The call of Fa Zheng gradually sounded in my ears.
Liu Bei raised his head, his slightly dazed eyes gradually clearing up.
He saw everyone looking at him.
He asked: "What's wrong?"
Fa Zheng said: "My lord, do you think Xiaoqing's words are feasible?"
At that moment, Liu Bei's face became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "Xiao Zhi, Zi Qiao. I am able to hold Jing Yi now because of Xiaoqing's plan. Kong Ming is right, if others say this, I will not It makes no sense, but if Xiaoqing said that, there must be a reason."
After saying that, he turned to Shen Chen and said: "Xiaoqing, if you insist on this, I will adopt your suggestion and choose to eliminate Jiangdong first, and join forces with Han Sui and Ma Chao to fight against Cao Cao. But I hope you can tell me the reason. Of course, It doesn’t matter if you don’t say it, as long as you say you hope I can do it, then I will do it.”
Fazheng and Zhang Song's expressions suddenly changed. They were serious and shocked. Their eyes widened in disbelief. They were filled with shock when they saw Liu Bei trusting Shen Chen so unconditionally.
"Thank you, Lord, for trusting me."
Shen Chen stood up and seriously raised his hands and said, "It is precisely because I know your lord as a human being that I am willing to serve him. If I can gain this trust, I will die without regrets."
Liu Bei stood up and walked to Shen Chen, took his hand, patted it gently and said, "Xiaoqing, do as you say."
"But my lord."
Fazheng said quickly: "If things don't develop as Xiaoqing said, there will be endless troubles."
"yes."
Zhang Song also said: "My lord, if Han Sui and Ma Chao choose to surrender to Cao Cao, and we start a war with Jiangdong, Cao Cao will have the entire north, and there will be an unknown number of cavalry in the center. Yizhou will face a huge offensive from Cao Cao's army. At that time, Cao Cao will send troops again. Jianghuai, Nanyang and other places, if they just sit back and watch us fight with Jiangdong, they may let Cao Cao reap the benefits."
Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, I owe everything to Xiaoqing for my present day. Even if Xiaoqing miscalculates, it will only lead to a hard battle. For many years in the north, how have I ever been afraid of Cao Cao's thieves? I am countless times stronger today than I was then. How can I still be afraid of him?" Him?"
People often dare to risk their lives when they have nothing.
But suddenly he became rich overnight, but he became cautious and fearful of losing.
Just like Yuan Shao.
Now Liu Bei has such a big fortune like Yuan Shao, but he dares to trust Shen Chen and gamble with this family fortune, which makes Shen Chen very touched.
Fazheng turned his head to look at Shen Chen and said solemnly: "Xiaoqing, I think you should also understand the importance of this matter. The Lord trusts you so much, but if you miscalculate the person, Han Sui and Ma Chao surrender to Cao Cao, we Then all Xiliang in Guanzhong will be lost, and we will have to face Sun Cao's joint attack. This will become a crisis for our survival. Please explain why you are doing this."
Shen Chen also sat upright and said with a solemn expression: "Okay, let me tell you why we chose to destroy Jiangdong first and then take Guanzhong. The first is the geographical factor. Although Xiliang Guanzhong occupied by Han Sui and Ma Chao is crucial, for us , its role is only as a horse-producing land, and it does not constitute huge profits."
"Please Xiaoqing elaborate."
Everyone also knelt down and sat down carefully, straightened their backs, and looked at Shen Chen.
Shen Chen said: "First, there is no one in Guanzhong. After countless invasions by the Xiliang princes and the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, all ten houses in Guanzhong are empty. The 500,000 households are now probably less than 50,000. The land is so vast and the people are sparsely populated." , if these places are occupied, the people will not be able to provide food and grass, and they can only transport food from Hanzhong. However, the road to transport food is difficult and long distances, which will only increase losses."
"Hmm."
Fazheng nodded slightly. This was something he knew and could not deny it.
Shen Chen added: "Second, Jiangdong is too close. Sun Quan tolerated it and even offered his own sister to the lord. He definitely did not want to be friendly with us. Otherwise, why would he continue to separate the regime? Wouldn't it be better to submit to the lord? He kept it The princes will definitely unite with Cao Cao to attack Jingzhou. Because he can't defeat the north, and only the south can enter Jingyi through water battles. Therefore, destroying Jiangdong first is to prevent us from being attacked from behind when we fight with Cao Cao. "
"Um."
This time, including Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, no one had any objections.
Because what Shen Chen said was true, and since they had already planned to divide the world between the north and the south, the Sun family must be the target they want to eliminate.
Regardless of whether Sun Quan had the intention to backstab Liu Bei or not, if they said he did, then he did.
Moreover, it is true that Sun Quan was too close to the center of Jingzhou in terms of geography. From Guanzhong to Hanzhong, it would have taken several months to walk along the Chencang Road. There were many passes in the middle. To reach Chengdu, it would have taken two or three months to walk directly.
Historically, when Sima Yi faced Zhuge Liang, he did not attack Hanzhong, but was passively beaten.
So from a practical point of view, the Yizhou area is actually very safe. As long as Hanzhong is defended, there is no need to worry about others attacking it.
On the other hand, Jingzhou is different.
With Cao Cao in the north and Sun Quan in the east, he was caught between them and faced enemies from both sides.
Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate an enemy and prevent backstabbing, so that you can concentrate on dealing with Cao Cao in the north.
However, in terms of order, Pang Tong, Fa Zheng, Xu Shu and others believed that they should first eliminate Han Sui and Ma Chao's Guanzhong forces to prevent Cao Cao from getting these troops and then go back and destroy Jiangdong.
But Shen Chen believed that Han Sui and Ma Chao would not join Cao Cao, and they should first eliminate Sun Quan and then confront Cao Cao.
This is where Shen Chen, Pang Tong, Fazheng and Xu Shu disagreed.
Shen Chen continued: "Third, Guanzhong is barren. From a geographical point of view, Jiangdong is a greater threat. At the same time, from a strategic point of view, obtaining the role of Xiliang in Guanzhong is far inferior to obtaining Jiangdong, and the cost is much higher than the benefits. Therefore, it is best to destroy Jiangdong first and then take Guanzhong."
"But it's still the same problem."
Fa Zheng said: "Once Cao Cao gets Xiliang in Guanzhong, wins over Han Sui, Ma Chao, and other large and small forces in Guanzhong, he will be able to expand Cao Cao's army by more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and there will also be a large number of cavalry. If Jiangdong is destroyed and the north and the south fight for hegemony, we will also be at a great disadvantage."
"This is my fourth point."
Shen Chen said: "I know that Shi Yuan, Yuan Zhi, and Xiao Zhi have a long-term view and have already considered the future struggle between the north and the south for hegemony. However, when I look at Han Sui and Ma Chao's actions, I definitely don't think that he wants to submit to Cao Cao, so this is what I want to do with you. The conclusions are different."
"oh?"
Fa Zheng then asked: "What is the basis for Han Sui and Ma Chao not to submit to Cao Cao? Do they even ignore their own parents, children and family? Although Han Sui only sent one son there, his general Yan Xing's parents and children, as well as Ma Chao’s family is all in Yecheng, so Ma Chao’s father, brothers and sisters are all gone?”
"this."
Shen Chen didn't know how to answer this, so he had to smile bitterly and said: "You may not believe it, but I do think so. They may indeed give up their families and choose to be independent."
Fazheng did not refute, just said: "I want to hear why Xiaoqing made such a judgment."
"This time Cao Cao attacked Bingzhou, and Gao Gan escaped into Guanzhong in embarrassment. Although Gao Cao sent people to contact Han Sui and Ma Chao, wanting to fight with them against Cao Cao, they refused, but they did not send troops to help Zhong Yao."
Shen Chen thought thoughtfully and said: "Look at their actions. Firstly, they did not send troops to help Cao Cao, and secondly, they did not intercept the high-ranking officials. Zhong Yao was in Chang'an and almost let the high-ranking officials escape. No one would miss such an opportunity to show goodwill to Cao Cao. . But their only move was when the master went north to join the high-ranking cadres. They faced a powerful enemy, which shows their intention to separate themselves."
"It's a pity."
Fa Zheng shook his head: "This cannot convince me, because this reason is too far-fetched. The news that Hanzhong was captured by the lord has long been spread. In order to prevent the lord from joining high-ranking officials or sending troops to Guanzhong, Cao Cao ordered them to treat it seriously. It's possible, this may even be the situation at that time, so I can't possibly agree with what you said, Xiaoqing."
The place fell into silence.
The autumn wind gently beats on the doors and windows, making a whistling sound.
Zhang tightened the collar of his royal blue Shu brocade silk robe, Zhuge Liang closed his eyes and rested, while Liu Bei leaned on the table in front of him with his hands, leaning forward to look at Shen Chen and Fazheng.
After Fazheng finished questioning, he kept looking at Shen Chen, hoping that he could give him a reasonable answer.
But Shen Chen just lowered his head and meditated, with a serious expression on his face.
He could not give Fa Zheng a reasonable explanation.
After all, he can't say that this is what Han Sui and Ma Chao did in history.
Moreover, Cao Cao in history was much stronger than he is now. Although he suffered a defeat in the Battle of Chibi, he was still the largest overlord in the north.
In that case, Han Sui and Ma Chao even dared to rebel, which shows that they didn't care about the life or death of their families at all.
How do you say this?
Just like the great men of later generations couldn't figure out why that mysterious eastern country dared to come and attack us after thinking for ten days and nights.
The behavior of Han Sui and Ma Chao was also difficult to understand in the eyes of people at the time.
You must know that Cao Cao and Ma Chao had no personal enmity at that time. Instead, Han Sui killed Ma Chao's mother.
Moreover, Cao Cao treated the princes and generals who surrendered to him very well.
Except for Lu Bu, as long as you come to surrender, you will basically accept it.
Cao Cao even accepted people like Gao Gan who were loyal to the Yuan family, and people like Zhang Xiu who killed his sons, nephews, and beloved generals.
It can be seen that even though Cao Cao had many shortcomings, he still did an excellent job in accommodating people.
In a world where filial piety governs the world, some people actually gave up their reputation and morality, gave up the glory and wealth brought by surrender and surrender, and even wanted to fight Cao Cao head-on.
This kind of thing itself is inconsistent with common sense.
You can imagine how difficult it is for Shen Chen to find a suitable reason to overturn common sense and prove something that is not in line with common sense.
Unless it happens.
So Shen Chen said in a deep voice: "These are just my personal inferences. I can't verify them. I will ask Mr. Wen He to see if his understanding of Han Sui and Ma Chao is consistent with mine."
"Mr. Wenhe?"
Fazheng was quite surprised and said: "Could it be Jia Wenhe?"
"Yes."
Shen Chen nodded and said, "He is in Xiangyang."
Fazheng said: "Mr. Wenhe is indeed one of the most wise men in the world, but I believe he will choose to attack Xiliang in Guanzhong just like us. At least he should miss his hometown in Xiliang."
Shen Chen said: "I still stick to my opinion on this matter. My lord, the top priority now is to deal with internal affairs. In foreign affairs, we should avoid fighting with the enemy for at least five years. Everyone is buying time to recuperate and recuperate. The people Only when a country is rich and talented can it strive for hegemony. Therefore, I believe that we cannot attack Guanzhong and wait and see what happens."
Liu Bei thought for a while and then said: "Since I promised Xiaoqing, you will be in charge of this matter, so you can go ahead and do it. Before, you said that you would not preside over the internal affairs of Jingzhou and Yizhou, and you would need to lead troops to resist outside. Cao Cao, why not simply station troops in Hanzhong to handle matters in Guanzhong?"
Zhuge Liang stood up at this time and suggested: "Xiaoqing cannot go to Hanzhong."
"Why?"
Liu Bei was puzzled and said: "When Xiaoqing goes to Guanzhong, can't he be able to respond at any time to deal with Han Sui and Ma Chao's affairs?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Yizhou should remain on the defensive now. The most likely places for a frontal battle are Nanyang and Huainan. Both of these places need a general to be stationed. Liang thought that Xiaoqing must be in Nanyang to resist Cao Cao's attack. What's more, Xiaoqing must be in Nanyang to resist Cao Cao's attack. There is Wuguan in Nanyang, and if there are changes in Guanzhong, Xiaoqing can leave Wuguan and enter Guanzhong at any time."
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded slightly and said: "If Kongming wants to win Zhou Dao, how about Xiaoqing stationing troops in Nanyang?"
"only."
Shen Chen handed over his hands.
Liu Bei then said again: "Then the matter is decided like this. According to Xiaoqing's policy, we will form an alliance with Han Sui and Ma Chao on the outside, fight against Cao Cao in the north, and eliminate the Sun family on the inside."
Shen Chen said: "Where does your lord plan to locate General Zuo's headquarters?"
Liu Bei thought for a moment and said, "Chengdu?"
"No."
Shen Chen shook his head: "Chengdu is too far away from Jingzhou. Once the war in Jingzhou changes, it will be difficult to respond."
"What about Xiangyang?"
Liu Bei asked again.
Shen Chen shook his head again: "Xiangyang is too far away from Hanzhong. If something changes in Hanzhong, Jingzhou will not be able to rush to help immediately."
"Be the center."
Zhuge Liang thought for a while and asked, "Is it to decide on Jiangzhou?"
"good."
Shen Chen said: "Jiangzhou is the hub of the two places. From the east, you can rush to Jingzhou quickly, and from the north, you can immediately go to Hanzhong. Therefore, it is most suitable for General Zuo's station to be placed in Jiangzhou."
Liu Bei nodded: "Okay, we will be in Jiangzhou then. Kong Ming can follow me to Jiangzhou to govern Shu."
"There is also the matter of Huainan. We have obtained a small half of Lujiang County. In the east, we can intimidate Jiangdong, and in the north, we can attack Cao Cao in Jianghuai. We also need a general to garrison it."
"Who does Xiaoqing think is the most appropriate person to recommend?"
"My lord has many talents under his command, but I think the only ones who can be great generals on their own are Kong Ming, Shi Yuan, Uncle Yun Chang, Uncle Zi Long and Wen Zhongye."
Shen Chen said: "As for Uncle Yide, my lord knows that he likes to drink and cause trouble."
"Zilong?"
Liu Bei was surprised and said: "Xiaoqing thinks Zilong can lead an army alone?"
"Exactly."
Shen Chen nodded seriously.
In fact, later generations often believe that there is only one person in Liu Bei's group who can take the lead, and that is Zhuge Liang. The other Pang Tong died early, and Guan Yu had character flaws, and eventually defeated Maicheng.
But Shen Chen thought that Zhao Yun could do it, because Zhao Yun had a calm personality and had clever tricks, such as the famous Empty City Strategy, which he used in the Battle of Hanzhong. He successfully defeated the weak and the strong, leading an army to defeat Cao Cao himself. force.
Later, when Zhuge Liang came out of Qishan, he was defeated in the Battle of Jieting due to Ma Su's wrong tactics. It was only because Zhao Yun gathered his troops in time, defended Jigu, and personally led the troops to cut off the rear that he did not cause any major losses.
Therefore, in his opinion, Zhao Yun is a reliable general, even if he cannot reach the level of Guan Yu who overwhelmed the seven armies and shocked China. But if Zhao Yun is placed in Jingzhou, there is a high probability that he will not be defeated in Maicheng.
It's just that in a certain sense, Zhao Yun's current substantive status is actually not high.
In the current Liu Bei Group, those who are most trusted by Liu Bei are definitely Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tong, and Fazheng.
Needless to say, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed Liu Bei when he raised troops in Zhuojun, and he was his most trusted right-hand man.
Shen Chen is almost the same.
When he was in Xuzhou, Liu Bei saw Shen Chen's ability, just like even if Chen Deng didn't leave with Liu Bei, Liu Bei would still praise Chen Deng for his heroic spirit when he arrived in Jingzhou.
Although Shen Chen had not yet defected to Liu Bei at that time, the two sides had already established a foundation of friendship.
It is precisely because Shen Chen told him a long time ago that if he is desperate in the future, he should go to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao, that he is where he is today.
What's more, Shen Chen still led troops to join. Jingzhou's 100,000 troops are now under his command. In terms of military status, he is higher than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In terms of political significance and making suggestions for Liu Bei, he is not inferior to Zhuge Liang.
As for Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tongfazheng, and Shen Chen, they all helped him plan Jingzhou and Yizhou. It was precisely because of them that Liu Bei was able to obtain such a large territory.
So these seven people are the core layer of Liu Bei Group.
As for Zhao Yun and Tai Shici, since they were not original members like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, nor did they lead troops to join, or make suggestions, their status was not as good as those of the seven of them.
The status is roughly the same as that of Mi Zhu, Sun Qian and other people who followed Xuzhou, and even Taishi Ci's status may be higher than that of Zhao Yun.
Because Zhao Yun went back to attend the funeral for a while after his brother died of illness, he was absent from Liu Bei's experience in Xuzhou.
This is just like the selection of founding marshals, generals, and generals in later generations. No matter how outstanding your military achievements are, it is difficult to be selected if you are absent from the three major uprisings and the Long March.
Therefore, Zhao Yun's status at this time belongs to the second level, and his position will be relatively behind.
Probably ranked after Jian Yong, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Tai Shi Ci and others, and about the same status as Shi Ren, Liu Yan, Yuan Wei, Xia Hou Zuan and others.
If Liu Bei needed to find someone to lead the army alone to guard Huainan, he might choose one of Shen Chen, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong or Wenpin, but he would never think of Zhao Yun.
Only Shen Chen strongly recommends it.
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, nodded slightly and said: "Okay, in that case, I will order Zhao Yun to station in Xunyang."
"As well as Hanzhong and Chengdu, there are also troops stationed there."
"In addition, south of Yizhou and south of Jingzhou, although these places are remote, they cannot be underestimated. For example, Yinan is rich in iron, gold, silver, and copper. Jingnan has good sunlight, so double-cropping rice can be used to produce food."
"As for the issue of local governance, my lord can use more talents from the famous families in the two places. The land in one county should still be able to be managed well."
"If Mr. Wenhe is in Xiangyang, he can also make suggestions. There will be no war in Jingzhou for at least five years."
"."
Shen Chen also gave a lot of suggestions, such as garrisoning troops in various places, domestic political management, foreign affairs, economic development, etc.
Liu Bei basically adopted them one by one.
At the end, when everything was almost said, Zhuge Liang said softly: "Every governance issue has been dealt with, so it's time to talk about the last thing."
"What's the matter?"
Liu Bei asked in surprise.
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "My lord, please don't forget that there is still a marriage. Sun Quan has sent envoys several times to ask when my lord can marry his sister. I think he can't wait."
When Liu Bei mentioned this matter again, he could only smile bitterly and said: "Forget it, then send an envoy to Jiangdong to deal with this matter."
He actually didn't want to agree.
But Zhuge Liang also said before that they needed an excuse to go to war with Jiangdong.
And if Sun Quan sends his sister here, Sun Shangxiang will definitely be the one to blame.
At that time, they can use their trick and ask Sun Shangxiang to pass some false information back.
Once Sun Quan was fooled and took the initiative to provoke a war, then they would have a legitimate reason to send troops to Jiangdong.
Therefore, for the sake of the great cause, Liu Bei could only agree to get married.