Ruan Yu and Li Yan talked and laughed, but did not pay attention to the displeasure on the faces of the soldiers on the roadside.

The armor of these soldiers was different from that of Wu Jun. They had dark faces. One of them had black patterns on their faces. You could tell at a glance that they were barbarians in the mountains. He happened to hear Li Yan's words, and his face changed drastically. He raised his thick and short brows. He was about to curse, but a young man next to him grabbed him in time and dragged him behind him.

Li Yan glanced at them, and the young man showed a gentle smile, stroked his hands and bowed to Li Yan.

Li Yan smiled and said. The moment Ruan Yu turned around, he saw the face of the barbarian who was blocked by his companions. He felt moved, but he didn't have time to think too much, and followed Li Yan forward. A group of soldiers led the war horses, stood on the side of the road, and there was a carriage. Li Yan asked Ruan Yu to get on the carriage, ordered to set off and rush to the camp. Ruan Yu felt inexplicably uneasy, picked up the curtain of the carriage, and looked at the barbarian soldiers in the distance.

"Is that Wu Yi's subordinate?"

"No, it's Zhang Lu's subordinates." Li Yan glanced at it and said casually: "It's all barbarians, which are often called Banyan barbarians, and have always been known for their bravery. However, compared with our Wu army, they are just a group of mobs. We were defeated by several drills, but we refused to admit defeat, but they said it was because of the weapons. In my opinion, even if we were equipped with our army's weapons, they would not do it. The key to training is to enforce orders. These barbarians do not understand these at all. They only know how to fight bravely and ruthlessly, and they don't know what military law is. The profit is whistling forward, and the wolf runs away and will not fight at all."

Ruan Yu smiled and said, "That's true. Looking at the world, there are not many people who can compete with my elite Wu. Who is familiar with you just now?"

Li Yan thought for a while. "He is a Badi Han man. He seems to have a surname He. I can't remember what he is named. I only know that he takes his mother's surname." Li Yan glanced at Ruan Yu and smiled and said, "Don't think he is like a scholar. In fact, he is illiterate and can't even write his own name."

Ruan Yu was surprised. After thinking about it, he couldn't help laughing. He had been studying continuously, and the Kanto New Policy encouraged education. Although it is impossible to say that everyone can read, at least one person in his family can always read, especially those in their early twenties. They have probably received basic education and it is okay to read and write their own names. I didn't think so at this moment, but after hearing Li Yan's statement, I realized how much the changes in the Central Plains have in recent years.

Ten years ago, wasn’t the same in the Central Plains? There are many people among ordinary people who can’t write their own names.

Ruan Yu sighed softly, feeling a little strange.

The carriage started and drove towards the camp.

The soldiers raised their hands, covered their mouths and noses, looked at each other, and a ruthlessness floated on their faces. Only the young man looked as normal and could not see any strangeness.

——

Huang Zhong received the edict, but was puzzled.

His Majesty the Emperor did not give him clear instructions, but asked him to do it with caution, and there was no other word.

Huang Zhong asked Ruan Yu for advice. Ruan Yu smiled. "The general doesn't know that Your Majesty is stationed in Ruyang Palace and gathers the world's virtuous literature, preparing for the Three Theories. The Three Theories, discussing learning, politics, and Taoism, are all major events related to the century-old plan of Dawu, and they cannot be neglected. As for the war in Hanzhong, Your Majesty trusts you and believes that you can handle it properly. There is no plan to be controlled for the time being."

Ruan Yu looked at Xu Huang and then looked at Xu Shu. "The governor of Xiangyang and Hanzhong are all here. How to allocate money and grain, please discuss it."

Huang Zhong understood. This was to give him a chance and pressure. Giving him a chance means that no one else would enter the battlefield in Hanzhong for the time being, and he could deploy calmly. Giving him a pressure means that there would be no more reinforcements, no more materials, and everything should be based on existing conditions.

This is why His Majesty the Emperor did not give him more instructions. If you can, you will fight. If you can’t fight, don’t force yourself. Just think about it yourself.

But in this way, the idea of ​​using the edict to suppress the generals was dashed and I could only find a way for myself.

Huang Zhong held a banquet to greet Ruan Yu and inquire about Ruyang. After attending the throne ceremony, he returned to the battlefield in Hanzhong and could only learn about the whereabouts of the emperor from the dibao. The dibao was rough and limited, so he was far less familiar than Ruan Yu, who was an official next to the emperor.

Speaking of these things, Ruan Yu was very excited and roughly told the emperor about his whereabouts over the past year. Huang Zhong and others were moved by themselves after hearing this. The Great Wu Zhao was established, and the emperor was busy every day. The king and his ministers had a tacit understanding, and the prospects for the Great Wu were bright.

After the banquet, Ruan Yu was sent away, and Huang Zhong left Li Yan and Xu Shu.

"Zheng Fang, Yuan Zhi, do you understand what Your Majesty mean?"

Li Yan and Xu Shu exchanged glances and said in unison: "Your Majesty knows people and responsibilities, and this is the opportunity for the general to make a contribution."

Huang Zhong waved his hand, revealing a hint of helplessness. "If you can make a contribution, it is not just me who have made contributions, but you are all meritorious officials. But this contribution is not easy to make. If you don't say anything else, transportation is a big problem. Yuanzhi, you go to check the Yuechuan Valley today. What is the situation? Can you farm in the farm?"

Xu Shu knew very well that Huang Zhong asked him to speak first, and the implication was also very clear. Huang Zhong did not want the warehouse to promote his troops. He was prepared and told him about his inspection of the Yuechuan Valley. The Yuechuan Valley does have the conditions for military farming, but it is not small. The most important point is that Wu Yi and Zhang Lu have occupied a lot of land in the valley, and it is the best and most complete arable land. The rest are either at the foot of the mountain or the waterside, which are fragmented and incompetent. If you want to cultivate a large scale, you must obtain the cooperation of Wu Yi and Zhang Lu.

Huang Zhong nodded. "In terms of cultivated land area, can the output supply our army?"

Xu Shu frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid it's insufficient. Our total force now is nearly 60,000, including the Yuechuan Valley, can support about 30,000 people, unless all the people are moved away. During the war, it is necessary to recruit civilians to transport them easily, and stationing requires help from the people. It is definitely not possible to move them all away. Therefore, I suggest that the people be retained and some food is transferred from Xiangyang and Guanzhong as a supplement."

"It's fine to transfer from Xiangyang, but can it be done in Guanzhong?" Li Yan said.

"Yes, go up the Mian River, less than a hundred miles, which is the Wukou of Ziwu Valley. It is only more than six hundred miles to Guanzhong, and there are plank roads that can be accessed, which is more convenient than Xiangyang going up against the water."

Li Yan interrupted Xu Shu again. "Can Lu Anxi give it?"

Xu Shu didn't say anything, but just looked at Huang Zhong. He knew that Li Yan had always been dissatisfied and felt that he was the real military advisor and was often wary of being occupied by others. However, Huang Zhong trusted him, and Li Yan always boasted of Huang Zhong's disciples, and he was unwilling to make Huang Zhong embarrassed.

Huang Zhong glanced at Li Yan. "Zheng Fang, what about your opinion?"

Li Yan cleared his throat. "General, in the past few days, I have carefully checked the classics and asked some soldiers from Ba County to learn about a situation. Attacking Shu is not a way, there are at least three roads to choose from."

Huang Zhong looked at Li Yan, but Xu Shu picked up the cup to drink tea. The tea mist blocked his eyes and made his face look blurry. Li Yan saw it, and was unhappy, but it was not easy to get angry. He continued: "In addition to the Shiniu Road (Tianniu Road) in the southwest of Nanzheng, there is also Dazhu Road (Mikang Road) and an ancient road. This ancient road is not far from here. You can cross Daba Mountain to enter Brazil County. Zhang Lu's subordinates took this road when they returned home. Although it is not as convenient as Shiniu Road, they can also walk. You can break into Brazil County and win by surprise."

Huang Zhong's eyes flashed. "Can that road pass through the baggage vehicles?"

"The large-scale baggage vehicles are probably not good. However, with the elite of our army, we take advantage of the situation. As long as we don't meet the main force of the Shu army, even if there is no large-scale armor, there is no one to fight. After taking down Xuanhan and Dangqu, we can break Shu by going west, and attack Jiangzhou by going south. If the fish are restored, the Shu will be in chaos."

Huang Zhong didn't say anything, turned around and looked at the map on the wall. Li Yan walked over and pointed out the route on the map. Huang Zhong looked for a while, then turned around and looked at Xu Shu. "What do Yuan Zhi think?"

Xu Shu slowly put down the teacup, got up and walked to the other side of Huang Zhong. "Main square, how much does Xicheng reach Dangqu?"

Li Yan smiled. "More than six hundred miles."

"There is no baggage, and the food carried by the soldiers, I walk more than 600 miles of mountain roads. There are no large arms, and I only use ordinary bows, crossbows, swords and spears to attack the county town. Isn't it too risky?"

Li Yan smiled even more happily. "Hou Xu Junhou, have you ever thought about how the soldiers of the Bazhong under Zhang Lu came from?"

Xu Shu frowned slightly. "Just asking for advice."

Li Yan raised his hand and drew a circle. "Yes, the northern part of Brazil County on the map is deserted. The county closest to Xicheng is Dangqu. The journey is long and it is difficult to march. However, this is the map drawn by the previous dynasty. It only includes the locations of the Han people and the government, but does not indicate the location of the barbarian tribes. In this seemingly nothing, there are a large number of barbarians, including Banyan Man, and their household registration is less than 100,000."

Li Yan turned to look at Huang Zhong. "June, with the influence of the Heavenly Master, 100,000 barbarians can help our army with the food for half a month. Why is it difficult? If you refuse to do this, you have to doubt the sincerity of Zhang Lu and his son."

Huang Zhong wrapped his chest with one hand, stroked the short beard under his jaw with the other, stared at the map with his tiger eyes, pondered for a long time, and nodded. "You might as well ask Zhang Lu and make a decision. Yuan Zhi, what do you think?"

Xu Shu sighed secretly. Although Li Yan's plan was risky, if it was successful, it could indeed be solved in Yizhou in one fell swoop. Huang Zhong was already moved, but he had not made a clear decision. Even if Huang Zhong was not moved, other generals would support him. If he forcibly blocked, it would inevitably arouse public anger, so he had to take a step forward.

"It's okay to ask, so I'd better wait until Mrs. Lu sets off to Ruyang before making a decision."

Huang Zhong glanced at Xu Shu and nodded. Xu Shu was right. Zhang Lu surrendered, and people were suspicious. If Mrs. Lu accepted His Majesty's invitation and agreed to go to Ruyang, then Zhang Lu would not dare to do anything randomly. This plan still has the significance of discussion. If Mrs. Lu refused to go, the army would seek death if it entered Ba, and there was no need to think about it.

——

The next day, Huang Zhong summoned the generals to discuss matters.

Xu Huang and Deng Zhan have arrived, and most of the generals at the level of the lieutenant came. After listening to Li Yan's plan, everyone was a little excited. Although it was difficult to cross Daba Mountain and walk six or seven hundred miles of mountain road, they were full of fighting spirit. After fighting in the mountains for three or four years, they had long been experts in mountain warfare, and walking on mountain roads had no problem for them.

In contrast, if you succeed in a surprise attack on Brazil County, you will win Yizhou in one fell swoop, and at least win the first achievement of conquering Yizhou, this is too attractive.

Even Xu Huang and Deng Zhan supported Li Yan's suggestion and thought they could at least give it a try. Compared to going upstream and walking four or five miles to Nanzheng, fighting with Cao Ang, who was waiting for battle, the attack on Brazil County, which was not strictly defending, was obviously more likely to win.

Only then did Xu Shu realize the seriousness of the problem. He underestimated the degree to which the generals were eager to fight. He could not speak out and could only raise a few questions and remind them to take them seriously.

First, Wu Yi and Zhang Lu surrendered without fighting. No one can be sure of their sincerity. Wu Yi's sister is the Queen of Shu, and Zhang Lu's younger brother Zhang Wei is still by Cao Ang's side. Will they be a fraudulent surrender? Even if they really surrender, can they cooperate with us without reservation? Once they enter Ba, success or failure will be in the hands of others. Is it in line with the way of using troops?

Secondly, the Brazilian prefect was Zhang Su appointed by Cao Cao, and Zhang Su's younger brother Zhang Song and Cao Cao relied on. No one knew how Zhang Su's ability was. If the hope of success was based on Zhang Su's unpreparedness, it would be too risky.

Third, it is true that the Dangqu canal can reach Jiangzhou (Chongqing), but Jiangzhou is a place that must be fought for by military strategists. How could Cao Cao be unprepared? Our army advanced lightly, without warships or large-scale weapons, why should we occupy Jiangzhou?

"I know that you are eager for peace and serve Your Majesty, and want to break Yizhou in one fell swoop. I will be able to empathize with it. It is just a war that must be a major matter of the country. You must observe it. The Great Wu Xinzhao, Your Majesty, is working day and night to build a century-old plan. If you suffer a setback, how can you face Your Majesty? If you are not talented, please ask the general to think twice."

Xu Shu lifted the emperor out, and the generals were not able to speak out for their refutation, and even Li Yan shut up. Huang Zhong did not dare to be rash and announced another discussion. He asked the generals present to keep the secret and not to publicize it. At the same time, he ordered Xu Huang to send more scouts to enter Brazil County to inquire about the information, find out the road situation, and see if the army could be passed through.

Xu Shu was still worried and discussed this matter with Huang Zhong alone. Please be careful and not careless, and let the emperor down.

Huang Zhong agreed.

A few days later, Mrs. Lu returned and met Ruan Yu. When she learned that Ruyang was going to summon people who were good at discussing the truth, the emperor had an edict to invite her to go there and happily obeyed the order. After discussing with Zhang Lu, she set off with Wang Zhi, walked down the river and rushed to Ruyang.

Ruan Yu was originally traveling with Mrs. Lu, but shortly after he set out, he received the edict. The emperor ordered him to rush to Nanzheng, contact Cao Ang, and test Cao Ang and Chen Gong's intentions. Ruan Yu had to part with Mrs. Lu, return to Xicheng, and hand over several sets of Cao Cao's manual notes "The Art of War" that came with the edict to Huang Zhong.

Looking at the "The Art of War" emitting ink fragrance, Huang Zhong and others were somewhat surprised. Cao Cao's annotation of "The Art of War" was Zhao Kuo, but his record was Zhao Kuo?

Li Yan said, "Your Majesty cares about us, so that we can only be able to win every battle." After reading this book and understanding Cao Cao's strength, we have taken another step from victory.

Everyone agreed and asked for a fight again, and the crowd was in high spirits.

Xu Shu was anxious, but he had no way to refute it.
Chapter completed!