Han Xiang

Chapter 528 Kong Ming offers a plan to capture Ma Chao

Zhao Yun was about to accept the challenge, but was interrupted by Liu Bei behind him:

"Swords have no eyes at night, and fighting at night with fire cannot fully demonstrate martial arts. Why don't we all stop fighting first and fight again tomorrow?"

"Fight again tomorrow?"

When Ma Chao frowned and hesitated, Pang De led his horse forward and whispered: "You can agree, Huaili is already Liu Bei's territory. If he joins forces with the defenders in the city, we may suffer big losses. It's better to take advantage of it before it's completely dark." Find a place to rest.”

"Makes sense."

Ma Chao adopted Pound's suggestion and agreed with Liu Bei to fight again in the north of the city tomorrow. The soldiers of the two armies who watched the battle for an afternoon then slowly withdrew from the battlefield.

When night completely enveloped the earth, Liu Bei was placed in Huaili County Mansion to rest.

I don't know whether it was because Yuan Wei was in a hurry, or because Liu Bei had something on his mind, the food cauldron he sent remained untouched for a long time.

After Yuan Chen heard the sergeant's report, his heart went up and down for a moment, thinking what did he do wrong?
When he was struggling, Zhuge Liang came from outside.

Yuan Chen hurried up to greet him, and reported in a low voice: "Military Master, you came just in time, and just brought the Lord dinner, but he hasn't moved his chopsticks for a long time, is it possible that the general did something wrong?"

"It has nothing to do with General Yuan. My lord is thinking about other things."

Zhuge Liang waved his hand and said, "General, go to the front hall to accompany Zilong and Wen Chang. I have something to discuss with my lord."

"only."

Yuan Wei turned around and left after speaking.

Zhuge Liang walked into the inner hall and saw Liu Bei staring at the roof with his chin in his hands. The food cauldron on the table had lost its heat.

"My lord, what are you thinking?"

"The military advisor is here? I was thinking about the battle between the generals in front of the formation in the afternoon. I didn't expect that Liangzhou would have such a fierce general. Ma Chao and Pang De are not ordinary people, especially Ma Chao, who is very brave. I really see the shadow of Lu Bu in him. "

"Hehe, my lord has taken a fancy to Ma Chao?"

Zhuge Liang walked to the side and sat down, with a relaxed and cheerful tone.

"What's the use of looking at him? He is Ma Shoucheng's son."

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he shook his head slightly, then frowned and sighed: "I thought that all the generals in Liangzhou were just a mob, but I didn't expect that Ma Teng would have such a strong general. I'm worried that if the military advisor planned to take Hanzhong first, Ma Teng and others might take advantage of it. When they launch a sneak attack on Guanzhong, who can defend Ma Chao and Pang De?"

"Since my lord is so worried, why not go and capture the second general tonight?"

Before Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Liu Bei, who was originally lazy, sat upright as if he had been electrocuted. He asked with a surprised look on his face: "Didn't the military advisor joke with Bei?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly, then moved the tableware on the table, pointed at the wine glass and started making metaphors.

"I just reported from the expedition. Ma Chao is camping five miles to the north. There is no city as a screen there. It is better to send troops to attack at night while his foothold is not stable."

"Ma Chao is a cavalryman, and we are all infantry. Wouldn't a night attack be a sheep's way into the tiger's mouth? Besides, Ma Chao is alone out there, so he must be heavily guarded at night, and it will be difficult for our people to get close."

Liu Bei shook his head gently based on common sense.

Zhuge Liang responded with a smile: "The winter night wind cuts into the face, no matter how strict the security is, it will not be invulnerable. We can wait until the middle of the night, when the enemy is asleep and tired, and then sneak attack."

"Even in the middle of the night, when thousands of soldiers and horses move at the same time, the movement will not be small." Before Liu Bei finished speaking, Zhuge Liang was fiddling with the table again. He put the dishes around the wine glass and said with a little playfulness. :
"The night is long and the north wind is howling. The lord can send hundreds of people with drums and music, divide them into dozens of small teams to disperse and surround, and then ambush heavy troops on the west side of the place and wait;
In the second half of the night, all the feigned attack points were making noises and raising fire at the same time. Ma Chao did not know the enemy's situation at night. If he escaped, he would panic and break out westward, and he would probably not dare to raise fire;

Three thousand cavalrymen were running in panic, and accidental damage alone would be immeasurable. If they accidentally broke into an ambush point midway, they would be severely damaged even if they were not completely wiped out. How much would be left until dawn?
In addition, we have a telescope. When Ma Chao leads the remaining troops to escape, they will be tired and hungry, and may not be able to get out of Guanzhong. "

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then pointed to the wine glass and asked, "If Ma Chao doesn't move, what will the army plan to do?"

"This is simple." Zhuge Liang smiled leisurely, "Let the sergeant pretend to attack and make noise every half an hour. Do you think Ma Chao can sleep when he goes deep alone?"

Liu Bei frowned and asked, "Is this a plan by the military advisor to doubt the soldiers?"

"We are both suspicious and exhausted. If Ma Chao shows no reaction at night, let the troops deployed in the west directly launch a night attack. I am sure that we will win a big victory and Ma Chao can still be captured."

Zhuge Liang nodded confidently after speaking.

"This"

Liu Bei hesitated to answer, and Zhuge Liang continued: "If Ma Chao and Pang De are captured, Ma Teng can be forced to submit. Then Ma Teng will set an example, and the generals in Liangzhou will follow suit, and the lord will be able to easily capture Liangzhou. only"

"But what?"

"This plan is a bit hasty, and it will be difficult to win over Ma Teng's actions. I am afraid that there will be a rebellion in the future. Heavy troops need to be left in various places in Guanzhong for defense, which will hinder future competition in the Central Plains."

After listening to Zhuge Liang's analysis of the pros and cons, Liu Bei finally made up his mind and said seriously: "It is said that people cannot stand without trust. Since I have promised Ma Chao to continue tomorrow, a sneak attack at night is a breach of trust. In addition, using hostages to threaten Ma Teng into submission is not what I am doing." Even if the concepts are contradictory, we still do things in an upright manner.”

"My lord is the lord of true benevolence and righteousness."

Zhuge Liang nodded appreciatively, and then reminded with a serious face: "Zilong and Ma Chao are equally matched, and the other two are all cavalry. They cannot stay without a plan. If we let the tiger go back to the mountain this time, they will definitely leave and come back in the future."

"There is no need for further persuasion, military advisor."

Liu Bei said with a serious face: "I always convince people with my virtue. Although I like Ma Chao for his bravery, if I can't make him return to his heart, there is no point in capturing him. I still act as agreed."

"Now that my lord has made up his mind, I will go and tell the soldiers to rest."

Zhuge Liang nodded in response with a solemn expression. When he walked to the door, he suddenly turned around and added: "There are advantages to being open and aboveboard. It is better to gain momentum a little later but it is better to be cautious. It seems that taking Hanzhong requires Ziyang's efforts, otherwise welcoming back the emperor is just empty talk."

Years of failure have taught Liu Bei a truth. If you don't have enough strength, you may not be able to get it securely. It is better to sleep peacefully and sleep peacefully. Therefore, he is not in a hurry now. Compared with the ups and downs after the failure of Xuzhou, the current situation is much better.

Liu Bei wanted to be a gentleman, so he didn't send a single soldier out of the city at night. Instead, Ma Chao's army was on guard outside alone, and soldiers were on guard throughout the night.

Having seen Zhuge Liang's schemes during the day, both Ma Chao and Pang De were surprised that Liu Bei's army did not attack at night, and soon after dawn they led troops south to Huaili to invite a battle.

After a night's rest, Ma Chao and Zhao Yun were both energetic. They fought with Bai He from morning to noon, changing horses and drinking water in the middle to continue the competition.

When you really meet a good talent, you meet your opponent.

Until the fight reached Li Baihe in the afternoon, Liu Bei was worried that the two of them were tired and injured, so he took the initiative to recall Zhao Yun with gold, and agreed with Ma Chao to fight again the next day.

When the two armies retreated, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes in the east, and more than ten horsemen were seen galloping towards them from a distance.

Liu Bei and Ma Chao stopped to observe at the same time, and a familiar figure was getting closer.

Zhang Fei arrived.

(End of this chapter)