Guo Jia had many ingenious strategies in his life. If he had to say which strategy was more subtle, Cao Cao would not be able to tell him.
But to say which plan is the most mysterious, it must be the prediction that Sun Ce will die at the hands of assassins on the eve of the Guandu Battle. He really made it right.
So that later generations often say that if Sun Ce had not died, there would have been no Three Kingdoms, because everyone felt that as long as he did not die, he would definitely attack Xuchang during the Guandu War, and there would be no Cao Wei later.
Guo Jia's prediction cast a veil of mystery on him.
But in fact, after carefully exploring Sun Ce's short life, Guo Jia did not predict casually, but made a well-founded judgment.
Because for most of Sun Ce's military career, he was fighting against the aristocratic family.
The princes from all over the world either adopt a gentle policy or a balancing act towards the powerful families in their own territory. Even Lin Mo has learned to use this.
But Sun Ce was different. He only insisted on one word, kill!
If you don't care about life and death, just do it if you don't accept it. It doesn't matter your four major families, the Huaisi Gang, and the Jiangdong Gang. Anyone who dares to object will be killed.
In the context of the late Han Dynasty, when aristocratic families dominated the situation, if you were an enemy of all the aristocratic families, even if Xu Gong's disciples did not kill you, there would always be other assassins.
Looking at the world, which prince can become great without relying on aristocratic families? The Yuan brothers and Cao Cao were considered successful because they were able to suppress the aristocratic families under them; Liu Biao and Liu Zhang were unsuccessful and were in turn controlled by the aristocratic families.
No matter what the outcome is, everyone must abide by one rule of the game, and that is United Family.
How capable is Sun Ce? He wants to overthrow a well-established family with just one overlord spear. Even three generations of the Sun family cannot do it.
On the level of opposing the aristocratic family, Sun Ce's fate has actually been doomed.
Zhou Yu, who came from a noble family, had long understood this truth. He had also tried to persuade Sun Ce many times, but he couldn't stop it.
Of course, in addition to Sun Ce's own character flaws, there are some conflicts that have indeed reached the point of being irreconcilable.
For example, among the four major families in Jiangdong, the Lu family, in the second year of Xingping, Sun Ce was still subordinate to Yuan Shu and was ordered to attack Lujiang. The soldiers surrounded him for several months, and finally Lu Kang died of illness and the city was destroyed.
In that battle, half of the Lu family died, and the rest fled to Jiangdong to avoid disaster.
You know, at that time Lu Kang was justly appointed as the prefect of Lujiang by the imperial court, but you forced him to death and killed so many people in the Lu family that the remaining people had no choice but to flee to Wu County. This account Should it be blamed on Yuan Shu or on you, Sun Ce?
Then, he killed Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the imperial court. Sun Ce's behavior was actually no different from betraying the imperial court.
Originally, the Lu family's blood debt made all major families dissatisfied with the Sun family. After Liu Yao's incident, the conflict reached its peak.
Therefore, no matter how well-connected and respectable Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong were, it would be difficult for them to raise enough food, grass and weapons for Sun Ce, because all the powerful families wished that the Sun family would die soon.
So after Sun Quan died in Guangling and the Sun family army was defeated, the powerful powerful families not only failed to provide Sun Ce with help in his time, but also made matters worse, and anti-Sun waves began to rise in various places.
Families large and small began to reject Sun Ce, and riots against Sun Ce occurred in Wu, Kuaiji, and Yuzhang counties.
Fortunately, these people have not yet completely united. They just work on their own and refuse to interact with the Sun family.
According to Sun Ce's past temper, he would definitely go on a killing spree. For this reason, Zhou Yu even roped in Zhang Zhao and others to come and persuade him.
After all, if we still use violent methods to quell the chaos at this time, it is likely that the aristocratic families will be forced to a dead end. In the end, the four major families stepped forward and asked the alliance to fight. That time, it was useless even if the overlord was alive.
But when he saw Sun Ce, he was unexpectedly calm. Not only did he not inspect the troops and horses to prepare for a big fight, he didn't even wear armor. He just sat in the yard in a daze.
When I asked him anything, he seemed absent-minded and didn't answer the question.
Finally, Zhou Yu took Zhang Zhao and others away and returned to Sun Ce. After some patient questioning, he allowed him to reveal his heart.
Two major defeats at Guangling City resulted in the loss of no less than 30,000 Jiangdong disciples, including Huang Gai, Zhou Tai, Pan Zhang, and Ling Cao, as well as his younger brother Sun Quan. This blow was not a big blow to Sun Ce.
Then after returning to Danyang, large-scale rebellions against the Sun family began in various places, which forced him to re-examine his life.
Have you really done anything wrong in the past?
Faced with the situation in front of us, the Overlord Spear was beyond its power, let alone an Overlord Spear that had long been defeated by Fang Tian Huaji.
In fact, when Sun Quan was still alive, he, like Zhou Yu, repeatedly advised Sun Ce to be gentle with the noble family and truly use it for his own benefit.
There is a saying that when Sun Ce was dying, many people actually wanted to support Sun Yi in power because his personality was most like Sun Ce.
But before he died, Sun Ce became enlightened. He understood that his death was no accident. To truly gain a foothold in this land, force alone was not enough. What was needed was Machiavellian thinking.
In this regard, Sun Yi, like himself, was far inferior to Sun Quan, so he changed the candidate.
History always follows its own path. Sun Ce in front of him was not seriously injured yet, but the trauma in his heart also made him reflect on how he should go in the future.
Once upon a time, he always felt that there was nothing in this world that could not be solved by an Overlord Gun, but reality gave him one, no, two loud slaps.
He began to understand that there is heaven outside the sky and there are people outside the world, and personal power will eventually be exhausted.
So, this time, he didn't plan to kill. What's the use of killing people in Jiangdong with rivers of blood? Others were expanding their territory, and he was still dealing with the smoky backyard. If this continued, let alone strengthen the Sun family. In the end, I am afraid that my career will be destroyed by my own hands sooner or later.
Of course Zhou Yu was very happy that Sun Ce had such an awakening. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he already revealed his willingness to compromise with the family.
Next, Zhou Yu started his operation to turn the tide.
Even though there are rebellions of varying degrees in the three counties and twenty-eight counties at the moment, the leadership of this matter must be with the four major families. After they are dealt with, the other powerful families of the small aristocratic families are just facilitators.
Zhou Yu first asked Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong to take people to the four major families to show their goodwill, and even went there with heavy gifts. There was no shortage of these things, but attitude was crucial.
After wandering around for a while, Zhou Yu made another trip in person. As Sun Ce's spokesperson, coupled with the influence of the Zhou family, his weight was not unimportant. Of course, he would inevitably say some nice words and flattery.
However, the people of the four major families are not just stupid and just listen to some kind words and it will be a step forward. The aristocratic families will always have interests at the forefront. Only by giving them enough what they want can there be room for buffering in this conflict.
Therefore, the biggest move was about to start. Sun Ce came to the door in person and promised that Lu Jun, the head of the Lu family, would be appointed as the prefect of Wu County, Gu Yong, the head of the Gu family, would be the prefect of Kuaiji, and the prefect of Yuzhang would be the governor of the Zhang family. As for the Zhu family, The head of the family, Zhu Zhi, was appointed as the capital of Danyang.
This can be regarded as a drastic change. You must know that the prefects of these three counties were originally served by people from the Huaisi Gang, that is, members of the Sun family. They all gave way in one go. This is equivalent to extremely It greatly increased the cost of the four major families' resistance to the Sun family.
As the leader of the Huaisi Gang, Zhou Yu took the initiative, which made Sun Ce give it a try.
The effect was very good. Within half a year, the riots in various counties were completely suppressed, and the previous bad attitude towards the Sun family was changed.
However, this gift can only stabilize the situation in Jiangdong, but it cannot make the four major families fully support Sun Ce. Moreover, you can only give such a gift once, because the six counties of Jiangdong in history have lost Lujiang and Jiujiang, and only Three of the four governor positions were given up, and no more positions could be given to him.
Moreover, the Huaisi Gang must give you enough benefits. They put their heads in their belts and fight for your Sun family.
"Gong Jin, this is just a delaying tactic, after all, it is not a long-term strategy. I am afraid that the four major families will not be so popular that snakes can swallow elephants, and in the end I will be swallowed by them.
What's more, the brothers under me are all fighting for their lives, but what I can give them is only six hundred stones, and the positions are limited. Over time, there will be complaints."
Sun Ce was very worried about this problem. He no longer thought about the issue of suppressing with force, and began to prefer to use power to control the states and counties, and to use his mind to appease people's hearts.
"There is no choice but to go to war." In fact, war has always been an extension of politics. If you want to play politics, you will inevitably use weapons.
Only when your cake is big enough can everyone be fed.
"However, we have missed the best opportunity to go north." The Central Plains War has ended. At that time, it was the most suitable time to go north. Sun Ce could even bypass Zhang Liao and attack Lujiang.
But at that time, there were riots all over Jiangdong, and he had no ability to start another war.
Now we can take action, but the problem is that the time is not right again.
Annoying.
"Bo Fu, now is not the right time to go north, and even if we are lucky enough to win Xuzhou, we can't stop Cao Cao's iron hoof."
"So what you are saying is..." Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu with some surprise. Xuzhou has been blocking the main road to the northeast of the Yangtze River. If Xuzhou is not taken, could it be Jingzhou?
On the other side of Jingzhou, since the battle with Sha Xian, Huang Zu has not dared to come out to fight with them easily, and siege of the city is still out of the question.
"Jiaozhou!" Zhou Yu's eyes narrowed and he recited two words firmly.
"Jiaozhou?"
Sun Ce thought he had heard wrongly, so he dug his ears and sneered: "Jiaozhou is located in a remote area, with cluttered mountains, miasma, and blocked passages. Ten Jiaozhous cannot compare to one Xuzhou."
"This is true at the moment, but in the long run, handing over the state is of great significance to us."
"I would like to hear the details." Sun Ce sat upright again, ready to listen carefully to Zhou Yu's opinions.
"When it comes to taxes, grain production, salt and iron, Xuzhou is of course inferior to Xuzhou. However, only with our current military strength can we have a chance to attack Jiaozhou. Both Xuzhou and Jingzhou have a great possibility of defeat;
Furthermore, although this corner of Jiaozhou is vast, sparsely populated, inaccessible and has many mountains and forests, Jiaozhou is not short of water. If we can introduce curved shaft plows and keel waterwheels, the decline will definitely be reversed in a few years and it can become our granary. place.
Third, there are seven counties in Jiaozhou. Although it is located in a wilderness, these are the positions of seven prefects. In the future, there will be no need to worry about running out of space to house the four major families.
Fourthly, the momentum of the four major families is too strong. It is difficult for Huaisi alone to compete. New forces need to be integrated. There are not many powerful families in Jiaozhou, but if they join forces with the members of Huaisi, they may not be unable to compete with the four major families. "
These four major directions were all carefully considered, and Sun Ce fell into deep thought.
At first, he really looked down on Jiaozhou, thinking that it was just a wild land with no meaning. After Zhou Yu said this, the importance of Jiaozhou had risen to the overall situation of Jiangdong's future, and it suddenly became clear that it was a wasteland. I feel like more than half of the darkness accumulated in my heart has been removed.
Using troops against Jiaozhou could relieve internal pressure, expand territory, build a future granary, and even shake the absolute dominance of the four major families. This has to be said to be a wonderful move.
He even suspected that when he gave up the position of the three major governors, he had already set his sights on Jiaozhou.
Using Jiaozhou to check and balance the four major families and divert conflicts was beautiful. The more Sun Ce thought about it, the more excited he became. He stood up and paced back and forth.
"Okay! Then in what name do we take action?" Sun Ce finally woke up and knew that taking action based on his likes and dislikes in the past would bring endless troubles. If this name is not established well, the future Jiaozhou will be the current Jiangdong.
"The other side of Jiaozhou has always kept aloof from the world and has done nothing extraordinary. However, they have not paid tribute for many years, so they can only ask Cao Cao to help." This is the benefit of using the emperor to order the princes.
Now that Sun Ce wants to attack Jiaozhou, he has to rely on Cao Cao to issue an imperial edict to him.
But why should they give you an imperial edict? Of course, tribute is unavoidable and the payment cannot be too small. For Jiangdong, which is not already wealthy, it is just adding insult to injury.
Sha Xian's gains in the first battle had been completely lost in the Guangling defeat, so he could only ask for help from the four major families. Fortunately, the relationship has eased a lot now, and the three prefects had just been given power. Sun Ce planned to let Zhou Yu lead Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao came to ask for it.
This matter is probably no problem.
"Sikong, there is a letter from the Sima family, saying that things in Hanoi are almost done. Let us receive it in the beginning of spring."
When Guo Jia found Cao Cao with the letter from Sima's family, he was a little confused.
In Cao Cao's prediction, the Sima family should have sent people to the door, pretending to assist, and finally asked him to lead people to sneak attack, while he opened the city gate to provide support, just like Shouchun back then.
But now it seems that the other party does not intend to do this.
Because he was talking about taking over the city, not leading troops to make a surprise attack.
"Can you see what the Sima family wants?"
Guo Jia smiled and said, "If the guess is correct, he should have instigated Zhang Yang's subordinates to rebel. This way, the family would not be involved. The Sima family does not want to be on the same side as Sikong.
Of course, this also has an advantage. Our original intention was not to break up with Lu Bu immediately. "
Cao Cao nodded. After Yuan Shao died, he no longer had any taboos about breaking up with Lu Bu. Guo Jia even forgot about his request if he didn't mention it.
"I've done everything, and I still want to clean myself."
Cao Cao snorted coldly, "It doesn't matter, who did he instigate rebellion? If we hold this person in our hands, his Sima family will never be clean. I still have to push him to oppose Lu Bu, no. If he stays with me, he still has the confidence to fight against Lu Bu."
After speaking, he sighed again, his eyes becoming melancholy, "Tell me, was the empty kit found from Zhang Yang originally a trick by Lin Mo, or was there really a way to save himself, but he was Has Zhang Yang collected it yet?"
Guo Jia did not answer this question immediately.
Since Anfeng, Lin Mo has actually become a shadow in Guo Jia's heart. Especially when the white horse captured Yan Liang, Guandu destroyed the building, and Wuchao robbed the camp, each of these incidents made people feel that Lin Mo Possessing supernatural powers.
Because of this, breaking Hanoi this time is even more important.
After all, if he succeeds, at least one thing will be confirmed. Lin Mo definitely has no ability to predict the future. He needs to clear away the shadow, and Cao Cao also needs to regain his confidence. This is very critical.
Moreover, even if we fail, the Sima family will still be responsible for taking the blame, so it is not a loss at all.
After a while, Guo Jia calmed down his messy thoughts and said in a deep voice: "Yuan Shao is dead, Jing Xiang will not be able to take it for a while, and Bingzhou can no longer be delayed, so Hanoi must be in our hands. Does Lin Mo really have that?" Let the Sima family try it and you will find out about the supernatural power."
Cao Cao took a deep breath and nodded, "Reply the letter and let him do it."
"Here."
(End of chapter)
