Chapter 469 Strategy
When Shi Le received the letter, it was already early the next morning, because he had just returned from inspecting the camp on the west bank of Qishui River.
Beida Camp was already in sight. After receiving the letter, Shi Le simply ordered to rest in an abandoned village outside the camp.
Today is the Double Ninth Festival. After taking a nap in the middle of the night, Shi Le suddenly got up and found that it was a little cold.
He stared at the small yard covered with weeds.
Many okra grew on their own in the vegetable patch, mixed with wild vegetables and weeds, swaying gently in the cold wind.
Perhaps, when the owner abandoned this small courtyard, the last vegetable he planted was okra.
Shi Le walked out of the yard, the wind became stronger, and there was a faint shrill cry.
The vegetation turned from flourishing to drying up, and was repeatedly destroyed by strong winds.
The air is relatively fresh, cloudless, and the sky is blue.
The soldiers caught an old man from nowhere and found out a bag of beans he had hidden in the firewood pile. The old man immediately collapsed to the ground and kept wiping tears.
When Shi Le saw him, he was speechless for a long time.
Seeing Shi Le's face, the soldiers smiled and returned the food.
Seeing that Shi Le was still sullen, he added a few more cakes and told the old man to get out of here.
The old man thanked him a lot, but did not go far. Instead, he hid in an empty courtyard at the far west end. Not long after, smoke rose from the kitchen, and the scent of cooking beans wafted in the wind.
Shi Le returned to the yard.
Breakfast was not ready yet, and some soldiers went to a nearby orchard to pick a bag of fruits.
Shi Le invited Zhang Jing, Zhang Bin and others to sit down, eating fruits and talking about things.
"After the soldiers, everything was covered with thorns, the remains covered the fields, and there was no one inhabited. Unknowingly, Ji County turned out to be like this." Shi Le ate the sweet pear with a somewhat desolate look in his eyes.
When he was young, he farmed, herded cattle, and did all kinds of farm work.
Although his father was a young commander in the tribe, he was away from home for many years. In addition to suffering from injuries and illnesses when he returned home, he did not receive any reward from the Jin court, so his life was not very comfortable.
Successive disasters and the desire for a wealthy life made him embark on the road of slave trade.
Walking around various manors and reselling slaves, he once made money and his life was much better.
But it was only "a little", because most of it was shared by officials of all sizes in Bingzhou.
Yes, that guy Sima Teng has no conscience and will do anything to make money. The people of Hu and Jin in Bingzhou had countless traders for them, and he, Shi Le, was just a slave trader who could not be more peripheral under Sima Teng.
In the end, this unethical business will end with someone taking advantage of it. He and his goods (slaves) were sold to Qingzhou.
That period may have been the lowest point in his life, but he also met a noble person.
The manor owner who bought him appreciated his talent and gave him freedom, so he started his career following Gongshi Fan and Ji Sang Uprising. Today, he is already a prince.
Shi Le had no favorable impression of officials.
I have a lot of dislike for the princes of the Sima family, especially those who are so heartless as Sima Teng.
At this point today, he has become the largest warlord in Hebei. He is no longer the slave trader struggling to survive, and his thoughts have changed considerably.
His dislike for the Sima clan prince is still there, and he has a complicated attitude towards officials and ministers: on the one hand, he is disgusted, but on the other hand, he has to pinch his nose to win over him, otherwise no one will help him take care of the place.
Maybe he can’t be very kind to ordinary people. After all, he exploits them all the time. But at least he knows the sufferings of the people, which doesn’t mean he doesn’t sympathize with the suffering of the people. Sympathy is sympathy, and he should be exploited. It still needs to be squeezed. This is not because he is pretentious or subtle, because people themselves are complex and have completely different feelings at different times.
"Shao Xun advised me to stop fighting, to make a living for the people of the world, and to serve the Jin court." At this point, an unknown meaning appeared in the corner of Shi Le's mouth: "It is ridiculous to say it. This time it is not the case. Did he take the initiative to start a war? "
"Your Majesty, this person probably wants to drive a wedge between Yecheng and Pingyang." Zhang Jing said, "In fact, there is no need to pay attention to him. The army has already moved south and will arrive soon. Let's make a real deal with him then."
"What do you think, Meng Sun?" Shi Le looked at Zhang Bin and asked.
Zhang Bin did not answer immediately, but frowned in thought.
Zhang Jing wanted to speak, but Shi Le stretched out his hand to stop and waited quietly.
After a moment, Zhang Bin cupped his hand and said: "Shao Xun is actually not easy."
"Oh?" Shi Le's expression changed and he asked: "Meng Sun, please tell me quickly. .”
"Shao Xun is a minister of the Jin Dynasty, but the emperor of Jin is quite afraid of him and does bad things from time to time. Although the Duke of Luoyang was forced to cooperate with Shao Xun due to the situation, it was only for a while. In the bottom of his heart, they looked down on Shao Xun. Once Shao Xun's ambition was exposed, they "Secondly, the two generals Kong and Zhao have arrived in Henan. The cavalry troops come and go like the wind, and they can eat in the wild. If they lose food to the enemy, they may disrupt the hinterland of Shaoxun." The world was turned upside down and his military morale was shaken."
"Thirdly, the attitude of Fang Bo from Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Jiangdong towards Shao Xun was quite interesting. In a bad situation, once the decline is revealed, it will be very uncomfortable to be attacked from both sides. "
"Fourthly, when I heard that Shao Xun vigorously promoted warriors as officials, the Yu Yan clan dared not say anything when their fortunes were at their peak. Maybe it's all a small matter, but once it's gone, it will be a big deal."
After saying that, he took a serious look at Shi Le and said, "Your Majesty, please don't swallow Shao Xun in one bite. The current situation can only be solved slowly."
"Stalemate?" Shi Le asked quickly if he had any idea.
"Stalemate." Zhang Bin nodded and said.
Shi Le said "Huh", put down the half-eaten pear, and stood up to think silently.
"Long-term changes?" Shi Le stopped and asked.
“It may change.” Zhang Bin replied.
Shi Le frowned.
Zhang Bin's expression did not change and he only said: "There is no such thing as a sure thing in a military battle."
Shi Le suddenly smiled and said: "What Meng Sun said is absolutely true. Even if there is only a slim chance, we must seize it with all our strength."
Zhang Jing looked at the two of them and stopped talking.
He really wanted to say something just now. After listening to Zhang Bin's words, he sighed secretly. Meng Sun had indeed analyzed the situation very clearly.
It is difficult to storm fortresses and fortified cities, and they cannot take advantage of their cavalry, so the gain outweighs the loss.
Now we can only wait and see if there will be any changes if we delay for a long time.
Although the armies of both sides gathered in Fangtou and the fighting was fierce, in fact, the outcome of this battle depended on places other than Fangtou - at least for their side, this was indeed the case.
"Your Majesty, maybe you should send someone to go to the Wild King and Pingyang." Zhang Jing suddenly thought of something, so he said: "The emperor has driven back Xianbei, and all the elite soldiers and generals are resting in the three counties of Xihe, Pingyang, and Hedong. If we can persuade the emperor to send some troops south, or urge Cao Yi to send troops to help, the situation will be greatly improved. Even if the situation is bad, we can have a better chance of winning by bringing in Zhao Gu's troops."
< br>"What do you think of Meng Sun?" After hearing this, Shi Le looked at Zhang Bin again.
"Maybe you can try, but don't hold too much hope." Zhang Bin said: "The king must have heard that 'crossing Yonghe' has become a national policy. The elite of the imperial court who defeated Xianbei may have been transferred to Guanzhong. In this autumn There is no reason to use it when you are rich and powerful.”
“That makes sense.” Shi Le nodded repeatedly.
He has decided to send another group of envoys to Pingyang to lobby. If that doesn't work, just send some gifts.
He knew very well that many people in the Pingyang court did not like him and often said bad things about him. But those people are also money-savvy. It is always right to spend some money, and there may be unexpected surprises.
“In order to avoid the emperor’s suspicion, your Majesty can send Shao Xun’s messenger and letter to Pingyang and hand them over to the emperor for delivery.” Zhang Bin added: “Shao Xun complained a lot about the emperor in his letter. If you tell me, the Han Dynasty will perish. I think the emperor is not a man of great power, and he will be angry when he sees the truth. Maybe something good will happen." Shi Le laughed loudly when he heard this and said, "Shao Xun wants to kill me. , Meng Sun casually broke it, and in turn he could use the emperor to gain benefits. He is really my Xun Yu.” : "In the end, the victory or defeat will depend on swords and guns. Now is the time to compete for determination, so you must not let go."
Shi Le's face straightened when he heard this, and he said: "What Meng Sun said Absolutely. It’s great to have an off-board move, but it’s normal if it doesn’t work. I started out as an eighteen-horseman and fought hard for several years to get where I am today.”
“After the army arrives. , You have to make an attack. How can you become a strong soldier without a bloody battle?"
"The situation in Henan..." Shi Le pondered for a moment and sighed: "It's okay to take this treasure. Come out and send him to Qingzhou to persuade Cao Yi.”
"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Bin praised.
"How should we break up with Cao Yi?" Shi Le asked.
"Shao Xun has captured Yuyan. If he cannot go to Hebei quickly, he will attack Qingzhou sooner or later." Zhang Bin said.
Shi Le used his fist to clap his hands and praised: "It is easiest to persuade people by telling the truth. Cao Ni must also have this worry in his heart. If more people whisper in his ears, great things will happen."
After that, I recalled several important assistants and generals around Cao Yi, and I had a good idea.
Actually, Cao Yi was given some face this time.
Kong Dou and Zhao Lu crossed the river by themselves, and Cao Yi sent troops to meet them. Although he later rejected the proposal to attack Yanzhou together, he still provided part of the food and military supplies to support Generals Kong and Zhao, and he still managed to make it happen.
It can be seen from this that Cao Yi is actually a little worried that Shao Xun will attack him. This is the opportunity.
(End of this chapter)