Sun Quan buried Wu Guotai in Ganlu Temple with a state funeral, and handed over the military affairs to Liu Qi in person. He left Lu Yi and other close confidants to guard him, burn incense and chant sutras in the temple, and mourned him for three years.
Officials from all over the country had doubts in their hearts, but when they saw Sun Quan speaking in public, they were all surprised. How could such a major event be easily handed over to Liu Qi?
Although Liu Qi is the son-in-law of Jiangdong, he is an outsider after all. He also holds the position of Grand Sima and is in charge of Jingzhou and other places. Doesn't it mean that he is handing over a great foundation to others?
Although everyone was in shock, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Lu Su, Gu Yong and others all accepted the order. Even Han Dang and Lu Xun who came from Huainan had no objections. Although the others were full of doubts, they could only accept the order.
Liu Qi led everyone back to the city and appointed Lu Su as the governor of Yangzhou, Zhang Zhaohuan as the governor, Zhang Hong as the governor, and Zhuge Jin as the secretary of the general's office, specializing in coordinating Liu Qi and Jiangdong's civil and military affairs.
The remaining officials, large and small, were appointed and dismissed through consultation with Zhang Zhao and others. Generally speaking, they did not interfere in Jiangdong affairs, which made everyone even more confused.
Could it be that Liu Qi really had no intention of Jiangdong and just reluctantly took over due to feelings, but in fact he was doing it half-heartedly and wanted to wait until Jiangdong was completely in chaos before reaping the benefits?
Thinking of this, everyone yelled at Sun Fu and Sun Hao, the Sun family's children, who were all in trouble. They discussed in the hotel: they must do their job well after returning, and they must not let this outsider see Jiangdong's jokes.
The next day, Zhuge Jin and Zhang Zhao first arrived at the government office, clasped their fists and said with a smile: "The general's plan is indeed brilliant. With just a little guidance, officials from all over the country will change their minds. They will fulfill their responsibilities with their bold words and will not let outsiders laugh."
Zhang Zhao caressed his beard and sighed: "I didn't expect General Liu to be proficient in strategy and understand human nature. Although this is not a method of provoking generals, it is better than a method of provoking generals."
"Where is it!" Liu Qi laughed and said: "Since ancient times, public opinion has been the best guide to people's hearts, especially those mediocre people who have no opinions themselves, but just follow the trend. With a little guidance, they can be used to my advantage."
Everyone was convinced. Although they had not yet mastered the concept of public opinion, they also knew that people's words were terrible and the truth behind spreading rumors was just Liu Qi's statement being more straightforward.
At any time, public opinion must be guided by the official, and the mouthpiece must be in one's own hands. This is the principle of learning from the famous.
When Xiangyang's printing technology matures, the latest batch of newspapers and periodicals will be released soon. Only then will Cao Cao know what it means to be feared by people's words, and that public opinion can make gold.
While chatting, Lu Su, Han Dang, and Lu Xun also came to the government office to discuss preparations for war.
The Battle of Huainan severely damaged Soochow's vitality. The food and grass could barely sustain it, but more than half of its troops were lost. It was already weak but weak on the outside.
Now that Cao Cao has arrived in Xuzhou again, he will fight against Huainan again. If he still cannot win, Jiangdong will completely collapse and must be treated with caution.
Hearing that Liu Qi would not send reinforcements and would use his old troops in Jiangdong to fight against Cao's army, Lu Su frowned and said: "Although the general's concerns are not unreasonable, but because he only uses new troops to fight, he may lose more than he gains. How can he give up eating because of choking?"
Lu Xun also said: "Although the general defeated Cao's thieves in Nanyang, at that time, the soldiers were brave, the money and food were sufficient, and the people in Jingzhou were united, so they were able to defeat Cao's arrogant soldiers! Now Cao's thieves are back, Cao's army has gone through the Northern Expedition, the soldiers and horses are strong, and there are Hu With tens of thousands of men and cavalry, they will definitely fight with all their strength. Soochow has suffered setbacks for a long time, and its morale is low. There are only more than 30,000 elite soldiers, so they may be stretched thin."
The confidence on Zhang Zhao's face had long since disappeared. He tugged on his beard and persuaded: "What you two said is absolutely true! After this experience, Cao Jun has become a master of hundreds of battles. Although the Jingzhou soldiers are restrained in the Central Plains, the Huainan soldiers and horses are far away." Compared with the elite troops of Jingzhou. In my opinion, it is better to mobilize 100,000 elite troops from Yizhou and Jingzhou to help. They will surely be able to enter Xuzhou and echo General Guan from east to west. The Central Plains can be decided in one battle. Who dares to disobey in Jiangdong?"
Liu Qi smiled and said: "Don't worry, don't you hear that the soldiers will win? I believe that the Jiangdong soldiers will be able to fight. Although the infantry was defeated before, the navy was unscathed. With the Huaihe River as the boundary, the Jiangdong navy is still intact. With all the advantages, Xuzhou, Huaisi and Huainan are connected with each other and the waterways are crisscrossed. This time, the Cao thieves were defeated on the water."
Han Dang laughed and said: "General Liu's words are magnificent. Since we followed General Sun, we have experienced three lives, wearing strong weapons and fighting with blood. Why should we fear Cao's army?"
Lu Xun said: "After years of fighting, the people are resentful and unwilling to join the army. The newly recruited soldiers are also very resentful. The morale of the army is low. If there are no sources of troops, everything will be a castle in the air. I wonder what the general can do?"
Liu Qi said: "I have already planned this matter. In the past, Cao's thieves massacred Xuzhou, and Sima Yi flooded Shouchun twice. I expected that all the people in Huaibei hated Cao's army. Countless people fled their homes and fled, and those who stayed in the country may not be sincere. Obedience is just suffering from the inability to resist, so you have to swallow your anger. If you can recruit volunteers to avenge the thieves, and then motivate the three armies with heavy rewards, you will surely be able to form an elite army."
"This is a great plan!" Zhang Zhao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he praised: "The world has been suffering for a long time, especially in Xuzhou. If the general raises his arms as a clan member of the Han Dynasty, tens of thousands of people will respond and take revenge. Returning home in rich clothes, exterminating Cao Xinghan and sending out proclamations widely can become a death-defying army."
Liu Qi nodded and said: "This recruitment will not only focus on ordinary people who are forced to turn into bandits. Heroes from rivers and lakes and green forests and grasses gathered in various places can also be recruited. It is not too late to know when you have lost your way! Officials, merchants, traders and soldiers from all over the country, etc. Anyone can make meritorious deeds, regardless of their origins. If you have money, give money, and if you are able, give strength. When the Central Plains are conquered, they should report it to the emperor and reward them based on their merits."
"Hiss——" Zhang Zhao's eyes widened and he said in shock: "General Liu is really good at using people's hearts. This move will definitely shake the world. Using people from the enemy's territory to fight against thieves will cause Cao's army to lose harmony and become chaotic without fighting. How can it be done? Is there any reason to win?"
"The general knows the people's hearts well. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!" Lu Xun sighed with emotion.
He didn't have much contact with Liu Qi, and he was somewhat dissatisfied. He thought that he was just relying on Wolong and Phoenix to rise to prominence. In addition, he married Sun Ce's daughter, making him one step lower in seniority, and he had a new grudge. After this conversation, he knew this. Man is unfathomable.
"Since ancient times, those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world!" Liu Qining nodded and said with great enthusiasm: "The people, and only the people, can create miracles and change the world."
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and sighed: "The general's words are enough to be considered a saint!"
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said: "However, the war in Huainan requires all of you to work together and share the same hatred to defeat the enemy. I want to use Boyan as the commander-in-chief to command the three armies and be in charge of the military. What do you think?"
"Oh, you must not!" Zhang Zhao was praising Liu Qi a moment ago, but when he heard this, he stood up anxiously: "Bo Yan is a scholar, how can he lead the army?"
This time, even Lu Su advised: "The battle in Huainan is not only about the safety of Jiangdong, but also about the reputation of the general. The important task of revitalizing the Han Dynasty must not be trivial to the general."
Han Dang frowned and said, "Now the Commander-in-Chief is far away in Qingzhou. Lu Ziming died for his country. Only General Huang has the highest prestige. Boyan may not be able to convince everyone."
Liu Qi looked at Lu Xun: "Bo Yan, what do you think?"
