The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 92 Li Yi is a man of great talent, comparable to Liu Hou (Please subscribe!)
Just as the armies of Guo Gong and Zhang Fei were in a stalemate, a rider came galloping towards them.

"Old friend, do you recognize me?"

Guo Gong found the voice familiar and looked over. It was his good friend Xu Qiu, who used to be an official in the same court.

Guo Gongsi immediately grabbed the lifeline and said hurriedly:

"Mr. Meng Yu, are you all right?"

He ordered the soldiers to clear the way.

Zhang Fei wanted to escort Xu Qiu into the camp, but Xu Qiu refused:

"Just now, Guo Gong led his troops but did not advance, hesitating and indecisive. I guess his plan is not yet decided."

"I will go alone to make the speech. If General Zhang were to go with me, it would only arouse suspicion."

So Xu Qiu rode alone into Guo Gong's army.

Guo Gong ordered his men to invite him into the tent.

"I am in a difficult situation in the army and don't have much good wine. I hope my old friend won't despise me."

Guo Gong stood up and poured a glass of wine for Xu Qiu.

"I heard that when Meng Yu was the governor of Runan, he was murdered by Yuan Shu who colluded with Li Jue and Guo Si, and was dismissed from office."

"He went to Xuzhou to find Tao Qian to be the Prime Minister of Donghai."

"Now that Envoy Tao has passed away, where will Meng Yu go?"

"You are here now, are you here to submit to me?"

Guo Gong said half-jokingly.

Xu Qiu was not in a hurry either. He drank a bowl of muddy wine leisurely before saying:

"Thank you for your concern, I will not hide it from you, my old friend."

"I am half buried in the ground. I have ridden horses in the plains, served as an official, and governed a region. I have done everything in my life."

"I thought it was time for me to retire and enjoy my old age."

"But not long ago, a young man once said to me: There should be no hermits in troubled times."

"When I saw Cao Cao's second attack on Xuzhou, not a single one of the people was spared, I agreed with him, so I came to serve as an advisor to Liu Shijun."

Upon hearing this, Guo Gong could only smile awkwardly.

He is advancing now to target Liu Bei.

As a result, Xu Qiu admitted that he was Liu Bei's man, which made Guo Gong a little at a loss.

"Today the world is in turmoil, and heroes are rising up."

"There must be someone who can calm the chaos in the world. This is what the wise will choose."

"As old friends, can you and I be of this kind?"

Guo Gong was speechless for a moment, and could only say:
"You and I are not that kind of people."

Ok……

Xu Qiu stroked his long beard and continued:

"A wise ruler will prosper, while a mediocre ruler will perish."

"My old friend is in Liang State, so please think carefully about your future plans."

"Now Chen Gong has rebelled and welcomed Lu Bu, and all the cities have responded. It seems that he can do something. But from your point of view, what kind of person is Lu Bu?"

"He is a coarse man with little affection for his friends, tough and rude, a hero among common people."

"Chen Gong, Zhang Miao and others are just pretending to be in a relationship, but they are not able to help you achieve your goals."

“Even if you have many soldiers, you will still accomplish nothing.”

"Although Cao Cao was a man of strategy and could command good generals, he was only interested in killing and killing people, and he was extremely cruel, alienating people from their families, which was rare in history."

“I would rather let others down than be let down by others.”

"He is so unkind and unvirtuous that we cannot conspire with him."

Xu Qiu methodically analyzed the current situation in Henan and Yan for Guo Gong.

Although Guo Gong's power was in Yuzhou, the Liang State where he was located was actually adjacent to Yanzhou.

Everyone knows that once the lord of Yanzhou is decided.

The first person to be threatened was Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou who was in Liang State.

However, Xu Qiu also denied the possibility that Guo Gong would defect to Cao Cao and Lu Bu.

In fact, it does.

When Cao Cao captured Chendong in 196, he also destroyed Guo Gong in Liang State in revenge for his previous deployment of troops in Juancheng.

After getting it, Cao also massacred the Liang State.

So Lao Cao absolutely integrates knowledge and action, and treats every Han citizen equally. He is definitely not targeting you people from Xuzhou alone.

"Only Liu Shijun, a commoner, managed to take control of Xuzhou within a year."

"He is lenient and kind, and he can win the support of others."

"He has Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as his minions, both of whom are enemies of ten thousand people."

"My friend has just seen Zhang Fei's bravery. Do you think your strength can stop Zhang Fei?"

"Moreover, Envoy Liu has the help of the hermit and great scholar Li Yi, whose wisdom and strategy are unparalleled in the world, perhaps gifted by heaven!"

"Just like Zhang Liang's support for Emperor Gaozu and Fan Li's assistance to the King of Yue."

"Make decisions and win. No one in the world can match him!"

Guo Gong was trembling with fear in his heart, as he had just witnessed Zhang Fei's bravery.

Xu Qiu emphasized that he had never met Li Yi, who had the same strategy as Zhang Liang.

However, it is said that the situation in Xuzhou was complicated. After being massacred by Cao Cao, there was no one living within a hundred miles.

But when Liu Bei was in Xuzhou, he unified the five counties and governed the place in an orderly manner, with everything flourishing.

Who would believe that there was no help from an expert?

Xu Qiu continued speaking.

"Mr. Li did not send me here alone, he also sent more troops to Pei State."

"With Chen Hanyu's talent, if he and I could defend Dong'e together, Tian Dan's achievement could be accomplished."

"When Envoy Liu has quelled the rebellion in Qingzhou, he will turn his army around and head to Pei State."

"The soldiers in Xuzhou are full of resentment. Even if General Liu is lenient, how can he curb the resentment of his subordinates?"

"How confident are you, Envoy Guo, that you can protect your family and avoid the calamity of war?"

"Only you can think about it carefully!"

To sum it up in one sentence,

When Liu Bei comes back, he will forgive you.

His subordinates will not let you go either.

At that time, I might give you a three-tribe elimination game~
How confident are you that you can defeat Liu Bei?
Guo Gong was sweating profusely at this time, and his tongue trembled when he spoke.

Xu Qiu stopped threatening him and started to think about Guo Gong:
"Neither you nor I are qualified to be a ruler, so why don't we both return to Lord Liu?"

"First, it can atone for the crime and save the family."

"Secondly, the soldiers of Liang State will be able to eat their fill and not suffer from hunger and cold."

Xu Qiu saw the problem very thoroughly.

Although he knew that Guo Gong was instigated to send troops, he did have a motive to do so, but Liang State could not afford to support so many soldiers.

Relying on his local fame, Guo Gong recruited tens of thousands of people in a short time.

But as Zhang Fei said, although these soldiers number tens of thousands.

However, the number of soldiers capable of fighting was no more than a thousand, and the number of strong men was no more than a hundred.

In fact, most people could not survive and had to join the army.

After all, soldiers are provided with meals, so if that doesn't work, you can rob them openly.

There is no need to worry about being suppressed by the government, after all, they themselves are the government.

Otherwise, with the population of Liang State, how could Guo Gong recruit so many soldiers?

"Ah this..."

Faced with Xu Qiu's sudden call for surrender, Guo Gong seemed a little hesitant.

He is the type of person who would do great things but cherishes his own life.

This is not just a matter of not being able to make up one's mind to capture the city.

Now faced with the critical team position, he still cannot make a quick decision.

Seeing Guo Gong hesitate, Xu Qiu added the final blow:

"Could it be that you, the envoy, do not wish to be inferior to others?"

Not bad.

Guo Gong was also the governor of Yuzhou, and in terms of status, he was on par with Liu Bei.

Guo Gong found it hard to accept that he was suddenly asked to be Liu Bei's younger brother.

"My old friend, I call you Envoy out of respect."

"But ask yourself, old friend, are you sitting comfortably in your position as the governor of Yuzhou?"

Guo Gong's face turned red, Xu Qiu's words hit the nail on the head.

Although Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou, was appointed by the imperial court.

But after all, it was Li Jue and Guo Si who appointed him in the name of the imperial court.

The purpose was to intensify the chaos in Guandong and pave the way for Zhu Jun's army to advance eastward.

Guo Gong's appointment to Yuzhou was in violation of the Three Mutual Laws.

The so-called three-mutual method is an avoidance system.

To put it simply, locals cannot be the highest officials in the area.

For example, a person from Chenliu cannot be the prefect of Chenliu, and a person from Xuzhou cannot be the governor of Xuzhou.

Therefore,
In order to control Yuzhou, Yuan Shu successively appointed Sun Jian and Sun Ben as governors of Yuzhou.

Because Yuan Shu was from Runan, and as a native of Yuzhou, he could not be the highest official of Yuzhou.

As a famous scholar in Yuzhou, Guo Gong was naturally not qualified to serve as the governor of Yuzhou.

In terms of status, Guo Gong is no longer in the right.

From the perspective of actual control, in the vast Yuzhou, Guo Gong only occupied the Liang State area.

The State of Lu was the territory of Chen Yi, the Prime Minister of Lu.

The State of Chen was the territory of King Chen Liu Chong.

Pei State was divided into north and south by Chen Gui, Cao and Xiahou.

Yingchuan and Runan were trapped by the Yellow Turban rebels and had no time to take care of themselves.

"Nowadays, we are in a time of turmoil. The emperor's court has been humiliated by the Liang rebels, and the whole world is in turmoil."

"It is not easy for Envoy Guo to guard the border in Yuzhou."

"Then we must think of a way out."

"Otherwise, if you hesitate, you will get yourself into trouble."

Yes, yes.

Cold sweat appeared on Guo Gong's forehead, dripping down his cheeks.

"Then I wonder what Liu Xuzhou needs me to do?"

"Your Excellency, just need to withdraw your troops." Xu Qiu said calmly.

"……oh oh?"

"As long as I withdraw my troops?"

Guo Gong widened his eyes. Didn’t you just tell me to submit to Liu Bei?

Why did you suddenly ask me to retreat?

So, do I count as having surrendered to Liu Bei?

"Now Envoy Liu's army has not returned, and my old friend has a very strong army."

"I can only return to Liang State first and wait for Envoy Liu to come back before I can be sent."

It turned out to be the case.

Guo Gong thought about it and it made sense. Now that Liu Bei hadn't returned, if he really brought tens of thousands of people into Xuzhou, who would be at ease?

Let alone tens of thousands of people, even tens of thousands of pigs is an uncontrollable factor.

"Don't worry, old friend. Envoy Liu is a man of integrity and will never let you down."

"Just go back to Liang State without any worries."

What he meant was that even if Cao Cao really came to seek revenge on you in the future, Lao Liu would definitely not stand by and watch you die.

As for the food problem, Xuzhou had a good harvest last year and still has surplus grain.

I will definitely not let you and your brothers go hungry, so don't worry!

Guo Gong was stunned by Xu Qiu's threats and inducements.

"Thank you, Meng Yu, for your good advice!"

Guo Gong stood up and held Xu Qiu's hand, refusing to let go, tears in his eyes, he sobbed:
"Meng Yu's words really opened my eyes, like the clouds have been cleared and the sun has been shining."

“Gong Wansi dared not to be an enemy of Liu Xuzhou again.

"I was instigated by a villain and listened to the words of a traitor before, so I did this foolish thing."

"Now it seems that Guo is really a foolish man who is being used by others without even realizing it."

Xu Qiu also comforted him softly:
"This is the fault of a villain. Don't blame yourself too much, old friend."

"But my old friend is also a famous scholar of the time. When you return to Liang State, you should think about cultivating your virtues."

"Don't start a war rashly again and bring disaster to the people of both places."

Guo Gong had a complicated expression, but he actually breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

“…I will never do it again.”

Guo Gong thanked him and then ordered the entire army to withdraw to Lu.

Guo Gong's troops were led by the joint efforts of Xu Qiu, Zhang Fei, Chen Gui and others.

They retreated without any casualties.

……

(End of this chapter)