Guo Jia shook the feather fan, which was a bit careless and made people feel much more at ease.

"Chen Gong hasn't appeared in Chengdu for several days, so he is likely to go to Hanzhong. This person is good at starting from the big things and is familiar with our new policy of Great Wu. He uses retreat as an advance, luring our army into Hanzhong to fight to test our army's limits. It's natural. But Gong Yu should be alert. Although he went to Hanzhong, Fa Zheng was still in Yufu, and the possibility of the Shu army taking the risk of leaving the gorge is still there."

Ju Shu's eyes shrank slightly. "Has Chen Gong gone to Hanzhong?"

"Although the exact information has not been obtained, it is generally correct."

Ju Shu's eyes rolled twice, showing a faint smile. "I heard for a long time that this person is outstanding in his wisdom, and the rumors are true." He looked at Guo Jia with a smile. "Feng Xiao has been in charge of the Military Advisory Office for many years, is familiar with the military advisors of various departments, and understands Chen Gong's strength. Both of these are beyond my reach. In the opinion of Feng Xiao, should we send more personnel?"

Guo Jia glanced at him, pointed at Ju Su with the feather fan in his hand, laughed, but did not answer, and turned to look at Sun Ce. "Your Duke doesn't know anything, but you know them best, but Your Majesty. Thinking back then, Xu Shu and Your Majesty had to be appointed and rushed to Wuguan when they saw him."

Ju Su suddenly realized. "It turned out that it was recommended by His Majesty, so there is nothing to worry about."

Sun Ce couldn't help laughing as he watched the two of them sing and sang, and then he felt a little unspeakable regret. There were more and more talents, but the relationship between them became more and more complicated and subtle. Ju Su was promoted to the military advisor as a military advisor. Many people were dissatisfied with this and did not know how much thought he had been in his mind behind his back. But he was unmoved. Ju Su himself was also cautious, making people unable to grasp the handle, so no major incident happened.

Now the military situation in Hanzhong has undergone a major turning point. Ju Su is worried that Huang Zhong’s military advisors are insufficient and want to send more personnel to ensure safety, but cannot make a decision easily. He has to mobilize troops to invite him and Guo Jia, and then take the initiative to ask Guo Jia for advice. It can be said that he has done a good job.

Huang Zhong's military advisor was nominally Li Yan, but in fact there was Xu Shu. Xu Shu was from Yingchuan and Ru Ying was in great power, so Ju Su had to treat him carefully.

Even Sun Ce cannot easily mobilize his troops at this moment, so as not to disrupt the morale of the army and backfire.

It is a taboo to use troops in the battle, and so is the military advisor.

Sun Ce turned around and looked at the Mian River (Han River) on the map and smacked his lips. From Xian County to Xicheng, Huang Zhong's supply line was half extended, and this section of the water was sparsely populated, and it was even difficult to recruit civilians. He could only recruit from Wudang and Qing County areas further away, and the consumption would double. In addition, Wu Yi and Zhang Lu's surrendered soldiers would have to double. Once Huang Zhong's main force advanced into the hinterland of Hanzhong, the supply needed was even more amazing.

There is arable land in Hanzhong, but the household registrations that can be supported are limited. So far, the peak household registration in Hanzhong is only 50,000 or 60,000 households, and under normal circumstances, they can only support more than 10,000 soldiers. Now it is wartime, Chen Gong will not let them do what they want, and may use Hanzhong as a battlefield. In this way, Huang Zhong's troops' supplies are almost entirely dependent on transportation in the rear.

Whether it is going upstream from Xiangyang or crossing the Qinling Mountains from Guanzhong, it is a heavy burden. Liangzhou, which can go downstream, has no food to transport. If Huang Zhong cannot seize Hanzhong quickly, the battlefield in Hanzhong may be a ulcer, and may even turn into a bleeding wound.

This should be Chen Gong’s plot. The so-called plot is that even if you can see through it, there may not be a way to solve it.

"Is there a possibility of a quick victory?"

Ju Su shook his head. "There is insufficient troops and there is no confidence in winning quickly, so he can only adapt to the situation. If he insists on forcing, he may be tempted by the enemy."

Sun Ce agreed with Ju Su's point of view. There is no strategic condition for quick victory, and he can only rely on the tactics of frontline soldiers. In other words, it depends on whether Huang Zhong and others can create opportunities, achieve substantial breakthroughs, and completely drive the Shu army out of Hanzhong. But he cannot give Huang Zhong pressure, but instead has to give Huang Zhong enough time, otherwise it may backfire.

In fact, what he is most worried about now is that Huang Zhong and others are greedy for merit and are rash and fallen into Chen Gong's plan.

If Yang wants to gain a comprehensive strategic advantage, he must increase troops to Hanzhong. If the troops increase, he will increase grain and the burden will be heavier. Multiple troops cooperate, and whoever is the leader is the second. It would be fine if he can reinforce Hanzhong is Lu Su, Ma Teng, Yan Xing, Ma Teng, and Yan Xing, but Lu Su is the Grand Governor of Anxi. Lu Su may not be convinced by letting him listen to Huang Zhong's orders, and letting Huang Zhong listen to Lu Su's orders is equivalent to taking Huang Zhong's rare opportunity to make meritorious contributions. Even if Huang Zhong is willing, Xu Shu, Xu Huang and others will have opinions.

Unless another one can convince them, such as Sun Shangxiang, the Zuodu Protector who is currently staying in Luoyang, or simply commanding the army in person. But in that case, the burden of logistics supplies will be even more astonishing.

Without careful calculations, Sun Ce also knew that such conditions were not met at present.

As far as he knew, the battle against Shu has always been under the stability of the Central Plains, accumulating strength for many years, then concentrating superior forces, and quickly decisive. Once he fell into a stalemate, it means that he was passive in strategic direction and could only withdraw his troops voluntarily unless unexpected opportunities arise. For example, when Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, Zhang Lu's army collapsed. For example, when Zhong Hui was blocked from attacking Shu, Deng Ai marched from Yinping Road, attacked Chengdu, and seized Jiang Wei's retreat.

These are all unexpected accidents that are hard to come by and can only be considered as tactical considerations and cannot be organically composed of strategies. It would be ridiculous if you rely on accidental factors when calculating the temple.

After repeated discussions, Ju Su and Guo Jia's opinions were similar to Sun Ce. They did not have the conditions to attack Shu in large quantities. They should maintain the current strategy and siege them in a way of erosion. Considering the mentality of Huang Zhong and others, Sun Ce ordered Ju Su and Guo Jia to contact Huang Zhong and Xu Shu as an official and private identity, reminding them that they should not be greedy for merit and advance. They should be steady and stable, and take every step forward, and do not give Cao Ang or Chen Gong any opportunity to take advantage of.

When the discussion was almost over, Liu Ye, who had not spoken suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think that although Chen Gong wants to lure the enemy into the deep, it may have another meaning."

Sun Ce was a little surprised. Liu Ye rarely spoke in public. What happened today?

"Speak and listen."

"Although Cao Cao has many counselors, the most capable one is Chen Gong, Fa Zheng. Chen Gong is good at major plans and uses open plans. Fa Zheng is quick and wise and willing to take risks. Even if Hanzhong is lost, there are still Bashan, Jiange, and Shuzhong for the time being. Therefore, Chen Gong can retreat as a step forward, and is confident and fearless. If I tempted him, my manpower and material resources are all collected in Hanzhong and neglected Jingchu, it will be difficult to ensure that Fa Zheng is surprising and Jingchu will be defeated."

Guo Jia praised: "Works should focus on the virtual and the real, and when the virtual is weak, it is solid, and when the real is weak, it is unpredictable, it is called a god. Zi Yang's words deeply understand the secret of military strategy."

Sun Ce agreed with Liu Ye's point of view, but it was even more troublesome. Neither of them could relax, and the army of 60,000 to 70,000 troops were waiting for the battle. This consumption was not ordinary. Cao Cao's move was really insidious. He was conspired and conspired together, which made people unable to defend against. If he was negligent, he fell into his plan.

Don't underestimate Lao Ah Man. Although the strength of the two sides is very different and the situation is settled, he really has no choice but to deal with Cao Cao, and he may suffer his losses if he is accidentally.

However, not many people realized this. Even Ju Su and Guo Jia focused on Chen Gong and Fa Zheng, and did not pay attention to Cao Cao. Liu Ye was alert, but he was reserved and refused to speak out.

It is no wonder that Cao Cao had no amazing record except for the extermination of Song Jian during the Western Expedition, and he was far from showing his true strength.

Sun Ce pondered for a long time and ordered someone to get the "The Art of War" handwritten with Cao Cao. This "The Art of War" was left to Cao Ang for Cao Ang. Cao Ang once lent him to read it, and he ordered someone to copy it and keep it with him. He read this book in his previous life, but he was just a quick look and didn't care about it. In this life, he fought on the battlefield and read it again in combination with his own military practice. It felt very different.

Although this book does not represent Cao Cao's full strength, it can at least make them clear that Cao Cao is not an incompetent person.

Ju Su and others were all aware of the goods. After reading a few pages and reading a few comments from Cao Cao, they looked solemn. In order to prepare for the war against Shu, they read the war records related to Cao Cao, and knew Cao Cao's past achievements clearly, but they did not pay enough attention. Now after reading Cao Cao's hand-note military books, they realized that Cao Cao was stronger than they estimated and had a better understanding of military tactics than most generals.

In fact, this can be seen from Sun Ce's reaction. How could an enemy who could make Sun Ce treat him so seriously be an ordinary person?

Ju Su said, "Your Majesty, can you copy this book several times and pass it on to the generals?"

Guo Jia said, "Stop copying, arrange for the bookstore to engrave and print it. Everyone above the commander of the commander-in-chief took a copy." He pointed and played it. "Your Majesty also spent a lot of money to help him raise his wife and children, so you don't have to pay the royalties."

Sun Ce couldn't help laughing and laughed.

——

Sun Ce handed over the task of printing military arts to the largest printing workshop in Runan - Xu's printing workshop.

Xu Jing was very happy and suspended all his business and selected the most capable engraving craftsmen. He also seconded some craftsmen from other printing workshops with high salaries to engrave the craftsmen at the fastest speed. Three days later, the first batch of books was delivered to Sun Ce.

The book is well printed, not only good engraving, but also good paper and ink. Considering that most of the soldiers in the army are not very educated, they are rough and strong, Xu Jing specially used thick leather paper as the cover and also equipped it with a book cover for easy carrying, and it will not be broken even if it falls.

After receiving the first batch of sample books, Sun Ce immediately ordered someone to send them to Hanzhong and issued a handwritten edict to Huang Zhong, asking them to treat them with caution and not to be anxious for success. He was deceived by the little li in front of him. He also went to Hanzhong with Ruan Yu as an envoy and invited Mrs. Lu to discuss the truth.

Ruan Yu was from Chenliu and had some friendship with Wu Yi. The most important purpose of sending him was to appease Wu Yi, resolve Wu Yi's doubts, turn possible false surrender into real surrender, and remove Huang Zhong's worries.

At the same time, Sun Ce issued an edict to Lu Su, asking him to send people to explore the roads leading to Hanzhong, evaluate the transportation costs, find the most economical transportation plan, and prepare to provide transportation support for Huang Zhong's troops. He also issued an edict to Sun Shangxiang and Lu Xun, asking them to rush to Ruyang to report their duties.

Then, Sun Ce issued an edict to draw elite troops and generals from the various naval divisions, rushed to Poyang Lake, and quietly formed the Right Protector Navy in case of accidents.

The preparation process was very smooth, but the results of the military advisory were also amazing. If Huang Zhong's troops entered Hanzhong and confronted Cao Ang, even if the troops were not increased, the military expenditure would increase significantly, which would undoubtedly add to the insult to the already stretched military expenditure. It is initially estimated that the total expenditure of nearly 300,000 troops would exceed 15 billion, accounting for nearly 70% of the fiscal revenue. If a large-scale war begins, military expenditure will rise sharply, and the fiscal deficit will inevitably be.

This is obviously not a long-term solution.

If he is not in charge of the family, he does not know that the firewood and rice are expensive. Although he is rich in the world, Sun Ce still feels pressured. The front line is too long and the cost of elite military strategy is too high. He really can't support it and experiences the embarrassment of the US empire in the Middle East back then.

Even if the country is big, war will perish. The ancients are really not bullying me. The steps I took were a bit big and I was ripping my teeth.

Huang Hansheng, you must stay steady and never be anxious. Give me two years of preparation time, and Guanzhong will be much less stressed after regaining vitality.

——

At the end of the twelfth lunar month, Sun Shangxiang, Lu Xun and Xu Jie arrived in Ruyang, and Luoyang's military affairs were temporarily handed over to Lu Meng, Gao Shun and Xinpi.

Sun Shangxiang had a good impression of Gao Shun and mentioned Gao Shun to a position that was comparable to Lu Meng, leaning on him as his right-hand man. This decision achieved great results. Not only did the old subordinates of Gao Shun return home and fully support this young female guardian, Lu Xiaohuan was also very grateful. From Wuyuan, Shuofang recruited a group of female knights and sent them to Luoyang to make up for Han Shaoying's vacancy.

Not only that, this also helped Shen You a lot. When he learned that the Left Guardian valued the people of Bingzhou, especially the people of Bingzhou north of Yanmen, he regarded the female knights of Bingzhou as the guard cavalry. The people of Bingzhou who had just surrendered were deeply honored. The knot in his heart unknowingly dissolved a lot. He cooperated with Shen You's work very well, actively implemented the new policy, enlisted in the army, and formed a cavalry in the northern border with 20,000 elite cavalry.

In the nearly one year since he was in charge of Luoyang, Sun Shangxiang has become much more calm. He has not rushed up to act coquettishly as before when he met. Even Sun Quan, who was ordered to go to greet him, was a little surprised and stared at Sun Shangxiang for a long time.

After going to the hall and saluted, Sun Ce walked to Sun Shangxiang, reached out to pinch the tip of her nose, and smiled and said, "Good, I finally have a bit of a general's demeanor. No wonder Hongnong in Luoyang recovered so well."

Sun Shangxiang blushed and bowed, "It's all the generals who have helped me effectively, not the only one who can do it."

"Ha!" Sun Ce was surprised and turned to Sun Quan and said, "See you, my little sister actually knows that she is modest."

Sun Quan also smiled and said, "Your Majesty said so much. The Zuoduo has made great progress and is worthy of being your majesty."

Sun Shangxiang gave Sun Quan a blank look. "Look at what you said, aren't you your siblings? That's right, you're not your siblings now, but your confidant. Your siblings always praise you when he writes a book, saying that you share his worries. He is one of the few geniuses in the royal family, especially the economy, which is quite unique."

"Is it... yes?" Sun Quan was a little surprised, looked at Sun Ce awkwardly, and said, "That's because His Majesty encouraged me. My ability, which is to deal with some documents, has nothing to do with governance, let alone economics."

Sun Shangxiang was puzzled. "What's wrong with the economy? Why are you so nervous?"

Sun Quan became anxious, blushed and blurted out. "Where do I have it? Little sister, don't talk nonsense."
Chapter completed!