diymy Chapter 37 Five Armies
Chapter 37 Five Armies
At this moment, Ma Su's body trembled slightly, and he took a step back with his right foot.
He never imagined that he would lose to anyone other than Zhuge Liang in military strategy.
Moreover, he was an illiterate and uncouth man.
The surrounding people also realized what Wang Ping had said, and upon closer examination, they found that there was some truth to it.
To garrison troops on the mountain, one must address serious issues such as being surrounded, cut off from water, or even attacked by fire. However, Ma Su lacked tactics to deal with these dangers and merely used empty military jargon like "looking down from a high position" and "survival through death" to deceive people. How could the army not be in danger?
Seeing his beloved student embarrassed in public, Zhuge Liang sighed slightly.
"Ma Su is talented, but he lacks practical experience. Whenever we talk, as long as he grasps the key points of strategy, I can draw inferences from them and devise a plan. But today he just happened to run into Wang Ping."
"Wang Ping was a general who rose through the ranks from the bottom. He knew how to use troops based on his experience. What he needed was specific execution strategies, but he couldn't talk about grand principles and couldn't argue with Ma Su."
"This is an exaggeration, and they are not up to any real use."
The long sigh was Zhuge Liang's disappointment with Ma Su, and also a re-examination of his own judgment of people.
"Military Advisor Ma, do you have any further insights?" Liu Shan asked.
He knew, of course, that Ma Su had run out of ideas.
When Ma Su entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang at Baidi City, he said, "Ma Su's words are exaggerated and he should not be given important responsibilities."
It wasn't that my father had a sharp eye and could see it at a glance.
Instead, he had appointed Ma Su as the magistrate of Mianzhu County, the magistrate of Chengdu County, and the governor of Yuexi.
These are positions for doers, but Ma Su achieved absolutely no political accomplishments during his tenure.
Especially during the Yuexi Commandery period, Liu Bei originally intended for him to quell the rebellion.
However, Ma Su disliked the desolate and impoverished Yuexi region, which was also plagued by war and chaos. He made excuses and even tried to use Zhuge Liang to avoid the situation.
Although Ma Su eventually took up his post, the rebellion not only failed to improve during the suppression process, but also showed a tendency to expand. In the end, it was only with the help of Li Yan that the rebellion was quelled.
It was precisely for these reasons that Liu Bei saw Ma Su as a mediocre talent who was good at talking but not at all.
If he could solve any problem he faced after being surrounded by enemy troops, even something as simple as purifying urine into water to solve the water problem, he wouldn't be standing here today, trying to secure a chance to enter the advanced class.
"Your Majesty, I have lost."
Ashamed, Ma Su bowed to Liu Shan and left in anger.
"Who else disagrees?"
After Ma Su left, Liu Shan asked the crowd.
The people looked at each other, none of them daring to answer.
Even Ma Su lost, and lost two games in a row, so no one dared to question the fairness of this examination and the court's personnel selection.
"Let's proceed back to the palace!"
With Zhao Tong's loud shout, Liu Shan departed amidst the clasped hands and deep bows of the common people and officials.
After the training course in Chengdu was a success, the Prime Minister's Office quickly issued the screening and assessment system to all counties and prefectures, and selected capable officials from the Prime Minister's Office to go to the counties and prefectures to supervise the process.
And so, a grand talent selection process unfolded in Yizhou.
The training program not only gave ordinary people and children from poor families the opportunity to enter officialdom, but also gave the major factions in Yizhou a fair chance to compete. Although there were some obstacles, the program progressed smoothly overall.
Moreover, Zhuge Liang's Prime Minister's Office was very fair and just in its personnel appointments, which enabled the Shu Han regime to weather this intense period of change smoothly.
However, at the same time, Cao Wei, which was also implementing the Nine-Rank System, was making its move.
"Your Majesty, according to reports from our spies, Cao Pi intends to join forces with Sun Quan and launch an attack."
After receiving a secret report, Zhuge Liang went to the palace late at night to meet Liu Shan.
"What is the situation? Please explain in detail, Father Prime Minister."
Liu Shan was somewhat surprised to receive the news.
Historically, Cao Pi's primary focus during his reign was stabilizing the regime; he had no intention of launching a military campaign against Yizhou.
On the contrary, they took military action against Eastern Wu.
Could it really be the butterfly effect caused by my own time travel?
"After the Battle of Yiling, our Han Dynasty only had Yizhou left. However, thanks to the easily defensible passes, Cao Wei dared not advance and instead focused its efforts on Eastern Wu."
Although Sun Quan outwardly submitted, he did not send his son to court as Cao Pi requested, which made Cao Pi feel threatened.
"Cao Pi's attempt to join forces with Sun Quan to launch an attack is either a test or a conspiracy."
conspiracy?
It's nothing more than an attempt to sow discord and deplete the national strength of both countries.
"How many troops does Cao Pi intend to send this time?" Liu Shan asked with a hint of disdain.
"The four armies, totaling 100,000 men, attacked from Didao, Tianshui, Xiegu, and Luogu respectively. Another army, led by Sun Quan, advanced from Jingzhou with his navy."
"Wasn't that a bit hasty?"
After hearing about Cao Wei's troop deployment, Liu Shan felt something was amiss.
Cao Wei had just suffered a major defeat at Ruxukou, and its commander Cao Ren had left in anger. How could they possibly gather 100,000 troops so quickly and launch a four-pronged attack?
This part isn't in history. Does this mean I'm supposed to stay in Anping Wulu?
Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty also saw that Cao Pi was bluffing."
Liu Shan said coldly, "Among the three kingdoms, we have the smallest territory and the fewest soldiers. Cao Pi can't do anything to us right now, so he can only sow discord between us and Sun Quan, hoping that we will fight each other so that he can reap the benefits."
In terms of land and population, Cao Wei controlled nine of the thirteen provinces at the time, making it a powerful state.
The reason why Cao Wei currently lacks the absolute strength to launch a war of annihilation is that it still needs to deal with the nomadic tribes on the northwest border and in the north. It simply does not have the surplus troops to attack Yizhou, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It can only gradually erode the strength of the other two states by exhausting their resources.
This so-called army of 100,000 is completely fictitious.
Zhuge Liang said, "Although Cao Wei is bluffing, it is time to repair our relationship with Eastern Wu."
Liu Shan understood Zhuge Liang's meaning.
"Father, just go ahead and do it. I will not be blinded by hatred and can clearly see the current situation."
"Now the court officials are facing a major reform from top to bottom. The people need to be fed, the army needs to be recruited, and we must not make any more enemies."
"Forming an alliance with Sun Quan and establishing a tripartite balance of power is the best long-term strategy."
Zhuge Liang was greatly pleased after hearing this, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. I have long wished to establish friendly relations with Eastern Wu, but I have not yet found a suitable envoy, so I have delayed it time and time again."
"Zongyu is quite good, should we send him on this mission?" Liu Shan had a very good impression of him.
Zhuge Liang also acknowledged Zong Yu's talent, but he feared that Zong Yu's lack of experience meant he was not up to the task of mediating between the old and new grudges between the two countries.
"Zong Yu can only serve as a deputy; a reliable person is still needed for the mission to Eastern Wu."
"Then you should choose carefully, Your Excellency. Perhaps someone will volunteer soon," Liu Shan said with a smile.
Zhuge Liang, not understanding his meaning, said, "Your Majesty promotes the Imperial Academy and opens training classes to recruit talented people. Famous scholars from Yizhou are coming to join you. Perhaps someone will volunteer. This is a blessing for the country."
After talking for about half an hour, Zhuge Liang returned to his residence.
As soon as he arrived at the gate of the mansion, a servant came to report.
"Prime Minister, Lord Deng Zhi requests an audience and has been waiting for quite some time."
Zhuge Liang was slightly surprised. After a moment's thought, he instructed his servants to bring Deng Zhi into the inner hall for a meeting.
Could it be, as Your Majesty says, that someone has volunteered themselves?