So, Zhuge Liang showed his cards to Sun Quan. Today is different from the past. Firstly, Emperor Xian is dead, and secondly, Zhuge Liang is not currently in office. If he wants him to continue to help Sun Quan, at least Sun Quan must provide him with a guarantee.
This guarantee is not just a promise from Sun Quan. Zhuge Liang needs something more tangible, not for his own benefit, but to give another lease of life to the dying Han Dynasty.
"How about we make a bet?" Sun Quan said in the face of Zhuge Liang's question.
Zhuge Liang frowned slightly. To be honest, he was not willing to be led into Sun Quan's rhythm.
"You don't have many choices." Sun Quan continued to Zhuge Liang, "At least for now, your value to me is not enough to threaten me. You can ask yourself, the reason why I use you is just to make the people of this world Live a better life, rather than help me unify the world."
】
Zhuge Liang had to admit that Sun Quan's words were reasonable. Although strong grain and grass can better support the army, some improvements and improvements in farming techniques can easily be learned by opponents. The better the effect and the higher the harvest, the wider the scope of farming improvement will be, and the wider the scope of improvement, the less likely it is to keep it secret.
In other words, the reforms led by Zhuge Liang in Jiangdong will not have any obvious effects in the short term, and they will not be able to widen the gap with their opponents in the long term. As Sun Quan said, it does not help much to unify the world.
Alas, I don’t have enough chips. It's not that Zhuge Liang didn't want to show his military talents, but in Jiangdong, which was full of generals, there was no chance for him to show it off.
"What bet does King Wu want to make?" Zhuge Liang could only back down.
"I'm not interested in being an emperor. Whether you believe it or not, here's what I'm saying. And what I want to bet with you is that my eldest brother Sun Ce has no intention of becoming an emperor either." Sun Quan said, "As long as it proves that what happened this time is not My big brother wants you to help me, how about that?"
Zhuge Liang pondered slightly,
"good!"
If none of the Sun brothers have the idea of becoming emperor, although this does not determine anything, at least Zhuge Liang has hope that he can continue to persevere.
······
In Jianye City,
"So ungrateful!" Han Dang couldn't help but cursed.
"Ahem." Cheng Pu winked at the side and reminded Han Dang to be careful when speaking.
Han Dang also knew that there was something wrong with what he said, but he continued to speak. Of course, the words he used had softened a lot. Han Dang said,
"Young Master, the Second Young Master did this because he didn't realize your painstaking efforts at all!"
The leader, Sun Ce, who was wearing a mask, spoke slowly,
"Indeed, I did this a bit rashly and did not inform Zhongmou in advance. It is understandable that he had misunderstanding."
"but."
Sun Ce changed his words,
"When I come back this time, on the one hand, I will bring Hua Tuo to treat my father's illness. On the other hand, I will be the one to act as the villain. When he becomes emperor in the future, he will be less reviled by those old scholars. Third, I deliberately gave Cao Cao a flaw to provoke him to attack Liangzhou. I have laid a trap waiting for him. If he doesn't jump, the trap will no longer be hidden after a long time."
"An arrogant army will be defeated. Cao Cao has just occupied the north and is at the moment of success. He will definitely be fooled!" Cheng Pu responded.
"So, Zhong Mou's trouble, no matter whether it was an accident or not, is the finishing touch. Jiangdong is divided into two factions. The current situation is tense and they have too much time to take care of themselves. How could Cao Cao not seize this 'god-given opportunity'? Reason?" Sun Ce smiled.
"We know what's going on, but Lu Meng's group probably really believes it." Han Dang couldn't help but remind him.
"So, please restrain your subordinates during this period. Cao Cao's people may take the opportunity to sow discord. We should not irritate the opponent for the time being." Sun Ce made a decision,
"However, as long as Cao Jun has not completely committed to the battlefield in Liangzhou, this drama will continue to play out. For now, let's stabilize it. Just as Zhongmou said, let Sun Ren listen to the government behind the curtain, and the new emperor will not be established. As for the The people continue to spread the word that my father will soon ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor."
"yes!"
······
Cao Ying,
"What a God-given opportunity! My lord, please send troops to Liangzhou immediately. As long as you give me 50,000 troops, I will be able to rule the northwest for justice!" Xiahou Dun said excitedly.
"It's not just the northwest. Now that Jiangdong's army is aiming its guns at their own family, we may be able to take the opportunity to capture Jingzhou or Xuzhou!" Xia Houyuan also followed excitedly, "Unification of the world is just around the corner!"
Facing the rising enthusiasm of a group of generals led by the Xiahou brothers, Cao Cao, including some of his advisers, had to be sober and calm.
"Lord, if something goes wrong, there must be a monster. I'm afraid we have to be cautious." Xun You said, "It's hard for me to imagine that the Sun brothers would have internal strife at this time."
Cao Cao nodded and sighed,
"That's what I think too. I don't know much about Sun Ce, but Sun Quan always makes decisions before acting and is thoughtful. Based on my understanding of Sun Quan, even if Sun Ce really did something, he would probably tolerate it for the time being. The overall situation is the most important thing. I'm afraid, the Sun brothers want me to take action." Cao Cao said in a deep voice.
"But if it's a trick, is it too obvious?" Jia Xu asked, "Is the Sun family's flaw too big a deal?"
"Oh?" Cao Cao's eyes lit up, "Does Wen He have any other opinions?"
Jia Xu bowed his hands to Cao Cao and expressed his own opinion.
"In my opinion, what Jiangdong did was actually a trick to make us fearful and hesitant. By the time we react, I'm afraid the northwest has fallen into the hands of the other side."
"What if there is a trap ahead?" Cao Cao couldn't help but ask.
Jia Xu looked directly at Cao Cao and answered loudly,
"I'm just asking my lord, if this hadn't happened now, would you have attacked Liangzhou or not?!"
Cao Cao suddenly stood up,
"That's right! This Liangzhou is meant to be attacked! If it's a good opportunity, I can't let it go; if it's a trap, how can I not jump?"
Cao Ying's strength is not as good as Jiangdong's. If he doesn't gamble or fight, what will he use to make a small gain? If you can't take Liangzhou, you will be cannibalized by Jiangdong sooner or later. If you take the initiative, you can still have the strength to fight. If Cao Cao really had a stable character, he wouldn't be where he is today.
but,
"It is definitely not advisable to advance blindly. First, contact the inside line in Liangzhou and launch some tentative attacks. Then send an elite force to lay an ambush in the direction of Jiangdong Army's attack." Cao Cao calmly made arrangements. , "At the same time, the hidden line on Jiangdong's side should also be active. Let's stir it up and make Jiangdong really chaotic!"
"yes!"
······
Jingzhou,
When Sun Quan, Zhuge Liang, and Bu Lianshi arrived at Xiangyang City, Cao Cao had already started a war in the northwest.
Although it is still in the stage of making small fuss, there is not much time left for Sun Quan.
But what a coincidence, embarrassingly, Bu Lianshi was pregnant again.
It's not that Sun Quan is still thinking about men and women at this time, but the absurdity in Jingzhou some time ago has finally shown its results in the past few days.
To be honest, Sun Quan wanted to laugh a little. This girl plotted against others twice and finally got himself into trouble.
Sun Quan: "The big tiger hasn't grown up yet. I didn't expect that there will be two tigers so soon."
Trainer Bu: "What two tigers! It's Xiaohu!"
Meaning, there won’t be another one!
