"Am I wrong?" Chen Pu asked a little timidly. She does not yet have the courage and self-confidence to speak out on major military issues.

Shang Cheng and Shangguan Rui were silent. Shang Cheng drooped his eyebrows, held the tea cup, and took a sip of tea soup one after another, with almost no expression on his slender face. The candlelight of the bronze lantern with wings of the five dragons in the opposite corner was projected onto half of his face through the thin tulle lantern like a cicada's wings, and the scar that had been pulled diagonally down from his forehead was reflected in a dark red light, which flickered and dimmed with the jump of the candle flame......

Is Chen Pu wrong? Of course, I am not wrong. It doesn't get any harsher than that! Only he didn't say it wrong, so things are in trouble! Xiao Jian's way of using troops, even Chen Pu can see the clues, what does this mean? "Soldiers, treacherous! Therefore, it can be shown but cannot be used, it is not used to show it, it is near and it is far away, and it is far away and it is shown to be near. This is the truth that Sun Wu, a military strategist more than 1,000 years ago, repeatedly emphasized in the "Art of War" at the beginning. But what about Xiao Jian? What about his "soldiers' sophistry"? He put on a three-way army in the southwest battlefield to attack together, and even Chen Pu could point out that this was the same as the grassland combat strategy four years ago.

Shangguan Rui laughed dryly, smacked his dry lips, and said, "The soldier is treacherous. In short, it is to make the enemy guess incomprehensibly, so that the enemy will lose the battle in the muddy and nightmarish, which is the clever method of using troops. Yi Guogong is a veteran of fighting in battle, and he is even more proficient in this. Luzhou, Rongzhou, and Jiazhou, the left, center, and right moved together, and the Nanzhao people could not identify which way the main force of our army was hidden, which was exactly the technique of 'using soldiers to hide the front and expose the suspicious soldiers'. Unable to distinguish where the main force of our army is, the Nanzhao people can only divide their troops to resist, or retreat and hold on. He grinned twice, originally wanted to praise Xiao Jian's veteran way of using soldiers a few times, and forced the Nanzhao people into a dilemma without spending a single soldier, but when he raised his eyes, he saw Shang Cheng staring at the tea cup in his hand without saying a word...... He paused, then changed his tone and said, "The terrain in the southwest is complicated, and the situation is quite difficult. The south of Jiazhou is full of mountains, a mountain is connected to a mountain, a forest is connected to a forest, there is no end at all, except for a mountain road by the Minjiang River, there is no road in other places, and the grain and grass of the 20,000 army can only rely on this road to support the front and back. Since a few years ago, the bureaucrats were repeatedly rampant, attracting the southern edict into the Kou, the people of southern Shu have abandoned their homes and abandoned their land to the north, and the counties and counties south of Jiazhou are even more devastated, and it is difficult for people to see, saying that it is a bit too much to say that there are ten rooms and nine emptiness, but more than half of the people are dead and fleeing, which is also the truth. Yiguo Gong wrote a letter saying that the people near Jiazhou could not even be recruited to transport heavy grain and grass, so they could only go to Chengdu to collect them. In addition, the rebellious bureaucrats have lived in the mountains and forests of southern Shu for generations, and they have attacked the rear roads of our army from time to time, so that our army has to invest a lot of troops to maintain the grain road. Yi Guogong adopted a three-way attack strategy, in addition to showing the enemy hypocrisy and finding the main force of Nanzhao, there were also some unavoidable hardships. In addition, the Tubo in the west is also ready to move, in order to suppress the Nanzhao people and force the Tubo people not to act rashly before the war between us and Nanzhao is over, Yiguo Gong can only win steadily! Uncle Ying one by one, you say, Yi Guogong is so calm to deal with, but there are some differences? ”

Chen Pu's military insight is very limited, and he can't even talk about troops on paper, listening to Shangguan Rui's long speech, it seems that everything is reasonable, and after careful consideration, he also feels that Xiao Jian's use of troops seems to have some reason. Her lips moved, and she really wanted to express her opinion on this occasion, but Shangguan Rui was now asking Shang Cheng's opinion, so she couldn't interject.

Chen Pu couldn't speak, let alone Tian Xiu. She is a civil official, and she is only a seventh-grade hypothetical scholar of the Hanlin Academy, where is she qualified to participate in the discussion of such a military event as the Southwest War? She was sitting in this private room now, thinking only about how to find a suitable opportunity to find an excuse to say goodbye. But a few people have been talking straight to the present, and there is not even a single sentence, so she can only sit and listen quietly with her eyes and nose.

Shang Cheng held the lamp and quietly listened to Shangguan Rui's words, and he was speechless for a long time. After a long time, he nodded his head and said "um", as if he agreed with Shangguan Rui's statement, recognized Xiao Jian's strategy, and seemed to have woken up from his trance. He didn't say anything else, drank all the tea soup left in the cup in one gulp, held the cup and came out of his mind again, and then put the cup on the table.

Tian Xiu immediately picked up the teapot and helped everyone refill the tea soup in the pot. The tea soup has long been lukewarm. But at this time, who cares about these trivial things?

Tian Xiu was about to say goodbye, but Shangguan Rui had already spoken again. Shangguan Rui definitely couldn't let anyone present say goodbye; As long as there is one person who wants to leave, Shang Cheng will definitely leave, and if he wants to keep it at that time, it is impossible not to pay some price. He had to keep the conversation going. He looked at Shang Cheng with a humble expression, and said slowly: "I read the recent letters from Duke Yi Guo, as well as the battle report he sent back, I can see that he is preparing to stock up enough grain and grass this winter, and then fight with the main force of Nanzhao next spring, and strive to settle the situation in a battle." If there is no suitable opportunity in the spring, then the war will continue until next autumn, and there will be a lot of rain in the south, and there will be no big war in the summer months. Uncle Ying, you and Yiguo Gong are both pillars of the army, and have also fought side by side, on the eve of this war, what good strategies do you have to teach me? ”

Shang Cheng smacked his lips. The war in the southwest is presided over by Xiao Jian, and he must avoid it. He wouldn't even say the first half of a sentence unless he had to, lest others make irresponsible remarks. But talking about it in this elegant room, Shangguan Rui still put his posture so low, and picked out Xiao Jian's knowledge and promotion of favor to Shang Cheng, he just wanted to avoid it.

But what can he say?

Kua Xiaojian did a good job, and the three-way army was well placed? ! Jiazhou is more than 200 miles away from Rongzhou, more than 700 miles away from Luzhou, and the battle line is almost 800 miles, and it takes ten days and half a month to report the news to each other. This is pure coaxing on the day! Xiao Jian was also this edict in the grassland, and the 100,000 army marched in three ways, and the soldiers and horses were also separated by hundreds of miles from each other, causing the entire front to stretch for nearly a thousand miles, and was finally defeated by the king of Donglu Valley who seized the opportunity to defeat it in one fell swoop. Now that he is doing this in Jiazhou, he is not afraid that he will be imitated by the Nanzhao people and then come to the "Siege of Mogan"? How many ways to divide the army so that the enemy does not know the truth and reality? This is just nonsense! Xiao Jian has been stationed in Jiazhou for almost half a year, and the Zhao army has also fought a lot of "dealings" with the Nanzhao people, if the Nanzhao people still don't know where the main force of the Zhao army is, then they can't still have the courage to stay north of the Yangtze River! The funny thing is that Xiao Jian is still trying to find the main force of Nanzhao. Didn't he see that the Nanzhao people were planning to do their bidding? Therefore, the Nanzhao people will be repulsed again and again, and the Zhao army can win again and again. Is this a victory? In terms of political effect, it is a victory, after all, there is a gain; But from a military point of view, none of these slashes are fart! How many dozen heads at a time, dare you say that it is the result of the battle? He was skeptical of the authenticity of these results. Are these people from Nanzhao, or bureaucrats, are they bureaucrats, or are they bureaucrats who did not participate in the rebellion...... His suspicions were well-founded. You know, this was in the early days of the war, before there was enough staged victory to get a hand, and these insignificant exploits were just recorded in the merit book. However, Xiao Jian wrote them back as a courier in a grand manner. Damn it, shouldn't it come in handy when you exaggerate the results of the war when you make meritorious contributions at the end of the war!? Could it be that the war in the southwest has come to an end? Apparently not.

Yes, Xiao Jian must have also seen that there are problems with these victories, and there are problems with these results. But he couldn't tell. He needed victory after victory to stabilize his position in the army, and he needed one victory after another to stabilize his position in the court. Not only does he need it, but Zhang Pu also needs it, and the court also needs it. Only with these good news can we prove the correctness of the decision of the Southern Expedition and consolidate the position of the Southern Advance faction headed by Zhang Pu in the court. Therefore, Xiao Jian must keep reporting for success; Even if you talk nonsense with your eyes open, you must "write" victory! This is precisely the best proof that "war is a continuation of politics."

Shang Cheng closed his mouth, his deep gaze lingering on the lantern opposite for a long time. He is thousands of miles away from Jiazhou, and he doesn't know anything about the enemy and our army, so what good plan can he have? As for affirming Xiao Jian's military strategy, don't even think about it. He couldn't have said something against his will! Don't expect him to say Xiao Jian's praise. He didn't slap the table now and reprimand Zhang Pu Xiaojian for their stupidity in taking the war as a child's play, even if he took care of everyone's affection for each other!

He didn't say a word, Shangguan Rui waited for his words again, and the private room quieted down suddenly, and the atmosphere became very awkward.

At this time, Chen Pu spoke. She said: "General Xiao's measures...... It's a bit confusing. Since the old general has laid out a strategy for the three-way army to advance at the same time, why wait until next spring? I read that the military newspaper said that most of the military grain and grass in Jiaronglu and the three places need to be dispatched and transported by the Chengdu government. Chengdu Prefecture is hundreds of miles away from these three places, the grain road is long and the road is difficult, and it is not easy for people to collect pack horses, even if there is a winter, how much more grain can be hoarded? It is better to take advantage of the fact that the weather at the beginning of winter is not yet cold and the military horses are easy to move, and first launch a war in a certain direction, and strive to dig a gap in the front of the Nanzhao people, shake their entire front, and force them to retreat. In this way, we have more room to manoeuvre. Right? After speaking, he looked back and forth at Shang Cheng and Shangguan Rui's expressions.

Shang Cheng nodded with a deep groan. He looked up and stared at Chen Pu. In the third day, when you are impressed, you can't help but admit that Chen Pu's idea is good! The key is to get the timing right! At the stage of confrontation between the two armies, when both sides have a relatively clear understanding of the opponent's next move, this sudden tactical move can completely play a role in disrupting the enemy's deployment and disrupting the enemy's intentions.

Chen Pu immediately felt Shang Cheng's surprised gaze mixed with encouragement and appreciation. She was expressionless, pretending not to see Shang Cheng's eyes, coughed gently and reservedly, and put her hand on the teacup. She was reminding Shangguan Rui: Hurry up and nod your head! Maybe you have more vision than Shang Yanshan?

Shangguan Rui didn't know what he was thinking about, so he nodded for a while and said, "Chen Zhuguo's suggestion is quite meritorious, but ......" The corners of his mouth paused, as if he didn't know how to phrase some words. His gaze was a little scattered, passing over Chen Pu's face, then to Shang Cheng, and then to Tian Xiu......

Tian Xiu immediately stood up, raised his hands to salute, and before he could speak, Shangguan Rui said, "Lord Tian will not avoid it." It's not a big deal. He paused again and was silent for a moment before continuing, "It's not that Yi Guogong hasn't thought about making a move by surprise, but he has concerns. ”

Shang Cheng was speechless. Concerns? There is no truth to this. When it comes to war, who dares to pat their chests and say that they are ten out of ten? Sun Wu didn't dare to say that in his lifetime. Any military action, no matter how large or small, is always risk-taking, and the difference is only whether the risk of war is within one's control and bearing. As for Xiao Jian's concerns, he was just desperate for victory and unusually taboo about defeat. He can fully understand Xiao Jian's mood, after all, the Southwest War is basically the last battle of Xiao Jian's military career. If this battle is lost, then don't mention anything, but if this battle is fought well, not only can you wash away the great shame of the defeat of the grassland a few years ago, but also bring high honor to yourself, and even those soldiers who have followed him in the south and the north for many years will also have a glorious result. It was because of this kind of hope for victory and defeat that Xiao Jian put forward a continuous 700-mile parallel battle line, after all, he used troops in his life to oppress people with power, and in this is the most critical battle, he will never dare to have the slightest ingenuity, let alone take it lightly. If possible, Xiao Jian would even suggest that the imperial court befriend the Tibetans in order to gain greater military superiority. Perhaps, Xiao Jian's arrangement of the battle until next spring is based on this consideration. After all, befriending Tibet also requires a process. It seems that Xiao Jian has probably mentioned this matter in a private message to Shangguan Rui, and he wants to test the views of all parties on this matter through Shangguan Rui. This is probably what Shangguan Rui wants to say tonight, right? However, there is nothing that can't be said about this topic, as for the teaching official who hesitated and hesitated all night?

Shang Cheng suddenly realized something.

He raised his head sharply and looked at Shangguan Rui. Xiao Jian is the head of the Jiazhou camp, in charge of the southwest military, and he can't be the master of the general policy of the imperial court to make friends with the Tibetans, but through some small means, he can completely give the Tubo people benefits within the scope of his authority, so as to achieve the effect of befriending the Tubo people......

Shangguan Rui smiled bitterly and asked, "Uncle Ying understands?" ”

"Understand. What does General Xiao want to do? ”

"Since the spring, the Tubo people have been increasing their troops one after another, and it is roughly estimated that about 37,000 men and horses have been deployed along the line of Lizhou in Yazhou to the Shama, Luoluo, and Yanwa tribes of the Nanzhao Duan clan."

"I've seen this in the military newspaper. There are 40,000 Tubo people, and I don't know how the Jiazhou camp counted this number, which is really a bit nonsense. Shang Cheng snorted and said, "The first line of Lizhou, Yazhou...... Hum! More than 20 years ago, the imperial court withdrew the garrisons of Yazhou and Lizhou, and even now these two places are still counted as our places, and I don't know if the imperial court is red or not when it mentions these two places? Besides, the population of these two places together is probably less than 10,000, and now that 40,000 Tibetan soldiers are stationed, what do they eat? Moving from the plateau? ”

"The troops of Yazhou and Lizhou have withdrawn?" Chen Pu asked in surprise. It was the first time she had heard of such a thing.