Chapter 208: Analysis as Fierce as a Tiger
Mozhe Dati's head was buzzing. As a Qiang leader, he was only familiar with the affairs of Qinzhou. Why should he worry about the overall situation in Guanlong?
He had heard of some of the cities on the map, but not others. Mozhe Dike had no idea which city or checkpoint was important.
Helplessly, Mozhe Dati looked at Hou Gang again.
There was no way. Among this group of "Qinzhou Army", Hou Gang was the only one who really understood military affairs.
Hou Gang met Mozhe Dati's gaze, which seemed to say, "Come and beg me."
Mo Zhe Dadi finally said: "Silence!"
Mo Zhe Dadi still has prestige. The noisy banquet hall quieted down. Everyone looked at Mo Zhe Dadi. He cleared his throat and said:
"Let's listen to what the king has to say!"
king?
Everyone then remembered Hou Gang who was sitting on the main seat and cast inquiring glances at him.
Hou Gang had his fill, and he also knew the principle of quitting while he was ahead, so he began to say:
"I think we should support General Lu and attack Liangzhou."
Mozhe Dati looked at Hou Gang and said in his heart, last time you said you wanted to take over Longxi, I led my troops to attack Longxi County, but then I ran into Su Ze, a tough guy, and returned with heavy losses.
If it weren't for the eldest son Mo Zhe who was born with great ambition, the prestige of the Mo Zhe family would have been ruined.
Why are we asked to attack Liangzhou now?
Hou Gang saw Mozhe Dadi's doubts and said:
"I have dealt with Su Ze when I was in Luoyang, and I know that he is extremely cunning. Although he is a treacherous and favored minister, he has an outstanding ability to lead troops."
"He is in Longxi County. If we want to attack him, it will cost several times more. Now the situation in Guanzhong is changing rapidly. How can we spend precious time on him?"
Mozhe Dati recalled the cavalry he encountered in Longxi County and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Su Ze was indeed good at training soldiers, and the elite troops under his command were more elite than he had ever seen. Many veterans who retired from Longxi County were terrified at the mention of Su Ze's cavalry.
But Hou Gang's analysis last time was correct. Su Ze was in Longxi County and was always a threat to Qinzhou. Mo Zhe Dati asked, "What if Su Ze leaves Longxi County?"
Hou Gang said categorically: "Impossible!"
Everyone looked at Hou Gang, and Hou Gang said:
"Su Ze was born into a poor military family in Luoyang."
Hou Gang felt relieved when he thought of Su Ze's father whom he had tortured to death. He said:
"I know his background well. He started out by relying on his former subordinates in the Yulin Army. By chance, he trained a group of elite cavalry. This is all his capital."
"Although the pseudo-Wei court let him control Hezhou and Liangzhou, he couldn't mobilize the local nobles because of his family background."
Hou Gang added:
"How is Li Shizhe, the governor of Hezhou, the son of Li Chong, the general of the cavalry, doing in Hezhou?"
"Liangzhou Governor Yuan Yu, a member of the pseudo-Wei royal family, is helpless against those powerful families in Liangzhou, right?"
"As for Longxi County, it goes without saying that the Longxi Li, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, couldn't even unite the scattered people in Longxi County. So what virtue and ability does Su Ze have to make two states and one county die for him?"
Seeing that Mo Zhe Dadi was still hesitant, Hou Gang said, "Think about Li Yan. If he were to lead the Qinzhou troops to fight outside Qinzhou, would you, Prime Minister, send troops?"
Everyone suddenly realized that this was indeed the case, the situation in each state was similar.
Su Ze was an outsider general and of humble family background, but he was able to hold on to Longxi County because he seized the initiative and deployed his trusted cavalry in the county.
In order to defend their territory, the nobles in Longxi were also willing to support Su Ze in the battle.
However, if Su Ze wanted to fight outside Longxi County, this amount of troops would not be enough.
Moreover, Hou Gang’s judgment was correct. The nobles in Hezhou, Liangzhou and Longxi County would not support Su Ze to fight in Longxi.
Hou Gang said: "For a kid like Su Ze, all the prime minister needs to do is send an army to station at the pass of Longxi County, and he can be blocked in Longxi County."
After listening to Hou Gang's analysis, Mozhe Dadi agreed with it deeply.
It turned out that Su Ze relied on that elite cavalry.
He also found out after reviewing the situation that Su Ze's cavalry was very elite, but their numbers were not large.
This also verified Hou Gang's analysis that Su Ze relied on his own troops to fight and had no ability to mobilize the nobles in Hezhou, Liangzhou and Longxi County.
In this case, Hou Gang's statement is correct. As long as we send people to guard the exit of Longxi County, can Su Ze's cavalry, no matter how elite they are, still be able to attack the city?
Then there is no need for me to continue to fight against Su Ze, this tough guy.
After letting him go, Mozhe Dati instantly reconciled with himself. The psychological trauma left by the defeat in Longxi County made him instinctively resist continuing to lead his troops to attack Longxi County.
But if we don't attack Longxi, why attack Liangzhou?
Hou Gang asked, "General Lu has already arrived in Wuxing County (now Lueyang County, Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province), right?"
Everyone hurriedly looked at the map and finally found the location of Wuxing County.
Hou Gang said: "Now that we have taken Wuxing, we only need to make an extra effort to capture Mianyang County, and then Hanzhong will be secured!"
Everyone searched on the map again and finally found the location of Mianyang County west of Nanzheng (Hanzhong).
After Hou Gang finished speaking, he had made it so clear that he thought someone would be able to follow his train of thought and then stage a "great minds think alike" drama.
But in the entire banquet hall, no one could understand his strategic intentions. They even had to look for the locations of the cities he mentioned on the map.
It feels like eating shit.
This bunch of country bumpkins have no military understanding at all. Mo Zhe Dati is just a reckless man, but he actually let them seize the lands of Qinzhou and Qizhou!
There is no justice!
Hou Gang felt like he had been praising a treasure for a long time, but the bumpkin below only knew copper coins and had no feeling for the treasure he was talking about.
This feeling of talking to a cow made Hou Gang feel desperate. The quality of you traitors is too low!
That’s not right. If the quality of the rebels is so low, then what about the government troops that were defeated by them?
Hou Gang took a deep breath. It seemed that he could only break these idiots into pieces and feed them to them.
He said: "Mianyang County is also called Mianyang. There is a Dingjun Mountain in the south of Mianyang County. It is the place where Huang Zhong of Shu Han killed Xiahou Yuan with a sword."
"The foot of Dingjun Mountain is also where Zhuge Wuhou was buried. The last emperor of Shu Han built the Wuhou Temple here."
After Hou Gang finished saying this, the whole banquet hall became lively, and everyone shouted that they wanted to attack Mianyang County.
Who is Zhuge Wuhou?
Although it has been nearly three hundred years since the Three Kingdoms period and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has not yet been completed, the story of the Three Kingdoms is still the most popular story in the entire Central Plains today.
In other words, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" itself was born out of various Three Kingdoms legends that have been passed down for thousands of years.
Xiao Baoyin praised Cui Yanbo and compared him to Guan and Zhang.
The name of Zhuge Wuhou is still well-known today.
The place where Zhuge Liang was buried! How could it not be important?
Do you know how to fight a war or does Zhuge Liang know how to fight a war?
Mozhe Dam asked everyone to be quiet again, and listened to Hou Gang continue to say: "Mianyang County is the key point of Hanzhong."
"If we capture Mianyang County, Hanzhong will no longer have a barrier, and Nanzheng will have no strategic location to defend."
"And Mianyang County also controls the exit of Chencang Road. As long as we capture Mianyang County, we can go north from Chencang Road and attack Chencang together with General Mozhe Tiansheng from Qizhou!"
"Once Chencang is taken, Guanzhong will also be in our hands!"
Hou Gang didn't say anything more. Mianyang County was also an important town guarding the passage to Bashu. Huang Zhong of Shu Han invaded Hanzhong from here.
If they captured Mianyang County, they would be able to get in touch with the Southern Liang court in Yizhou, which would mean they would have another way out.
After Hou Gang's planning, the "Qin Wang's Army" finally reached a consensus and decided to first support Lü Bodu in attacking Mianyang County.
-
In Didao City, Su Ze was also holding a military meeting.
However, the scale of Su Ze's military meeting was very small, with only his direct generals and the only civil official, Su Liang, attending.
An extremely detailed map was spread on the table. This map made Su Liang drool with envy. The more one understood military affairs, the more he could see the value of this map. It was truly a priceless treasure!
With this map, the situation on the battlefield can be seen at a glance.
In addition to maps, Su Ze also has an intelligence network.
Su Bai has been sent to Qinzhou to collect intelligence. In addition, Su Ze has been sending followers to Qinzhou since last year. He can see the layout of the Mozhe Dam clearly.
It’s a pity that the "Prince Qin's Mansion" in Tianshui City is still a dangerous area with a red challenge level, and Su Bai cannot sneak in for reconnaissance.
But it doesn’t matter. The military deployment within the "Qin King's Army" can be said to have no sense of confidentiality. It just takes a little more time to obtain intelligence.
Based on the newly acquired intelligence, Su Ze pointed to Xiangwu County and said, "Don't break the levee to build a new city across Xiangwu City. It seems that they are not going to attack Longxi County."
Upon hearing that Mozhe Dadi was not going to attack Longxi County, all the generals present were very disappointed.
This opportunity to gain military merit that comes right to your doorstep is gone!
Hou Jing immediately said: "Since the enemy army is not coming, then our army will leave Longxi County and attack Qinzhou!"
Su Ze ignored this warmonger and looked at Su Liang and said:
"Jingshun, what do you think the rebel army will do after the spring comes?"
Su Liang took a breath. This was his first time attending a military-level meeting.
He had heard from his younger brother a long time ago that the generals under Su Ze were very unruly.
This is also normal. Without these arrogant and brave generals, how could Su Ze have achieved so many victories.
Su Liang was also very clear that when he was in charge of logistics, he had offended this group of powerful generals.
There is no way, this is how a butler is. Everyone wants to get more resources for themselves, but a butler like Su Liang wants to block everyone's resources, which is naturally contradictory.
However, Su Liang has noble personal morals and always acts impartially without any selfish motives. Over time, everyone began to respect his character.
However, respecting Su Liang does not mean that these warriors will accept him.
Therefore, this military meeting was an opportunity for Su Ze to give Su Liang an opportunity to demonstrate his military capabilities.
Su Liang took over Su Ze's words and said: "The main force of the rebel army will definitely leave Qinzhou."
Hou Jing was the biggest troublemaker under Su Ze. He had been deducted from his food and grass supplies by Su Liang in Shouyang County. He immediately said, "Military Advisor, you have never fought against Mo Zhe Dike, how can you be so arbitrary?"
Su Liang is now appointed as the Military Advisor and Chief of Staff, a position specially created by Su Ze. It is not an official position in the military government, but a personal staff position in the military government.
After all, Su Liang was still Xiao Baoyin's Anxi Expeditionary Office Langzhong, an official position granted by the court. His rank was the same as Su Ze's Anxi General. Su Ze's military office simply did not have a position to accommodate Su Liang.
However, Su Ze also had a solution. He set up some positions in the military government, which he called "dispatches."
"Dispatching" means being responsible for specific matters. For example, Su Liang, the "Zhechou Military Advisor and Chief Academician", is responsible for the logistics, assessment, and military law of the thirty Zhechou Prefectures in Longxi County. He also assists Su Ze in handling military logistics and is responsible for making suggestions.
Of course, Su Ze cannot give Su Liang an official title now.
However, you cannot give him an official title, but it is still okay to give him some benefits.
The military government also paid additional salaries for the missions. The salary Su Liang received for this mission was even more than his official salary as a Langzhong.
The advantage of "assignment" is that the specific work is clear at a glance, so the army also calls Su Liang the military advisor.
Of course, this approach was not first proposed by Su Ze. Cao Cao did the same thing back then, and the position of military advisor was established by Cao Cao.
When Su Liang was given this "mission", there was a gleam in his eyes. Whether it was setting up the Zhechou Mansion or appointing the "Military Advisor", Su Ze seemed to be imitating Emperor Wu of Cao Wei intentionally or unintentionally.
Su Liang ignored Hou Jing's insult and said, "No matter who is the leader of the rebel army, the main force of the rebel army will definitely leave Qinzhou after March."
All the generals burst into laughter. Su Ze asked everyone to be quiet and waited for Su Liang's answer.
The intelligence Su Bai sent back also included news about the mobilization of the Qinzhou bandit army, but he was unable to judge whether the main force of Qinzhou was going to move.
Su Liang was so decisive that Su Ze was curious about his reasons.
Su Liang said confidently:
"Because Qinzhou doesn't have enough food."
Yup!
Su Ze's eyes lit up, this reason was really sufficient!
Su Liang said, "Based on the intelligence the general has collected, I have calculated that the rebel army only has enough food to last until this summer. If Mo Zhe Dati stays in Tianshui City with these rebels, they will soon starve."
"So after three months, the main force of the Qinzhou bandit army will definitely leave Qinzhou and attack other states."
Su Ze slapped his head, he had never thought of this reason.
The reason why the refugee army is called the refugee army is that they are always on the move.
The refugee army rarely establishes a stable organization, let alone stabilizing the local area and restoring agricultural production.
Moreover, the refugee army's army can expand without limit, and these armies can consume everything in the place where they are.
This forms a vicious circle. If a stable base cannot be established, the main force will have to move around. If the main force moves around, it will be even more impossible to establish a stable base.
In the early stages, the corresponding refugees in various places would soon see the horror and destructiveness of the refugees, and thus the local governments would begin to resolutely resist the refugee army.
Finally, after squeezing these refugee troops into the limit space, the refugee troops who are unable to move will be defeated by the government troops.
Su Ze was very satisfied with Su Liang's answer. They were indeed extraordinary, worthy of being the Su brothers!
After hearing Su Liang's reasons, Hou Jing also saluted, shut up and left.
Then Su Ze asked again: "According to Jingshun's prediction, where will Mo Zhe Dadi lead the main force of the Qinzhou bandit army to go?"
Su Liang pointed confidently at the Hanzhong Basin area on the map and said to everyone, "General, I think the enemy army can only go to Hanzhong!"
(End of this chapter)