Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 6: Imitating Zhuge
Shu army camp!
Han Jixun's face was livid, and he looked at his silent nephew Han Meng with a fierce tiger-like gaze, "I entrusted an important place to you, but you drank in the camp without saying anything, and turned around and ran away after the attack, abandoning the troops? You almost caused our army to be defeated. You, you, what's the use of learning all this martial arts!"
Han Meng was trembling with fear and said nothing, with a hint of fear in his eyes: "Nephew, I thought they were just bluffing, but I didn't expect them to really attack. Nephew, I didn't expect the battlefield to be so terrible..."
He is still in shock.
As the most famous second-generation rich man in Qinzhou, Han Meng always thought that he was as brave as his name suggested and that he was invincible in Qinzhou. He never thought that the other party let him win because of his uncles.
There had been no war in Shu for ten years, and when war broke out suddenly, Han Meng boasted of his bravery, patted his chest and signed a military order, thinking that a confrontation between the two armies would be a simple matter.
But when he saw Zhou's soldiers rushing into the village and saw the soldiers falling to the ground, he was so scared that his mind went blank and he turned around and ran away.
Han Jixun felt very disappointed with his nephew and felt powerless in his heart. He had no children of his own, so he treated his nephew like his own son.
Seeing that he was eager to fight, he also wanted to hone his skills so that he could take over his position.
He never expected that it would be so bad that his entire army was almost defeated.
"Go back to Weiwu City. Don't stay here and embarrass yourself!"
Han Jixun couldn't bear to punish him, so he turned a blind eye out of frustration.
Han Meng ran away as if he had received an imperial decree, without looking back, and never went to the battlefield again in his life.
After taking a look at the soldiers under his command, Han Jixun forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all."
Han Meng committed such a serious offense, but Han Jixun didn't even punish him. He just said "excuse me" and let the matter go.
All the subordinates actually felt that something was wrong; they had long been accustomed to their boss's unclear rewards and punishments.
Han Jixun was originally a personal guard of Meng Zhixiang, the founding emperor of the Later Shu Dynasty. He was brave but lacked wisdom.
He was highly valued for assisting Meng Chang in killing the generals Li Renhan and Zhang Ye.
Meng Chang was a man who favored flatterers and disliked wise men. In order to consolidate his position, he dismissed a number of meritorious officials and veteran generals, but he failed to appoint capable people to important posts. Instead, he used people based on personal connections and gave important posts to anyone, including Tom, Daugher-in-Law.
Han Jixun was just a bodyguard, but he was appointed as the governor of Qinzhou and later promoted to the governor of Xiongwu Army.
The funniest thing is that Meng Chang knew Han Jixun was incompetent. On the contrary, he knew that he was useless. When he learned that the Zhou army was coming, Meng Chang's first reaction was to sigh and then said, "How can Jixun be able to fight against Zhou soldiers?"
Meng Chang knew that Han Jixun was not capable of doing this, but he still wanted to hand over this most critical military location to Han Jixun.
Being willful is the emperor’s privilege!
In order to make up for his mistake, Meng Chang appointed Zhao Jizha as the military supervisor of the Xiongwu Army to replace Han Jixun.
Han Jixun looked at the civil and military officials below him and asked, "Where is Zhao Jizha? Why hasn't he come yet?"
Han Jixun called Zhao Jizha by his name directly, not giving the Xiongwu Army's military supervisor any face at all.
It turned out that upon learning that the Zhou army was attacking, Meng Chang immediately sent Zhao Jizha to Qinzhou and Fengzhou to inspect the city defenses.
Zhao Jizha boasted of his proficiency in both civil and military affairs, and belittled the defense line set up by Han Jixun as worthless.
Han Jixun couldn't stand this and directly retorted.
The two became enemies.
Zhao Jizha returned to Chengdu and told Meng Chang directly: "Han Jixun of Qinzhou and Wang Wandi of Fengzhou are not talented generals and cannot resist the attack of the Zhou army."
Then he recommended himself and became the supreme military commander of Qin and Feng states.
Han Jixun did not submit to Zhao Jizha, but there was nothing he could do. There was not enough food in Weiwu City. Once they were besieged and their food supply was cut off, it would be tantamount to suicide.
As long as Zhao Jizha brought enough food and grass, Han Jixun believed that the Zhou army would be unable to move south due to the solidity of Weiwu City.
Assistant General Yu Qing stepped forward and said, "We received news earlier that they are almost reaching Deyang."
"ah!"
Han Jixun almost fainted after hearing this. He hadn't even walked a third of the way when he roared, "The bandits are already here, but Zhao Jizha hasn't even entered Longdi yet. Is he waiting for you and me to die in battle before he arrives?"
Yu Qing said tremblingly: "Perhaps we brought too much food and grass, so we are traveling a little slowly?"
He didn't dare to say that Zhao Jizha took his beautiful concubine to travel around the mountains and rivers.
Han Jixun was tolerant towards his own people, but extremely cruel towards outsiders like them.
Han Jixun's expression softened when he heard this and he said, "Send someone to urge them to hurry up and tell them that Zhou's troops are very strong and ask them to speed up."
In the next few days, the Zhou soldiers went out to attack the stronghold every day. The two sides fought with both sides winning and losing, but the Zhou army's offensive was never able to cross a single stronghold.
Jiange!
Zhao Jizha was surrounded by women on both sides, looking at the fortress with thousands of historical relics, and chanted loudly: "Jianmen Pass is majestic and steep. One man guards the pass, and ten thousand men cannot open it. Li Bai's poem "The Road to Shu is Difficult" describes the natural danger of Jianmen Pass. Haha, I laugh at that stupid and foolish boy Jiang Wei. Sitting on this dangerous pass, he retreated to Ba County. If it were me, I would divide the troops into two groups, one to guard Jianmen Pass. Even if Zhong Hui has 200,000 troops, what can I do? Only 10,000 people are enough to resist him with the natural barrier. Then I will lead the army south to capture and kill Deng Ai."
The beauty beside him praised: "My dear , you are really amazing!"
Zhao Jizha raised his head and laughed: "If I were born eight hundred years earlier, I would definitely be able to inherit Wu Hou's will and conquer the Central Plains."
Before Zhao Jizha could express his lofty ambitions, the beautiful woman beside him had already handed him a glass of wine.
Zhao Jizha took a sip of the wine but did not swallow it. He drank it together with the beauty beside him.
At this time, military intelligence came from the front, urging him to advance as soon as possible.
Zhao Jizha, with drunken eyes, asked, "How is the war going ahead?"
The man said, "There were victories and defeats on both sides. The Zhou soldiers were stopped by Han Jiedushi at Huangniu Slope."
Zhao Jizha said with a smile: "It seems that the Zhou army is just so-so. They can't even defeat that kid Han Jixun. Well, hurry up and I will go and defeat the enemy."
The so-called accelerated march by Zhao Jizha was nothing more than three rests a day.
After more than half a month, Zhao Jizha finally arrived at Weiwu City.
After hearing the news, Han Jixun rushed to the city gate with a sullen face and asked, "Where is the food? Where is the food?"
Zhao Jizha narrowed his eyes and looked at Han Jixun and said, "The road to Shu is difficult, as difficult as the sky. It is extremely difficult to transport the grain from Sichuan to Qinzhou, and it will waste the country's strength. Doesn't Han Jiedu know this?"
Han Jixun said angrily: "If it's difficult, then we don't have to eat? How can we fight on an empty stomach?"
Zhao Jizha stroked his beard and smiled confidently, "Don't worry, Han Jiedu. Everything is within my calculations. It is now the middle of March, which is the spring ploughing season. Your army has two months' worth of food, and I will transfer two months' worth of food from Feng, Cheng, and Jie states, which will be enough to last until the autumn harvest. Han Jiedu will hold the enemy in front, and I will follow the example of Prime Minister Zhuge in the past and plant food in front of the army to be self-sufficient. If the Zhou army wants to fight, then let them. Let's see who can outlast the other!"
Han Jixun opened his mouth: "..."
Speechless!
