Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 987 The so-called bait

Facing Liu Bei's question, Zhang Fei thought that if he was really desperate, it would not be impossible to give in temporarily. After all, it was not like we had lowered our heads before, not to mention that Fierce Tiger didn't do much to help his elder brother before and after the incident, right?

But in the past two years, he has learned well and will no longer be as straightforward as before. Moreover, he knows Liu Bei better than anyone else, and Liu Bei cherishes his reputation more than anyone else. If Liu Bei chooses to betray Yuan Xi at this time, it will be more difficult than killing Liu Bei. .

But in any case, the situation in Jingzhou could not get any worse. After Cao Jun occupied Fancheng, he had completely controlled the north bank of the Han River. On the Han River was Cao Cao's naval fleet, which patrolled daily and showed off its power outside Xiangyang City every day. Demonstration patrols.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fei cursed secretly that it was bad luck, it would be fine if he was on flat ground, but he was not proficient in water warfare, so he could only stare, hoping that Guan Yu would come back every day to repel Cao Cao's navy.

As for Liu Biao, when Fancheng and Jiangxia were lost at the same time, he was forced to cross the Yangtze River south and took refuge in Wuling County.

Moreover, Zhang Fei heard that Liu Biao seemed to have the idea of ​​​​peace talks with Cao Cao.

The reason why Liu Biao's attitude changed so much is that the Jingzhou gentry had completely split. A considerable number of the gentry went to Nanyang to join Cao Cao. There were many celebrities and hermits among them, and Sima Hui and Meng Gongwei were typical examples.

Not only that, there are also many of the eight major families in Jingzhou who openly ran away. They were already so miserable on the surface. It is difficult to estimate how many people secretly had affairs with Cao Cao in private.

Therefore, Liu Biao was angry and frightened, and his health deteriorated rapidly. It was said that his condition was not good. This made the hearts of his subordinates even more unstable, causing Liu Biao to be completely unable to suppress the situation. If he still stayed in Nanjun on the north bank of the Yangtze River, he would only I'm afraid that all my men will be gone within a few months.

"I have to say that Jiangdong's strategy this time is very simple, which is to use force to overwhelm others and win through quantity. However, this kind of aboveboard strategy is the most difficult to crack."

The key problem is that the number of troops sent by Jiangdong this time is too many. Including logistics, the military strength deployed in Jiangxia has reached nearly 100,000, far exceeding the defense limit of Lukou.

Therefore, Liu Biao dragged his sick body and took refuge across the river with his seemingly loyal subordinates. His miserable condition made it obvious to everyone that he was dying.

Liu Bei looked solemn at this time, and discussed with Xu Shu and Pang Tong how to defend Xiangyang, but Xu Shu and Pang Tong were not unanimous in their opinions, because they were not sure whether the Lukou of Jiangxia downstream could be defended.

The two believed that if Guan Yu was given 30,000 naval troops, Lukou could be defended, but the problem was that Liu Bei naturally did not have so many soldiers.

Xu Shu's eyes flashed, "Why does Shi Yuan think so?"

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "No, this is purely a matter of military strategy."

"Yuan Shijun was able to send troops to help Xinye because Shouchun had a fleet that could transport troops from the Huaihe River."

After hearing this, Xu Shu said: "This is a clever idea, why can't it be done?"

"Their best option is to go to Jiangxia from Turtle Mountain (now Dabie Mountain) north of Yunmengze and attack Xiakou from the north."

Pang Tong sighed, "Where is the main force of the Jiangdong Navy now?"

Xu Shu subconsciously said: "It's south of Wankou, along the coast of Yuzhang County across the Yangtze River."

Pang Tong said: "Isn't it okay? Wankou is the exit from Chaohu to the Yangtze River. There are so many soldiers from Jiangdong there. Can Yuan Shijun rest assured that he will divide his troops to assist us?"

"Do you suspect that he has given up on the master?"

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "I don't think he will send troops to Xiangyang at this time."

"Although the Sun family's master of Jiangdong is young, he has a very accurate vision and good timing in sending troops this time. He is not easy to deal with."

Thinking of this, Zhang Fei became even more agitated. What he was good at was fighting, and he didn't think much about strategy. Anyway, Liu Bei now had two military advisors, so he just went into battle to kill the enemy!

Before leaving, Liu Biao asked someone to bring Liu Bei a letter. Zhang Fei did not see the content, but he guessed that it was to appease Liu Bei and let him defend Xiangyang.

"Now that Xinye Fancheng has been lost, this road is no longer feasible. Now if the Chun Army wants to aid Xiangyang, they will not only have to cross Yunmengze, but also cross the Han River guarded by Cao Jun. It is too difficult."

It may be possible to reach this number by scraping together in Nanjun, but without training, the effect is difficult to say, and Liu Bei is now surrounded by enemies from both sides, and the Han River defense line in the north also needs Guan Yu. How can he have so many troops?
Xu Shu said in a deep voice: "No matter what, I have to ask Yuan Shijun for help this time."

"So all he has to do is defend Chaohu."

Xu Shu sighed and said, "If Envoy Yuan cannot help, my lord will be trapped and die in Xiangyang."

Liu Bei was also worried, "Liu Jingsheng also mentioned one thing in his letter."

"He said that even if he went to Lingling County, the situation would be too bad."

"Because Liu Zhang in Yizhou seems to be making strange movements, there is news from Yidu County, which borders Yizhou, that Liu Zhang's soldiers seem to be marching towards Yiling."

As soon as these words came out, Xu Shu and Pang Tong frowned at the same time. There are two main waterways from Yizhou to Jingzhou, one is the Han River from Hanzhong to Xiangyang, and the other is the river from Baidi City to Yiling (the upper reaches of the Yangtze River).

Now that the upper reaches of the Han River have been lost, if the river is lost again, there will be no danger for Jingzhou to defend, or will it collapse instantly?

The key question is that Liu Zhang had just been betrayed by Zhang Lu and lost Hanzhong, and his attitude was still ambiguous. If he really came to attack Jiangling during the chaos, does it mean that he might join forces with Cao Cao secretly?
Pang Tong showed a stern look on his face and whispered: "If Liu Zhang and Liu Biao fall out, we will defend Xiangyang and we will only be trapped on three sides."

"Since death is inevitable, it is better to seek victory in danger. First, pretend to surrender to Liu Zhang, then lead thousands of elite soldiers, take the surrender letter along the way, pass through dangerous passes, and arrive at the gate of Chengdu. Then suddenly attack, capture Liu Zhang, capture Chengdu, and then gain Yizhou, my lord. The foundation is certain!”

Liu Bei and Xu Shu were both shocked, knowing that this was a strategy that Pang Tong had mentioned before. They both spoke at the same time, but their words were different. What Xu Shu said was, "Isn't this a desperate move and too risky?"

What Liu Bei said was, "Isn't this unkind and unjust, a breach of trust and morality?"

Pang Tong gritted his teeth and said: "If we fight for the world, all the gentlemen will be dead long ago!"

"My lord, you should understand that within a few years, the situation in the world will become clear. If you can't secure a place where you have no worries, you will never have another chance!"

Liu Bei sat slumped on the table, hesitated for a long time, and finally shook his head and said: "Let's take a look first, maybe the situation is not that bad."

“When you’re desperate, it’s not too late to make a decision.”

Pang Tong sighed in his heart, will it be too late then?

In Shouchun City, Yuan Xi and Zhuge Liang were discussing the situation in front of a map.

Zhuge Liang took a pen and made marks, arrows, or circles on the map. Finally, the entire map was almost covered with dense writing.

The circles represent local forces, and the arrows represent the direction in which one force may send troops to another force at the moment.

At a glance, Yuan Xi's territory has the most and most conspicuous signs, with most of the arrows pointing to his several states and counties.

There are more than a dozen arrows in Youzhou alone, slightly less in Jizhou and Xuzhou, and even more exaggerated when it comes to Jianghuai. Almost all directions are likely to be invaded by the surrounding areas.

Yuan Xi saw that Zhuge Liang couldn't help but shake his head, and said with a smile: "Do you think that the wind leaking from all sides of my territory is as difficult as scooping out noodles with a fence?"

Zhuge Liang said: "That's true. No state is safe."

Yuan Xi asked back: "Which force does the military advisor think has a stable rear?"

Zhuge Liang said without hesitation: "Jiangdong and Yizhou Liu Zhang."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Does the military advisor think they have a high chance of taking over the world?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head. These two were unlikely. He seemed to understand what Yuan Xi meant and said, "Did the Lord do this on purpose?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "That's right, one is born in sorrow and dies in happiness."

"Only by being prepared for danger in times of peace can we maintain internal unity and enterprising spirit, and by being tense at all times can we be ready for war at any time."

"This is the case with Cao Cao. He can fight in a place like Yanzhou. I have to say that he is indeed extremely powerful."

"And Jiangdong Sun Quan is not an ordinary person. He knows that as time goes by, Jiangdong will only become more and more lazy, and will eventually become accustomed to defending himself. That's why he has to continuously launch offensives to let Jiangdong get used to fighting, so that he can continue to make progress."

"In contrast, Liu Biao and Liu Zhang seemed to have a stable rear, but when encountering a powerful enemy, sooner or later the interior would fall apart."

"That's the downside of settling for nothing."

Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "Is this the reason why my lord has been waiting for the war and at the same time controlled the scale of the war to avoid wasting people and money?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Yes, if there is no war for three to five years, there may really be no war."

"What I have to do now is to keep my subordinates and sergeants active. This is the cheapest way I can think of to conquer the world."

Zhuge Liang said: "But in the current situation, it seems that Jiangdong has taken the initiative."

"It's obviously to deal with Jingzhou, but with such a layout in Anhui, I'm afraid it's very possible."

Yuan Xi said: "It's not possible, it's inevitable."

"Sun Quan will not attack Lukou. From the beginning to the end, he wants to attack me!"

Zhuge Liang said: "Liang also agrees with my lord's idea. Jianghuai, where Shouchun is located, is too important to Jiangdong. It is impossible to capture Jianghuai. Even if we capture Jingzhou, it will be difficult to go north."

"But as long as Shouchun is occupied, Xuzhou may be outflanked, and Yuzhou can be plotted at any time. Therefore, Jiangdong is bound to win Shouchun."

"Didn't my lord think about it when he was so tough to obtain the enclave of Shouchun?"

His body suddenly shook and he looked at Yuan Xi in surprise. Yuan Xi smiled and said, "That's right."

"All these years, I have been tempting Jiangdong to do something."

"It would be too difficult for us to take the initiative to fight them, but if they are seriously injured, we will be able to do it easily in the next few years or even longer."

Zhuge Liang fully realized it. I'm afraid Yuan Xi had thought this way many years ago, maybe even before he captured Xuzhou!
Using the Jianghuai River as bait and diverting the bait from the east of the Yangtze River, this can be regarded as the biggest fishing trip in the world in recent years, right?
(End of this chapter)