Chapter 285: Sun Quan? I will tell him to come and go
Several people were sitting in rows under the courtyard corridor.
Liu Bei asked three counselors, and Sun Quan sent people to negotiate peace and ask for the state.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "If he wants it, give it to him and let him get it himself."
"Although Jiaozhou and Yangzhou are bordering each other, the only parts directly bordering are Yuzhang and the south of Kuaiji."
Liu Bei said: "There are continuous mountains and impassable roads. What the messenger means is that Jiangdong is currently making sacrifices for Zhou Yu and wants to invite people to Jiangdong for discussions."
"It's been almost two months and Zhou Yu hasn't been buried yet?"
Shen Chen laughed dumbly and said: "Being Sun Quan's minister is really tiring. Living is tiring, and dying also suffers."
"You can't say that."
Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "In ancient times, when the emperor passed away, it often happened that he would wait for a year to pay condolences to the princes from all over the world. What does Kong Ming think of this matter?"
Zhuge Liang buried his head in thought and said: "Sun Quan is afraid that he wants to reach some kind of deal with us, and he is also afraid that Cao Cao will know about it, so he wants to invite us to Jiangdong for talks in the name of expressing condolences to Zhou Yu. This may be to take Jingnan to capture Jiaozhou."
Wang Can once wrote about this in his poem, "Jing Man is not my hometown, so what is the point of lingering in lust for a long time? The Ark traces the river, and my heart is filled with sorrow at dusk."
"There is no need to refuse, just give him a way."
After arriving in Jingzhou, I finally got two capable counselors, Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei said: "Although I have to keep my promise and cede Jiaozhou to Sun Quan, if I want to fight against Cao Cao, I must unite the south. The Sun family must also be eliminated. Since you all say that Yizhou should be taken first, then I should stick to Jingzhou. , rectify the troops and horses, and train the navy, is that what it is?"
Shen Chen smiled and said: "Brother has indeed thought of it."
He was responsible for reducing the old and weak in the Jingzhou army and training the soldiers.
During the period of Emperor He, Jiaozhou had 500,000 households and over 2 million people, and was rich in spices, wood, treasures, etc.
It sounds good. If Sun Quan connects Yangzhou and Jiaozhou, it seems that he will be able to grow, and the population under his rule will be close to ten million.
Because with Shen Chen taking over all the power, if he chose to backstab on his own, Liu Bei would have little chance to stand on his own.
So Shen Chen is now not only a general who is good at fighting, or a counselor who is good at planning, but also a Jingzhou scholar who is proficient in the Seven Classics and even constructed new doctrines.
It would be more interesting to send more troops. Yangzhou is empty. All we have to do is wait for Shen Chen to train the navy well and the army to attack the border, and Sun Quan will be gone.
Shen Chen nodded slightly in return to everyone who saluted him, and said as he walked: "Then again, my brother is going to Jiangdong. What do you think Jiangdong wants to do when he suddenly invites us to discuss under the guise of paying homage to Zhou Yu? ?”
"Um."
But the problem is that Jiaozhou is too remote.
Let Shen Chen handle these matters.
A gentle breeze blew in his face, causing Shen Chen's long hair to flutter gently, covering his face.
This is the strategic intention.
Zhuge Liang put his hands behind his back, looked down and walked, and said with some confusion: "It's just the pros and cons of trying to seize Jiaozhou. Sun Quan shouldn't know about it, so why do he do this?"
Shen Chen pushed her long hair behind her ears, squinted her eyes and looked up at the sky.
Due to the long distance, steep mountains, inconvenient transportation, miasma and other problems, it was difficult for him to develop his rule in Jiaozhou.
The second is to station troops in the Three Gorges area and prepare to attack Xichuan.
Now several people discussed other matters, such as eliminating the army, training soldiers, appeasing aristocratic families, and managing people's livelihood.
Now after pacifying Jingzhou, Liu Bei needs to do the following things.
If you want to retrain an elite naval force, build their military soul, military bones, and temper their courage, you have to spend at least one or two years integrating them.
Xu Shu said: "What are your plans for this first step?"
Liu Bei looked at Shen Chen and said: "Xiaoqing, I promised my Dongzhou soldiers that I would take them back to Yizhou. If there are changes in Yizhou, I may go to Xichuan immediately. Then Jingzhou will be entrusted to you. You What do you think?"
Liu Bei turned his head and looked at Shen Chen and said, "Xiaoqing, what do you think?"
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "Now Jingzhou's army totals more than 200,000. We have to cut down the old and weak and keep the elite. We will take 50,000 soldiers from Xichuan. The rest of the army will be used to defend Jiangdong and train all day long to wait for Xichuan to be captured." After that, we can march into Jiangdong."
Xu Shu was in charge of Liu Bei's army's military affairs.
If you include ethnic minorities, the population may be close to five million.
Liu Bei smiled and said: "After all, this is an agreement with Sun Quan on the terms of the covenant. If he doesn't abide by it, wouldn't it make me break his promise? Since he wants to talk, let's talk. I sent Gongyou as an envoy to express my condolences to Zhou Yu. What do you think, Jiangdong?"
"Would Sun Quan be so willing to accept his fate? I don't believe it. I'm afraid this guy has some bad ideas."
Shen Chen laughed and said, "Brother, it is exactly what I thought."
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, Panyu in the Han Dynasty and Guangzhou in later generations have been treaty ports. The five-baht coins of the Han Dynasty unearthed in the Philippines in Southeast Asia in later generations are the best proof.
Zhuge Liang is responsible for coordinating the overall situation, which is equivalent to Xun Yu's position at the Chancellery.
Not only because Shen Chen was good at fighting, but also because he taught his disciples and his teachings have spread to Longzhong Township and Xinye County. "Shen's Sutra Collection" has been printed in volumes. Even those who are not his disciples will buy it and watch it.
"Divide and strike."
Although there is an extra Shen Chen now, Shen Chen is like an enhanced version of Cheng Yu, with both civil and military skills. His internal affairs abilities are far less organized than Zhuge Liang's, and he can only provide suggestions. If he does practical things, he may not do well.
"Just to see if what you think is the same as what I think."
Not to mention Jiaozhou, even Jingzhou was a remote area in the Han Dynasty. Except for Nanyang, including Nanjun, all places south of Jiangxia were remote and barbaric places for the Central Plains people.
The problem is that Jingzhou has been at war for many years. Cai Mao's attack on Yizhou in the west was defeated and he returned, and Huang Zu's attack on Yangzhou in the east also suffered heavy losses. In addition, the civil strife continued, the morale of the soldiers and horses was low, and their fighting spirit was close to nothing.
Xu Shu was good at military affairs, a bit like Xun You, good at tactics.
This shows how remote Jingzhou and Jiaozhou are.
Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Now that the eldest son is seriously ill, I have asked my lord to attend to Fuzhou affairs. My lord has to prepare for the attack on Xichuan and entrust the state affairs to Xiaoqing. This means that the future is entrusted to Xiaoqing."
This is a very realistic thing before them.
Shen Chen also said: "Yes, even though I think Sun Quan's future troubles and difficulties are much greater than those of Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang, under the current situation, we should still protect Jing's interests, develop steadily, and then pursue other plans."
"What are you thinking about, brother?"
Xu Shu said to Zhuge Liang: "Kong Ming, if this is the case, then when you go to Jiangdong as an envoy, just find a way to refuse."
Shen Chen said: "I am here to organize the military affairs. Regarding the work of fertilizing the land, cultivating new fields, and settling the retired soldiers and resettling the refugees after the reduction, I may have to leave it to my brother."
Xu Shu thought: "Now that Jiangdong has suffered a great defeat at Hongkou, it is no longer possible to capture Jingzhou. If I were Sun Quan, I would find a way to recuperate and make up for the losses. At the beginning, my lord promised to give him Jiaozhou. Although Jiaozhou is remote, it is rich in spices. If the wood and treasures can be connected and communicated, some vitality may be restored, so I am afraid that I want to send troops through Jingnan."
"Yes."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Let's see about this later. I don't think we have to refuse."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "I think Sun Quan's ambition is not small. This time he united with Cao Cao to carve up Jingzhou, but was defeated by Xiaoqing. Yuan Zhi was right. Now Jiangdong's vitality is seriously damaged, and it really needs to be made up for. That's why. He used the Jiaonan route to attack Jiaozhou under the pretext of the original alliance. If he deployed troops in Jiaozhou, he might have the intention of spying on Jingnan."
The main reason is that Liu Bei's current advisers are far from as comprehensive as Cao Cao's advisers, or there are insufficient talent reserves.
"Hahahahahaha."
After the small meeting, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, and Chenchen walked out of the mansion. It was already afternoon, spring returned earlier in the south, the sun was shining, and the weather was comfortable.
This great scholar status is also one of the reasons why he is widely respected.
At this point, Sun Quan seems to be a bit stupid and insists on handing over the state.
Jiaozhou is a piece of shit.
Liu Bei himself had to actively prepare for the second matter, so Jingzhou's affairs could only be left to Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang.
This is not only a responsibility, but also an unconditional trust.
"Well, let's follow the advice of Xiaoqing and Kongming to protect Jing and gain benefits, and then attack Jiangdong after Yizhou is settled."
"Why should we give him a way?"
In addition to the five major counselors, Cao Cao's counselors also include second-line counselors such as Mao Jie, Dong Zhao, Lou Gui, Cui Yan, and Hua Xin. There are countless other counselors who are both famous and unknown. According to statistics, there are more than a hundred counselors.
The attack on Jiangdong can wait for one or two years, but Yizhou cannot be delayed.
"Give him a way."
Because according to the latest news, just like Liu Bei's counterattack against Liu Zhang in history, Zhang and Lu's army was overwhelming and had surrounded Luocheng for half a year. Now Luocheng is defended by Zhang Ren and Liu Zhang's son Liu Xun, and it is difficult to resist. Chengdu is also in danger.
Zhuge Liang said: "What did you think of?"
When Sun Quan really sends troops there, but if there are not enough troops, the local people will not pay attention to him at all, and may even unite with a small number of people to resist his rule.
Due to various factors, Yizhou had very few troops capable of fighting, less than 30,000 people. They were defeated by Zhang Lu's army and could not hold on.
So since Sun Quan wants to make a bad move on his own, it's natural for him to make the move. Why bother to stop him?
"only."
As for Liu Bei's early counselors Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Jian Yong, they were basically just lobbyists. They could handle some paperwork, but they thought too much about planning the army, the country, and the world.
The main reason was that Yizhou's soldiers and horses suffered heavy losses. Thirty thousand Dongzhou soldiers were lost in the first battle of Zigui. Later, Zhang Lu attacked Yizhou and Pang Xi was defeated in succession. With Cai Mao getting involved, it was a mess.
The three people walked side by side, with people coming and going on the street. The guards around them protected them as they moved forward, but everyone saw Shen Chen, who was wearing a blue brocade robe with a knife hanging on his left waist. The businessmen made way for him, and the people took off their hats. Salute, the scholars bowed their hands to him, and everyone respected him.
Shen Chen nodded and said: "It is true that we should take Yizhou first. If we take Jiangdong, Sun Quan will rely on the natural dangers of the Yangtze River to defend the river. Although our fleet defeated the Jiangdong ships, the number of naval troops is less than 30,000. If we want to take Jiangdong needs to retrain its navy, otherwise it will be extremely difficult."
Shen Chen nodded and said: "Sun Quan is ambitious and will not give up. Maybe he just wants to take a peek at Jingnan, Jiaozhou, and Yangzhou. Although they are connected, there are too many mountains and miasma in the middle. Even if Sun Quan gets it, it will be difficult to grow much. Only Jingnan is relatively prosperous, such as Changsha County and Lingling County, with a population of more than one million. It is also connected to Yuzhang and Nanchang, so it can dispatch troops quickly. This is probably what he had in mind."
By the end of the Han Dynasty, due to the chaos in the north, many people moved to the south. Jiaozhou was not affected by the war, and its population development was much higher than that during the Emperor He's period. If the entire territory of Jiaozhou does not include ethnic minorities, it may be around three to four million.
This shows that Liu Bei entrusted his fortune and life in Shen Chen's hands.
Xu Shu was confused and asked: "What happened?"
Even if he moved the population of Jiaozhou, sent people to serve as governors of various counties to collect local taxes, and engage in maritime trade to make up for Yangzhou's losses, it would be difficult to bring him much substantial benefits.
"Um."
Therefore, attacking Yizhou first is the best choice.
But he was alone and had no other skills.
Therefore, it can be said that Liu Bei's talent reserve is still insufficient.
Shen Chen explained: "Jiangdong's army attacked Jiaozhou. Jiaozhou was remote and traveled a long distance. Didn't he divide his troops to weaken Yangzhou's strength? Yangzhou did not have many troops and horses, so it could no longer pose a threat to Jingzhou. After General Zuo pacified Xichuan, he would turn back Wouldn't it be much easier to destroy Sun Quan who divided his troops?"
The first is to stabilize the internal affairs, manage people's livelihood, appease aristocratic families, rectify military affairs, restore the economy, and select talents.
Among them, he entrusted the entire Jingzhou to Shen Chen, which meant that Shen Chen was the main one.
Moreover, not only the local ethnic minorities, but also the Han people did not accept the king's rule. The clan power still existed two thousand years later. The population that could actually be ruled was probably the county town. The royal power could not be extended to the countryside, and the benefits obtained were not as great as imagined.
If you attack Jiangdong, you must have a naval force. Cai Mao's Yangtze River Navy is actually still there and has surrendered, while Huang Zu's Jiangxia Navy has less than 30,000 people left. If the two armies are added together, there may be about 60,000 people. about.
Shen Chen solemnly said: "I will live up to the general's trust!"
Shen Chen nodded and said slightly seriously: "Yes, I just feel that the burden on me is extremely heavy. If I don't do it well, wouldn't I have let down General Zuo?"
Zhuge Liang is a hexagonal warrior. He knows almost everything about politics, military, strategy, economics, diplomacy, and law, except that his force value may be slightly lower. He even has excellent inventions, creations, literature, and ideological levels.
Shen Chen touched his chin and thought.
"Brother, are you testing me?"
Zhuge Liang said: "I'll go too. Although Jiangdong has been newly defeated, I think it's best to take Yizhou first. Yizhou is currently in serious civil strife. Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu are fighting endlessly. It seems that Luocheng can no longer be defended. If we can't intervene immediately, If Yizhou is captured by Zhang Lu, it will be even more difficult to go west to Yizhou, so peace talks with Jiangdong are now needed."
"We don't want to wait for General Zuo to capture Yizhou, and take advantage of Jingzhou's empty troops to plot to capture Jingnan or Jingzhou."
Shen Chen shrugged: "Whatever idea he has, you'll know it as soon as you think about it."
Xu Shu said: "Then if we lend him a road, wouldn't it be luring the wolf into the house? Their navy is very powerful. If they really take Jingnan and block the river, it will be difficult to rescue them."
"Luring the wolf into the house?"
A smile appeared on Shen Chen's lips: "Wrong, this is called beating the dog behind closed doors. Sun Quan? If he dares to come, he will never come back!"