Gongsun Du's important aides Liu Yi, Yang Yi and others believed that Liu Bei came with bad intentions and good people did not come.
Obviously Goguryeo and Fuyu have been conquered by Gongsun Du and no longer dare to invade the border. Gongsundu also reported this matter to the court. The court had no reason to think that this matter was false, so why did he send troops to conquer Goguryeo and Goguryeo? Buyeo Country?
There is only one reasonable explanation, and that is that Liu Bei apparently wanted to conquer Goguryeo and Fuyu, but in fact he wanted to deal with Gongsun Du.
Liu Bei must have thought that Fuyu and Goguryeo had been pacified and honest, so he couldn't wait to kill the donkey.
"Goguryeo and Fuyu have just surrendered, but the emperor can't wait to take back the power of the princes. The emperor's fear has been clearly revealed. I think that at this moment, we must not sit still and wait for death. We must take action to prepare for emergencies." , if the emperor is really planning to use Qian Zhao to lead the army to invade Liaodong, then the princes must resolutely resist!"
Liu Yi believed that Liu Bei's behavior was very shameless, and he firmly wanted to defend Gongsun Du's status and power, so he did not hesitate to confront Liu Bei for this reason.
Yang Yi, on the other hand, was relatively calm and believed that Gongsun Du also did something wrong in this matter.
Previously, he did not agree with Gongsun Du's repeated attempts to seek power for Liu Bei. He believed that this matter would inevitably arouse Liu Bei's dissatisfaction and suspicion. Once Liu Bei was dissatisfied with Gongsun Du, he would definitely send troops to attack Liaodong. , how should Gongsun Du respond?
Liu Bei is not a simple figure. He led an army to attack Yuan Shao, Xianbei and Wuhuan, and won a great victory. He wiped out the grasslands and captured more than 700,000 prisoners. He was the best general in the world. This angered him and turned against Gongsun. What are the benefits?
Can Gongsundu still gain any advantages from it?
But at that time, Liu Yi supported Gongsun Du very much. Gongsun Du was also a little proud of his military victory and was unwilling to adopt Yang Yi's suggestion. He wanted to put pressure on Liu Bei and ask for more benefits.
At that time, news came that Liu Bei was promoting the law on land transfer, and news of a large number of rebellions in Qingzhou also spread to Liaodong, which made Gongsun Du's heart ready to move.
The powerful people in Liaodong are either his dogs or his dead dogs. They have been completely conquered by him, so even if he pushes the Dutian Law to him, it is a matter of his words. However, Liu Bei has not pushed the Dutian Law to Liaodong for the time being. Just three counties.
However, the series of turmoil in the Central Plains caused by this incident made Gongsundu feel that he had seen an opportunity.
If Liu Bei is busy putting down the rebellion, he will definitely rely on him even more, so isn't it the best opportunity to take this opportunity to ask him for more power to increase his own power?
In fact, Gongsun Du had no intention of breaking with Liu Bei, nor did he ever think of confronting Liu Bei. He had personally seen Liu Bei's ability in fighting, and knew that once he really angered Liu Bei, even if he was not afraid of getting involved, he would Worried about the power of Liu Bei's personal conquest.
If Liu Bei really went on a personal expedition, he could guarantee that he would not be able to defeat him and would have to escape, otherwise he would die.
So he just wanted to take advantage of the chaos and asked Liu Bei for more power. It would be best to form a small separatist situation in Liaodong. He and his descendants would guard Liaodong for generations, not as internal ministers, but as free border kings. , isn’t it good to be king and hegemony behind closed doors?
But Liu Bei's reaction obviously exceeded his expectations.
Shouldn’t the Central Plains still be in chaos?
How could he send troops to attack Goguryeo and Buyeo?
Isn't he afraid of being attacked from both sides?
Regarding this situation, Gongsun Du was terrified. Liu Yi's persuasion and support could no longer provide him with any sense of security. Although Liu Yi was indeed his number one general, Gongsun Du knew his strength very well. If Liu Bei really wanted to If you touch him, he will not be able to defeat Liu Bei.
So, he regretted it a bit.
He regretted that he should not have provoked Liu Bei again and again, should not have asked him for things he wanted, and should have been calmer instead of being so arrogant and domineering.
So he scolded Liu Yi and asked Liu Yi to stop saying these disrespectful words to Liu Bei, and then asked Yang Yi for advice, hoping to see if he could repair the relationship between him and Liu Bei.
Yang Yi sighed for a while, feeling that in the current situation, it was difficult to tell what Qianzhao was doing.
The most optimistic estimate at present is that Qianzhao is really just here to fight against Fuyu and Goguryeo, and he came to give Gongsun Du some color, let Gongsun Du know how capable the Han army is, and shock Gongsun Du. Gongsun Du should stop being so arrogant and domineering, and be more honest. In the end, Qian Zhao could still leave. The three counties of Liaodong were still entrusted to Gongsun Du for management.
The least optimistic estimate is that Qianzhao came to attack Gongsun Du and clean up Gongsun Du. The crusade against Goguryeo and Fuyu was just an excuse. The purpose was to make Gongsun Du lose his vigilance and be defeated by the Han army in a surprise attack. In the end, he became He was captured and everything was taken away by Liu Bei.
"Do you think the first possibility is more likely, or the second possibility?"
Yang Yi asked Gongsun Du a question.
Gongsun Du's reaction was somewhat optimistic.
"I have guarded Liaodong for the imperial court for many years and have numerous military exploits. Am I not considered a meritorious official? The emperor always treats meritorious officials favorably. I have military merits, so I shouldn't be captured by the emperor, right?"
Yang Yi sighed and cursed secretly, feeling that it was too late for Gongsun Du to give in now. Knowing that Liu Bei was so powerful, how could he ask for credit and reward in front of him, and take the initiative to jump in front of him again and again?
Okay, now that he has really been provoked, are you anxious?
Can you make it?
Most likely it will be too late.
Yang Yi could only shake his head, saying that the first possibility is unlikely, and the second possibility is more likely. Liu Bei may not really kill Gongsun Du, but Liu Bei most likely cannot accept Gongsun Du continuing to dominate the three counties of Liaodong. Now that the king has become the hegemon, he will probably want to depose Gongsun Du from his position and replace Qianzhao to take charge here.
The Central Han Army had never crossed Liaoze before, but now that it has crossed over this time, it is estimated that it will not leave easily.
When Gongsun Du heard this, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"I have made great contributions to the court! How could he treat me like this? Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard to guard Liaodong for so many years, right? How can he take away my power?"
Yang Yi shook his head.
"The emperor cannot tolerate anyone violating his majesty. No matter how many great contributions he has made, the most unacceptable thing is disrespect. The following behavior of the general in the past is really too much. His subordinates have repeatedly advised him. The general If you don't listen, how can you serve the general? Please ask the general to reflect!"
When these words came out, Liu Yi couldn't hold himself any longer.
"The Han family attaches great importance to military merit. The general has made many military exploits and made Goguryeo and Fuyu surrender and no longer become a border threat. Even the emperor cannot refuse to reward such great military exploits, right? If the emperor doesn't reward them, why can't he allow me to wait? Ask for a reward yourself?"
Yang Yi glared at Liu Yi.
"Asking for a reward is asking for a reward. It's barely reasonable to ask for a general. So what about the so-called governor of Pingzhou? Let the court divide the three counties of Liaodong and establish Pingzhou? Can a general propose such a thing?
How could we, as subordinates, allow our Lord to make such a big mistake? You repeatedly persuaded the general to do such things. Is it for the sake of the general? I think you want to be the prefect, so you are anxious, right? "
Liu Yi suddenly blushed, pointed at Yang Yi and said angrily: "How can you accuse someone of innocence out of thin air?"
"Right and wrong, justice lies in the heart of the people. Now the Han army is on the road and is coming soon. How do you want the general to deal with it?"
Yang Yi said angrily: "The current situation of the general is very dangerous. If you are not careful, you will die and your family will be destroyed. You don't think about the general, and you still argue about right and wrong here. Is it what a loyal minister should do?" "
Liu Yi was furious, but didn't know how to refute. Gongsun Du couldn't stand the argument between the two and forcibly interrupted the argument.
"I don't want you to advise me, not to argue in front of me!"
Liu Yi and Yang Yi glared at each other and could only put aside their disputes and start making suggestions for Gongsun Du.
But after planning and planning, they didn't know how to judge Liu Bei's intentions, let alone how to stop everything that was going to happen. If Lianzhao was really a bad person, should they really take the lead in attacking Lianzhao?
Liu Yi felt that no matter what, military preparations must be made to guard against sneak attacks by Lian Zhao. If necessary, he could preemptively attack and eliminate Lian Zhao's troops.
Yang Yi firmly opposed this.
What if Qianzhao was really just here to scare Gongsun Du into being more honest?
If Qianzhao was not here to deal with Gongsun Du, and Liu Bei had no intention of doing so, but Gongsun Du took the initiative, then even if he defeated Qianzhao, could he still defeat the angry Liu Bei and his elite Han army later?
Liu Yi stopped talking, and Gongsun Du also looked sad.
"so what should I do now?"
Yang Yi thought about it and could only give Gongsun Du one suggestion.
"The only solution now is to make two preparations. First, follow the imperial court's orders to provide food and fodder for the Qianzhao army, serve along the way, abide by the moral integrity of the ministers, and not give the imperial court an excuse to punish.
Secondly, we must also guard against the ulterior motives of the leader, so we need to prepare an army and maintain combat readiness at all times. Once the leader of the leader makes any changes, he must immediately resist and buy time for the general. "
After hearing this, Gongsun Du hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly.
"It's possible to do this, but there are 30,000 troops, and I only have 10,000 elite soldiers. If there is a confrontation, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with it. What can you do? Or should we recruit strong men to join the army immediately?"
Due to population and economic problems, Gongsundu tried his best to form a strong army of 10,000 people. Not only did he need the support of the Youzhou government, but he also sometimes had to go across the sea to Qingzhou to buy food so that he could feed the strong force of 10,000 people.
Of course, sometimes these ten thousand people are not enough, so when attacking Goguryeo and Buyeo, Gongsundu would temporarily recruit strong men to join the army and create an army of twenty or thirty thousand people. After the battle, he would pay the strong men with the captured spoils. As a reward, they were allowed to burn, kill and loot for three days, which was an additional reward.
This approach is considered a more appropriate approach.
Now, Qianzhao wants to bring an army of 30,000 to Liaodong. According to the imperial edict, plus Gongsun Du's 10,000 strong army, 40,000 people are enough to deal with Fuyu and Goguryeo. There is no need for more strong men to join the army. Gongsun Du's forced recruitment of strong men would be politically risky, and even if he recruited strong men, he might not be a match for the Han army.
So Yang Yi thought for a moment and said that he should use other methods to deal with Lian Zhao.
"The imperial court said that they will conquer Goguryeo and Buyeo, and Goguryeo and Buyeo are now following your orders. You only need to tell them about this, and then they will definitely feel fear and stand with you. .
At that time, you can get an army of thirty or forty thousand people to support you without any effort. You can command their army to be on guard. If the court really wants to attack you, you can command an army of fifty thousand people to fight against the enemy. trick.
If the imperial court is really just here to attack Goguryeo and Buyeo, you can tell Qianzhao their location and strength, and then assist the imperial army in attacking Goguryeo and Buyeo, and assist in making achievements. In this way, you can escape unscathed. "
After hearing this, Gongsun Du's eyes lit up, he thought for a moment, and nodded repeatedly.
"What you say makes sense, what you say makes sense. If the imperial court really wants to take action against me, then I will command Goguryeo's soldiers and horses and Fuyu's soldiers and horses to fight against Qianzhao and fight to the death with him. If he only comes to deal with Goguryeo country and Buyeo Kingdom, then I will use Goguryeo Kingdom and Buyeo Kingdom as meritorious deeds. In this way, the dilemma will be solved!"
Gongsun Du felt happy and praised Yang Yi fiercely.
But Liu Yi said something faintly at this time.
"It is said that the Han army is elite and good at fighting. What if the combined armies of Goguryeo and Buyeo still cannot defeat the Han army led by Qian Zhao?"
Yang Yi looked at Liu Yi in surprise.
Gongsun Du also looked at Liu Yi in surprise.
Liu Yi spread his hands.
"It's not about growing others' ambitions and destroying one's own prestige. Qianzhao is considered a famous general and has fought many tough battles. The army under his command is not a weak force. The main Qianniu Army was still in Bingzhou when he defeated the Huns and Xianbei and won a great victory. , judging from the current situation, even if our army goes all out, we may not be able to win unless..."
"Unless what?"
Gongsun Du quickly asked: "Finish your words!"
"Unless they are left without supplies and die of cold and starvation."
Liu Yi whispered: "In terms of combat power, the Han army is too strong to deal with, but no matter how strong the army is, it still needs food. The imperial court asked us to provide food and fodder to the Han army. This is certainly something we can do." But don’t do it. As long as we don’t provide food and fodder, the Han army can only rely on itself for logistical supplies, and it is particularly difficult to cross the grassland to reach Liaodong for food and fodder supplies, so..."
"So it is possible for our army to cause the Han army to lack food and combat power, thereby winning?"
Gongsun Du narrowed his eyes and whispered: "But in this way, he will completely become the enemy of the imperial court. Isn't this a safe strategy?"
"My subordinates are incompetent and can only think of this solution."
Liu Yi saluted and said: "General, please think carefully."
(End of chapter)
