Three Kingdoms: At the beginning, Lu Bu was mistaken for his father-in-law

Chapter 328 Chapter 327 Overlord and Wizards

In the past year, the Han Dynasty fought in all directions, Lu Lin fought with the ten tribes in Guanzhong, Liu Bei fought with Xia Houyuan, Guan Yu fought with Anfeng, Sun Ce fought with Huainan, and Cao Cao went to Yizhou.

Under the sudden smoke, the two parties making the best progress were Lu Lin and Cao Cao.

After getting Zhang Song and Fazheng as internal agents, they contacted Meng Da, Wu Yi, Wu Ban and others of the Dongzhou faction through Fazheng. Only the die-hard Zhang Ren was vulnerable to Cao's army.

Jiameng, the gateway to Shu from Hanzhong, was breached in only seven days due to Meng Da's internal response.

As for the Shu army ambushing in Jiange, Zhang Ren was captured alive because of Wu Yi and Wu Ban's rebellion.

Once these two passes were lost, Cao's army was able to march straight into the Central Sichuan Basin. The Shu army, which had been frightened three times a day, had reached the point of surrender. It only took more than four months to capture the entire Yizhou.

However, as a state whose territory is comparable to the four states in the North, the name of the Kingdom of Abundance certainly sounds good, but it is not that easy to fully manage and utilize it.

In particular, the weak Liu Zhang's almost ignorant governance methods over the years have resulted in factional struggles in this land that are even more severe than those in the Northern Kingdom. The Dongzhou faction and the Yizhou faction are not only fighting to the death, they are also on the point of tit-for-tat. time.

After Liu Bei captured Sichuan, it took him several years to finally stabilize his position.

The final route looked like Shu people ruling Shu, but that was not necessarily the case. Judging from the sequence of civil servants and generals, more important positions were still in the hands of the Dongzhou faction.

For example, Li Yan, Wu Yi, Fazheng and others, as for Huang Quan and others of the Yizhou faction, focus on the development of internal affairs.

There is a very interesting thing here. Liu Bei adopts more of a balancing technique.

Governance matters were attributed to the Shu people, but the power was never decentralized and was always held by Liu Bei and his team of veterans.

This method is somewhat similar to how the Shu people engage in development. The Dongzhou faction focuses on external affairs, while Liu Bei and his team are in the middle to stabilize the situation.

It will definitely work, but Liu Zhang may not be able to do it because of his own weakness and the fact that he does not have a team that can suppress the overall situation. This is incomparable with Liu Bei.

Cao Cao is superior to Liu Bei in terms of strategy, hegemony and background, so it will not be difficult to control Yizhou.

Even, as long as he is willing, he can press the powerful people of Shu to the ground and rub him without any trouble. Of course, in addition to Cao Cao's own power and hegemony, having the emperor in his hands is also crucial.

But the problem is that now there is not enough time for him to let go and manage.

Sun Ce's alliance letter arrived. He urgently needed to use this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attack Xuzhou and break the passive situation in which the Central Plains was suppressed from three sides.

Before departure, it is necessary to formulate the basic policies for governing Shu.

Generally speaking, it is similar to what Liu Bei implemented. Since the Dongzhou faction made the greatest contribution to entering Shu, the Dongzhou faction must still be the main one. The Yizhou faction focuses on implementing the development of political figures.

This method is suitable for short-term transition and stability. The disadvantage is that the Cao family must be in charge.

The cultivation of family factions is very important. Among the Cao family members, there are capable people and some mediocre people. However, Cao Cao sometimes had to do this as a last resort.

As his home base in Xuchang, if he had not relied on the Cao faction to check and balance the Yingchuan faction, he would eventually have fallen into the situation of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, where a family became successful and failed.

Looking at the entire story, the most suitable candidate is only Cao Ren, so we can only keep him.

Unfortunately, the army received news of Jingzhou's defeat before they even entered Hanzhong. In the Battle of Fukong Mountain, due to the intervention of the barbarian Shamoko, Xiahou Yuan was attacked from both sides and was defeated and captured. Zhang He fled back to Nanjun with only more than 2000 remaining soldiers. Urgent help.

"From the Fukong Mountain area to this point, the eight-hundred-mile expedited express message cannot be delivered within half a month. At this time, Liu Bei is probably already at Jiangling City."

"Damn big-eared thief, he is not satisfied with stealing the land of three huge counties. He actually extended his hand to Nanjun. General Sikong, please lead [-] troops to Nanjun. Liu Bei will be captured and killed when he comes to see you!" Xun You! After saying that, Xu Chu asked for orders angrily.

In the tent in the wilderness, Cao Cao lowered his head and said nothing with a gloomy face.

Xiahou Dun has died in the battle, and even Xiahou Yuan could not be saved. Is the sky trying to break my arms?
Before he could react to the joy of capturing Yizhou, he received such bad news. For Cao Cao, it was a big blow.

Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Cao Chun, Xiahou Dun, and Xia Houyuan, the Cao family has almost lost all its relatives and nobles.
patter
A drop of tear fell, and when Cao Cao raised his head, his face was already full of tears, and he cried: "God does not allow Fengxiao to be ordered, how can a man endure it! If Fengxiao were there, how could I have been defeated like this!"

In the tent, everyone lowered their heads with sad expressions.

I don't know if Cao Cao is crying for Guo Jia, Xia Houyuan, or the precarious Nanjun.

Dying young is always extremely sad.

Even though Guo Jia in this dimension is not as dazzling as in history, it does not seem to have much impact on his status in Cao Cao's mind.

"Sikong, Nanjun is certainly important, but Liu Bei's vitality has been severely damaged after this battle. If my lord gathers all the troops to attack, he will be able to penetrate Jiangling City sooner or later, but this will miss the great opportunity to march into the Central Plains.

I suggest that the emperor issue an edict to reward Liu Bei with the city he captured as a token of appeasement. Jiangling has already been conquered, but the city of Xiangyang is well defended. Liu Bei is in trouble and dare not even think about Xiangyang. My lord's top priority is to lead the army. He rushed to the Central Plains to join the troops from the two states, and then headed to Xuzhou.

If Xuzhou can be captured in this battle, the danger of being attacked from three sides by the Central Plains will be resolved. They can then wait for opportunities to use troops. When the time is right, it will not be too late to recapture Nanjun. "

The speaker was wearing a pure Confucian robe and a goat's beard. Among the literati, his eyes were considered sharp.

Cao Cao stopped sobbing and looked at him blankly, with a bit of sadness in his eyes, "Xiao Zhi's words are exactly the same as Feng Xiao's last words."

Hearing this, Fazheng's eyes lit up, thinking that his suggestion would be adopted, but Cao Cao shook his head before he could speak, "But Liu Bei is too hateful. If I don't kill him, how can I be worthy of a talented person?" ! Send the order, the entire army marches to Nanjun, capture and kill Liu Bei in one battle!"

"Here!" Xu Chu shook his chest muscles excitedly.

Fazheng had no choice but to look at Xun You. He felt that maybe this team member could persuade Cao Cao by opening his mouth, but the latter just lowered his head from beginning to end and even refused to make eye contact with him.

"Everyone, please retreat." Cao Cao crossed his legs on the handsome chair and waved to the crowd from the side, obviously wanting to be alone.

Every time he thought of Guo Fengxiao, he always felt distracted. Everyone seemed to be used to it and retreated silently.

After leaving the military tent, all the civil and military personnel dispersed, and Fazheng hurriedly caught up with Xun You.

"Mr. Gongda, Mr. Gongda."

Fa Zheng grabbed the old Confucian scholar from Yingchuan with gray hair and asked in confusion: "Why didn't you persuade me just now?"

"Didn't you try to persuade me? Your advice is useless. What difference does it make if I try to persuade him or not?" Xun You spread his hands.

"You are bullying an honest man. You have followed Sikong for many years and you have always kept your word in front of him. It would be different if you opened your mouth." Fazheng said matter-of-factly.

Hearing this, Xun You chuckled lightly, turned around to face Fazheng, looked at each other for a moment and then said softly: "Sikong likes you, do you know?"

"What do you mean by Mr. Gongda's words?" Fazheng scratched his head, the conversation changed too quickly.

"I have been with Sikong for some years. He loves Fengxiao the most in Cao Ying and has never compared anyone with Fengxiao. What he said just now obviously means he has high hopes for you."

Xun You clasped his hands and said slowly: "But this is normal. Your military habits and behavior are indeed somewhat filial. In terms of talent, you are not inferior to Feng Xiao.

If there's anything missing, it's that you don't understand Sikong. "

"How do you say this?" Fazheng also became interested. Being promoted to a position alongside Guo Jia by Xun You, he was in a particularly good mood.

"Let me ask you, do you know why Sikong went to Nanjun?"

"This is not obvious. General Xiahou has a very high prestige in the army. If he is captured, Sikong will not do anything to worry about what the soldiers will think; moreover, it is also to shock Jingxiang's civil and military forces. After all, Liu Bei scored zero in a row. Ling, Wuling, and maybe even Nanjun are also in danger. If Sikong doesn't take any action, Jingxiang Civil and Military may have different intentions."

Fazheng didn't express his anger at all, and then frowned and said: "I understand the truth, but if we don't give them a heavy blow while Lu Lin's troops are scattered, once they gather their troops, Sikong Ke will be in a passive situation. The future is far more dangerous than today!"

Xun You chuckled and nodded. This is Fa Xiaozhi. The overall situation lies in his heart. He understands this aspect more clearly than anyone else. "Then let me ask you again, what does Sikong mean?"

"Isn't it to rescue Nan County?"

Xun You shook his head, got a little closer and whispered: "I tell you, Sikong also knows very well in his heart that he will also listen to you and gather the army in the Central Plains, but Nanjun must also go, even if it is just a pretense, he must do it. The people below are watching. However, after arriving at Nanjun, if Jiangling City is already in Liu Bei's hands, the urgent report from Xuchang will be sent immediately, and Sikong will tell everyone that he originally wanted to attack Jiangling for revenge, but Lu Bu had no choice but to sneak attack on Xuchang , he had no choice but to lead his troops back for reinforcements."

Hearing this, Fazheng was startled, and then his face was full of shock, his eyes widened, and even his expression was a little dazed.

Wow, if Cao Cao really did this, it would indeed be much better than returning to the Central Plains directly.

He had long heard that Cao Cao was first-rate in his power and hegemony. When Xun You pointed him out, he immediately reacted.

Xun You chuckled lightly, "Sikong is not comparable to Liu Jiyu's generation. It's normal if you don't understand him. As time goes by, you will naturally understand."

"Sir, I'm suddenly enlightened as soon as I say this." Fazheng saluted Xun You with his hands raised.

Cao Cao is a talented man and an overlord, which in Fazheng's opinion is more satisfying than anything else.

Because only an unparalleled overlord can control the prodigies of the world, and his ambition can be given a chance to be put into practice.

No one is born to be a low-income seller for the sake of glory. As long as Liu Zhang had a little bit of ambition, he would not have to find a new master for Yizhou.

Okay, okay, this is good. Following such a master, he is increasingly looking forward to making a splash in the Central Plains War.

Fazheng felt his heart agitated and his blood boiling. He walked towards his military tent with a smile. He wanted to study the upcoming battle in the Central Plains.

How many people have been waiting all their lives for such an opportunity and wasted their lives.

He didn't want to miss this opportunity.

"Old man, you bullied me too much, I have to kill him!"

In Zhou Yu's bedroom, Sun Ce, who was blushing, kicked the table over with his kick. Veins popped out all over his body and his eyes spit fire.

I originally thought that Duke Qiao's [-] shi of military rations was a timely help, but I didn't expect that he was preparing to add fuel to the fire and came to do internal response.

Recalling that he had called him father-in-law a few days ago, Sun Ce felt extremely disgusted and had a sense of humiliation that he was being manipulated.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he strode outside the house.

"Lord!"

Zhou Yu stood up forcefully with his left hand on the edge of the bed, staggering and almost not falling.

"Gong Jin!" Sun Ce quickly turned around and helped him.

"Lord, please listen to me."

Zhou Yu's arrow wounds were more serious than those of those military sticks. At this time, his face turned pale, and he said with difficulty: "My lord, I cannot kill Mr. Qiao."

"Why?" Sun Ce asked, clenching his fists.

"First, Duke Qiao's influence in Lujiang is too great. Killing him directly without real evidence will cause the scholars in Lujiang and even the three counties of Huainan to be hostile to the lord. In the battle of Lujiang that year, more than half of the Lu family were killed or injured. How many people To this day I still hate my lord.

Even if we drag Cao Cao to launch an attack in the Central Plains and take over these three counties, in the end we will still have to rely on these Huainan scholars. "

Hearing this, Sun Ce sighed helplessly, which made sense.

Sometimes when dealing with these people, it is really not possible to kill them all.

Even if you want to settle the score, you have to wait until you have secured the territory of Huainan.

The main reason why he was so angry was that he felt that he had been fooled by Mr. Qiao. The most important thing was that he had used his daughter's marriage as a guarantee. He really had no shame at all.

"Second, spies have their own magical powers. At least until now, Lin Mo doesn't know that we have learned the details about Mr. Qiao, and may be able to use it to his advantage."

Hearing this, Sun Ce's expression was startled, and after thinking for a moment, his eyes brightened, "You want Zilie to use his own body to lure Lu Jun into the city, and then ambush the city to annihilate him? Wow, wow!"

Zhou Yu coughed twice and shook his head, "My lord, it's easy to trick Zi Lie's trick to deceive Duke Qiao and others, but it's not that easy to make money from Lin Mo. This man's scheming man is too deep. .”

"Then what's the point of keeping him?" Sun Ce became anxious upon hearing this.

"Useful, he is the bridge between us and Lin Mo."

Zhou Yu's lips slightly curled up, "The current situation makes Lin Mo believe that Zilie intends to surrender, so he can't believe it. But since he asked Mr. Qiao to stay in Shucheng, he thinks that Lu Jun is unparalleled in foot and cavalry, and he deceives me that Jiangdong is not good at land." war.

Furthermore, they also wanted to use Duke Qiao as a chess piece to break through Shu Cheng's defense. "

Listening to Zhou Yu's explanation, Sun Ce's anger gradually subsided and he nodded in agreement from time to time.

"I think Duke Qiao is now a key chess piece for us. Judging from the current timing, it is best not to have a head-on conflict with Lu Jun. For the Lord, the best strategy is to hold on to the city and wait for Cao Cao to enter the Central Plains to launch an attack.

The purpose of keeping him is to prevent the situation from deteriorating to something we did not expect, or to use him as bait to risk our troops. "

As a backup?
Sun Ce was much more relaxed now. Although he had a sullen face, he knew after listening to Zhou Yu's analysis that he could no longer kill Duke Qiao.

"My lord hates Duke Qiao, I understand this, but my lord also needs to think about it. Instead of hating him, it is better to let him be used by my lord.

Just imagine, once Cao Cao leads his army into the Central Plains, Lin Mo will have to retreat. By then, the lord has captured the three counties of Huainan, and he will still have to use this old man.

My lord, there is no need to worry that he has ulterior motives, just wait until then to finalize the marriage."

After saying that, Zhou Yu sneered, "When everyone in the three counties of Huainan knows about this, will Mr. Qiao still dare to have different intentions?"

"Settling things down? That's interesting." The gloom in Sun Ce's brows finally receded, revealing a playful smile.

"Then, what do you mean, do we still have to deal with this old man?"

"This is also a helpless move."

Zhou Yu swallowed. Sun Ce caught this detail and immediately stood up to pour him a glass of hot water.

After drinking, he continued: "The top priority is to cut off the connection between him and Lin Mo first. Before dawn, Shucheng is under curfew. Send an order to seal the city after dawn. No one is allowed to enter or leave. As a result, they could no longer exchange letters.

After that, let him dry for a while. How to use it later and whether it can be used, let’s see step by step. "

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Sun Ce calmed down the turmoil in his heart, helped Zhou Yu back to the bed, and covered him with a quilt thoughtfully.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled, "Gong Jin, if you hadn't been more thoughtful and allowed Zi Lie to carry out this cruel trick, I'm afraid I would have been tricked by the old man. Thank you very much."

"You and I are close friends and brothers. We have already shared life and death, honor and disgrace, so there is no need to say these things."

"Yes, you and I are brothers. If you get better soon, I will work with you to retake Jiujiang and Anfeng."

Sun Ce blew out the oil lamp and exited Zhou Yu's bedroom.

Looking at the bright moon in the sky, I feel mixed emotions.

These aristocratic families are really annoying, but the events of the four major families are still fresh in his mind, and he also knows that he cannot follow his temper, otherwise it will be troublesome to make up for it if he is happy for a while.

In fact, in addition to wanting to cross the Yangtze River and go north to the Central Plains, the thoughts of the three counties of Huainan are also in need of scholars from the three counties of Huainan to fight against the dominance of the four major families in Jiangdong.

Gong Jin is right, the old man cannot be killed.

(End of this chapter)