Chapter 460 People's minds are fickle
"How dare you disobey my order?" Pang De knelt on one knee without any hesitation and said in a deep voice.
To die on the battlefield is the best destination for a general. Pang De may not be the best fighter among Tian Ze's men, but he is the one with the most determined will.
This time when I followed Zhang He, I had already made all the preparations.
The Battle of Yizhou was limited by the terrain and there were not many tactical operations involved. Most of the battles were tough and dull, and it was a test of will. That's why Tian Ze sent Pang De.
Zhang He looked at Pang De, his heart full of worry, but he also knew that any extra words at this moment would seem pale and powerless.
He just took a step forward, patted Pang De's shoulder vigorously, and said: "Ling Ming, be careful, I will take Chengdu as soon as possible and then come to support you."
Pang De looked up and exchanged glances with Zhang He. He saw determination and concern in the other's eyes and nodded slightly in response.
Guo Jia looked at this scene and smiled slightly.
Fortunately, Zhang He and Pang De had similar personalities, so although the battle was difficult, it went much more smoothly than expected.
There is no such thing as everything being under control in the world. The reason why Tian Ze was so confident in the battle before was because he had sufficient resources and a high tolerance rate for errors.
However, Guo Jia and others had made calculations before entering Shu this time.
Taking and holding Hanzhong was indeed a sure thing, but they predicted that the success rate of capturing Jiange within a month was only half.
What if Liu Fan was targeting Yinping Road? What if Fucheng had a large number of troops? What if Liu Fan discovered it in advance and sent troops to encircle it?
There are too many uncertainties, and none of these things are impossible to happen.
During the march, Zhang He specially arranged a group of troops behind Yinping, just in case the sneak attack plan failed, at least he could lead his personal guards to escape.
But thanks to the internal corruption in Yizhou, everything went much more smoothly than expected.
In Guo Jia's view, the current situation is already a win-win.
At least it shouldn't be a problem to capture Chengdu. At most we'll have to spend two years in Yizhou with Liu Bei.
Although this kind of lose-lose situation was not what they wanted, it was at least much better than being trapped outside Yizhou. They had even made the worst plan, which was to use Hanzhong as a base to confront Yizhou for a long time, which would be a real headache.
In comparison, it was relatively easy to fight a war of attrition in the flat basin inside Yizhou.
That night, all the soldiers slept peacefully, but Zhang He and Pang De were heavy-hearted.
However, both of them were veterans of the battlefield, and they quickly suppressed their concerns and fell into a deep sleep.
No matter how big the problem is, you have to get a good night's sleep first so that you have the energy to face it.
Guo Jia was alone, looking at every inch of the map of Yizhou by candlelight, combining the intelligence he had and thinking about what he might encounter next.
After a long pause, he sighed deeply: "Now, we can only race against time. I hope that your majesty's reinforcements will not arrive too late, and I hope that Liu Bei's main force will not arrive too early."
The terrain of Yizhou restricts the deployment of troops too much, and it is extremely difficult to attack and to fight out.
Moreover, there was the unstable factor of Huang Zhong's army, and Guo Jia simply did not have the energy to resolve it at the moment, so he could only put it aside for the time being.
The current situation seems to be going smoothly, but in fact, there are hidden dangers everywhere. If they are not careful, they will be beaten back to Hanzhong. Because the home advantage is not on their side, but in the hands of Liu Fan, and to a certain extent, in the hands of Liu Bei.
Liu Fan once asked Liu Bei for support for Yizhou. The biggest headache for Tian Ze was not how many troops Liu Bei sent, but that Liu Fan gave up nearly half of the county's territory, giving Liu Bei a smooth channel to enter Yizhou.
Guo Jia could imagine that even if his side captured Chengdu, Liu Fan would surrender.
As Liu Bei fought his way forward, the Yizhou soldiers would not encounter any obstacles.
Because all along the way are Liu Bei's territories, or territories bordering Liu Bei's army.
The seemingly useless orthodoxy could help Liu Bei save countless troubles at this time and give him a legitimate reason to enter Yizhou. "This can also be considered as a kind of resistance from Liu Fan," Guo Jia sighed.
Is Liu Fan not aware of his own situation? Not necessarily.
Surrendering to Liu Bei was definitely Liu Fan's first choice, but even if he wanted to do so, Liu Fan could not do it in the short term.
Because power is not only from top to bottom, but also from bottom to top in many cases.
His foundation in Yizhou is too weak.
Although the Yizhou faction including Zhang Song and Li Yan and the Dongzhou faction that Liu Yan once left behind have now all joined and are in a state of harmony, the secret struggles and conflicts have never stopped.
If Liu Fan dared to welcome Liu Bei into Shu, Guo Jia guaranteed that at least half of Yizhou would rebel, and they would also send troops at the same time.
Therefore, Liu Fan was probably planning from the beginning to invite Liu Bei to come for help after Tian Ze went south, and then quietly and logically give up his throne to this last Liu clan member who could carry the banner, so as to minimize internal unrest.
However, man proposes, God disposes. Liu Fan thought that with the difficulty of the Shu Road, it would not be a problem to stop Tian Ze's army for a few months, at least it could buy time for Liu Bei to take control.
As a result, he messed up right from the start, overestimating his own abilities and underestimating the strength of his opponent.
A high-end game like Fighting for the World was simply not something a rookie like him could participate in.
Zhang He's 60,000-strong army and the elite troops stationed in Fucheng attacked from both sides, easily defeating the reinforcements sent by Liu Fan, and then took advantage of the victory to directly surround the city of Chengdu.
When Liu Fan stood on the city wall and saw the dark army attacking the city in the distance, he felt his hands and feet were cold.
At this moment, he deeply felt his ignorance and incompetence.
The Shu Road, which was regarded by the world as an insurmountable barrier, was breached after only less than a month. He really couldn't understand why this happened.
"Your Majesty, the city wall is dangerous, let's go down for now." Zhang Ren, who was in charge of guarding the north city wall, said slowly.
Liu Fan's hands and feet were slightly cold. He looked at the young and stern general in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Gong Yi, can I trust you?"
Zhang Ren said without hesitation: "Your Majesty can trust me!"
Although he was brave and courageous, in a place like Yizhou where peace had been enjoyed for a long time and there were few foreign invasions, it was often not possible to succeed just by being brave and courageous.
The fact that he can now become a general commanding tens of thousands of troops is mostly due to Liu Fan's keen eye for talent and his promotion against all odds.
Liu Fan was very kind to him, so naturally he was willing to die for him.
Liu Fan looked at Zhang Ren deeply, then glanced at the many soldiers on the city wall and the civil and military officials behind him, and patted Zhang Ren on the shoulder.
"Okay! I trust you, defend this city wall for me!"
To this day, to be honest, Liu Fan is not sure how many people under his command are still loyal to him, but it is definitely not many.
He would never believe that Tian Ze could reach the city of Chengdu so quickly without some people secretly helping him.
Most of the people around me probably already have ulterior motives, and I don't know when they will stab me in the back.
The key now is naturally to defend the city. As long as Chengdu can hold on for two months and wait for Liu Bei to come to the rescue, he will win.
But can I really do it?
Behind Liu Fan, Zhang Song, Li Yan, Meng Da and others all had complex expressions in their eyes.
(End of this chapter)
