Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Zhang Liang calmed down and said slowly, "I understand what the general means, but I don't know who the person is who is reflecting on the general with his words. And how many people are there? It is really difficult for Zhang Liang to guess."

Gao Yao smiled slightly, looked at Zhang Liang with his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Sir, you may as well guess this. Hundreds of people? Thousands of people? Or even tens of thousands, I think it is not a small number. And since Mr. Zhang has appeared in Xia County, he must have stayed in the entire southern border for a long time. As far as I know, the population of this southern border is large, and the number of people has exceeded 2.3 million. If you ignore the thoughts of these many people and instead worry about the gossip of just over 10,000 people, do you think this is too ridiculous?"

Listening to Gao Yao's words, Zhang Liang had roughly understood that Gao Yao was a monarch who put the people first, and was even willing to bear some bad reputation for this. This made Zhang Liang feel that it was not simple. After all, it was easy to say such words but difficult to do them.

"Well, General, since I have come here to meet you today, I believe you already know why I am here. Here, I have an extremely important request to make of you. If you can agree, Zhang Liang is willing to assist you in conquering the world!" Zhang Liang looked at Gao Yao in front of him with a firm gaze, his tone sincere and eager.

"Oh? What on earth makes Mr. Zhang so serious?" Gao Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and asked with interest.

Zhang Liang took a deep breath and said without hesitation: "If one day, General, you successfully seize Han, please treat the people there well. They are all innocent people, and all they hope for is to live a stable life. Moreover, the treatment of the people of Han must not be any lower than that of the current southern border." When saying this, Zhang Liang's eyes revealed a deep attachment and persistence. After all, Han was his homeland, and this feeling had long been deeply rooted in his heart.

Gao Yao smiled lightly after hearing this and asked back: "Mr. Zhang Liang, now I am in a difficult situation being heavily besieged by the imperial army. I can hardly protect myself. And you are talking to me about the old land of Korea. I wonder if you have full confidence in yourself or in me?" There seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in his words.

But Zhang Liang did not get angry. Instead, he replied calmly: "General, in my opinion, although the imperial army seems to have a clear advantage in this battle, as the saying goes, 'the weather is not as important as the location, and the location is not as important as the people.' And these three factors are all on your side right now. Although the imperial army has many soldiers and generals and is powerful, they may not be able to win this life-and-death battle." Having said this, Zhang Liang paused for a moment, and then continued his analysis, as if everything was under his control.

"Oh?" Hearing what Zhang Liang said, Gao Yao was slightly startled, his face full of surprise. He knew very well that this battle was crucial, and even Xiao He, who was always known for his prudent tactics, had to use a surprise attack this time in order to increase the chances of victory for the Southern Territory. However, at this moment, Zhang Liang was so confident that he asserted that the Southern Territory would definitely win. How could Gao Yao not be extremely shocked?

Zhang Liang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile, and slowly said: "General, in my opinion, if you want to defeat the imperial army, there is actually a good strategy, which is to let them win first." After these words came out, Gao Yao felt even more confused and became more and more confused.

"Defeat? Win?" Gao Yao muttered to himself, frowning, thinking secretly in his heart. One moment he said he wanted to defeat the imperial army, and the next moment he said he wanted to make them win. Even as a time traveler with knowledge beyond his time, Gao Yao found it difficult to understand the deep meaning of Zhang Liang's words.

"With the general's prestige and strong appeal, it is no problem to successfully evacuate the people of Xia County. Based on this, it can be inferred that the people in other counties naturally have full faith in the general, and it must not be difficult for them to obey his orders."

"The current situation is clear at a glance. The large number of troops sent by the court obviously have clear goals and clear tactical deployment. They are divided into three groups. One group is steady and cautious, advancing step by step from the two counties of Bashu, aiming to form a huge deterrent to Zhentuo; another group is advancing straight to Xiang County; and the last group is even more elusive, always keeping a high level of vigilance, waiting for the best opportunity, ready to launch a fierce attack on Nanhai County at any time."

"It is obvious that the imperial army has an absolute advantage in terms of manpower. They are concentrating their main forces to launch a strong attack on the county, intending to force the defenders at other strategic points to withdraw troops to support. In this way, as long as Nanhai County shows any signs of mobilizing troops, the imperial army that has been ambushed in advance will definitely seize the fleeting opportunity and pounce on Nanhai County like a tiger descending from a mountain."

"Faced with such a powerful enemy, we might as well do the opposite. The general can secretly issue orders to the counties under the jurisdiction of Xiangjun, ordering local officials to organize and guide the people to carry out large-scale migration. After the people have basically completed the migration, the general can make a prompt decision and lead his soldiers to decisively give up defending Xiangjun and hand over the entire Xiangjun to the court army without any regrets. In this way, we can not only effectively preserve our strength and avoid unnecessary losses caused by a head-on confrontation with the enemy, but also disrupt the enemy's established battle plan and put it in a passive situation."

"Give it to the imperial army? Isn't this equivalent to severing the close ties between Nanhai County and Zhentuo with one's own hands?" Hearing this, Gao Yao couldn't help but frowned slightly, thinking secretly in his heart: This initiative to give it up will undoubtedly completely sever the relationship with the Zhentuo area. Isn't this like abandoning Cao Shen alone outside his hometown, leaving him in a dilemma of being isolated and helpless and fighting alone?

Zhang Liang was not anxious after hearing Gao Yao's words. Instead, he continued to speak confidently, "General, it is true that if we forcefully attack Xiangjun, our army will suffer heavy losses. However, if we choose to surrender, the situation may not be as simple as it seems. First of all, Xiangjun is located in the southern border, and the imperial army must be very unfamiliar with its geographical environment. Whether it is the mountains or the narrow paths, they are not familiar with them. In this way, we can take advantage of the geographical advantages and deal with the enemy calmly. Secondly, when we decide to retreat, we must take all the food and supplies away in two groups. In this way, the imperial army's food and supplies will face huge pressure and it will be difficult to continue."

"Finally, from the surface, this action does seem to forcibly separate you, the general, from the Zhentuo region. However, if we think deeply about it, can't this also be seen as the court's huge army being cleverly besieged in the center by you and the Zhentuo region? In this way, doesn't it just form a favorable situation of attacking from both sides?"

After hearing Zhang Liang's analysis, Gao Yao immediately became energetic. He calmed down and pondered carefully. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was true. There is indeed a possibility of reverse operation in this matter! To a certain extent, the strategy adopted by Zhang Liang is just like the strategy of luring the enemy into a trap!

"Let's look back at the imperial army. If they decide to occupy Xiangjun, the original supply routes will be exposed without reservation. Not only that, each county must be stationed with a large number of soldiers, which will inevitably lead to a significant weakening of the overall military strength. In contrast, our army can fully utilize the advantages of terrain and launch surprise attacks on the enemy's food and grass at any time and anywhere."

"Our army retreats to defend, preserves its strength, and avoids direct confrontation with the imperial army. During this period, no matter what kind of provocation and pressure we face, we must resolutely avoid direct and fierce confrontation with the enemy. On the contrary, we should examine the battlefield situation with a wise eye, carefully select local areas where our army can exert its advantages, and then quickly and decisively launch an attack. Doing so can not only effectively reduce our casualties, but also disrupt the enemy's deployment and rhythm to the greatest extent."

"As long as we can successfully delay time and gradually accumulate factors that are favorable to us, as time goes by, the situation will surely reverse and develop steadily in a direction that is favorable to us. By then, the originally aggressive and arrogant imperial army will fall into a dilemma and find it difficult to move forward."

"It has become an impossible task for them to advance step by step. There are only two difficult choices before them: one is to withdraw the troops directly and give up this expedition that seems to have a good chance of success but is actually full of dangers; the other is to be desperate and gamble everything, gather all the troops, and rush to Nanhai County like a surging tide."

"A careful analysis of the current situation shows that the possibility of withdrawing is extremely small. After all, the imperial army's expedition to the southern border is an absurd and risky act that is likely to destroy the lifeline of the Qin Dynasty. At this point, if they withdraw easily, they will not only lose face, but may also cause a series of serious consequences. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that the imperial army will concentrate all its forces and attack Nanhai County with all its strength."

"However, this is not entirely a bad thing for us. Because in this way, the initiative is back in the hands of the general. Our army in the Zhentuo area can seize the opportunity to send troops to cut off the food supply line of the imperial army, leaving them in a desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food. At the same time, if the war in the direction of Kuaiji progresses smoothly and ends successfully, then this victorious army will be able to suddenly attack from the flank and deal a fatal blow to the rear of the imperial army, making it difficult for them to take care of both ends, thus completely breaking the strategic layout of the imperial army."