After Han Song retreated, Cao Cao looked at his close advisers, and his eyes finally focused on Xun You and Jia Xu.
After Dong Zhuo's death, Xun You wanted to be the governor of Shu County because "Ba and Shu are dangerous and solid, and the people are prosperous in Yin". However, due to the bad relationship between Liu Yan and Liu Biao, the road was cut off, so he stayed in Jingzhou for several years.
Jia Xu was previously attached to Zhangxiu in Nanyang and had many contacts with Liu Biao. When it came to understanding Liu Biao, no one could compare with them.
Xun You is forty-six years old this year. As Cao Cao's mastermind, his appearance is honest and simple, and there is nothing surprising about him. Cao Cao commented on him: "He is stupid on the outside and wise on the inside, timid on the outside and brave on the inside, weak on the outside and strong on the inside. He can be reached in wisdom but unreachable in stupidity."
"
Jia Xu is ten years older than Xun You, and is already fifty-six years old this year. He has a pale face and narrow eyes, which may be a common problem among wise men. Most of his beard under his chin has turned gray.
Xun You was the first to speak: "Liu Biao has never had the strategy of being a king. He has been in charge of Jingzhou for more than ten years, but he only knows how to protect the Jiang and Han Dynasties, but has no ambitions from all directions. Now that Liu Jing is rising in the country, Sun Quan is coveting the outside, and Liu Biao can still protect himself.
It is difficult to compete with Ming Gong. Those who have built great things should not be afraid of small complaints. Now that Liu Biao is coming back in a poor situation, Ming Gong might as well accept him to show the world."
Jia Xu also nodded in agreement and said: "What the military advisor said makes sense. Ming Gong wants to extend his power to the world, so it is beneficial and harmless to agree to Liu Biao's request. Moreover, Liu Biao is surrounded by enemies from both sides and is in danger. If Ming Gong sends troops to attack in a large scale, Liu Biao will refuse Liu Bei's request.
Otherwise, it is difficult to escape the outcome of defeat. But this may not be beneficial to Duke Ming."
"Why is this?" Cao Cao asked.
Jia Xu replied: "Although Yuan Shao was defeated, he still held the territory of the four states with 100,000 troops. Now that the north is undecided, Ming Gong sent his troops southward. He might be able to take over all the land in Nanyang, but he could not occupy the south of Han Miang. Sun Quan
Not long after taking the throne, the internal situation has not been suppressed, and the army has been deployed abroad. Jiangdong will soon be in chaos. The final winners are Liu Bei and Liu Jing."
When talking about Liu Jing, Jia Xu subconsciously frowned. Compared to Sun Quan in Jiangdong, they were more unfamiliar with Liu Jing in Jingnan. This was because the power of the imperial court bordered Jiangdong, and Jingnan was separated by Liu Biao. They were unfamiliar with Liu Jing.
All my knowledge comes from rumors, the kind of rumors that have passed through countless hands.
Jia Xu continued: "Liu Bei is Ming Gong's old enemy. He has great talent and wins the hearts of the people. If he repeats the story of Xuzhou in the past, it will be a serious problem for Ming Gong. But what is more worrying is Liu Jing. This man started from one city.
, destroyed Liu Biao at its peak, and conquered the four counties of Jingnan. It is said that this man has the appearance of dragons and phoenixes, divine wisdom, a hundred schools of thought, political debate, military strategy, everything is excellent, and has the style of the ancestors. If he can unify Jingzhou, I am afraid
The harm is no less than that of Yuan Shao, and from now on the south will no longer be owned by the country."
Jia Xu's remarks made everyone in the room fall into deep thought.
"Last year, Zhang Jiaozhou sent an envoy to Xudu to accuse Liu Jing of sending troops to invade Jiaozhou and occupy Yulin. From this, it can be seen that Liu Jing is not loyal to the country as he said, but has different aspirations. Ming Gong must not
Defend."
The person who spoke was Guo Jia, the military sacrificial wine drinker. He was the youngest among Cao Cao's confidants. He was only thirty-three years old this year. He had handsome features, refined temperament, and good demeanor, but his body was slightly thin.
"The same goes for Sun Quan..." Guo Jia added, "In the past, Ming Gong was focused on the north and had no time to look south. Now that Ming Gong has defeated Yuan Shao and gained power in the East Xia, he can look south for a while. Liu Jing and Sun Quan both have brothers.
, Ming Gong might as well take this opportunity and let the two of them send their younger brother to Xudu as a hostage."
Zhong Yao, Dong Zhao, Xiahou Dun and others nodded in agreement.
Cao Cao also thought that Guo Jia's proposal was good. It would be best for Liu Jing and Sun Quan to send their brothers as hostages. Even if they refused, there would be no loss to him.
Cao Cao then discussed with his advisers for a long time, and finally made a decision, that is, to accept Liu Biao's submission internally, and to order Liu Jing and Sun Quan to be hostages externally, and then arrange his troops between Ru and Ying to quietly watch the fight between Liu Biao, Liu Jing, and Sun Quan, thus sitting down.
Harvest the fisherman's profit.
…………
Late March, Jiangxia County, Xiakou.
Xiakou is the mouth where the Han River flows into the Yangtze River. Because Han and Miang have the same origin, it is also called Hankou and Miangou.
Xiakou is surrounded by high mountains to the south, blocking water on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is the main road of the Chu-Wu waterway and has always been a battleground for military strategists.
At this time, more than ten miles northeast of Xiakou, there was a boat army consisting of hundreds of large and small ships, sailing across the river one after another.
This fleet was the Jiangdong army led by Sun Quan. The situation was similar to Zhuge Liang's partial division. Since entering Jiangxia, they passed through Qichun, E County, Lu County and other places, and encountered almost no resistance, and their progress was very smooth.
However, Sun Quan knew that this was not because Huang Zu was afraid of Jiangdong's army, but because he wanted to shrink the defense line. As expected, Xiakou was the place Huang Zu chose for the decisive battle. Because once you pass through Xiakou, you can take a boat directly to Huang Zu's rule.
So Shaxian City was under the city, so Huang Zu would definitely set up heavy troops in Xiakou to block Jiangdong's army.
The reports from the scouts ahead also confirmed Sun Quan's guess. Huang Zu crossed the river with two huge ships to guard Xiakou. There were many soldiers on them, no less than a thousand people.
Sun Quan immediately ordered Pinglu general Xu Kun to be the commander of the front army and lead the army's fleet to attack Xiakou. He then personally led the Chinese army to follow.
Xu Kun received Sun Quan's order and immediately commanded the front army to attack Xiakou, which was more than ten miles away.
However, due to the narrow channel of Xiakou, it was difficult for the ships to deploy. If they were crowded together, they would be in danger of being attacked by enemy fire. Therefore, Xu Kun did not attack in a large scale, but only sent a few ships and fighting ships to test the attack.
On the huge ship guarding Miangkou, thousands of Huang Zu's soldiers were all wearing heavy armor and holding powerful crossbows. When Jiangdong's warships approached, they immediately fired their crossbows, and flying arrows rained down for a while.
The first wave of exploratory attacks by the Jiangdong Army ended in failure before they could even get close to the giant Huang Zu Army ship.
Xu Kun was not angry at all. He had originally intended to test the enemy, but now he had a general understanding of the enemy's situation. He immediately took Ling Cao, the commander of the bandit-breaking school, as the vanguard and attacked again.
Ling Cao was an old general of Sun Ce and a native of Yuhang, Wu County. He was a brave knight in his youth. Later, Sun Ce rose up in Jiangdong. Ling Cao brought hundreds of knights under his command. In every battle, he was often the first to win the championship. He was one of the few warriors in Jiangdong.
Strong general.
Ling Jun fought bravely and did not avoid arrows. He personally drove his boat to the front. Jiangdong's soldiers all became more courageous and everyone moved forward. Dozens of boats and ships came to kill them one after another.
However, this time, not only did the two huge ships shoot down a shower of arrows, but rocks and torches also fell from the cliffs on both sides.
It turned out that Huang Zu's army was ambushed with heavy troops on the cliffs on both sides. In an instant, Jiangdong's warships were either destroyed by stones or set on fire by torches. In addition, crossbows and arrows were staggered in front, and the offensive was like a tide. Even with Ling Cao's courage,