Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 149

Up, middle and down three strategies.

This is the strategic policy Shen Chen has been thinking about since last year to this year.

Liu Bei has been wandering around all these years, like a rootless duckweed, because there is no counselor around him to help him make suggestions. Now that Shen Chen has a strategy, he quickly asked, "What is the best strategy?"

"The best strategy is that Yuan and Cao will lose both!"

Shen Chen said: "The so-called "snipe and clam fight, the fisherman wins", when two tigers fight, one must not be killed and the other injured. A wounded tiger can still eat people, let alone a healthy tiger? Therefore, it is necessary to strike at the critical moment to make the tiger more vulnerable. It hurts both sides.”

"Both losers?"

Liu Bei narrowed his eyes slightly, and began to ponder.

Shen Chen nodded and said: "That's right, as long as it can be done, then Cao Cao can't go north and Yuan Shao can't go south. The two sides will be in a stalemate with a big river, and neither can swallow the other. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we can use Nanyang as a base to plan a great cause!"

Liu Bei hurriedly asked: "Then how can we do this?"

Shen Chen said: "It is only feasible if Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao. We are in Nanyang, and Nanyang is a short distance from Yingchuan. When Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao, he will attack Xudu. The land of Nanyang, hold on to it, and then plan it."

Liu Bei was surprised and said, "I'm afraid it will not be easy for Cao Cao to defeat Duke Yuan. Yuan Shao's fourth and third princes occupy Hebei, and there are more than [-] troops under his command. With Cao Cao's current strength, how can he match him?"

Shen Chen said: "It's up to man to make things happen. If Cao Cao is defeated by Yuan Shao, this best strategy will be invalidated. At that time, we can only choose the middle strategy and the worst strategy."

The way to hurt both sides is the strategy that Shen Chen has considered for several years on how to maximize the benefits of the Battle of Guandu.

Everyone knows the result of the Battle of Guandu. Xu You became the second and fifth young man and reported the news of Wuchao to Cao Cao. Being murdered caused Yuan Shao's vitality to be seriously injured, and finally died of grief and anger.

After Yuan Shao died, the problem of seizing the heir appeared again within the Yuan family. Cao Cao continued to divide and win over, and then defeated them one by one. Only then did the north be completely pacified.

So how can we maximize the benefits?

Of course, it is possible to find a way to preserve Yuan Shao's strength. Even if Yuan Shao can't live for two more years, as long as the [-] elites return to Hebei alive, it will be difficult for Cao Cao to conquer Jizhou.

You must know that even after the Battle of Guandu in history, Cao Cao spent five years in order to pacify the north.

Yuan Shao's more than 8 main forces were all wiped out in Yanjin, Baima, and Guandu. Guandu directly killed [-] people. Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang still attacked each other. However, under such a large loss and internal discord, Cao Cao's victory in Hebei remained the same. It is very difficult, you can know how powerful Yuan Shao left behind.

So to a certain extent, if Yuan Shao can reduce his losses and be undefeated so miserably, even if he lives only one more year, Yuan Shao can solve the problem of establishing an heir, or let the [-] elite survive, and Cao Cao regains the north. will increase significantly.

At that time, Shen Chen and Liu Bei will be able to be in the south. Whether they are planning to plot Jingzhou, Yizhou or Jiangdong, they will have time and space to operate. Even the Battle of Chibi will not be fought. Once Liu Biao dies, Jingzhou is within easy reach.

But of course Liu Bei couldn't think so far, he just frowned and said, "Nanyang is the land of Liu Jingsheng, with Nanyang as the foundation, I'm afraid Liu Biao will be jealous."

Shen Chen said with a smile: "Liu Biao was afraid of going south from the north. He never dared to send heavy troops to garrison Nanyang. He only dared to rely on the danger of the Mian River to consolidate Nanjun and Jiangxia. If someone guards the door for him, I'm afraid he won't get what he asks for, don't you hear about Zhang Xiu?"

"Well."

Liu Bei nodded, and then worried: "What will happen to that embroidery?"

Shen Chen said: "This man has blood feuds with both Cao Cao and Liu Biao. Cao Cao didn't dare to vote, and Liu Biao did it out of necessity, and Liu Biao didn't dare to trust him, so for now he only dares to stick to the land west of Nanyang. It is better to go to the north of Wancheng, and I will be in Xinye, pretending to be Liu Biao's pioneer, and when the time comes, I may take Jingzhou as my foundation first."

Pretend to be Liu Biao's pioneer, and help him take Jingzhou as his foundation?
Liu Bei opened his eyes wide and said in disbelief, "Isn't Mr. Xiao under Liu Jingzhou's tent? Could it be?"

"good."

Shen Chen stood up and bowed to him, saying, "I never took refuge in Liu Biao. This time when I went north to attack Cao Cao, he gave me the Zhonglang general later on. I always thought in my heart that Duke Xuande is the master!"

"Little Mister"

Liu Bei couldn't believe it at first, and then ecstasy appeared on his face, and he stepped forward to hold Shen Chen's hand, so happy that he almost shed tears.

Only Shen Chen was in a complicated mood.

This can be regarded as finally clarifying to Liu Bei whether he will stay or not.

In fact, Liu Biao is kind to Shen Chen.

Although Liu Bei also saved his and his clan's lives, Liu Biao also took care of his clan.

Huangmenting and Deng Shen's second family were able to move to Nanyang, and now they can live and work in peace and contentment. It is also thanks to Liu Biao's help that they are today.

If you help Liu Bei take Jingzhou, it seems to be suspected of being ungrateful.

But Shen Chen couldn't help it either.

Who made Liu Biao not live for a few years?
Liu Cong is a capitulationist, tied to the interests of the Jingzhou capitulation faction family.

Liu Qi's words were not bad, but he died of illness early.

So Shen Chen can only choose Liu Bei.

More importantly, Liu Bei's ideology is very close to his. They are all people-oriented and value the people at the bottom.

The great man once said that history belongs to the people.

Shen Chen is also a person who firmly wants to build a country without hunger, war, and poverty for the people.

If the feudal system cannot be overthrown, then he can only retreat to the next best thing. He cannot lose himself for power, and at least he must cooperate with a benevolent monarch to build an ideal country.

And not as a courtier, but as a collaborator!

Yes.

Shen Chen never felt that he was relying on Liu Bei, but cooperated with Liu Bei to build a brand new man first, and then started his own reform.

Just like Cao Cao and Xun Yu.

When he has enough right to speak in the future, Shen Chen also hopes to sign a covenant with Liu Bei.

In the future, we will resolutely deny Liu Bei's words, and we will form a decision-making layer in the future, and we will make some major decisions through democratic voting.

In this way, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu's right to speak can be increased.The second is to prevent things like Liu Bei's refusal to listen to dissuasion, which eventually led to the Battle of Yiling.

And these are Shen Chen's unwavering wishes.

As for who the emperor is, he doesn't care, because as a person who is firmly on the side of the people, Shen Chen hopes that there will be no emperor to oppress and exploit them.

But in the current situation, it is impossible to overthrow the feudal system.

It is impossible for him to cooperate with Cao Cao who slaughtered the city, so it is the best choice to cooperate with Liu Bei, who is from the bottom and is closest to the common people.

As for Liu Biao, who was kind to him, there was nothing he could do. His lifespan was only so long, and he would die of illness in a few years, so he could only treat Liu Cong and Liu Qi's heirs kindly in the future, and repay his kindness.

Hearing Shen Chen's words, Liu Bei was overjoyed. Wiping his tears, he excitedly stepped forward to help him up and said, "I can win Mr. Xiao, it's really like a fish in water."

"I was born at the bottom, and I know that all the capitals of the world are suffering. The princes of all parties only know about fighting for power and profit, and never think about benefiting the people and saving thousands of lives."

Shen Chen said solemnly: "Only Duke Xuande cares about the people and has the image of a master, and I also yearn for him. I am willing to be a servant and a pioneer for the Duke!"

"I'm just a foolish person, I only want to serve His Majesty, how can I be called a wise master?"

Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "I only wish, I only wish that the common people of the Han Dynasty can live and work in peace and contentment, have clothes to wear, have food to eat, the emperor sits high in the temple, and can clean up the world. It's enough if they don't do treacherous and reckless acts like Zhang Rang Zhao Zhong. "

Shen Chen said with a smile: "It is precisely because of this that I need you to step forward to help the universe and fix the universe."

"I understand what Mr. Xiao means."

Liu Bei sighed and said, "However, Liu Jingzhou and I are both clansmen of the Great Han Dynasty, so how can we take over the same clan's career?"

Shen Chen said: "That's why I asked the public to use Nanyang as the foundation and slowly move to the north. It is also to see the changes in the future and act according to circumstances. Yuan Shaoqiang will not move, and Cao Caoqiang will harass the rear. If you can find an opportunity to capture Yuzhou, it will be most."

Nanyang is Liu Xiu's Longxing place, which connects the north and the south, and has an area of ​​[-] square kilometers, which is only [-] square kilometers smaller than the Guanzhong Basin.

The Qin Dynasty started with the [-] square kilometers of the Guanzhong Basin and won the world. Liu Bei could not use Nanyang as the foundation to attack Cao Cao in the north and capture Yuzhou, or go south to capture Jingzhou after Liu Biao died.

The reason why such a strategic plan is possible is mainly due to the current population of Nanyang.

According to historical records, the areas of Guanzhong and Nanyang are about the same, but because Guanzhong was the capital of the Qin Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty, it had a prosperous population and prosperous industries at that time. It was slightly richer than Nanyang, with a population of hundreds of thousands more.

But at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liangzhou warlords repeatedly invaded the land of Sanfu, and Dong Zhuo moved his capital to Chang'an. Due to various wars, plagues, and natural disasters, the population of Guanzhong was less than one out of ten, and it was already dilapidated to the extreme. It dropped to less than 240 million.

On the other hand, Jingzhou, especially the land of Nanyang, has seen a surge in population.Due to the war in the north, a large number of people migrated to the south. Yangzhou increased from 320 million to 430 million, and Jingzhou increased from 350 million to 620 million.

Among them, Nanyang has become the main area for population migration due to its large area of ​​cultivated land. Over the years, people from Henan, Guanzhong, and Sili have migrated here one after another, and the population has already exceeded one million.

Therefore, compared to Guanzhong, which is dilapidated and where there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles, Nanyang is now the best choice in terms of military resources, food and grass, and mineral resources.

So Shen Chen's best strategy is very simple.

It was during the period after Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fought at Guandu and burned Wuchao, they immediately attacked Xudu for the third time, forcing Cao Cao to return to defense in person.

"Three Kingdoms" records that Cao Cao burned Wuchao in October of the fifth year of Jian'an, while Yuan Shao was defeated in November. This means that even after Wuchao's grain and grass were burned, Yuan Shao's camp in Guandu probably had less than one Monthly grain storage.

During this month, Yuan Shao tried to forcefully defeat Cao Cao, and then forced Zhang Yun and Gao Lan to storm the camp. In the end, the two could not break through, and there was not enough food and grass. Yuan Shao pressed them hard and forced them to surrender.

So as long as there is enough commotion in this month that Cao Cao can't stand it anymore and has to come back to defend Xudu, and there is no way to kill the [-] surrendered soldiers, then things will have a great turnaround.

Even if less than half of the Yuan army fled back to the north, as long as the elite Yuan army is not wiped out, Yuan Shao hangs his breath, and if he lives for another year or so, it will be enough for Cao Cao to drink a pot.

At that time, Shen Chen will be able to use Nanyang as his foundation. Either he will attack Cao Cao in the north and cooperate with Yuan Shao to seize Yuzhou, or he will wait for Liu Biao to die and seize Jingzhou, and then attack Jiangdong or Yizhou. As long as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao remain victorious negative, then they gain forever.

"I see."

Liu Bei thought about it: "But I have a question, why don't we take advantage of Yuan Cao's battle and take Xudu down to welcome the emperor to Jingzhou?"

"The Son of Heaven is like a treasure. Whoever holds it will be attacked by the whole world."

Shen Chen smiled bitterly and said: "Whoever wins the battle between Cao and Yuan will attack Nanyang with all his might. If you don't have strength, you can't occupy it. Therefore, only when it is absolutely necessary can you welcome the emperor to Nanyang, such as the middle strategy I want to talk about." .”

"Middle policy?"

After listening to Shen Chen's words, Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "The best strategy is that both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will suffer. We will use Nanyang as our foundation and attack Cao Cao in the north. So what is the best strategy?"

Shen Chen said: "The middle strategy is that Cao Cao is defeated. We will attack Xudu, welcome the emperor back to Nanyang, and unite with Liu Biao and Sun Quan to fight against Yuan Shao."

Yuan Shao was very powerful. According to historical records, his total army strength at that time was more than 20, close to 30.

8 people were killed in the Battle of Guandu, but before that there was the Battle of the White Horse and the Battle of Yanjin. In the Battle of the White Horse, Yan Liang brought [-] to [-] people, and in the Battle of Yanjin, Wen Chou brought [-] or [-] people. There were tens of thousands of Yuan Jun defeated by Cao Cao.

It can be seen from this that Yuan Shao led an army of more than [-] in this battle.Then Qingzhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou all need people to defend, so Yuan Shao's strength is almost twice that of Cao Cao.

Shen Chen also knew that he harassed Cao Cao from time to time in the rear, which would cause great pressure on Cao Cao.If he can't bear the pressure and collapses before Xu You, then he will have to face Yuan Shao, who owns the whole of Henan and Hebei, and the pressure will be very heavy.

So he can only grab Liu Xie first, and after he has the righteous name, he will join forces with Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Liu Zhang and others to fight Yuan Shao.This is actually a bad idea, after all, if Yuan Shao wins the battle of Guandu, his inflated strength will be too terrifying, even if several parties unite together, they may not be able to beat him.

"What's the next move?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and murmured, the middle strategy is so terrible, but the worst strategy is still worth it?

Shen Chen said: "The best strategy is not to attack Xudu, but to wait and see what happens. If Yuan Cao decides the winner, he will definitely go south to attack Liu Biao. You can rely on Liu Biao, first map Jingnan, and then seize Yizhou as your foundation. Three points The world. Whenever there is a change in the world, we should advance from two directions, attacking the Central Plains from Yizhou and Jingzhou, then the hegemony can be achieved, and the Han Dynasty can prosper.”

This is the Longzhong pair.

Why is Longzhong pairing up a bad idea?
Because the times are different.

When Zhuge Liang was doing the Longzhong Opposition, the north had been set, and Cao Cao's general situation had been established.

So he can only pave the way for Liu Bei to seize Yizhou and divide the world into three parts.

But now that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao have not yet decided the winner, there is an opportunity to take advantage of it, and there is more room for manipulation.

For example, the best strategy is to let Yuan Shao and Cao Cao fight inextricably, Liu Bei can develop calmly in Nanyang, he can go to Yuzhou in the north, and Jingzhou in the south, and it can also prevent Sun Quan from causing trouble, and there will be no disputes over Jingzhou.

The middle strategy is much worse, because the premise of the middle strategy is that Yuan Shao wins, Cao Cao loses, and Yuan Shao is too strong, so they can only take Liu Xie to Nanyang.

Although he still looks very weak, but with Liu Xie's righteous name in his hand, he can order Liu Biao to unite with Sun Quan, and even influence the north, set Yuan Shao's backyard on fire, and let Liu Xie order Liu Bei after Liu Biao dies. Being a shepherd in Jingzhou is a lot of things.

The most important thing is that Shen Chen doesn't care who the emperor is, what he needs is a group of like-minded companions who care about the people like him, even if he flatters the emperor and Liu Bei becomes a powerful minister, at least he is much better than Cao Cao, the man who slaughtered the city .

So both the top policy and the middle policy are good.

In contrast, the worst policy is naturally a helpless choice.

As for other options.

For example, from Wuguan in Nanyang to develop in Guanzhong, or go northward along the Han River to capture Hanzhong, and then seize Yizhou, this idea has indeed been thought of before.

But after the end of the Han Dynasty, I found that this kind of thinking was still too ideal and too naive.

The first is Guanzhong, which has a population of less than one in ten, and is facing the pincer attack of Han Suimateng and even Cao Cao. With a population of less than 40 to [-], it is a dead end.

Followed by Hanzhong.

It would be even more difficult to attack from Guanzhong. Even Cao Cao, with more than [-] troops, lost his way at night and took Hanzhong by mistake.

Going north from the Han River, Cao Zhen and Sima Yi had this idea. As a result, the mountain torrents broke out and almost wiped out the entire army.

It was mainly due to the Great Wudu Earthquake in the Western Han Dynasty, which caused the Han River to change its course. The land route in the lower reaches of Hanzhong was basically impassable, and it could only be taken by water. However, the waterway was fast and rainy, and mountain torrents were prone to occur. If Sima Yi and Cao really ended up.

Therefore, the best choice is to occupy the Nanyang Basin, which has a large population and arable land, and use this as a foundation, depending on the current situation, choose to go south or north.

"Ah."

Hearing Shen Chen's words, Liu Bei shook his head and said, "It's not a bad idea. The emperor is still waiting for me to rescue him. How can I abandon the emperor? When the situation changes, let's take the second strategy."

"it is good."

Shen Chen cupped his hands and said: "I think so too, but please know that no matter the best strategy or the middle strategy, we need to go to Nanyang to rely on Liu Biao. After Nanyang, I will draw a clear line with you and pretend not to be familiar with him." , when the time comes, don't talk to me in front of Liu Biao."

"Why is this?"

Liu Bei was very surprised.

Shen Chen explained: "Liu Biao looks generous, but in fact he is narrow-minded and can't tolerate others. If you go to Nanyang, there are many heroes who come to join you, and he will definitely be suspicious of you. Therefore, after you go to Nanyang, you must act modestly. Be too flamboyant."

"Is that so?"

Liu Bei nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice, "I see, thank you, Mr. Xiao."

I didn't expect Liu Biao to be such a person. In the past, I only heard that he was a man of majesty and appearance, but now it seems that it is true as Cao Cao said, Liu Biao is not a great hero in name only.

(End of this chapter)