Dongwu took advantage of Cao's army's defeat in Nanyang and launched a surprise attack north of the Yangtze River. Although Zhou Yu captured Lujiang, Sun Quan failed in Hefei.
Although Huang Gai accidentally killed Huang Zu in revenge, Guan Yu dominated Jiangxia, and many plans of Soochow were completely disrupted.
For Soochow, it was like killing an old wolf but provoking a fierce tiger. Not only was there no hope of taking Jiangxia, but they had to worry about Guan Yu crossing the river to attack.
At this time, Cao Cao sent Cao Ren to lead 50,000 elite troops to assist Huainan and Xiahou Dun to guard Guangling. The plan to occupy Huai and defend the river also came to nothing.
Sun Quan had no choice but to withdraw from Chaohu, ordered Zhou Yu to return to Chaisang, sent Sun Yu to guard Lujiang and Zhu Huan to guard Ruxu, and then returned to Jiangdong.
During the Battle of Hefei, the prestige he had accumulated over the past few years plummeted. Sun Quan regarded it as a lifelong shame and vowed to take revenge. Worried about Cao Jun's revenge, he moved his headquarters from Wu County to Jingkou and defended it along the river.
After hearing that Liu Qi inspected Jingnan, pacified Jingzhou, made peace with Cao Cao, and arranged a new wedding for Zhang Fei, Sun Quan was worried and asked Lu Su to discuss matters with Zhang Zhao.
Lu Su said with emotion: "Liu Qi made a surprise move and defeated Cao's army. I'm afraid no one in the world expected it! Although Cao and Liu communicated with each other, it was just Liu Qi who had hostages. Cao's thieves were willing to compromise, and they hated him so much that he wanted to take revenge. Things. And Liu Qi is a nobleman of the Han Dynasty. He also claims to inherit Liu Xuande's ambition to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty and recruit his soldiers. He must first eliminate the thieves and King Qin. Although the two sides appear to be compatible, in fact there must be a secret fight!"
Zhang Zhao sneered and said: "Although Liu Qi has shown great brilliance, I think it is just a flash in the pan. We should destroy him before his wings are full."
Sun Quan frowned and said: "Liu Qi ordered Guan Yu to go out to Zhenjiang Xia, which is not comparable to that of Huang Zu. He also trained his navy in Dongting. Going upstream to attack Jingzhou is not something that happens overnight. Once troops are sent out, Cao's army will come to retaliate. What should we do?"
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and smiled and said: "Liu Qi arranged a marriage for Zhang Fei, but it was just to win Zhang Fei's heart. It is not a marriage. In terms of in-laws, my lord and the Cao family are close relatives. Previously, he wanted to ask me to send his son to the court, why not Order to go and make peace with the Cao family? Cao Cao stationed troops in Xuchang, and he must be eager to kill Liu Qi and take revenge. He agreed to send out troops in two groups to divide Jingzhou. The Lord will take the land south of Jing, and cross the river to defend the south of the Yangtze River, which will be enough to protect the foundation!"
Sun Quan said displeasedly: "I thanked the envoy earlier, and now I have taken the land of Huainan. I have broken with the Cao family. If we make peace again, won't Gu become the villain who repeats the two ends of the rat?"
"If you can achieve great things, why should you stick to trivial matters?" Zhang Zhao clasped his fists and said: "I am willing to go to Hebei in person to face the Holy Spirit and persuade Cao Cao with a smooth tongue. This will not only relieve the danger in Jiangdong, but also show my lord's loyalty to the emperor. This will achieve multiple things with one stone. "
Sun Quan hesitated and looked at Lu Su, who was silent and said: "Zijing, what do you think?"
Lu Su said: "Being with Cao is like seeking the skin of a tiger. I foolishly thought that we should not join forces with Liu to fight against Cao's thieves."
Sun Quan stared blankly and shouted coldly: "Liu Biao and I have a grudge against killing our father. We have no sworn relationship with Liu Biao and his son. How can we join forces?"
Lu Su cupped his fists and said: "Now Huang Zu has been killed by Huang Gai. The great revenge of our ancestors has been avenged, which is a great comfort to the hero's soul! Liu Qi lay down on the firewood and tasted his courage, so he destroyed the Cai family. My lord, Xiong Lue, is far superior to King Gou Jian of Yue, and his bearing should be the same."
Zhang Zhao sneered and said: "Although Huang Zu is dead, Liu Biao is still alive. If he joins forces with the Liu family, wouldn't he recognize the thief as his father? Liu Qi, the child of Huangkou, won by luck, how can he be a hero like the Marquis of Wu?"
Lu Su said slowly: "Jingzhou and Jiangdong are closely related. If Cao Cao wins Jingzhou, half of the country will be in his hands. How can Jiangdong, a small country, be safe?"
"Why did Lu Zijing say this?" What he said made Sun Quan look livid and he said angrily: "I inherited the inheritance from my father and brother and worked hard for seven or eight years. I have enough troops and food, so why should I be afraid of Cao Cao's thieves?"
Lu Su lowered his head and said nothing, Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and sneered. Sun Quan took a deep breath and asked the two of them to retreat and think alone.
In the evening, Sun Quan sent someone to secretly invite Lu Su to the study. He cupped his fists and said, "I hope you won't blame me for the collision during the dinner today."
Lu Su laughed and said, "I had known that Marquis Wu was feigning anger and had already sent someone to invite Gong Jin to discuss matters!"
Sun Quan was startled: "How could Zijing know this?"
Lu Su said: "In the current situation, if we don't join forces with Liu, we will have to fight with Cao. The Lord has not allowed me to be a saint, which shows that I may not be willing to serve Cao. What I said during the dinner is just to satisfy the people of Jiangdong!"
"Those who know me are Zijing!" Sun Quan sighed with emotion: "Since my brother was assassinated, I have tried my best to stabilize all the tribes in Jiangdong and use their talents. However, people's hearts are different and they only seek personal gain. I don't know how many people contributed to the defeat of Hefei. The Cao thieves were frightened and secretly traveled to the north of the Yangtze River. You must be on your guard."
Lu Su sighed: "Cao Cao suffered a heavy blow in Nanyang and moved his capital to Yecheng. His prestige plummeted, which shows that he may not be unable to win! The people in Jiangdong only want to be safe to protect their family business. If they want to achieve great things, they need the Lord to be self-reliant."
Sun Quan shook his head helplessly and frowned: "In the past, we discussed world affairs with Zijing. Zijing proposed a strategy to capture Jingzhou and occupy the Yangtze River to see the situation in the world. Why do you want to join forces with Liu Qi now? If Jingzhou is not captured, it will be difficult to form a tripartite force. also!"
Lu Su replied: "In the past, Liu Biao had no plans and his two sons were useless. If the north was not peaceful and Cao Cao had no time to visit eastward, he could take the opportunity to capture Jingzhou and then plot Bashu to fight against Cao Cao. Now that Liu Qi has risen, he has captured Guan Zhang and other tiger generals, and Jingzhou It is difficult to get off in a hurry. Now that the north is peaceful, Cao Cao has the intention to go to the south of the Yangtze River. The timing is different, so he should make other plans."
Sun Quan frowned and said, "But if we unite with Liu Qi, wouldn't we be laughed at by everyone in the world?"
"Since ancient times, when you have become a king and defeated bandits, how can you be afraid of what others say when you want to achieve great things?" Lu Su said: "If you become a king and a hegemon, people in the future will praise your lord for his ability to bend and stretch, and to judge the situation. Just like Gou Jian, the king of Yue, if the restoration of the country fails, there may be another disaster. Being laughed at for overestimating one's abilities and making oneself self-defeating will be a joke for the ages!"
"Zijing's words made me enlightened!" Sun Quan's eyes lit up and he puffed up his chest: "My late brother once said: If you don't decide on foreign affairs, ask Zhou Yu. When Gong Jin arrives tomorrow, we can discuss important matters together."
The next day Zhou Yu sailed overnight to Jingkou, paid homage to Sun Quan, and laughed and said, "Congratulations, my lord, congratulations, my lord."
Sun Quan said in astonishment: "Where does joy come from?"
Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Yesterday, I came to report carefully. Liu Qi took advantage of the occasion when Cao was seeing off his bride, defrauded Cao Cao of his green sword, and won the Wuguan. Cao and Liu looked so good at each other that they were defeated without attacking. Isn't it true that we can just sit back and watch? happiness?"
Sun Quan glanced at Lu Su and said with a smile: "Cao Cao was deceived by Liu Qi's son again, and he will be angry and raise an army. I just took advantage of the situation to capture Jingzhou. I understand that Liu Qi's son, even if he has three heads and six arms, he will not be able to take care of his head and tail."
"Absolutely not!" Zhou Yu waved his hand to dissuade him: "Cao and Liu are fighting. My lord cannot send troops to Jingzhou. Instead, we should take the opportunity to go north. Only in this way can we become hegemonic!"
"Liu Biao and I have a grudge for killing my father. This is a God-given opportunity. How can we miss it?"
Sun Quan then informed Zhang Zhao of what he had said yesterday and asked, "What is Mr. Zhang's plan?"
Zhou Yu heard this and said angrily: "You old bald old man, do you want to surrender to Cao Cao?"
Lu Su smiled and asked, "I wonder what the Governor has to say?"
Zhou Yu smiled proudly: "If Liu Qi dies soon and Cao Cao goes south, it will be a big disadvantage to Jiangdong. Why not regard him as a guard dog to contain Cao's thieves? Someone has a clever plan. Sooner or later, the lord's great revenge will be avenged, and Jingzhou will be captured easily."
