In early February of the 25th year of Jian'an, the month-long prisoner redemption transaction ended, and Liu Bei and Lan Tian rushed to Xiangyang without stopping.
At this time, the Battle of Fancheng had ended, and all of Guan Yu's main forces were stationed in Xiangyang to rest and recuperate. In addition to meeting Guan Yu, Liu Bei also wanted to provide pensions and rewards to the soldiers.
The warship headed westward against the current. The wind on the Yangtze River was still biting. Only the midday sun shone directly on the bow of the ship. Only then did Liu Bei and Lan Tian walk to the deck to warm themselves in the warm sun.
"Ziyu, although the Art of War says that 'soldiers are crafty,' why did you continue to deceive Zhuge Ziyu and Sun Zhong when negotiating with Jiangdong during this period?"
Liu Bei did not intervene in Lan Tian's negotiations, but when Lan Tian described the issue of Lü Meng, he was standing beside him. Sun Quan may have misunderstood that he was testifying. There was nothing wrong with his honest admission of killing Lü Meng. Lan Tian deliberately framed Cao Cao. This behavior was Liu Bei's worst Incomprehensible.
Lan Tian looked at the nearby banks of the Yangtze River and saw green buds sprouting from the vegetation on the small trees. He looked at Liu Bei and replied solemnly: "The knowledge of the word "Bing" goes beyond this. Soldiers have visible soldiers, invisible soldiers, and visible soldiers. He is holding a spear, a warrior of the flesh; invisible soldiers, the sun, moon, stars, wind, cloud, water and fire, the aura of mountains and rivers, all things and phenomena can be used as soldiers, as the saying goes, the sound of the wind and the roar of the crane, the grass and trees are all soldiers."
Although Lan Tian didn't answer the question, Liu Bei still nodded appreciatively and repeated: "What a 'wind is roaring, cranes are roaring, grass and trees are all soldiers', but it is a pity that Ziyu does not have the ambition to command thousands of troops, otherwise he will become a famous general with more experience."
Lan Tian smiled slightly: "Actually, my understanding of 'soldiers' goes beyond that. Diplomacy, politics, economics, culture, etc., everything can be used as a soldier. Brother-in-law, do you think that reporting on the Yangtze River can be used as a soldier?"
"The Yangtze River newspaper can punish good and promote evil. It can influence rumors and incite people to the outside world. It can be said to kill people with words without seeing blood. Of course it can be used as a soldier..." Liu Bei nodded in affirmation.
"My brother-in-law's country is peaceful and the people are prosperous. However, Sun Quan is now losing a lot of money and goods. Jiangdong will surely fall into a period of poverty with little money and goods in a short time. If the rumors in the Yangtze River News are an invisible force, the economic damage will be a real blow to the gentry and people." , To stabilize society and prevent chaos, does Sun Quan still have the energy to plot in Jingzhou?" Lan Tian continued to explain.
Originally, Liu Bei wanted to keep the prisoners as corvees, and was worried that there would be trouble if the prisoners were ransomed by Sun Quan, but Lan Tian insisted on exchanging the prisoners for ransom, and Liu Bei still gave him full trust. Now after hearing the explanation, he suddenly realized.
"Ziyu, the depth of his strategy is terrifying..."
"Cultural or intellectual wars take too long and cannot be penetrated overnight, so I won't go into details. In ancient times, there were diplomatic methods of combining vertical and horizontal forces, but in the end they would still be terminated by war. I deliberately Attributing Lu Meng's death to Cao Cao does not allow Sun Quan to attack Cao Cao with all his heart, but only increases the conflict between Sun and Cao's family. As long as Sun Quan does not cause trouble in the southeast, it is only a matter of time before my brother-in-law completely defeats Cao Cao."
Liu Bei patted the guardrail after hearing this, carefully digested what Lan Tian had just said, and finally said meaningfully: "I have met many brilliant people in my life. Ziyu's understanding of 'soldiers' far exceeds that of others. Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. Liu Bei is so lucky."
"Beheading generals and seizing flags, conquering cities and territories, and chasing deer in the world. This kind of 'soldiers' is the simplest, most effective, and fastest. Emperor Gao and Xiang Yu only fought for four years. The Han Dynasty has experienced more than three hundred years. It is said that it is easy to conquer the world but difficult to rule it. We The political and economic 'soldiers' mentioned just now are mainly used to govern the world, or to fight against powerful foreign nations, such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, etc. north of the Great Wall..." Lan Tian continued to add.
"It is easy to conquer the world, but difficult to govern it. Since Ziyu said this, he must have an economic strategy to help the world. When the world is settled in the future... I will have nothing to worry about..." Liu Bei laughed heartily.
Liu Bei continued to consult Lantian and exchange opinions on the use of "soldiers". Unknowingly, the warship had arrived in Jiangxia.
At this time, the sky had darkened and they were unable to turn into the Han River and head north. Liu Bei and Lan Tian planned to rest in Jiangxia for a night and take Fazheng to Xiangyang tomorrow.
The scene on the dock made Liu Bei stunned.
All ships loaded with money, food and property were docked at Jiangxia's wharf.
In addition to the 300 million used by Sun Quan in E County, only 30% of the remaining 700 million ransom was coins and gold, and the rest was mostly silk, furs, metal utensils, grains, beans and other items.
The hundreds of ships were very eye-catching. Fazheng was worried that the ransom would be lost, so he asked Li Yi's Jiaozhou navy to guard them and count the numbers every day to ensure that they were correct.
Anyone who sees such a huge wealth will be jealous. As for how to distribute the ransom in the end, Liu Bei and Lan Tian need to decide.
After Fazheng met and exchanged greetings with Liu Bei, he asked about how to deal with the ransom: "Your Majesty, you saw it at the dock just now. What do you think of handling those belongings? If they are stored at the dock for too long, there will be chaos, and General Li's navy is not good either. Get away..."
"The amount of seven hundred million is indeed not small. I'm afraid greedy people will take risks." After Liu Bei knocked on the case and muttered, he turned to Lantian and made suggestions: "Ziyu, you have done a great job in repelling Sun Quan's sneak attack this time." , anyway, you got the money back through negotiation, why not let General Li transport it all back to Jiaozhou, it just so happens that Jiaozhou also needs funds for its development."
Lantian waved his hand after hearing this: "Although Jiaozhou is not rich, it is self-sufficient. I suggest that 100 million yuan and grain be returned to the Jingzhou public warehouse, and the remaining wealth should be divided into three parts, and one part should be used to build Wuchang City. One portion was used to reward the soldiers who fought in the defense of Jingzhou and the Battle of Xiangfan, and the last portion was used to compensate the soldiers who died in the two wars."
"General Lan's allocation is reasonable and well-founded. I second my opinion." Fazheng handed over his hand and asked for orders.
Liu Bei nodded slightly: "It is indeed very reasonable, then just do as Ziyu said. Originally, I wanted to take Xiaozhi to Xiangyang, but now I can only help you keep the divided ransom, and then we can go back to Chengdu together."
"I obey." Fazheng nodded.
At night, the monarch and his ministers chatted about war, negotiations, and Lantian's views on "soldiers" in Jiangxia over small dishes and wine.
Fa Zheng, drunkenly, raised his glass and complimented Lan Tian: "I claim to be from a famous family, but compared to General Lan's knowledge, it's like a horse compared to a unicorn, a jackdaw..."
Liu Bei was startled when he heard this, thinking that this sentence was very familiar.
Lantian looked embarrassed and quickly interrupted: "Xiaozhi is wrong. As the saying goes, my talents will be useful. We two have different strengths. As long as we can help the king to support the Han Dynasty, any horse or unicorn will be the same..."
"Well...General, you are so humble..." Fazheng smiled.
At this time, Liu Bei changed the topic and joked: "Ziyu has caused Zhuge Ziyu a lot of harm. I wonder if Kong Ming will feel sorry for his brother when he finds out. I heard that Sun Quan sent Ziyu to negotiate with Cao Cao, hoping to spend one billion The price will be sold out after the ban...ahem..."
Fazheng's eyes widened, wondering if Sun Quan was so naive?
