Yizhou, Jiange.
Zhuge Liang, who had just finished handling government affairs and was exhausted, ordered two "loyal ministers" from Jiangdong, Yu Fan and Sun Huan, to be brought to him.
As time went by, the people, soldiers, and food that came from the hinterland of Yizhou continued to gather in the Jiange like a surging river flowing eastward.
Although Jiange is the most important gate in the world, the gate city of Jiange is not big.
And if you want to recreate the surprise attack on Dingjun Mountain, it won't happen overnight.
Therefore, in a short period of time, where to place this large amount of manpower and material resources, and how to arrange them without causing chaos, is an extremely test of governance ability.
Although Zhuge Liang's political ability is full, in order to take care of these things, he has spent countless efforts over this period of time.
Even the white hair on his head had a few more inadvertently.
Fortunately, Liu Bei had the foresight to send many ministers to Jiange to assist Zhuge Liang.
Therefore, even though the affairs were heavy and confusing, thanks to the efforts of Ji Han's ministers headed by Zhuge Liang, no major mistakes occurred.
After many busy days, seeing that many things were on track, Zhuge Liang had the energy to deal with Yu Fan and Sun Huan in the next step.
After meeting Yu Fan and Sun Huan in Xianggao County, Zhuge Liang did not send them back to Jiangdong, which proved that Zhuge Liang did not believe Yu Fan's words.
But for the sake of the overall situation, Zhuge Liang did not expose Yu Fan directly.
Zhuge Liang adopted a compromise approach - taking Yu Fan and Sun Huan north and letting Jiangdong's nemesis Mi Yang come to punish them.
However, after Zhuge Liang returned to Chengdu, he discovered that the main channel between Hanzhong and Yizhou had been completely blocked by the Wei army, which made him temporarily forget about Yu Fan and Sun Huan.
However, when he continued to move north, Zhuge Liang still took Yu Fan and Sun Huan with him.
Originally, regardless of whether Yu Fan and Sun Huan were in Jiange or not, Zhuge Liang's main task at the moment was not to care about how to deal with them.
But the letter sent by Mi Yang's personal guard changed Zhuge Liang's idea.
In that letter, Mi Yang not only described in detail the tactics he proposed for the Yizhou reinforcements to enter Hanzhong from Dingjun Mountain, but also mentioned matters in Jiangdong.
Mi Yang, who was trapped in Hanzhong, naturally didn't know about Yu Fan and Sun Huan "selling their friends to survive."
But before Deng Ai searched for letters from Jiangdong from Huang Yuan, he specifically asked Shi Bao to return to Liangzhou and report the matter to Mi Yang.
But when Mi Yang learned about this, he didn't just listen to it.
An idea slowly emerged in his mind.
As the saying goes, "The first step is to fight against strategy, and the second is to fight against friendship."
Although over the years, Sun Quan has always seemed very honest since the defeat of the Public Security Bureau, and only dared to engage in small diplomatic and political maneuvers, the Jiangdong Sun family is still one of the top three in the world today.
Perhaps Jiang Dong's vitality was severely damaged in the battle with the police, but after several years of cultivation, Jiang Dong's vitality should have been almost restored.
After all, the area in Jiangdong is backward compared to the Central Plains, but the geographical and climatic conditions in Jiangdong are very suitable for growing rice.
Even with the most primitive farming methods, Jiangdong's annual grain output has always been abundant, and Sun Quan's military ability is inferior, but his political ability is indeed the best in the Three Kingdoms.
Throughout the history books of later generations, it has always been recorded that Jiangdong's troops of 100,000 and 200,000 were beaten and cried for their fathers and mothers, but it has never been recorded that Jiangdong was in crisis of food shortage because of the huge number of troops dispatched.
Mi Yang's idea is very simple: Since the Three Kingdoms are in a tripartite state, Jiangdong is still a vassal state of the Han Dynasty in name, so what is your intention, Sun Quan, to keep paddling there?
Mi Yang had a certain understanding of Sun Quan. Sun Quan was good at forbearing. After the Public Security War, he had been showing a weak image to others, probably to paralyze the world.
Sun Quan, who is gradually recovering his strength, must have some kind of big plot in his heart. As for whether this plot targets the Han Dynasty or Cao Wei, it is unknown.
However, although he didn't know what the specific plot in Sun Quan's mind was, Mi Yang could influence the direction of Sun Quan's plot in some way.
Mi Yang believed that the Han Dynasty could send an envoy to ask Sun Quan to take this opportunity to send troops to Huainan. Regardless of whether Sun Quan could successfully conquer Huainan, it would be a good thing for the Han Dynasty at present.
If Sun Quan fails as always, Jiangdong's strength is likely to suffer another heavy blow.
In that case, even if the Han Dynasty loses the battle of Liangzhou, it can prevent Sun Quan, a young man from the middle class, from backstabbing him while the Han Dynasty is licking his wounds.
If Sun Quan succeeds in conquering Huainan, it will undoubtedly be a big blow to Cao Wei's regime.
Even if Cao Zhen captured Liangzhou, he would not be able to lead his army to attack Jiange due to concerns about Cao Wei's eastern foundation, and would even have to divide his troops to return to Xuzhou to aid.
In this way, Ji Han will not only get a chance to recuperate, but he can even counterattack and take back Liangzhou under the leadership of Zhuge Liang in the later period.
This is the best situation Mi Yang came up with for the big man out of the worst possibility.
After Zhuge Liang learned about Mi Yang's thoughts in the letter, he also agreed with Mi Yang's thoughts.
One of Zhuge Liang's core strategic ideas is to unite with Sun Yat-sen to resist Cao Cao.
Because she didn't know that Yu Fan and Sun Huan were in the hands of Zhuge Liang, Mi Yang only put forward a general idea in the letter. If he really wanted to make this idea come true, the details would depend on Zhuge Liang's actions.
With Yu Fan and Sun Huan in his hands, Zhuge Liang subconsciously wanted to impose his actions on these two people.
Zhuge Liang didn't wait long, and Yu Fan and Sun Huan were brought to him by the guards.
Seeing the arrival of these two "loyal ministers", Zhuge Liang put away his pensive expression and put on a kind face.
"Second Minister, please take a seat."
Zhuge Liang's words were like a spring breeze blowing through the hearts of Yu Fan and Sun Huan, calming down their originally sensitive and uneasy hearts.
Especially when the two of them looked around and found that someone was not at the scene, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
After calming down, Yu Fan and Sun Huan sat in the corresponding seats at Zhuge Liang's invitation.
Although Yu Fan and Sun Huan had been in Zhuge Liang's army recently, Zhuge Liang did not trust them.
Therefore, in addition to not having wronged them in terms of living conditions, their freedom was still greatly restricted.
With their freedom restricted, Yu Fan and Sun Huan knew little about the Liangzhou war, otherwise they would not have subconsciously thought that someone would be present.
The anxiety on the faces of Yu Fan and Sun Huan did not escape Zhuge Liang's eyes. After seeing this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but feel a little more confident.
In order to successfully convince Yu Fan and Sun Huan, the two "loyal ministers", to be the king's vanguard, one must make good use of Mi Yang's prestige in Jiangdong.
After Yu Fan and Sun Huan sat down, Zhuge Liang said to them:
"The war in Liangzhou is currently in full swing. Although our general has great military strength, the situation of our army is not optimistic due to the large number of Wei troops."
"General?"
Upon hearing the word "general" in Zhuge Liang's words, Yu Fan and Sun Huan both had doubts on their faces.
For nearly a year, Yu Fan and Sun Huan were either in Nanzhong or in the Han army, and they did not know a lot of news.
After seeing the confused looks on the faces of Yu Fan and Sun Huan, Zhuge Liang explained: "Not long ago, His Majesty officially issued an edict to worship Liangzhou Mu as a general."
After learning the news, Yu Fan and Sun Huan had expressions of sudden realization on their faces.
At the same time, they also felt that Mi Yang deserved such honor.
Correspondingly, after hearing that Mi Yang was at a disadvantage in the battle with Wei Jun, Yu Fan and Sun Huan couldn't help but feel a little happy.
On the one hand, the two of them were secretly happy because they liked to see Mi Yang, their hated enemy, suffer a loss; on the other hand, they felt lucky for Jiang Dong.
Yu Fan and Sun Huan were both important officials in Jiangdong. Of course they knew what kind of ambition Sun Quan had hidden in his heart. It was only Sun Quan's expedient measure to commit himself to the Han Dynasty as a Taiwei.
Others did not know, but Yu Fan and Sun Huan knew that the reason why Sun Quan was determined to send troops to assist the Nanzhong rebels was actually because Cao Wei secretly sent envoys to persuade Sun Quan on the condition of marriage.
In other words, Dahan and Jiangdong are allies on the surface, but in fact Cao Wei and Jiangdong also have the basis to become allies.
If the Han Dynasty was defeated in this battle of Liangzhou that affected the fate of the country, wouldn't Jiangdong's opportunity come?
In the eyes of Yu Fan and Sun Huan, if Mi Yang is no match for the more than 100,000 Wei troops, then who among the entire Han Dynasty can resist the iron hoofs of the Wei troops?
Thinking of this, Yu Fan and Sun Huan looked at each other, trying not to let their joy show on their faces.
Yu Fan and Sun Huan's little moves couldn't be hidden from Zhuge Liang, and it was not difficult for Zhuge Liang to know from their little moves what they were probably thinking.
The reason why he revealed this unfavorable news to himself in front of Yu Fan and Sun Huan was that the news could not be concealed in the first place.
The Battle of Liangzhou can be said to be a battle that attracts the attention of everyone in the world. Sun Quan will definitely send spies to explore the details of this battle.
Perhaps because Hanzhong is now surrounded by Wei troops, Sun Quan will definitely not be able to detect some military information that is too specific.
However, such a superficial thing as "the Han army is at a disadvantage" cannot be hidden from Jiangdong spies.
Since you can't hide it, there's no need to hide it.
On the other hand, Zhuge Liang wanted to use this news to elicit his next sentence.
Zhuge Liang, who had always been calm and composed, had a frown on his face at this moment. He continued to say to Yu Fan and Sun Huan:
"Someone in the court has suggested to His Majesty that they want to send an envoy to Jiangdong. They hope that the Taiwei will send troops to expedition to Huainan to relieve some pressure on the general."
"I summoned the Second Minister today for this matter."
It turned out that he was asking for help.
After learning Zhuge Liang's intentions, Yu Fan and Sun Huan were even more happy.
But on the surface, both of them looked like Zhuge Liang, with sad faces.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Fan raised his hand and said to Zhuge Liang: "Jiangdong is a vassal of the Han Dynasty. When the Han Dynasty has difficulties, there is no reason for Jiangdong to stand by and watch."
“However, the Prime Minister also knows that our army suffered heavy losses in the Public Security War a few years ago and has not recovered its strength in recent years.
Even though the Taiwei cherishes the country and is willing to devote his blood to His Majesty, Jiangdong, Jiangdong
Why! "
When he said these words, Yu Fan's face became even more sad. In order to win Zhuge Liang's trust, Yu Fan even let himself sob a few times in the end, hoping to show the difficulty of Jiangdong's current situation.
Yu Fan felt that his words, coupled with his performance, were enough to defeat Zhuge Liang's plot in name.
Jiang Dong is definitely a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, but Mi Yang and the police beat Jiang Dong so miserably in the first battle. In this case, you Zhuge Liang should also understand Jiang Dong's predicament.
Yu Fan's performance only wanted to make Zhuge Liang laugh, but he held it back.
When he was on a mission to Jiangdong, he made an on-site inspection of the water and soil in Jiangdong.
In his opinion, Jiangdong is indeed a rare fertile land in the world. If Liu Bei could occupy such fertile land, under his plan, the Han Dynasty would have already made an expedition north to the Central Plains. Why would he always stay in this corner?
With this understanding, Zhuge Liang saw through Yu Fan's true face at a glance.
But this is real diplomacy.
Zhuge Liang, who knew everything in his heart, seemed to be infected by Yu Fan's words, and a look of intolerance appeared on his face.
"I never knew about the difficulties in Jiangdong.
I also want to believe in the Taiwei's loyalty to the great man. "
Zhuge Liang's words made Yu Fan secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
But Zhuge Liang's next words almost made Yu Fan spit out the tea in his mouth.
“When His Majesty sent this matter to the front line for the general to express his views, the general wrote a letter specifically regarding the matter.
The general said in his letter: If Liangzhou cannot be defended, he will lead his army to retreat to Jiange. Jiange is naturally dangerous and it will be difficult to make any further progress against Wei.
After blocking the rebellion against the Wei Dynasty, he would ask himself to be the pastor of Jingzhou and personally go down the river to sort out the internal affairs of the Taiwei, in order to make up for the people in Jiangdong. "
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Yu Fan finally struggled to survive from the edge of almost choking on the tea, but after surviving, his face still showed a strong look of surprise.
The same is true for Sun Huan.
Jiange is a powerful gate in the world. If Mi Yang really leads his army to retreat to Jiange, he will definitely be able to defend Jiange with the support of a large number of reinforcements.
As for what Mi Yang said, transferring to Jingzhou Mu and going down the river to sort out the internal affairs of Jiangdong, under what circumstances can this be achieved?
The scene of tens of thousands of naval troops marching eastward across the Yangtze River with waving flags suddenly appeared in Yu Fan's mind.
The key point is that those tens of thousands of banners are of the surname Mi!
Another important point is, if Mi Yang leads his army eastward, how will Cao Wei react?
After a long time, Yu Fan asked a slightly trembling question: "What does the Prime Minister mean?"
"That's what you heard."
Zhuge Liang replied calmly.
After saying this, Zhuge Liang seemed to think of something again:
"The general also mentioned in his letter: Sun Deng, the eldest son of the Taiwei, has been arrogant since he was young and may not be able to become the heir of Jiangdong.
For the sake of Jiangdong's centenary plan, he suggested that your Majesty grant Sun Shao, the eldest son of the late Marquis of Wu, the heir to the Marquis of Jiujiang.
At that time, the Taiwei also took over the Jiangdong foundation from the late Wu Hou. If Sun Shao could be allowed to inherit the Jiangdong foundation again in the future, it would be a good story a hundred years later! "
Yu Fan:? ? ?
Sun Huan:! ! !
After saying these words, Zhuge Liang continued with some apology on his face:
"Second Minister knows that the general is a young man, and young people are naturally energetic and often have novel ideas.
Your Majesty has always loved him, and there are some things I can't stop. "
Zhuge Liang's apology fell on the ears of Sun Huan and Yu Fan, and their hearts seemed to be surrounded by a ball of fire.
How vicious a person must be to come up with these two cruel tricks?
This damn, familiar smell!
If he is so vicious, will there be no one to take care of him?
No matter how angry they were in their hearts, when Zhuge Liang said these two killing moves on behalf of Mi Yang, Sun Huan and Yu Fan immediately knelt down in front of Zhuge Liang.
Sun Huan took the lead and said righteously and sternly: "Prime Minister, don't worry, I am a descendant of the Sun family, and I will definitely uphold the name of the Sun family's loyalty. When I return to Jiangdong, I will urge the Taiwei to send troops."
"Huh? Didn't you say that Jiang Dongli was not caught?"
Faced with Zhuge Liang's doubts, Sun Huan was furious:
"Absurd! Loyalty to the emperor is the duty of a minister. As long as there is a man in Jiangdong, I will urge the Supreme Lord to take him to Hefei City!
How can there be nothing that cannot be done? "
Sun Huan's words at this time were inspiring and upright.
Sun Huan's performance made Yu Fan look sideways, and Zhuge Liang finally couldn't help clasping his hands and laughing.
What a great and loyal minister!
"This is good."
