Fei Yu suggested an aggressive attack, and everyone in the tent looked at each other with surprise.
Fei Yu is known for his elegance and composure, and it was indeed surprising to many people that he was so determined to launch a sudden attack on the Wei army.
Zhu Geliang didn't evaluate Fei Yu's words but turned to look at Xiang Lang, the Prime Minister: "What does Wei Jinda have to say about the situation in Liangyang?"
Xiang Lang bowed respectfully: "Your Excellency, I am accustomed to dealing with civil affairs and am not proficient in military strategies. However, since the East Army has encountered the enemy, why not hear the opinion of Ma Youchang? He must have valuable insights."
"Wen Wei." Zhu Geliang called out softly.
Fei Yu understood and immediately explained to his colleagues: "Marshuo in his letter said that he and the two generals of Zhao and Wei had their own views, unable to convince each other, so he came to ask for the decision of the Prime Minister."
"Marshuo said that your plan for the East Army is to obstruct the Wei army and cut off the Long Road. Currently, outside of Lueyang City, General Zhao Yun and General Wang Ping have a total of 15,000 soldiers besieging Lueyang and have had several victories against Zhang He. Generals Wei Yan and Wu Ban have set up camp ten miles east of Lueyang City and have also defeated about 1,500 soldiers who came to reinforce the Wei army."
"Marshuo's intention is that since Generals Wei Yan and Wu Ban have enough strength to withstand the far-reaching Wei army, it is not advisable to make light of it, in order to avoid disrupting the arrangement and creating opportunities for the Wei army."
Xiang Lang listened with rapt attention: "What Marshal Ma said is reasonable, it all conforms to the Prime Minister's intentions!"
Fei Yu didn't pay attention to Xiang Lang's words.
Although Xiang Lang is the Prime Minister and the head of the Prime Minister's subordinates in the tent, he treats Ma Su more like flattery. When Ma Su's brother Ma Liang was still alive, Xiang Lang treated the two brothers like saints, which was quite odd.
Now that Ma Liang is deceased, Xiang Lang handles other matters well, but whenever it involves Ma Su, he inevitably shows partiality.
Fei Yu continued: "The military strategies of Generals Zhao Yun and Wei Yan are completely different from those of Marshal Ma."
"General Zhao said that Lueyang is currently ten miles in diameter, and the Wei army has already surpassed the East Army. It should retreat entirely. Set up camp at Duan Shoukou and Duan Shan, and hold a stand against Lueyang while retaining a retreat route."
"General Wei's military strategy is even more aggressive," Fei Yu paused, looked at Zhuge Liang, and then continued, "General Wei suggests that the Prime Minister should send an additional 10,000 troops from the central army to reinforce Lueyang."
"At present, the court has many troops, and by using the heavy army of the king to pressure the enemy, that is the way to achieve victory."
The military strategies proposed by Ma Su, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan are all different, so it is definitely difficult for them to persuade each other, so they sent the military report to this place for Zhuge Liang's decision.
The people in the tent began to whisper among themselves at this moment.
Zhu Geliang sat calmly in the hall, did not stop the noise in the tent, and was also considering the three different strategies at this moment.
Ma Su advocated maintaining the status quo. Since Wei Yan and Wu Ban were not holding up against Qian Zhuo, then maintaining the status quo and dragging it on would be fine!
Zhao Yun's thoughts are more pessimistic. He believes that since the Wei army has increased its forces, it is better to preserve a retreat route for safety.
Wei Yan is the most radical among them. The Wei army has increased its forces? Our Han army is not short of soldiers. You increase it, I will also increase it. Multitude is the path to victory, which is the correctness of military strategy!
As the commander-in-chief of the North Expedition of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang was also weighing the three strategies in his heart at this moment. In essence, what the three of them were arguing about was actually the same problem.
That is, whether the Wei army can continue to increase its forces!
Since Qian Zhuo has arrived, the troops in the passes of Guanzhong have already been deployed. The large army encircling Qiyanchuan Fortress for only twenty days, and how could the Wei army come so quickly? How could Cao Rui, that little boy, have such decisive ability?
Just as Zhuge Liang was quietly thinking, Yang Yi realized the hesitation in Zhuge Liang's expression and bowed out of the lineup: "Prime Minister, the subordinate has a suggestion to present."
"Commander Wei, please speak."
Yang Yi slowly said: "The subordinate believes that General Zhao's strategy is too conservative, and he overestimates the likelihood of failure before the likelihood of victory. As for General Wei, he wants to use the weight of the large army to bear the responsibility for guarding the Long Road of the East Army, which is full of a sense of difficulty."
"Marshal Ma said very well. Since the Wei army has troops that can resist, why not increase the troops? Why not follow the previous strategy and continue to attack the city of Long right to enhance military strength?"
"Prime Minister," Yang Yi said earnestly, "We will reach Linwei tomorrow, and the administration of Guangwei Commandery is right before us. If Wu Yi couldn't take Linwei, that would be fine. Now that you, the Prime Minister, have arrived, can you still not take Linwei?"
Zhuge Liang heard Yang Yi's words and did not say whether it was right or wrong, but waved his hand to indicate that Yang Yi should withdraw.
It is obvious that, in addition to the differences in military strategy, each person's words among Ma, Zhao, Wei, Fei and Yang also have their own positions.
At this moment, on the Wei side, from the emperor to people like Qian Zhuo and Cao Zhen, there is only one thought. Longyou is besieged, and Zhang He is trapped in Lueyang.
The large army should quickly reach Longyou and break through the Shu Han army.
There is only one strategic purpose.
On the Shu Han side, the division into Western, Central, and Eastern routes is self-explanatory.
The Eastern Army's part is encircling Lueyang and blocking the Long Road, which was Ma Su's strategy and Zhuge Liang's approval. At present, there are no major events, so how can we let Ma Su hear the opinions of the other two Generals and change the military strategy?
General Zhao is older and only wants to block the Wei army and stand in a position of invincibility. General Wei, on the other hand, is in full battle mode and aims to meet the Wei army in combat.
Fei Yu is even more radical. Yang Yi, who is in charge of the important matters, does not want to change the strategy that was decided yesterday... It seems that everyone's statement has a rationale and reason to be proud of.
These generals and officials can certainly present their strategies to Zhuge Liang. But Zhuge Liang is different. As the commander-in-chief, his actions can determine life and death, and he needs to plan and make decisive decisions.
Twenty years ago, when he was in Jingzhou, Zhuge Liang had heard Xu Shi say that his old friend Guo Jia had the 'Ten Wins and Ten Losses' theory.
The sentence "Sun Ce is full of plans but lacks decisiveness, losing to his indecision; while the strategies of the other party are carried out promptly, with endless adaptability" left a deep impression on Zhuge Liang. And at this moment, his understanding of this sentence was even deeper.
Before becoming the Prime Minister, he had many strategies for the late Lord Liu Bei, just like himself now who is in a dilemma.
Zhuge Liang's face remained unchanged, and he still tended to favor Yang Yi's strategy more. He looked around the tent and said, "The Prime Minister has already decided not to change the previous strategy."
"The Eastern Army will continue to act according to the original strategy. I have already reviewed the terrain and camp locations in the map, and there is no problem at all."
"Send orders to Zhang Yi, ordering him to quickly go and retrieve Xianqin County and then support Lueyang!"
Once Zhuge Liang spoke, the people in the hall bowed and agreed, and then each went to their respective tasks.
After Fei Yu had drafted the military report, he brought it over to ask for Zhuge Liang's seal, and at the same time, he asked aloud, "Prime Minister, since you have decided on a strategy, I shall certainly comply. But I still think that the Wei army is weary and should be attacked urgently."
Zhuge Liang sighed and said, "Wen Wei, I have already understood your words. It is also in line with military strategy. However, the Eastern Army is 120 miles away from Shuangyang, and engaging in a direct battle with the Wei army might lead to an uncontrolled situation."
"Rather than being rash, it would be prudent to first capture the administrative center of Guangwei Commandery, Linwei."
Fei Yu furrowed his brow and asked, "How can the Prime Minister be sure that Linwei will not be as difficult to attack as Shuangyang?"
"Zhuge Liang explained: "This was done by Yang Wei. Yang Yi always thought that the actions of Guangwei Administrator Zhao Ling were abnormal."
"Yang Yi borrowed my seal and sent a private letter to Zhao Ling in my name to persuade him to surrender. It was only after that that Zhao Ling spoke, saying that he would not surrender unless the Prime Minister himself came."
Fei Yu was shocked: "How can the Prime Minister believe this?"
Zhuge Liang said in a calm tone, "Zhao Ling secretly sent his second son to me."
Fei Yu was at a loss for words. What a good deal by Guangwei Governor Zhao Ling!
During the war between Han and Wei countries, Zhao Ling managed to extricate himself from the vortex with just his second son.
If Zhuge Liang did not arrive, and Wei won while Han lost, Zhao Ling would have lost his second son as well. He might even claim that the person was not his second son but a fake created by the Prime Minister.
If Zhuge Liang personally arrived and Han won while Wei lost, then Zhao Ling would have already been in contact with the Han army and would have actively submitted to them.
Indeed, it's like a cat with two tails!
As expected, on the second day, that is at noon on the twenty-first day, Zhuge Liang led his troops to the gates of Linwei City. Then, the Guangwei Administrator Zhao Ling opened the city and surrendered.
A sense of great joy spread throughout.
Following Tianshui and Nan'an Counties, Guangwei Commandery is the third administrative city to submit to Shu Han.
After the Shu Han troops entered the city and took over the defense, Zhao Ling prepared a banquet in the city to entertain Zhuge Liang and all the Shu Han officials around him.
With Guangwei Commandery now submitting to Shu Han, the strategic aim of controlling Longyou has advanced further, which is naturally something to celebrate.
Zhuge Liang is not someone who does not concern himself with worldly matters. On the contrary, he is tall and robust, has excellent physical stamina, and can drink a lot. He even observes and learns about the character and nature of his subordinates after drinking parties, but this method can only be used by someone who can drink heavily.
"Is Governor Zhao from Yuchang?" At the banquet, Zhuge Liang looked at the sixty-year-old governor with a slight smile and asked.
At this moment, in the government office, Zhuge Liang naturally sat at the top position. And Zhao Ling, who had just submitted, dared not be negligent and quickly rose from his seat, bowing to Zhuge Liang and said.
"Your Excellency, my native place is Nanchang County, Nanchang Prefecture. After the rebellion of Yuan Shu, my father and I together moved from Nanchang to Xiangyang, and then to Nanyang."
"After that, he served as an official in the capital. In 200 years of the Yan Dynasty, he came from Luoyang to serve as a state official in Yongzhou, and then as the governor of Guangwei Commandery in the Yellow Initial years."
Zhuge Liang still smiled on his face: "Now that Governor Zhao has submitted to the Han, does he have any requests for the Prime Minister?"
Zhao Ling smiled on his face and quickly said, "I have submitted to the Han, how could I dare to ask the government for anything?"
Seeing Zhuge Liang still smiling and looking at him, Zhao Ling paused for a moment and then slowly said, "Now that the Han and Wu have allied with each other, the only thing the governor wants is to return to his hometown of Nanchang to live out his life."
Zhao Ling swore solemnly, raising his right hand: "The governor only has this one request, and I hope the Prime Minister will be kind enough to grant it!"
Zhuge Liang laughed heartily: "It's just going back to Nanchang? Zhao Governor, don't worry, I will personally send a letter to Sun Quan. It's not worth mentioning."
Zhao Ling was overjoyed and bowed to Zhuge Liang repeatedly.
"Urgent report from Lueyang! Urgent report!!!"
Just as the guests were enjoying themselves and drinking together, the sound of urgent messenger soldiers could be heard outside.
Zhuge Liang's expression immediately turned serious. (Chapter complete)
