In the afternoon, in order to celebrate Pang Tong and Xiang Lang's return, Liu Jing specially held a welcome banquet. Almost all the civil and military officials from Jingnan were present. At the banquet, everyone drank and drank, changing cups and cups, and continued to drink until the night of the night.
Liu Jing was not an alcoholic. He usually drank very moderately. Although he was in a good mood today because he had won Pang Tong, he drank a few more drinks, but he was not drunk at all, only slightly tipsy.
After the banquet, Liu Jing took Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong sat around the stove, savoring the fragrance of the tea in the mist.
Liu Jing drank the tea from the bowl, and his internal organs seemed to have been washed. He smiled and said: "Shi Yuan, do you still remember the first time we met? Six years ago, I went north to Xiangyang, and Shi Yuan visited with Kong Ming. The three of you and I were here Making tea in the capital pavilion and talking about the world, it seems like it happened yesterday."
Pang Tong's face was red, and his eyes were half drunk, and he replied: "How could you not remember? The general is as wise as a god. He is not yet young and weak. He is far away in Jingnan, but he knows the general trend of the world well. His predictions at the beginning have all come true now. .”
But what impressed Pang Tong the most was Liu Jing's arrogance. He directly criticized Liu Biao in the Duting Pavilion of Xiangyang, Liu Biao's territory, for "sitting in Chu territory, but having no ambition, and not being a king." His tone was full of disdain. meaning.
At that time, Pang Tong was really shocked. You must know that it was the first time that the two met, and it was in a crowded capital. Once these words reached Liu Biao's ears, although he would not be convicted for his words, he would not be punished for his words. It will definitely ruin your future.
However, I have to admit that Liu Jing did have the capital to be arrogant and conceited. It only took him four years to grow from a small official with a hundred stones in Changsha County to the overlord of Jingnan. He ruled across the river from Liu Biao and fought against each other.
Two years later, Liu Jing had the appearance of a heroic leader, and he resolutely launched an expedition to the north. Even if he fought on two fronts, he was still able to destroy Zhangjin in the south and Jiangling in the north. He had the potential to swallow Jingjing in one gulp and fight against the enemy.
Liu Jing couldn't help but sigh: "What can I do if I know the general situation of the world well? I can't help but watch the fall of the Han Dynasty and the death of the people. If Liu Jingsheng had cared about the country, I might have killed him in the first place. Unfortunately, Liu Jingsheng According to Jingzhou's view of world affairs, it is actually the dog's ears of protection. Since Liu Jingsheng cannot save the country and the people, I have to do it myself."
Pang Tong said solemnly: "The Book says: 'Attack the weak and attack the ignorant, seize chaos and insult the country.' Annexing the weak, attacking the ignorant lord, and seizing the dying country is exactly what the ancients praised, and it is also the reason why the fifth uncle was able to dominate. .The country is currently in great difficulty. Liu Jingsheng, as a member of the royal family, occupies the land of Jingchu, but does nothing. He really betrays the trust of the country. The general is also a nobleman of the Han Dynasty. He has always had the heart to revive the country and clarify the aspirations of the world. Replacing it without losing justice."
Liu Jing and Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up when they heard this. Although they had laid a lot of charges on Liu Biao before the Northern Expedition, it was undeniable that when they attacked Liu Biao, they sent troops without authorization and did not obtain the order from the court. Pang Tong's words, It is tantamount to putting a layer of "propriety and etiquette" on their actions.
Pang Tong added: "Currently Liu Jingsheng is seriously ill and cannot afford it, so his son Liu Cong is in charge. Liu Cong is young and has no authority, and he is not a wise leader. Everyone in Jingzhou is in panic.
Since the general took action, he has been victorious in every battle and conquered every attack. Jingzhou has been defeated in consecutive battles, his elite troops have been exhausted, and all the generals have withered away. In order to prevent the general from going north, Liu Cong did not hesitate to drain the northern troops and gathered them in Yicheng in an attempt to fight to the death."
Liu Jing took a sip of tea and asked: "I heard that Liu Xuande was jealous of Liu Cong, so he only stationed troops in Fancheng to defend Xiangyang and never went south?"
There are so many people in Xiangyang who have secretly surrendered to Liu Jing. It is no exaggeration to say that Liu Jing’s understanding of the north is better than that of Pang Tong. But as he sent troops to the north, Xiangyang deliberately strengthened the blockade. He is now very
It is difficult to receive any more information from Xiangyang.
Pang Tong nodded and said: "Liu Bei is a great hero in the world. He came to Jingzhou for only a year, but already the heroes in the state rushed to join him. Even Liu Jingsheng was afraid of him. And when Yin controlled him, Liu Cong was far inferior to his father, so how could he not
Defend?"
Liu Jingcheng nodded. Liu Cong's approach cannot be said to be wrong. The soldiers of Yicheng can be said to be Jingzhou's last possessions. It is unlikely that they will be handed over to Liu Bei by an outsider.
And with Liu Bei as the general, it goes without saying that if he loses, even if he wins, Liu Cong may be sidelined. Rather than doing this, it is better to hand it over to someone he trusts.
However, Liu Jing still had doubts about this.
Pang Tong continued: "The current commanders of the Yicheng army are Wang Wei, Zhang Yun, and Zhang Yunyong. They are not worth mentioning. Although Wang Wei is a famous general in Jingzhou, he is no match for the general. If the general raises his troops to the north, he will definitely be able to defeat him.
Once the army is defeated, there will be no more soldiers to fight in Jingzhou. At that time, the general will advance by land and water, surround Xiangyang, cut off the inside and outside, and Liu Bei will be unable to do anything. Liu Cong, a coward, will not dare to resist in poverty. The general takes charge.
Xiangyang, send the boat army along the river to the north, Zhangling and Nanyang two counties, send a message to decide."
"Haha..." Liu Jing said with a smile, stroking his hands: "I hope everything will be as Shi Yuan said."
Zhuge Liang, who had been silent all this time, said: "Cao Cao served the emperor in the name of the emperor, but had no loyalty. He insulted the royal family and harmed the people. Now that Yuan Shao is dead, all the disciples are no rivals of Cao Cao. If he annexes China, the country will surely perish."
.Looking around the world, the only person who can control Cao Cao is the general. After the general pacifies Jingzhou, he should take advantage of the undecided situation in the north to gather rebellious forces. Dong will supervise the three armies and serve as the king of Xudu to ensure peace in the country."
Liu Jing smiled and said nothing, Zhuge Liang's words "group meaning" must have included Sun Quan.
Historically, Zhuge Liang advocated "joining Sun Quan to resist Cao Cao" because "Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong for three generations. The country is in danger and the people are attached to it. The virtuous people can use it. This can be used as aid but cannot be used."
Now that Sun Quan failed to attack Jiangxia, Jiangdong also continued to rebel, which made Zhuge Liang despise Sun Quan and did not regard him as a threat.
However, Liu Jing would not look down upon Sun Quan. He was a man who was greedy for profit and had no bottom line. Chen Shou said that he was like Gou Jian, and he was well deserved.
After unifying Jingzhou, Jiaozhou will have to be put aside. Liu Jing's next step will definitely be to attack Jiangdong and get rid of Sun Quan. Only by solving the scourge of Sun Quan before Cao Cao pacifies the north, then he can unite with the Yuan family and attack Cao Cao.
A 30-50 chance of winning.
However, what troubles Liu Jing is that he and Jiang Dong have already formed an alliance. If he breaks the alliance and attacks his ally without any reason, it seems to be against morality and inconsistent with his personality.
However, this is not unexplainable. Cao Cao certainly does not want Liu Jing to be watching behind his back when he is conquering the north. If he hints at crusading against Sun Quan for his country, Cao Cao will definitely agree.
After drinking tea, Liu Jing, Zhuge Liang, and Pang Tong went to the couch to continue talking until late at night before falling asleep.
The next day, Liu Jingshui marched his army north along the Mian River, and arrived at Yicheng two days later.