That night, Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, indeed gave He Yan a clean slate. However, at the banquet, the king of Chengdu did not mention the affairs of Yinping County and Wudu County, and the same was true for other advisers.

Seeing this, He Yan understood what Chengdu Wang Sima Ying was thinking.

really!

The next day, Sima Ying organized an army of 20,000 people. That day, the army went south, left Qishan Mountain, and rushed towards Wudu County.

Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, was still a man who cherished his life. Although he followed Lu Zhi's advice and sent troops to Wudu County, he did not personally conquer it.

It is estimated that the King of Chengdu also had some hesitations in his heart.

He admitted that there was an element of gambling involved in sending troops this time.

The leader this time is naturally Lu Zhi.

Although Lu Zhi was a close adviser to the King of Chengdu, this did not mean that he could not lead troops.

In this era, the boundaries between civil servants and military generals are actually very blurred.

A classic example is Sima Yi. Would you say Sima Yi was a civil servant or a military general?

As a civil servant, Sima Yi led his troops in many battles and fought well. If you say Sima Yi was a military general, then if he were a military general, there would be no Sima family dynasty today.

Lu Zhi has the ability to lead troops, but he is not outstanding.

However, when dealing with the Qiang and Di, Lu Zhi boasted that his ability was sufficient.

Lu Zhi demanded a quick victory, so after leaving Qishan, the army temporarily rested for two hours in Li County and made a fire to eat.

Two hours later, the army set off!

Lu Zhi’s first stop was Wudu City.

Wudu City is located to the north of the Western Han River. Lu Zhi led his army all the way down the Western Han River. Late at night, they just arrived at the foot of Wudu City.

Then, there was a sudden war.

First, he sneaked up the city wall, then set up a ladder, then killed all the soldiers on the city tower and opened the city gate.

Twenty thousand troops rushed in directly.

Blitz battles depend on surprise.

And Lu Zhi did it.

The city gate was breached. In Lu Zhi's opinion, the battle was basically over. He still wanted to simply clean up the Qiang and Di in Wudu City, so he headed towards Xiabian and Kang County in Chengxian County.

but...

Lu Zhi obviously thought too much.

It's not that easy for him to capture Wudu City.

Although the city gates were broken and the army poured into the city, the Qiang and Di people inside the city resisted fiercely.

Or...

There are too many Qiang and Di people in Wudu City.

Even if 20,000 people rushed into the city and started fighting in the streets, they could not be completely eliminated for a while.

Lu Zhi, who was outside the city, frowned when he saw such a scene.

Even though he issued several orders in succession, asking the frontline soldiers to fight quickly, the feedback he received was that it would still take time.

Still need time?

Although Wudu City is the largest city in Wudu County, it naturally has the largest number of troops stationed there.

But don't forget.

I also have 20,000 people on my hands. Is it possible that there are also 20,000 people in Wudu City?

But how is this possible!

Li Te, Li Xiong and his son will definitely take away the military strength of Wudu County.

There must not be so many soldiers in Wudu City.

I thought so, but the fact was before Lu Zhi.

For a time, he was in a dilemma.

If he cannot win a quick victory, he will regain Wudu County within a day or two, which is completely nonsense.

Even the 20,000 of them might fall into Wudu County.

Facts have proved that what He Yan said still makes some sense.

There are really too many people in Wudu City.

If we delay for a few hours, reinforcements from Shanglu County and Kang County will arrive.

At that time, it will be a turtle in a urn, and they are the turtle in the urn.

Delaying for too long would be extremely detrimental to oneself, but if we evacuated now, wouldn't it be chaos if the Qiang and Di came out to kill us?

snort!

At this time, a person's resourcefulness comes out.

If the attack fails for a long time, the city will be burned and the people in the city will be forced out.

After all, the city is too small, and even 20,000 people cannot exert their full strength advantage.

Regardless of whether there were ordinary people in the city or not, Lu Zhi's order went ahead.

Not long after, Wudu City turned into a torch on the dark land.

And Lu Zhi got his wish and got rid of the bite of the Qiang and Di in Wudu City.

"Joining the army, what should we do now?"

Although Wudu City was captured, no one was happy at all.

What they get is the Wudu City that becomes a torch, and in the Wudu City that becomes a torch, they get nothing. This is one of the reasons.

Secondly, I thought that these Qiang Di were like ants under my feet, and they could be crushed to death with just one step.

I came out today just to get some credit.

But a bloody lesson lies ahead.

These Qiang Di are not ants, and they are not here to take credit for their achievements.

This is a fight for your life.

"Count the casualties."

"Reporting to join the army, our army suffered heavy casualties. More than a thousand people died, 500 were seriously injured, and even more were lightly injured."

It was still late at night, so of course it was difficult to count people.

The only thing left to do is for those who count casualties in the military to make some judgments based on their own experience.

Although it's not completely accurate, it's not completely inaccurate either.

Generally speaking, the data are quite similar.

The casualties were close to two thousand, and it was still a sneak attack, and it was still based on burning the city.

A Wudu City is like this, what about the following ones?

This sneak attack on Wudu City can only be done once.

Places like Cheng County and Kang County will not give him another chance.

After thinking for a while, Lu Zhi gritted his teeth and said after hesitating for a moment: "Withdraw, go back to Tianshui County first."

Lu Zhi chose to take a long-term view.

The feedback he has received now is far different from what he thought before. If he continues to spend time in Wudu County, the 20,000 people he has on hand may not be able to support it for long.

certainly...

Although Lu Zhi retreated, he still managed to survive in Wudu County, taking 20,000 to 30,000 people with him, and returned to Tianshui.

There are 20,000 to 30,000 people, so coming here this time is not a loss-making business.

You know, population, in this era, is productivity and tax revenue!

Qinzhou was originally short of people, but now that there are 20,000 to 30,000 more people, Lu Zhi himself can also pay homage to the King of Chengdu.

It took one day and one night to go.

When I went back, it took me three days to get there.

The news of Lu Zhi's return to the army was of course sent to the King of Chengdu the day before.

Therefore, when Lu Zhi returned to Tianshui County, he immediately went to Qinzhou Mansion to report on his duties.

Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, had already prepared the reception banquet.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty went there this time, but you really failed to gain anything. Instead, you lost two thousand good men. I am guilty. How can I be worthy of your Majesty's help? I... feel so guilty!"

When he saw Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, Lu Zhisi burst into tears and immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Join the army and get up quickly."

Sima Ying quickly stepped forward to support Lu Zhi.

"What is the crime of joining the army? This time, joining the army attacked Wudu City, slaughtered more than 10,000 rebellious Qiang Di people, and brought back more than 25,000 people. Although more than a thousand people were lost, the merits outweighed the demerits.

"

Lu Zhi's head rested on the ground, but his eyes rolled slightly.

"Your Majesty, if I hadn't firmly believed in my point of view, I wouldn't have sent the troops this time, and I wouldn't have suffered these losses. If I could listen to my subordinates, these..."

"No need to say anything about joining the army."

He Yan was watching Lu Zhi's acting, and he naturally understood what Lu Zhi was up to.

On the surface, Lu Zhi is pleading guilty, but actually he is asking for credit!

It’s so shameless!

But He Yan couldn't say anything about Lu Zhi.

Because this is also what Chengdu Wang Sima Ying needs.

The suggestion to send troops to attack was made by Lu Zhiti, but the order was given by the King of Chengdu.

At this time, punishing Lu Zhi is not equivalent to punishing himself?

Moreover, after knowing that there were so many Qiang and Di in Yinping County and Wudu County, the King of Chengdu had no idea of ​​attacking Yinping County and Wudu County.

Now his idea is to see if he can defend Tianshui County.

To defend Tianshui County, one must have high morale.

If Lu Zhi is punished at this time, it means that the battle has failed, and it means that the foreigners in Wudu County of Yinping County are powerful.

With such punishment, where is the morale left?

Therefore, the King of Chengdu not only could not punish, but also rewarded Lu Zhi.

This Lu Zhi...

He is really cunning, like a fox.

However, although Lu Zhi is a fox, He Yan is not an idiot.

"Joining the Army is wrong. You and I are just guessing. Now it just shows that my point of view is correct. But without joining the army for this attack, we might not know the news about Yinping County and Wudu County. Joining the Army can this time

Attack Wudu City with a blitz. Next time, if you are fully prepared, you will be able to quickly capture Yinping County and Wudu County. Don't blame yourself for joining the army."

He Yan knows the King of Chengdu very well.

He knows what the King of Chengdu needs now.

The King of Chengdu now needs confidence and ambition.

What is the most important thing in fighting a war?

A large number of people?

Well equipped?

Logistics support?

Superb military skills?

In fact, they are all correct, or not entirely correct.

When marching and fighting, the most important thing is actually morale!

Cao GUI said something about war: A husband's war is about courage. He will be vigorous once and then weaken, and three times he will be exhausted. When he is exhausted, I will be full, so I can overcome it.

In later generations, the Ming army numbered hundreds of thousands, but was defeated by the Qing army of tens of thousands. When they heard that the Qing soldiers were coming, they became so frightened that they threw down their armor.

If an army loses morale, let alone fighting, it would be a rare thing to keep them from running away.

Now the King of Chengdu wants to rally the morale of the army.

He attacked Wudu City. If Li Te and Li Xiong knew about it, they would definitely come to take revenge.

Let alone burning the city.

"That's right! Be prepared to join the army. After a while, I will definitely let you lead the army."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chengdu Wang, He Yan, Lu Zhi, Zao Song...

These people know what to do now.

That's acting.

Act for others to see.

After the reception banquet was over, the King of Chengdu summoned Lu Zhi, He Yan, Zaosong and others in the study.

After everyone arrived, Chengdu Wang Sima Ying also got straight to the point.

"Do you know why the king is so anxious to summon you all here?"

He Yan and Lu Zhi looked at each other, and finally Lu Zhi spoke.

"Your Majesty, it's because of the affairs of Yinping County and Wudu County."

"good."

Sima Ying nodded lightly.

"Now it seems that the matter between Yinping County and Wudu County cannot be resolved in a short time."

"It would probably be better if the King of Luoyang arrived earlier."

If Luoyang sends troops here, the troubles in Wudu County of Yinping County will almost disappear.

"Marquis Guangyuan has not yet sent troops to deal with the matter in Yecheng of Wei County. What's more, the matter in Yizhou is several times more serious than that in Yecheng. If your Majesty wants to take action, I'm afraid it won't be too fast."

Zaosong also spoke at this time.

"Your Majesty, the current situation in Qinzhou cannot be reversed by you alone. In my opinion, your Majesty should return to Luo first. Qinzhou is no longer safe."

If Li Te is angered, Qinzhou's tens of thousands of state and county soldiers will be able to defend...

It's really too difficult.

"Since I have come to Qinzhou, I will not go back in such a dejected state."

This task has not been completed, and he returned in such a dejected manner. In His Majesty’s eyes, doesn’t it mean that the King of Chengdu has become an incompetent person?

Sima Ying couldn't accept this.

"It's just that even if your Majesty doesn't return to Luo, your Majesty won't be able to help you with this matter in Qinzhou."

"maybe."

At this time, Sima Ying spoke somewhat abruptly.

Looking at the confused looks thrown at her, Sima Ying took out a letter directly.

The book paper is made of Shu brocade.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

"This is a letter from King Zhao."

Except for King Zhao, few people in the world use Shu brocade as letter paper.

This is blatantly saying that you are rich!

"King Zhao?"

Upon hearing these two words, the counselors here immediately frowned.

"Your Majesty, this person, King Zhao, could it be that your Majesty doesn't know who he is? No matter what happens, I'm afraid he will harm your Majesty."

Without even reading the content of the letter, everyone knew that King Zhao was not well-intentioned.

The King of Chengdu and the King of Zhao both competed for favor in front of the emperor, which was a competitive relationship.

This is why everyone is so nervous.

"King Zhao invited me to Chang'an."

"Chang'an?"

Lu Zhi frowned even more tightly.

You just said that this matter has something to do with King Zhao, but why does it have something to do with King Hejian?

Although the King of Hejian didn't say it clearly, he got up early.

If you can stay away from such people, try to stay away as much as possible.

"Why did King Zhao invite your Majesty?"

"Finally someone asked this question."

Sima Ying looked at He Yan and nodded slightly.

"King Zhao invited me to Chang'an to discuss disaster relief."

Disaster relief?

Zaosong, Lu Zhihe and Yan looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes.

Lu Zhi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think this matter is fraudulent."

"Not bad." He Yan also nodded slightly, in response to Lu Zhi.

"King Zhao will not invite the king for disaster relief. As far as I know, the so-called disaster relief for King Zhao is actually to stay in Chang'an. For a person like him, it is impossible to invite the king for disaster relief. There must be other reasons."

"Of course there are other reasons."

Sima Ying had long known that they would react like this.

"I estimate that King Hejian has different intentions. Now that he has won over King Zhao, he wants to win over me."

"In this case, the king should not go."

"Not going? No!"

Sima Ying shook her head gently.

"That's why I want to go!"
Chapter completed!