Chapter 378 Pang Tong Makes a Strategy
The agreement between Tian Ze and Gongsun Zan to duel was no secret and had long been known to the princes of the Central Plains.
While they were expressing their admiration for the irreconcilable relationship between the two sides, they could not help but sigh with regret.
Gongsun Zan is too "impulsive". Even if you don't have the opportunity to seize the world, what's wrong with defending Liangzhou?
If Gongsun Zan could restrain Tian Ze, the situation in the world would be greatly reversed.
If they failed to capture Xiliang, they would not be able to advance into Yizhou, and Xiliang, with its vast territory and sparse population, could serve as the main battlefield for the princes of the Central Plains to contain Tian Ze.
Liu Fan of Yizhou and Liu Bei of Jingzhou can provide support at any time.
Add to that the many local Qiang and Hu tribes, as well as the constraints from the countries in the Western Regions, and Tian Ze was given a headache.
But unfortunately, Gongsun Zan did not comply with their wishes.
But this also gave them a good "opportunity".
In Xiangyang, Jingzhou, Pang Tong immediately began to deduce after learning the date of the decisive battle between the two sides.
"Tian Ze will have to deploy a large number of troops, especially cavalry, to fight against Gongsun Zan. In order to prevent us and Liu Fan from leading the army north to Liangzhou and taking the opportunity to cause trouble, Tian Ze needs to arrange a certain amount of troops."
"Therefore, the number of troops Tian Ze deployed in this battle may be no less than 200,000, or even 300,000."
"Si Li is surrounded by us, Liu Fan and Cao Cao. It is an extremely important place. Tian Ze has already started to operate it and will definitely not give up. Therefore, Zhang He's 100,000 troops here will not move lightly. Tian Ze may even send more troops."
"In this case, Tian Chengshou's troops will be a little less along the Yellow River, but they will definitely be more than 300,000, and there will be at least 100,000 troops stationed in the rear."
Tian Ze's troop deployment is actually very easy to guess.
Because their way of fighting is just that, three points attack, four points defense, three points reserve, the main focus is stability.
But even though Pang Tong easily guessed Tian Ze's troop deployment, he couldn't find a good way to break the deadlock.
"Shiyuan, do you have any suggestions?" Liu Bei asked humbly.
"I have three strategies for you to choose from, my lord," Pang Tong said.
"The best strategy is to take the route from Shangyong to Hanzhong and march out of Xiliang when Gongsun Zan and Tian Ze are fighting."
"Xiliang is the land of Gongsun Zan. He is arrogant and good at attacking but not at defending. Facing the powerful Tian Ze, he will definitely attack with all his strength, and Xiliang will be left empty."
"My lord, if you send out troops, no matter who wins or loses, you can take advantage of the opportunity to occupy part of Xiliang. If you advance, you can contain Tianze and prevent Xiliang from being taken by him. If you retreat, you can take away a large number of people, contact the Qiang people, and create trouble for Tianze."
Chen Qun frowned when he heard this: "This plan is indeed good, but will Liu Fan agree?"
He didn't believe that Liu Fan didn't understand the story of using the territory of Guo to attack Guo.
Pang Tong smiled slightly: "Liu Fan is not Liu Yan, he will do it."
Pang Tong saw it very clearly that compared to Liu Yan, who was just a guard dog, Liu Fan might be a little inferior in terms of skills, but he had much more insight and courage.
Although there are some risks in leading our troops into Hanzhong, as long as we are cautious, there will be no major problems.
Liu Fan should be very clear about the current situation. Liu Bei would never dare to have any ideas about Hanzhong, otherwise, Tian Ze would just benefit from it for nothing.
It was not difficult for Tian Ze to take over Hanzhong after pacifying Xiliang.
Liu Bei also nodded slightly: "Liu Fan and I have a good relationship. This boy is indeed not his father. He is quite courageous. However..."
Chen Qun shook his head slightly: "If we send troops to Xiliang, our logistics will be controlled by Liu Fan. It's fine if the time is short, but I'm afraid that if it goes on for a long time, there will eventually be a gap."
Human hearts are the most unreliable things and are subject to change.
Although Liu Bei's attempt to contain Tian Ze in Xiliang was a sacrificial act, Liu Fan might not appreciate it.
Although Chen Qun did not say the most crucial question, everyone present understood it. To march into Xiliang was to sacrifice one's own forces to achieve the overall situation. In the short term, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages for Liu Bei himself.
Especially if they go north through Yizhou, if something goes wrong, it would be difficult to withdraw.
Moreover, if this kind of help becomes one's duty, it will be difficult to resolve in the future.
Xiliang should have been Liu Fan's main frontline battlefield, but the combat effectiveness of the soldiers under Liu Fan was not enough to contain Tian Ze, so Liu Bei needed to send more troops in.
Chen Qun was worried that if this continued, Liu Bei would become the scapegoat and would not be able to get rid of this burden.
Pang Tong understood what Chen Qun meant.
Liu Bei also had many factions under his command, mainly headed by him and Chen Qun, who were the local faction of Jingzhou and the outsider faction of Yuzhou respectively.
As an outsider, Chen Qun should have supported Liu Bei in putting the situation in the world first, but Chen Qun, who was of steady temperament, still wanted to focus on defense.
On the contrary, Pang Tong, who was from the Jingzhou faction, tended to expand outward.
Both sides deviated from their own positions and completely considered Liu Bei's point of view, which shows Liu Bei's personal charm.
Liu Bei was also quite conflicted at this time.
He could see the overall situation clearly and was willing to make concessions, but he couldn't make up his mind.
Because this goes against his traditional "benevolent and righteous" style.
After all, it's just a matter of dealing with Tian Ze.
Since Tian Ze proclaimed himself emperor, Liu Bei no longer had any psychological burden.
But Gongsun Zan did not do anything presumptuous.
Liu Bei simply couldn't convince himself to go to war without declaring war, especially against a loyal minister and general who guarded the border and had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty.
Pang Tong looked at Liu Bei's expression and immediately understood what he was thinking, and sighed secretly.
I will not betray others unless they betray me. My lord is too kind and loyal.
He had guessed early on that Liu Bei might not choose this strategy, which was also the outcome of most of the best strategies, so he continued his speech without pause.
"The middle strategy is to split the troops into two groups. One group will go north from Nanyang to Wuguan Pass and attack Chang'an. The other group will go through Yuzhou, go north to Guangcheng Pass and attack Luoyang."
"Send heavy troops to attack the pass. At the same time, contact Liu Fan and Cao Cao to attack together and force Tian Ze to send reinforcements to Sili to relieve the pressure on Yuan Shao and Cao Cao on the battlefield on the south bank of the Yellow River."
There is no doubt that for the princes of the Central Plains, the most suitable battlefield is still on the south bank of the Yellow River where they had suffered a defeat before.
Tianze's territory was connected, and only Sili and Jizhou had contact with the princes of the Central Plains.
Although Sili seemed to be surrounded by enemies on all sides, the surrounding mountains were crisscrossed and the terrain was dangerous. In the past year, Tianze had reinforced the checkpoints and added heavy guards.
With Tian Ze's army's ability to defend well, it would be difficult for them to defeat them. Even if they did, with Zhang He in charge, it would be difficult for them to achieve real results even if they won.
On the contrary, the battle line on the south bank of the Yellow River was long and almost indefensible.
Tian Ze had many concerns. Not only did he need to station heavy troops on the north bank of the Yellow River, but the troops on the south bank were also relatively scattered.
Although blocked by the Yellow River, the Eastern Wu navy could go north along the canal built by Yuan Shao in Qingzhou and enter the Yellow River, thus tying down Gan Ning's navy.
Therefore, the princes of the Central Plains chose this place as the battlefield.
(End of this chapter)
