Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 5: The dormant venomous snake
Luo Youdu was dumbfounded again.
Han Jixun built a camp at Huangniupo on Chencang Road. The Dasan Pass where they were located was only thirty miles away from Huangniupo, and could be reached in half a day.
Seeing that the two armies were about to start fighting, the enemy commander had not yet arrived at the front line and was instead traveling around with his beautiful wife and concubines?
Do you think you are Xie An, stabilizing the morale of the army?
With a slight thought in his mind, Luo Youdu continued with a smile, "I heard in Kaifeng that Meng Chang was blind. At this critical moment, he actually appointed Zhao Jizha, a loser, as the commander-in-chief. If he really takes over the defense of Qin and Feng states, wouldn't the two states be like a pie in the sky, given away for free?"
The speaker has intention, and the listener also has intention.
Wang Jing and Han Lingkun looked at each other, but neither of them spoke.
Luo Youdu understood what the two were thinking, so he did not mention the matter, but instead invited them into the tent to talk.
Wang Jing had a new idea in his mind and didn't want to stay any longer: "I have conveyed your thoughts, but I am busy with military affairs, so I won't bother you any more."
Han Lingkun clasped his fists, said nothing, and left with Wang Jing.
After walking more than a hundred steps, Wang Jing said, "What do you think, Governor Han? I am confident that I can capture the eight camps on Huangniupo tomorrow, but we can only surround Weiwu City and cut off its food supply. A strong attack will consume too much manpower and may not be able to take it."
Han Lingkun replied, "Then why not wait until Zhao Jizha arrives at the front. Han Jixun is quite famous for his bravery, but I have never heard of Zhao Jizha. An incompetent general can tire out the entire army. It may be more beneficial for us if he takes over Qin and Feng states."
Wang Jing nodded and said, "The governor and I have the same idea. I have some understanding of Zhao Jizha. He is a favorite of Meng Chang, the ruler of Shu. When the news of my army's intention to march west was conveyed, Meng Chang immediately arranged for Zhao Jizha to inspect the border. The specific situation is unknown, but I only know that after Zhao Jizha returned, Meng Chang appointed him as the military supervisor of the Xiongwu Army, commanding Qin and Feng states, and leading more than a thousand soldiers assigned by Meng Chang to the north."
"This Zhao Jizha is the scholar that you and I hate the most. He spends all day with Meng Chang reciting poems and writing lyrics. It is said that when he went to war, he also recited Prime Minister Zhuge's "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" loudly, thinking of himself as Prime Minister Zhuge..."
Even though Wang Jing was a reckless man, he still had great respect for Zhuge Liang and was extremely contemptuous of the behavior of anyone trying to take advantage of Zhuge Liang.
Han Lingkun said: "These people all think they can be as good as Zhuge Liang, both civil and military. But how many people like Zhuge Liang have been there in the past thousand years?"
The two discussed with each other and changed their tactics.
There was no mention of Luo Youdu's reminder.
They rarely have the opportunity to fight, so how could they let a civilian official share their credit?
Luo Youdu returned to the big tent, looked at the boxes of valuables, and asked people to open them one by one.
Zhang Qiong opened the box in surprise, exclaimed, and didn't know where to look.
There were ten boxes, three of which were filled with bright yellow Tongbao coins, five boxes of silks and satins, including silk from Jiangnan and brocade from Bashu, half a box of silver ingots and half a box of gold, pearls and agates, and the remaining box was filled with books, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, which had obviously taken a lot of effort to collect.
Luo Youdu pointed to a box of Tongbao and said to Zhang Qiong: "Distribute this box. You and all the guards will have a share."
Zhang Qiong poked his hand and grinned, "Okay, let's go now!"
Luo Youdu looked at Cao Bin and said, "Do you want it?"
Cao Bin shook his head silently, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Luo Youdu smiled and said, "You want to ask why I accept these ill-gotten gains?"
Cao Bin nodded with a complicated expression.
Luo Youdu said meaningfully, "Do you think that when Duke Baoguo said that he and Han Jiedushi put these things together, they really meant it? If Han Jiedushi really wanted to curry favor with us, he wouldn't have given us the cold shoulder along the way. These were all given by Duke Baoguo personally, and he was just doing Han Jiedushi a favor."
"Unlike the governor of Yu and Han, Duke Bao, as a general guarding the border, has absolute power in Fengxiang. But he has no foundation in the imperial court. What he fears most is that someone will speak ill of him in front of the emperor, thus arousing the emperor's suspicion and depriving him of everything he has."
"If I don't accept the gift he brought today, he will have doubts. He will wonder if I have a prejudice against him, if I have any bad intentions towards him, or even doubt the government's attitude towards him."
"With such doubts, can he still fight with peace of mind?"
"Instead of making him suspicious, it is better to accept it generously and let him serve the court wholeheartedly."
"As for these money and things? I will use them later. Take some first and reward my brothers. It's better to keep the wealth within the family!"
"I know your character. If you don't want to accept this kind of money, I won't force you. But your brothers have had a hard time. They have followed me for thousands of miles. I'm afraid they won't get any military merit. It's not too much to make a little money and bring some gifts back to your parents, wife and children. Please don't interfere."
Cao Bin bowed and said, "I appreciate your teaching. I would also like to thank you for your reward on behalf of my brothers."
Luo Youdu patted Cao Bin on the shoulder and said, "Go down and have some rest. It will be boring to watch how the Duke of Bao and the others perform tomorrow."
Just as Luo Youdu thought, the next day, they left Dasan Pass and headed straight for Huangniu Slope.
They set up a camp opposite the Shu army.
Wang Jing sent troops to challenge the enemy and greeted the parents of the Shu army from outside the enemy's shooting range.
The Shu general also kept his composure and refused to attack no matter how the Zhou army cursed him.
Wang Jing cursed for a while, but seeing that it had no effect, he ordered an attack on the enemy camp.
During this fight, an accident happened.
The original plan was to launch a feint attack to put pressure on the enemy, but the result was that they directly broke through the enemy's first camp.
The Shu soldiers, who had not seen a war for ten years, were even weaker than they had imagined.
Wang Jing didn't know how to command for a moment. He felt that if he exerted a little more strength, he could break through the eight camps on the opposite side in one go and drive the enemy back to Weiwu City.
But thinking that the Weiwu City behind was really difficult to attack, he patted his cheeks and ordered the soldiers stop fighting and open a river!
Sure enough, with the Zhou soldiers' "release of the river", the Shu soldiers "bravely" recaptured the lost camp.
This battle was full of drama, but the Zhou army's goal had been achieved.
The fighting has already begun on the front line. As the commander-in-chief, Zhao Jizha has no reason to take a leisurely trip!
In this battle, the Zhou army lost more than ten people, and hundreds of people suffered sword wounds of varying degrees of severity.
After both sides withdrew their
Now both of them are trying to prevent me from competing for merit and interfering in military affairs, so I'll just follow their wishes.
It is better to be still than to move.
Luo Youdu felt like he was a poisonous snake, lurking quietly, ready to bite someone at any time.
