Does anyone really put personal morality above national unity?
Hearing Chen Mu's affirmative answer, Tian Feng was filled with astonishment.
The current situation in the three states of Qingjiyou is uncertain, and the attitudes of the three parties are unclear. If the person in power on one side acts based on personal emotions, is it a good thing?
A ruler who has personal preferences but cannot make decisions in the face of major issues of right and wrong will probably not last long.
For a moment, Tian Feng's eyes showed a look of uncertainty, the hall was extremely quiet, and everyone fell into silence.
In fact, even great men also commented on Liu Bei this way. Liu Bei was good at uniting all forces because he was moral and many people believed in him. However, he could not distinguish between primary and secondary conflicts and was too emotional.
Such a person can be regarded as a reckless hero at best. He may be able to barely get a place to live in the midst of being displaced, but he cannot become a tyrant like Cao Cao and conquer most of the world.
It's really because of the monarch's strong personal emotions that he adds a touch of romance to the sworn brotherhood in Taoyuan. It's hard to get rid of that, isn't it?
After a while, Tian Feng breathed a long sigh of relief, shook his head and said: "It is definitely not a good thing for the Lord to be so cavalier."
Chen Mu smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Yuan Hao, that's why he is my eldest brother. Brother Yuan Hao, think about it, if you were under Yuan Shao and with your upright character, you contradicted him many times, what would Yuan Shao do?"
Tian Feng remained silent. He actually didn't know much about Yuan Shao, but if he thought about it carefully, anyone who had been wronged by him so many times would probably have been punished long ago.
Only Ming Gong was generous and tolerant many times and never criticized him harshly. Even if he was imprisoned once in the past few years, he later bowed and apologized.
Such a lord was simply a breath of fresh air among the various princes at that time.
"I think it's not that Liu Shijun was unaware of Gongsun Zan's threat, but he just didn't want to break up with him and betray his morality."
At this moment, Yan Zhong suddenly spoke.
He had been silent before because he had just joined and his official position had not yet been determined, so he did not have much say in front of Liu Bei.
But now only Tian Feng, Chen Mu and Xurong are present, so naturally we can have a chat.
"Ming Gong knows?"
Tian Feng was puzzled. Seeing how much Liu Bei trusted Gongsun Zan, he didn't seem to be suspicious of Gongsun Zan.
However, Chen Mu said: "Eldest brother is not a fool. How could he not know what Gongsun Zan is thinking? He just doesn't want to say it out of love."
"Um......"
Tian Feng nodded and said, "Zi Gui, how do you think Gongsun Zan should be handled?"
Chen Mu shook his head: "It's still too far to talk about his problem. We should prioritize things clearly. Solve Yuan Shao first, and then talk about Gongsun Zan's problem."
At present, the situation in the north is similar to that of the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan have united to resist Yuan Shao.
Among the three, Yuan Shao was the strongest, equivalent to Cao Wei, while Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were equivalent to Liu Han and Sun Wu. The two of them formed an alliance and fought Yuan Shao to a 50-50 draw.
Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan are still very close to each other, but they have some differences recently regarding the ownership of the north after defeating Yuan Shao.
According to Liu Bei's wishes, Hebei must of course belong to the imperial court and be governed by officials sent by the Luoyang imperial court.
Gongsun Zan believed that the two of them were divided in half, with Liu Bei taking Bohai, Qinghe, Hejian, Anping and the land close to Qingzhou, while Gongsun Zan was taking Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhao State, Weijun, Julu and other places.
Judging from the map alone, it is equivalent to splitting the entire Jizhou in the middle, and each person gets half. But Gongsun Zan can actually think of any idea with his toes.
Assuming that Yuan Shao was defeated and Jizhou was captured by the two of them, Gongsun Zan wanted to monopolize Jizhou, but Liu Bei definitely didn't want to.
Therefore, the best result is a 50-50 score, unless he immediately breaks up with Liu Bei after beating Yuan Shao.
But no matter from any point of view, it is not in Gongsun Zan's interests to have a direct conflict with Liu Bei or for the two to part ways.
Therefore, he has to take Jizhou on the left side. He can take Guanzhong from Bingzhou, or he can go south to Yanzhou. There are at least a few ways out.
However, because Liu Bei disagreed with his idea, the two sides had several arguments, but no result was reached. Finally, under Tian Yu's persuasion, the two reached an agreement to shelve the dispute and first defeat Yuan Shao and occupy Jizhou.
Many people just think that Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan just have some minor differences.
However, in the eyes of people like Tian Feng, they have already seen the irreconcilable contradiction between them.
This is not a question of occupying space, but a question of ideology.
Liu Bei respects the Luoyang court as the main one, so after establishing the territory, whether it is to establish his image as a loyal minister, or whether he is really loyal to the court, he must not point fingers at Jizhou, but should leave the problem to Liu Yu to deal with.
As for Gongsun Zan, after he became ambitious and powerful, he no longer paid attention to the court in Luoyang. It was just because of Liu Bei that he couldn't do it openly.
But it was absolutely impossible for him to hand over the country he had worked so hard to conquer to the Luoyang court.
Therefore, there was a great ideological conflict between the two sides.
The conflict has not yet broken out because both of them are concerned about their former reputation and have a common enemy. Once Yuan Shao is defeated, Tian Feng feels that the next war will inevitably break out between Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei.
But since Chen Mu said it was too early to talk about Gongsun Zan, Tian Feng had nothing to say, and sighed and said: "Zi Gui is right, it is still too early to talk about Gongsun Zan, but Yuan Shao is also very difficult here. I know you
Neither I nor Ming Gong want to use the salt-cutting strategy, but other than that, is there any other way?"
Chen Mu smiled and said softly: "Brother Yuan Hao is in a hurry?"
"Very urgent?"
Tian Feng was a little confused at first: "What's the rush?"
"Eager to eradicate Yuan Shao."
"I'm not in a hurry. It's just that Qingzhou has enough money and good morale now. It's time to send out troops in one fell swoop."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "But fighting requires money. If the money is sufficient now, it does not mean that it will be sufficient in the future."
Chen Mu shook his head and said: "Qingzhou does not conduct large-scale conscription now just to maintain the stability of Luoyang and Qingzhou. The more grain Qingzhou produces and the more salt it sells, the more anxious we are."
Tian Feng thought for a while and thought: "What does Zigui mean?"
"The ones who are anxious are Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan."
Chen Mu laughed.
Qingzhou’s current grand strategy mainly highlights “stability”.
Where is the stability?
There are not many soldiers on the border. There are only 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers in the outer areas. Adding the county soldiers and county soldiers from various prefectures, the total force in the state is only about 80,000. Even if Luoyang is included, it is only 140,000.
As for Yuan Shao, there are about 200,000 troops distributed on the front line, as well as soldiers from various counties and counties and tens of thousands of people defending Luoyang in the west. The total force can actually reach 250,000 to 600,000, and the overall strength is quite terrifying.
However we need to know one thing.
That is, the total military strength and the number of troops dispatched are actually asymmetrical. There are so many troops in the country, but it does not mean that they are all included in the expedition.
Let’s take the Battle of Guandu as an example.
According to "Three Kingdoms·Wei Lue", during the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao's total military strength was 30,000, but he only brought more than 30,000 people to the front line. There were also a large number of reserves and defenders in the rear to defend against other forces.
For example, Cao Ren was ordered to defend Yangzhai to cover the left side of the back; Cai Yang was ordered to lead his troops to garrison Ye County to prevent the Runan Yellow Turban Army Liu Pi, Gong Hao and other troops; Cao Hong was ordered to lead his troops to be stationed in Wan County to defend Jingzhou Liu Biao;
Li Tong led his troops and Pu Chong, the prefect of Runan, stationed in Runan to prepare for Sun Ce.
There was also Xun Yu who guarded Xuchang and knew everything in the rear area. Zhong Yao supervised the transportation of grain and grass to Guanzhong, and sent additional guards to Guanzhong to control the salt administration, recruit refugees, and carry out reclamation.
According to historical records, if you include the reserves in the rear and the defenders guarding other forces, Cao Cao's total military strength is at least about 100,000. After all, he has been fighting in the south and north in recent years. Before the Battle of Guandu, his territory had exceeded
Yuan Shao's overall strength is only one level behind Yuan Shao.
The same is true for Yuan Shao. He led 120,000 troops to fight against Cao Cao. He also had a large number of reserves and defenders in the rear to guard against the barbarian forces in the north. Therefore, his total military strength was naturally more than 200,000. This will be discussed later.
There is clear evidence in beating Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang.
Therefore, the total strength and the strength that can be deployed are not the same concept. Although Liu Bei's total strength is 140,000, the number of troops that can be deployed is basically between 70,000 and 80,000. There is still a gap between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao in terms of hard power.
But does this mean that Liu Bei's real strength is worse than Yuan Shao?
Obviously not.
Before the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao's hard power was worse than that of Yuan Shao. This was because he committed suicide and conquered Xuzhou three times, which left Xuzhou riddled with holes. In addition, Luoyang and Yuzhou were affected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's Rebellion.
The country is in decline and the people are in difficulty.
Therefore, at that time, Cao Cao only had a large territory, and the population, economy, agriculture, etc. under his rule were far inferior to those of Jizhou. If he had not obtained Qingzhou soldiers to camp in the fields in his early years and barely support the army, Cao Cao's power would have collapsed at that time.
Now, although Liu Bei's Qingzhou has far less cultivated land than Jizhou, what about Luoyang?
Hanoi and Henan are also part of the North China Plain, as well as the two counties of Hongnong and Yingchuan. The four places combined have a large amount of cultivated land. In addition, the population that was forcibly moved to Guanzhong during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion has returned, although it is not as good as that near Luoyang in its heyday.
It has a population of two million, but there are also nearly a million people.
Therefore, in terms of population, the actual total population of Qingzhou and Luoyang combined is very different from that of Jizhou. Although there is a big gap in cultivated land area, after all, the North China Plain is not like you, but overall it is not too different.
The governance of the two parties is not at the same level. Chen Mu and Jushou made many policies for the development of Qingzhou very early on.
Suppress powerful powers internally, support the small-scale peasant economy, streamline the army externally, and develop industries. Based on sea salt, commerce is prosperous, agriculture is developed, education is booming, warehouses are piled with coins and grains, and grain prices are so low that merchants from all over the country come to buy grains.
sale.
All of this is based on the fact that Qingzhou has a small army, does not need to spend a lot of money to maintain so many troops, and can ensure self-sufficiency. At the same time, it uses Gongsun Zan to contain Yuan Shao and develops secretly.
If an all-out war breaks out now, Liu Bei will grit his teeth and cut off the annual taxes to the Luoyang court, cut off the annual subsidies for agriculture, food, and salt prices to the people of Qingzhou, cut off the annual educational funds to Taishan Academy, and cut off the entire Qingzhou
With the high salary of officials, he definitely has the strength to raise more than 200,000 troops in such a short period of time to compete with Yuan Shao.
So to put it simply, Liu Bei has been pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger, and has been borrowing power. He pretends to have a small army to the outside world, and stabilizes the situation internally. He uses Gongsun Zan to contain Yuan Shao. In order to ensure that the other party is eliminated, the two of them are
In the military competition, Liu Bei maintains a small standing army on the surface and secretly engages in economic development.
After the Battle of Geting, Yuan Shao was wiped out many troops, but now his troops have been increasing. Gongsun Zan was also attacked head-on, and the entire Baima Yi army was wiped out. His cavalry suffered heavy casualties, but he could not reduce his troops and could only
They constantly recruited troops from Youzhou and hired soldiers and horses from the Hu people in the north.
As a result, both Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan are in a stagnant state in terms of overall strength. Economy, politics, commerce, and agriculture can at most maintain an order without collapse. If we talk about how good the conditions in their respective territories are, it is obvious that
I just thought too much.
As for who wrote this series of strategies and operations, there is no need to say more.
Including the Battle of Geting, it was all arranged by him.
In order for Qingzhou to develop steadily over the years, accumulate strength, and defeat Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in one fell swoop, Chen Mu took great pains and would rather accept the defeat of the Battle of Geting to create the current situation in order to complete the annexation of the north in the future.
grand strategy!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Tian Feng listened to his words, pondered for a long time, and finally nodded: "Yes, it is indeed Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan who are anxious. They have great internal pressure and spend every year on the army.
They have spent a lot of money on it, so they all hope for a quick solution."
"So there's really no need for us to be too hasty."
Chen Mu said: "We used Gongsun Zan to contain Yuan Shao together, forcing Yuan Shao to be unable to develop. Gongsun Zan's northern land is already barren. Now he has 60,000 troops and horses. It is the limit. Any further expansion of the army will inevitably lead to civil strife. Both of them are anxious.
If we continue to consume, we will be the dominant side, isn't it?"
"Um."
Tian Feng pondered for a moment and asked: "Then Yi Zigui, is it possible that he intends to continue the confrontation and continue to consume?"
"No."
Chen Mu shook his head: "The confrontation has been going on for two years. If it continues, when will it end? So I thought of a plan. Although it is not as effective as your salt-cutting strategy in terms of grand strategy, it can force Gongsun Zan to leave Jizhou.
.”
"Forcing Gongsun Zan to leave?"
Tian Feng was confused: "What good will it do to us to force him away?"
Chen Mu smiled mysteriously: "After forcing Gongsun Zan away, Yuan Shao's pressure dropped sharply. By that time, he will also make some wrong decisions."
Well, what if the headwind becomes a tailwind?
Jizhou has planted so many nails, it's time for them to play their role.
Tian Feng was confused by Chen Mu's words. What wrong decision could Yuan Shao make?
Gongsun Zan was forced to leave, and he was afraid that he would die of joy. When the time came, he would have two strategies.
The first is to continue going north, eliminate Gongsun Zan, stabilize the rear, and then move south.
The second is to take action against Liu Bei immediately to eliminate future troubles.
The latter is definitely a retarded move, Yuan Shao cannot choose, after all, Gongsun Zan may come back at any time to steal his ass.
Then Yuan Shao will definitely choose the former.
At present, Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei will benefit from both sides, and will suffer from both sides if they separate.
Since Liu Bei's army was all infantry, its mobility was poor, and it used a large number of rivers and lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River for defense. Some of them were naval troops, and the army only had about 50,000 soldiers.
At that time, Yuan Shao only needs to arrange 100,000 men to defend Luoyang and Qingzhou, and use the city to defend. The main force will go north to deal with Gongsun Zan and completely eliminate future troubles.
After stabilizing Youzhou, it is the right thing to go south to have a showdown with Liu Bei. Could it be that Yuan Shao would make another stupid move?
With such doubts, Tian Feng asked Chen Mu: "What plan does Zigui use to force Gongsun Zan to leave?"
Chen Mu said calmly: "Withdraw the troops from Yi Mu in Ling County, Qian County, and completely shrink the plains!"