in the military tent were tense, and no one was willing to take a step back.

"Since Zang Ba defected to Cao Cao, he has been favored many times. He was just appointed as the governor of Qingzhou not long ago. Under such circumstances, Deng thought his motive was very suspicious!" Chen Deng said loudly.

Seeing that Chen Deng had been ignoring his authority continuously, Zhuge Liang was no longer polite and shouted sternly: "Yuanlong is a man from all over the world. He didn't expect that he had just gained a reputation. You were afraid of death. Could it be that you were greedy for life and fearlessness?"

"What is this fear of war? The military advisor is so serious! As for whether Chen is greedy for life and death, it is still up to the military advisor. It depends on the general of the pamper." Chen Deng was also angry. With the relationship between Chen Deng and Gao Chong, Chen Deng would not be polite in front of Gao Chong in the past. Moreover, Gao Chong, who is always tolerant and elegant, acts steadily and will not speak as sharp as Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang's words just now were really aggravated. It is indeed inconsistent to say these words as his deputy military advisor.

A slight red tide appeared on Zhuge Liang's face. He understood that if Chen Deng could not be refuted, all the ideas would not be realized. After stabilizing his chaotic mind, Zhuge Liang said: "Wen Yuan, Zang Ba's letter was written to you. I think it's up to you to judge whether it is true or false."

After saying that, Zhuge Liang turned his attention to Zhang Liao who was standing on the left and silent. Zang Ba's letter was indeed written to Zhang Liao. Whether it is true or not, of course Zhang Liao has the most say. If Zhang Liao said it was true, then the chances of winning in Pengcheng could reach 90%. Ren Chen Deng, Li Tong and others could not change anything. If Zhang Liao denies the content of the letter, it would be like slapping himself in the mouth. How is this possible?

As long as we can get the support of Zhang Liao and the Suwei Battalion of Lingtong, it will be no problem to attack Pengcheng. As for Li Tong and Chen Deng, these two armies are at best equipped with second-tier lines. It is better to cooperate with them. If not, it will not hinder the overall situation for the time being. After taking Pengcheng, I see what else they have to say.

"Wen Yuan, is this true?" Chen Deng asked anxiously.

When Zhang Liao saw everyone looking at him, he looked a little hesitant. After a long time, he stammered: "Xuan Gao had served as Mr. Wen with me before, and had a strong personal relationship. I don't think he would lie to me."

I hope to prove my ability by visiting the Northern Expedition, and also prove that Zhang Liao, who showed Diao Chan, was more inclined to accept Zhuge Liang's adventure strategies in terms of mood.

Seeing Zhang Liao nodding and admitting, Chen Deng and Li Tong had to retreat helplessly, and the tent was silent. The glory on the battlefield was what every soldier yearned for the most. Every general knew what it meant to take down Pengcheng, the capital of Xuzhou.

Zhuge Liang glanced at the tent with confidence. He undoubtedly won the upper hand in this debate. At this point, even Chen Deng, who is famous for his eloquence, is not an opponent.

Pengcheng, the prefect Le entered the mansion.

The banquet was halfway through, and the beautiful dance of the singers in the army danced flexibly with the music. When the enemy soldiers were about to siege the city, it was the host who was still in the mood to hold this banquet, and the guest seat was a young man with an unusual look on his face.

"General Le, I didn't expect that the singing and dancing in Xuzhou are so moving. Yi is so honored to be lucky enough to meet him today!" A smile appeared on the young guest's face.

This smile was filled with three points of respect and seven points of respect, which made Le Jin feel unhelpful for a while.

"Zhongda has won the award. If it weren't for your clever tricks, how could this Gao Chong army be so obedient? Haha, now the enemy Chen Zhongjun is outside the city and his morale is still alive. Let's delay some days first. When the Prime Minister's elite cavalry arrives, there is no need to worry about not having any contribution to achieve. Of course, Zhongda cannot escape this merit." Le Jin laughed loudly, and he slapped the wine in the bottle and drank it all.

Look at Le Jin's expression, there was no sign of distress. The young man in front of him was Sima Yi, the head of the Prime Minister's Office. After offering Cao Cao a trick to surrender and lure the enemy, Sima Yi immediately set off to Xuzhou to assist Le Jin and out to make plans.

"Yi dare not take credit for himself. General Zang Ba made a lot of efforts in this plan and should be the first to be credited." Although Sima Yi was young, he was extremely old when dealing with things. Seeing Zang Ba, who was accompanying him, he hurriedly smoothed out the situation.

Although Zang Ba and Le Jin were both military generals who commanded the state and had the same title, Le Jin was one of the "Five Tiger Generals" who followed Cao Cao in his early years. He was so qualified that he could not be older. Apart from Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren, he would count him further. Zang Ba only defected after Lu Bu was killed, so in actual command, Zang Ba could only serve as Le Jin's deputy general.

"Zhongda can kill me! Ba is a rough man, how could he come up with such a good idea?" Zang Ba saw that Sima Yi was very proud of him, so he shook his head and said.

"Hahaha, as long as the three of us work together, the credit will not be eliminated!" Le Jin stood up and laughed.

On July 17, the eighth year of Jian'an, Zhuge Liang's troops surrounded Pengcheng and ordered Zhang Liao to secretly shoot the Xicheng defended by Zang Ba to agree on the time to offer the city. Zang Ba adopted Sima Yi's suggestion and replied calmly was not yet ripe, so he had to wait for a few more days.

Five days passed in a blink of an eye. Although Zhuge Liang was anxious to wait outside the city, there was still no movement in the city.

This time, even Zhang Liao was anxious!

After all, if Zang Ba breaks his promise, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Military advisor, should we withdraw our troops first?" After receiving another secret letter from Zang Ba that delayed the life of Xiancheng, Zhang Liao's confidence was shaken.

"Retreat the troops? Where can I retreat? Come and see this urgent report!" Zhuge Liang threw a Zhu Qi army in front of Zhang Liao with an angry face.

Zhang Liao didn't know what happened, so he picked up the military report in surprise and looked at it. After seeing it, his face changed drastically: "Xiyang has lost, Cao's army is approaching Lingbi. How is this possible? Where is Chen Deng, who is responsible for guarding Xiyang?"

Zhuge Liang said in a muffled voice: "You also asked him, Chen Deng failed to take the fight and would have run away now. If he hadn't lost to Xiyang, how could Cao's army threaten us?"

"Who is so powerful that he can defeat nearly 5,000 Guangling Army soldiers at once? Could it be that Cao Cao's cavalry has arrived?" Zhang Liao said in surprise.

"Hmph, this is impossible. Cao Cao's tiger and leopard cavalry is far away in Wancheng, and the troops left in Xudu are all resting. How could it be possible to gather together all at once?" Zhuge Liang said.

"Zang Ba repeatedly delayed the agreed time in the past few days, and now Cao's army threatened the retreat again, so there must be a fraud." Zhang Liao's face changed and he said loudly.

"Ba—!" Zhuge Liang sat down dejectedly, and then threw the arrows in his hand heavily to the ground. In fact, he had already vaguely felt the trick of Cao's army's deception of surrender two days ago, but he was so arrogant that he couldn't wipe his stigma to admit his miscalculation.

"Military advisor, let's retreat overnight. If you don't leave, everything will be over!" Zhang Liao said anxiously.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang's face turned pale, and his heart seemed to be overturned with a bottle of five flavors. I don't know what it felt. He was determined to attract the main force of the Cao army and now he got what he wanted. Cao Cao indeed led a large army to kill him, but one thing he did not expect was that there were also capable people in Cao's army, and this trick of deceiving the enemy was really beautiful.
Chapter completed!