The consequences of defeat in this battle were something Cao Wei could not afford. Sun Ce had been watching closely, waiting for something to go wrong in the war so that he could profit from it.
"Your Majesty!" Guo Jia said, "I think this matter must be done with caution. Our army took the lead in dispatching to attract Zhang Xiu's attention. Liu Chu's army then raised troops from Xiangyang to the north, forcing Zhang Xiu to divide his troops to defend. In this way, Zhang Xiu's two Once the fists are punched out, the chest will be opened to Xi Zhicai. When the time comes, Zhang Xiuye can be defeated in one battle!"
Cao Cao frowned and thought carefully, then said slowly: "We must go all out in this battle. Liu Bei is very important. If something goes wrong on his side, we will be in trouble. Who do you think we should send?" How about convincing Liu Bei?"
Guo Jia: "Liu Bei must have known this matter himself, so there is no need to use lobbyists. However, in order to ensure that we can cooperate closely, Chen Qun can be sent to the Chu area to cooperate with the action."
Cao Cao nodded: "He is a guilty person, so let him go. If something goes wrong, he will be killed without mercy."
…
Chu Jing.
At present, the situation in the world is changing dramatically, the north is surging, and a terrifying war is brewing. The armies of Jing and Wei have been arrayed together, and there are constant small moves behind them. No one can predict who will win the weight of victory.
As the saying goes, every time there is a big change, there must be a secret.
For Liu Chu, the world is about to change, and their opportunity is about to come.
The war between Jingguo and Wei means that the main forces of the two countries will all be involved in the war, leaving no room to take care of themselves. The soldiers and horses of Yizhou only defend and dare not attack. They may also be the reserve force for the Battle of Nanyang. As long as Nanyang fights In trouble, Yizhou's soldiers and horses will definitely be mobilized.
Liu Chu and his ministers had already discussed strategies and were waiting for the war between Jing and Wei. Once an opportunity arose, they would all come out in force to seek the greatest benefit.
The weather in Chudi in August is so stuffy that even under the shade of a tree or in a cool house, the sweat on your head and body still flows down uncontrollably.
The sky was clear and cloudless.
Liu Bei was wearing a silk gown, lying on a lounge chair in the pavilion, feeling the refreshing breeze, but thinking clearly about the benefits of this battle in his heart.
At this time, the servants came to report: Kuai Yue, Chen Gong, and Chen Deng asked for an audience.
Liu Bei was surprised.
Why did these three people come together to see him? This kind of thing is rare. There is no Shangcheng Pavilion in the Chu State. It only has a Zhongshu Province. Chen Gong serves as the prime minister. Chen Deng and Kuai Yue serve as the assistant prime ministers. Each performs his own duties. I don’t know why we are here together today. See.
After a brief thought, he ordered someone to invite them in.
After the three people came in and bowed down, Chen Gong took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, Cao Wei's envoy Chen Qun came from Runan last night. Please see me if you have something to say."
Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was doing and said, "You must be here for the war in Nanyang!"
"Yes," Chen Gong said, "I, Prime Minister Chen and Prime Minister Kuai have already met him. Cao Cao wants us to send troops north to assist them in fighting. After defeating Zhang Jing, we can conquer Hanzhong, Nanyang, Yizhou, etc. The land was given to us.”
After hearing this, Liu Bei's lips curved into a sarcastic smile. Who is Cao Cao? He is the most evil man in the world. How can he share the meat in his mouth with himself? Even if he gave it, it must have ulterior motives, but the opportunity at the moment is good, and there is no need to refuse it outright.
Thinking quickly in his mind for a moment, he asked Chen Gong: "What does Gong Tai think?"
Even before he came, Chen Gong had a plan for his reply. He made a rough draft and said: "When I return to the emperor, I think I should agree to Cao Cao's request first."
"Why?"
"Your Majesty, Zhang Jing is now as powerful as the sky. Cao Wei cannot be defeated. If defeated, I, Liu Chu and Sun Wu, will have no chance of survival. However, we cannot allow Cao Cao to achieve a complete victory. Cao Cao is a traitor and must be guarded against."
Liu Bei nodded.
"Your Majesty," Kuai Yue said, "now Zhang Jing's 170,000 troops are in Nanyang and 120,000 troops are in Yizhou, forming a pincer attack on our army. If we send troops to the north, we are afraid that Lu Xun of Yizhou will attack our western defense line. In this way The gain outweighs the loss. I think that we should take advantage of Zhang Jing's full-time war against Cao Wei to attack Yizhou. In this way, whether the north is captured by Cao Wei or Zhang Jing, Chu will be able to resist and will not be restrained. Then wait for an opportunity to move eastward. By taking the land of Yangzhou, we can divide the world equally with the north."
Chen Deng: "I second the proposal."
Chen Gong instantly felt a chill on his back, and his heart felt even more painful.
After Liu Bei became emperor, he established the Chu State and set up Zhongshu Province. However, among the three ministers of Zhongshu Province, only Chen Deng was a veteran who followed Liu Bei from Xuzhou, while Chen Gong and Kuai Yue were surrendered ministers.
Kuai Yue was a newly surrendered minister of Jingchu. In order to gain Liu Bei's trust, he married his daughter to Chen Deng as his concubine, and became Chen Deng's father-in-law. The relationship between the two suddenly became closer. , isolated Chen Gong.
Chen Gong himself did not expect to be isolated by them. With such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they only wanted to capture Yizhou? Even if Yizhou gets it, is Sun Ce of Soochow easy to bully?
What an equal division of the world!
What nonsense!
Chen Gong immediately said: "Your Majesty, think twice. Cao Wei's strength is equal to that of Zhang Jing. After this battle, no matter who loses or wins, he will pay a heavy price. We, the great Chu, can reap the benefits and go north to Wuguan Road." Take Chang'an. When the time comes, blockade Hulao Pass and defend Duyang City, half of the world is in my hands! By then, Yizhou will become a ripe apple. We don't need to use troops. We will just wait for it to fall off naturally. Can."
Liu Bei's eyes lit up when he heard Chen Gong's words.
As Chen Gong said, no matter who is the winner in the Jingwei War, the losses must be heavy. They can take the opportunity to occupy a large territory to increase their strength.
Kuai Yue and Chen Deng's eyes met for a moment, but neither spoke again. Going north was not in the interests of the nobles, and it cost the Jingzhou nobles money, food, troops, and horses. However, Liu Bei was moved by Chen Gong's advice, and they did not dare to say anything further, otherwise it would arouse Liu Bei's resentment.
Liu Bei was not blind and knew the relationship between Chen Deng and Kuai Yue. Fortunately, they were both loyal to him. He glanced at the two of them calmly and said slowly: "I wonder what Xiang Chen and Xiang Kuai think of what Gong Tai said?"
"What Prime Minister Chen said is true, and I second my opinion." Kuai Yue and Chen Deng agreed at the same time.
Chen Gong also breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing their compliance, Liu Bei showed a satisfied smile on his face: "Since the three beloved ministers have unanimously agreed, Gongtai, please explain in detail how our army will act."
Chen Gong: "Your Majesty, now there is a confrontation between the Jing and Wei armies, and our army cannot get involved. Cao Cao means to wait until they fight the Jing army, and when they are jealous, we can surprise them from behind. My idea is..."
Chen Gong paused briefly: "Except for the naval forces who stayed in Xiangyang, all the army marched westward, making a gesture of attacking Yizhou at all times, so that Zhang Xiu could fight with Cao Wei at ease. After arriving at the western border, the mountains were covered with military flags, and the troops secretly followed Withdraw, hide near Xiangyang, and then wait for an opportunity to go north!"
"good!"
Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed: "No matter who wins or loses, we will all reap the benefits!"
