Tong Mu thought that he had a high opinion of the Shandong Army's combat power, but he never thought that such a result would occur. Sun Tu actually used only tens of thousands of soldiers to not only defeat the 100,000 Wu army, but also to capture the entire city of Suzhou. It was taken away, which made him feel a little false. The information was wrong, right
But seeing the solemn look on Lu Bofei's face, he quickly gave up the idea, and then smiled bitterly: "It seems that I am too worried, Qianli is indeed much stronger than I thought. By the way, Zhu Shuai What's the plan?" He was really curious about Zhu Meng's reaction after learning that Sun Tu had achieved such a great victory. Although there was no clear evidence, he had already guessed what Zhu Meng had been thinking before.
Lu Bofei smiled awkwardly: "Shuai Zhu has summoned many generals and is preparing to lead his troops to Suzhou soon to prepare for the subsequent suppression of the rebellion in Jiangnan."
"Really?" Tong Mu is also a smart person, and he immediately caught some hidden secrets from his expression. I'm afraid Zhu Meng brought people there not only to consider the future, but also to grab the credit. To put it more harshly, he He planned to take the opportunity to go to Suzhou to pick peaches. After all, such a great victory was extremely needed for Zhu Meng, who had been criticized.
However, he didn't say much, just sighed softly: "So, we will be able to return to Suzhou soon?"
"Yes, I can finally go back. I don't know what the situation is like there now."
The two of them didn't say anything else, but Tong Mu was a little anxious. He wanted to send someone to send a letter to Sun Tu to remind him to make preparations in Suzhou, but he couldn't let Zhu Men take all the credit for his hard work. . However, since he sent someone to send Xie Mo away, he could no longer find anyone he could trust, so it would be difficult to send letters again.
No matter what Tong Mu thought, Zhu Meng and the generals below him had quickly reached an agreement. The various officers and soldiers who had been staying in Jinling for a long time and had not fought against Wu Jun were finally fully moved this time. . In addition to leaving the thousands of troops who were originally affiliated with Jinling to continue to garrison, other troops and horses from all walks of life headed directly to Suzhou under the leadership of Zhu Meng. Everyone made up their minds and must get there as soon as possible. , and then take some credit from it.
When the nearly 100,000 troops from Jinling set out to move south, Wu Guoan's agents here also acted quickly to pass the news back as quickly as possible so that their own army could prepare in advance to deal with the next attack. Possible battles.
In fact, there is no need to go back to these details. Many cities occupied by the Wu Kingdom in the south have all been prepared for defense early. Hangzhou, the capital of Wu, has continuously sent grain, grass, baggage, and various weapons and armor. Going forward, this can be considered as exhausting all efforts to prepare for defense.
At this time, in Hangzhou City, in front of a large palace, two important generals from the state of Wu were standing with their hands tied, waiting for the summons inside. This palace was built by the Wuyue Kingdom more than a hundred years ago. After the Wuyue Kingdom surrendered to the Song Dynasty, this palace became the emperor's palace. However, in the past hundred years, there has been almost no Zhao emperor. On the contrary, now, it has become the royal palace of the newly established Fang clan and the Wu Kingdom.
The two generals standing in front of the palace gate were Pang Wanchun and Fang Shifo. The latter was still injured and could not move around easily, but he still insisted on waiting, and even the person who was supporting him was dismissed by him.
After waiting for a while, the palace guards invited the two in. After all, the Kingdom of Wu has just been established
Soon, and the current situation is not optimistic and the national treasury is not full, so everything is kept simple. Not only was the palace just slightly renovated, but the people inside were all soldiers. There were no eunuchs or other middle-ranking officials at all.
In a side hall, the two met their emperor Fang La. This is a thick man with a broad mouth and a big waist. Wearing only a black robe, he looks like a wealthy man in the world, not a king. His attitude was the same as his temperament. When he saw the two of them coming in, he took the lead in saying hello: "Wan Chun, Shi Buddha, you came just in time. I was planning to discuss important matters with you."
Even though he behaved like this, as ministers, the two of them did not dare to lack etiquette, so they wanted to kneel down and salute. But as soon as he bent his knees, Fang La, who had already rushed forward, supported him: "You and I, brothers, don't care about these red tapes."
If it had been some civil servants in the court, they would have insisted on saluting and saying a few words to express their loyalty. However, these two people obviously did not have this awareness and intention. Seeing him say this, they followed the trend. Then, the monarch and his ministers took their seats respectively. It seemed that Fang La did not have the dignity that a king should have.
In fact, any leader of a newly founded regime behaves like this. Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang could always get along with their subordinates and call them brothers before anything was accomplished. But once it really became a major event, the founding of the country and the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, it was unclear whether the monarchs and their ministers could continue to get along with each other. It’s hard to say.
After Pang Wanchun glanced at the pale-faced Fang Shifo, he said: "Your Majesty, I am here to apologize today. If I hadn't lost the battle before, causing Suzhou to fall into the hands of the enemy, there would not be such a passive situation today. Yes, please punish me severely." After saying that, he stood up again and lowered himself to the ground.
Fang Shifo then stood up and said with difficulty: "What Pang Shuai said is true. In fact, I am also guilty of this matter. It was me who underestimated the Shandong Army, which allowed them to take advantage of it, and even led to the Sanyuan Ridge." If you fail, please punish me."
Pang Wanchun frowned when he heard what he said. To be honest, if this guy hadn't acted without permission and disrupted his overall arrangement, how could such a result be possible? But now he is doing well, actually not mentioning it at all, only saying that the defeat of Sanyuanling was caused by his underestimation of the enemy. Is this intending to make himself bear all the sins
Fang La's eyes quickly swept across the two men's faces, and he already made a judgment in his heart. He immediately smiled and said: "Besides, victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. How could I blame the two brothers for this small defeat? You guys. Please sit down and talk, there is no need to mention the apology."
Seeing that the emperor had said this, the two of them thanked him again and sat down again. Only then did Fang La get to the point: "Actually, if you don't come, I plan to invite you to discuss the current situation. News has come back that the Song Army in Jinling has begun to move south. It seems that the loss of Suzhou has caused them a lot of damage. He is confident that he is planning to fight us head-on. But do you know what countermeasures you two have?"
"Your Majesty, although I am not talented, I still want to do my best for our country of Wu. As long as your Majesty allows it, I will lead my troops northward again, vowing to defend other cities and never let the Song Dynasty occupy any of my cities again. !" Fang Shifo said immediately, but his pale face made his statement very unconvincing.
Fang La nodded noncommittally and looked at Pang Wanchun: "What do you think, Wanchun?"
"I think that the Song army is gaining momentum now, and we don't have to fight it head on, and we don't have to worry about one city or one place.
In terms of gain or loss, the most important thing is to shrink the troops and defend a few important cities first. As for some small counties in the north, if they want it, just give it to them. "
"Pang Shuai, if you do this, you will inflate other people's ambitions and destroy our prestige. What should we do if it affects the morale of the army?" Fang Shifo objected with some displeasure.
"General Fang, fighting the enemy is not just a hard attack. The only way to use troops is to advance and retreat freely." Pang Wanchun was also a little angry and replied immediately.
"Humph, is this why you gave up on Suzhou? In my opinion, Suzhou could have been easily taken back, but it was because you had so many worries that you gave up on retreating south when our army did not suffer too much damage!"
Seeing that the two ministers were already quarreling, Fang La also frowned, and then smiled and said: "Okay, you two should not quarrel over the past. What we should do now is to focus on the present. I know you, Shi Buddha I am also loyal, but your injuries are far from healed. Even if you are determined to kill the enemy, I am still afraid that you will make a mistake. In this case, it is up to Wanchun to resist the Song army this time. You go back and heal your injuries first. ”
"But..." Fang Shifo was a little reluctant and wanted to say something, but after meeting his brother's eyes, he immediately did not dare to insist anymore and could only respond in a low voice and said nothing again.
Later, Fang La asked Pang Wanchun some details of the arrangements. Pang Wanchun was well prepared and immediately expressed his thoughts, which was approved by Fang La: "Then follow your wishes. This time, Song Wanchun must be included." The army is blocking my way to Hangzhou, no more mistakes can be made."
"I will do my best!" Pang Wanchun immediately expressed his stance, and then the two of them withdrew with their own thoughts.
It wasn't until the two left that Jiang Shihu and Fang Fei came out from the other side. Fang La immediately asked, "What do you think of them?"
"Pang Wanchun is mature after all, but Shifo is a little too impatient. And if we really want to talk about the responsibility for this defeat, Shifo is still more responsible than Wanchun." Fang Fei did not favor him just because of his relationship with Fang Shifo. . Jiang Shihu just smiled and didn't say anything, but the acquiescence was also an attitude.
"Actually, I also know that Wan Chun is more qualified to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies than Shi Fo. I thought about letting them cooperate with each other before, but unexpectedly it was backfire. Alas..." Fang La sighed, and then said: "But when it comes Now, it is useless to pursue the responsibility. The most important thing now is how to retreat from the enemy. Do you two have any good ideas? "
"Let Pang Wanchun command the defense and we should be safe. Hangzhou will be safe for at least a year or two." Fang Fei replied.
But Fang La was not satisfied with this: "Is there any way to reverse the situation and defeat the enemy?"
Jiang Shihu pondered for a moment and said: "There is always a way. As long as there is discord and discord within the Song Army, everything will be beneficial to me. We can spread the news that Zhu Meng secretly joined forces with us, and then Let me reiterate what I said before about killing Zhu Meng. I believe that there will be civil strife among the Song army. I know Sun Tu very well. He is not a person who swallows his anger. Once their generals are at odds, it will be our chance! "
"Is it a stratagem to alienate? You can give it a try! And it can also destabilize the morale of the army and the people, and it will do many things." Fang Fei also said in agreement.
Fang La also nodded: "Then follow the strategy of the military advisor, both civil and military, two-pronged approach!"