Hearing his master's words, Guo Xin felt as if the heavens and the earth were shaking, and his head was buzzing as if gongs and drums were beating.
Among the four people present today, Bei Yan and Yang Zuo are both from military families in Liaodong, and have been good friends with Gongsun Yuan since they were young. Liu Pu is the son of Liu Yi, and is also the second generation of a high-ranking official in Liaodong. He has been hanging out with Gongsun Yuan since he was a child.
As a representative of Liaodong scholars, Guo Xin, who was already in his forties, was invited out of retirement by Gongsun Yuan to serve as the Chief Clerk of the General of Chariots and Cavalry after Gongsun Yuan usurped the power of his uncle Gongsun Gong.
Deep down, he was also moved by Gongsun Yuan's past ambitions and wanted to be a "smaller" figure like Guan Zhong and Xiao He in this remote area of Liaodong.
But now Gongsun Yuan is so powerful on the outside but weak on the inside, and intends to march east to avoid the Wei army. How can Guo Xin accept this? After the illusion of a wise ruler and a virtuous minister was shattered, even Gongsun Yuan's appearance in his eyes became a little ugly.
Guo Xin's lips trembled slightly, and he even forgot to bow: "My lord, how could you escape like this? Didn't you sell out General Gongsun in Liaosui?"
Gongsun Yuan never thought that Guo Xin would object. He was weak inside but still acted majestic on the outside: "What do you mean by running away? How can you call it running away if I am trying to save my useful body for the future?"
"The situation is critical now, and you are all my trusted aides and advisers. Please help me as you have done in the past."
"Organize the army, transfer food supplies, and head east as soon as possible tomorrow!"
In today's era, although the era of "the king chooses his ministers and the ministers choose their king" in the chaotic times of the late Han Dynasty has long passed, Gongsun Yuan's blatant escape still caused several of his confidants to constantly question it.
While Generals Bei Yan and Yang Zuo were still hesitating, Liu Pu stood up, knelt down beside Gongsun Yuan, and said in a low voice:
"I understand your intention, my lord. The Wei army is powerful, and it is reasonable for your lord to want to go east to avoid the limelight. But if we rush to the battle tomorrow, not only will the soldiers be hesitant, but they will not have time to check the food and weapons. I am afraid there is little hope of victory."
After hearing what Liu Pu and the other man said, Gongsun Yuan realized with his reason that the chances of success in the Eastern Expedition were slim, and the bluffing he put up quickly collapsed.
After a long sigh, Gongsun Yuan sat down on the table and sighed: "My Gongsun family has occupied Liaodong for fifty years. My father and grandfather were even more disrespectful to the Cao family than I am. Cao Cao and Cao Pi never sent troops to Liaodong."
"I just politely declined the call of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei. Why did they really raise an army to attack me?" Gongsun Yuan raised his eyes and looked at everyone: "When I seized the throne, you all helped me. Now help me think of a way to avoid this danger!"
Bi Yan pursed his lips and suggested, "I think what the Lord said is right. We should not resist the Wei army's offensive head-on. It is right to avoid the limelight. There are many mountain cities in Goguryeo that are difficult to capture. Why not go to Buyeo in the northeast?"
"Buyeo has always been respectful to the lord. When the last lord was alive, he married a daughter of the royal family to the King of Buyeo. Even the jade box of their succession to the throne is placed in Xuantu County!"
Yang Zuo glanced at Bei Yan and said sternly, "The people of Buyeo cannot be trusted! When the lord was powerful, they were humble and subservient. Now that they have given themselves to others, they will definitely turn against you and harm you. Have you forgotten how Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi died?"
How did he die?
The Gongsun clan of Liaodong used to be submissive to the Yuan clan. However, after Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to Liaodong, Gongsun Kang chopped off their heads and sent them to Cao Cao in exchange for the purple ribbon and gold seal of the Left General and Marquis of Xiangping.
Wasn't it Gongsun who did it herself?
Seeing that everyone could not come to a conclusion after discussion, Guo Xin, who had the best wisdom and strategy, closed his eyes and sighed. The lord had lost his will to fight before the enemy army even reached Liaosui. If he forced his opinion to change, Liaosui and Xiangping would probably still be difficult to defend.
The status of the monarch and his subjects has been determined. How can we abandon them when danger is imminent? The only solution now is to find a way to help the lord and his generals withdraw their forces eastward!
Guo Xin stood up and saluted, his voice a little hoarse: "If the lord wants to conquer Goguryeo, I have a plan."
There are always some people in this world who lack great wisdom but are constantly clever. Gongsun Yuan is such a person.
Hearing that Guo Xin had changed his mind to "conquer Goguryeo", Gongsun Yuan knew that Guo Xin had changed his mind. He stood up and took two steps at a time, walked forward and held Guo Xin's hand:
"I hope the Chief will teach me!"
Guo Xin said: "The Wei army has come from afar and does not know the real situation in Liaodong. In addition, the Liaoze is vast, the Liaoshui River is turbulent, the walls of Liaosui are high, and there is a 30-li trench on the east bank of the Liaoshui River. In any case, Liaosui cannot be abandoned for the time being!"
Gongsun Yuan's eyes lit up: "The Chief Secretary is saying that using the Liao Tunnel as a barrier can delay our army for a little longer?"
"That's right!" Guo Xin said, "There are three things that should be done right now. I hope the lord will accept my request."
Gongsun Yuan nodded repeatedly: "As long as we can wait until the Wei army retreats, I can handle not only three but thirty requests!"
Guo Xin said in a hoarse voice: "The first thing to do is to order the garrison troops of the cities south of Liaosui to rush to Liaosui as soon as possible, so that Liaosui can have a full 10,000 troops. Then send the Xiangping cavalry and the Xuantu County cavalry, a total of 10,000, to the top of Liaosui City!"
Gongsun Yuan was about to change his expression, but he remembered what he had said a few moments ago, and asked with all his strength: "How can all the cavalry be sent to Liaosui? This is my lifeblood!"
"The Wei army is powerful. Ten thousand infantrymen cannot defend the Liaoshui trench. We must use cavalry to assist them so that they can hold on in time." Guo Xin said seriously: "If we don't send out the cavalry, once the Liaoshui trench is broken, the Wei army can completely abandon the Liao Tunnel and head straight for Xiangping!"
Gongsun Yuan thought about it for a long time and nodded, "I accept it! If the situation turns out to be bad, the cavalry can withdraw in time. Ten thousand infantry, if they are lost, they are lost!"
Guo Xin sighed in his heart, but still tried to remain calm and said, "We need a pretext to attack Goguryeo. My lord, the second thing is to forge a letter from King Youweiju of Goguryeo that is disrespectful to you, before you can lead the army to attack."
Gongsun Yuan turned to look at Liu Pu and said, "Bo Ming, you take care of this!" Liu Pu agreed immediately.
Guo Xin continued, "The third thing is to immediately order the four counties to recruit people, mobilize manpower and material resources within five days, and attack Goguryeo in three directions!"
"My lord, you will take the center route and lead 20,000 infantrymen to advance eastward along the Daliang River toward Heshenggu City."
"Qi Jin will lead 4,000 infantrymen in Xuantu County to form the northern route, advance eastward along the Hunshui River, and meet the lord at the foot of Heshenggu City."
"Hou Ze led 4,000 Lelang soldiers and led the Fang soldiers to Xi'anping first, marched northeast along the Mazi River, and headed straight for the Marudu Mountain City."
"My lord," Guo Xin said seriously, "Leave behind the people the food they need for the winter and next spring, and take away all the rest. Don't leave any for the Wei army. After we conquer Goguryeo, we can counterattack in winter!"
Gongsun Yuan nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, and bowed to Guo Xin, saying, "What a talented Chief Secretary! Liaodong's foundation is entirely due to the Chief Secretary's help!"
After saying this, Gongsun Yuan stood up and looked at Bei Yan and Yang Zuo: "Two generals, who can lead the cavalry to help Liaosui?"
Guo Xin was a person who gave advice, and he didn't have to do the dirty work himself, so his psychological barriers were easier to overcome. But Bei Yan and Yang Zuo were not treacherous people, they were just generals who were on good terms with Gongsun Yuan.
If I went to Liaosui, I would really sell out Gongsun Yan and flee eastward with my cavalry. Even if my life was not in danger because of the fast cavalry, I would probably be scolded by the people of Liaodong for a hundred years!
Seeing the two of them remain silent, Gongsun Yuan stamped his feet anxiously: "If you two don't go, who else can I trust? Come and help me!"
Bei Yan gritted his teeth and said first: "I am willing to share the worries of my lord! If I die in Liaosui, my clan will rely on my lord to take care of me!"
Gongsun Yuan bowed to Bei Yan again.
……
On May 20th, Cao Rui led his army to continue eastward along the southern bank of Liaoze.
On the evening of the 21st, Sun Li, the vanguard of the light cavalry, sent scouts to deliver a military report, which was delivered to Cao Rui's desk through Man Chong.
Cao Rui frowned slightly: "There is a moat about thirty miles long on the east bank of the Liao River?"
"Gongsun Yuan must have been frozen silly in the Liaodong winter. How can he defend a 30-li siege? 3 or 5 li is fine. If he defends everywhere, there will be loopholes everywhere!"
Man Chong also had a look of ridicule on his face: "Liaodong is a narrow and isolated place, how much knowledge can the people of Gongsun clan have?"
"The Wei Dynasty was established ten years ago, and Emperor Wu has been raising troops for fifty years. There have been countless battles, big and small, including battles of war, counter-battles, field battles, and naval battles. The military strategies and general strategies have been passed down to this day. How can the people in Liaodong catch up with them?"
Sima Yi nodded and interjected, "General Man is right. I have seen that the Liaodong Gongsun clan's previous military achievements were all against the Wuhuan, Goguryeo, Baekje and other Hu barbarians."
"In this kind of battle, victory can be achieved with the advantages of weapons, armor and shields and good training. How much military tactics do we need? If we haven't used military tactics for fifty years, how can Gongsun Yuan, even if he is a genius, lead an army?"
"Gongsun Yuan is about to be defeated!"
After hearing what Man Chong and Sima Yi said, Cao Rui naturally agreed with them from the bottom of his heart.
Wei and Shu Han and Eastern Wu had been fighting for decades, and they knew each other well. The generals knew each other well, and they won and lost against each other.
The Wei Dynasty had its own military strategies, and the Wu and Shu Dynasties also had a variety of tactics. They all fought their way to the finals during the chaotic times of the late Han Dynasty, so there was no difference in their knowledge and vision.
The Gongsun clan of Liaodong was different.
The end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Wei Dynasty was the greatest upheaval since the border between the two Han dynasties. Military tactics, military strategies, laws and plans all made great progress.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, once personally wrote a military strategy and promulgated it to the army. Cao Rui himself had personally experienced and commanded a battle of 200,000 troops. His vision and awareness were incomparable to those of Liaodong.
Not to mention that there was also the veteran general Man Chong in charge of military affairs, and wise men such as Sima Yi, Xu Shu, and Pei Qian assisting in military strategies.
Gongsun Yuan wanted to stop the army with just a 30-mile siege?
A fool's dream.
However, Cao Rui did not get complacent about Gongsun Yuan's strange defensive strategy. He said calmly, "In any case, we still have to fight a real battle to make it count."
"A 30-li siege will still cause some trouble. Once the army arrives and breaks through the siege, it won't be too late for you to come and say auspicious words to me." (End of this chapter)
