Chapter 14 7. Attacking the mind is the first thing to do, meet Zhang Liang again and get Wancheng

After Li Shang became a general, Liu Bang ordered him to lead Chen Liu's army to attack Kaifeng with him.Kaifeng was not captured, and Liu Bang continued westward, defeating the Qin army in Baima and Yingyang successively.At this time, Sima Ang, the general of Zhao State, was about to cross the Yellow River and enter Hangu Pass.Liu Bang was afraid of being left behind, so he quickly attacked Pingyin to the north, cut off the ferry of the Yellow River, and prevented Sima Yang from crossing the river. Liu Bang's Western Expedition team fought one battle after another, with victories and defeats, and marched slowly and hard towards Xianyang City.

Liu Bang was clearly aware of the temptation of the agreement of "the first to pass is the king", and has been thinking about how to reach the destination as quickly as possible.This was still very difficult for Liu Bang. Immediately afterwards, Liu Bang was severely injured in the Battle of Luoyang, and the situation of westward advancement plummeted.In order to boost morale, Liu Bang gathered the cavalry in the army and fought a battle with Nanyang County Guard in the east of Nanyang County. He defeated the Qin Army and captured Nanyang County. Nanyang County Guard fled and retreated to Wancheng.

Meanwhile, Liu Bang met Zhang Liang again.After Liu Bang borrowed troops from Xiang Liang, Zhang Liang began to follow Xiang Liang and asked Xiang Liang to restore South Korea. Xiang Liang established Han Wangcheng and gave Zhang Liang more than 1,000 horsemen. There are more than ten cities.However, with few soldiers and few generals, he could only fight guerrilla warfare with the Qin army. The city was often won and lost, and lost and regained. It formed a seesaw confrontation with the Qin army, and there has been no progress.Zhang Liang is an excellent strategist, but a mediocre general, and he himself is aware of this problem.

Zhang Liang was very happy to meet Liu Bang this time, because Liu Bang was one of the few people who could understand what he said about the art of war, and they admired each other when they first met.This time, Zhang Liang, who had experienced many setbacks, simply belonged to Liu Bang with all his troops, and more than ten cities were easily included in Liu Bang's pocket.Liu Bang's team suddenly became much stronger. At this time, it had been eight or nine months since the Western Expedition. Liu Bang was relieved and began to think about the experience and lessons of the past few months: with the strategy of attacking the heart, victory comes easily;Liu Bang, who did not have any military education background, gradually realized something.

Now that it was getting closer to Guanzhong, Liu Bang felt that he couldn't wait any longer, so he decided not to attack Wancheng by force and took a detour. In order to determine the next fast-forward plan and break into Qin Chao's heart as soon as possible, he specially convened a military meeting.Facing his right-hand assistants, he said bluntly: "In the past nine months since advancing westward, I have found that we have never been able to get a bargain with the Qin army. Now that Xianyang is right in front of us, I don't want to fight hard anymore. How about we bypass Wancheng and attack Yaoguan with the current 20,000 soldiers and horses?" Unexpectedly, Zhang Liang said, "No." Liu Bang said, "Zifang, what do you have? Suggestion?" Zhang Liang explained: "Although you want to enter the customs as soon as possible, the Qin army in front is still very strong and occupies a dangerous position, so it should not be underestimated. If you don't capture Wancheng now, the Qin army in Wancheng may be taken from the border. Attacking from behind may lead to a front and back attack, which is very dangerous." Liu Bang heard that it was indeed reasonable, and after hearing Zhang Liang's words, it seemed that his adventure plan was very naive and ridiculous, but Liu Bang didn't think it was wrong. In order to save face, he said frankly: "Why didn't I think of it? God sent Zifang to help me."

The speed at which Liu Bang corrected his mistakes was astonishing.He immediately ordered: "Return from the small road, change the flag, and surround Wancheng." At dawn, just as the sky was turning pale, the defenders on Wancheng vaguely saw the densely packed army surrounding Wancheng outside the city.The defenders immediately reported the news to the Nanyang governor. The Nanyang governor was stunned. He originally thought that Liu Bang would give up Wancheng and he could save it. What should we do? The county guard hurriedly climbed up the tower, and when he saw Liu Bang's dark troops, he was in despair.Then, he held a meeting and said to his subordinates and retainers: "Now the country is in danger, and I can't do anything. This time, Liu Bang's siege is determined to win. You should find your own way out." Then he went to the inner hall sadly. There was a lot of discussion, and they began to think about how to escape, but one of them was very calm.This person is Chen Hui, a retainer of Nanyang County Guard and a key figure in the Wancheng Battle.He felt that Wancheng was hard to protect, but it was a pity to give up so easily, and he could negotiate conditions with Liu Bang.Thinking this way, he stepped into the inner hall and wanted to talk to the sheriff.

Just in time!The governor of Nanyang County was so desperate that he was about to kill himself with a sword in his hand.Seeing this, Chen Hui strode up and snatched the sword, and the Nanyang governor fell to the ground slumped.Chen Hui stepped forward to pull up the sheriff, and comforted him, saying: "Although it seems that Wancheng must be captured, anti-Qin has become a general trend, and it won't help if you do this. Besides, you don't have to kill yourself now." As soon as he told the sheriff, the sheriff of Nanyang sighed and said, "Anyway, there is no better way now, so go and try it."

That night, the sheriff arranged for Chen Hui to climb over the city wall quietly. When Chen Hui saw Liu Bang, he said, "I heard that the king of Chu made an agreement in advance. Whoever invades Xianyang first will be king there. Wancheng is a city of a large county, and there are dozens of cities connected to it. , there are a lot of people, and their savings are sufficient. The soldiers and civilians in this area believe that they will be killed if they surrender, so they are determined to hold on to the city. Now that the general has stopped marching westward to surround Wancheng, it seems that he is determined to win. Our county guards also know that Wancheng is difficult to defend. But if you fight like this, there will be a lot of casualties between the soldiers on both sides; if you lead the army to leave, the Wancheng army will chase after you, so you may miss the opportunity to advance to Xianyang." Liu Bang felt that there was something in the words, so he asked "You are here this time..." Chen Hui said: "Our county guard wants to sign a surrender agreement. After surrendering, let the soldiers from Wancheng follow you westward to help you reach Xianyang as soon as possible. I hope you can let him Be the governor of Nanyang and continue to guard Nanyang. In this way, you can take Wancheng without spending a single soldier, and the governor can save your life. Those cities that have not yet surrendered will definitely rush to open the city when they hear the news. The door welcomes you, and you can go westward unimpeded, with nothing to worry about."

Liu Bang was of course happy when he heard this. He originally planned to give up Wancheng, but he didn't expect the sheriff to hand him over. What's so difficult about letting him continue to be the sheriff?Liu Bang readily agreed without discussing with others.On the same day, Chen Hui returned to Wancheng. The next day, the governor of Wancheng left the city and signed a surrender agreement with Liu Bang under the city. All the soldiers in Wancheng were under the command of Liu Bang. After the agreement was signed, Liu Bang rode his horse into Wancheng. He was naturally very excited. When he was excited, he became unsparing. Not only was the governor of Wancheng the Marquis of Yin, but he was allowed to continue guarding Wancheng. Chen Hui has one thousand households.The cities around Wancheng knew the news, and many of them sent people to negotiate with Liu Bang, and Liu Bang received wave after wave of descendants with his legs crossed.Liu Bang, full of emotions, said to Zhang Liang: "It seems that peace is very attractive." Zhang Liang said: "As long as you don't disturb the lives of the people and don't kill innocent people, you can gain the trust of the people." The thigh said: "Well said, Zifang, please help me draw up a policy!"

After Wancheng was attached to Liu Bang, Zhang Liang formulated a very important policy for Liu Bang: "Do not plunder what is passed." This policy is the basis of Liu Bang's "three chapters" for Xianyang City, and it is also a major part of Liu Bang's "heart attack" strategy. . As soon as the policy of "no looting" came out, Liu Bang's virtues were promoted everywhere, and there was an endless stream of surrenders. Liu Bang's team continued to grow, and the uprising army advanced to Wuguan without bloodshed. Liu Bang was full of ambition, waiting for the day of victory.

The Battle of Wancheng was another battle of extraordinary significance on Liu Bang's westward expedition.Liu Bang was eager to make meritorious deeds, so he would inevitably make mistakes in judgment, but meeting Zhang Liang at such a time was a kind of luck.Zhang Liang was far-sighted, looked forward and backward, and made a plan to attack the city, pointing out the way for the Western Expeditionary Army.The surrender of Wancheng and surrounding cities made Liu Bang realize the great role of the human heart.Attacking the city is the bottom, and attacking the mind is the top. The practice of war has tempered Liu Bang, and the political strategy centered on "attacking the heart" gradually took shape in his mind, and has always put him on the throne of emperor.History has proved once again: those who win the hearts of the people win the world.