My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 408: Taking Huainan
"Gan Ning has secretly arrived in Yiyang for several days, and I didn't even know about it! Zhuge, you are so treacherous and cunning! You have caused our army to suffer so many casualties. How can we defend Yiyang City?"

That afternoon, Li Tong, the governor of Runan, stood on the north tower of Yiyang City, overlooking the mighty camp of Liu Bei's army outside the city. His inner despair reached its peak.

He felt that the loss in today's battle was too unfair. Cai Yang fell into the trap so easily and misled him, which eventually led to a chain avalanche of traps. Zhuge Liang was really vicious!
The battle outside the city has completely ended. Most of Liu Bei's army's infantry have returned to the camp to recuperate and rest, leaving only some infantry in good condition to continue cleaning the battlefield and searching for spoils.

Some cavalry units were also sent out to search for and capture the scattered Cao army deserters, in order to continue to expand the results of the battle.

Nearly half of the soldiers in the city were killed. There were originally tens of thousands of people defending the city, but now there are only a few thousand left. The enemy outside the city seems to be no less than 30,000, and the morale of the defenders is high after two great victories. How can they hold on for the next two months?
However, Liu Bei's army surrounded Yiyang City on all sides, so Li Tong took stock of the battle situation and realized that there was no need to worry about the troops' intention to escape. There was no way to escape anyway, and they could only fight like trapped beasts.

The only thing he had to pay attention to was to never let his old brothers become disloyal and think of using Li Tong's head to exchange for Liu Bei's forgiveness.

So Li Tong opened the treasury in Yiyang City that day and distributed a large amount of money and cloth. He did not intend to hide the rest, but just wanted to control the rhythm of distributing money, fearing that if he distributed it all at once, he would have no way to keep those bandit-born subordinates hanging, so he had to distribute it slowly.

He also took out all the remaining wine and meat reserves in the city to entertain the soldiers and boost morale. He also opened up the military rations and let the soldiers eat them, as if he was living one day at a time.

Even if this were the case, the food that was originally enough to last through the winter and even survive the spring famine might run out before the winter was over, but so what? Li Tong didn't even know if he could survive the winter, so if he continued to save food by counting the days, wouldn't that be helping Zhuge Liang save money?
After this operation, Li Tong managed to temporarily stabilize the morale of the troops in Yiyang City. He did not have any long-term plans for the future, but just took things one step at a time and lived one day at a time.

……

On the other side, in the siege camp outside the city, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were very excited.

Since Liu Bei's army had previously focused on besieging the city and attacking its reinforcements, in the days after the siege, all their energy in building fortifications was focused on strengthening the camp, digging more pits, and cutting down trees to make chevaux deer horns.

Therefore, up to this moment, Liu Bei's army had not yet fully destroyed the defensive facilities of Yiyang City. It was only after killing Cai Yang that they began to fill the moat of Yiyang and assemble heavy siege equipment.

If Li Tong refuses to surrender, a siege preparation period of ten days or half a month is still necessary. After all, there are so many defensive facilities there and this time cannot be saved.

Fortunately, Liu Bei didn't have to worry about these things personally. He only took care of personnel work. He spent the past few days comforting the wounded soldiers and visiting the injured Gan Ning every day. As for the siege construction, it was all handed over to Zhuge Liang to coordinate.

"Xingba is feeling better now. Hey, just lie down and don't move. You don't have to be so polite when you're injured." Liu Bei walked into the tent where Gan Ning was recuperating. When he saw Gan Ning wanted to get up, he strode over and gently held him down.

Gan Ning showed a look of gratitude and shame, with a complicated mentality: "Oh, I didn't expect to be injured by an old veteran like Cai Yang. It really ruined my reputation."

Gan Ning was hit on the shoulder by the blade that day, suffering some internal injuries. One of his arms is still unable to lift, but fortunately his collarbone was not broken. After the military doctor felt it, he confirmed that only his shoulder blade was slightly cracked. Otherwise, with the medical level of the Han Dynasty, it would be difficult to set the bone.

There was no other quick treatment for the shoulder blade injury, and he could only rest in bed for two months after applying medicine. Of course, Gan Ning would not be allowed to take part in the subsequent siege of Yiyang.

Liu Bei also comforted him: "How can you say that? Although Cai Yang is not a famous general of the time, he is also highly valued by Cao Cao and is feared by Chen and Cai. Moreover, he hated you so much that he fought with his life for his own. He was injured due to negligence. Why should you be too modest?"

Gan Ning sighed for a while, then asked about the preparations for the siege, wanting to know if Li Tong might be frightened into surrendering.

Liu Bei sighed: "Li Tong is a stubborn person. The defenders on the city have not been slacking off these days. Kong Ming guessed that he must have temporarily stabilized the people's hearts by offering a large reward. But it doesn't matter. Kong Ming has another plan.

He planned to lift the siege on the west side of the city a few days before the strong attack, so that the defenders could see a way out. In this way, even if there was a generous reward to win the hearts of the people, Li Tong would not be able to hold out for long.

Gan Ning felt a little regretful after hearing this. He had been looking forward to the great victory of defeating 10,000 enemies and killing two generals in a row that day, which would scare the enemy into a complete collapse and eliminate the need to attack the city. That way, his victory would be more valuable.

But it seems that this expectation is a bit too high.

However, with Zhuge Liang's plan, it seems that it will not be difficult to break the city. Gan Ning is very clear about the mentality of those bandits.

For those who have been thieves for many years, it would be a bit of a psychological barrier to ask them to disregard loyalty and kill their boss and surrender to the enemy. But if they are shown a way out and are allowed to flee when disaster strikes, the psychological barrier will be much lower.

Previously, in order to isolate the inside and outside and besiege the point to attack the reinforcements, Liu Bei surrounded the enemy and forced them to jump off the wall. Now, if he withdraws one side at the right time, he will definitely be able to disintegrate the enemy's morale.

……

In the following days, Zhuge Liang followed the procedures, filling the river and assembling siege vehicles.

During the process of filling the river, he naturally felt that the progress was too slow. By October of the fifth year of Jian'an, the gaps in the moat had only been filled by a small half.

Li Tong, who was standing on the city wall, was also watching the progress of Zhuge Liang's project. Seeing that Liu Bei's army was not filling the river very quickly, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt that he could live a little longer.

However, it was a coincidence, because the Zhuge brothers also communicated intelligence through letters regularly during the war, and reported the military situation on the east and west fronts every half a month or so through carrier pigeons and express horse messengers.

So on the third day of October, when Zhuge Liang once again received the military intelligence confidential sent by his elder brother from the front line in Pengcheng, he received good news and an inspiration that was quite valuable for reference.

After receiving the letter, Zhuge Liang went to Liu Bei as usual and conveyed the good news: "My lord! Great news! My brother and General Gao in Pengcheng finally broke through Zhu Ling's city, and ambushed Zhou Tai west of Pengcheng and on the banks of Huoshui River, and killed Zhu Ling who had abandoned the city and escaped.

Now the entire territory of Pengcheng County has finally fallen into the hands of our army, and the entire territory of Xuzhou has been restored. Congratulations, my lord, for finally getting back all the land that Tao Gong gave up! The letter was just delivered today, but the incident should have happened seven or eight days ago. "

Liu Bei was also overjoyed when he heard the news. He quickly took the letter and read it several times himself.

Ziyu and Yunchang's route was still the fastest, and they had already fully achieved their pre-war goals on the eastern front. Moreover, it looked like the offensive had not stopped yet, and they could continue to take advantage of the enemy's empty period to expand their results. According to Ziyu's expectations in the letter, taking back Xiaopei as a bonus should be as easy as taking something out of a sack.

"It is indeed a cause for celebration, eh? Ziyu also said in the letter that he hoped that after the war in Huainan was settled, he would let me personally visit Pengcheng and Xiaopei. First, to appease the people of Xuzhou and declare that Xuzhou was completely out of the hands of Cao thieves; second, to offer sacrifices to the tomb of King Xiao of Liang and rebuild the shrine to worship him, in order to expose the evil of Cao thieves setting up the 'Fa Qiu Zhonglang Jiang and Mo Jin Xiaowei'.

In this light, we have to hurry up, as these things are quite meaningful and can further publicize to the world our righteous cause of fighting against the rebels. When Chen Kongzhang wrote the anti-rebellion manifesto for Brother Benchu, not everyone in the world necessarily believed all of the deeds of Cao Cao described in the text.

Now that we have recovered Pei County, we will hold an on-site memorial service. We must summon all the princes in the world to send envoys to watch the ceremony and see with their own eyes the tragic remains of the tombs of the Han kings that were looted by the thief Cao. We can then publicize the incident when we return.

Well, Kong Ming, you should quickly find a way to take Yiyang City. Also, write two letters, and make sure the etiquette is correct. Then arrange for envoys to go to Xiangyang and Chengdu respectively. In the name of my general of chariots and cavalry and the chief of the imperial clan, ask other Han clan members and princes to send people to witness and pay tribute to the tomb of King Xiao of Liang in Xiaopei! And jointly issue a document to denounce the crime of Cao thief! "

Liu Bei enthusiastically summarized and relayed Zhuge Jin's suggestions on political propaganda in the letter and made corresponding arrangements.

Before the Yidaizhao incident, Liu Bei was one of the Nine Ministers officially canonized by Emperor Liu Xie and the Grand Master of the Han Dynasty.

As the chief minister of the clan, in charge of clan affairs across the country, Liu Bei had the absolute right to summon other princes with the surname Liu and send people to jointly pay tribute to the Han Dynasty's previous princes whose graves were dug up by Cao Cao. It was also Liu Bei's duty and what he should do.

Liu Biao had basically sided with Liu Bei. Although he later negotiated with Cao Cao in order to preserve the ownership of Wancheng, Liu Biao was inclined to listen to Liu Bei on these issues.

As for Liu Zhang, he had previously closed the borders and refused to give Liu Bei any chance to send messengers to communicate with him. But if Liu Zhang still refused to send anyone to watch the ceremony, he would no longer be able to maintain his reputation as a relative of the Han Dynasty, and would be denounced as disloyal and unfilial by the people of the world.

Cao Cao dug up the ancestral tomb of your Liu family, and Liu Bei rebuilt it so that you could come and worship and receive some education, but you didn't come? Are you still human?
Zhuge Liang naturally agreed to these small matters and said that he would take time to finish writing the letters to Liu Biao and Liu Zhang at night.

But Zhuge Liang had more important things to do at the moment, so after he agreed, he also explained: "Don't worry, my lord, but now I still need to think about some of the instructions in my brother's letter and quickly instruct the military craftsmen to build new siege equipment. After the arrangements are made, I will find time to take care of these paperwork."

Liu Bei was certainly not that anxious. He also believed in Zhuge Liang's judgment of priorities, so he curiously asked: "Oh? I wonder what kind of inspiration did you get from your brother's battle of Pengcheng?" Zhuge Liang pointed to Zhuge Jin's letter and analyzed: "My brother mentioned in the letter that when he was in Pengcheng, Zhu Ling also tried every means to delay the time. The most time-consuming part of his siege was also wasted on filling the river to ensure that the heavy equipment could cross the river.

My brother used a soil-filling vehicle that was shortened several times and reduced in size. Later, it was improved so that it could be towed back for reuse after unloading the soil instead of pushing the vehicle into the river. I think this vehicle can be further improved and used immediately in the Yiyang battlefield. That would naturally be the end of Li Tong.”

Liu Bei was quite pleased to hear this, and asked a few more questions about the details, but he didn't understand the technical stuff, so he didn't ask further.

……

After Zhuge Liang left the central army commander's tent, he returned to his own tent to think and review the situation, and then wrote, drew, and calculated, tinkering with it for the entire afternoon.

In the evening, he took his revised sketch and called a group of craftsmen who were originally responsible for assembling the Ge bus, asking them to use the existing wood to build some new things.

The craftsmen asked about the details and found that it was not difficult to manufacture, so they took the order and left.

After Zhuge Liang had dealt with this matter, he went back to write a letter for Liu Bei and summoned Liu Biao and Liu Zhang to send people to attend the meeting.

After two or three days, Zhuge Liang's improved river-filling vehicle was finally completed.

Compared with the heavy cart that Zhuge Jin had made at the beginning, this one made by Zhuge Liang was much smaller and more flexible.

This is also because Zhuge Liang wanted to unload the soil and then tow the car back for reuse instead of sinking it directly into the river. Therefore, the size of this car does not need to be equal to the depth of the moat to ensure that it can function as a bridge pier after sinking it into the river.

Therefore, the final product designed by Zhuge Liang is quite similar to the kind of wheelbarrows used by migrant workers on construction sites in later generations to push concrete slurry, with two handrails on the left and right, two wheels, and a bucket that can be tilted forward.

The biggest difference between the cart made by Zhuge Liang and the concrete carts on construction sites in later generations is that the rear fender of the cart made by Zhuge Liang is particularly tall and wide, taller than a soldier and two or three feet wider than a person. In addition, the extended parts on the left and right sides are concave and slanted backwards, similar to the bulletproof shields of old heavy machine guns and anti-tank guns in later generations.

There is no doubt that this wooden board, which is wider than a person, is used to ensure that the soldiers pushing the cart are immune to the arrows shot by the enemy defending the city. With this wooden shield, there is no need for the size of the cart itself to be taller and wider than a person.

If the load-carrying part of the cart was made as wide as Zhuge Jin's, then Zhuge Liang's cart would not be able to be pushed by one person.

Therefore, we cannot say that Zhuge Liang's improved version is definitely better than Zhuge Jin's. We can only say that the two have different application scenarios.

Zhuge Liang's version is more flexible and cheaper, but it is not as fast as Zhuge Jin's in terms of rushing construction time. Therefore, Zhuge Liang's version is more suitable for situations where "need to rush, but not so rush", and it is more versatile.

As the new river-filling vehicle came out, Zhuge Liang immediately invited Liu Bei to observe it.

Liu Bei had also lived a hard life, and he knew how ordinary people carried earth when they were doing corvée labor to repair rivers and build cities. After seeing this car, he couldn't help but praise it:
"Sir, you have done a great deed. This thing is not only convenient and fast for attacking cities and filling rivers. Even if there is no war in the future, it can save a lot of manpower just by using it to transport soil and stones for the corvée people. However, when it is used by the people, the wooden board behind the cart does not need to be made so big. The people do not need to block arrows when working, and it can also save some materials and weight."

Zhuge Liang was also very pleased to hear this: "My lord, you really care about the suffering of the people. Even during the war, you immediately thought of the use of this item among the people. In fact, when I was thinking about it, I also thought of this long-term use. It can be said that we have the same idea."

Liu Bei nodded: "Since this thing is flexible and convenient, so easy to use, let's use it to fill the river tomorrow and break through Yiyang. In addition, we can also let the troops adjust their deployment in time and withdraw the West Gate camp, so that there is one missing in the three-sided encirclement.

When we make rapid progress in filling the river, Li Tong will surely be terrified. If we open the west gate and let his soldiers flee, wouldn't it be exactly the same as when Ziyu broke into Pengcheng? You brothers, you have the same tactics in attacking the city and conquering the people. You are really a family."

After receiving Liu Bei's formal order, Zhuge Liang immediately went to make arrangements.

The next day, outside Yiyang City, a new type of single-person bulldozer appeared on the battlefield.

When Li Tong's defenders saw this new car, they were indeed a little shocked. At first they forgot to attack and just observed quietly.

It was not until the bulldozers reached the edge of the moat, the front baffle was lifted, the rear bucket was pried up by the pushers with levers, and truckloads of earth and rocks poured into the river that the defenders reacted.

"Oh no! Liu Bei's army has a new river-filling vehicle! Quickly shoot!"

By the time the defenders were shooting arrows, the first batch of carts had already been dumped and towed back.

The tow truck drivers were also very professional. Apparently they had been told during pre-battle drills not to turn around when retreating, but to pull back directly to ensure that the wooden shields on the trucks could always block the arrows.

When the second batch of carts came to fill the earth, the archers under Li Tong were ready to shoot and immediately launched a rain of arrows. Unfortunately, the final result was obvious. All the arrows hit the wooden boards of the carts and almost no one was killed.

Liu Bei's army worked day and night to intensify the construction. Basically, no casualties were required during the river filling stage, and the progress was greatly accelerated. After a few days, they finally filled a road that was large enough for the Gegong bus to reach the base of the city wall.

Liu Bei's army also withdrew from the camp west of the city at a timely moment, while the other three gates redoubled their shouting and clamoring to drive away the enemy.

The troops in Yiyang City were completely demoralized by the continuous attacks. As Liu Bei's army officially launched a strong attack on Gegong City the next day, some shaken Cao's soldiers wanted to escape through the west gate.

Li Tong personally patrolled the city, blocked all kinds of obstacles, and also predicted and warned in advance: "Don't panic! Don't run! Zhuge Liang has many tricks. Liu Bei's army gave up the west gate and didn't surround it, just to surround three sides and lack one to make our army lose courage and flee!

"With Zhuge Liang's cunning, he must have set up an ambush outside the west gate! If you try to escape, you will fall into his trap! Don't make a mistake!"

However, Li Tong's best efforts to stop them did not have much effect. As Liu Bei's general offensive became more and more intense, defenders everywhere began to collapse and flee. Li Tong had already put down one problem but caused another to arise, and he was completely unable to control the situation.

Finally, as Liu Bei's army climbed the city walls first, some of Li Tong's men, who were shaken and scattered, had an internal conflict and seized the west tower to break out. Once this gap was opened, the remaining troops in the city also completely collapsed.

Liu Bei's army rushed into Yiyang and went straight to the treasury to take control of the situation.

In the midst of extreme confusion, Li Tong originally wanted to set fire to the cabin, but it was too late. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to escape from the west gate. In order to have a chance of survival, he chose to abandon the armor and uniform of a senior general and escape wearing only the clothes of an ordinary soldier.

But the ambush arranged by Zhuge Liang was too strict, it was like a net to kill every family, not even the small shrimp would be spared. Li Tong's troops had only traveled less than ten miles out of the city when ambushes appeared from all directions.

Wei Yan, who had recovered from his injuries in the rear, had been waiting here for a long time. He captured this group of Cao's troops in one fell swoop and killed all those who refused to surrender.

After the battle, Wei Yan tortured the prisoners and found out that Li Tong had escaped with these people, but the Cao soldiers did not know where Li Tong was.

Wei Yan was worried for a while, thinking that Li Tong had slipped through the net. Later, he anxiously ordered his troops to clean up the battlefield for a whole day, collect all the bodies, and identify those who were suspected to be officers. Finally, he identified a soldier in the pile of corpses and found that he was Li Tong.

"So this guy is Li Tong? I was wondering why a mere soldier was so hard to kill during the fight this morning. Turns out it was Li Tong!" Wei Yan suddenly realized.

-

PS: I’m finally going to change the map, so today I’ll just have a chapter of 5,000 words. Yesterday I actually had more than 7,000 words.

I will sort out and adjust the outline in the next two days... There will be an Easter egg chapter map later today. The battles for territory on the east and west fronts are over, so I will update the map.

(End of this chapter)