It is said that Liu Bei and Zhao Chen had a plan behind the screen. When they came out, they looked distressed. No matter how many people asked him, he refused to say anything and just looked at Tai Shi Ci and Sun Shao.
Taishi Ci was a loyal man. Since he had discovered that Liu Bei was troubled, he naturally wanted to ask questions.
He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty Liu is very considerate of mercy, so he sent someone a hundred miles away to invite us to enjoy the moon together. Today, since I know that I have something on my mind, and there is a place to gain mercy, I feel free to speak."
Zhao Chen saw that the atmosphere was almost overwhelming, so he stepped forward and pushed aside the crowd.
"Lord, you all have good intentions, why don't you let Chen do the talking."
Liu Bei nodded falsely.
Zhao Chen then revealed the reason: "I have just received news that Cao Cao of Yanzhou has raised one hundred thousand troops and marched towards Xiapi. Now he has defeated Xiaopei. The goal is very clear, which is to devour Xuzhou. My lord and all the soldiers' families are still here. Pi, our army has just experienced a big battle and has not yet been completely reorganized. We have insufficient food and grass and the army is exhausted, so I am afraid it will be difficult to resist Cao's army."
Before Zhao Chen finished speaking, Zhang Fei jumped up.
"Commander, what are you saying to be depressing! As long as you are here, I, Old Zhang, will not be afraid of Cao Cao! Back then, the 3,000 weak men were not afraid of Ji Ling's 30,000-strong army. Today, I am still afraid of Cao Cao."
Guan Yu also said: "The military advisor does not need to worry. We all believe that the military advisor will be able to defeat Cao's army."
Zhao Chen looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's decisive response and smiled knowingly.
Based on the habits of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, even if thousands of troops came, they would not take it seriously.
Zhang Fei drove away Cao Cao's thousands of troops by himself in front of Dangyang Bridge without any fear.
Guan Yu passed five passes and killed six generals, one man and one horse, making him invincible.
Is there any reason for these two people to be afraid? There will definitely be a clamor to send troops to meet the enemy.
The more they quarreled, the more satisfied Zhao Chen was.
This is the effect he wants.
Facing the scorching eyes of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Zhao Chen shook his head pretending to be helpless: "Chen knows that the two generals are brave enough to be worthy of all men. To take the general's head is to retrieve the treasure. But no matter how brave the two are, even if Chen has With thousands of strategies, we can only lead two groups of people. Our army does not have enough leading generals, how can we use our strategies to lead the army to defeat Cao Cao?"
As soon as Zhao Chen said this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could only look at each other and stare.
Everyone also fell into silence, helpless.
When Zhao Chen saw this, he immediately walked up to Tai Shici and said, "General Ziyi is a hero in the world, the most loyal and brave. Chen has an unkind request, please consider it."
Taishi Ci didn't know why. After all, Cao Cao's army came to attack Xuzhou and it had nothing to do with him.
Zhao Chen asked for his opinion in front of everyone, but he didn't know what the purpose was.
"Please tell me, Mr. Houde, as long as it is something that Ci can do, it is obligatory."
"Okay! General Ziyi is righteous, listen to Chen's words!"
"Cao Cao is in Yanzhou, and his ministers Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, etc. are all capable men. Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Dian Wei, etc. are all fierce generals. Now he has raised an army of 100,000 to attack Xiapi. In my opinion, Lu Bu is not Cao Cao's opponent. , it will definitely be destroyed by Cao Cao in a few days."
"Who is Cao Cao? He is a traitor to Cao Cao! After taking Pi, he will definitely send his troops south to capture Guangling, and then go south to Yangzhou, Jingzhou and other places. My lord Liu Xuande is determined to revitalize the Han Dynasty and will never allow Cao's traitor to do this, so he decided to lead his army northward, but he had no choice but to lead the army. There are not enough generals to fight against Cao Cao. Chen wants to ask General Ziyi to join our army and go north to fight against Cao Cao. I wonder what the general wants?"
Taishi Ci was very excited when he heard this.
When he made an agreement with Liu Bei to flank Sun Ce, he already admired Liu Bei very much. At that time, Zhao Chen also sent an invitation to him, asking him to join Liu Bei's account.
Unfortunately, as a minister, changing camps at will was not in line with Taishi Ci's loyalty. After much hesitation, he chose to return to Liu Yao's Qu'a.
Now that Zhao Chen has extended the invitation again, Taishi Ci is indeed willing to go north together, but...
"Mr. Houde, the envoy is a wise ruler who is benevolent and righteous. However, to give up Liu Zhengli and join the envoy's tent is against the principles of loyalty and righteousness. It is difficult for mercy to obey orders."
Zhao Chen quickly denied: "General Ziyi misunderstood. Chen did not want the general to be thrown into my lord's tent."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"I just want to ask General Ziyi for help and lead the army north to fight against Cao Cao."
"this……"
"Chen knows that General Ziyi can't let go of your master Liu Zhengli, but Chen's move is also for Yangzhou Liu Zhengli."
Taishi Ci looked at Zhao Chen with doubts in his eyes.
"Please give me some advice from Mr. Houde."
"If Cao Cao captures Xiapi, the momentum will be even greater, and then goes south to capture Guangling County. Can Liu Zhengli still live in peace in Qu'a? General Chen Xiang Ziyi should be able to understand this truth, and so can Liu Zhengli You should be able to understand.”
Taishi Ci suddenly understood, and after thinking for a moment, he replied: "Having said that, if Ci follows Liu Shijun north without authorization, my lord will inevitably have some ideas."
When Zhao Chen heard this, he knew that Tai Shici had already acquiesced in this matter, but it was difficult for Liu Yao to explain it.
He explained: "General Ziyi, don't worry. My master will write a letter explaining the reason for temporarily borrowing the general. After returning from the victory in the north, General Ziyi can return to Qu'a with peace of mind. What do you think, general?"
After speaking, Zhao Chen glanced at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
The two understood and persuaded Taishi Ci together.
"This... in this case, if Ci refuses any further, it will be unsatisfactory both emotionally and rationally. Mr. Liu, Ci is willing to go north with the army to fight against Cao Cao."
When Liu Bei heard this, he was overjoyed. He immediately held Tai Shici's hand and said, "The general's righteousness is a blessing to the people of Xuzhou, and it is also a blessing to Bei!"
Taishi Ci was deeply moved when he saw Liu Bei's excitement.
"Mr. Da Yi, saying this makes Ci feel a little guilty."
"Alas, how can General Ziyi feel guilty? I thank General Ziyi on behalf of the people of Xuzhou."
Liu Bei pulled Tai Shici to his side and cast an admiring look at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen smiled slightly. The way to survive in troubled times is to put people first. Borrowing generals and borrowing generals are always borrowed and never repaid. This is just like when Sun Ce asked Yuan Shu for the four generals of Sun Jian's old army, and Liu Bei asked Gongsun Zan for Zhao Yun. By borrowing, it becomes your own.
Besides, according to the historical process, Liu Yao will return to the west next year. After repelling Cao Cao, it will take one, two, three or four months. Taishi Ci will be a general without a master. Isn't this Liu Bei's?
Sun Shao on the side looked at the tacit cooperation between Zhao Chen and Liu Bei, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"What a double play!"
"As the saying goes, when the whole world is turbulent, I am alone in the clear, and when everyone is drunk, I am alone awake. Naturally, Chen's little scheme cannot be hidden from Mr. Changxu's eyes."
Zhao Chen slowly walked up to Sun Shao and bowed.
Sun Shao returned the greeting and said: "General Ziyi's heart has long belonged to Liu Shijun since the last time we said goodbye. Now, Mr. Houde has given General Ziyi a bright and righteous path."
"Mr. Dayi, my lord has always been eager for talents, and he never minced words. After our army goes north, the two important places of Guangling and Huaiyin need soldiers and civil servants to guard them. Guangling City has already made arrangements, but there are no suitable candidates for Huaiyin City yet. So. Mr. Changxu’s talents are overqualified to defend Huaiyin. I wonder if Mr. Changxu can help our army?”
Sun Shao's expression did not change as he said: "Huaiyin City is the supply route to the north. It is very important. Cutting off Huaiyin means cutting off the army's retreat. Mr. Houde dares to hand this important city into the hands of an outsider?"
Zhao Chen smiled and said: "Everyone knows that Mr. Changxu is loyal and will definitely complete whatever he has to do. Besides, Chen thinks that Mr. Changxu is one of his own, so how can he talk about it like an outsider?"
Sun Shao laughed loudly when he heard this.
"In this case, I and General Ziyi will help Liu Shijun go north."
Zhao Chen thanked him immediately: "Mr. Changxu is a generous man. I would like to thank you in advance on behalf of my lord."
It is easy to negotiate with smart people. You can understand the meaning in a few sentences, and there is no need to clarify between words.
Zhao Chen only needs to follow Sun Shao's wishes and say a few nice words, and everything will fall into place.
It's time to recruit two generals before we leave the army!
