Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 259 Lian Cao against Liu, ready to backstab

When the sky was dark, Jiangdong's scout ship had already sailed into Chaisang port.

In the past half month, Jiangdong's scouts have not been easy.

Although Sun Quan has been paying attention to the development of the Battle of Jingnan, Yiyang is very far away from Jiangdong after all, and Shen Chen deliberately blocked the news.

The Jiangxia navy blocked Baqiu, which meant that the passage from the Yangtze River to Jingnan was blocked. The scouts had to go overland or try to sneak across at night, so the Jiangdong scouts suffered a lot.

However, Sun Quan spent a lot of money in order to find out the news. Not only did he send dozens of teams of scouts, 600 people, but he also spent a lot of money.

It is said that there must be a brave man under a heavy reward. There were scouts who had been lurking in Luo County, Linxiang, and Yiyang as early as October. chapter to go.

Although some scout ships were destroyed, there were still one or two lucky ones who were lucky.I didn't hit the rocks while sailing at night, nor was the boat capsized by the strong wind and waves on the Yangtze River, and I went back safely.

This made it possible for Sun Quan to know the outcome of the Battle of Jingnan, which normally would have taken at least a month for news to spread, in less than fifteen days.

In the mansion of the county government in Chaisang County, Sun Quan was still awakened by his servants in his sleep. Knowing that the Jingnan war he had been thinking about day and night was over, he hurriedly got out of bed to meet the scouts.

After he learned the information from the scouts, Sun Quan immediately sent someone to summon Zhou Yu and Lu Su to discuss important matters.

Zhou Yu was not actually in Chaisang at this time.

He is looking for the sun.

Xunyang and Chaisang are the two starting points for Yuzhang to enter Jiangxia.

From Chaisang, you can only go by water, but from Xunyang, you can go by land. In particular, Xunyang can go straight to Xiling, the government of Jiangxia, and Zhu County, an important port.

Therefore, whether it is Sun Ce's period or the current Zhou Yu's period, the Jiangdong Army will deploy heavy troops in Xunyang.

Now Zhou Yu is also looking for Yang, training soldiers every day, just waiting for an opportunity.

Soon after noon, Zhou Yu's boat arrived at Chaisang Wharf.

Chaisang is actually more than 40 kilometers away from Xunyang, but since Xunyang is located a little upstream to the north of the Yangtze River, it is very fast to get down by boat, and you can get to Chaisang in an hour.

When entering the Chaisang County Government House, Sun Quan chatted with Lu Su for a long time. In fact, at this time, Sun Quan still had a lot of talents under his command.

Like Zuo Sima Gu Yong, Right Sima Tengdan, Zhong Sima Zhuge Jin, Lujiang Taishou Sun Shao, Yangzhou Shepherd Shi Sunzhao, Zhonglang Yan, Yangzhou Shepherd Ji Buzhi, Qi Duwei Yufan, Cao Cao Lu Ji, etc. .

But now Jiangdong is not peaceful, and the Shanyue people have not yet calmed down. Before Shen Chen, a flood of lakes directly drowned the Jiangdong army, and the losses of generals, large and small, were countless. Therefore, a large number of officials were urgently needed to appease the rear. Only Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Zhuge Jin, Gu Yongbuzhi and a few others discussed.

Zhugejin, Gu Yongbuzhi and others are not high enough now, and Lu Su is getting more and more attention from Sun Quan because he repelled Shen Chen with less than a thousand people in Zhoukou. If you count Zhang Zhao who stayed behind, then the three The individual is now Sun Quan's most important staff adviser.

Zhou Yu is now 34 years old. He should have been high-spirited, talking and laughing at the age when the masts and sculls vanished into ashes. At this time, his face was slightly pale, and he occasionally coughed twice.

He walked into the hall, when Sun Quan saw him, he stood up and said, "Gong Jin."

"Marquis Wu."

Zhou Yu bowed and arched his hands, maintaining respect for Sun Quan. In fact, this respect rarely came from Sun Quan himself, but mainly from his elder brother.

Sun Quan also knew this, nodded and said: "Gong Jin, sit down quickly, come and bring hot tea."

The trend of fried tea began to be popular in Jingzhou more than ten years ago, and then fed back to Yizhou, Bashu, the origin of tea drinking by Han people, and then slowly spread to Jiangdong with the merchant ships on both sides of the Yangtze River.

Because of the aroma of fried tea, although it is not bitter, it can refresh the mind, so it has gradually become popular in the south. In the past two years, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Lu Su and others often drink tea to refresh themselves.

After Zhou Yu sat down, the maid brought up hot tea, not a cup, but a tea goblet that was said to be imported from Jingzhou.

"Gongjin."

Sun Quan waited for Zhou Yu to sit down, and then said, "It's been cold in winter recently, how is the old illness getting better?"

Zhou Yu hurriedly said: "Thanks to Marquis Wu's concern, my daily life has improved a lot."

"Ah."

Sun Quan nodded and said, "The envoy from Liaodong came back a few days ago, and Gongsun Kang sent some high-grade ginseng. I will send it to Gongjin's mansion when the time comes."

"Thank you, Marquis Wu."

Zhou Yu said, "Did Gongsun Kang agree to form an alliance with Marquis Wu?"

"I haven't made a statement yet, I just say wait and see."

Sun Quan's face remained normal.

In history, he sent an envoy to Liaodong Gongsun Kang before the Battle of Chibi.

Because he was worried that Cao Cao's army would go south and destroy Jiangdong, he sent an envoy to Gongsun Kang, hoping that Gongsun Kang would take the opportunity to harass Cao Cao's rear.

But at that time, Gongsun Kang refused and killed the envoy he sent, so the two sides naturally had no intersection.

The reason why Gongsun Kang rejected Sun Quan at that time was actually because Cao Cao couldn't afford to provoke him.Therefore, when Cao Cao chased and killed Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, he immediately beheaded them and dedicated them to Cao Cao.

But now Cao Cao has not yet unified the north, and he has just captured Yecheng. Yuan Tan is still in Bohai, and Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi are in Youzhou. Therefore, Gongsun Kang has not felt the positive pressure of Cao Cao, so naturally he will not immediately fight with Sun Quan. Flip.

As for why Sun Quan contacted Gongsun Kang now, the reason is simpler.

It was Zhou Yu and Lu Su who analyzed that it was impossible for Cao Cao to turn a blind eye to the civil strife in Jingzhou. He would not be so stupid as to sit back and watch a unified regime in the south emerge. Therefore, once there was a change in Jingzhou, he would definitely get involved.

Now this time is the most critical time for them in Jiangdong. Liu Cong and Liu Qi are fighting with each other. Sun Quan and Cao Cao both want to make a profit. This has caused the two current allies to be at odds with each other. , That's why I contacted Gongsun Kang.

Not only Gongsun Kang, but also Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, high-ranking cadres in Bingzhou, Han Sui in Guanzhong, and Zhang Lu in Xichuan all sent envoys.

Contacting Zhang Lu is an agreement with him to fight against Liu Bei together. Contacting Han Sui, Gao Gan, Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, Gongsun Kang and others is naturally hoped that they will contain Cao Cao when they devour Jingzhou, so as to prevent Cao Cao from suddenly going south. Attack the east and the west, and annex the south.

After all, although Cao Cao seems to be restrained in Hebei, everyone knows that Yuan Tan will not be able to reach for a few days, and will be cleaned up in the spring of next year at the latest.At that time, Cao Cao, who owns Henan and Hebei, will not be indifferent to the turbulent south.

So Sun Quan must plan in advance, at least not at the critical moment when he competes with Liu Qi and Liu Bei for Jingzhou, Cao Cao suddenly goes from Nanyang or Runan to Jingzhou and Yangzhou to harass his territory.

"Gongsun Kang is located in the remote Liaodong, but he covets Shandong and has sent fleets to harass Donglai several times. Maybe he has some ambitions."

Zhou Yu said: "It's just that Marquis Wu still can't rely on outsiders, he has to rely on his own anger."

"Of course I know."

Sun Quan said in a deep voice: "This morning, the scouts sent to Jingnan to inquire about the news have returned."

"Oh?"

Zhou Yu hurriedly said, "How is Jingnan doing now?"

Sun Quan said sullenly, "Just as Gongjin Zijing expected, Cai Mao's entire army was wiped out. I knew he was definitely no match for Liu Bei and Liu Qi, but I didn't expect him to lose so quickly. We should have reminded him if we had known, be careful." Beware of Liu Bei."

"This is too fast."

Zhou Yu muttered to himself.

Liu Bei formed an alliance with them in Jiangdong at the beginning, and they thought it was Liu Bei who was going to attack Nanjun with Liu Qi.

In this way, Liu Bei's army plus Liu Qi's army could have a strength of about [-].

Fighting with Cai Mao and Zhang Yun's more than [-] horses should cause both losses, so that Jiangdong can benefit from it.

Unexpectedly, the two sides had been in a stalemate for more than half a year, and they insisted on not doing anything.

Jiangdong naturally knew to wait and see intensively, but in less than a month, things suddenly became incomprehensible.

Cai Mao's army, which was supposed to be in a balanced situation, suddenly collapsed, and it became Zhang Yun facing Liu Bei and Liu Qi's army alone.

Is this still available?

What if Zhang Yun couldn't bear the pressure and surrendered?
So Sun Quan was a little anxious.

Lu Su, who had been silent all this time, said slowly: "In the current situation, Liu Cong will definitely be unable to stop Liu Bei and Liu Qi's army. It is hard to say which of the two of them will win Jingzhou in the future, but at least we must not let them go so smoothly."

"Should we send troops now?"

Sun Quan asked.

Zhou Yu nodded and said, "It is indeed necessary to send troops, but before sending troops, we must contact Cao Cao."

"Contact Cao Cao?"

Sun Quan wondered: "Cao Cao is now recovering Hebei, so I'm afraid he has no time to take care of the South."

Zhou Yu said: "It is precisely because he is recovering Hebei that we must ask him for help. Otherwise, if Liu Bei takes Jingzhou, it will definitely not be what Cao Cao wants to see."

"But what if he goes south?"

Sun Quan worried: "Cao Cao has captured most of Jizhou and Qingzhou. I heard that Yuan Tan fled to the Bohai Sea, and Cao Jun has already chased him. If he covets the south, what should I do if I lure wolves into my house?"

Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Cao Cao's rear is unstable, isn't that why we contacted him with the princes of the four directions?"

"Well"

Sun Quan pondered for a moment and said, "Then how can we lure Cao Cao to send troops?"

Lu Su narrowed his eyes and said: "Nanyang has a large population and fertile land. Cao Cao has coveted Nanyang for a long time. If we make an appointment with him, we will get Jingzhou, and he will get Nanyang. He will definitely send troops to help."

Although Nanyang is just a county in Jingzhou, Nanyang is the richest county with a population of more than 200 million, accounting for one-third of the current Jingzhou.

The most important thing is that in other places like Jingnan, the remote population is not easy to manage, and there are aristocratic and powerful families obstructing it, resulting in the fact that Jingzhou Mu actually controls a small population in Jingnan and other places, and it is impossible to collect taxes and soldiers.

However, Nanyang was different. Due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Xiangyang was beaten and maimed. There were almost no big families, only some small and medium-sized tyrants. The population and taxation were firmly controlled by Xiangyang.

It can be said that today's Liu Biao was able to have such a great momentum before his death, relying on defending the Nanyang Basin in front of Cao Cao, relying on the demographic dividends from Guanzhong, Henan and other places and the land and mineral resources of the Nanyang Basin to achieve this.

Lu Su suggested using Nanyang as a bait, which seemed to be just a county for Cao Cao, but it was actually equivalent to half of Jingzhou, because it has a manageable population, vast and fertile land, and many ready-made resources.

Once Cao Cao is allowed to control Nanyang, Jingzhou's strength will be cut by at least half, and it will return to the history of Liu Biao's suppression of Zhang Xian's rebellion and the death of hundreds of thousands of armored men.

So this bait is not only alluring, but very alluring.What's even more powerful is that this piece of land is not an enclave like Guanzhong, but a piece of land that directly borders Cao Cao's base camp in Henan.

However, Sun Quan also coveted this land for a long time, and said dissatisfiedly: "Nanyang is the land of Guangwu and Longxing, and in the past ten years, there have been few wars, the soil is fertile, and the population is prosperous. If Nanyang is given to Cao Cao, how can Cao Cao Isn't it invincible?"

Lu Su smiled and said, "Don't worry, Marquis Wu. Then Liu Bei wanted to exchange an alliance with us in Jiaozhou, a land of barbarians. We had no choice but to agree. But Nanyang is no better than Jiaozhou. Cao Cao will definitely covet Nanyang. But Marquis Wu, don’t forget that both Liu Bei and Shen Chen’s roots are in Nanyang.”

"what do you mean?"

Sun Quan opened his eyes wide.

Lu Su said: "This strategy is also a strategy to drive away tigers and devour wolves. I heard that Xun Wenruo of Yingchuan used this strategy in his early years to let Liu Bei, Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu kill each other. In the end, Cao Cao won Henan."

Zhou Yu coughed twice, and said softly: "Zi Jing's plan is very short. Although Cao Cao has not yet obtained the north, it has come to an end. He will definitely not go south immediately without all his worries. He can send a small number of troops to harass him." It is still possible to contain Liu Bei and Shen Chen's troops, we will attack from the north and the south, and we will definitely win Jingzhou."

Sun Quan said worriedly: "Although that is the case, are you really going to hand over Nanyang to Cao Cao?"

Lu Su laughed and said: "The north is not peaceful, Cao Cao dare not go south, after destroying Yuan Tan, he has to go to Youzhou to destroy Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, and even Gongsun Kang in Liaodong. It is impossible for at least three years to send a large-scale army. Thousands of people came here to pretend to attack, when the time comes, Nanyang will give or not, so Wu Hou will have the final say?"

Zhou Yu said seriously: "That's right, our top priority now is to take this opportunity to attack Jingzhou. As long as we destroy the Jiangxia navy, we will at least be invincible. This time we will kill Huang Zu and avenge Wu Chenghou." In the name of attacking Jiang Xia!"

This is what they planned long ago.

Although he formed an alliance with Liu Bei before, it was only forced by the situation.

Therefore, the Jiangdong Advisory Group had already discussed that once Liu Qi, Liu Bei's group and Cai Mao and Zhang Yun's group were to lose both sides, they would think that Sun Jian would take revenge, tear up the covenant with Liu Bei, and quickly intervene in the battlefield to make a profit.

It's just that Cai Mao's defeat was so fast that they didn't have time to send troops immediately.

Fortunately, Zhang Yun still has tens of thousands of horses left.

If Cao Cao can be brought in to pretend to attack Nanyang and contain part of Liu Bei's army, then they can flex their muscles on the Yangtze River. As long as Huang Zu's Jiangxia Navy is wiped out, there will be no one on the Yangtze River that can threaten them in a short time. If they see their navy, then they can do a lot.

Then contact Liu Cong, attack Liu Bei together with Zhang Yun, defeat Liu Bei, and then annex Liu Cong, the whole Jingzhou will naturally be at your fingertips.

As for the Nanyang Basin promised to Cao Cao?

I am sorry.

What did I promise you?
I forgot.

Definitely next time!
of course.

These are the ideal conditions.

Fighting is not only a confrontation between the two armies, but also diplomatic mediation.

In history, among the three families of Sun, Cao and Liu, there have been countless diplomatic mediations like this.

Therefore, Sun Quan sent troops this time to see if he could persuade Cao Cao to send at least tens of thousands of horses over to pretend to be a show of momentum.

(End of this chapter)