The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 700 Strategic Maneuvering
Sima Yi agreed with Zhang Liao's assessment.

"Changing generals in the midst of battle is a major taboo in military strategy."

"Your Majesty has always prioritized stability in military operations and is accustomed to delegating authority to various departments. This time will certainly be no exception."

"After all, Wen Yuan, you are best at dealing with nomadic peoples. In the past, the Xianbei in the northern frontier were mostly conquered by you. Entrusting this matter to you is the most suitable option."

"Besides, His Majesty is already getting a little anxious!"

Although Tian Ze's actions were not obvious, top strategists like Sima Yi had long since noticed his anxiety from the subtle clues in his behavior over the years.

Although he didn't know the source of this anxiety, Sima Yi understood that Tian Ze wouldn't wait too long for Parthia and Rome.

Even if it comes at a great cost, even if it requires the strength of the entire nation, he is determined to destroy Parthia and Rome as soon as possible.

“We don’t have ten years to take Parthia.”

“We won’t even have ten years to take over Parthia and Rome. Wen Yuan, you should understand what that means,” Sima Yi said in a deep voice.

To accomplish something that is impossible under normal circumstances, there is only one option: to take a risk.

Taking a huge risk!

Zhang Liao's gaze narrowed slightly.

Although he didn't perceive Tian Ze's urgency as keenly as Sima Yi, he vaguely sensed it.

Otherwise, the handling of the Kushan issue and the domestic population migration would not have been so sloppy.

This is not in line with Tianze's style.

It should be noted that even after unifying the Central Plains, Tian Ze spent more than ten years developing and ten years pacifying the region.

Although the Great Qi is now more powerful, the war has escalated to the level between empires, and the methods and underlying logic of warfare are completely different.

Taking over Parthia and Rome within ten years would be ten or even a hundred times more difficult than taking over the Central Plains.

“That’s impossible,” Zhang Liao said in a deep voice.

"You should know that even now, the Kushan Empire is not entirely under our control."

"Among the mountains, forests, and lakes, many Kushan people still hide and resist in secret. Small-scale banditry in various places has never ceased. This situation cannot be resolved in less than two or three years. If even this cannot be resolved, then..."

“It can be resolved.” Sima Yi smiled slightly.

"His Majesty was prepared for this long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to temporarily lend this land to powerful families, would he?"

At this point, Sima Yi couldn't help but look towards Chang'an, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and respect.

"Your Majesty desires to swiftly destroy the other three great empires, not merely to achieve a simple victory."

"Your Majesty is well aware that it would be too slow for the Great Qi to completely destroy an empire of this caliber, so Your Majesty has relied on the power of the Seven Kings and the aristocratic families."

"Rome and Parthia were given to the seven kings, while the Kushans were to be divided among the noble families. This was the best option."

"With these powerful families around, the rebellion within the Kushan Empire should be largely quelled within a year at most," Sima Yi said with absolute certainty.

Zhang Liao took a deep breath.

He was also aware of the power of aristocratic families.

If these people were to fully utilize their initiative and unite, the power they unleash would be something even Tianze would fear.

And to achieve this, the Kushan lands before us are undoubtedly the best catalyst.

When eating from the same pot, most people will instinctively slack off.

But when the household responsibility system was implemented, everyone was willing to fight tooth and nail for their own land and grain.

This is due to human nature.

"His Majesty has already used the suppression of bandits and the plundering of people as a reference for the various aristocratic families in dividing up the territory in Kushan. These families have already taken action." At this point, Sima Yi couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of relief.

"When it comes to dividing the cake, Your Majesty's ability is unparalleled."

With this skill of dividing the cake, Tianze effortlessly swept away countless troubles.

If Tian Ze hadn't used the Northeast Plain to influence the powerful families, seizing power wouldn't have been so easy.

The war would not end until half of the population under each of the feudal lords had perished. Desperate powerful families were capable of anything.

“Even so, it’s probably impossible to take Parthia in a short time,” Zhang Liao said.

“The land of Anxi is vast, and mostly consists of natural barriers and desolate plains, making it difficult to send troops. To take it…” Zhang Liao shook his head slightly.

"What if Rome sends troops?"

"What if Parthia actively invites the seven kings to station their troops there?"

"What if internal turmoil and divisions occur within Parthia?"

Sima Yi's three consecutive questions completely baffled Zhang Liao.

"How can this be?"

Each of these three things is more difficult than the last, almost like a pipe dream.

Rome has just had a brief respite from the battle with Parthia, and while it has gained a considerable advantage, it is also somewhat exhausted.

After all, a war of this scale poses a huge challenge to logistics.

Even for an empire like Rome, it was normal to spend three years building up reserves and one year waging war.

Moreover, Rome was not a monolithic entity; Britain and southern Scotland behind it caused quite a bit of trouble.

Rome today has neither the resources nor the energy to conquer Parthia.

The second thing is even less likely.

Who doesn't understand the principle of letting a wolf into the house?
Now that the Han Chinese have just annexed the Kushans, even if Parthia were stupid, they couldn't possibly be without any thoughts. How could they possibly repeat the mistakes of the Kushans?

The third thing, while it sounds better, is also almost impossible.

The war with Rome had just ended, and now the Han Chinese were rising up from the East, showing their claws.

Despite the immense external pressure, Parthia was, if not monolithic, at least quite united.

Who would rebel under such circumstances?

As a military commander, Zhang Liao was quite familiar with the situation in Parthia. The Parthian government was currently quite harmonious, making the possibility of this situation occurring extremely slim.

Sima Yi was not angry when Zhang Liao rejected the idea outright; he simply smiled.

"Nothing is Impossible."

"These three things, though they appear to be three separate things, are actually just one thing."

"As long as Rome advances eastward, Parthia will feel the pressure and will be tempted to unite with the Seven Kings. If handled properly, a small number of troops will be stationed there as reinforcements, which will be a natural outcome."

"When the external threats are resolved, and we secretly infiltrate, support, or even cede some of our interests, ambitious individuals will inevitably seize the opportunity to rise up."

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment: "What you said makes some sense, but why would Rome send troops? Their financial resources simply cannot support them fighting another war like this."

Sima Yi smiled dismissively: "Whether or not we can fight is not entirely limited by financial resources. Do you think Emperor Wu of Han could have won those battles when he campaigned against the Xiongnu in the later years of his reign?"

"Back then, the Han Dynasty was also running out of money and grain, and its treasury was empty. Didn't Emperor Wu of Han still grit his teeth and launch the Northern Expedition? Even though it wiped out nearly half of the country's population, he still didn't stop."

(End of this chapter)