mtl008 Chapter 738: It’s not too late to attack the heart
Chapter 738: It’s not too late to attack the heart
Chapter 738: It’s not too late to attack the heart
In the port outside Yong'an City, tens of thousands of Wu troops were already ready to go, waiting for Lu Xun's order.
However, Lu Xun's formal order to go to war had not yet been delivered to them.
What is Lu Xun waiting for?
He was waiting for the report from vanguard Zhu Huan.
Before Zhu Huan left, Lu Xun privately told Zhu Huan two things.
If the results of those two things can satisfy Lu Xun, then Lu Xun will lead his army.
Lu Xun didn't have to wait too long, Zhu Yi returned to Lu Xun from outside Zhouling City at night.
Seeing Zhu Yi returning so quickly with a happy look on his face, Lu Xun guessed the outcome of the battle in Zhouling.
As expected, Zhu Yi raised his head and chest and bowed to Lu Xun:
"My father has taken Zhouling City for the Great Wu!"
As soon as Zhu Yi finished speaking, all the Wu generals present showed joy on their faces.
"color!"
Unconsciously, the Wu generals offered their congratulations to Zhu Huan.
When Lu Xun heard Zhu Yi's words, he was also happy.
But Lu Xun still asked in detail about the details of the battle of Zhouling.
When Lu Xun asked, Zhu Yi did not dare to neglect his answer.
Zhu Yi then told Zhu Huan step by step how he captured Zhouling.
When Zhu Yi mentioned that the Wu army's formation was disrupted by the strong wind, Lu Xun's face showed a thoughtful look.
Lu Xun quickly interrupted Zhu Yi and asked:
"Did Wang Hong, the garrison commander of Zhouling, lead his troops to attack proactively?"
Zhu Yi noticed that this question seemed very important to Lu Xun, so he immediately responded:
"have!
Wang Hong originally wanted to attack our army halfway across the river."
Zhu Yi then continued to explain what happened next.
In fact, for Lu Xun, the subsequent development is not that important after knowing the result.
What Lu Xun was concerned about was the question he had just asked Zhu Yi.
Others might think that the strong wind disrupting the Wu army's formation might be a sign that God was helping the Han army.
But in Lu Xun's view, this is not the case.
Maybe he is the one whom God helps.
The fact that the strong wind disrupted the Wu army's formation actually allowed Lu Xun to determine a fact.
Even when he was about to go on an expedition, Lu Xun was not 100% confident in Mi Yang.
The reason for this is that Mi Yang's past battle examples have proved that Mi Yang has too many tricks.
There are so many that it is impossible to have the confidence to fully guess his thoughts.
It is common sense in military strategy to attack the enemy while their formation is scattered.
But if Mi Yang was using a strategy to lure the enemy, then even if the strong wind disrupted the Wu army's formation, Wang Hong would go against common sense and not attack.
Wang Hong was Mi Yang's good friend. To put it in a broader sense, Wang Hong had done Mi Yang a favor during the Battle of Gong'an that year.
It is true that Mi Yang is an extremely cunning person, but his reputation for loyalty and righteousness is as strong as Liu Bei's.
Given the relationship between Mi Yang and Wang Hong, if Mi Yang had any intentions, he would certainly arrange a safe escape route for Wang Hong in advance.
With a safe retreat, Wang Hong didn't need to leave the city no matter what happened outside.
Today, common sense was not violated, but instead made Lu Xun feel at ease.
Thinking of this, the smile on Lu Xun's face became more intense.
Lu Xun asked Zhu Yi, "Where is Wang Hong? I have something to ask him."
Lu Xun wondered if he could find out some military secrets that he didn't know from Wang Hong.
But Zhu Yi's next answer made Lu Xun furious.
Zhu Yi changed his arrogant attitude and said to Lu Xun hesitantly:
"Wang Hong was executed by my father a few days ago!"
Upon hearing that Wang Hong was killed by Zhu Huan, Lu Xun got angry for the first time in front of all the generals.
"Bastard!"
Lu Xun slammed the table and stood up.
Seeing that Lu Xun was angry, Zhu Yi was frightened and quickly leaned over.
In order to calm Lu Xun, Zhu Yi told him all the insults Wang Hong had said to Zhu Huan and Sun Quan.
After hearing what Wang Hong said, all the Wu generals present were indignant.
Why is Wang Hong’s mouth so poisonous?
But after listening to Zhu Yi's explanation, Lu Xun did not calm down.
Angrily, Lu Xun pointed at Zhu Yi and scolded:
"You have fallen into Wang Hong's trap. Wang Hong is seeking death!"
"Your father was pleased to kill Wang Hong with one blow, but did he ever think about the consequences?
It is true that Wang Hong had the means to seek death, but he indulged in insults just to provoke your father and preserve his reputation for loyalty.
Wang Hong can die, but he cannot die on the day our army captures Zhouling, and he certainly cannot die in the name of loyalty and righteousness.
Do you know how the people of Jingzhou will view our army when the news of Wang Hong’s death spreads throughout Jingzhou?
The people of Jingzhou will regard Wang Hong as a hero and us as butchers!
It is not difficult to take Jingzhou, but winning the hearts of the people of Jingzhou is the key to our army's success in Jingzhou!"
Lu Xun really didn't expect that even though he had already warned Zhu Huan, Zhu Huan would still do such a stupid thing.
After scolding Zhu Yi, Lu Xun sat down helplessly.
Wang Hong sought death in order to attack the enemy's mind.
If the news of Wang Hong's death was allowed to ferment in Jingzhou, if Wang Hong's reputation for loyalty was allowed to take root in the hearts of the people of Jingzhou, then Mi Yang, who already has the support of the people, would be even more powerful.
There was no way Lu Xun would sit idly by and watch this happen.
The next moment, Lu Xun decisively ordered:
"The whole army is boarding the ship and heading for Zhouling!"
The first thing Lu Xun did when he arrived in Zhouling was to summon Zhu Huan and reprimand him severely.
However, considering Zhu Huan's contribution in capturing the city, Lu Xun did not punish him in the end.
After reprimanding Zhu Huan, Lu Xun ordered people to investigate whether the Wu army had violated any law and order in Zhouling City.
There were some armies in the world today that had strict military discipline, but the Wu army was most likely not one of them.
Through the investigation of his trusted confidants, Lu Xun actually discovered many violations of laws and disciplines by the Wu army.
Among those generals who committed crimes, there was one with a rather special identity.
That man was Zhu Huan's cousin Zhu Bao. In terms of relationship, Zhu Bao and Lu Xun were relatives.
Zhu Bao committed the crime of stealing civilians' property.
In the past, such crimes were not considered serious in the Wu army.
But what no one expected was that because of this small crime, Zhu Bao was eventually beheaded by Lu Xun in public.
Lu Xun's harsh measures greatly intimidated the Wu army in the city, making them dare not break the law again.
There was another purpose for Lu Xun to do this, which was that he wanted to let the people of Zhouling see how selfless he, Lu Xun, was.
Lu Xun wanted to use this opportunity to win back some people's support.
In order to achieve this goal, Lu Xun also ordered people to find the Han troops hiding in the city.
Lu Xun didn't mean to hurt them.
On the contrary, after finding the Han troops, Lu Xun comforted them and treated them well.
In the end, Lu Xun was even willing to take the initiative to release them back to the public security.
Lu Xun's move not only caught the Han army by surprise, but also puzzled many Wu generals.
Only a few people understood what Lu Xun was intending.
"Attacking the city is inferior, attacking the heart is superior!"
When these Han troops return to Gong'an, Guan Ping will certainly ask them about the matter of Zhouling.
And when the story of Lu Xun treating the people and soldiers well spreads in Gong'an City, the resistance in Gong'an City will be weakened a lot.
But looking at Wang Hong's corpse, which was put away by Lu Xun in his best clothes, Yu Fan couldn't help but ask himself:
“Is it never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost?”
(End of this chapter)