Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

a few days later.

Lu Xun and Wang Chong were arrested and imprisoned.

As soon as the news came out, the whole Jianye City was in an uproar.

Whether it was Sun Luban who benefited from the Shu brocade given by Liu Feng, Sun Lu who had a close relationship with Liu Feng, or Lu Xun's relatives and friends, they were all driven out by Sun Quan.

Sun Quan even declared in public that "Liu Feng is a boy who has insulted me too much. How can a mere tiger girl marry a dog son?" He also urgently transferred Zhou Cang, the western commander of Danyang County, to replace Lu Xun as the governor of Poyang, and led Xu Sheng, Ding Feng and other generals to garrison Chaisang and block the pass.

at the same time.

Sun Quan also hosted a banquet for Xing Zhen, the Minister of Rites sent by Cao Pi, hoping that Xing Zhen could convey a message to Man Chong in Hefei, asking the two families to be in harmony and not to invade each other.

But when Xing Zhen mentioned that he wanted Sun Quan to become his vassal, Sun Quan just laughed it off and said, "We'll discuss it later."

"Sun Quan is fickle, and eight out of ten of his words cannot be taken seriously. Now he has only imprisoned Lu Xun and Wang Chong instead of beheading them to sever diplomatic ties, and he is also refusing to submit to Your Majesty. He must be secretly negotiating with Liu Feng, and he may not really rebel against Liu Bei. We must not be careless."

After Man Chong in Hefei learned about what Xing Zhen had seen and heard in Jiangdong, he made a cautious judgment. Not only did he not relax his guard, but he strengthened it instead.

He also asked Xing Zhen to remind Jia Kui, the governor of Yanzhou, and Wang Ling, the governor of Yuzhou, to be cautious when passing through Shouchun.

however.

Man Chong's move to increase vigilance made Sun Quan in Jianye even more fearful.

He said nice words, but in his actions he still regarded Jiangdong as bandits.

"Man Chong is just an old cruel official, not Zhang Liao. What is there to be afraid of?" Sun Quan was indignant, and he became more determined to temporarily join forces with Liu Feng.

Whether it is "retire after success" as Lu Xun said, or "endure and take advantage of the situation" as Sun Quan's true inner thought, it is better to temporarily join forces with Liu Feng than to directly submit to Cao Pi.

after all.

Liu Feng at least gave Sun Quan some real benefits, and Cao Pi just talked.

Even if Cao Pi said: I want to attack Jiangxia, if successful, we will divide Jiangxia equally.

Sun Quan might even agree to pledge his loyalty to Cao Pi.

What did Cao Pi give in the end?
He sent someone to tell Sun Quan "your son doesn't need to be a hostage anymore", and then told Sun Quan "Liu Feng is plotting to take Jiangdong, you'd better be careful".

It seemed like it was for Sun Quan's own good, but in fact it was just a few words of lobbying.

Even if Cao Pi didn't say it, Sun Quan wouldn't have taken his son as a hostage to Cao Pi; even if Cao Pi didn't mention it, Sun Quan knew that Liu Feng was planning to take over Jiangdong.

Not only that.

Since Lu Xun and Wang Chong were imprisoned, the number of people coming to plead for Lu Xun and to advise Sun Quan not to be impulsive has increased day by day.

Even Zhang Zhao, who was living at home and writing books, came to persuade Sun Quan not to be an enemy of Liu Feng, which made Sun Quan feel deeply frightened.

Just like when Cao Cao stationed his troops at Chibi and Zhang Zhao and others urged peace.

the difference is:

During the Battle of Chibi, Sun Quan had Zhou Yu, whom he could ask for advice when he had doubts about foreign affairs. He also had a group of powerful generals left behind by Sun Jian and Sun Ce. Surrender would not do any good to these generals.

And now.

Zhou Yu died, Lu Su died, Lu Meng died, and the group of brave generals left behind by Sun Jian and Sun Ce were almost all dead as well.

Most of the remaining civil and military officials came from Jiangdong gentry. No matter whether their surnames were Cao, Liu or Sun, they were all subjects. So it didn't matter who they worked for.

Instead, Sun Quan began to recruit private soldiers from the nobles and powerful families in order to fight the war. This was tantamount to exploitation without giving any benefits. Who would be happy about this?

In the past, Sun Quan was powerful, so no one dared to rebel openly.

Sun Quan is weak now, and Liu Feng next door is still waving the banner of the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty and offering many benefits. Only a fool would become an enemy of Liu Feng!

What Lu Xun said, "both civil and military officials are afraid of fighting," was not false.

If Sun Quan did not have his own troops, he would have been tied up and forced to seek credit by the Jiangdong gentry.

If Sun Quan doesn't want to be respectable, the Jiangdong gentry will make him respectable.

This is also one of the reasons why Sun Quan was unwilling to submit to Cao Pi again. He wanted to jump back and forth, but he didn't have the opportunity for the time being.

but.

In order to implement Lu Xun's plan, Sun Quan dismissed all those who came to persuade him, and even ordered Gu Li to stand outside the palace with his personal guards holding sticks.

Anyone who came to plead for Lu Xun or persuade Sun Quan not to offend Liu Feng was beaten out.

And on the other side.

The newly appointed Poyang prefect Zhou Cang sent people to deliver gifts and letters to Cao Xiu in Pingchun before he even arrived in Chaisang.

Zhou Cang did not tell Cao Xiu that Lu Xun and Wang Chong had been imprisoned by Sun Quan in his letter, but only stated that "Wei, Shu and Wu are now three separate states, and we should live in harmony."

Doing so was also to avoid being too deliberate and arousing Cao Xiu's suspicion.

on the contrary.

The more Zhou Cang pretended to be indifferent, the more Cao Xiu would overthink it.

And this is indeed the case.

After Xing Zhen left Hefei, Man Chong in Hefei also sent someone to deliver a letter to Cao Xiu in Pingchun, detailing the changes in Jiangdong and his speculation about Sun Quan.

Therefore.

When Zhou Cang sent people to deliver gifts and letters, Cao Xiu began to doubt Zhou Cang's intentions: Zhou Cang was sent by Sun Quan to Chaisang to negotiate terms with Liu Feng. If the terms were well negotiated, it would have nothing to do with Cao Xiu. If the terms were not well negotiated, he would definitely come to find Cao Xiu again.

"Man Boning is right, Sun Quan is fickle and eight out of ten of his words cannot be taken seriously.

Although it seemed that Lu Xun and Wang Chong were imprisoned, in fact they did not dare to become enemies with Liu Feng. Liu Feng was a little kid and would definitely want to use the same old tricks again. After he had negotiated with Sun Quan, he would turn around and launch a surprise attack on Pingchun.

Humph! How can you hide such a trivial trick from me? "

While Cao Xiu ordered his men to strengthen the defenses of the passes in Pingchun, he also continued to send more scouts to investigate.

The intelligence obtained by the scouts was similar to what Cao Xiu had expected.

Liu Feng, send out troops!

More than 200 warships set out from Wuchang and went downstream into Chaisang, with a mighty and powerful force.

However, the warships were only anchored outside Chaisang and did not attack Chaisang by force.

"Just as I expected, little Liu Feng went to negotiate with Sun Quan." Looking at the latest military intelligence brought back by the scouts, Cao Xiu looked quite proud. He was certain that Liu Feng was just going to Chaisang to pretend and would not really go to attack Chaisang.

Just as Cao Xiu had expected, Zhou Cang sent someone to deliver the letter again.

The content is obviously different from the last time "Harmonious Coexistence", and it has been changed to "Although Zhou Qian is in Jiangdong, he admires the clouds in the north and longs to submit to the Wei Dynasty." It also mentioned that "Recently Sun Quan sent Shangshu Lang to Chaisang, ostensibly to express condolences but actually to monitor him, and he felt deeply frightened in his heart."

and many more.

There was a sense of surrender in his words.

Cao Xiu did not trust Zhou Cang just because of a letter from Zhou Cang indicating surrender.

In Cao Xiu's view: Zhou Cang was just at a disadvantage during the negotiations with Liu Feng, and deliberately wanted to lure Cao Xiu to put pressure on Liu Feng.

If you really believe it, you are a fool.

Five days passed.

Zhou Qiang’s messenger is here again!

The content of the second letter changed again.

The general idea is: Zhou Cang thought that he had never had two minds in his loyalty to Sun Quan, but because he offended the Shangshu Lang who came to Chaisang to monitor him, he was blamed by Sun Quan for no reason and was in a precarious situation. Therefore, he wanted to follow the example of the ancients and choose a master to serve, hoping that Cao Xiu would send troops to rescue him.

Cao Xiu also found Zhou Cang's second letter funny.

The first letter only expressed an implicit surrender, while the second letter expressed the surrender directly and clearly.

It seems that the attitude has changed and the intention has been exposed.

send troops?

It takes nearly a month to march from Pingchun to Chaisang. I would be a fool to send troops!

As soon as I send out troops, Liu Feng will immediately change the conditions, and you, Zhou Cang, will naturally be able to achieve your negotiation intention.

Do you really think I, Cao Xiu, am a fool and are making fun of me?

Cao Xiu still didn't move.

The scouts' report was just as Cao Xiu had expected. Liu Feng only besieged Chaisang but did not attack it, proving that the negotiations were still ongoing.

And two days later.

Zhou Qian sent the third letter.

Unlike the first two letters, which either implicitly or explicitly expressed the intention of surrender, the third letter added Sun Quan's military secrets. The general idea is: Sun Quan was plotting a northern expedition to Hefei, and sending Zhou Cang to Chaisang to resist Liu Feng was just a trick to confuse the enemy, and Lu Xun and Wang Chong were imprisoned on purpose, but Zhou Cang believed that the Han Dynasty had declined, and it was better to surrender to Wei than to Han, otherwise Wei would destroy Han in the future and Zhou Cang would have no place to stand.

"Could it be that Zhou Yu really intends to surrender?"

As soon as the third letter came out, Cao Xiu began to waver in his previous judgment.

Man Chong also wrote a letter saying, "Sun Quan is fickle and may not really rebel against Liu Bei. We should not be careless."

Now Zhou Cang also mentioned that Sun Quan was plotting a Northern Expedition, and Liu Feng's attack on Chaisang was just a cover, and he actually wanted to launch a surprise attack on Hefei.

Thinking of Sun Quan's obsession with Hefei, Cao Xiu hesitated again.

Before Cao Xiu could make a decision, Zhou Cang's fourth letter arrived, only one day after the third letter.

Also coming to Pingchun along with the fourth letter were two young generals who claimed to be Zhou Qianen's father and son. One was named Dong Cen and the other Shao Nan.

The gist of the letter was: Send two people to Pingchun. Zhou Yu told Shang Shulang that they were here to deliver a false surrender letter, but in fact they were here to be hostages and pass on secret orders. If Cao Xiu had any doubts, he would keep one hostage and release the other to pass on secret orders. Then he would announce to the public that the detained one had defected, and the one who returned could lie that he had repented and returned to Wu. According to Jiangdong's laws, those who repented of their defection were exempted from punishment, so both sides could cover up.

This operation left Cao Xiu dumbfounded.

Even the hostages have started to be sent?

Does Zhou Qian really want to surrender?

Cao Xiu summoned Yu Jin.

Although Pingchun was very unhappy with Yu Jin, at the moment there was no one else he could discuss with except Yu Jin.

same.

Yu Jin did not sacrifice public interests for personal gain, and suppressed his dissatisfaction with Cao Xiu, saying:
"Zhou Cang's surrender is just one-sided. Dong Cen and Shao Nan are not Zhou Cang's biological sons. They are more likely to be two assassins raised by Zhou Cang since childhood. They are not credible. If the general sends troops to Chaisang, he will be ambushed. He must not go there in person!"

Cao Xiu hesitated: "But Zhou Cang even told me the secret that Sun Quan wanted to seize Hefei, and even claimed that the confrontation with Liu Feng in Chaisang was just a trick of Sun Quan to confuse the enemy, and that Lu Xun and Wang Chong were imprisoned on purpose.

If he had not surrendered truly, how could he have leaked such secrets?

If what Zhou Qian said was true, it meant that Liu Feng had already agreed on the terms with Sun Quan. Otherwise, why would Sun Quan be willing to attack Hefei?
If Jiangdong is occupied by Liu Feng, Huainan will be in danger.

If Zhou Yu can surrender, we can not only get Poyang, but also cut off the connection between Liu Feng and Sun Quan. Then we can force Sun Quan to surrender to Wei and swallow up the whole Jiangdong!

This is a great achievement that will shock the world!"

Cao Xiu's breathing became a little rapid.

The temptation to expand territory is really too great!
It was so big that Cao Xiu wanted to take the risk and try it.

"General, there are too many doubts in this matter. I think we should ask Your Majesty to make the decision instead of acting arbitrarily." Seeing that Cao Xiu was a little angry, Yu Jin emphasized his tone.

Cao Xiu frowned when he heard this: "Haven't you heard that a general may not obey orders when he is on the battlefield? I am the General of the Eastern Expedition, and I have been granted the Yellow Axe by your Majesty's trust. I can mobilize the Huainan troops at any time according to the actual situation to support the war. Why do I need to ask your Majesty for instructions again?"

Furthermore, the journey from Pingchun to Luoyang is long and time-consuming. After sending the letter to Luoyang, discussing the pros and cons will take another time. By the time I send troops after the letter is sent back to Pingchun, Zhou Cang may be captured for his poor planning.

If I boasted in front of Your Majesty, and was unable to capture Poyang because of Zhou Cang's poor planning, wouldn't I be laughed at by the ministers in the court?"

Seeing Cao Xiu getting more and more angry, Yu Jin asked again: "If the general sends troops, who can stay behind to guard Pingchun? If you let me stay, aren't you afraid that I will surrender Pingchun?"

Yu Jin was also anxious, so he used Cao Xiu's past words to shut Cao Xiu up.

If Cao Xiu went to support Zhou Cang, he would need a general to stay behind in Pingchun.

Otherwise, it would take more than 20 days to travel from Pingchun to Chaisang. If Liu Feng took the opportunity to send troops to attack Pingchun, Cao Xiu would not have enough time to return to defend.

But when these words came out of Yu Jin's mouth, they had a different meaning.

This made Cao Xiu feel like Yu Jin was digging up old scores, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed: "Yu Wenze, are you really going to sacrifice public office for personal gain?"

Yu Jin bowed his head and said, "General, you have misunderstood me. I have no such intention. I just think that Zhou Cang's surrender is suspicious and cannot be trusted. It is better to wait a little longer!"

Even if we don't discuss it with Your Majesty, we have to discuss it with Man Chong in Hefei and Jia Kui, Wang Ling and others in Shouchun.

Otherwise, if the general goes out alone, and the troops from Shouchun and Hefei fail to respond in time, we will lose the opportunity."

Seeing Yu Jin bow his head and admit defeat, Cao Xiu finally calmed down and said, "In this case, let's wait a little longer."

Under Yu Jin's persuasion, Cao Xiu temporarily suppressed the urge to send troops. On the one hand, he sent people to contact Man Chong, Jia Kui, Wang Ling and others, and on the other hand, he sent more scouts to continue investigating.

As for Dong Cen and Shao Nan, Cao Xiu held them both hostage.

And in the next few days.

Zhou Qiang sent three more letters in succession.

The general idea is that Sun Quan has secretly drawn out the best fighting troops from the counties of Jiangdong, and sent Pan Jun to recruit the Shanyue tribes in order to use the old and weak Shanyue people to fill the trenches.

The last letter directly asked Cao Xiu for 50 seals of generals and marquises, 100 seals of lieutenants, and 200 seals of colonels and commanders, to be used to reward powerful leaders. He also asked for dozens of flags as a symbol of submission, so that the military and civilians would know that the outcome was decided.

The messenger cried and claimed that Sun Quan's Shangshu Lang suspected that Zhou Cang had secretly sent his trusted confidants Dong Cen and Shao Nan to communicate with Cao Wei. In order to prove his loyalty, Zhou Cang cut off his hair in front of the Shangshu Lang and all the soldiers in Chaisang and asked him to take it back to Sun Quan.

This incident also caused a sensation in Chaisang, and many Chaisang soldiers spoke up for Zhou Cang.

Our hair and body are given by our parents; the humiliation of having our hair cut off is greater than having our head cut off.

Cao Xiu's scouts did find out that Zhou Cang was forced to cut off his hair to prove his guilt under the coercion of Sun Quan's Shang Shu Lang.

After receiving seven consecutive letters of surrender, as well as the hostages Dong Cen, Shao Nan, and the humiliation of having his hair cut, Cao Xiu could no longer suppress his desire to send troops.

"Yu Wenze, the opportunity is rare and will never come back. If we wait until Sun Quan is fully prepared before attacking Hefei, we will have no choice but to respond passively.

I will give you 3,000 soldiers to guard Pingchun, and I will personally lead the army to Poyang to support Zhou Cang. This time we must seize Jiangdong and make a name for ourselves forever!"

The huge profits have made Cao Xiu blinded by greed.

Yu Jin was terrified: "General, don't be careless. What if Liu Feng uses the same trick to surprise attack Pingchun again?"

Cao Xiu laughed and said, "How could I not know Liu Feng's conspiracy?
Although it is not known what means Liu Feng used to make Sun Quan willing to attack Hefei, Pingchun and Shiyang are also different.

In the past, Shiyang was too close to Xiakou, so Liu Feng could return along the river from Chaisang and launch a surprise attack on Shiyang.

But Pingchun is far away. It takes me more than 20 days to get to Chaisang, and it will also take Liu Feng more than 20 days to lead his troops back and launch a surprise attack on Pingchun.

How could I not notice such a long march?

What's more, as long as you stay in the city and don't go out, how can Liu Feng easily capture Pingchun when he attacks with his tired troops?

If he dares to come, I will turn back to Pingchun and transfer the troops from Shouchun to the west along the Huai River, attacking him from both sides and making him die. "

Cao Xiu laughed again and said, "I laugh at the lack of strategy of Liu Feng and the stupidity of Guan Xing. They thought that by sending you a few letters and spreading rumors in Luoyang, they would make me suspicious of you and stop me from sending troops.

I am a talented person of the Cao family, how could I be a narrow-minded person?
Liu Feng and Guan Xing did not recognize my methods and presumptuously speculated on my ability. From the moment they used the strategy of sowing discord between us, they had already fallen into my calculations.

A fake son of a shoe vendor, a son of a bean vendor, who only knows a few tricks, how can he be compared with me?"

Listening to Cao Xiu's boasting, Yu Jin couldn't help but twitch his face.

You didn't suspect me?
Aren’t you narrow-minded?

Didn't you fall into the divide-and-conquer scheme?

The knife is at my neck, and you want to talk to me about magnanimity?

"General——"

Yu Jin wanted to persuade him again.

However, as soon as he uttered the word "General", Yu Jin was scolded by Cao Xiu.

"Yu Wenzhe, I am the General of the Eastern Expedition!"

"Guard Pingchun well. If you lose Pingchun and ruin my plan to seize Jiangdong, I will kill you!"

Seeing that Cao Xiu no longer discussed with him and turned away, Yu Jin's face was filled with worry.

"Cao Wenlie is too arrogant. People in Jiangdong are always fickle and good at feigning surrender. Zhou Cang, who is not well-known, suddenly succeeded Lu Xun as the governor of Poyang. He surrendered and leaked secrets as soon as he took office. It's too suspicious!

Liu Feng has always been treacherous. What I can guess, Liu Feng may also guess. How could he easily let Cao Wenlie take advantage of him?
No!

We cannot let Cao Wenlie do whatever he wants. We must quickly send a letter to Luoyang and ask His Majesty to make a decision!"

Yu Jin was startled and immediately picked up his pen to write a letter.

It started with Guan Xing deliberately writing a letter to sow discord. The intelligence he obtained and Cao Xiu's response were all described in the letter, and he also expressed his concern for Cao Xiu.

Subsequently.

Yu Jin also sent his trusted confidant to rush to Luoyang overnight.

"I hope Your Majesty can respond in time after reading this letter. An arrogant army will surely be defeated." Yu Jin was worried.

At this moment, Cao Xiu's mind was filled with confidence. He was sure that Zhou Yu's surrender was real, and he wanted to take this opportunity to fight for Poyang and destroy Liu Feng's plan to take over Jiangdong alone and Sun Quan's plan to march north to Hefei.

He even summoned Dong Cen and Shao Nan.

"One of you two goes back and tells Zhou Cang: Don't let the news leak out before my army arrives. If Zhou Cang is not careful, I will not risk my life to save him." (End of this chapter)