Although he was aware of the change in the timeline, Zhang Xi did not have much sense of reality because Ma Chao finally appeared at the gates of Chengdu. He still considered the current situation based on his memories from his previous life.
But this is a real world, not a set program.
It may not have much impact on small things, but on big things, once there is a change, it will naturally trigger a chain reaction.
When Zhang Xi asked Liu Bei to seize Yizhou in advance, Sun Quan would definitely come to ask for the two counties of Jingnan in advance. When Cao Cao saw these two so-called "allies" confronting each other in Jingnan, if he continued to be an otaku in Yecheng , what kind of hero is he? !
Therefore, Cao Cao, who originally planned to march from Yecheng to Luoyang and then to Huainan, thought a little and decided not to stop in Luoyang and march directly to Chang'an.
Conquering Huainan is not as important as capturing Hanzhong.
Therefore, no one expected that Cao Cao temporarily changed his strategic intentions and personally led an army of 200,000 to station in Chang'an.
Zhuge Liang believed that Cao Cao would sit in Yecheng for at least the next two years to suppress internal rebellions and stabilize the political structure after he became known as "Wei Gong".
Zhang Xi also thought that Cao Cao would follow the historical trend and station troops in Luoyang again, and then go south to Huainan to fight the second Battle of Ruxu.
Liu Bei and Sun Quan even thought that Cao Cao would most likely not send troops easily. Even if he had to attack, he should attack Jingzhou. After all, Nanjun was in the hands of Guan Yu, which posed a great threat to Xiangyang, and Xiangyang was very important to Cao Cao.
No one expected that Cao Cao would lead troops and stationed himself in Chang'an without any warning in advance.
As soon as Cao Cao arrived in Chang'an, a chain reaction was instantly triggered.
The first is Xia Houyuan of Longyou. He has basically conquered the wealthy families in Liangzhou and other places, and now he is confronting Han Sui and the Qiang and Hu soldiers invited by Han Sui.
As soon as Cao Cao led an army of 200,000 to Chang'an, the Qiang and Hu soldiers immediately fell upon the wind. Xiahou Yuan immediately seized the opportunity to defeat Han Sui and pacify Liangzhou.
Then Xiahou Yuan did not continue to quarrel with the Qiang and Hu kings in the northwest of Liangzhou, but immediately changed the direction of the attack and galloped straight to Chang'an to join forces with Cao Cao and prepare to attack Zhang Lu.
Zhang Lu, who was in Hanzhong, was immediately frightened when he heard that Cao Cao had come to Chang'an in person.
On the one hand, he ordered General Yang Ang to lead troops to garrison Yangping Pass, and on the other hand, he sent people to ask for help from Yizhou.
Originally, Liu Bei wanted to use Zhang Lu to stop Cao Cao's offensive in Hanzhong, and sent Jian Yong to befriend Zhang Lu. However, Zhang Lu did not think highly of Liu Bei, so he was always lukewarm towards Jian Yong.
Well now, Cao Cao really appeared in Chang'an and might attack Hanzhong at any time. Zhang Lu became anxious and took the initiative to go south to find Liu Bei for help.
But Liu Bei is still in Wuling, confronting Sun Quan.
Liu Bei knew the importance of Hanzhong very well, it was Yizhou's external barrier.
Once Hanzhong is lost, it will be difficult to stop Cao Cao's army with just a few passes.
In Ji Han in history, it was also because Jiang Wei adjusted Hanzhong's defensive strategy from resisting the enemy outside to annihilating the enemy within, resulting in the loss of Hanzhong and the loss of Yizhou's barrier.
So Zhong Hui's army entered Shu, and Deng Ai sneaked into Yinping. Liu Chan felt that if he persisted, he would just linger. In addition, he had no ambition, so he simply surrendered.
Of course, this is not to clear up Adou's name. As far as that guy's ability is concerned, he is not as willing to gamble as Liu Zhang, nor as fierce as Liu Xun, nor even as strong as his own son Liu Chen, King of the North. It's really not a good thing. Son.
Just to illustrate the importance of Hanzhong.
Therefore, after Liu Bei received an urgent report from Zhuge Liang and learned that Cao Cao might attack Hanzhong, and that Zhang Lu sent people to ask for help, he immediately summoned relevant people again to discuss.
This time, everyone, including Zhang Fei, agreed - Hanzhong cannot be in Cao Cao's hands.
Everyone knows the importance of Hanzhong to Yizhou. It is really not comparable to the two Jingnan counties.
Let's put it this way, as long as Nanjun is still here in Jingzhou, there will be a springboard to attack north.
Even if all four counties in Jingnan are lost, as long as Guan Yu can start from Nanjun and capture Xiangyang, it will be worthwhile.
Therefore, Liu Bei, who had just made the decision to fall out with Sun Quan, immediately changed his decision and decided to reconcile with Sun Quan again.
But just fixing it isn’t enough.
If Sun Quan learned that Cao Cao was going to attack Hanzhong and Liu Bei was in a hurry to return to Yizhou, he would definitely be furious.
So if Liu Bei wanted to watch Sun Quan just sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and tigers, he would have to make Sun Quan pay a price.
As soon as Zhang Xi heard that his lord had this request, he immediately suggested that Sun Shiwan should go to Hefei.
The current situation is like this. Cao Cao leads 200,000 troops in Chang'an, and Xia Houyuan's Yongliang cavalry is also preparing to attack Hanzhong, so the defense in Huainan must be weak.
At this time, it was reasonable for Liu Bei to ask Sun Quan to attack Hefei on the grounds of agreeing to Sun Quan's conditions.
First, by capturing Hefei, Sun Quan could expand his territory to the north and get a glimpse of Qingxu.
Secondly, Sun Quan's attack on Hefei can also attract Cao Cao's attention, so that Cao Cao does not dare to devote all his troops to attacking Hanzhong, which can reduce the pressure on Zhang Lu and create time for Liu Bei to return to the army and prepare for war.
As for whether Sun Quan can beat Hefei. Just kidding, Sun Shiwan's record against Hefei is quite stable.
As soon as this idea came up, even Fazheng and Pang Tong thought it was a good idea, but Liu Bei was worried about what if Sun Quan really captured Hefei and became more and more powerful. !
Pang Tong and Fazheng didn't take it seriously at all and explained it to Liu Bei.
If Sun Quan can't defeat Hefei, then the most he can do is stay in Huainan and defend.
If Sun Quan really captured Hefei, then he would have stepped into the heart of Cao Cao. At that time, Cao Cao would not have time to take care of Liu Bei in the remote Yizhou, and he would definitely have to return to the army to deal with it first. Only Sun Quan can do it.
This is the most beneficial thing for Liu Bei.
When Liu Bei heard this, he suddenly realized that he immediately asked Zhang Xi and Guan Yu to meet with Zhou Yu and Lu Su again to continue discussing the peace talks.
During the peace talks again, Zhang Xi and Guan Yu did not argue with Zhou Yu and Lu Su, but directly said that Liu Bei, for the sake of the two alliances, agreed to fulfill his promise and hand over the Changsha and Guiyang armies to Jiangdong.
As for the reason, Zhang Xi did not hide it, but directly told Zhou Yu that Cao Cao stationed troops in Chang'an with the intention of taking Hanzhong, so Liu Bei had to return to Yizhou to prepare.
This kind of thing cannot be hidden from anyone. Zhuge Liang can learn the news through careful work, and the people in Jiangdong can also learn the news. It is just a matter of time.
After informing him of the specific reasons, Zhang Xi put forward his own conditions - Jiangdong must send troops to Hefei to contain Cao Cao's military strength, so that Cao Cao would not dare to attack Hanzhong easily, and to buy time for Liu Bei to return to his army.
Lu Su and Zhou Yu looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
If Cao Cao really stationed 200,000 troops in Chang'an, then Hefei's troops would definitely be mobilized.
At this time, Hefei is indeed empty of troops. If we can take this opportunity to conquer Hefei, occupy Yangzhou, and then open a springboard to march into Yuzhou, Xuzhou, and Qingzhou, it will also be of great benefit to Jiangdong.
If Hefei still has enough troops and is difficult to fight, then taking a short walk to Hefei can capture two counties. This price is not unacceptable.
Therefore, Lu Su and Zhou Yu nodded and agreed to this condition.
Then, the two masters signed and sealed the agreement with each other, officially recognizing the matter.
After finishing these things, Liu Bei was not in a hurry to return to Chengdu immediately. Instead, he led the army back to Jiangling, and then held a meeting with the Jingzhou garrison in Jiangling and made some personnel arrangements.
Yizhou was initially decided, and Liu Bei could not stay in Jingzhou forever. What's more, when Cao Cao entered Hanzhong, Liu Bei had to go back.
Jingzhou still retains the pattern of Guan Yu guarding Jiangling, Wenpin guarding the public security, and Xu Shu guarding Wuling and Lingling.
However, this time the changes in Jingnan also made Liu Bei discover some problems in Jingzhou's defense, so Liu Bei had to make some adjustments.
For example, Xiang Lang lost Guiyang County. Although it was a sneak attack in Jiangdong and did not respect martial ethics, Xiang Lang's responsibility still needs to be investigated. He can no longer be appointed as the prefect, so Liu Bei took Xiang Lang back to Chengdu to see Where there is a vacancy for a county magistrate, ask Xiang Lang to fill it.
As for Hao Pu, the prefect of Lingling, his situation is a bit complicated.
Hao Pu did not lose any territory. Strictly speaking, he even made meritorious service in supporting Xiangtan.
But there's a problem.
Xu Shu ordered Hao Pu to quickly assemble his army and rescue Pan Jun and Xiang Lang who were defending Xiangtan. However, when Xu Shu himself led Wuling's reinforcements to resist Xiangtan, Hao Pu had not arrived yet.
After waiting for another five or six days, Hao Pu led Lingling's county troops to Xiangtan, which made Xu Shu very dissatisfied.
And Hao Pu did not give an answer that satisfied Xu Shu. He just said that he was sorting out the military affairs and did not delay along the way. He didn't know why he arrived later than Xu Shu, who was far away.
Why, this guy can't lead troops at all, and he doesn't understand what "soldiers are more important than speed". His marching speed is still a regular marching speed, while Xu Shu marched all the way to Xiangtan.
From the perspective of government affairs, Hao Pu is definitely a qualified prefect. Under his governance, Lingling County has experienced great growth in terms of population and taxes in recent years.
But from a military perspective, Haopu was not suitable as the highest military commander of a county.
Therefore, Xu Shu suggested to Liu Bei that Pan Jun should replace Hao Pu as the prefect of Lingling, and that he should also serve as the prefect of Wuling and guard Jingnan.
After all, the remaining two Jingnan counties are already directly facing the threat from Jiangdong, and judging from this incident, Jiangdong is not a good bird either. If Hao Pu, a man who only knows how to govern the people but not the military, continues to be allowed As a prefect, Lingling County would be too dangerous.
Based on Xu Shu's suggestion, Liu Bei thought about it and decided to transfer Hao Pu to Chengdu.
Although there are some differences in ranks, Chengdu is now Liu Bei's capital, which has a different meaning.
Moreover, Hao Pu works as a county magistrate in Chengdu and has many promotion opportunities. He only needs to do a good job in governance and does not have to worry about military affairs, which is quite suitable for him.
On the contrary, in this battle of Jingnan, Pan Jun's performance made Xu Shu and Liu Bei shine.
Changsha is very close to Baqiu, the base of Jiangdong Army.
However, Pan Jun, the governor of Changsha, was under the influence of the sudden change. Although he lost the control of Changsha County, he was able to gather the defeated troops in time and retreat to Xiangtan. He also relied on the few defeated troops in his hands to defend Xiangtan, buying time for Xu Shu to mobilize troops to support. This shows that he has Certain military capabilities.
Moreover, Pan Jun has always done a good job in government affairs. The most important thing is that this man is very upright and has a very good temper towards Liu Bei. After talking with Liu Bei, Liu Bei not only did not hold him responsible for the loss of land, but re-appointed him as zero. The prefect of Ling, together with Xu Shu, guarded Jingnan.
After making these personnel arrangements, Liu Bei discussed Jingzhou's military affairs with Guan Yu, Pang Tong, Fazheng, Xu Shu, and Zhang Xi.
To put it simply, Liu Bei wanted to return to Yizhou to compete with Cao Cao for Hanzhong, but relying solely on Jiangdong to send troops to Hefei to distract Cao's army was not enough.
Now Liu Bei really has no hope for the virtues of the Jiangdong gang. If they go to attack Hefei, God knows if they will not work hard enough.
Therefore, Liu Bei also needs to make arrangements for Jingzhou.
Liu Bei hoped that when he attacked Hanzhong, Jingzhou would also launch an offensive to support him. If possible, it would be best to attack Xiangyang directly.
Xiangyang is too important to Cao Cao. If Cao Cao knew that Xiangyang was attacked, he would definitely not be able to go all out to compete with Liu Bei for Hanzhong.
However, because the two places were too far apart, Liu Bei was not sure whether he would be able to launch the attack on Hanzhong in time after returning to Yizhou. Therefore, Guan Yu needed to act according to the situation, so he gave Guan Yu the right to "take a holiday".
At this time, Liu Bei was just General Zuo, and was not officially qualified to grant the right of "Fake Festival", so he could only grant it privately. Although due to the relationship between Liu Bei and Guan Yu, it actually didn't matter whether he granted it or not, but it seemed more justified to grant it. .
To be on the safe side, Liu Bei also specifically told Guan Yu that if Guan Yu made any decision, he could discuss it with Xu Shu first. If he was worried about insufficient offensive troops, he could also command Meng Da, the prefect of Yidu, to attack together.
Guan Yu agreed one by one.
Liu Bei stayed in Jiangling for more than ten days. After completing all the arrangements, he asked Zhang Fei to lead the front army to clear the way, and he led the Chinese army to accompany him and returned to Chengdu.
Zhang Xi, on the other hand, led five thousand men as the rear army. He had to wait until Zhou Yu led his troops back to Baqiu and Sun Quan led his troops back to Yuzhang County before he could leave Jingzhou by boat and return to Badong County.
Of course, before leaving, Zhang Xi did not forget to pick up Sun Shangxiang and Xiao Xuanxuan and go back to Badong County together.
The rules of Liu Bei's group are not as strict as those of Cao Wei's group in the north. When officials take office abroad, they do not need to leave their families as hostages in the capital, so Zhang Xi taking Sun Shangxiang back to Yufu with him does not break the rules.
Besides, didn't Liu Bei also go back to Jiangling City and take Bu Lianshi and Mrs. Gan to Chengdu to enjoy the blessings? This is Zhang Xi's example.
(End of chapter)
