Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

On February 14th in the spring of Jian'an [-]th year, Liu Bei took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to visit Pang Tong in person.

In this period of history, Pang Tong had not yet become an official.

It was not until the second half of the year that Zhou Yu defeated Cao Ren and led the Nanjun prefect before he was recruited by Zhou Yu as a county meritorious officer to help Zhou Yu manage the affairs of Nanjun.

So at this time Pang Tong was still living in seclusion among the Pang clan in the east of Xiangyang City, reading books all day long and not asking about world affairs.

As his good friends, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen and Xu Shu naturally knew that Pang Tong did not really want to be an official, so they strongly recommended him.

Liu Bei also wanted to know how powerful the man Sima Hui called Feng Chu was, so he came to visit and wanted to know his views on the general trend of the world today.

Pang Tong received the three brothers Liu Bei at home, and the two had a very happy chat and talked about many things.

First of all, in terms of strategy, Pang Tong, like Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen, suggested that Liu Bei should make it easy first and then difficult, stabilize Sun Quan, attack Xichuan, and then destroy Jiangdong after obtaining Bashu.

Secondly, in terms of internal affairs, he suggested that Liu Bei re-use the aristocratic family to stabilize the interior of Jingzhou, ease the conflict between the gentry and the ruler, and prevent rebellion in Jingzhou when he led troops to fight outside.

Then in terms of military affairs, he believed that Nanyang was easy to attack and difficult to defend, and a large number of Chen soldiers at the border would restrain his own forces.Although it will also contain a lot of Cao Cao's troops, Cao Cao has a big plate and can afford it.

Finally, another idea was proposed, that is, the cavalry problem.

only.

But the most is to borrow you Guiyang County.

So after Pang Tong was informed, Liu Bei immediately understood that if he wanted to succeed in the Northern Expedition, it was indeed as he said that he needed to get Xiliang first before he could compete with Cao Cao in the north.

After having Pang Tong, Liu Bei also began to prepare for the march into Xichuan.

It's just that Huang Zu died of illness.

"Ugh."

Wankou is not far from Zhou Yu's hometown, Shu County, so Sun Quan decided to bury him here to watch over the Yangtze River and hope that he can bless the great cause of Jiangdong.

At that time, after learning of Zhou Yu's death, Sun Quan was angry and panicked, not knowing what to do.

Obtaining Guanzhong is naturally because it can use Guanzhong as a base point to attack Kanto eastward, so as to bloom more points and attack across the board.

The 37-year-old Lu Su already had white hair on his temples, and he couldn't help sighing while sitting in front of the table.

Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Lu Su as the lieutenant of Zanjun, and Zhou Yu had three or four thousand private ministries, all of which were under Lu Su's jurisdiction.

Lu Su's face was like a bitter gourd, and he said with a sad face: "The most urgent task now is to restore the vitality of Jiangdong. Therefore, even if Liu Bei generously lent Jingnan to us, we must not start a war with him, and use Jingnan and Jiaozhou to nourish Jiangdong. , recuperate, and wait for the right time."

The southern soldiers fought the northern soldiers on the plains, and it was difficult to win without a large-scale cavalry.

He turned his head and said to Lu Su: "Zijing, this is my younger brother Zhuge Kongming, Kongming, this is Lu Su, Lu Zijing, the Fenwu school lieutenant under Marquis Wu's command."

Once Sun Quan seeks to seize Jingnan and Jiaozhou, he will inevitably mobilize troops, and if the troops are divided, Yangzhou will be even more empty.

On this point, Lu Su understands better than anyone else, which is also an important reason why he urged Sun Quan to make peace with Liu Bei, and at the same time he would rather persuade Sun Quan to marry his sister to Liu Bei.

You can borrow Jingnan.

Pang Tong believes that if Liu Bei unifies the south in the future, it will be difficult to rely solely on Jingzhou and Jiangdong if he wants to conquer the Central Plains and revive the Han Dynasty.

Zhuge Jin nodded.

Although he hadn't seen each other for more than ten years, Zhuge Jin recognized at a glance that he was his half-brother, so he stepped forward in surprise and called out, "Kong Ming!"

Therefore, expanding to Jingnan and Jiaozhou is also a way to increase power in a short period of time, at least even if you can't rule, you can also plunder.

Even this choice, people don't necessarily give a chance.

Therefore, sending troops to Jingnan and Jiaozhou is not a bad move, but it is by no means a master move.

What he told Sun Quan at the time was to use Jingnan and Jiaozhou to develop himself, and after growing stronger, he would attack Jingbei in the north.

Sun Quan made a small calculation, so why not Xiaoqing?
According to Xiaoqing's words, you want my interest, and I want your principal.

Because as long as Jiangdong is still there, they can develop their strength silently. Even if Liu Bei gets Bashu and is powerful, one day Cao Cao will come.

Zhuge Jin also wondered: "This is difficult. If I were Liu Bei, I would probably not agree to lend us Jingnan. Although he promised to give us Jiaozhou, he did not agree to lend Jingnan to us. Even if we say He violated the covenant, he can also say that Jiaozhou is at our disposal, but he did not violate it."

It is true that Sun Quan asked for Jiaozhou's personal leave and plotted against Jingnan.

So even if Cao Cao suddenly went south to attack Nanyang, there were many cities along the way that slowed down his pace, and there was a five hundred-mile buffer zone from Xuchang to Wancheng in the middle. Once Cao Cao raised troops to fight, Liu Bei would have enough time to calmly send troops to deal with it.

Huang Zu's death was a great blow to Liu Qi, making his already serious condition worse, he vomited blood and fainted, making Liu Bei unable to travel south.

This is actually Lu Su's true thoughts.

Zhuge Liang looked at his elder brother. He hadn't seen him for more than ten years, but his elder brother was much older. He bowed his hands and saluted, and said with a smile, "It's great that elder brother is in Jiangdong."

Sun Quan was in Wankou at this time.

Therefore, the top priority now is not war, but diplomacy, survival and development!
"Report!"

Using Jingnan to seek Jiaozhou is really a chess game where one move is put to death and then survived.

Zhuge Jin watched from afar.

"It's natural."

Even if he owns the entire south, with a population of 2000 million, he has the capital to rival Cao Cao.

Zhuge Liang didn't answer immediately, but said: "This matter is of great importance. Although General Zuo entrusts me with full responsibility, he needs to meet Marquis Wu before we can discuss it in detail."

In terms of general trend, it is still difficult to shake the entire Jingzhou.

Lu Su stood up and thought, "Ziyu, you still need to worry about this matter. If you can convince your younger brother Zhuge Kongming, even if you can only borrow in Guiyang County, that would be great. We can pass through Guiyang County." Occupy Nanhai County and Cangwu County."

It's just that Lu Su's mood is very anxious now.

Lu Su and Zhuge Jin looked at each other, and they could see the joy in each other's eyes.

In late February, Liu Bei worshiped Pang Tong and Xu Shu as his masterminds, leaving Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang to govern Jingzhou. He reorganized his troops and planned to go south to the Three Gorges area.

The reason why we don't use the former internal generals of the Jingzhou Army, such as Wenpin, Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, Li Ying, and Huo Jun, is that they will not be dismissed enough due to favoritism. thorough.

"this."

Although Jiaozhou is remote, it has a large population, and Jingnan is relatively rich.

At this moment, someone from the government office came to report: "Liu Bei's envoy has arrived at Chaisang Wharf."

"That's just my words to comfort Wuhou."

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "If you are an ordinary person, if you meet Shen Chen, you will be defeated long ago."

As long as there is a horse producing area in Xiliang, then there will be a cavalry force in the future to have the capital for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.

After excluding the defensive soldiers from all over the country to guard against Shanyue, pirates, civil strife, and Cao Cao's troops in Xuzhou and Huainan in the north, the actual force he can use is actually the 3 people who fled back from the Battle of Hongkou.

And Lu Su was waiting for Liu Bei's envoy to arrive in Chaisang, and discussed the affairs of Jiaozhou together.

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Shen Chen is known as the God of War in Jingzhou. In the battle of Wankou, the Duke defeated him with a small force and repelled him. His reputation has naturally spread throughout Jingzhou."

Even if Jiaozhou and Jingnan are occupied, the most they can do is to relocate the population there, collect local taxes, and find ways to win over some barbarians for their own use.

Zhuge Jin shook his head: "It's just that my younger brother was only 13 years old when we parted. More than ten years have passed. Although we often communicate with each other, the relationship must be quite unfamiliar. Besides, he should also be a person with his own opinions. I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Talk."

only.

With such a serious loss, if you continue to think about capturing Jingzhou, then it is not lofty ambition, but whimsical.

"it is good."

Today's Jiangdong can be described as gloomy, with Cao Cao in the north and Liu Bei in the west. Neither of these two enemies can be offended.

When Liu Bei saw Pang Tong's talent, he was overjoyed, and immediately worshiped Pang Tong as a general in the army, and his intimacy was no less than that of Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu.

Did not refuse?

If it develops internally, it can only attack Shanyue, and at the same time compromise with the powerful Jiangdong family.

No rejection means you can talk.

"Oh?"

Lu Su said: "Come, please sit in the city."

Zhuge Liang bowed slightly to show respect, but there was a sly smile in his eyes.

At the same time, Shen Chen began to rectify military affairs, and ordered dozens of his students Huo Yang, Wu Dang, Wu Tao, Shan Yi, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Mian, Li Qiu, etc. Fa, Shen Mi, Deng Zhao, Shen Tao and other ministries will be responsible for the abolition.

Therefore, it is the best choice to develop first and wait for opportunities.

At that moment, Lu Su said again and again: "It's natural, it's natural. But Marquis Wu is in Wankou now, and it's getting late today. Why don't Kong Ming set off with me tomorrow and go to Wankou to meet Marquis Wu together."

But now after those two major defeats, all the soldiers and horses in Yangzhou now add up to less than [-].

Hearing Pang Tong's opinion, Liu Bei suddenly felt enlightened, and his whole body became more transparent.

Therefore, he suggested that Liu Bei move the people in the north of Nanyang to the south of Wancheng, and only arrange 3 or [-] people along the line from Kunyang to Wancheng.

The battle of Yi County and Hongkou severely damaged Jiangdong's vitality.

But without cavalry, it means lack of mobility. It is easy to suffer a big loss when fighting Cao Cao on such a vast plain in the north.

After the host and guest sat down in rows, Zhuge Jin said to Zhuge Liang: "Kong Ming, I invite you here this time, but I actually want to ask about Jiaozhou. Duke Xuande promised to give us Jiaozhou."

"Things are hard."

Zhuge Liang bowed his hands to Lu Su and said, "Your great name has been admired for a long time."

Sure enough, it was as expected by myself and Xiaoqing.

But in fact, the second half is to comfort Sun Quan, and the real intention is only the first half.

This is an ultra-long-term strategic thinking that Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen haven't mentioned to him.As a native of Youzhou, Liu Bei is too aware of the importance of a highly mobile cavalry.

Lu Su sighed again: "It would be great if he could talk. It would be great if he could talk. Now Jiangdong is in disrepair. If he can be persuaded to get Jiaozhou, at least the population there can be relocated, local taxes can be collected, and transportation can be done. Some minerals and food to fill in the lack of Jiangdong."

Lu Su shook his head and said, "I was just wondering if Liu Bei would agree to our terms and lend us Jingnan."

At that time, sit back and watch the situation. If both Cao and Liu Zhengxiong lose, then Sun Quan will have a glimmer of life and can profit from it.

And when Liu Bei was delayed in Xiangyang due to Liu Qi's serious illness, and Shen Chen was in full swing to rectify the Jingzhou army, Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian went to Jiangdong to send Sun Quan as envoys.

The original Sun Shiwan has now become Sun Wuwan, and the soldiers and horses have been cut in half.

At the end of February, in Chaisang County, Yuzhang, Lu Su sat in the backyard of the county government with a very serious expression.

Lu Su was surprised: "Kong Ming knows my name?"

For this reason, he could only send Guan Yu and Pang Tong to station in Wu County, Zhang Fei and Xu Shu stayed in Jiangling, Zhao Yun, Tai Shici, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong and others were in charge of food and grass, and he stayed in Xiangyang to take care of Liu Qi.

In order to comfort Sun Quan, Lu Su suggested that he ask Liu Bei to borrow Jingnan in the name of peace talks, and then raid Jingzhou when Liu Bei attacked Bashu.

That is to engage in development first.

However, Sun Quan has a navy. If they really lend him Jingnan, then Jingnan Jiaozhou and Yangzhou will be connected together.

That is to say, Shen Chen single-handedly wiped out almost half of the Jiangdong Army in history.

Therefore, it is necessary to find people from the outside world, just like the investigation of corruption in later generations. Corruption cannot be investigated by itself. It can only be investigated clearly by airborne high-ranking officials or inspection teams.

Zhuge Liang replied, "Now Wu Ju, the prefect of Cangwu, and Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi, have expressed their willingness to surrender to the eldest son. Marquis Wu only needs to send a general to Jiaozhou, and we can calm down."

Borrow Jingnan?
Zhuge Liang narrowed his eyes, showing a fox-like sly gaze.

So borrowing Jingnan and asking Liu Bei to ask for Jiaozhou is actually just a helpless choice.

Zhuge Jin was surprised.

There was another person sitting under his table, Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin.

Lu Su laughed dumbly and said: "Although I can't praise the enemy to destroy my army's morale, I did take advantage of the geographical advantages in that battle. Shen Chen's name as the God of Soldiers is well-deserved. After several attacks and defenses, I also took risks and dangers." , was almost broken by it.”

Let's not talk about whether someone is willing to lend you Jingnan.

Lu Su said: "However, there are countless mountains between Jiaozhou and Yangzhou, and it is impassable. The only way to pass is through Guiyang County in the south of Jingnan. Therefore, what Marquis Wu means is that he hopes that Duke Xuande can lend Jingnan to us so that our Soldiers can pass."

Zhuge Jin was surprised and said: "Is that all? I remember Zijing told Wu Hou that after borrowing Jingnan, he would station troops in Changsha. When Liu Bei took Xichuan, Jingzhou's troops would be empty. Let's unite with Cao Cao and plan Jingzhou again?"

I heard that Zhuge Liang was Liu Bei's most trusted person, and now he is going to Jiangdong again, so Sun Quan immediately sent Zhuge Jin over, hoping to help lobby.

"Didn't Zijing swear by it before?"

Lu Su smiled wryly and said, "That was just to appease Marquis Wu. What's more, Liu Bei and Cao Cao were still fighting at that time. We thought we could take this opportunity to blackmail him, but we didn't expect Cao Cao to lose so quickly."

Jingnan and Jingbei are relatively separated, and the Yangtze River and Yunmengze separate the north and the south.

Sun Quan is already doing these two things, but it is a drop in the bucket. Yangzhou is such a big place, and at least half of its population is still controlled by aristocratic families, so it is difficult to develop much.

A group of people entered the city and returned to the county government.

And if you want to capture Hanzhong, you can't just focus on Chengdu. Now that Zhang Lu is going south from Jinniu Road and encircling Luocheng, Liu Zhang's power is in danger, so you can completely ignore it.

"I'll try my best."

He saw a stalwart man standing on the pier, dressed in fluttering white clothes, his face resembled his father who had been dead for many years.

"Then there will be Laozi Jinggong."

As long as Hanzhong is taken down, even if Liu Zhang is gone, Zhang Lu's soldiers will inevitably be in chaos due to the fall of the rear.

At that time, another Jingzhou army will be sent up the Yangtze River, and Liu Bei will go south from Hanzhong to attack from both sides. Zhang Lu will be wiped out, and Liu Zhang will also be wiped out.

Sun Quan lost his mind because of Zhou Yu's death, but Lu Su did not lose his mind.

But he knew that it was just an expedient measure he thought of to comfort Sun Quan.

"Brother!"

Pang Tong suggested that after Liu Bei left Bashu in the west, he didn't need to care about Liu Zhang's life and death. He went north from Micang Road, surrounded Wei and rescued Zhao, and directly attacked Hanzhong.

Even if people are willing to borrow, Jingnan Jiaozhou is located in a remote place. What can be developed in such a place?
The transportation is inconvenient, the miasma is overgrown, barbarians are everywhere, and even the local Han people are united against the government. It will take at least ten years to completely pacify this place, and it may not even be completely pacified.

And he got Xiliang because Xiliang has horses!

At the same time, you have to set up a trap for you to prepare for closing the door and beating dogs in the future.

Seeing Lu Su sighing at this moment, Zhuge Jin asked curiously, "Why is Zijing sighing?"

Because whether it is sending troops from Nanyang or Huainan, it is all flat.

"But it is precisely because the enemy is strong that it sets off the Duke's talent."

It may not be said that the day when Bashu was pacified was also the time when Yangzhou was pacified.

Lu Su was a lieutenant of the Zan Army before, but before Zhou Yu died, he left his last words and told Ling Tong, Lu Meng and others to go back and report to Sun Quan, hoping that Lu Su would take over his position after his death.

And with Hanzhong, you can send troops to Xiliang and Guanzhong to get horse production places.

The two immediately left the mansion and headed towards the pier.

Lu Su immediately said to Zhuge Jin: "Quick, follow me to meet you."

"Tzuyu."

In this way, Liu Bei can successfully obtain the entire Yizhou including Hanzhong, and he does not need to bear the name of attacking the same clan.

It seems that Xiaoqing really knows Sun Quan like the back of his hand, and this tactic is really subtle.

Historically, Sun Quan had 10 troops during this period, which is clearly recorded in historical records. During the Battle of Chibi, he asked Zhou Yu to bring 5 troops, and the remaining 5 people guarded various places in Jiangdong.

Therefore, even if Yangzhou cannot be captured for the time being, Hanzhong must be captured first to ensure that Liu Bei's forces can reach Xiliang and Guanzhong.

Soon at the Jiujiang Wharf, they saw Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian.

Zhuge Jin held Zhuge Liang's wrist with both hands, looked up and down, and said with a smile: "Everything is fine, come, let me introduce you."

In fact, his strategy is extremely difficult to execute.

In addition, in order to avoid being discovered by Sun Quan and Lu Su, he knocked on Sun Quan's bamboo pole by the way.

In Zhuge Liang's heart, he was already thinking about how to kill Sun Quan well.

After all, although Zhuge Liang didn't know that Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou in history, he only borrowed Nanjun, and it was an exchange between the four Jingnan counties and Sun Quan, and he only borrowed Nanjun when he suffered a blood loss.

But he will never let Liu Bei suffer from the matter of borrowing land.Besides Sun Shangxiang, Sun Quan had to pay some other price.

This Lujiang County is a good place.