Chapter 891

The mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops is of course impossible to hide. Because it involves too many things, too many resources are mobilized, and the corresponding manpower mobilized is also too much.

Wang Yan did indeed perceive a part of Old Cao's movements, but he did not have any spies inside Old Cao's camp; he really did not have a single one, so he could not grasp the detailed situation. He only thought that Old Cao was preparing for the autumn harvest and guarding against him going over to attack.

However, it was actually considering the possibility that Old Cao would come to attack him, and even if he did not consider it, there had to be a large army stationed at the border of the two sides' land. After all, there were so many troops on the opposite side; without a large army of reorganized troops to deal with it, wouldn't that be courting death?

There were 50,000 troops in Hanzhong, and the leading generals were Zhao Yun, Zhang He, Zhou Cang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Liao. In order to deal with the great war, Wang Yan expanded the establishment; one guard of troops was expanded from the original six thousand-plus to nine thousand-plus. Because of the terrain reasons in the Bashu region, it was not suitable for generals who charge and kill, so he chose generals like Zhao Yun who were relatively flexible and had guaranteed combat effectiveness.

In the Yangzhou region, 50,000 troops were also stationed, with Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei, Gao Lan, and Taishi Ci, plus Dian Wei leading three thousand Xuanjia Camp; Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci were relatively steady, and the rest were reckless men. Of course, this is not an insult to them; after all, their command abilities were all qualified, but they were indeed lacking in some flexible reactions.

Then there was separating Zhang Fei and Guan Yu; Wang Yan naturally was not afraid of them rebelling, but it was better to separate them a bit; most importantly, they themselves were not at ease, fearing that Wang Yan would think too much.

When a big boss is like Wang Yan, it is about the end. He also has to consider the thoughts of his subordinates, and cannot be distracted by messy things, thereby affecting combat effectiveness.

As for Liao Hua and other military generals, they were responsible for guarding the Sili region. In fact, this silly boy Liao Hua back then is the true military big shot today. His status in the army is far beyond that of Huang Zhong and others.

Because Liao Hua's merit is too great; sealing the wolf and living in the Xu, carving stones on Yanran, this kind of highest military honor that later generals pursued all their lives and few achieved, Liao Hua did it all.

And he has a good boss; Wang Yan's system guarantees that the grasslands will definitely not rebel. Even if Wang Yan dies, in the future, if the grasslands conflict with the Central Plains again, it will definitely not be ethnic division, and there will never be any talk of tribes or chieftains like before. Liao Hua has factually surpassed the merits of generals like Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Dou Xian.

However, the merits of later generations are built on the foundation of predecessors; the merits of Wei Qing and Emperor Wu of Han can never be denied. After all, if we really talk about it, the barbarians Liao Hua fought, such as Wuhuan, Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Qianghu, were all adjusted by Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and others, and had already been divided, not the peak period when the Xiongnu still had the so-called royal court.

Liao Hua's merit accounts for a large proportion; on the other hand, it is also because the military system of the Xiaoji Camp is different. The cavalry under his command were all selected from other guards. Following Liao Hua for three years, and then returning to the original unit, after so many years, the number of people serving as Commandants and Military Officers is countless; these people also have extreme admiration for Liao Hua. Liao Hua factually has powerful influence in the military.

Of course, Wang Yan did not let Liao Hua go out, not because of any fear of his merits, just because there are many mountains in the south and the terrain is complex, and cavalry operations are limited, which is why he did not let Liao Hua send troops.

For Liao Hua now, it already belongs to the stage of putting horses on the southern mountains; fighting Old Cao is not very useful, and after destroying Old Cao, the world will be invincible, and there will be no opponent at all, making it even more useless...

Wang Yan did not prepare for Old Cao's sudden attack, but in fact, there was no need to do any preparation.

Summarizing it, Old Cao thought very beautifully, but reality still taught him what is called bone-thin; the progress of things was not as smooth as Old Cao thought.

Although Old Cao attacked suddenly, the quality of Wang Yan's army was not a joke. The scouts who had been investigating discovered Cao's army's movements for the first time, followed by a firework rising into the sky, and then more fireworks exploding in the sky; by the time Cao's army came over, the garrison troops in Hanzhong and Yangzhou had already quickly reorganized to meet the attack.

Guo Jia was stationed in Hanzhong, and he decided to counterattack after knowing the enemy situation for the first time; the war broke out at a touch, and they fought directly.

Although there was no one stationed in Yangzhou, that side was also a plain and hilly area, and although there were differences in climate, they had been used to it after so many years. Even if there was no one to command and coordinate in the middle, their past fighting methods, as well as following the instructions cited by Wang Yan's various departments, also resisted the attack for the first time and launched a counterattack.

They were all fierce generals with rich battle experience. And there was no need to talk about any tactics; it was just holding the enemy's attack, and then counterattacking; if surrounded, ask for help, and if others were surrounded, go to help. If the troops were not enough, conscript militia on the spot to fill the gaps; if the grain and fodder were not enough, first raise them from local officials, and then supplement them later.

Summarizing it, it was holding the pressure and waiting for General Wang's instructions.

In fact, Old Cao thought one point was right; Wang Yan's army now really had not seen blood, and many people had not experienced the battlefield. But different from what Old Cao thought, fighting a war was never like that.

The army under Wang Yan is not strong in whether the soldiers have seen blood; indeed, those who have seen blood and experienced the battlefield have a deeper understanding of war, and fighting is more brainy, which indeed has a certain influence. But this is not decisive; not having killed anyone, fighting a war and killing two, feeling the hot blood of others splashing on the face, will also have that calmness.

His army is strong because of the military system. Children read books at six; even if the teacher strength is not enough, many places do not have the opportunity for children to read, but the local police officers and retired soldiers also have to organize six-year-old children to practice martial arts. Or even if there is no government organization, the fathers of these children are also retired soldiers, and Wang Yan himself encourages such behavior; they train their children at home themselves and teach their children to read and write.

From the age of six, until the age of forty, they have to organize militia training every year to reorganize the military strength. However, the training intensity is mainly concentrated in the group of eighteen to thirty-two years old. Now that there are more people under his rule, many men have not served in the army, so militia training must be serious.

After they reach eighteen, they will enlist, pass the screening, and join the army. And in the army, they have to endure training intensity exceeding militia training, so they finally become soldiers who fight on the battlefield.

They have not seen blood, have not killed anyone, but the method of military formation and cooperation is practiced into the bones. On the battlefield, under the command of officers, the brain is blank, and they will not think so much; it is just mechanical repetition of their training content. So, whether they have killed anyone or not indeed has an influence, but in the military formation, this influence is actually not important.

Another more important point is that Wang Yan's army has thoughts. This is not empty talk, not official jargon, because this thought is easy to use, and the fighting will of the army is highly condensed.

Wang Yan never let them be loyal to himself, never let them fight for him, Wang Mou. What he promoted was always protecting the home and defending the country, not letting anyone bully their own family and children, thereby expanding to not letting anyone trample on China.

They know very well what they are fighting for; this is the key to being high-spirited and invincible.

Old Cao underestimated Wang Yan too much; he thought too beautifully...

In the study in Luoyang, Wang Yan listened to the latest military situation and shook his head and smiled. He knew Cao Cao's thoughts and also felt Old Cao's underestimation, feeling it was a bit interesting.

It is not that Old Cao is not smart or has no wisdom; in fact, if we really talk about it, Wang Yan's brain is actually not as good as most of the famous people in the Three Kingdoms. Not to mention Old Cao, he is not as good as most people. He has never been a smart person; if he were really smart and really capable, then before he got the favor of the living father, he should not have been that kind of life.

There are environmental reasons here, but no matter the environment, capable people will live well. He couldn't sell many houses; even if he didn't compare to the sales champion, he was not as good as the players who made tens of thousands a month. Don't say anything about luck, don't find messy reasons; if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

But fortunately, the living father favored him, giving him the opportunity to improve and advance. Making him step by step, from a player who was nothing, to the king who has the confidence to wave his hands today. The favor of the living father is ninety-nine, and the remaining one is his own continuous improvement and continuous learning to enrich himself for thousands of years; everything he got was learned by himself.

Of course, the living father must be praised, and one must always maintain a humble heart.

What he is stronger than Old Cao is the wisdom accumulated. Old Cao does not understand the importance of ideological arming of the army, and Old Cao also does not have the ability to improve productivity at this time. In fact, the achievements Wang Yan has made today are things Old Cao and others dare not even think of, and they were shocked long ago.

This is the gap, the gap that cannot be bridged.

However, with his accumulation, even if Old Cao was transformed two thousand years later and returned to fight at this time, Old Cao would still not be an opponent. After all, he, Wang Mou, is just mediocre, not trash.

What Old Cao thinks is what he thinks, but the world is not like this; Old Cao cannot imagine what kind of existence a cheat player is.

Ignoring the big boss's inexplicable smile, Jia Xu knew deeply that one should not have curiosity that one shouldn't have; if there is something, the big boss will say it himself, and if he doesn't say it, it's best not to ask.

So he turned to talk about business: "General, Cao Cao caught us off guard, suddenly attacked our Hanzhong and Yangzhou, seized the opportunity, although he was restrained by our army, he might not continue to take risks. If he intends to divide our troops and draw our attention, he might lead troops to attack Wuguan, which can reach our capital region. Even if the pass is strong and the army is strong and cannot be broken, he can also bypass the Qinling Mountains, and can even enter Nanyang to disrupt the Henan region; we must guard against it."

Wang Yan smiled and nodded; under his command, Jia Xu can be called devoted to the end, not like under Old Cao, only thinking about how to protect himself and never finding trouble for himself. And he also specifically asked Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing for many health-preserving methods; in this point, like Guo Jia, both of them cherish their lives.

However, Guo Jia is different; he is a romantic person, and can live and enjoy, so there is no need to die. Moreover, General Wang is a hero, and who doesn't want to see the great empire become greater?

As for Zhang Zhongjing, he was originally from Nanyang and was an official. For many years, Hua Tuo had never broken off communication with Zhang Zhongjing and had long washed Zhang Zhongjing clean. So Zhang Zhongjing did not lead his family to flee to the south of the Yangtze River, but cooperated very well with Wang Yan's actions, killed the lawless people in the family, and was also dismantled.

He himself entered medicine and served as the Shao Medical Order, which is the second in command. Following Hua Tuo, he led the team to research. Hua Tuo engaged in large-scale surgery, while Zhang Zhongjing engaged in large-scale internal medicine; the two cooperated, and the development of medicine was quite prosperous...

"General, Wenhe's words are very true. Now we are strong and Cao is weak, he must take risks; if he doesn't, he won't win. Not only Wuguan and Nanyang, but also the Tianshui region must be closely guarded."

After listening to Jia Xu's words, Liu Bei, who was also present, also suggested.

Wang Yan nodded and said: "What Xuande and Wenhe said are all reasonable; we should strengthen the defense of the capital region, Tianshui, and Nanyang. Since that is the case, Liao Hua will guard the capital region as before, and Zhang Wu will lead troops to garrison Nanyang to prevent Cao's army from secretly crossing. Order Guo Jia to pay attention to the movements of Qishan and Ba Commandery, and do not give Cao's army an opportunity to exploit.

Xuande is after all a relative of the Han family; now Cao Cao uses the name of the Han family to attack me, Xuande cannot be unrighteous, so he will supervise the country with Wenhe, coordinate grain, fodder, military equipment, reserve troops, and autumn harvest matters. I will personally go to the front line to supervise the army and share joys and sorrows with the troops. Unifying the world will be decided by this battle."

"This world has long belonged to the General; if it weren't for the General's unwillingness, it would not be inappropriate to ascend the throne as emperor." Jia Xu said beautiful words.

The old boy said beautiful words as soon as he opened his mouth, quite naturally, all of which were sincere.

Seeing Wang Yan smile without saying much, Jia Xu seemed to remember something suddenly and said: "General, there is a County Magistrate of Ruyin County (Fuyang City), Yuzhou, named Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming, twenty-seven years old.

He comes from the Zhuge family of Langya, fled to Nanyang in his early years, and his wife is from the Huang family of Nanyang. After I occupied Nanyang, he took office, initially as a Pavilion Chief of Ruyin, moved to Township Chief after two years, and served as County Magistrate after four years; he governs well, and there has never been any mistake in everything, and officials and people all praise him. The Ministry of Personnel planned to transfer him to Luoyang to be used later.

However, he recommended himself by memorial, stating the advantages and disadvantages of me and Cao Cao, stating his method of defeating the enemy and winning, wanting to be a military advisor and planner. This is his memorial; General, please take a look."

Wang Yan was somewhat surprised; is this the confidence of a genius?

He actually heard about Zhuge Liang for the first time; that transfer of the Ministry of Personnel was "planned," meaning it had just passed the Ministry of Personnel's examination and discussion at the meeting, and the official document had not yet been issued for transfer. Hearing it suddenly now, Prime Minister Zhuge was not only a County Magistrate, but also recommended himself to come to be Wang Yan's military advisor and make plans, which is indeed confident.

After taking the memorial from Jia Xu's hand, Wang Yan opened it and looked at it; the article was written very well. The whole text discussed the development of the war from three aspects, judged that Cao Cao would act like this now, and also made the same guess as Jia Xu and Liu Bei, suggesting increasing defensive forces, and at the same time criticized Wang Yan's straightforward way of using troops to a certain extent.

Saying that this was not good, the harm caused by the war to the people was too great, and in the long run, their side was fine, but the people on Old Cao's side would not have many left.

He advocated rapid advancement, large-scale deep insertion, ending the battle quickly, restoring peace in China early, and preserving more vitality.

Divide the troops into five routes, one route to Hanzhong, one route to Yangzhou, one route across Bashan straight into Shu, one route across the river from Jiangling straight to Changsha, and another route to attack Jiaozhi in the south, ending the battle in two years, sweeping the world in one battle, and early carrying out national construction to realize wealth for all.

The latter part of the memorial was to express his heart, saying some nice things, and also expounding his understanding of putting the people first, as well as the intention of the current policies, pointing out some shortcomings and giving some methods.

The date of the memorial was last month; it was very insightful, very foresighted, and had considerable strategic vision.

Although he criticized General Wang's straightforward way of using troops, he also fully learned General Wang's spirit of loving the people; he was just for the sake of letting the people of the world have a better life and die less, and live a few good days.

But in fact, this also has problems, because the price of pursuing rapid victory is far greater than the current steady and solid approach. Multi-line warfare, all-territory war, deep insertion, all require more troops and greater consumption. It will increase the burden on the existing people and return to liberation in one battle.

And another key point is that Old Cao is not a pushover. This sudden attack also caused certain casualties to Wang Yan. Although the army quality is not as good, and the military equipment is not as good, there are many people. Hanzhong and Yangzhou have actually conscripted local militia to fill the gaps. Wang Yan has already ordered the reorganization of troops to support the subsequent troops.

Old Cao sent out all his troops; one million is definitely bragging, but there must be six or seven hundred thousand troops. Correspondingly, the troops Wang Yan wants to send must be at least two hundred thousand, and later he has to see the situation to continue conscripting.

Furthermore, Wang Yan's flat-pushing fighting method is actually not what Zhuge Liang said; after all, he is advancing steadily, naturally also steadily taking down territory and people, and there will definitely be many deaths, which is unavoidable; how can there be no deaths in war? When there is a lack of grain, it will be a human tragedy, but it is definitely not as many as Zhuge Liang said.

However, Zhuge Liang's vision is indeed there, and what he said is not wrong; it is just a matter of how to choose.

After reading it once, Wang Yan closed the memorial, threw it on the table, and said: "Zhuge Liang indeed has talent; since he recommended himself to join the army, he will be temporarily transferred to serve as a military advisor, follow me on the expedition, and after the war, he will be appointed."

"Yes, General." Jia Xu cupped his hands and took the order.

"Go."

Wang Yan waved his hand, and Liu Bei and Jia Xu cupped their hands and retreated to do their own things.

Wang Yan's war machine began to start; various places began to conscript militia, reorganize them into the army, and rush to the front line as second-line troops, while also continuously transporting various materials to support the battlefield. Although they had been transporting them long ago, there was no end to the things consumed.

There were also a large number of doctors and craftsmen responsible for battlefield rescue, military equipment maintenance, and other matters. Later, various doctors even had to be transferred to manage the land; naturally, construction had to start; road building and bridge building were not built casually; there had to be planning, and these were all things to be prepared.

General Wang's plan was to carry out production and construction while fighting without increasing the burden on the people too much. Fighting a war is a matter of great consumption; people eat and horses chew, the rescue and pension of casualties, the loss of transportation routes, the death-seeking ghosts who dare to make war money, etc., the burden on the people is bound to increase; as long as it does not excessively affect life, then it is not a problem.

It is worth mentioning that in this war, there were several of his sons. He is forty-two years old this year, and his first son was born with Zhen Dao and is now twenty years old. In addition, there are three sons, all of whom are over eighteen, and they have joined the army in the past two years. They have all married, and they all found them themselves. Some married the daughters of civil and military officials, and some married good family women.

Regarding this matter, Wang Yan did not have any requirements; he did not have to rely on these to win over his subordinates; whoever was not convinced, he would just clean them up. They were all children who knew each other in school, or playmates from childhood. Of course, some children had ideas and deliberately relied on marrying wives to connect with important officials.

For his children and grandchildren, Wang Yan actually had no requirements; as long as they did not embezzle or break the law, or court death themselves, he did not care about them. But this is also normal; with a father like Wang Yan, and such a large empire, no matter how clearly the father says it, it is difficult not to have ideas. Who doesn't want to be majestic? Everyone has ambition and always wants to achieve a career; it is unavoidable.

Undoubtedly, since they caught up with this time, those who have ideas must rush into the army. Wang Yan, as a father, is definitely indifferent; the rules are there; if they have ability, they will emerge; if they don't have ability, they will die.

Under his rule, even if the King of Heaven comes, he has to honestly be a small soldier and be a Pavilion Chief. Relatively speaking, the starting point of politics is much higher; after all, being a Pavilion Chief is an official.

But there is no such good thing; the difficulty of being a Pavilion Chief is also great. Managing the place within ten miles, there are obedient and disobedient officials, village heads, and villagers with limited culture. The result of not doing well is being removed from office and becoming an official. Although the treatment of officials is also very good, there is no official career in this life.

Now his sons are all hiding their names; no one knows their identities, and they are fighting for their lives on the battlefield. Wang Yan said very clearly that if they secretly do things and use their identities to climb up, the end will be worse than death.

This is of course very cruel, very ruthless, and very heartless for the relationship between father and son. But for a player like Wang Yan who has been a father enough, that's just how it is. If the life is not hard, don't find trouble for yourself; after all, he is not without other choices, and the rules are explained clearly. The road chosen by oneself must be borne by oneself. There is no reason why they cannot die because they are his sons...

Wang Yan stayed for another week, handled the preliminary work, and then took his personal guards straight south, all the way to Jiangling.

He wanted to take a boat down the river, so the speed would be faster. He also wanted to see the defense situation on the opposite side of Jiangling; if there was a chance, naturally he would cross the river, and as Zhuge Liang said, attack Changsha fiercely and directly hit the nest.

On the bank of the Yangtze River in Jiangling, Wang Yan was wearing a slightly thicker green robe; the autumn river wind blew the green robe, and his hair flew; his eyes looked at Cao's army on the opposite bank.

Beside him, a handsome man in the same green long shirt with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes stood. Without the feather fan, it seemed to make him very uncomfortable, and he kept stroking his beard.

His eyes also looked tightly at the opposite bank of the river, where many Cao troops were stationed, performing martial arts, and many warships were still parked on the opposite bank; it was truly a heavy army.

He was thinking about how to cross the river to attack Old Cao...