Ma Chao will rebel sooner or later, but that happened in the 16th year of Jian'an. There are still two years left. Cao Wugen wants to deal with Liu Bei and Sun Quan, the two biggest threats, and then free up his hands to deal with the remaining princes in the north who have pledged themselves to vassalage.
So he called his two advisers, and when they entered the hall, Cao Wu and Diao Chan were spreading a huge piece of leather paper.
Cao Wudao: "You two come to discuss the situation in the south."
After a map of Jingzhou was laid out in the main hall of Beifu, Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun were once again impressed by Beifu's hidden strength.
This map draws the mountains and rivers of Jingzhou extremely carefully. You can understand the geography of Jingzhou at a glance.
Cao Wu said with a smile: "Let's just make do with it. I have received guidance from Mr. Huang in many places, so there shouldn't be any big mistakes. I originally wanted to make a sand table, but the sand table is too difficult to make."
Huang Lao naturally pointed to Huang Chengyan. The hermit left after directing the disaster relief, but before leaving, Cao Wu asked people from Beifu to go there with a sketched map, and finally came back with this map.
Zhuge Liang had seen Cao Wu's Yangtze River sand table. It was too difficult to create such a masterpiece. With this map, it was already extraordinary.
"Huang Lao has a hilly chest. When I was in Nanyang, I learned the eight formation diagrams from him, but unfortunately I couldn't fully learn them."
Zhuge Liang sighed.
"Eight array diagrams?"
Lu Xun looked fascinated, but Zhuge Liang didn't want to talk anymore.
Cao Wudao: "Beifu has not yet been opened. The only one I can discuss is you two. Speak freely. Zhang He has suffered a new defeat in the south. I want to hear your opinions."
Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun were a little unfamiliar with the sudden arrival of the world discussion. One of them was Cao Wu's staff, and the other was a nominal prisoner of war. They planned for Cao Wu to kill political enemies like the Sima family. Both of them felt that it was only natural. However, Cao Wu was not like this. The two of them were still not used to people without actual official positions wanting to check the general trend of the world.
But immediately, the two of them thought of something else. They looked at each other and they both had an opinion in their hearts. If Cao Pi knew about Zhang He's new defeat, he would probably find someone to discuss the situation.
Maybe Cao Wuzhen...
Thinking of this, both of them looked excited.
Zhuge Liang organized his thoughts and took the lead in pointing to a place on the map of Jingzhou: "The four southern counties of Jingzhou, the prefect of Wuling, Jin Xuan, the prefect of Lingling, Liu Du, the prefect of Guiyang, Zhao Fan, and the prefect of Changsha, Han Xuan, were originally under Liu Jingsheng. After Liu Gong passed away, the four southern counties took a wait-and-see attitude towards the new Jingzhou pastoralist Liu Cong launched by Kuai and Cai."
He then pointed to the north of the four counties and said: "When Liu Xuande went south, if he could abandon the people and gallop towards Jiangling, the four southern counties would definitely follow his lead. However..."
Lu Xun sneered and said: "However, his wife's kindness led one hundred thousand people across the Han River, and the tiger and leopard cavalry traveled three hundred miles day and night, and finally defeated his army at Changban in Dangyang, leaving him with only If you can give up Jiangling, go east to Jiangxia to join Liu Qi."
He had analyzed this battle countless times in private. If Liu Bei could take Jiangling, or if the tiger and leopard cavalry were not that fast, then the general situation of the world might not be what it was.
Cao Wu said the truth in one word: "The big-eared thief is famous for his faith in the world. This is his trick to win people's hearts. His foundation is too weak. If he abandons the people, he will not be able to hold on to Jiangling even if he takes it."
Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun nodded. After the turmoil in Xu Du, they now admired Cao Wu's analytical ability.
Cao Wu signaled Zhuge Liang to continue, and Zhuge Liang said: "After Meng Degong took Jiangling, the four southern counties sent a message to decide, but they were still waiting and watching. In the Battle of Chibi, Meng Degong went north and the army returned to the Central Plains, but some troops were still left behind for two purposes. , one is to intercept Duke Xuande, and the other is to prevent the four counties from having second thoughts."
"General Zhechong Yuejin is stationed in Wuling."
"General Huwei is stationed in Lingling."
"General Xu Huang of Hengye is stationed in Guiyang."
"Li Dian, the general of Polu, is stationed in Changsha."
With each word, Zhuge Liang placed a chess piece on the map, and four chess pieces stood in the southern part of Jingzhou.
"In addition to the four generals, the two generals, Zhang Liao, the bandit general, and Zhang He, the Pingdi general, led eight thousand elite infantry and cavalry troops and went south along two routes to pursue Xuande Gong."
He placed several chess pieces on the map, filling the gaps between the four counties.
"The problem is that the two thousand soldiers that Duke Xuande took away were all the most elite and experienced soldiers, and they also had local guides from Jingzhou. They hid in the mountains several times. The two generals Zhang were not familiar with the terrain and chased them away several times. It took two months until the news came and we were finally here..."
He places the white chess piece in the far south of the map.
"General Zhang He was ambushed here and was defeated. Almost his entire army was wiped out. He headed north to Guiyang to escape."
"The road to the south is far away and the news is not smooth. I only know that General Zhang He lost, but I don't know why. I have always heard that General Zhang He used his troops cautiously, eight thousand against two thousand. Zhang He is also an elite soldier. Even if he loses, the whole army will not be wiped out. .So, there are two possibilities.”
He put down the white pieces next to the black chess pieces of Le Jin and the other four people and said: "These four prefects are all veteran generals of Jingzhou. They have an old relationship with Xinye Xuande Gong. It is not surprising. The first possibility is that they took action."
Lu Xun shook his head: "To annihilate all eight thousand elites, we need at least twenty thousand. But Le Jin, Li Dian, Xu Huang, and Yu Jin are all good generals. They are stationed in the four counties. It is difficult for the four counties to have time to mobilize. Send out so many soldiers and horses to attack.”
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "Then only Wu Ju, the governor of Cangwu who is adjacent to Jingzhou, can take action."
Cao Wu's ears twitched when he heard this name, because Wu Ju's name was more famous than the prefect of the four southern counties. He had no choice but to be called by the emperor's uncle.
He said: "Wu Ju, the prefect of Cangwu, has an old relationship with Liu Da'er. I know this."
Lu Xun seemed to be very surprised by the name Liu Da'er. He was stunned for a moment and then continued: "Cangwu is the north gate of Jiaozhou, and it is the richest place in the seven counties of Jiaozhou. The Lord... General Sun has wanted to take this place for a long time."
"Oh? Is this the case?"
Cao Wu recalled that in history, after winning the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei captured the four southern counties, while Sun Quan extended his tentacles to Jiaozhou and eventually occupied the entire territory of Jiaozhou.
Sun Quan could not attack Hefei to the north and Jingzhou to the west, so it was normal for him to expand to the south.
"If this is the case, then we must take action before Sun Shiwan!"
Cao Wudao.
"Sun Shiwan?"
Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun raised their heads at the same time. Diao Chan covered her mouth and smiled softly: "You two don't have to care about these strange names of your lord. He is willing to say this in front of you because he trusts you."
Diao Chan's words made Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun feel warm in their hearts.
Cao Wu ignored them and asked Diao Chan, "Can I get the map of Jiaozhou?"
Diao Chan shook her head.
"It's a bit difficult. Our restaurants, restaurants, salt and grain businesses have just spread across Jingzhou. The geography of Jiaozhou is different from that of the Central Plains, and there are five mountains blocking it. It may be difficult to penetrate."
Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun pricked up their ears and heard for the first time that Beifu used this method to collect news from all over the world.
At present, no one in Xudu knows about Zhang He's defeat, but Beifu has begun to discuss the situation, relying on their well-informed information.
Diao Chan explained: "The news about Beifu came from these traffickers. This is something Cao Lang had planned ten years ago."
The cry of "Cao Lang" made Cao Wu's heart skip a beat, but it was obvious that the focus of the two military advisors was not here. Zhuge Liang praised: "So that's it, Sima Fang is far away in Sanfu. We knew about Sima Fang's rebellion earlier than the Weiwei, so we should do the same." That’s why.”
Lu Xun sighed. He still remembered what Cao Wu said when he subdued him. Cao Wu said that Jiangdong had been fighting Huang Zu for so many years and lost too much time. In fact, Sun Quan was not idle. He spent these years subduing the internal forces, and then wiped out the barbarians in the southern mountains, expanding a lot of land to the south, otherwise he would not have the chance to cross paths with Cangwu.
But now it seems that a mere Beifu has accomplished many things that Jiangdong's efforts cannot.
Lu Xun said: "The layout is far-reaching, and our Jiangdong one is indeed inferior."
Cao Wu secretly felt ashamed. This way of inquiring about information seemed magical to the ancients, but to him, who reads novels every day, it was perfectly normal.
Beifu has its first-mover advantage and has accumulated a lot of wealth. Its news channels are spread across most states and counties in the world. Even Yizhou has its news channels. Only Jiaozhou is blocked by five ridges, making it difficult to deploy.
He asked Diao Chan again: "What about the specific situation in Jiaozhou?"
The three of them all looked at Diao Chan, who replied calmly: "The Jiaozhou Governor's Department was originally named Jiaozhi Governor. In the eighth year of Jian'an, the Prime Minister changed the name of Jiaozhou to Jiaozhou in order to contain Liu Jingsheng, with Zhang Jin as the pastor of Jiaozhou, Shi Xie as the prefect of Jiaozhi, and later Zhang. Jin fought against Liu Jingsheng for several years, but was rebelled by the people of Jiaozhou and was killed by his generals. Liu Jingsheng sent Lai Gong as the puppet pastor of Jiaozhou, and Wu Ju as the governor of Cangwu. The prime minister also appointed Shixie as the general of Suinan Zhonglang. He nominally commanded seven counties, but actually occupied most of the Jiaozhou land outside Cangwu. His disciples Shiyi, Shiji, and Shiwu were respectively the prefect of Hepu, the prefect of Jiuzhen, and the prefect of Nanhai. Together with Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi, one The fourth governor of the sect is the only one among the great men."
Diao Chan finally concluded: "So now Jiaozhou is actually divided into three parts. The first is the Shixie clan, which has been in the Jiaozhi family for seven generations, with four prefects in one family, controlling most of Jiaozhou. The second is Cang who expelled the pseudo-Jiaozhou pastor Lai Gong. Wu Ju, the prefect of Wu, and after Liu Jingsheng became seriously ill, Wu Ju no longer obeyed the orders of Jing Xiang, and became a Jingzhou foreign vassal like Liu Xuande and Huang Yuanyang, independent in the south of Jingzhou. The third was a small county in Hanoi, in the south of the world, governed by Fanbang Barbarians take over.”
She claimed to have less information, but in fact she had more information than others. Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun, two people who had lived in the south for a long time, discovered that they did not know much about Jiaozhou. In fact, it was too remote and had never been in the Central Plains. Within the sight of the dynasty.
Liu Bei defeated Zhang He and brought Jiaozhou into everyone's sight.
Listening to her talk, she explained the situation in Jiaozhou thoroughly in a few words. Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun nodded frequently. In addition to understanding Jiaozhou, they also had a new understanding of the lady beside Cao Wu who had not yet officially married.
It is the consensus of the two of them that Beifu does not support idlers. Now it seems that Mrs. Cao knows both disguise and intelligence. She knows the ministers of the court and allusions from all over the country very well, which is really rare.
Little did they know that Diao Chan had learned these things in the past ten years. Before that, she was better at rhythmic dance.
Diao Chan spoke carefully, and the three of them slowly digested the situation in Jiaozhou.
Lu Xun frowned and thought about how to catch Liu Bei before he ran to Jiaozhou. He thought that if he could submit to Cao Cao through Cao Wu, he would be worthy of what he had learned.
Zhuge Liang took a sip of tea. He couldn't directly attack Liu Bei. This was his moral obsession, but he wanted to plot against Jiaozhou.
There are seven counties in Jiaozhou, and the place is remote and difficult to capture. Neither Lu Xun nor Zhuge Liang have any good strategies, but it is still no problem to seek some benefits.
Unexpectedly, Cao Wu actually said directly: "There are six generals in the south, so let's take Bingzhou. This can capture Liu Da'er and disrupt Sun Shiwan's layout. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone!"
