On February 10, the spring of the 14th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to visit Pang Tong in person.
At this period in 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 became the governor of Nanjun, before he was recruited by Zhou Yu as a meritorious officer of the county to help Zhou Yu manage the affairs of Nanjun.
So at this time, Pang Tong was still living in seclusion among the Pang family in the east of Xiangyang City, reading books all day long and not paying attention to worldly affairs.
As his friends, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen and Xu Shu naturally knew that Pang Tong did not really want to become 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 Liu Bei's three brothers at his home, and the two sides had a pleasant conversation and talked about many things.
First of all, in terms of strategy, Pang Tong, like Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen, suggested that Liu Bei first make things easier and then make things more difficult, stabilize Sun Quan, capture Xichuan, and then destroy Jiangdong after gaining Bashu.
Secondly, in terms of domestic affairs, he suggested that Liu Bei reuse aristocratic families to stabilize the interior of Jingzhou, ease the conflicts between the nobles and the rulers, and prevent rebellion within 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 on the border would contain his own forces. Although it would also contain many of Cao Cao's forces, Cao Cao had a big plate and could afford to spend it.
Because as long as Jiangdong is still there, they can quietly develop their strength. Even if Liu Bei gets Bashu and is strong, Cao Cao will come one day.
"Brother!"
After learning about Zhou Yu's death, Sun Quan was angry and frightened, and didn't know what to do.
For internal development, we can only attack Shanyue and at the same time compromise with the powerful Koto family.
Therefore, he suggested that Liu Bei move the people in the north of Nanyang to the south of Wancheng and only arrange 20,000 to 30,000 people along the line from Kunyang to Wancheng.
Even if they occupy Jiaozhou and Jingnan, the most they can do is relocate the population there, collect local taxes, and find ways to lure some barbarians for their own use.
For this reason, he could only send Guan Yu and Pang Tong to station in Wu County first, Zhang Fei and Xu Shu stayed in Jiangling, Zhao Yun, Tai Shici, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong and others were responsible for the food and grass affairs, and he stayed in Xiangyang to look after Liu Qi.
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Shen Chen has always been known as the God of War in Jingzhou. In the battle at Wankou, Gong defeated the enemy with a small number and defeated him. His reputation has naturally spread throughout Jingzhou."
Borrow Jingnan?
Zhuge Liang narrowed his eyes, revealing a fox-like look.
The reason why 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, are not used is because they are afraid that they will be selfish and will not be able to eliminate enough troops. thorough.
In fact, his strategy is extremely difficult to implement.
Even if he owns the entire south, with a population of 20 million, he has the capital to rival Cao Cao.
Although they had not seen each other for more than ten years, Zhuge Jin still recognized him at a glance as his half-brother, so he stepped forward in surprise and called out: "Kong Ming!"
"Then I will respect you."
Zhuge Liang bowed slightly to show respect, but a sly smile flashed in his eyes.
No rejection?
But the most I can do is lend you Guiyang County.
Zhuge Jin said in surprise.
Naturally, we got Guanzhong because we could use Guanzhong as the base point and attack Guandong eastward, so that we could bloom at more points and attack across the board.
After the host and guest sat down in rows, Zhuge Jin said to Zhuge Liang: "Kong Ming, I invite you here this time because I actually want to ask about Jiaozhou. Back then, Duke Xuande promised to hand over Jiaozhou to us."
Huang Zu's death was a huge blow to Liu Qi, which made his already serious condition worse. He vomited blood and fainted, making Liu Bei unable to travel south.
At this time, someone came from outside the government office and reported: "Liu Bei's envoy has arrived at Chaisang Wharf."
Even if someone is willing to borrow it, Jingnan Jiaozhou is located in a remote place. What can be developed in that kind of place?
Transportation there is inconvenient, miasma is prevalent, and barbarians are everywhere. Even the local Han people have united to fight against the government. It will take at least ten years to completely pacify this place, and it may not even be possible to completely pacify it.
Therefore, borrowing Jingnan and asking Liu Bei to hand over the state was actually just a helpless choice.
The two of them immediately left the mansion and headed towards the pier.
Jingnan and Jingbei are relatively separated, and the Yangtze River and Yunmengze separate the north and the south.
Therefore, the top priority now is not war, but diplomacy and survival and development!
"Report!"
Lu Su, on the other hand, was waiting for Liu Bei's envoy to arrive in Chaisang to discuss the matter of Jiaozhou.
And we got Xiliang because there are horses in Xiliang!
"oh?"
Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Lu Su as the captain of the Zan Army. There were three to four thousand private tribes under Zhou Yu, and they were all under Lu Su's jurisdiction.
Lu Su stood up and thought: "Ziyu, you still need to worry about this matter. If you can convince your brother Zhuge Kongming, even if you can only borrow it from Guiyang County, that would be great. We can pass through Guiyang County
Occupying Nanhai County and Cangwu County."
"But it is precisely because the enemy is strong that it brings out the public's talents."
Therefore, developing first and waiting for opportunities is the best choice.
At that moment, Lu Su said repeatedly: "This is natural, this is natural. However, Wu Hou is in Wankou now. It is getting late today. Kong Ming might as well set out with me tomorrow and go to Wankou to meet Wu Hou."
Even this choice may not be given a chance by others.
The group entered the city and returned to the county government office.
That's why we have to find people from the outside. Just like later generations who investigated corruption, we can't let corruption investigate ourselves. We can only find out clearly by parachuted in a high-ranking official or by an inspection team.
What he told Sun Quan at that time was to use Jingnan and Jiaozhou to develop himself. After becoming stronger, he would then go north to conquer Jingbei.
Because no matter whether we send troops from Nanyang or Huainan, everything is smooth sailing.
However, Sun Quan had a navy. If they really lent Jingnan to him, then Jingnan, Jiaozhou and Yangzhou would be connected together.
"I'll try my best."
Pang Tong suggested that after Liu Bei left Bashu in the west, he did not need to worry about Liu Zhang's life or death, but went north from Micang Road to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao, and directly attack Hanzhong.
Sun Quan made a small calculation, so why didn't Xiaoqing do the same?
According to Xiaoqing's words, you care about my interest, and I care about your principal.
But in fact, the second half is to comfort Sun Quan, and the real intention is only the first half.
Then I saw a tall man standing tall on the pier, wearing flowing white clothes, and his face looked exactly like his father who had been dead for many years.
Lu Su shook his head and said: "I was just wondering whether Liu Bei would agree to our terms and lend us Jingnan."
"Things are hard."
Lu Su said: "Come, please take a seat in the city."
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 a temporary expedient that he thought of to comfort Sun Quan.
Zhuge Liang did not answer immediately, but just said: "This matter is of great importance. Although General Zuo has entrusted me with full responsibility, he needs to meet with the Marquis of Wu before we can discuss it in detail."
When the time comes, we will sit back and watch the situation. If both Cao and Liu lose in the fight for supremacy, then Sun Quan will have a chance to profit from it.
Seeing Lu Su sighing at this moment, Zhuge Jin asked curiously: "Why is Zijing sighing?"
After excluding the defensive soldiers from various places to guard against Shanyue, pirates, civil strife, and Cao Cao's troops in Xuzhou, Huainan and other places in the north, the actual force he can use is actually the 30,000 people who escaped from the Battle of Hongkou.
After such a serious loss, if you continue to think about capturing Jingzhou, it is not a high ambition, but a whim.
Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "If an ordinary person met Shen Chen, he would have been defeated long ago."
So after Pang Tong was pointed out, Liu Bei immediately understood that if he wanted to succeed in the Northern Expedition, as he said, he needed to get Xiliang first before he could compete with Cao Cao for dominance in the north.
At the same time, Shen Chen began to rectify military affairs, and ordered his students Huo Yang, Wu Dang, Wu Tao, Shan Yi, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Miao, Li Qiu and dozens of others to serve as military planners. He also ordered Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi, Deng Zhao, Shen Tao and other departments will be responsible for the abolition.
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 it to you."
Zhuge Liang responded: "Now Wu Ju, the prefect of Cangwu, and Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi, have expressed their willingness to surrender to the eldest son. Wu Hou only needs to send a general to Jiaozhou to pacify it."
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 captain of the Fenwu School under the command of Wu Hou."
Therefore, sending troops to Jingnan and Jiaozhou cannot be considered a bad move, but it is definitely not a clever move.
Zhuge Liang bowed his hands to Lu Su and said: "The great name of the Duke has been admired for a long time."
Lu Su's face was like a bitter gourd, and he said with a sad expression: "The top priority now is to restore the vitality of Jiangdong. Therefore, even if Liu Bei generously lends Jingnan to us, we must not go to war with him, and use Jingnan and Jiaozhou to nourish Jiangdong. , recuperate and wait for the weather.”
In late February, Liu Bei worshiped Pang Tong and Xu Shu as his masterminds, leaving Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang to govern Jingzhou while he organized his troops and planned to go south to the Three Gorges area.
After hearing Pang Tong's insights, Liu Bei suddenly felt enlightened and his whole body became much more enlightened.
But the lack of cavalry means insufficient mobility. It is easy to suffer heavy losses when fighting Cao Cao on such a vast plain in the north.
Once Sun Quan plans to seize Jingnan and Jiaozhou, he will inevitably use his troops. If he divides his troops, Yangzhou will be even more empty.
Therefore, expanding to Jingnan and Jiaozhou can be regarded as a way to increase power in a short period of time. At least even if they cannot rule, they can still plunder.
The Battle of Yixian and the Battle of Hongkou severely damaged Jiangdong's vitality.
This is actually Lu Su’s true thoughts.
Soon at Jiujiang Pier, they met Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian.
only.
"Tzuyu."
At the end of February, in Chaisang County, Yuzhang, Lu Su sat in the backyard of the county government office with a very heavy face.
It's just that Lu Su is in a very anxious mood now.
Wankou is not far from Shu County, Zhou Yu's hometown, so Sun Quan decided to bury him here to watch over the Yangtze River, hoping that he could protect the great cause of Jiangdong.
In other words, Shen Chen single-handedly wiped out almost half of the Jiangdong Army in history.
Lu Su smiled bitterly and said: "That was just to appease the Marquis of Wu. Moreover, Liu Bei and Cao Cao were still at war at that time. We thought we could take advantage of the opportunity to threaten him, but we didn't expect that Cao Cao would be defeated so quickly."
Let’s not talk about whether they are willing to lend Jingnan to you.
Today's Jiangdong can be described as gloomy. To the north is Cao Cao and to the west is Liu Bei. No one can afford to offend these two enemies.
Although Jiaozhou is remote, it has a large population, and Jingnan is relatively wealthy, so it's hard to say that it will really be strengthened by him.
It seems that Xiaoqing really knows Sun Quan well, and this move of shutting the door and beating the dog is indeed exquisite.
"good."
Historically, Sun Quan had 100,000 troops during this period. This is clearly recorded in historical records. During the Battle of Chibi, he asked Zhou Yu to lead 50,000 troops, and the remaining 50,000 men guarded various places in Jiangdong.
"this."
The original Sun Shiwan was now Sun Wuwan, and his troops and horses were cut in half.
Pang Tong believed that if Liu Bei unified the south in the future, it would be very difficult to rely solely on Jingzhou and Jiangdong to conquer the Central Plains and revive the Han Dynasty.
As long as Hanzhong is taken, even if Liu Zhang is gone, Zhang Lu's soldiers will inevitably be in chaos due to the loss of the rear.
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 lend us Jiaozhou, he did not agree to lend us Jingnan. Even if we say
He violated the covenant, he could also say that Jiaozhou was left to our own devices, but he did not violate it."
You can borrow Jingnan.
Lu Su sighed again: "It would be great if he could be persuaded. It would be great if he could be persuaded. Jiangdong is in a bleak situation right now. If he can be persuaded, if he gets Jiaozhou, he can at least relocate the population there, collect local taxes, and transport transportation.
Some minerals and grain to fill Jiangdong’s shortcomings.”
It was exactly as expected by himself and Xiaoqing.
There was another person sitting under his desk, it was Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin.
Zhuge Jin nodded.
"It's natural."
Hearing that Zhuge Liang was Liu Bei's most trusted person and was now on an envoy to Jiangdong, Sun Quan immediately sent Zhuge Jin over, hoping to help lobby.
"Didn't Zijing make a vow before?"
Sun Quan asked for personal leave from Jiaozhou, and it was true that he was plotting against Jingnan.
Lu Su laughed dumbly and said: "Although I can't praise the enemy to weaken my military morale, I did take advantage of the location in that battle. Shen Chen's name as the God of War is well deserved. After several attacks and defenses, I was also in danger.
, and was almost breached by it.”
Lu Su immediately said to Zhuge Jin: "Quick, come with me to greet him."
After having Pang Tong, Liu Bei also began to prepare for the march to Xichuan.
No rejection means it's okay to talk.
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 while Liu Bei was attacking Bashu.
Zhuge Jin shook his head: "It's just that my brother and I were thirteen years old when we separated. More than ten years have passed. Although we communicated frequently, our relationship must have been quite estranged. Besides, he should also be a person of his own opinion. I'm afraid he is not that
Easy to persuade.”
This was an ultra-long-term strategic thinking that even Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen had not mentioned to him. As a native of Youzhou, Liu Bei was very aware of the importance of a highly mobile cavalry.
After having Hanzhong, we can send troops to Xiliang and Guanzhong to obtain horse-producing areas.
At the same time, you have to set up traps for you to drill in preparation for closing the door and beating the dog in the future.
If you want to seize Hanzhong, you can't just focus on Chengdu. Now Zhang Lu is heading south from Jinniu Road and surrounding Luocheng. Liu Zhang's power is in danger, so you can ignore it completely.
Taking advantage of Jingnan to plot Jiaozhou is really a chess move to kill someone and then survive.
Lu Su was surprised and said: "Kong Ming knows my name?"
In general terms, it is still difficult to shake the entire Jingzhou.
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 the population is still controlled by wealthy families, so it is difficult for it to develop much.
In this way, Liu Bei can successfully obtain the entire Yizhou including Hanzhong, and he does not need to bear the reputation of attacking the same clan.
Lu Su and Zhuge Jin looked at each other and could see the joy in each other's eyes.
It is uncertain that the day when Bashu was pacified would also be the day when Yangzhou was pacified.
The southern soldiers fought against the northern soldiers on the plains. Without large-scale cavalry, it was difficult to win.
In this way, even if Cao Cao suddenly went south to attack Nanyang, there would be many cities along the way that would slow him down, and there would be a five-hundred-mile buffer zone from Xuchang to Wancheng in the middle. Once Cao Cao raised troops to attack, Liu Bei would have enough time to calmly dispatch troops to deal with it.
That is to develop first.
At this point, Lu Su understood this better than anyone else, which was an important reason why he urged Sun Quan to negotiate peace with Liu Bei, and at the same time preferred to persuade Sun Quan to marry his sister to Liu Bei.
When the time comes, another Jingzhou army will be sent up the Yangtze River, and Liu Bei will go south from Hanzhong. If they attack from both sides, Zhang Lu will be wiped out, and Liu Zhang will be wiped out as well.
"Those are just my words to comfort Wu Hou."
Lu Su said: "However, there are countless mountains and ridges between Jiaozhou and Yangzhou, making it impassable. The only way to get there is from Guiyang County in Jingnan, so Wu Hou means that he hopes Xuande can lend us Jingnan so that our
Soldiers can pass."
As long as we have Xiliang, a horse-producing area, we will have the capital to form a cavalry force in the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.
Thirty-seven-year-old Lu Su had gray hair growing on his temples. He couldn't help but sigh while sitting at the desk.
Zhuge Liang looked at his elder brother. He hadn't seen him for more than ten years, but he was much older. He bowed his hands and said with a smile: "Brother, it's good to be in Jiangdong."
But now after those two major defeats, the total number of soldiers and horses in Yangzhou is less than 60,000.
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.
I just didn't expect that Huang Zu died of illness.
"well."
Finally, another idea was proposed, which was the cavalry problem.
Zhuge Jin watched from a distance.
Zhuge Jin asked in surprise: "Is that all? I remember Zijing told Wu Hou that after borrowing money from Jingnan, he would station troops in Changsha. When Liu Bei took Xichuan, Jingzhou's troops were empty. So he would join forces with Cao Cao to plan for Jingzhou again?"
only.
When Liu Bei saw Pang Tong's talent, he was overjoyed and immediately worshiped Pang Tong as his military advisor, Zhonglang General. He was as close as Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu.
While Liu Bei was delayed in Xiangyang due to Liu Qi's serious illness, and Shen Chen was in full swing to reorganize the Jingzhou army, Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian went to Jiangdong as envoy to Sun Quan.
Sun Quan was in Wankou at this time.
Before, Lu Su was a captain of the Zan Military Academy, 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 after his death, Lu Su would take over his post.
In addition, in order to avoid being discovered by Sun Quan and Lu Su, he knocked on Sun Quan's bamboo pole again.
Zhuge Liang was already thinking about how to kill Sun Quan.
After all, although Zhuge Liang didn't know that Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou in history, he only borrowed Nanjun. Moreover, he exchanged the four Jingnan counties with Sun Quan and borrowed Nanjun only after suffering a huge loss.
But when it comes to borrowing territory, he must not let Liu Bei suffer. In addition to Sun Shangxiang, Sun Quan must pay some other price.