The Grandmaster Strategist - Chapter 202

[Chapter 34]

Lu Can, a native of Jiangxia, the heir of Zhenyuan Hou, his grandfather Ping, was a general during Emperor Wu’s time, loyal and brave to hear, his father Xin, the governor of Jiangxia for twenty years, Shen Hou Jingzheng, the imperial court and the opposition.

The young master lost his confidence and entered the army camp with his father. He was more than ten years old. He was able to draw a three-stone strong bow, and possessed divine power.

Xin said each time he said to left and right, “This son’s deeds must be on my side.”

Since childhood, Gong was fond of martial arts and disliked writing. Because the middle school praised the literary and disregarded the martial arts, he was worried about it and extended his teacher’s teaching.

The public is stubborn, and walks the west seat.

In the eleventh year of Xiande, he trusted Jiaxing Jiang Zhe to be the seat of the West. Shi Zhe was only fifteen years old, and he was worried that the public could not be at ease.

In the 22nd year of Xiande, Zhe was taken captive into Yong, and surrendered to him. In a few years, Emperor Yong bestowed the title of Marquis of Chu Xiang, and he was still the Princess Changle of Yongning. The people of the country were indignant when they heard it. Gong Muran, or there may be an eunuch, and the eunuch said: “I am a teacher for one day, and a father for life. How can I quit because of the last resort, and those who criticize him will be ashamed and retire.”

——”The Southern Dynasties Chu History Zhongwu Gongzhuan”

At the beginning of August of the tenth year of Longsheng, there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the post road from Haizhou to Xuzhou. There was just a heavy rain, which drove away the scorching heat. Extremely fresh.

At this time, the smoke and dust billowed in the distance, and the sound of chariots was heard in my ears, and the endless convoy of carriages came from the direction of Haizhou under the escort of sergeant Yong Jun.

The merchants and travelers on the road all gave way to the side of the road. This situation happened almost every ten days and a half, so they didn’t need to wait for the sergeant’s order to avoid it automatically.

Dayong and Nanchu went to war for several years, which cost countless grains, rations, and loads. Although Yongjun also stationed in the local fields to support troops, he still needed to transport money, grain and luggage from all parts of Dayong, and the money and food shipped from Youji was mainly through Haizhou Yuntai Port. Transfer to Xuzhou.

In this mighty army, there was an unarmored young man in green riding his horse, who was Huo Cong. He landed from Yuntai two days ago. He should have rushed to Xuzhou, but after landing, There was a sense of fear in his heart, so he deliberately delayed the journey, and went on the road with the army that transported food and grass, nominally for the sake of safety along the way.

Although the Hu Ben guard who guarded him was clear about his thoughts, he couldn’t bear to expose it. After all, they had been friends with Huo Cong for several years.

Nearly noon, the general who was escorting the grain and the load ordered the army to rest on the side of the road, and the general came over and said, “Young Master Huo, there is a wild shop in front of you. Can you have a drink, sir?”

Although Huo Cong was worried in his heart, there was not a trace on his face. The general wanted to make a knot, and he would not refuse. He smiled and said, “The general is kind, but I am ashamed to lead.” The general walked towards the wild store while joking.

Several Hu Ben guards naturally separated the two and went to the wild shop to investigate first. This time Huo Cong left Dinghai. It stands to reason that those Hu Ben guards who stayed in Dinghai with Huo Cong had no reason to stay in Dinghai anymore, but Most of them are serving in the Eastern Navy, and many of them have already served as mid-level generals or other important positions.

Therefore, before Jiang Zhe recalled Huo Cong, he wrote to Emperor Yong and simply transferred those guards to serve in the Donghai Navy. Except for the four Hu Ben guards who had been with Huo Cong all the year round, everyone else stayed in Dinghai.

The general who escorted the luggage didn’t know Huo Cong’s identity, but he saw that the young man was surrounded by Hu Benwei’s entourage.

Huo Cong also took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in Xuzhou.

Since the eighth year of Longsheng Jiangnan Xingyuan set up camp in Xuzhou, hundreds of thousands of reinforcements have kept Huaibei strong. In the past three years, there have been several battles between Jianghuai and rivers of blood. The generals of both sides are exhausted. The north and the south are endless, and even Xuzhou cannot avoid the infiltration of Southern Chu spies and righteous people in the rivers and lakes, and Xuzhou also has Qi King Li Xian and Prince Li Jun in charge, so assassins are emerging one after another.

Therefore, Xuzhou has already entered military control and is heavily guarded.

However, Jiang Zhe, the teacher who Huo Cong was concerned about, was not in Xuzhou at this time. Although Jiang Zhe was the counselor of Jiangnan Xingyuan, he did not seem to care much about military affairs. In the past three years, he not only returned to Yongdu several times, but also visited Jingxiang and Huaibei mountains and rivers on weekdays. In between, or sailing on Weishan Lake, or climbing Songshan Mountain to visit Buddhist temples, or lingering in Hanshui Xianshan, it is rare to ask about military affairs.

However, Emperor Yong’s indulgence of Jiang Zhe was unprecedented. Not only did he not convict him, but instead he raised his title. Now Jiang Zhe is the lord of the state of Chu, which made many people jealous.

It was Huo Cong, although he knew that Jiang Zhe Jinjue was due to the great merits of Longsheng’s eight years, but Jiang Zhe’s indulgence also made him quite puzzled, and it was not something that his teacher would do.

Huo Cong’s heart turned back and forth, but his face did not show any expression. He talked with the general and walked to the spacious and tidy wild store on the side of the road. He lifted the curtain and walked into the door. The general was about to greet the shopkeeper loudly. As soon as he turned around, his body shook and stayed still.

Huo Cong walked behind and saw that the general’s behavior was a bit wrong, but his eyes were blocked by the man’s body. It is to keep up with the next step and protect him faintly.

If there was an accident in the store, the two tiger ben guards who had entered beforehand should have noticed the warning. Huo Cong was puzzled and looked inward with bright eyes. At this time, the general took two steps forward in a hurry, and bowed to the tunnel: “At the end of the day. I asked Xue Quanzhong to meet the Hou Ye, I didn’t know the Hou Ye was here, please forgive the crime of trespassing at the end.”

Hearing these words, Huo Cong only felt a rumbling in his head, his body seemed to freeze, his eyes went over the bowed general. Incredible people.

That young man whose face is as clean as ice and snow, although his face has changed a bit from three years ago, is still as old as before, isn’t it the evil shadow Li Shun, the servant who is always inseparable from his husband.

And the man with the blue shirt reaching the ground, gray hair and frosty temples, his face a little more frosty, but his eyes are more and more warm and deep, isn’t he the teacher who has been away for a few years?

The man stretched out his hand and made the general stand up, then looked at the door of the store, and said with a smile: “Cong’er, I haven’t seen you for three years, you don’t recognize me as a teacher, right? already.”

Looking at those deep eyes full of admiration and gratification, Huo Cong only felt that the worry that had been lingering in his heart for many days was like seeing the snow and ice in the scorching sun, and it disappeared in an instant. , fell to the ground, choked and said: “The disciple has knocked on the teacher, the teacher has always been very good.” The words did not stop, the tears had already dripped into the dust.

Seeing Huo Cong’s shoulders trembling slightly, but he was trying to suppress his excitement, I was also shaken in my heart. At this moment, I couldn’t help but feel apologetic. Thinking of the deliberate grievances of this beloved disciple over the past few years, he would have to endure it at a young age. This kind of pressure is really hard for him.

He stepped forward and picked him up, held him down and said with a smile: “Okay, although you have suffered for the past few years, it is very rare for ordinary people to have such an opportunity. Haitao passed on a book, saying that you were very effective in helping him fight, and Mushou Putuo was also exhausted, and he would recommend you to be an official official. However, I declined for you. These years are just for you to experience and let you Familiarize yourself with the general affairs, if you go out to be an official, you don’t have to, if you stay with me for a few more years, you will be able to directly assist His Royal Highness in governing affairs, and if you have an official position now, it will be troublesome.”

After listening to his teacher’s earnest and enticing remarks, Huo Cong’s original uneasiness gradually faded away, and he wiped away the tears. Only then did he realize that Jiang Zhe, Li Shun and himself were the only ones left in the store, and the other irrelevant people were silent. He withdrew without interest, leaving an independent space for their master and apprentice to talk. As for Li Shun, Huo Cong naturally knew that this person and his teacher were one body. Cong raised the question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time: “Sir, when the disciple heard the report of the battle in Dinghai, he had doubts in his heart, and the grandson said that the soldier, the major event of the country, the place of life and death, the way of life and death, must not ignore it. In the art of war, you should know that the war is stagnant and harmful to the society and the people. If you can win, you should have a quick decision. If you can’t win, you should calm down and wait for the opportunity. The emperor is highly regarded, why don’t you do your best, or advise the emperor to strike. , or to pacify Southern Chu in one go?”

Hearing this, I smiled slightly and said, “Cong’er, people of insight all over the world say that Southern Chu is weak, why can’t Dayong Lu be attacked? Do you know the reason?”

Huo Cong said sternly: “Most of the people in the South have the heart of peace, admiration for Ronghua, and have no intention to enter the Central Plains. If we talk about the combat strength of the two countries, except for the generals under General Lu Can, most of the rest are not strong, and the elites of our army can do it. One is ten, so Southern Chu is powerless to threaten Dayong, which is dark and weak. Even so, Jiangnan is rich and fertile, and there are Jianghuai to block the northern iron cavalry, and Shuzhong guards the upper reaches of the river, which is conducive to defense. Since ancient times, Jianghuai has been guarded. There are innumerable vassals who separate half of the Jiangnan region. As long as the lord of Southern Chu has the people’s hearts, defends the Jianghuai natural dangers, and has one or two generals guarding the important areas, the army will be as united, and Dayong will be able to look at the Yangtze River and sigh. Today, Southern Chu has dozens of Jiangnan. In 2008, although the officials are now ruling the government, the political situation is still stable, the taxation is not heavy, the civilians can barely live in peace, the people’s hearts are still attached, and there are famous generals like General Lu who prevent our army from going south, so the war has been cemented for several years. Can’t attack.”

I nodded secretly, Huo Cong really made great progress in recent years, and then asked: “If that’s the case, look at the current situation, which of the two sides has the upper hand?”

Huo Cong had already thought about these things thoroughly and said without thinking: “Xiangyang is in the hands of our army, and the Southern Chu army will not go north to Jingxiang, marching into Nanyang, and threaten the possibility of Guanzhong, Xuzhou is impregnable, and the southern Chu Huainan army will not go north Qingxu’s opportunity, most of Shuzhong has already fallen into my hands, the Nanchu army can only defend itself according to Bajun and Kuizhou, and now the Nanchu army can only passively defend, no matter where the advantage is, it is known, but the Nanchu army is still able to defend itself. Self-preservation, and with the sharpening of the troops in the past few years, the combat power of the Southern Chu army has gradually strengthened, if it is delayed any longer, the advantage will be transferred to the Nanchu army.”

I said with satisfaction: “You can see through this, and you really haven’t wasted time. Yes, Nanchu seems to be in danger now, and although our army has an advantage, it is strong from outside and at the same time. Lu Canfei is a person who does not want to make progress. Three years ago, he took advantage of As our army did not have the opportunity for timely reinforcements, we raided Chuzhou and Sizhou. If our army hadn’t attacked Dinghai first, I’m afraid he would have taken the opportunity to capture the empty Xuzhou. The capture of Xiangyang, on the contrary, gained a slight advantage, but Lu Can’s ambition was fully revealed. Although Nanchu is currently in a weak position, Lu Can took advantage of the years of hard fighting to take advantage of the Jianghuai military power and cultivate an elite soldier that is not inferior to our army. , as long as our army is a little tired, he will stand out, attack our army unprepared, and put the efforts of Dayong Pingchu in vain.”

Huo Cong was terrified when he heard this, he lowered his head and thought hard for a long time before he said: “Lu Can fights, although he often focuses on defense, but every time when the enemy is slack, he will stand out and attack key city gates, and take advantage of the chaos in Dongchuan to take Jiameng. Guan is an example. When our army was rehabilitated after its defeat, we dispatched Shiguan to take Suzhou, and Yang Xiu attacked Sizhou. Now the two armies have been at a standoff for more than a year. Where will he target?”

I nodded lightly and sighed: “Cong’er knows that if you want to attack Southern Chu, the best time is in the 23rd year of Wuwei. At that time, the Northern Han Dynasty was newly defeated, and the middle of Shu was not completely pacified, but Nan Chu was a wise man. Wang Jiahe, the monarch and the ministers were dazed, and the government and the opposition were torn apart, so His Majesty could lead the army to destroy Jianye, capture the lord of the country, and retreat. The worry of winning the heirloom in Dayong Dynasty is imminent. Although His Majesty has mastered the army, he does not dare to attack Chu with all his strength. The army is inconsistent, so he misses the opportunity. After the pacification of the Central Dynasty, the Northern Han Dynasty has recovered its fighting strength, and the war in the north has resumed, so is the hidden worry of Dongchuan. Gradually surfaced, and the southern Chu area is vast and densely populated, and the situation has stabilized. If it is a southern expedition, it will be protracted, so a strategy of first pacifying the Han and then destroying the Chu has to be decided. After the northern Han has been pacified, in order to digest the northern Han National strength, and because of the loss of Jiameng Pass, His Majesty had to rest and recuperate. During this period, Lu Can had become the first member of the Southern Chu military. Although the Nanchu government was under the control of Shang Weijun, the military No one can compete with Lu Can. This is a rare unified situation in the Southern Chu military for decades. We have lost the opportunity to destroy Chu.

According to my opinion, in the seventh year of Longsheng, we should not raise troops to pacify the south. We must know that when fashion Weijun and Lu Can asked each other, they controlled the military and government. Lu Can and Dayong’s iron cavalry are in the south of the Yangtze River, but they will let the two of them put aside their differences and go out together.

It is a pity that His Majesty was determined to unify the great cause, and finally decided to calm down, so that Lu Can was fulfilled, and he was able to win the heart of the Jiangnan army.

Since the war started, I was ordered by the emperor to come south. Originally, I intended to use Dinghai to contain Wu Yue, and then confronted the Chu army in Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and was not ready to start a war immediately. Unexpectedly, Lu Can took the initiative to attack, and even used the continuous war. Strengthen your position in the Southern Chu army.

When I saw Jianghuai and Jingxiang’s troops, I was sure of Lu Can’s heart. He was unwilling to live in the south of the Yangtze River, but he had the ambition to be in the Central Plains. Going to the portal of the Northern Peeping Central Plains, I will not let it go. When Nanchu Mingjun is in power, you can go north to the Central Plains. Although that may be a matter of decades, it is not an impossible dream.

”

Huo Cong heard the words, his eyes flashed with cold light, and it took a long time to say: “Since you have seen through Lu Can’s intentions, you must have a plan to deal with it. In the past few years, your husband has been wandering between the mountains and rivers, is it possible that Lu Can is no longer there? What is Mr. Teng doing?”

I smiled lightly and said: “The two armies are fighting, beheading the generals and capturing the flag. If I am the director or I am in front of the army, I will not be able to play any role. If you want to deal with Lu Can, you need to start from the Southern Chu Dynasty. Although Can has ambitions, he can’t see the situation. The Southern Chu Dynasty is corrupt, and the lord Zhao Long has just taken over the government, and he is busy selecting beautiful women, building construction projects, and building palaces. It was only because of the military power in Lu Can’s hands, and because Dayong was covetous and had no excuses, he could not bear it. Since ancient times, there have been deceitful rulers and treacherous officials in the dynasty, and there is no chance for generals to make contributions. Eliminating dissidents and taking control of the government is already doomed, all I need is a situation, I can trap Lu Can in a mortal place, why do I need to fight him on the battlefield?”

Huo Cong’s mind changed, and in the blink of an eye, he had recalled the events of the past few years. Although he did not know many of Jiang Zhe’s secret arrangements, the only thing he knew had made him feel chills, so he glanced at Jiang Zhe, He asked, “Could it be that Rong Yuan was a weapon arranged by Mr. Shang for Shang Weijun?”

I nodded and said: “Rong Yuan’s loss of Xiangyang is a big crime. The court of Southern Chu did not ask him any guilt, but only demoted him to a first-level military rank, and let him lead the army to atone for his crimes. Jun is willing, how can it be so? Rong Yuan is a narrow-minded person, and he is afraid of Lu Can’s reputation and achievements for a long time. Lu Can also has his faults. Rong Yuan is a former general of Prince De, and his temperament is stubborn and narrow-minded. It needs to be eliminated to prevent him from giving birth to right and wrong, but Lu Can didn’t like Rong Yuan’s method of excluding dissidents, so he didn’t want to use it, but he let him take charge of Xiangyang, so that the generals fell out of harmony, so our army took advantage of the gap to take Xiangyang. As a result, Rong Yuan had to rely on Shang Weijun to protect himself. Once Shang Weijun attacked Lu Can, Rong Yuan would be the man in charge, but Lu Can, because of his obsession, was unwilling to kill them all, but instead made up for it and hired Rong. It’s not a mistake for Yuan to be the general in charge of Jiangling’s military. But if I hadn’t known Lu Can’s temperament, I would never have fallen into the trap. How could I have let Rong Yuan escape? Guan Shifu, if the net is not open, how can Rong Yuan get away, only because Rong Yuan is left, Shang Weijun has the power to deal with Lu Can.”

Huo Cong added: “General Lu is devoted to the war, and he can’t help but neglect the affairs of the court. Moreover, General Lu has a noble and pure nature, and doesn’t like to fight for power, to flatter the emperor, so he must not have the emperor’s heart. Wei Jun couldn’t just find a reason to deal with General Lu, but once the lord of the country was in power, the situation would be different. Thunder, Ting Yulu, all were Jun’s kindness. It was Zhao Long, the lord of the country, who wanted to remove General Lu’s military post for no reason. General Lu It can only be resigned to the order, but because of the stalemate of the war, this order cannot be given casually.”

I sighed: “When the general is outside, Lu Can is more resolute and resolute whenever he decides to act arbitrarily. Attacking Jiameng Pass and using troops in Huaidong are all arbitrary, so although my spy, Dayong, has gone deep into the Southern Chu Dynasty, he is a There is no sign of revitalizing the army. This kind of action is a taboo for people and officials. Even if the Lord is the Mingjun and Holy Lord, it is also a disaster. What’s more, the Lord of Southern Chu is not the Lord of Zhongxing, and Shang Weijun, who is in charge of government, is also a disaster. Does it belong to the prime minister? A few days ago, the Empress Dowager Nan Chu wanted to choose Lu Mei, the daughter of Lu Can, as the queen. Although she was blocked by Shang Weijun, she still wanted to choose Lu Mei as the noble concubine. For Lu Can, sending Lu Mei to the palace would be a good idea. Concubine is the best way to deal with it. Once married to the royal family, Lu Can will have the opportunity to control the affairs of Southern Chu and gradually eliminate the influence of the Shang family. Unfortunately, Lu Can is not a powerful minister, and he is not willing to sell his daughter for wealth. I get According to the news, Lu Mei was escorted by Lu Can’s second son Lu Feng to Shouchun, and there was a secret escort from Chentang experts on the way. In this way, Zhao Long must be dissatisfied with Lu Can. Once the situation changes, Zhao Long will never think of maintaining Lu Can. What’s more… ugh!”

Huo Cong’s eyes showed sadness, and UU read www.sonicmtl.com and continued: “What’s more, the general in charge of the army is the object of the king’s suspicion. General Lu has a heavy army in his hand, and he is not willing to flatter the royal family. Zhao Long must doubt his loyalty. Since ancient times, heroic and famous generals have inevitably suffered bad luck, not to mention that General Lu is so arrogant, once the situation stabilizes, the Lu family will inevitably suffer catastrophe. If there are traitors and villains taking the opportunity to slander, it is impossible for General Lu to disarm and return to the field. ”

I said lightly: “If this situation continues, Lu Can’s only way to survive is to rebel, but the Lu family is loyal and the world is respected. If he really rebels, his former name will be wiped out, and Jiangnan will be in chaos. It’s our army’s chance, if Lu Can doesn’t fight back after all, it’s bound to be hard to escape the poisonous hands of the monarch and treacherous ministers, and when the pillars in the south of the Yangtze River are overturned, who else can resist our army going south.”

Huo Cong whispered: “Although there are many worries, but General Lu has a lot of troops in his hands and is fighting fiercely with our army. I think Shang Weijun will not destroy the Great Wall by himself under such circumstances?”

A trace of grief flashed in my eyes, and I said, “Shang Weijun is not an idiot, so naturally he won’t act rashly. If he does, firstly, the war will be settled, and secondly, Lu Can will have the handle in his hands, but it’s just my three-year plan. , is for today, everything is ready now, I only owe the east wind, in a few months, Nan Chu is about to change greatly, I called you here, I just don’t want you to miss the turmoil that determines the fate of Nan Chu.”

Huo Cong only felt severe pain in his heart. Three years ago, Wu Yue and Lu Can fought several times. Although he had never masked his face, he could sense his style and temperament. He was really a hero at the time. When I got down, I couldn’t help but feel sad and said for a long time, “Since you only owe Dongfeng, sir, but you don’t know what Dongfeng means?”

My eyes flashed and I said, “This east wind is Xiangyang, and Xiangyang is a must for Lu Can, but when he captured Xiangyang, it was the beginning of the collapse of the pillars of Nanchu.”

[End of this Chapter]