Zhuge Liang said, "Zhang Liao retreated first for the sake of the overall situation, but when he returned to the camp, he was seen fleeing alone. He must have been discouraged and wanted to die. Today, he faced me face to face, but failed. I think he must be unwilling to give up, so he might as well fight to the death again."
Guan Yu's phoenix eyes suddenly opened, and he looked at Zhuge Liang in surprise: "I didn't expect that the military advisor is usually so elegant and aloof, but he also knows the minds of us warriors."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "As the saying goes, great minds think alike. Although I am not as heroic as the two generals, I am heroic not only in my military bravery, but also in my sense of justice and integrity!"
Guan Yu's long beard trembled at these words, and it seemed as if a storm surged in his heart. He shuddered all over and clasped his fists and said, "Sir, your words have opened my eyes."
Zhuge Liang was stunned: "Why do you say that, Yunchang?"
Gan Ning had just sensed a murderous aura flashing from Guan Yu, but seeing his humble attitude, he asked in confusion, "Yun Chang has been acting weird since he started reading the Tao Te Ching. I think you should continue reading the Spring and Autumn Annals!"
Guan Yu had no time to pay attention to Gan Ning's ridicule, and said seriously: "Today I finally understand the true meaning of harmony between generals and ministers: Lian Po is brave, but he respects Prime Minister Lin because of his strong character and great ambition. The harmony between civil and military officials is actually a kind of like-mindedness. I have always despised Confucian scholars' lofty speeches and flashy but empty talk because there is no one as wise and insightful as you. After listening to your words, I know that there are always people better than you."
"Yun Chang has this realization, he is no longer the martial artist he used to be!"
Zhuge Liang could not have imagined that Guan Yu would have such an understanding at this time, and he could not help but feel relieved. If he could really restrain his arrogant nature, Guan Yu would be comparable to Han Xin and Wei Qing, which would be a blessing for the Han Dynasty.
Gan Ning thought about how he had given up military service to pursue literature, and had worked as a clerk for several years, but still had not made much progress. It seemed that he was not as determined as Guan Yu, so he hurriedly asked, "Military Advisor, can you lend me the Tao Te Ching?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "If Xingba is interested, he can read the book "Laozi Xianger Zhu"."
Gan Ning waved his hand and said, "I don't want to read the book that the military advisor wants. I just want to read the Tao Te Ching."
Zhuge Liang laughed dumbly and said, "This book was written by Zhang Lu of Hanzhong. It is specially written to annotate the Tao Te Ching. It is just right for Xingba to read."
Gan Ning then realized that he had misunderstood and muttered, "This old man is really good at naming. Is he trying to take advantage of me?"
At this time, dinner was ready. Zhuge Liang called Chen Dao and Xiahou Lan, and they discussed while eating that if they could capture Zhang Liao, it would be easy to take over the Central Plains.
It was the coldest time of the year and the soldiers waited all night in the wind, but there was no movement. When dawn came, most of the soldiers were frozen and felt resentful.
Gan Ning returned to the camp and said, "I think the military advisor is worrying too much. Zhang Liao has gone back to recuperate. How can he have the energy to send out the troops?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "If Jia Xu hadn't seen through my plan, then he must have guessed that Yun Chang was going to raid the camp to avenge his humiliation, and Cao's army had also set an ambush in the camp."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Military Advisor, your words make sense. If Zhang Liao doesn't come out, I might be ambushed if I go to raid the camp."
Gan Ning clasped his fists and said, "No matter what Cao's army is like, Zhang Liao alone cannot hold the fort. I will lead the troops to attack the camp first, occupy Wushui, and besiege Kunyang. Then the troops from Mobei can take the opportunity to advance north and attack Xuchang in a roundabout way."
Zhuge Liang then ordered Gan Ning to lead the troops to fight, and instructed Xiahou Lan to gather intelligence. Guan Yu stayed in the camp to recuperate and prepare a strategy to fight the enemy based on the situation of Cao's army.
Cao's army also waited in vain in the camp for a night. Zhang Liao recovered a little, but he suffered heavy casualties and was in a very low mood. His eyes were bloodshot and he occasionally looked out of the camp in a daze.
Jia Xu looked solemn, stroked his beard and sighed, "Although Kong Ming is young, he knows the art of war very well. If he did not come to raid the camp, I'm afraid they had already prepared. If the general had sent out the troops last night, he might not have returned."
Zhang Liao gathered his thoughts and frowned, saying, "Guan Yu has Zhuge Liang as his advisor, and he knows how to advance and retreat. I'm afraid it will be difficult to repel the enemy for the time being. It's better to retreat to Kunyang to be on the safe side."
Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Mobei has been lost. Once the troops retreat to Kunyang, Guan Yu will surely come to besiege the city. If we divide our troops to take all parts of Yingchuan, it will be like a river bursting its banks. It will be difficult for the general to take care of the overall situation with his own strength."
Suddenly, someone from Luoyang came to report that the Jingzhou army had sent another troop to Yique Pass, with a total of 20,000 soldiers and horses.
Zhang Liao was puzzled and asked, "Could it be that Zhuge Liang used a tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking the west, and launched a large-scale war to march into the Central Plains, in fact, he intended to seize Luoyang and take Chang'an in the west to respond to Liu Qi?"
Jia Xu pulled his beard and thought, "The terrain of Funiu Mountain is complicated. Even if we take Yique Pass, it will be difficult to attack Luoyang. Once we cut off their food supply, their troops will be trapped in Luoyang and will surely die. This must be a suspicious army."
After several battles, the two sides became wary of each other, knowing that every time the other side sent troops, there must be a deeper meaning, and it was definitely not a goal that could be seen through at a glance.
Zhang Liao thought less and felt his mind open up. He said, "It seems that Zhuge Liang's move is the same as sending Jiangxia troops to attack Wusheng Pass. It is just to tie down the troops. As long as Guan Yu cannot advance, the other troops are nothing to worry about."
"That makes sense. We should remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing situations!" Everything seemed to have returned to the original situation, and Jia Xu nodded slightly.
But I always felt something was wrong. Zhuge Liang's surprise attack on Yique Pass had failed, and the pass was already heavily guarded. Why should he do this again
While they were discussing, drums sounded outside the camp. Zhang Liao went out of the tent to see, and saw Gan Ning leading his troops there, ordering the entire army to deploy their troops in formation and not to go out into battle.
Gan Ning rode forward and laughed, "Zhang Wenyuan, you attacked the camp yesterday, but you lost more than you gained! Zhang Hu has been captured by me. If you want him to live, come and surrender quickly."
Zhang Liao gritted his teeth secretly and said in a deep voice: "As long as you eat the king's salary, you should repay the king's kindness. A real man sacrifices his life for his country, but it is just to maintain his integrity. My son is not a coward. If you want to kill me, just kill me. Why say more?"
Gan Ning secretly admired him and said, "Zhang Liao, Cao Cao is the traitor, why did you help him to commit atrocities? I admire your father and son's loyalty, how about exchanging your life for his?"
Zhang Liao asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Gan Ning said: "As long as you surrender, or commit suicide on the spot, I will release Zhang Hu and leave a legacy for your Zhang family..."
"Asshole!" Zhang Liao was furious and shouted, "I have received great favors from the Prime Minister. I am responsible for the safety of the Central Plains. How can I ignore the overall situation because of personal feelings? Shoot! "
At the command, arrows were fired from Cao's camp. Gan Ning hurriedly rode his horse back, shouting, "Zhang Liao, you are so cold-blooded and heartless. If you don't fight again, I will make sure you have no descendants."
Zhang Liao ignored Gan Ning and let him yell and curse. As long as he got close to the camp, he would take out a bow and shoot. Gan Ning had no choice but to leave cursing.
When he returned to the tent, Jia Xu suddenly said, "We need to inform Chang'an to beware of the troops at Wuguan Pass!"
Zhang Liao was startled. Why did he suddenly think of Guanzhong? He smiled and said, "There are 20,000 soldiers defending Lantian, deployed in three camps. It will be extremely difficult to take Chang'an from Wuguan."
"Be careful and you will be safe!" Jia Xu sighed softly, and then said, "Gan Ning returned without success. I expect him to come and raid our camp tonight."
Zhang Liao was surprised and said, "Zhuge Liang already knows that our army is prepared, how dare he come again?"
Jia Xu smiled and said, "Guan Yu has many useful men under his command. After failing to defend the camp last night, he will surely seek change. I expect him to split his troops into two groups to raid the camp. It is a good opportunity to take advantage of his trick."