In the seventeenth year of Jian'an (212), after Liu Bei entered Sichuan, he was stationed in Yemeng. Zhang Song's brother Guanghan Taishou Zhang Su feared that disaster was imminent, so he informed Liu Zhang of zhang Song's plot, and Liu Zhang captured and executed Zhang Song and ordered all the guards at the pass to block the road. And this means the formal break between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei. As a result, the Battle of Yizhou naturally broke out. The war between the two sides lasted nearly three years, during which Liu Zhangjun killed Liu Bei's military Pang Tong, leaving Liu Bei in a bitter battle. Later, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun reinforced Liu Bei from Jingzhou.
In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214), Liu Bei invaded Chengdu and sent Jian Yong to persuade Liu Zhang to surrender. However, in fact, even in 214 AD, Liu Zhang's troops and grain and grass in Chengdu could continue to resist. Of course, Liu Zhang finally chose to open the city gate and go out of the city to surrender. It is worth noting that when Liu Bei attacked Yizhou, one of Liu Zhang's subordinates proposed a plan, and if Liu Zhang adopted this suggestion, it would leave Liu Bei with no return.
One
First of all, this person is Zheng Du. Zheng Du, the word is unknown, a native of Guanghan County. During the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, Guanghan County had jurisdiction over the cities and counties of Guanghan, Deyang, Mianzhu, Shifang, Jintang, and Xindu in present-day Sichuan Province. As a local of Yizhou, Zheng Du held a position in Yizhou, that is, assisted Liu Zhang in handling the affairs of Yizhou. Before Liu Bei entered Sichuan, there were almost no records related to Zheng Du in the historical materials, that is, Zheng Du was relatively low-key, and there were no deeds worth recording. When the Battle of Yizhou broke out, Liu Bei's army continued to attack the city, making Liu Zhang, the mu of Yizhou, more and more nervous. In this context, Zheng Du proposed a plan to Liu Zhang.
In the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu, and Fazheng Biography, it is recorded that Zheng Du said of Zhang: "The left general county army attacked me, the soldiers were not satisfied, the soldiers were not attached, the wild valley was the capital, and the army was not heavy." His plan is to drive brazil and Zi Tong people to the west of the Fushui, and its barns and wild valleys will be burned down, and the high fortresses and deep ditches will be waited for. Then, please fight, do not allow, for a long time there is nothing to gain, but in a hundred days, it will go on its own. If you walk and hit it, you will have a bird's ear. ”
In this regard, in the author's opinion, the core of Zheng Du's strategy is to build a wall and clear the wilderness, and not to let Liu Bei get grain and grass and other supplies in the land of Yizhou.
Two
In the view of Zheng Du in Yizhou, although Liu Bei now attacked the city strategically, he achieved certain results. However, Liu Bei's soldiers were limited, with only tens of thousands of men, while the entire Yizhou had an army of 100,000. What is more crucial is that Liu Bei has just come to Yizhou, and the cities he has just captured are not necessarily all attached to them, and as for his grain and grass and other logistics, there is greater pressure on supply. In view of these problems in Liu Bei's army, Yizhou engaged Zheng Du and suggested that Liu Zhang adopt the strategy of "fortifying the wall and clearing the wilderness", and even move the people away, leaving Liu Bei with an empty city, so that if Liu Bei's army could not replenish grain and grass on the spot, it would inevitably retreat to Jingzhou.
When Liu Bei's army retreated, we sent troops to pursue, and we could take advantage of the opportunity to capture Liu Bei and win the Battle of Yizhou. Therefore, in the author's opinion, Zheng Du's strategy not only grasped the shortcomings of Liu Bei's army, but also further magnified the shortcomings of the other side, as long as it can be implemented, it can achieve the effect of a soldier who yields without fighting, which is undoubtedly the best strategy in the art of war, that is, Zheng Du, who usually does not show mountains and dew, put forward a valuable suggestion at the critical moment.
Three
In the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, shu shu, and fa zheng, it is recorded: "The lord heard the evil before, and asked for the right." Zheng Yue: "In the end, it cannot be used, and there is nothing to worry about." Zhangguo, as he said, said: "I have heard of resisting the enemy to reassure the people, and I have not heard of moving the people to avoid the enemy." "So dethronation, no need to count.
After learning that Yizhou was engaged in Zheng Du's strategy, Liu Bei's first reaction was to be more nervous, and even feel afraid, which shows that Zheng Du's strategy can be described as pointing directly to the weakness of Liu Bei's army. In this regard, because Pang Tong was likely to have been killed in battle at that time, and Zhuge Liang and others were on the way to lead the army, Liu Bei immediately asked the strategist Fa Zheng around him how to deal with it.
However, Fa Zheng responded with the phrase "in the end it cannot be used, and there is nothing to worry about." As a subordinate of Liu Zhang, the pastor of Yizhou for many years, Fa zheng had already seen through Liu Zhang's personality characteristics, that is, he believed that Liu Zhang's heart was benevolent and would inevitably not adopt this strategy. Because once Zheng Du's plan is implemented, it means that tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people need to be relocated immediately, which is an important reason why Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang did not listen to Zheng Du's suggestion. As the saying goes, "I have heard of resisting the enemy to reassure the people, and I have not heard of moving the people to avoid the enemy."
Four
In the end, however, in fact, Zheng Du's strategy was the last chance for Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang to turn defeat into victory. In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214), Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and others invaded and besieged Chengdu, and sent Jian Yong to persuade Liu Zhang to surrender. At that time, there were 30,000 elite troops in the city, and there was enough food to support them for a year. However, in the view of Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang, if he continued to resist, it would only make the people of Chengdu suffer. Therefore, in order to reduce casualties, Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang opened the city gate and went out of the city to surrender. After Liu Bei surrendered, Yizhou engaged Zheng Du in seclusion and resolutely stopped Liu Bei as an official. Although Liu Zhang did not adopt his own strategy, Zheng Du did not complain all the time, but admired Liu Zhang's qualities even more, so as to be loyal to him.
In general, in the Battle of Yizhou, Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang had an advantage in the early stage, whether it was territory, troop strength, or people's hearts and minds, Liu Bei had no advantage at the beginning. However, because Liu Zhang was indecisive in the course of the campaign, he could not adopt the good policies of his subordinates, and gradually let Liu Bei's side gain the upper hand. Of course, it was precisely because Liu Zhang did not stubbornly resist that Liu Bei left a relatively solid Yizhou, which laid a good foundation for Liu Bei to attack and occupy Hanzhong and establish Shu Han. After Liu Bei captured Yizhou, Liu Zhang once moved to Jingzhou, and later Guan Yu carelessly lost Jingzhou, so Liu Zhang returned to Eastern Wu, was appointed by Sun Quan as The Pastor of Yizhou, lived in Zigui, and died about 221 years later.