Because Cao Pi was critically ill, Zhang Xi was summoned to Chengdu to discuss matters by Zhuge Liang's secret order.
In the past few years, the situation in the world has changed too fast, and all forces are unstable. Zhuge Liang also feels that it is very troublesome to deal with this matter.
The front foot had just fallen out with Soochow. After Deng Zhi went to Soochow as an envoy, although Deng Zhi eased some relations with Soochow, the deployment of troops between the two sides in Jingzhou was still in a state of confrontation. Soochow did not give the Han any reasonable explanation.
Sun Quan shamelessly mentioned again the agreement Liu Bei made with Soochow before entering Sichuan, saying that now that the Han Dynasty had captured Guanzhong, he should abide by the agreement and hand over Jingzhou to Soochow.
Therefore, when Sun Quan sent troops this time, he was just seeking to gain Jingzhou in his own way.
Deng Zhi was so angry on the spot that he almost couldn't hold back and cursed.
We have gone through so many things in the process of co-writing, including the demarcation of the Xiang River, and the renewal of the alliance after the backstab failed. You just pretend that they don't exist, right? !
Really, if Deng Zhi didn't come here to ease the relationship with Soochow, he really should have pointed his finger at Sun Quan and scolded him.
Fortunately, Deng Zhi knew a little bit about his responsibilities. After some polite arguments, Sun Quan softened his attitude somewhat, but he still refused to let go of his betrayal of the alliance and the undeclared war to attack Jingzhou. .
Not only did he not relent, he also continued to station troops in Changsha and Chaisang, as if he was going to attack again.
If this were an ordinary person, he might have been deceived by Sun Quan, but Deng Zhi was not only an eloquent civil servant, he was also a general who had fought on the battlefield and formulated military strategies. How could he not see through this little trick? !
It was just an obvious bluff. Now that Jingzhou's troop adjustments have been put in place, troop deployments have been strengthened in various places. Even Chen Dao's 10,000 Northern troops have been stationed in Wuling. If Sun Quan really wants to increase his troops to confront each other and fight a big battle, then he will do it from the beginning. You should not choose to retreat.
In the final analysis, Sun Quan now wants to show his strong side in front of the big man, in order to offset his moral weakness after betraying the alliance and failing to attack in secret.
Deng Zhi didn't have any good ideas. After all, he didn't come here to deepen the conflict between the two countries. He had to be more tactful.
To be honest, Deng Zhi did not expect that this trip to Soochow would be so awkward and uncomfortable.
In Deng Zhi's imagination, he came to Soochow, reprimanded Soochow, and then changed his tone slightly to express the Han's definition of a national thief.
The national thief is Cao Wei, not Soochow. Although Soochow has repeatedly betrayed its alliance, the big man can be generous and ignore it. He only needs conditions such as Balabala, and then bargains with Soochow.
But Deng Zhi really didn't expect that although Soochow's attitude towards him had softened a lot, and he entertained him according to the normal etiquette of envoys after he argued hard, soochow would bite him to death for this attack on Jingzhou. Instead of admitting his mistake, he insisted on using the so-called last words of Emperor Zhaolie that had only been agreed verbally at the beginning, forcing Deng Zhi to have no choice.
Without even an apology, how can we talk about various subsequent conditions? !
It was impossible for Deng Zhi to acquiesce to the authenticity of this matter on behalf of the Han Dynasty. Even if he wanted to re-maintain relations with Soochow, it would not be such a concession.
Therefore, Deng Zhi stayed in Soochow for a month, and finally returned to Chengdu with nothing except being treated politely by the monarchs and ministers of Soochow. Therefore, the land of Jingzhou is still in a state of war readiness.
Zhuge Liang had no good solution to this matter and could only remain in a stalemate for the time being.
But after all, it is not a long-term solution.
As for Jingzhou, Jingbei must face threats from Cao Wei's Wancheng, Xuchang and other places, and the south must be prepared for Jiangdong's coveting of Jingnan County, and even Jiangxia and Jiangling. It is not a good thing to prepare for war for a long time.
But now, things have turned around. Cao Pi is seriously ill? !
If Cao Pi wants to have just an ordinary ailment, no matter how powerful Luoyang Xizuo is, he will not be able to detect any information. The information that Xizuo can directly detect is definitely not that kind of confidential information.
In other words, it is no secret in Luoyang that Cao Pi is seriously ill.
In other words, Cao Pi was seriously ill this time, and it was very likely that he would not be able to get over it.
Once Cao Pi really dies, then at least the pressure on Jingbei and Guanzhong will be reduced a lot. At that time, it is hard to say whether Sun Quan of Soochow will still be as stubborn as he is now.
Everything was prepared for a rainy day, so Zhuge Liang urgently transferred Zhang Xi and Zhao Yun returned to Chengdu to discuss the next changes in national affairs.
After all, it still takes a certain amount of time to return to Chengdu from Liangzhou and Yongzhou.
By the time Zhang Xi and Zhao Yun received the news, made arrangements for their respective states and counties, and set off to return to Chengdu, Cao Pi died of illness in Luoyang, and the news of Cao Wei's new king, Cao Rui, had also been sent back to Chengdu through Luoyang's elaborate channels.
Okay now, just in time, let’s discuss together how to deal with it next.
Should we take advantage of Cao Pi's new death and Cao Wei's "ownerlessness" to send troops to attack the Central Plains, or should we wait for a while and wait for our side to recover before launching a large-scale operation.
These two ideas are actually being debated fiercely among the officials in Chengdu today.
The general faction headed by Zhang Fei supported sending troops immediately to recover the Central Plains.
The opportunity is rare.
Cao Pi is an old boy. Although he is far behind his father, he still has some skills. Coupled with Cao Wei's large size, although he has suffered consecutive defeats, he is relatively stable domestically and can hold the bottom line externally. Now It is still the strongest among the Three Kingdoms.
This old boy is dead now. His son is only in his early twenties this year. He is a young boy with no experience and no prestige. Sending troops to attack Cao Wei at this time may also trigger turmoil within Cao Wei. It is simply a god-given opportunity.
Of course, if you don't crusade against Cao Wei, you can turn around and crusade against Sun Quan. If you already see that treacherous bastard, you can put aside Cao Wei for the time being and attack Jiangdong.
This is what the military commanders think.
The civil service faction headed by Qin Mi advocated taking advantage of the rare window of pressure to temporarily recuperate and accumulate strength.
After all, in recent years, foreign wars have been carried out almost every two or three years. The burden on both the common people and the wealthy families has been very heavy, and no one wants to fight anymore.
The Three Kingdoms period was a little different from ordinary troubled times.
The troubled times in other dynasties usually lasted for more than ten or twenty years, and then it was almost over. If it could not end, it would basically become a situation of confrontation between various forces. After more than a hundred years or even longer, it would be a period of recuperation. , only then will a talented and strategic monarch appear and re-complete the great cause of unifying the world.
However, during the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first year of Zhongping to the present, the war has been going on for more than thirty years. The major forces have been fighting among themselves, and even after the three pillars finally stood up, they still have not stopped.
Therefore, civil servants are more inclined to temporarily recuperate. If they do not recuperate, not only the people will be unable to bear it, but also the aristocratic families like them will be unable to bear it.
From the perspective of people's survival, Qin Mi is actually right. Although today's Han Dynasty is living a much better life than in history, it still cannot withstand too much trouble.
But from Zhang Fei's perspective, it's understandable.
The world has been in chaos for more than thirty years, and everyone is a little exhausted. If we don't take advantage of the enemy's current weakness to launch a decisive war and continue to drag it out to allow Cao Wei to recover, the great cause of the Han Dynasty's revival will be , I don’t know when it will be realized.
Should we continue to work hard for the people of the world for three to five years, or should we continue to work hard for the people of the world for another three to fifty years? This multiple-choice question is put in front of us. Smart people know how to choose, right? !
Then Zhang Fei was sprayed by Qin Mi.
Who can know the outcome of the war in advance? If you send troops this time and cannot play a decisive role, then you will still have to make the people (family) suffer even more.
Besides, although Soochow was unreliable before, it was a nominal ally at least. During the two Northern Expeditions, although Soochow was more about expanding strategic space for itself, in fact, it did help the Han to hold back some of Cao Wei's elite. But now, The Han Dynasty has fallen out with Soochow. What if when we are fighting with Cao Wei, Soochow takes advantage of others' danger? !
This kind of thing, with the urine of those people in Jiangdong, do you dare to say that they would not do this? !
However, Zhang Fei disapproved and believed that Soochow's backstabs failed twice. Even though he refused to admit his fault now, with his second brother staying in Jingzhou, Soochow would not dare to act rashly.
As long as the Han begins to attack the Central Plains, Cao Wei cannot sustain it. With Soochow's virtue, he will definitely take the opportunity to send troops to seize territory and take advantage. He does not necessarily have to fight against the Han.
The two sides were arguing and arguing, and no one could convince the other.
Although Zhuge Liang was the prime minister at this time, because of the promise Zhuge Liang had made when he was entrusted with the throne, he did not use his power to forcefully suppress these disputes. Instead, he chose to summon the governors from all over the country to return to Chengdu to discuss national policies.
Moreover, the problem that Zhuge Liang has to face is not only the issue of war or peace, but also the issue of foreign policy towards Soochow. Within the Han Dynasty, it is not that they did not take advantage of the opportunity when Cao Wei in the north was too busy to take care of themselves, and sent troops to conquer Soochow. .
And the most terrible thing is that the representative figure among those who hold this idea is Pang Tong.
Compared with Qin Mi, Pang Tong's opinion was an issue that Zhuge Liang had to face squarely.
The reason why Pang Tong supported the attack on Soochow was that he must find a way to eliminate future troubles.
Otherwise, no matter when the Han Dynasty chooses to attack Cao Wei again in the future and attack the Central Plains, he must always consider whether Soochow will be a hindrance. In terms of Jingzhou's geographical location, as long as the Soochow navy maintains its current combat power, once they attack Jingzhou, Jingzhou was unable to go further north to coordinate the Northern Expedition, and the Han Dynasty could only walk on one leg.
Furthermore, today's Yongzhou, Qinzhou, Liangzhou, and even Jingzhou do not have the possibility to immediately send troops to attack the Central Plains.
Yongzhou is still in the period of recovery of people's livelihood. Although the population has moved for two years, it has still not returned to the state it was three years ago. The county soldiers are not well trained and their combat power is insufficient.
Ma Chao, the governor of Qinzhou, finally did not survive until the third year of Jianxing. He died of illness at the end of last year.
Qin Governor Shi Jiang Xu took over as the governor of Qinzhou, but Jiang Xu's prestige was not enough, and the surrounding Qiang people were also a little impatient, so it was not suitable for him to mobilize county troops to march eastward.
In the Liangzhou area, Zhao Yun and Pang De finally trained a cavalry force of 5,000 people after several years of hard work. After the battle of Zhiyuanduo, the cavalry force had actual combat experience, but the number was still insufficient. Especially in the Central Plains area, they will inevitably face Cao Wei's large cavalry force. This troop strength is obviously not enough to help the Han army occupy the cavalry advantage on the Central Plains battlefield.
As for Jingzhou, after Guan Yu withdrew his troops and returned to Xiangyang last year, Guan Yu's physical condition began to deteriorate. In the winter of the second year of Jianxing, although Guan Yu survived, he lived a very hard life and his physical fitness became worse and worse. Paying attention will cause symptoms of typhoid fever. No one knows how long Guan Yu can last in Jingzhou.
Therefore, Pang Tong's idea is very straightforward - while the Jingzhou Legion still has the spirit and combat power, and also has the ability to fight on the water, it is better to directly send troops to Soochow and at least take back Changsha and Guiyang counties.
In this way, not only can Jingzhou be completely occupied and the development of Soochow be suppressed, but at the same time, the land passage to Yuzhang County can be controlled through Changsha and Guiyang, threatening Jiangdong from making trouble.
(End of chapter)
