Zhuge Liang was silent for a moment, then turned to a guard behind him and said, "I'm hungry, take some porridge." ”

The guards turned around and went out, Zhuge Liang walked back to his desk and sat down. Yang Yi was just about to speak, but Zhuge Liang waved his hand and interrupted him: "Wei Gong, I'm so hungry and dizzy now, you wait a while, wait for me to eat something, okay?" ”

Yang Yi nodded sneeringly, didn't say anything more, and sat silently waiting. After a short time, the guard came over with a bowl of porridge, the porridge was very thin, and it seemed to have been added with water, which did not look even. Yang Yi frowned, and was about to speak, but Huo Yi shook his head and motioned for him not to talk too much.

Yang Yi didn't know much about the forest, but Huo Yi understood it very well. Zhuge Liang is often so busy that he forgets to eat, and he has irregular meals, so the people around him are used to cooking hot porridge. But after a long time, the porridge will be dry, and sometimes Zhuge Liang is in a hurry to eat, so they can only add some hot water, and then simply stir it, so that Zhuge Liang can eat hot as much as possible, as for whether the taste is good, they don't care.

Yang Yi was surprised, but Zhuge Liang was used to it. He picked up the bowl and ate it bite by bite. He didn't eat very quickly, and even a little slowly, even the movements of the pickles were surprisingly slow, and a mouthful of the food was in his mouth, as if he was chewing for a long time before swallowing it slowly. If you look closely, you can still notice that Zhuge Liang's hand is trembling slightly.

After eating a bowl of porridge, it took half an hour. After eating this bowl of porridge, Zhuge Liang's face softened a little, at least his hands no longer trembled, and his face also recovered some blood.

"Wei Gong, how much more military rations do we have?"

"Prime Minister, we still have seven days' worth of military rations." Yang Yi hurriedly stepped forward and turned the account book to Zhuge Liang, "If it is reduced to one meal a day, it can be increased to ten days." He leaned in front of Zhuge Liang and said softly: "Prime Minister." That's the limit. According to the schedule, if you send a message to Wu Yi now, let him send food to respond. Maybe it can still be accepted. It's too late, it's too late. ”

Zhuge Liang took the account book, looking at the account book that he usually didn't know how many times he had turned over, he suddenly hesitated. This account book was invented by Wei Ba. Now it has been extended to the whole of Yizhou. Zhuge Liang has the habit of checking books, so he sees this account book almost every day, and he can't get used to it. But today. He suddenly thought of the inventor Wei Ba from the account book.

Where is Wei Ba now? Actually, I don't have to go back to Hanzhong, I can retreat to Guanzhong. Although the military rations in Guanzhong are not abundant, there is no problem in providing emergency relief for the time being, and it is not a problem at all to delay it for a month and a half. It is also faster to transport from Hanzhong to Guanzhong than to transfer to Longyou.

Zhuge Liang pressed his hand on the account book. His thoughts suddenly opened, his eyes gradually brightened, but his eyes narrowed tighter and tighter. He thought not only of the issue of military food transportation, but everything about Wei Ba was hooked up at this moment.

He was silent for a long time. Suddenly asked: "Wei Gong, what if you transport grain from Guanzhong?" ”

"If you transport grain from Guanzhong, of course it will be faster......" Yang Yi said a few words, and suddenly realized the meaning of Zhuge Liang's words. He raised his head in astonishment and stared at Zhuge Liang's eyes: "Prime Minister, this ...... That's not going to work. ”

Zhuge Liang smiled helplessly, he understood what Yang Yi meant. Taking the initiative to ask for food from Guanzhong, or even retreating to Guanzhong, is tantamount to admitting his own failure, not only admitting the complete failure of the Northern Expedition to the Longyou Battlefield, but also admitting the failure of not fully adopting Meridian Valley Jihua at the beginning.

Of course, this is a very humiliating thing, but if you put aside personal gains and losses, for the entire Shu Han, it is a very good choice compared to withdrawing to Hanzhong. At least in this situation, it's a very good choice.

Zhuge Liang's original Jihua was to guard Guanzhong with Wei Yan's father and son, buying time for the Longyou battlefield, and Zuihou seized Longyou and gave up Guanzhong. Now Longyou's strategic purpose can no longer be realized, but Guanzhong is still in the hands of Wei Ba, and Shu Han's Northern Expedition has not yet been defeated. However, Zhuge Liang also knows that Wei Ba in order to hold Guanzhong, although he has used all his strength, in the face of Cao Wei's counterattack, he is also struggling, once the dust settles on the battlefield of Longyou, after Zhang He recovers Longyou, he turns his troops to the east, Wei Ba is facing the possibility of fighting on three sides, with his current strength, it is difficult for him to stick to Guanzhong.

This was the reason why he decided not to take Guanzhong in the first place, and now that Guanzhong has become the only result of the Northern Expedition, he must think about how to hold Guanzhong.

To hold Guanzhong, the most haode way is to retreat the main force into Guanzhong. With troops, Wei Ba's problem will be solved. It was for this purpose that Xiang Lang suggested that he retreat to Longshan.

Retreating to Guanzhong is beneficial to the entire Shu Han, and it is not good for him alone. This is also the reason why Yang Yi dissuaded him. Zhuge Liang was also very hesitant. Retiring to Guanzhong not only meant that he had to admit his mistakes and admit Wei Ba's correctness, but also faced the reality of internal division within the Jingxiang system.

Retreat to Guanzhong, what Wei Ba did before is no longer a mistake, but a correct choice, Zhao Yun, Deng Zhi and those Hanzhong people who support him will take this opportunity to rise.

This is a very unfavorable hidden danger, which is likely to endanger the stability of the entire Shu Han, and fall into the struggle between different political interest groups, burning his years of hard work.

Zhuge Liang squinted his eyes and carefully weighed the benefits and losses. Yang Yi looked at Zhuge Liang nervously, he thought more simply than Zhuge Liang, he didn't want Wei Yan and his son to become the first contributor to the Northern Expedition, or even to use Zhuge Liang's failure as a backdrop.

"Prime Minister, by all means." Yang Yi said cautiously: "The country is small and the people are widowed, if you can't monopolize the power and work together, internal friction will inevitably affect major events." If it is caught in internal disputes, how will the prime minister revive the Han dynasty and the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains in the future? ”

"However, if it is related to the middle, it will be of great benefit to the Han and Han families." Zhuge Liang also lowered his voice and said slowly: "Back then, Emperor Gao used Han Xin's strategy to repair the plank road, secretly cross Chencang, fight for the world according to Guanzhong, and establish a four-hundred-year foundation of the Han Dynasty. Isn't it just like it was back then? ”

"Not really." Yang Yi shook his head again and again: "Prime Minister, back then, Emperor Gao was able to fight for the world with Guanzhong because of the chaos in the world at the end of Qin, but Guanzhong was not affected too much. It is based on Emperor Gao's talent in Qinchuan for 800 miles, and competes with Xiang Yu. But now? Guanzhong has been abandoned for a long time, with a population of only five or six hundred thousand, desolate everywhere, without ten years of operation, it is difficult to achieve success, how can it be the foundation for fighting for the world? ”

Zhuge Liang frowned, and just as he was about to say more, Yang Yi preemptively said: "Prime Minister, I know what you mean, you want to garrison Tuntian in Guanzhong and fight and defend, don't you?" ”

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and nodded. That's exactly what he intended.

Yang Yi asked: "So, who will the prime minister be the governor of Guanzhong?" Wei Yan, or Wei Ba? Or Zhao Yun? ”

Zhuge Liang closed his mouth tightly.

"Prime Minister, I dare to say that unless you let Ma Tan guard Guanzhong, otherwise, Guanzhong is not the benefit of the Han Dynasty, and it is far from the blessing of my Han Dynasty."

As soon as he heard the name Ma Yan, Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up. He turned his head, took the military report, and slowly pushed it in front of Yang Yi. Yang Yi glanced at it inexplicably, and saw that it was Wang Ping, and she didn't remember who Wang Ping was for a long time. When he understood what this meant, his face suddenly turned pale.

Wang Ping signed the report, and there was only one result: Ma Jian had an accident.

As a member of the Jingxiang family, Yang Yi knows too well the role of Ma Yan. If Zhuge Liang Jingxiang is a well-deserved leader, then Ma Jian is the undoubted second person in Jingxiang. Compared with Zhuge Liang, the leader who is not a Jingxiang person, to a certain extent, Ma Yan's cohesion with Jingxiang people is three points stronger. Almost everyone believes that after Zhuge Liang, Ma Jian will be the core of the Jingxiang lineage.

Not one of them.

This point, presumably Zhuge Liang is also very clear, so he believes in Ma Jian without reservation, and even lets his son Zhuge Qiao do Ma Jian as a brother. This time in the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang overrode public opinion and let Ma Jian serve as the forward general, placing too much trust in him. This is not only because Ma Tan is talented and Zhuge Liang likes him, but also because Ma Tan represents the liliang of the entire Jingxiang lineage.

If something happens to Ma Tan, not only will Zhuge Liang be criticized, but the Jingxiang family will also lose a pillar and a future leader.

It's not as simple as one or two ordinary people having an accident.

Yang Yi's hand trembled and opened the military newspaper and carefully read the military newspaper written by Wang Ping twice. Wang Ping is a big old man and can't write any elegant words, and his military newspaper is written straightforwardly and even crudely, and there is nothing difficult to understand. But Yang Yi still watched it twice before she knew what was going on.

There was not a trace of blood on his face, and even his lips were a little pale.

Ma Tan is not only defeated, but also missing, what does it mean? What kind of scandal is it that a forward general, a general who commands tens of thousands of people, actually disappeared? If......

Yang Yi didn't dare to think about it, he realized the seriousness of the problem. He also understood that Weishenme Zhuge Liang would suddenly want to retreat to Guanzhong. After losing such an important liliang as Ma Yan, he couldn't afford to lose Wei Yan again. The gains and losses in Guanzhong are also related to the evaluation of the victory or defeat of the entire Northern Expedition.

"But......" Yang Yi's voice was dry and sounded very harsh: "But, Prime Minister, even if you are willing to forgive him for his misdeeds, he may not understand the Prime Minister's intentions." ”

Zhuge Liang stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and muttered: "I believe he won't be so ignorant. ”

"Prime Minister, if he thinks he has merit and criticizes the Prime Minister, then ......"

Yang Yi didn't give up and wanted to persuade again, Zhuge Liang shook his head resolutely: "Wei Gong, don't say it anymore, national affairs are important, and my personal gains and losses are nothing." ”

At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps at the door, and a personal guard walked in, holding a military report in both hands: "Prime Minister, Master Hu is in a hurry." ”

Zhuge Liang was taken aback, hurriedly took it, opened it and glanced at it, and a smile bloomed from the corner of his eyes. He handed the military newspaper to Yang Yi: "Wei Gong, you see, I didn't mistake this kid. ”

Yang Yi took it and looked at it, sighed, and hung her head silently. (To be continued.) )