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

Chapter 78 A capable minister in a peaceful era, a hero in a chaotic era! (Thank you for your monthly ticket support~)
After hearing Lü Bu's question, Lü Meng, who had not yet sat down, stood up and said:
"My lord, I have an idea. May I express it to you?"

Lu Bu looked at Lu Meng.

Although the other party was only a small captain, he should have waited until other people with higher positions had finished speaking before speaking.

But Lu Bu knew that Lu Meng was poorly educated and did not understand so many formalities.

In addition, he also knew that Lu Meng was very talented, so he nodded and said:

"You tell me first."

Lu Meng immediately said:

"Yingchuan County is now a land without a master. Cao Cao recruited 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers last year and has long been preparing to expand his influence to the southeast.

"My lord, please send someone to Chenliu to spread the news that Yuan Shu intends to capture Yingchuan.

"Send another person to Shouchun to spread the news that Cao Cao is about to send troops to Yingchuan to attack Nanyang.

"Cao Cao would certainly not watch Yingchuan being occupied by Yuan Shu, and would definitely send out his troops first.

“When Yuan Shu’s army sees Cao Cao’s army’s movements, they will start to wonder whether Cao Cao will really attack Nanyang.

"As long as we can create enough hatred between the two sides, it will be difficult for Cao Cao not to join the game!"

After listening to Lu Meng's words, Lu Bu did not give any comment. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Liu Ye and Zhou Yu.

Seeing this, Lu Meng showed a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes:
"My lord, do you think my plan is not feasible?"

Lu Bu glanced at Lu Meng.

Just this one glance made Lu Meng's scalp tingle. He lowered his eyes unconsciously, not daring to look him in the eye again.

Lu Bu said slowly:

"Ziming's plan is not bad, but I have to listen to other people's opinions, right?"

Lu Meng clasped his hands in shame:
"What my lord said is absolutely true."

Lu Bu waved his hand and asked Lu Meng to sit down first.

At this time, Zhou Yu bowed and said:

“Ziming’s idea is indeed good, but Cao Cao has top strategists such as Xun Yu and Xi Zhicai.

“It’s not necessarily that they won’t see through our thoughts.

"If they don't move, Yuan Shu will naturally not easily mobilize troops from Nanyang.

"What will we do then?"

After hearing Zhou Yu's words, Lu Meng fell silent and realized the loophole in his plan.

"But..."

Zhou Yu suddenly changed the subject and smiled:
"If we can make Cao Cao and others realize that Yingchuan must be captured.

"Then we don't need to spread the news, Cao Cao and his men will be eager to send troops to Yingchuan.

“As for Yuan Shu, we can spread the news according to Ziming’s method.

"After all, under Yuan Shu, only Chief Clerk Yan Xiang has extraordinary intelligence.

“It’s a pity that he always speaks directly and directly, and now he has been alienated by Yuan Shu.

“So when Yuan Shu’s army sees Cao Cao’s army taking action, they will most likely choose to take action as well.

"As long as they come into conflict with each other, and there is an imperial decree to urge them on.

"Then whether Cao Cao is willing or not, he will be forced to join this battle!"

After listening to Zhou Yu's words, Lu Bu finally showed a satisfied expression.

He glanced at Lu Meng and found that he was also amazed.

Obviously, he also felt that Zhou Yu's strategy was more sophisticated and careful. "But having said that, how can we arouse Cao Cao's desire to send troops to Yingchuan?"

Zhou Yu raised the corner of his mouth, but did not point it out. Instead, he turned his head to look at Liu Ye beside him.

Liu Ye saw Zhou Yu looking at him and saw his intention to test him. After a moment's hesitation, he stood up and said:
"In my humble opinion, you can pretend to send troops from Jiangxia to attack the southern part of Nanyang.

“Once Yuan Shu learns the news, he will definitely mobilize the troops from Nanyang to the south.

“The troops in northern Nanyang will be left empty.

“If Cao Cao’s army realizes this, they will probably take the opportunity to send troops to Yingchuan, thus making Yuan Shu feel a sense of crisis.

"but……"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly:
"If that's all, there's no guarantee that Cao Cao will send troops to Yingchuan.

"We must add a little more temptation to ensure that Cao Cao will use his troops against Yingchuan...

"But I haven't figured out what the temptation is yet."

At this point, Liu Ye looked back at Zhou Yu:
"Does Gongjin have any good ideas?"

Lü Bu watched the two men discussing strategies and found it quite interesting, knowing that they were not at odds with each other.

Zhou Yu met Liu Ye's smiling gaze and smiled back:
"Of course I have some ideas. Let me explain them to you slowly..."

……

Chenliu State, Chenliu County.

A middle-aged man with a square face, big ears, thin eyes, a long beard, and a mighty power like thunder was standing on the ridge of the field, followed by a group of civil officials and brave generals.

He is the capable minister in peaceful times, the hero in troubled times, and the king of wives admired by countless men in later generations - Cao Cao, Cao Mengde!
Looking at the curved plows used by the people working in the fields, and the dragon-bone waterwheels that were constantly running not far away, Cao Cao's eyes were deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.

At this time, a thin-faced man with a medicine gourd on his waist bowed to Cao Cao and said:
"My lord, the emergence of the curved plow and dragon-bone waterwheel has almost changed the living structure of the lower-class people.

“In the future, as long as we have enough territory, there will basically be no food shortages during non-war periods!
"Zhicai still finds it hard to believe that the inventor of these two things was actually that brave but foolish Lu Bu!"

Listening to Xi Zhicai's words, Cao Cao sighed and shook his head:

“Lü Bu was born in a poor family, so he has a much deeper understanding of the common people than people like us from aristocratic families.

“It is possible that after he gained power, he specifically asked skilled craftsmen to research these things.

“What’s more, his concubine Huang is a person who is proficient in invention.

“Perhaps it was with her help that he invented these things.

“But what surprised me was not the appearance of these inventions, but the fact that they were not kept privately.

"Without any cover-up, we will spread the news to as many people as possible.

“Although this kind of thing can’t be hidden for long.

“But if you deliberately hide it, you can hide it for a few years before it spreads on a large scale.

"But Lu Bu didn't do that. This is what makes me admire him, but also what scares me!"

Xun Yu, wearing a square crown and gorgeous clothes, stood up and said to Cao Cao:
"Lü Bu has now occupied three counties, with a force of about 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers, not much less than our army.

"Moreover, the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry under his command has expanded to 5,000, and there is also a trap camp with 1,000 people.

“Plus, he took in and resettled countless refugees, so his reputation is much better now than it was a year ago.

"If we allow this to continue, I'm afraid that the Jianghuai region will be completely taken over by the enemy sooner or later."

Hearing the urging of war in Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao nodded slightly:
"Now we have many elite soldiers and generals, but we only have the territory of Yanzhou. It is indeed time to expand outward.

"Zhicai, Wenruo, what do you think? Should I march eastwards to attack Xuzhou, or southwards to attack Yingchuan?"

(End of this chapter)