"Is Sun Quan still a human being? I think the death of the fourth brother has something to do with Jiang Dong." Shi asked in disbelief.
"Third brother, the eldest brother said it was just rumors. We can't fully believe it. Besides, there are many Jiangdong families, and it is possible that they will fall in love with each other..." Shi Yi analyzed.
"Hmph, the king of great achievements poisoned the hero, trapped and killed Wu Ju to seize Cangwu, and plotted to occupy the South China Sea. I think these are all the same. Why should we rely on such a villain?" The soldier's face was as dark as water.
"Third brother, be careful what you say." Shi Yi quickly dissuaded him.
The scholar's face became even colder, "There are people close to my family in the palace, could there be someone here who betrays me? I heard that Sun Quan's brothers also died in mysterious circumstances..."
"Brother..." Shi Yi stopped talking.
Shi Xie immediately stretched out his hand to stop, "I called you here today to unify my thoughts. I have long suspected Wu Di's death. The so-called rumors may not be unfounded. Originally, I wanted to send two ships of food to Lu Meng. Since the third brother has such a big opinion, Then I have to give up..."
"That's right." Shi nodded quickly.
Seeing this, Shi Yi said anxiously: "Brother, if you rashly make enemies with Jiangdong, you might offend him. My Hepu..."
Shi Xie was very clear about Shi Yi's caution. He smiled and comforted: "Second brother, don't worry, how can I let Jiangdong get the blame? The weather in Jiaozhou is so hot this year, and a reduction in grain production is inevitable. It's better to let them wait." That's right, another 10,000 dragon guards will be dispatched to station in Hepu. Lu Meng is now restrained by Lai Gong and his warships have been seriously damaged. He may not have enough energy to provoke our family."
"It's good to have this strategy to delay the attack..." Shi Yi nodded.
Shi Xie looked at the disciples in the room and said, "Since Lai Gong has become famous, we should be good friends as neighbors. I wonder who among the juniors can be sent as an envoy to Bushan?"
"Father, I am willing to go." Shi Hui cupped his fists and asked for a tassel.
Shi Xie and his disciples have not been baptized by war, so most of them are mediocre people. This is in line with the fact that the Shi family wants to be idle princes. However, the third son Shi Hui relatively values power, especially after his eldest brother Shi Lin came to Jiangdong as a hostage. He was very active in front of and behind the saddle.
Shi Xie shook his head and said earnestly to his second son Shi Zhi: "It's your hard work. Lai Gong has changed so much in a short period of time. It's definitely not because of any earth-shattering changes on his part. He must have found a stronger backer." , please try your best to express your goodwill during this trip to Bushan, Sun Quan is not the only choice for our family."
"Wei." Shi Zhi stood up and clasped his fists to accept the order.
"Brother, you are saying that Lai Gong's backer is Liu..." Shi seemed to have guessed something.
Shi Xie just analyzed together, and Liu Bei's name is ready to come out. Yulin County is adjacent to Jingzhou to the north and Yizhou to the west. Liu Zhang has long been known for his secrecy and weakness, so the rest is self-evident.
Shi Xie nodded, "When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. Sooner or later, he and Sun Quan will have a battle. It is beneficial for both of us to have a good relationship."
"Hui'er, please prepare generous gifts. We don't send troops to help with food. We can always make the envoys from Jiangdong return home with a full load." Shi Xie analyzed while stroking his gray beard.
"Wei." Shi Hui responded.
In September of the 16th year of Jian'an, the half-year period given by Sun Quan to Lu Meng had expired, but he was still spending it by the Yushui River.
During the two months of confrontation, Lu Meng's troops trained under the scorching sun every day, while Lan Tian asked Shamoko to build an earthen city and permanent defenses in Moon Bay.
The south side of the Moon Castle is adjacent to the Yushui Big Turn. A large number of archery towers were built to defend against the westward march of the navy. The archery towers were equipped with specially-made huge crossbows, which were used to attack invading ships.
Whether it is the craftsmen who participated in the construction or the equipment such as crossbows and catapults, all thanks to the efforts of the craftsmen of Quanling Army Workshop, Quanling Academy has gradually been able to serve the war, and the suppressive power of science and technology has gradually become apparent. Lantian It is planned to increase investment in Quanling Academy and military workshops, and establish relevant reward mechanisms for craftsmen who have contributed to technological innovation.
Lu Meng watched the Moon Castle being built bit by bit. During this period, he also organized two attacks, but both were easily repelled by Shamoko.
You work hard to build it. When Lai Gong's food runs out and causes a mutiny, this earth city was built for us Jiangdong. Lu Meng can only comfort himself naively.
Due to the drought, grain production was reduced, and the grain harvests in Cangwu and Nanhai were reduced. Shi Xie also used this as an excuse to refuse to borrow grain. Lu Meng had to reduce the daily rations of his soldiers. Lu Fan and Wei Jing could only increase the common people's taxes. The people of the two counties were therefore Overwhelmed, many people fled to Guiyang in the north and Hepu in the west.
Compared with the food shortage at Lu Meng's side, the barbarians at Moon Castle were quite satisfied. Not only were the military rations shipped from Lingling sufficient, Lantian also transferred a group of farm chefs, who made various tricks to cook for the barbarians. They are all delicacies that Samoko has never tasted in his hometown, so whether it is working or building earthen cities, these barbarian soldiers are more active than the Han soldiers.
The group traveled south to Jiaozhou for several months, but Gan Ning returned to Quanling early due to physical discomfort.
Because Lantian missed his wife and children, he wanted to return to Lingling after the completion of the Moon Castle. When he was hesitant about who should stay behind, Lu Lingqi sent a letter home, saying that Guan Yu invited him to Jiangxia for a banquet on the Double Ninth Festival.
Although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both enemies, their personalities are very different. Zhang Fei is bold and dares to love and hate, and is used to express his likes and dislikes in his heart, but Guan Yu, like Yan's father, cannot express his emotions.
In Lantian's memory, this was the first time Guan Yu invited him to a banquet. Did the second master really want to communicate with him, or did he have something important to talk about?
Jiangxia County is adjacent to Chaisang, which is guarded by Lu Su. Could it be that Jiangdong is playing some trick again? Thinking of this, Lan Tian couldn't calm down.
"Boping, what day is today?" Lan Tian asked.
"The third day of September." Gao Shun replied.
Lan Tian calculated that there were still five days left, and he said to Gao Shun: "I am about to leave for Jiangxia to see General Guan. You can go back with me to rest for a while. You haven't seen Yuan'er and Ji'er for a long time."
Gao Shun said with a smile: "I don't know if they have grown taller. In fact, sir, I think highly of Lu Meng. It is enough to leave three to five thousand people in the Moon Castle. Jiangdong soldiers have left the warship and they don't have much fighting power at all..."
Lantian then called Shamoke and Liang Tai and said, "General Gao and I are going back to Lingling. Can you hold the Moon Castle in your hands?"
"Don't worry, general. If the rats from Jiangdong dare to come, they will never come back." Liang Tai replied sonorously.
"Me too." Shamoke felt that Liang Tai's words were right, so he clasped his fists and echoed.
Liang Tai and Gan Ning had followed Lan Tian for a long time, and his body was extremely adaptable. Gan Ning could not endure the hot and humid climate in Lingnan, but he was able to persevere. Lan Tian deliberately trained Liang Tai to cooperate with Lai Gong to defend Yulin County.
Shamoko had just been recovered not long ago. Lantian was worried that he would miss his hometown and asked worriedly: "Is Chief Sha homesick for home? You have been out for a few months. Do you want to go back to Chenyang?"
Shamoko said cheerfully: "The food here is delicious, and occasionally I can bully the Jiangdong rats. I don't want to go home. I can go wherever the general arranges for me."
Lan Tian nodded, "Don't worry, Lu Meng won't be able to hold on in a few months. When the time comes, I will hold a banquet to celebrate your success when we return to Quanling."
"Wei." Samoko replied in unison.
