Qian County, the front line of Jizhou battlefield.
"Oh no, no, no, no, big brother, something big has happened."
Chen Mu walked into the hall hurriedly, and before he even entered the door, his restless voice could already be heard.
Liu Bei was reading official documents in the hall and was surprised when he saw him hurried in.
My fourth brother has always been able to face the situation with a smile even when things are tough.
What kind of emergency could make him so anxious?
"Fourth brother, what's wrong?"
Liu Bei put down the official document and asked confusedly.
Chen Mu walked over quickly, put the secret letter in his hand on his desk, and said in a deep voice: "Something happened in Henan."
"What's up?"
Liu Bei frowned. The confrontation is still going on in the north. Is there already trouble in the south?
He took the secret letter and only glanced at it, his brows furrowed deeper.
The first line above says that Lu Bu attacked Xuzhou and faced the coalition forces of Cao and Sun. Although they were defeated, Sun Jian was seriously injured and Yuzhou was in danger.
Although Yuan Shu sold Lu Bu, Liu Yao was too weak to compete with him.
The reason why Liu Yao was able to persist for so long was because of Liu Biao Sun Jian's restraint.
On the frontal battlefield, Sun Jian's front line was at least 30,000 strong at the Shouchun front in Jiujiang, while Liu Biao's 40,000 strong force was attacking Lujiang. They were attacking from both sides, and Yuan Shu was tired of dealing with it.
Liu Yao's total strength was only 20,000. His only role was to harass enemy lines. Most of the other time, he was mainly on defense.
Because Yuan Shu's main force was restrained by Liu Biao and Sun Jian, and because the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River had a large number of water systems, lakes, and rivers that could be used for defense, Liu Yao was able to resist until now.
However, as Sun Jian's main force was transferred to the Yanzhou battlefield in the north, the pressure on Yuan Shu's front line was reduced sharply. There was no longer a need to deploy a large number of troops in Shouchun, and the 50,000-strong army marched eastward.
Liu Yao sent four generals, Yu Mi, Fan Neng, Zhang Ying, and Chen Heng, to resist. However, due to the huge disparity in strength, they eventually defeated Yangxian and fled south to Yuzhang.
Yuan Shu took care of the rear and no longer had any worries, so he took advantage of the fact that Sun Jian was seriously injured and the Yuzhou army was leaderless, so he sent his troops to the west and went north to attack Runan, Pei and other places.
Although Sun Ce resisted desperately, he was helplessly weak. Originally, the alliance between the three of them was indispensable. Now without Liu Yao, most of the frontline troops are still missing. Even if Liu Biao is still containing Lujiang, he can no longer stop Yuan Shu.
pace.
"Brother, Sun Wentai is our important ally. If he is defeated, Yuzhou will be captured by Yuan Shu. By then, Yuan Shu will control Yuzhou and Yangzhou, and his strength may not be much worse than Yuan Shao."
Chen Mu stood behind Liu Bei, his voice was low, but the original panic in his eyes had long since disappeared, and there was a hint of coldness in his eyes as he continued: "We must not just sit idly by."
Liu Bei said calmly: "Yes, we really cannot sit idly by and ignore it. In my opinion, what should we do?"
"Of course we will send troops south."
Chen Mu said without hesitation.
Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and said: "If this is the case, then Jizhou may not have enough troops."
Chen Mu advised: "Zuo Zhuan says: Act according to the times and live according to virtue. Now that the general trend of the world has changed, the old strategic principles should no longer be used, and new strategies should be applied. We can no longer continue to follow
Jizhou will be consumed."
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "Fourth brother, sit down and speak slowly."
Chen Mu then sat down, looked at Liu Bei and said seriously: "Brother, our previous strategy was to use Youzhou Gongsun Zan, Luoyang's second brother, and Qingzhou as the fulcrum to encircle Jizhou. One was to limit the development of Jizhou, and the other was to regain it for the imperial court.
North, but now that the situation in the south is more serious, we have to turn to the south."
"Yuan Shu has eliminated Liu Yao and has no worries anymore. His strength is the best in the south. Sun Jian was seriously injured this time. Yuzhou is leaderless. Liu Biao alone can no longer stop him. Once Sun Jian is eliminated, Yuan Shu's next target will definitely be Liu Biao
And Cao Cao."
"Although Liu Biao is not weak in strength, he cannot compare with Yuan Shu after all. As for Cao Cao, he only has tens of thousands of soldiers. Even if he defeated Lu Bu, he can only take a breath now, and there is no way he can withstand Yuan Shu's attack for long.
"
"When Yuan Shu defeats Cao Cao, Liu Biao will definitely not be able to hold on for long. By then, all the south will belong to Yuan Shu. Although this seems to have nothing to do with us, brother, don't forget that Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao both come from the Yuan family. Regardless of whether they are divided
Even if they are together, it is certain that they will harbor treacherous intentions."
"When the time comes that we are attacked from the north and the south, we will be extremely passive. Unless we can eliminate Yuan Shao in a short time, Yuan Shao is so powerful that it will take three to five years to defeat him. Therefore, once the two Yuan Shao become powerful,
If the tail is too big to fall off, the world will probably remain in chaos for who knows how many years."
These words clearly analyzed the chaotic situation in the Central Plains at this time. Although the current melee among various princes in the south seems to have nothing to do with Liu Bei in Qingzhou in the north, the problem is that Yuan Shu, like Yuan Shao, belongs to different
Acknowledge the reactionary forces currently under the Liu and Yu court in Luoyang.
Although the other princes were also in separate regions, they nominally respected the imperial court as the master. However, these two people did not obey the imperial court's discipline at all. Yuan Shao supported the puppet emperor in the north, and Yuan Shu blatantly defied the imperial court's orders in the south and acted arbitrarily.
Kill the imperial ambassador.
Therefore, after eliminating the problem of internal strife between the two Yuans, once Yuan Shu takes shape in the south, it will be no less than the rise of another Yuan Shao, and there are no constraints in the south. It is already very difficult to deal with one Yuan Shao, let alone two at the same time.
Chen Mu's analysis logic was simple and clear, every sentence was accurate, and he also clearly told him the reason why he should go south first and then north. Liu Bei naturally understood this truth.
But he hesitated for a moment and asked: "What should we do in the north?"
"We can only take a temporary defensive stance."
Chen Mu pondered: "Withdraw from Jizhou in all aspects, stick to the defense system built on the plains, and no longer suppress Jizhou. At least 30,000 to 50,000 troops need to go south to control Yuan Shu. And we must start a new round of conscription.
, to cope with more severe challenges.”
"If we no longer pose a threat to Jizhou, then Gongsun Bogui's side..."
Liu Bei immediately realized the problem.
Just because he couldn't tell the priorities, it doesn't mean he's stupid. The main forces on the battlefield in Jizhou still come from the Qingzhou Army and the Luoyang Army. The combined strength of these two forces is about 140,000 to 50,000, while Gongsun Zan only has 50,000 to 60,000 troops. With the cooperation of the three parties,
There were exactly 200,000 troops confronting Yuan Shao's army of more than 200,000 troops.
Once Qingzhou begins to withdraw its troops, the frontal pressure will come to Gongsun Zan. It is easy for Gongsun Zan to withdraw his troops and return to Youzhou, but he is afraid that he has a strong personality and is unwilling to withdraw his troops. When the time comes, he will fight Yuan Shao to the death. This is what Liu Bei does not want to see.
matter.
Chen Mu said: "This matter requires my eldest brother to go to Nanpi in person and make a strong statement to Brother Bogui, telling him that we are going to save Meng Deyunchengwentai. I hope he will withdraw his troops and return to You for the sake of sharing the table together.
state."
The old moral kidnapped.
Logically speaking, what happened to Cao Cao, Bao Xin, Sun Jian and others, whether they would die or not, and whether Guan Gong and Sun Zan would die?
After all, Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were childhood friends and classmates. It was because of this relationship that Gongsun Zan always supported Liu Bei as the leader of the alliance when he challenged Dong. Moreover, Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei themselves also had great interests involved.
Why was Gongsun Zan able to gain momentum?
It's because he has a good relationship with Xianbei in the east north of Youzhou.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Tanshihuai unified Xianbei and caused great trouble during the reign of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.
However, since Tan Shihuai's death, the Xianbei tribes that he originally unified began to split, and the strength of the Xianbei people was not as good as before.
The Eastern Xianbei lived north of Youzhou, which was later known as Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia. Every winter, once severe cold weather occurred and a large number of cattle and sheep froze to death, they had to go south to plunder.
Chen Mu provided Gongsun Zan with liquor, Qingzhou provided him with grain, and salt and other daily necessities were sold to the north. The Xianbei people sold their cattle and sheep to him, and both sides took what they needed. The war between the Xianbei and the Han people,
It becomes very rare.
Every autumn and winter, herds of cattle and sheep arrive in Qingzhou, bringing a large amount of meat to Qingzhou people.
Although this is mutually beneficial to both parties, meat, eggs, and milk are the main sources of protein that people urgently need. Only by eating more meat can the body be strong. Today, the elite soldiers of Qingzhou are able to dominate the world, thanks to Gongsun Zan.
But no matter what, Gongsun Zan could not be where he is today without the help of brothers Liu Bei and Chen Mu. Everyone's interests are closely related, and it can be said that they are deeply entangled.
In comparison, his relationship with Cao Cao, Bao Xin and Sun Jian was very shallow.
In other words, they have been fighting side by side for two years.
So Chen Mu asked Liu Bei to use the lives of Cao Cao, Bao Xin, Sun Jian and others to persuade Gongsun Zan, which was actually moral kidnapping.
But Gongsun Zan still did this.
Because he is too loyal.
As long as you treat him as a brother, he will reluctantly agree even if his own interests are harmed.
For example, when Liu Bei wanted to leave him and go to Xuzhou, Gongsun Zan sent troops and even Zhao Yun to him. However, Zhao Yun's brother died later and he had no choice but to leave Liu Bei.
Therefore, Chen Mu's strategy can be said to be very targeted, taking advantage of Gongsun Zan's heroic character and the generous and chivalrous demeanor of the big brother.
This strategy will not work if you encounter someone like Cao Cao, because he has no morals and will never be kidnapped by morality.
In the late Han Dynasty, there was no such thing as moral kidnapping. After hearing Chen Mu's words, Liu Bei didn't feel anything wrong.
After all, he is also a man of loyalty. At that time, the five kings of the world all fought against Dong Zhuo together. The friendship is still there. I believe Gongsun Zan can also understand his dilemma.
At that moment, Liu Bei said: "Okay, Meng De Yuncheng and Wentai are as close as brothers to us, but we can't just watch their defeat. In this battle, you, fourth brother, will lead the army south to help Meng De and Wentai repel Yuan Shu."
Chen Mu shook his head and said, "No, my eldest brother must be here in person for this battle."
"oh?"
Liu Bei wondered: "Why?"
"Many forces in the south are intertwined, and the situation is extremely complicated. It is far from comparable to that in the north. Moreover, the princes from all over the country are involved this time, and the second brother has to lead the troops south. Only the identity of the eldest brother can coordinate them together."
Chen Mu gave his reasons.
There were too many princes from all walks of life in the south, and the situation was complicated. Moreover, too many troops could not be mobilized from the Qingzhou front line, so some troops had to be allocated from Luoyang and Guan Yu could lead the army.
Guan Yu was arrogant and often had his own opinions, so Liu Bei had to go in person.
If there is one person in this world who can completely subdue Guan Yu and make him obey orders unconditionally, it is only Liu Bei.
"Well."
Liu Bei muttered: "Okay, then I will go there in person and leave the plain to my fourth brother."
Chen Mu said: "When my eldest brother goes south this time, he can take his third brother Gong and Yuan Hao with him."
"good."
Liu Bei stood up: "I'm going to Nanpi now."
After that, he went out the door.
Summoning Zhang Fei and Dian Wei, and escorted by the two men and Xuanjia's heavy cavalry, Liu Bei went north that day to find Gongsun Zan.
Chen Mu stayed in Fuxian County to coordinate the withdrawal of troops.
...
...
Chenliu County, Jiyang County.
Lu Bu was defeated one after another and lost most of Yanzhou, leaving only Chen Liu.
At this moment, he was drinking wine in the mansion.
"Damn it, that Yuan Gongli actually deceived me like this. This thief is really abominable!"
Lu Bu got angrier and angrier as he drank, and slapped the table hard.
He now knew the reason for his failure. Yuan Shu actually stationed troops in Huailing and did not go north at all. Instead, he went east to fight against Liu Yao.
Now the news of Liu Yao's demise has spread throughout the south. No matter how stupid Lu Bu is, he knows that he is being used as a spearman.
Yuan Shu pretended to attack Xuzhou together with Lu Bu, diverted the tiger away from the mountain, and let Sun Jian's main force go north.
He also took advantage of the heavy rain in Huainan and went south from the Yangtze River to conquer Danyang and Wujun. In this way, he no longer had any worries.
He, Yuan Shu, felt comfortable, but he deceived Lu Bu miserably, and was severely beaten by Sun Jian and Cao Cao's family, losing most of Yanzhou.
Wei Ju mused at the side: "General, Yuan Jiujiu is indeed abominable, but the top priority now is to find a way to cheer up again and not to be depressed."
"Yes, Fengxian, we have to think of a way."
Zhang Yang also said.
Lu Bu drank all the wine in the jar in one gulp. The jar smashed on the table and broke into pieces. He said viciously: "Bo Xi, what do you think we should do?"
Wei Jian remembered the latest secret letter sent by the imperial court, and said softly: "The only plan now is to unite with Yuan Shu and fight against Cao Cao again."
"What?"
Lu Bu said angrily: "You still think that I was hurt badly enough by that Yuan Shu?"
Wei Jian smiled bitterly and said: "Ming Gong, I know you have a grudge in your heart, but now we only have one foreign aid, Yuan Shu. Besides, if this matter is what I expected, Yuan Shu's envoy should be coming to Jiyang soon."
"Does he still have the nerve to come?"
Lu Bu clenched his fist. Yuan Shu had tricked him, so he wasn't afraid that he would kill his envoy?
However, Wei Jian said: "Although Yuan Shu deceived the general, his goal has been achieved and the crisis in the rear area of Jiangdong has been relieved. His next step must be to deal with Sun Jian in Yuzhou. Sun Jian is now seriously injured and Yuzhou is leaderless. Yuan Shu cannot be against you.
If we are not tempted to go south, we will definitely choose to go north, which is our only way out."
Before Lu Bu could speak, a soldier suddenly came in from outside the door and said, "Report, General, General Zuo has sent an envoy to see you."