Three Kingdoms: I choose Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao, why are you crying, Diao Chan?

Chapter 325: The Big Killer! (Thanks to Nanfeng Zhiwoyi, Kong Ge, and Zhong Hailin for their monthly ticket support~)
"My lord, there is news from the north!
"Liu Bei's army repelled Yuan Shao's army that was besieging Langya, and Cao Cao was suspected by Yuan Shao because of his unsuccessful start.

"Cao Cao had no choice but to hand over all military power and generals and advisers to Yuan Shao, while he himself retreated behind the scenes.

"Liu Bei took the opportunity to join forces with Gongsun Zan to counterattack Yuan Shao, and has now captured Donglai County in Qingzhou and Dongping State in Yanzhou!"

Listening to Cheng Pu's report, Lu Bu, who was holding his son, nodded slightly.

Before we knew it, it was already March.

Lu Bu was not surprised by the actions of Liu Bei's army, but instead smiled.

Because Liu Bei's army took action in the north, it meant that they would not attack themselves again for the time being.

Although he had intended to curb the development of Liu Bei's army before, with Zhuge Wuhou around, it was no longer so easy to take the initiative to attack.

Moreover, after two battles, he found that Zhuge Liang was not invincible, so he was not so afraid of the development of Liu Bei's army.

Now he should take over Jiaozhou and Yizhou completely while Liu Bei's army is too busy to pay attention to him.

With the support of these two states, his overall strength will undoubtedly be improved!

As for Yizhou, the chance of persuading Liu Mao to surrender to him is extremely small.

Even though they have now taken over Ba County and Hanzhong, the remaining territory of Yizhou still has many insurmountable dangerous passes and important fortresses.

Back then, Jiang Wei single-handedly used an army of 50,000 to keep Zhong Hui's 130,000 troops out of Jiange!
In addition to Jiang Wei's extraordinary military strength, the strategic location of Jiange was also a major reason.

With such a geographical advantage, Liu Mao naturally would not surrender to him.

As for Jiaozhou, it can be regarded as a paradise in troubled times.

Although Jiaozhou has many rich resources that are rare in the Central Plains, it has a sparse population, rugged terrain, and is full of insects and poisons.

Therefore, it can be regarded as the poorest state during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

In addition, it is located in a remote area in the south and was not affected by the war.

It was actually not difficult for Sun Quan to conquer Jiaozhou back then.

At that time, there was some civil unrest in Jiaozhou, and Sun Quan sent Bu Zhi to quell it.

After the rebellion was pacified, Shi Xie naturally surrendered to Sun Quan.

Now, in this attack by the coalition forces of the Three Lius, he resolved their attack without much difficulty.

This undoubtedly showed Shi Xie the strength of their own forces.

So Lu Bu knew that he had the opportunity to make Shi Xie directly surrender to his side.

Of course, Shi Xie’s power in Jiaozhou was deeply rooted, and he certainly couldn’t take full control of it all at once.

But at the moment, it is necessary to strive for even an outward submission.

Thinking of this, Lu Bu asked Cheng Pu to gather all the ministers.

He handed Lu Xuan over to Huang Yueying, and then went straight to the conference room to discuss with everyone how to persuade Shi Xie to surrender and attack Liu Mao.

In the meeting hall.

Lu Bu put down his teacup, looked at the ministers who had gathered, and said slowly:

"I think you all already know why I called you here.

"Do you have any ideas on how to persuade Shi Xie of Jiaozhou to surrender?"

Things like persuading surrender were undoubtedly the province of civil officials, so the military generals tacitly kept silent.

Deng Zhi, the chief clerk who was good at diplomacy, immediately recommended himself:
“My lord, our country is now strong, and even the imperial court cannot compare with our army.

“The strength of Jiaozhou is weak, and Shi Xie does not have any brave generals who are good at fighting.

“As long as our army sends a large army to station on the border of Jingzhou and Yangzhou to put pressure on them, they will become restless.

"When the time comes, if we continue to persuade him with kind words, Shi Xie will surely surrender with courtesy!"

Lu Bu smiled, Deng Bomiao's idea coincided with his.

First use heavy troops to put pressure on him, then use kind words to persuade him. As long as Shi Xie has a sound mind, he will most likely not refuse.

Jiaozhou is certainly not easy to conquer, but compared with Yizhou, where "the road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky", it is undoubtedly much easier to conquer.

Of course, if the problem can be solved without using military force, Lu Bu naturally does not want to waste military force.

Just when Lu Bu was about to finalize the matter, Gong Cao Bu Zhi suddenly stood up and put forward a different idea:
"My lord, in my opinion, Shi Xie has seen the strength of our country and is afraid of it.

“There’s no need to deploy a large army to put pressure on them, it’s enough to deter them.

“If we send a large army to suppress them, it may have the opposite effect, causing them to become resentful out of fear and send troops to resist!
“If we give them generous gifts and persuade them with kind words, it will not only show the demeanor of a great country.

"It can also make them feel grateful from the bottom of their hearts and be convinced!"

After hearing Bu Zhi's words, Lu Bu showed a surprised expression.

He is indeed a person who persuaded Shi Xie to surrender in history. It seems that he has a historical bonus...

After listening to Bu Zhi's words, Deng Zhi also showed a look of hesitation, and then nodded in agreement:
"What Zishan said is indeed reasonable. My lord, I am willing to go with Zishan and bring generous gifts to persuade Shi Xie!"

Seeing Deng Zhi said so, Lu Bu naturally had no reason to refuse and immediately agreed:
“In that case, you two should take gifts such as gold, silver, jewelry, and food to Jiaozhou to persuade Shi Xie.

"Also, let General Zhou Tai lead 500 elite troops to escort you."

Zhou Tai responded immediately and left the conference room with Deng Zhi and Bu Zhi.

"Next, let's discuss how to continue attacking Yizhou."

Lu Bu looked at Gao Shun who was standing beside him. Gao Shun immediately understood and stood up and said to everyone:

“During this period, Lord Chu invented a new thing.

“This thing is incredibly powerful and will be of great help to our army’s siege!

"Even if it's a dangerous pass like Jiange, there's still a chance to break through it!"

Hearing this, most of the people present showed shocked expressions.

After all, they had basically heard the rumor that one man could hold off ten thousand at Jianmen Pass.

If they can’t even stop the most powerful pass in the world, what strange and terrifying thing has their lord invented?

Looking at everyone's surprised expressions, Lu Bu raised the corners of his mouth with pride.

After this period of continuous research and testing, black powder can now be produced stably.

Of course, a lot of materials are consumed.

Charcoal and pyrite are easier to deal with.

But saltpeter requires five times the amount of sulfur to prepare each time, so the consumption is undoubtedly huge!
The production of saltpeter mainly depends on Hanzhong County, which is undoubtedly too little.

Others can only get saltpeter from the side of the toilet or by peeing on the wall.

Or learn to "grow" saltpeter like the Europeans...

Although this method can also obtain some saltpeter, it cannot be used as the main channel.

As for other methods, they were difficult to achieve before the invention of the generator.

Therefore, the production of saltpeter at that time greatly restricted the development of thermal weapons.

But for Lu Bu now, the current black gunpowder, as long as it is used sparingly, will be enough to support him to conquer the entire world!

Of course, the invention of black powder alone is not enough to achieve crushing victory on the battlefield.

He has now invented enhanced versions of rockets and gunpowder cans.

Research on subjects such as artillery and muskets is still ongoing.

But I believe that it won’t be long before he can create these truly powerful weapons!
By then, even Zhuge Wuhou would be shocked beyond words by this powerful weapon of later generations!

(End of this chapter)