Chapter 68 Fighter

Funan Bay in June is a rainy season. The humid and sultry air always makes people wet all over, and the weather changes are always unexpected. Just now, it was still in the air, and suddenly there may be dark clouds, wind and rain, lightning and thunder.

Sun Shao held the pen and looked at the smooth Donglai paper, but he didn't finish it for a long time. He was stunned for a moment, slowly put down the pen, raised his head, looked at the rainstorm outside the window, sighed gently, stood up, walked to the window, looked at the foamy sea, and was speechless for a long time.

"King." Xia Houhui, who learned Funan and Tianzhu from Qin Sai next door, heard Sun Shao's sigh, came over, held the door frame, looked at the background of Sun Shao standing in front of the window, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

Perhaps because of the weather or the delay of the war, Sun Shao was also in a very bad mood. It has been almost ten months since the dispatch of troops in September last year. It has begun to fight smoothly. He killed Fan Han one after another and captured Fan Jinsheng alive. I thought it was a multi-pronged approach, and Fu Nan was at his fingertips, but I never thought that Fan Man was old and strong, and he had not defeated for several months. Although Funan is very nervous at present, Sun Shao's heart is not relaxed.

It costs money to fight a war. The army of more than 20,000 troops went on an expedition to Funan. Although there were a large number of merchant ships to help transport the heavy loads, the pressure was still very high. Now both sides are fighting for consumption, and his consumption speed is obviously much greater than that of Fan Man. Relying on the fact that the business has accumulated in recent years, the foundation is relatively thicker. This expedition is in the name of venting for the merchants. The merchants are more supportive, and he is not overstretched.

However, Sun Shao is clear that he and Fan Man are now riding on the tiger's back, and no one can come down. If Fan Man loses, he will have nothing. If he can't take Fu Nan and retreat, the prestige accumulated over so many years will also be seriously hit. Everything based on his personal charm will be implemented. The deviant policy will also be questioned, and the new Yue country is likely to be depressed.

No one can retreat, but no one can eat anyone. Fan Man is not his opponent when he gets to the sea, and it is really difficult for him to attack the special pastoral city. It is true that more than 10,000 people in his hand are elite, but it is absolutely not easy to win the special pastoral city with more than 10,000 people. There is no waterway outside the Temu City that can be used for large ships to travel. Large-scale siege equipment cannot be transported to the city, and it is impossible for Fan Man to watch him drive outside the Temu City. It is difficult to replicate the miracle of capturing Xiangping one day in Temu City.

This is all due to one person. Fan Man is not the incompetent Gongsun Gong. Although Fan Man, who has been fighting for decades, has been at a disadvantage, he did not leave much opportunity for Sun Shao. Although the spy who sneaked into the special pastoral city in advance sent some news, it was either seriously lagging behind or not very useful. Most of the nobles in Funan are related to Fan Man, and most of them are generals on the battlefield. If they want to rebel or assassinate, they are not sure at present.

It's not easy for Sun Shao to train such a group of people. He doesn't want to take risks with their surnames. He doesn't want to do jade things as a last resort. Although Sima Zhou, the fifth battalion, said that he could bear a certain price, Sun Shao has never ordered to do it.

It's not that far yet, and I can still hold on. Sun Shao said to Zhou Yu. Although he is not so sure in his heart, he can't waver in front of his subordinates in any case. He must have wavered. Even if it is just a trace of hesitation, it will amplify at a level and become an irreversible collapse.

It's easy to scatter the net, but it's not so easy to recycle it.

"Yuanrong." Sun Shao looked back and smiled with satisfaction at the corners of his mouth. Xiahou Hui was born intelligent and had an innate interest in language. During the period when he went on an expedition, Xia Houhui helped him deal with some confidential documents. On the one hand, he learned Yi language from Qin Sai and others. He wanted to conquer Funan. Xiahou Hui said that he continued to learn the words of Funan, and the documents for Funan were written by her own hands. . " Have you finished today's course?

"I've finished learning." Xia Houhui smiled innocently, held up a newly practiced text in his hands, and jumped in front of Sun Shao: "Your Majesty, do you see, have you made any progress?"

Sun Shao took a look and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, very good, Yuanrong, you are really talented in this regard."

"Hee hee, thank you for your praise." Xia Houhui deliberately smiled playfully, and then stood beside Sun Shao. She is fourteen years old this year. She has developed very fast in the past two years, already six feet and one inch. Standing beside Sun Shao also looks a little feminine. She looked up at Sun Shao, whose eyebrows were slightly locked, and said with a soft smile, "Is the king worried about the war?"

Sun Shao hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Yes, what I expected is too simple. So far, Funan has not had civil strife, and it seems that it has to be deadlocked. Our army is a guest army. It's not a good thing to be deadlocked for too long. I'm afraid that... the wealth will not be able to support it."

Xia Houhui smiled, but his expression was very calm: "Turties of troops, but for half a year, how can they not support it? In those years, Emperor Xiaowu conquered the Xiongnu. For more than ten years, one of the wealth accumulated for 70 years was exhausted. There were many bankrupts above the middle class among the people, and there were millions of exiles. Today's Yue is far from that level. Why worry about the king?

Sun Shao looked at Xiahou Hui puzzledly. In his opinion, the wealth consumed in this battle was amazingly much, which was enough to cause people's resentment. Why didn't Xia Houhui think so?

"Your Majesty, you attach too much importance to the so-called public opinion." Xia Houhui held the window rail and stretched out his fingers to straighten a silk on his cheek: "Those who win the hearts of the people will win the world. This is a good thing, but it is far from as serious as the king thought. Just as the king expected the people of Funan to rise up against Fan Man, the king was too worried about the disgust of the Vietnamese people. In fact, in my opinion, the king's expedition is for the benefit of all people, not just for their own self-interest. Not to mention that it is only half a year now, the tax can still be supported. Even if the wealth is insufficient and the tax needs to be increased, the people may have some complaints, and it will not be out of control. The people of Funan may hope that the king will be the king of Funan and bring them some benefits, but if you want them to rise up to respond to the king, your surname may be very small.

"So, the gains and losses of the people's hearts have nothing to do with the safety of the community?" Sun Shao raised the corners of his mouth and showed a ridicatory smile. Inadvertently, he was a little irritable and calmed down a little. Xia Houhui smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you must be thinking about the Yellow Turban Army, or about the uprising of Emperor Gaozu at the end of the Qin Dynasty? Isn't that right?

Sun Shao nodded, and he did think of such an example.

"However, the king must also know that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang have a reason for the tyranny of Qin, but it is more of an accident. If they do not encounter heavy rain and can safely reach the border of Yuyang, will they still rise up in Daze Township? How many years has Zhang Jiao been in the civil society? Did the foreign relatives and eunuchs of the Han Dynasty start in the Zhongping period when they were in power?

Sun Shao was stunned, which was inconsistent with the concept he had always adhered to, but Xiahou Hui seemed to be reasonable, and he didn't know what to say at the moment. He turned around, leaned against the window, and said with a smile, "Go on, I think you've been holding back for a long time, and I finally said it today."

Xia Houhui blushed. She had indeed been holding back for a long time, but Sun Shao had been walking smoothly. She wanted to remind him that there was no chance. Now that Sun Shao was in trouble, she must be able to calm down and listen to her. She has never very much agreed with Sun Shao's concept of governing the country. She feels that Sun Shao is a little too ** on the issue of the people's hearts, and she is too lenient to the people. You should know that it is easy and difficult to govern the country. If you are good to them, they will not be satisfied. They will hope that you will get better and better. Satisfaction is only temporary. Moreover, if the superiors are too broad, it is easy for the people to indulge. If they indulge, it is easy to cause trouble. When something happens and then deal with it seriously, it will naturally arouse dissatisfaction. Yuan Shao's defeat is such an example. Yuan Shao has four states and strong strength. In the end, why did he lose to Cao, who was far less powerful than him? Not only because Yuan Shao's own ability is not as good as that of Cao Yan, but more importantly, he is not strict in control, too indulging and judging and ministers like Feng Ji. As a result, the end is not big, and he has empty strength, but he can't be consistent with the outside world, and consumes too much internal consumption. For example, Cui Qian made his own decision this time. Obviously, he could attack more and attack less, but in order to establish his power, he had to attack more with less. Obviously, he violated Sun Shao's established plan and was a sign of unauthorized power. Although Sun Shao was hindered by the impeachment of the imperial historians and did not promote Cui Qian, he rewarded Cui Qian with an island, which was equivalent to encouraging generals in disguise. The military made their own decisions, which is a very bad sign.

Cui Qian is in power, but whose power is he in power? Is it Sun Shao's power or Cui Qian's own power?

Xia Houhui knew that Sun Shao was very independent and usually didn't listen to him very much. When the two talked about political issues, most of them were Sun Shao talking about it. She was listening. She had been looking for an opportunity to remind Sun Shao, but she was suffering from the fact that Sun Shao had been very busy, winning consecutive victories, and she was even more proud. As soon as she mentioned such words, Sun Shao laughed. Don't say anything.

It is relatively rare to listen to her quietly like today. However, Sun Shao is now worried about the war, and she must be relieved for him. It's hard to mention such an unpleasant thing.

"The state of Yue has accumulated a lot of wealth in the past few years, and the number of king's army is not large. It will not be a big problem to support it with the strength of the state of the state of Vietnam for a year or two." Xiahou Hui paused and then said, "Besides, everyone knows that if the king can take Funan, it will be beneficial to the country and the people. Even now, although the mainland of Funan has not been taken, after the annihilation of the Funan Marine Division, the South China Sea fell into the hands of the king, and the merchants have felt obvious benefits from it. How could they sent about the temporary consumption? The king might as well send someone to ask those businessmen what their attitude towards this war is.

Sun Shao nodded and his heart was a little wider. Funan's mainland has not yet taken it, but half of his goal of monopolizing the South China Sea has been achieved. Deng Ai and Wei Wen have sent good news, which makes him feel a little relieved.

Deng Ai and Zhang Zhao traveled all the way south, Xuanhua Zhuyi, and rushed to the Javanese waters along the last north wind. Their Xuanhua got a good effect. The footprints of those Yi people have never gone too far. When they heard that they were sailors sent by the legendary Han, most of them showed their admiration for the heavenly states. Besides, Deng Ai's main purpose is to establish diplomatic relations. They are not forced to submit, and they don't have much resistance. Especially after Deng Ai defeated two Yi people's tribes that were jealous of the goods they brought, the invincible myth of the Han Dynasty became their most solid backing. All the way, there were nearly a hundred small islands, large and small. They all expressed their willingness to submit to the State of Yue.

Weiwen's journey is more difficult. If Deng Ai is a peaceful journey, Weiwen's road will be more bloody. First, they destroyed the falling country, and then attacked and killed four small countries loyal to Funan, which was the more than a dozen small countries. After the news of the confrontation between the Funan army and the Vietnamese navy in the Jinchen area spread, these small countries cautiously held a wait-and-and-see attitude. Although they did not say that they wanted to respond to the war in Funan, they obviously shook the state of Yue. There is no positive surname. At present, Weiwen has circled to the west coast of the peninsula, less than a hundred miles from Donson Port. He has contacted Cui Qian and can attack Fan Jun from the west at any time.

The war situation is changing step by step in the direction of Sun Shao, but the speed is very slow. Before there is a qualitative change, Sun Shao still can't rest assured. What disappoints him most is that after all kinds of efforts, the rebellion within Funan still has not appeared. Whether it is the indigenous people of Funan or the tribes, they are all against Sun. Shao expressed his good impression, but it was difficult for them to stand up and make Fan Man's reaction.

Funan can't afford to be in turmoil. Although Fan Man's son is having a hard time, it is far from the time of unsustainable.

While gritting his teeth at Fan Man, Sun Shao also began to reflect on his mistakes. After a series of successes, he seemed to be a little too idealistic. It seems very wishful at this time to use Huayi's discrimination to launch the so-called people's war. They are very welcome to be kind to the people in Funan, but it is too presentful to ask them to risk their lives to fight against Fan Man. What's more, this communication is not developed. As soon as thousands of prisoners are scattered in the huge Funan Kingdom, it is almost equivalent to disappearing. The spark is broadcast, but it is still time to start a fire. Fan Man announced a one-year reduction, which basically offset Sun Shao's efforts.

As a result, Sun Shao became a little impatient and was very worried that if he could not take Funan as soon as possible, it would cause the dissatisfaction of the people. Now listening to Xia Houhui, he also realized that his idealization had two aspects. On the one hand, he overestimated the role of the people of Funan, and on the other hand, his reaction to the people of Vietnam was too **. In fact, with the current system, even if Vietnamese businessmen are dissatisfied, they will not react too much in a short time. Conflicts always need to accumulate to a certain extent before they break out. Of course, at that time, it will be too late to find a way.

Sun Shao is not a person of this era. He has been asking himself to surpass the standards of the times. In addition to winning a good reputation and the hearts of the people for him, he also made his hearts too ** for the people. However, he doesn't know that the people now have the consciousness of the people at that time.

Sun Shao was thinking about Xia Houhui's opinion. There was a sound of footsteps outside. Although the sound of footsteps was not urgent, it still revealed a trace of urgency. Sun Shao raised his head and saw Zhou Kun coming in with an urgent letter.

"King, Fan Man is out of the city!"

Sun Shao was stunned, and then stepped forward to take the urgent mail in Zhou Yu's hand, scanned it quickly, then raised his head, stroked his forehead and sighed, and breathed a long sigh of relief. Fan Man finally couldn't stand it first. He wanted to take back Jin Chen, open up the road to the south, and finally came out of the special pastoral city.

"Conswerve to the generals." Sun Shao waved his hand and said loudly.

"Oh." Tu Hu answered rudely and walked out happily. After a long time, Yuehai, Zhuge Zhi and others arrived. They were very happy to hear the news that Zhou Kun had just received. Although the Yue sailors were elite, it was too difficult to attack the city. When Fan Man left the city, they were fully confident to fight with him.

However, everyone's opinions are divided on how to fight. Yuehai said, "Fan Man led 10,000 troops out of the city. Although there are less than 10,000 defenders left in the city, they have a city to rely on, but they don't have strong siege equipment. If you want to attack the city, you can only use the most primitive ant attachment method. The casualties must be very large, so it's better to follow Fan Man. Although Fan Man has 10,000 people, the combat effectiveness of the Funan soldiers is not strong, and they are already more confident of winning. After defeating Fan Man, it will be much easier to take the special pastoral city.

As soon as the words of Yuehai fell, Zhao Xiu shook his head repeatedly. He said, "Although Fan Man is only 10,000 people, and the combat strength of Funan soldiers is indeed not as good as ours, but they have elephant soldiers and are familiar with the terrain. If we want to fight with them in the jungle in this weather, who is sure that we can win when there is no heaven and no land? Although there is a city in Temu City, it is difficult for us to attack the city, but there are people from Zhou Sima in the city. If we can work together inside and outside, it is not impossible to break the city.

The two insisted on each other, and neither of them could convince anyone. Ma Hui agreed with Zhao Xiu's opinion, while Dunwu agreed with the opinion of crossing the sea. Sun Shao was uncertain for a moment and turned his eyes to Zhuge Zhi. Maybe he felt that he was not Sun Shao's contiary, and his brother Zhuge Jin was also General Zuo of the State of Wu. Zhuge Zhi had always kept a low profile. When discussing the matter, he mostly listened and rarely spoke. It was the same today, but it can be seen from his face that he had different opinions.

"Ji Gong, if you have any ideas, just say it. Let's discuss it." Sun Shao casually named Zhuge Zhi.

Zhuge Zhi raised his head awkwardly, looked at Sun Shao first, and then looked at Yuehai and others restrainedly. Then he slowly said, "I... I don't think it's appropriate to attack the city."

"Why?" Zhao Xiu snorted with some displeasure.

Sun Shao frowned. Xia Houhui was right. His generals seemed to be a little too aggressive. It's okay to be arrogant to the enemy at ordinary times. Why do you have a bad attitude towards yourself?

"Ji Gong, tell me, why is it inappropriate to attack the city?" Sun Shao deliberately smiled.

"I think it is very difficult to attack the city. Fan Man has been operating the special pastoral city for nearly 30 years. Although he is now forced to leave the special pastoral city to rescue Jin Chen, how can he not make arrangements? Although Fan Man is out of the city, Fan Jinsheng has returned to the special pastoral city. He has not only experienced the battlefield for a long time, but also fought with us. He knows our tactics and strength. With him in the city, it is even more difficult for us to attack the city. Zhuge Zhi didn't speak fast, but he spoke fluently. Obviously, he was well thought out. Speaking of this, he paused for a moment and looked at everyone, especially Sun Shao's face. Seeing that Sun Shao's face was calm and thoughtful, he was relieved. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip of tea. Then he continued, "Besides, what if we can't attack the city and Fan Man kills it back, what should we do?"

Zhao Xiu was speechless when he heard this. He opened his mouth and said unconvincedly, "So you mean, let's go after Fan Man?"

"I think it's more certain to chase Fan Man." Zhuge nodded straightly. Before crossing the sea, he said, "However, I don't approve of following Fan Man. As General Zhao said, when fighting with Fan Man in the jungle, we not only do not occupy the sky, but also do not occupy the land for profit. Besides, it is obviously not a wise move for our commander to abandon the navy to land and travel a long distance in the jungle. I think I should follow Fan Man as a boat master.

Zhuge raised his head and looked at Sun Shao with bright eyes: "We know that no matter which way Fan Man goes, he must go to save Jin Chen. In this case, why don't we intercept him directly by sea?"

"The sea road?" Yuehai and Zhao Xiu looked at each other and suddenly laughed at the same time. Zhao Xiu smiled and said, "Yes, we forgot that this is our best. They walk, we take a boat, wait for work, and choose the opportunity to fight. This is the best strategy.

Sun Shao smiled and said, "Fengying, I haven't heard your praise for a long time."

Zhao Xiu was a little embarrassed. He arched his hand and didn't dare to say anything. He is not stupid. Of course, he can hear that there is something in Sun Shao's words.

"Ji Gong, you have a good idea." Seeing that everyone had no objection, Sun Shao immediately made a clam: "That is, the starting journey to chase Fan Man. Everyone should pay attention to it. It is the windy season, and the storm can arrive at any time. The Funan Marine Division is gone. We can rest assured that we can sail boldly near the sea. Once the weather is not right, we will enter the port and dock. Don't cause unnecessary casualties."

"Oh." The generals got up and took the order.

...Fan Man sat in the big tent, looking at the thin and lean scouts in front of him, supporting her chin in one hand and stroking the handle of the knife in the other.

"The Vietnamese are chasing you?"

"Yes, my lord, they came in the boat." The scout nodded repeatedly: "They are very fast and have never been far from us."

"How many people are there?"

"Five big boats and about fifty small boats." The scouts scolded a few words: "They don't go ashore, we can't get on the boat, and their scouts are very brave. We... we can't catch the prisoners."

"I know." Fan Man and Yan Yue nodded angrily, "Have you seen the battle flag of King Yue?"

"I saw it." The scout relaxed a little and nodded repeatedly: "King Yue's warship is the largest, and there is an eagle in his bow, which is very easy to recognize."

"Just come." Fan Man's eyes showed a fierce smile, "It seems that this boy is not stupid, and he didn't go to attack the special pastoral city. However, this jungle is more dangerous. Well, I'd like to see how he swallowed my 40,000 troops.

(to be continued)