The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 492 Jiaozhou
In the city of Wu County, Qin Shou properly arranged for Cao Cao's wife in accordance with the agreement with Cao Cao, and asked people to bring Cao Pi and other sons to escort Cao Cao's body back to his hometown for burial.

However, this time, what was written on the tombstone was not "The Tomb of the Former General Cao Hou of the Han Dynasty", but was changed to "The Tomb of the Former Marquis Cao Cao of Wu of the Han Dynasty". I wonder what Cao Cao would think in his netherworld.

"Now that Cao Cao is dead, the next one is Zhuge Liang. Shi Xie has already gotten involved with Liu Bei. He is worried that our forces will go south to Jiaozhou and seize his foundation!"

In the hall, Qin Shou was full of vigor and vitality, with a map of Jiaozhou hanging in front of him. A flag had been planted at the location of Cangwu County, where Huang Zhong and Liu Bei were facing off.

"Liu Bei was able to barely fight against us with the help of Wu Ju. Now that we have defeated Cao Cao, we can send troops from Nanhai County to attack Jiaozhou. Although Shi Xie occupies Jiaozhou, the population of Jiaozhou is sparse, and Shi Xie does not have many troops. He is definitely not our opponent." Wei Yan suggested.

After hearing this, all the generals nodded, eager to lead the army to attack Jiaozhou and gain military merit.

"This Shi Xie is not afraid of being attacked by Liu Bei." Pang Tong snorted coldly.

The generals burst into laughter after hearing this. After all, Liu Bei had a precedent in this regard.

"Hmph, there isn't enough time. If Liu Bei is given enough time, he will do it sooner or later." Qin Shou's face showed a bit more disdain.

What Qin Shou hates most is a person who doesn't know how to be grateful.

However, he didn't have time to think about this right now.

Shi Xie's alliance with Liu Bei is indeed a variable that cannot be underestimated. Although Liu Bei is temporarily weak, he is known for his benevolence and righteousness, and is good at winning people's hearts. If he is allowed to gain a foothold, he will become a great threat in the future.

Qin Shou pondered for a moment, glanced at the generals, and said slowly: "It is normal for Shi Xie to join forces with Liu Bei. But they are definitely not our opponents. If we can strike quickly, we can first destroy Liu Bei and then destroy Shi Xie."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan's eyes flashed with excitement, and he clasped his fists and said, "My lord, you are absolutely right! I am willing to lead the elite troops to take Cangwu directly and defeat the coalition forces of Liu Bei and Shi Xie!"

Qin Shou's eyes fell on Pang Tong and he asked, "What do you think, Shi Yuan?"

Pang Tong smiled slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "My lord's plan is indeed feasible. However, Liu Bei should not be underestimated. Although he is temporarily weak, he is good at taking advantage of the situation. But Jiaozhou is full of miasma. If we attack rashly, we may suffer heavy losses. Therefore, the army should have more doctors, prepare a large amount of medicinal materials, and have sufficient food and grass. Only in this way can we launch a large-scale attack on Jiaozhou."

Qin Shou frowned when he heard this, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Shi Yuan is right. Tell Hua Tuo and Zhang Ji to prepare the herbs, and recruit doctors to join the army and follow the army south."

The south at that time was a wild land, especially the Jiaozhou area. The army took the Qinzhi Road, but the climate was hot and dry, making it difficult for the army to move forward.

"Yes." Yin Mo, the military doctor, did not dare to delay and quickly ordered someone to write a document and send it to Chang'an and Luoyang to recruit doctors to follow the army.

"Wenchang, Zhongye, and Shiyuan, the three of you will lead 50,000 troops south to Jiaozhou and join forces with Huang Zhong to resolve Jiaozhou as soon as possible. Bring the heads of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to me."

Qin Shou ordered.

"The last general takes orders."

Wei Yan and the other two responded quickly.

"Xingba, you lead the navy southwards to supply food and grass. On the other hand, Fanyu, Gaoliang, Zhuya and other places are within your attack range."

Qin Shou decided to advance by both land and sea to resolve the Jiaozhou issue as quickly as possible.

After the army rested for two months, Wei Yan, Wen Pin, and Pang Tong received orders and quickly reorganized their troops and marched south to Jiaozhou. At the same time, Gan Ning also led the navy from the Yangtze River and marched south along the coast, preparing to attack Jiaozhou from the sea. Qin Shou stood on the city wall and watched the army leave, but he was not relieved. Although Cao Cao was dead, the overall situation in the world had been determined, and the situation in the north was temporarily stable, taking Jiaozhou would completely unify the world.

At present, Liu Bei and Shi Xie have joined forces. Although they are temporarily weak, Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness and Zhuge Liang's brilliant strategy always make him feel uneasy.

"My lord, don't worry too much." Jia Xu, the strategist beside him, said softly, "Although Liu Bei has a reputation, Jiaozhou is vast and sparsely populated, and there is a shortage of food and grass. It is difficult for him to last long. As long as we fight quickly and decisively, Liu Bei will definitely be defeated."

Qin Shou nodded, but his brows were still furrowed. "That being said, Zhuge Liang should not be underestimated. He is good at taking advantage of situations. If he finds an opportunity, it will probably bring us a lot of trouble."

Jia Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, my lord. Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang are good friends and they know each other very well. With Pang Tong around, Zhuge Liang may not be able to win. Zhongda is even more stable, so it will be very difficult for Zhuge Liang to deal with him. In fact, what we are worried about is the climate in Jiaozhou."

Qin Shou felt relieved when he heard this, and immediately chuckled, "I am a little anxious."

"The world is about to be unified. Your Majesty has the world in his heart, so it's normal for him to feel worried." Jia Xu comforted.

At the same time, Wei Yan, Wen Pin, and Pang Tong, who were heading south, led an army of 50,000 and advanced rapidly along the Qinzhi Road. Although the climate in the south was hot and the roads were rugged, Qin Shou had already ordered his men to prepare sufficient food and medicine, and the military doctors were accompanying them, so the morale of the soldiers remained high.

The news that the Cavalry Army was attacking Cangwu from Nanhai County soon reached Jiaozhou, shocking Jiaozhou.

Huang Zhong alone is difficult to deal with, and now there is Wei Yan, making it even more difficult to deal with.

In Cangwu, Shi Xie, Liu Bei and others gathered together to discuss the current situation.

Shi Xie frowned and said in a deep voice: "Qin Shou has destroyed Cao Cao, and now he has sent Wei Yan, Wen Pin, and Pang Tong to lead 50,000 troops to the south. With the addition of Huang Zhong's troops, the pressure on our army has doubled. Jiaozhou is vast and sparsely populated, and there is a shortage of food and grass. If we can't win the battle quickly, I'm afraid it will be difficult to last."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang, and said, "Kong Ming, the situation is critical now, do you have any good plan?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, looking calm, and said slowly: "Although Qin Shou has many soldiers and generals, his army has come from afar, and it is difficult to circulate food and grass, and the climate is not suitable. In addition, the miasma in Jiaozhou is everywhere, and there must be concerns about epidemics in the army. If we can hold on to the city and delay the time, wait for their morale to drop, and then wait for an opportunity to counterattack, we may have a chance of winning."

This was Zhuge Liang's plan, which was to use food and climate to force the Cavalry Army to retreat, and then he could make long-term plans.

There is no way around it, as the power gap between the two sides is too big.

The Cavalry Army had already mobilized nearly 100,000 troops, while the Jiaozhou troops were only half of that. The gap between the two sides was too big, which left Zhuge Liang helpless.

Liu Bei's eyes flashed with approval, and he said, "Kong Ming is right. But Qin Shou is advancing by land and sea, and Gan Ning's navy has already moved south from the sea. If his navy joins the land army, our army will be attacked from both sides."

Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "My Lord, you are right. Therefore, we need to divide our troops into two groups. One group will defend Cangwu and resist the army of Wei Yan and Huang Zhong. The other group will send elite navy to block Gan Ning's navy and prevent it from landing in Jiaozhou."

Shi Xie pondered for a moment and said, "Although our Jiaozhou navy is not as elite as Gan Ning's, it is familiar with the local waters. If we can take advantage of the terrain, we may be able to fight."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "That's right. In addition, we can send people to contact the various tribes, promise them huge benefits, and make them harass Qin Shou's rear and disperse his forces."

Liu Bei clapped his hands and praised: "Kong Ming's plan is very good! If we can get help from all the tribes, Qin Shou will be in trouble."

Shi Xie also showed his delight and said, "Since this is the case, I will immediately send people to the various southern barbarian tribes to contact their leaders."

(End of this chapter)