The Grandmaster Strategist

Lu Can, a native of Jiangxia, was the direct heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan. His grandfather was Ping. He was a general during the reign of Emperor Wu. He was known for his loyalty and bravery, and his father trusted him. He had supervised the army of Jiangxia for twenty years. He was deeply loyal and respected by both the government and the public. The young man lost his trust and joined the army camp with his father. He was more than ten years old. He could draw a three-stone strong bow and had supernatural power. Even if he fought a hundred battles, he would not be able to defeat him. Every time Xin referred to his left and right, he said: "This son's achievements will definitely be mine."

Since he was a child, Gong was fond of martial arts and disliked literature. Because literature was valued more highly than martial arts in the country, Xin was worried about it and asked his teacher to teach him. He has a stubborn personality and acts like a teacher. In the eleventh year of Xian De's reign, Jiang Zhe of Jiaxing was appointed as his teacher. Zhe was only fifteen years old at that time.

In the 22nd year of Xian De's reign, Zhe was taken prisoner to Yong and surrendered. A few years later, Emperor Yong granted him the title of Marquis of Chu Township and the title of Princess Changle of the Yongning Kingdom. The people of the country were very angry when they heard about this, and their former colleagues and old friends all criticized him. The duke was silent, but someone might criticize the duke. The duke said: "One day I am a teacher, and I will be a lifelong father. How can I reject him because of unavoidable circumstances? Those who criticize will retreat in shame upon hearing this."

——"The Biography of Duke Zhongwu, the History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties"

In early August of the tenth year of the Longsheng Dynasty, there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the post road from Haizhou to Xuzhou. A heavy rain had just fallen, which drove away the scorching heat. The wind blowing from the sea carried a faint fishy smell, and also brought Extremely fresh. At this time, smoke and dust were billowing in the distance, and the sound of vehicles came to my ears. A continuous convoy of baggage vehicles came from the direction of Haizhou under the escort of Yongjun sergeants. The merchants and travelers on the road all gave way to the roadside. This situation happened almost every ten days and a half, so they did not need to wait for the sergeant's order to avoid it. Dayong and Nanchu have been at war for several years, spending countless amounts of food, wages and supplies. Although the Yong army also maintains troops in the local fields, they still need to transport money, food and supplies from various places in Dayong, and the money and food transported from Youji mainly passes through Yuntai Port in Haizhou. Transferred to Xuzhou.

Among this mighty army, there was an unarmored young man in green riding a horse forward slowly. He was Huo Cong. He landed from Yuntai two days ago. He should have rushed to Xuzhou, but after landing, Fear arose in his heart, so he deliberately delayed the journey and went on the road with the army transporting grain and grass, ostensibly for safety along the way. Although the Huben guards who guarded him were aware of his thoughts, they couldn't bear to expose them. After all, they and Huo Cong had developed a deep friendship after having known each other for several years.

At nearly noon, the general who was escorting the grain and baggage ordered the troops to rest on the roadside. The general came over and said: "Master Huo, there is a wild shop in front of you. The general who comes here often makes tips there. If you don't mind it, please let the general." Can you please have a drink, sir?"

Although Huo Cong was worried in his heart, he didn't show it at all on his face. The general wanted to marry him, so he would not refuse, so he smiled and said, "I am ashamed to accept the general's kindness." After saying that, he turned over and dismounted, and he The general walked towards the wild shop while joking. Several Huben guards naturally separated and went to the wild store to investigate. This time Huo Cong left Dinghai. Logically speaking, those Huben guards who followed Huo Cong in Dinghai no longer had any reason to stay in Dinghai, but Most of them are serving in the Eastern Navy, and many have already served as mid-level generals or other important positions. If they were to be withdrawn all of a sudden, it would inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the Eastern Navy. So before Jiang Zhe recalled Huo Cong, he wrote to Emperor Yong and simply transferred those guards to serve in the East China Sea Navy. Except for the four Huben guards who had been with Huo Cong all year round, everyone else stayed in Dinghai. The general escorting the baggage did not know Huo Cong's identity, but he saw that the young man was surrounded by Tiger Guards. He also knew the importance of Huo Cong's identity, so he was respectful and courteous along the way. Huo Cong also took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in Xuzhou.

Ever since Jiangnan troops set up camp in Xuzhou in the eighth year of the Longsheng Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of reinforcements have defended Huaibei. In the past three years, there have been several battles, and rivers of blood have flowed between the Jianghuai and Jianghuai. The generals on both sides have been working hard. Outside the battlefield, spies are communicating with each other. There is no end to the road between the north and the south, and even Xuzhou cannot avoid the infiltration of Southern Chu spies and Jianghu martyrs. Xuzhou also has King Li Xian of Qi and Prince Li Jun in charge, so assassins emerge in endlessly. Therefore, Xuzhou has already entered military control and is heavily guarded.

However, Huo Cong's mentor, Jiang Zhe, who worried about him, was not in Xuzhou at this time. Although Jiang Zhe was the counselor of Jiangnan, he did not seem to care much about military affairs. In the past three years, he not only returned to Yongdu several times, but also traveled to Jingxiang and Huaibei on weekdays. In the meantime, he was sometimes boating on Weishan Lake, or climbing Mount Song to visit Buddhist temples, or lingering in Xian Mountain on the Han River, but he rarely interfered with major military matters. However, Emperor Yong's connivance towards Jiang Zhe was unprecedented. Not only did he not convict him, but he was promoted to a noble title. Now Jiang Zhe is the most respected Marquis of Chu State, which makes many people jealous. Even Huo Cong, although he knew that Jiang Zhe's promotion was due to his great achievements in the eight years of Longsheng, he was quite puzzled by Jiang Zhe's indulgence. Giving others control was not what his mentor would do.

Huo Cong's mind was spinning a thousand times, but his face remained calm. He was chatting, laughing and having a feast with the general as he walked to the spacious and clean outdoor shop on the roadside. He opened the curtain and walked into the shop door. The general was about to greet the shopkeeper loudly, his eyes As soon as he turned around, his body trembled and became motionless. Huo Cong was walking behind. He saw that the general was behaving a little wrong, but his eyes were blocked by the man's body. He couldn't see anything wrong in the store, but he subconsciously took a step back. The two Huben guards who were following him Then he took a step forward and vaguely protected him.

If there was an accident in the store, the two Huben guards who entered first would have noticed the warning. Huo Cong was confused and looked inside with bright eyes. At this time, the general hurriedly took two steps forward, prostrated himself in the tunnel and said: "At the end of the day. I will send Xue Quanzhong to see the Marquis. I didn’t know that the Marquis was here. Please forgive me for trespassing."

Hearing these words, Huo Cong only felt a roar in his head, and his body seemed to freeze. He looked past the prostrated general and looked inside. He saw two familiar men sitting on the seats in the middle of the shop. Incomparable people. That young man with a face as clean as ice and snow. Although his appearance has changed a bit compared to three years ago, he is still as young as before. Isn't he the evil shadow Li Shun who is always with him? And that man with a green shirt that reaches the ground, gray hair and frosty temples, a bit more weathered color on his face, but his eyes are becoming warmer and deeper, isn't he his mentor after a long absence?

The man stretched out his hand to support the general, and asked the general to stand up. Then he looked at the door of the store and said with a smile: "Cong'er, I haven't seen you for three years. You don't recognize me as my master. It's really in vain that I came to greet you personally." ”

Looking at those deep eyes full of admiration and joy, Huo Cong felt that the worry that had been entangled in his heart for many days was like ice and snow under the scorching sun, disappearing in an instant. He could no longer hold back his excitement and threw himself in front of the man. , fell to the ground and choked with sobs: "Disciple, I bow to my teacher. My teacher is always kind." Before he could stop speaking, tears were already falling on the dust.

Seeing Huo Cong's shoulders trembling slightly, but trying to suppress his excitement, I was also shocked. At this moment, I couldn't help but feel apologetic, thinking about how I have deliberately wronged this beloved disciple in the past few years, and what he has to bear at such a young age. Such pressure is really difficult for him. He stepped forward to pick him up, held him and sat down, and said with a smile: "Okay, although you have suffered a lot in the past few years, it is difficult for ordinary people to have such an opportunity. For someone like you who is just a pastor at your age, Haitao sent a letter saying that you were very effective in helping him fight. Mu Shou Putuo also tried his best and recommended you to be officially appointed as an official. However, I declined on your behalf. These few years are just to give you some experience and let you Get familiar with the general affairs. If you go out to serve as an official, it is not necessary. If you study with me for a few more years, you will be able to directly assist His Royal Highness in governing the government. If you have an official position now, it will be troublesome."

After listening to his mentor's seductive words, the uneasiness hidden in Huo Cong's heart gradually faded away. He wiped away the tears and realized that only Jiang Zhe, Li Shun and himself were left in the store, and the other irrelevant people were silent. He withdrew without a breath, leaving an independent space for their master and apprentice to talk. As for Li Shun, Huo Cong naturally knew that this person and his mentor were one and the same, so he had no problem staying here. After calming down, Huo Cong Cong put forward the question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time: "Sir, my disciple learned about the battle report in Dinghai, and he had doubts in his heart. Sun Tzu said, soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival. You must pay attention to it. Sir, it is profound. If you are familiar with the art of war, you should know that the war is tense and harmful to the country and the people. If you can win, you should fight and decide quickly. If you can't win, you should stop fighting and prepare your troops to wait for the opportunity. Sir, the emperor is so important, why don't you try your best, or persuade the emperor to stop the war? , or work together to pacify Nanchu?"

I smiled slightly when I heard this and said: "Cong'er, knowledgeable people in the world say that Nanchu is weak, why can't Dayonglu attack it? Do you know the reason?"

Huo Cong said seriously: "Most of the people in the south have a peaceful mind, love glory and splendor, and have no intention of making progress in the Central Plains. In terms of the combat strength of the two countries, except for the troops under the command of General Lu Can, most of the others are not strong in combat strength. Our elite army can One is worth ten, so Southern Chu is unable to pose a threat to Dayong, and this Southern Chu is weak. However, the south of the Yangtze River is rich and fertile, and there are thousands of miles of fertile land. There are also the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers that block the northern cavalry, and Shuzhong guards the upper reaches of the rivers, which is conducive to defense. Since ancient times, the Jianghuai Rivers have been guarded. There are countless princes who rule the southern half of the Yangtze River. As long as the leader of the Southern Chu Kingdom has the support of the people, firmly defends the natural dangers of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, and has one or two generals guarding key areas, and the military morale is unified, he can make Da Yong sigh when he looks at the Yangtze River. Now Nan Chu controls dozens of people in the south of the Yangtze River. In 2007, although the powerful ministers were in charge, the political situation was still stable, taxes were not heavy, the common people could still live in peace, and the people were still attached. There were even famous generals like General Lu who blocked our army from going south, so the war had been going on for several years. Unable to attack."

I nodded secretly. Huo Cong has indeed made great progress in recent years, and asked: "In that case, look at the current situation, who has the advantage between the two sides?"

Huo Cong had already thought through these things and said without thinking: "With Xiangyang in the hands of our army, the Southern Chu Army did not go north to Jingxiang and march to Nanyang to threaten Guanzhong. Xuzhou is impregnable, so the Southern Chu Huainan Army did not go north. Qingxu's opportunity, most of Shu has fallen into my hands. The Southern Chu Army can only defend itself according to Bajun and Kuizhou. Now the Southern Chu Army can only passively defend. No matter what the advantage is, it is not clear. However, the Southern Chu Army can still Self-protection, and with the sharpening of the military in recent years, the combat power of the Southern Chu Army has gradually increased. If it is delayed any longer and the advantage is lost, the advantage may be transferred to the Southern Chu Army."

I said happily: "You can see through this. It turns out that time has not been wasted. Yes, Southern Chu seems to be in danger now, and although our army has the advantage, it is strong on the outside and weak on the inside. Lu Canfei is not a person who does not want to make progress. Three years ago, he took advantage of Since our army did not have the opportunity to reinforce in time, he raided Chuzhou and Sizhou. If our army had not attacked Dinghai first, he would have taken the opportunity to seize the empty Xuzhou. Although I took advantage of the situation and took advantage of the heart of Xiangyang defender Rong Yuan, Capturing Xiangyang gave him a slight advantage, but Lu Can's ambition was fully revealed. Although Nanchu is now at a disadvantage, Lu Can took advantage of years of hard fighting to seize all the military power in the Jianghuai River and train an elite army that is not inferior to our army. , as soon as our army becomes slightly fatigued, he will suddenly emerge with his troops, attack our army unprepared, and wipe out Dayong's efforts to pingchu."

Huo Cong was frightened when he heard this. He lowered his head and thought hard for a long time before he said: "Lu Can always focuses on defense when fighting, but when the enemy is slack, he often uses surprise troops to attack key city gates and take advantage of the chaos in Dongchuan to capture Jiameng." Guan is an example. When our army was renovating after its defeat, they sent stones to capture Suzhou. Yang Xiu's attack on Sizhou is another example. Now that the two armies have been in a stalemate for more than a year, I am afraid that Lu Can is already planning to attack our army's important areas, but he doesn't know Where will he aim?"

I nodded lightly and sighed: "Cong'er knows that if he wants to capture Nanchu, the best time is in the 23rd year of Wuwei. At that time, the Northern Han Dynasty was newly defeated, and the middle of Shu had not yet been completely pacified, but Nanchu was wise. The king is in control, the emperor is secretive and the ministers are confused, and the government and the public are in disarray. Therefore, your majesty can lead the army to destroy the establishment, capture the king, and retreat without a trace. If Dayong can work hard at that time, he will have the opportunity to destroy Nanchu in one fell swoop. It is a pity that at that time The worry of seizing the legitimate son in the Yong Dynasty was imminent. Although your Majesty controlled the army, he did not dare to attack Chu with all his strength. The army was not united in spirit and missed the opportunity. After the peace in the DPRK, the Northern Han Dynasty had restored its fighting strength. The war in the north resumed, and Dongchuan was also worried. Gradually it emerged, and the Southern Chu territory was vast and densely populated, and the situation had stabilized. Once the southern expedition was carried out, it would be protracted, so we had to make a strategy of pacifying the Han first and then destroying the Chu. After the Northern Han was pacified, in order to digest the Northern Han National strength, and because of the loss of Jiameng Pass, His Majesty had to rest and recuperate. During this period, Lu Can had become the number one person in the Southern Chu military. Although the political affairs of Southern Chu were under the control of Shang Weijun, the military No one can compete with Lu Can. This is a rare unification of the Southern Chu military in decades. We have lost the good opportunity to destroy Chu.

If you follow my opinion, after seven years of prosperity, you should not raise troops to pacify the south. You must know that at that time, Shang Weijun and Lu Can were in control of military affairs. If it was the Great Yong's southern expedition, even if Shang Weijun had evil intentions, he could only rely on Lu Can, the Dayong Iron Cavalry came to Jiangnan, but it made the two of them put aside their differences and work together to deal with the outside world. It is a pity that His Majesty, who was eager to unify the country, finally decided to pacify Chu, so that he fulfilled Lu Can and allowed him to win the hearts of the Jiangnan army. When the war started, I was ordered to come south by the emperor. I originally intended to use Dinghai to contain Wu Yue, and then confront the Chu army in Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and I was not prepared to start a war immediately. Unexpectedly, Lu Can took the initiative to attack and took advantage of the continuous war. Strengthen his position in the Southern Chu army. Seeing the continuous wars in Jianghuai and Jingxiang, I was sure of Lu Can's intentions. He was unwilling to settle down in Jiangnan and actually had ambitions for the Central Plains. Although Dayong had an Ming ruler on the throne and famous generals and soldiers who were eager to attack, as long as Lu Can took it Go to the gateway to the north to see the Central Plains, hold on to it, and wait until Mingjun of Southern Chu is in power, then you can go north to the Central Plains. Although that may be decades later, it is not an impossible dream. "

Hearing this, Huo Cong's eyes flashed with cold light, and he said after a long time: "Since Sir, you have seen through Lu Can's mind, you must have already had a countermeasure. In the past few years, Sir, you have been wandering among the mountains and rivers, so that Lu Can can no longer be obsessed with it." Is it Mr. Jin’s behavior?”

I smiled faintly and said: "The two armies are fighting, beheading generals and seizing the flag. If I am not good at it, even if I am in front of the army, I will not be able to play any role. If you want to deal with Lu Can, you have to start from the Southern Chu Dynasty. Lu Although Can was ambitious, he couldn't see the situation clearly. The government of Southern Chu was corrupt. The leader of the country, Zhao Long, had just taken over the power and was busy recruiting beautiful women, carrying out large-scale construction and building palaces. This was not done by a wise king. Shang Weijun had been jealous of Lu Can for a long time. It was only because of the obstruction of the military power in Lu Can's hands, and because Yong was eyeing him and he had no excuse, that he could not speak out. Since ancient times, there have been cowardly kings and traitorous ministers in the court, so generals have no chance to make meritorious deeds. Lu Can was suspected of being like this, but he could not use extraordinary means. Eliminating dissidents and taking control of the government is a dead end. All I need is a situation to trap Lu Can in a certain death spot, so why bother fighting him on the battlefield?"

Huo Cong's mind was spinning, and he had recalled the events of the past few years in the blink of an eye. Although he didn't know many of Jiang Zhe's secret arrangements, the things he knew had already made him feel chilly. He glanced at Jiang Zhe secretly, He asked: "Is Rong Yuan a sharp weapon arranged by Mr. Shang Weijun?"

I nodded and said: "Rong Yuan's loss of Xiangyang was a serious crime. The Southern Chu court did not hold him accountable, but only demoted him to one level of military rank and asked him to lead troops to atone for his sins. Even if Lu Can wanted to protect him, without Shang Wei, Jun agreed, how could this be so? Rong Yuan is a narrow-minded person and has been wary of Lu Can's reputation and achievements for a long time. Lu Can also made mistakes. Rong Yuan is the former general of Prince De, and his temperament is stubborn and intolerant. If such a person is not used, it will be It was necessary to get rid of him to prevent him from causing trouble, but Lu Can didn't like Rong Yuan's method of eliminating dissidents and was unwilling to use it. However, he allowed him to take charge of Xiangyang, so that the generals were at odds, and our army took advantage of the opportunity to take Xiangyang. As a result, Rong Yuan had no choice but to rely on Shang Weijun to protect himself. Once Shang Weijun attacked Lu Can, Rong Yuan would be the one to take action. However, Lu Can was unwilling to kill everyone because of his obsession. Instead, he wanted to make amends and appointed Rong Yuan. As a general, Yuan was in charge of Jiangling's military affairs, so he made more mistakes. But if I had not known Lu Can's temperament earlier, I would not have added insult to injury. How could I have let Rong Yuan escape? The ambush was set up. If the net had not been opened, Rong Yuan would not have been able to escape. Only because Rong Yuan was left behind could Shang Weijun be able to deal with Lu Can."

Huo Cong said again: "General Lu is focused on the war, and he cannot help but neglect the affairs of the court. Moreover, General Lu is noble by nature and does not like to fight for power and flattery. Therefore, he must not be in the king's heart. It is just a matter of paying it forward when the prime minister is in charge. Wei Jun couldn't just find a reason to deal with General Lu, but once the king takes charge, the situation will be different. The thunder and rain are all the kindness of the king. Even the king Zhao Long wants to remove General Lu from his post without any reason. General Lu I can only obey the order sadly, but because the war is at a standstill, this order cannot be given casually."

I sighed: "When the generals are outside, whenever there is an opportunity to act arbitrarily, Lu Can is even more resolute and resolute. He attacked Jiameng Pass and sent troops to Huaidong, all of which were arbitrary. Therefore, although I, the secret agent of Dayong, went deep into the Southern Chu Dynasty, I did not There was no sign of raising an army, so such a move was taboo for ministers. Even if the Lord was a Mingjun Holy Lord, it would be a fatal disaster. What's more, the Lord of Southern Chu was not the Lord of ZTE, and Shang Weijun was in charge. Is she a member of the powerful prime minister? A few days ago, Empress Dowager Shang of Southern Chu intended to choose Lu Can's daughter Lu Mei as the queen. Although she was blocked by Shang Weijun, she still intended to choose Lu Mei as her noble concubine. For Lu Can, sending Lu Mei into the palace was a great way to make her queen. The concubine is the best way to deal with it. Once she marries the royal family, Lu Can will have the opportunity to control the political affairs of Southern Chu and gradually eliminate the influence of the Shang family. Unfortunately, Lu Can is not a powerful official and he is not willing to sell his beloved daughter in exchange for wealth. I get According to the news, Lu Mei arrived in Shouchun under the escort of Lu Can's second son, Lu Feng, and was secretly escorted by Chentang masters on the way. As a result, Zhao Long must be dissatisfied with Lu Can. Once the situation changes, Zhao Long will never think of protecting her. Lu Can. What’s more… alas!”

Huo Cong's eyes showed sadness and continued: "What's more, the general in charge of the army is the object of the king's suspicion. General Lu has a heavy army and is unwilling to flatter the royal family. Zhao Long must doubt his loyalty. Since ancient times, it is inevitable for famous generals to be heroes. It's bad luck, not to mention that General Lu is so stubborn. Once the situation stabilizes, the Lu family will inevitably encounter disaster. If there are treacherous ministers and villains who take the opportunity to slander, it will be impossible for General Lu to disband and return to his fields."

I said calmly: "If this situation continues to develop, Lu Can's only way to survive is to rebel. However, the Lu family is loyal and the world supports him. If he really rebels, his former reputation will be wiped out, and Jiangnan will be in chaos. This is the opportunity for our army. If Lu Can does not resist after all, he will definitely not be able to escape the hands of the ignorant and treacherous ministers. When the Jiangnan Pillar is overturned, who else can resist our army going south."

Huo Cong whispered: "Although there are many worries, General Lu has a large number of troops and is fighting fiercely with our army. I guess Shang Weijun will not destroy the Great Wall under such circumstances, right?"

A trace of sorrow flashed in my eyes, and I said: "Shang Weijun is not a fool, so he will not take action rashly. If he takes action, firstly, the war will be settled, and secondly, Lu Can will have something to fall into his hands. It's just my three-year plan." , just for today, everything is ready now, all we need is the east wind. In a few months, Nanchu will undergo great changes. I called you here because I don’t want you to miss this event that will determine the fate of Nanchu.”

Huo Cong felt a sharp pain in his heart. He had fought with Lu Can several times in Wuyue three years ago. Although he had never been face-to-face, he could still tell that he was a handsome person. He was indeed a hero at that time. He thought that this person was about to die due to a conspiracy. He couldn't help but feel sad and speechless, and after a long time he said: "Sir, you said you only owe the east wind, but you don't know what the east wind refers to?"

My eyes flashed and I said: "This east wind is Xiangyang. Xiangyang is the place that Lu Can must capture. But when he captured Xiangyang, it was the beginning of the collapse of the pillars of Southern Chu."