"Why are you so depressed, General? Victory and defeat are common in the military. Although the death and injury of our brothers are regrettable, swords and guns are blind on the battlefield. Since you have entered the military camp, you have already put your head on the belt. You should have been prepared to sacrifice for the court! This failure is not entirely your fault. Han Yu is a master at using troops, and it is hard to guard against him. Even if other generals were replaced, the results would not necessarily be better than yours. There is no need for you to fall into self-blame. Instead, you should sum up your experience, cheer up and find ways to deal with the rebels!"
Zhang Meng said this very thought-provokingly. He felt that this was the time for him to show up in front of the general. In the past, the general treated him no differently from the other deputy generals. However, because he had previously raised opinions on sending troops, he felt that the general trusted him much more than before, otherwise he would not have left him alone at this time and revealed his thoughts to him.
When Zhao Fan heard what Zhang Meng said, his eyes lit up. It was indeed right to keep Zhang Meng. What Zhang Meng said was exactly what he wanted. Although he suffered heavy losses this time, his army was not completely wiped out. In fact, he was not completely unable to turn the situation around. He still had an army of more than 10,000 people, which was just as many as Liu Xiu's. The quality and strength of his soldiers were definitely not worse than that of Liu Xiu's mob. The only disadvantage was Han Yu. He didn't have such a powerful talent around him, so Zhang Meng was the only one he could use.
"Zhang Meng, you understand me best. Although we have suffered heavy losses, our military strength is still greater than Liu Xiu's. Although Liu Xiu won by relying on Han Yu's strategy, I'm afraid he also suffered heavy losses. After all, most of his men are not formally organized troops of the court. They are just a bunch of ragtag groups. Even if they have been trained for some time, they are still no match for our formal organization. We suffered a loss because of Han Yu's strategy."
In fact, Zhao Fan still has a sense of superiority in his heart. There is a certain gap between the army specially formed by the court and the local army. Zhao Fan attributed most of the reasons for this failure to Han Yu. It is not easy to admit failure and admit defeat from the bottom of his heart. Zhao Fan is now only convinced by Han Yu, and even Liu Xiu is not in his eyes. However, at the same time, he is more deeply wary.
Zhang Meng understood Zhao Fan's mentality very well, but he did not quite agree with it. In fact, victory or defeat in a battlefield was not just due to wisdom. However, it was not appropriate to make it too clear at this time and hit Zhao Fan too hard. Everyone from top to bottom, whether generals or soldiers, needed encouragement and courage. Since the general thought so, let the general think so. Anyway, he would remind the general not to make a decisive mistake.
"Brother Zhang Meng, I see that you are not like the others who sigh and complain, and you seem so confident. Have you thought of any good strategy to deal with the rebels?" This is the question that Zhao Fan is most concerned about. Although the deadline for his military order has not yet arrived and there is still more than half a day, the rebels are so difficult to deal with that time is running out.
"General, after several defeats, our morale has been severely damaged. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to take any further action for the time being. We have to wait for this period of time before we can make any decisions." Zhang Meng felt that the general was still too anxious.
"I also know that we need to take it easy for this period of time, but we can't just keep taking it easy like this. The court has given us a deadline." Zhao Fan became anxious when he said this. At that time, he was so obsessed with gaining more merit that he didn't even consider the possibility of failure.
"General, don't be anxious. Although we need to recuperate during this period and it is not suitable for fighting for the time being, it does not mean that we can't do anything. I already have some ideas about this." In fact, when the war first broke out, Lieutenant General Zhang did not think that their side would definitely win, and he had already begun to think about it.
"Oh? Tell me quickly! What method is it?" When Zhao Fan heard Zhang Meng say that he already had an idea, he felt excited. He really couldn't think of any good method by just fighting hard on his own.
"General, in fact, the biggest reason why we lost this battle is Han Yu, so I think perhaps we can put the key to solving the problem on Han Yu." Although Zhang Meng's name sounds like a brave and upright person, his way of doing things is contrary to his name. As long as he can achieve his goal, he will use any means, even insidiously. Ordinary people will only use tricks on the battlefield, but Zhang Meng has set his sights on Han Yu.
Zhao Fan was not a man of integrity to begin with. Besides, when two armies were facing each other, only a fool would do anything fair and square. As long as Zhang Meng's idea worked, he didn't care whether the means were fair or not. After hearing what Zhang Meng said, he had already guessed his intention.
"You mean we should target Han Yu, but Han Yu is very skilled in martial arts and is always cautious, so it's hard for people to exploit him. So if we want to control Han Yu, we have to target the people he cares about. I've read Han Yu's information. Han Yu not only has a family, but also a lovely wife and children."
"The general is right. Han Yu not only has a lovely wife and beloved son, but he is also said to be famous for doting on his wife. His wife is also amazing. Not long after she married Han Yu, she gave birth to triplets, two sons and a daughter. At that time, they became a hot topic in Yiyang Prefecture. This fertile wife is also beautiful. It would be strange if Han Yu didn't hold her in the palm of his hand like a treasure. So we have to start with his wife. If we can get Han Yu's wife and children, I don't believe Han Yu dares to disobey us." Zhang Meng usually looks very gentle, but at this time his words revealed a sinister meaning.
"Deputy General Zhang is smart. This is indeed a good idea. Even if Han Yu doesn't care about his beautiful wife, he will definitely care about his two fat sons. Let's do it. Military advisor, this matter is left to you. Make sure to capture Han Yu's wife and children. I will also hand over all the people lurking over there to you for deployment." When Zhao Fan got Zhang Meng's idea, it was like grabbing a life-saving straw. He just wanted to make sure this matter was done and took out all his cards. Fortunately, although Zhang Meng did things to the end, he still had no second thoughts about Zhao Fan.
"Thank you for your trust, General. I will do it right away." Zhang Meng was delighted when he heard that Zhao Fan was going to hand over the secret line in Yiyang Prefecture to him. Although his idea was feasible, it was quite difficult. With the secret line in Yiyang Prefecture, the plan would be much easier to carry out. This also showed that the general now trusted him more and more.