My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 24: Hawks, Doves, and Pragmatists, Jiang Dong, do you know them all?

"Uncle...Bowen, how could you be so sure that Sun Zhongmou would send Lu Su?"

Liu Bei's question expressed the common thoughts of the three people.

"Well..."

Xiao He took a sip of wine to buy time while he prepared his words.

The matter of Lu Su really needs to be discussed in detail, otherwise Guan Yinping will have to ask him later whether he is a disciple of an immortal.

After planning for a while, Xiao He finally spoke:

"Well, as far as I know, Jiangdong can be divided into three factions: hawks, doves, and pragmatists. Lu Su belongs to one of them..."

"Wait a minute."

Liu Bei interrupted, looking bewildered:

"Bowen, what do you mean by hawk...hawkish and dove?"

Zhao Yun and Guan Yinping were also confused.

Xiao He thought for a moment before explaining:
"The so-called hawks can also be called the pro-war faction. This faction is headed by Zhou Yu and consists mostly of military generals."

"As the name suggests, this faction naturally advocates the use of force to seize Jingzhou. Whether it's the lord or Liu Qi, they will fight anyone who prevents them from seizing Jingzhou."

"Even if someone as powerful as Cao Cao is involved, Zhou Yu and his hawkish group are not afraid of anything and will fight whenever they want."

After taking a sip of wine to moisten his throat, Xiao He continued:

"The dove faction, or the peace faction, is headed by Zhang Zhao. Most of them are civil servants, including many prominent families from Jiangdong."

"These people believed that Cao Cao had already unified the north, and it was only a matter of time before he would conquer the south and unify the country. They advocated that Sun Quan should follow the trend and surrender to Cao Cao in exchange for saving his life and property and achieving wealth and glory."

After the first two factions finished speaking, Xiao He began to emphasize his tone:
"As for Lu Su, he is a pragmatic person."

"Being pragmatic means being realistic, not being afraid of Cao Ruhu and surrendering, nor being overconfident and rash in starting a war."

"Given the current situation in Jingzhou, if we were to be destroyed by Cao Cao, even if Sun Quan conquered Jiangxia, he would immediately have to face Cao Cao's 150,000-man army and experience the bitterness of the lips and teeth."

"So, from a pragmatic point of view, now is not the time for Sun Quan to get involved in Jingzhou. The wisest choice is to form an alliance with the lord, let us defend the north and help him block Cao Cao's army."

"After Cao Cao, our common enemy, retreats, I will then decide, based on the current situation, whether to turn against my lord and seize Jingzhou."

Upon hearing this, a look of sudden enlightenment flashed across Liu Bei's face, mixed with deep amazement.

Of course, he was familiar with the heroes of Jiangdong.

Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, Cheng Pu...even the less famous Lu Su, I have heard of him.

It's just hearsay.

However, Xiao He actually classified these people into categories such as hawks, doves, and pragmatists.

He even knows these people's positions and ideas so well that it's unbelievable!

"I didn't expect that Bo Wen not only knows Jingxiang like the back of his hand, but also Jiangdong like the back of his hand. How did he do it?"

Liu Bei's heart was pounding. He looked at Xiao He again and felt that he was even more unfathomable.

After a while.

Liu Bei's mood had just calmed down a little, and he asked again:
"Then according to Bo Wen, which faction does Sun Zhongmou, the ruler of Jiangdong, belong to?"

When asked about Sun Quan, Xiao He only sneered:
"Sun Quan doesn't belong to any faction. He's a faction of his own, called the opportunist faction."

Speculators?
Liu Bei's eyes, which had just been bright, became cloudy again.

"The so-called speculation means taking advantage of opportunities." "From what I know, Sun Quan has no principles or ideas. Whether it's going to war, forming an alliance, or seeking peace, he does whatever is beneficial to him."

"Cao Cao's army of 150,000 is now marching south, claiming to conquer Jiangnan and unify the country. For Sun Quan, the immediate advantage is to drive Cao Cao away and first defend his corner of Jiangdong."

"Then Sun Quan's thoughts coincide with Lu Su's pragmatic thinking. The two must have hit it off immediately."

"This is why I dare to assert that Sun Quan will take the initiative to seek an alliance with you to fight against Cao Cao, and will definitely send Lu Su as an envoy."

After saying that, Xiao He let out a long breath, raised his head and drank two glasses of wine in a row.

Finally, the beginning and the end are consistent and self-consistent.

"After listening to your words, I have suddenly understood the situation. I finally understand the Jiangdong lord and his ministers."

All the doubts in Liu Bei's eyes disappeared, and his eyes were filled with surprise.

"Bowen, how on earth did you..."

Liu Bei originally wanted to ask Xiao He how he managed to live in seclusion in the mountains and yet have such a keen eye on Jiangdong, thousands of miles away.

Is it true that he has the ability to predict the future and calculate things?
Or is he in the mountains, yet keeping an eye on all directions, monitoring the people of the world at all times?

"Military Advisor Kong Ming once said that Bo Wen possessed extraordinary talent and was unfathomable. Since he's deliberately avoiding discussing this, it's pointless for me to ask..."

Thinking of this, Liu Bei simply suppressed his curiosity and asked:
"Since Lu Su is here on Sun Quan's orders to join forces with me, how should I respond, according to Bo Wen?"

Xiao He pretended to sip his wine again.

With the bloody examples of the sneak attack on Jiangling and the backstabbing of the Bearded Man, how stupid would one have to be to consider Sun Quan as an ally?

However, given the current situation, with Cao Cao, a common enemy, approaching with a large army, it is not impossible for them to temporarily take advantage of each other.

Putting down the wine glass, Xiao He said slowly:
"Our top priority now is to concentrate all our efforts on defending Xiangfan and repelling Cao Cao."

"And Sun Quan wants to use us to defend him against Cao Cao, so that he won't have to face Cao's army head-on."

"Since we have common interests, temporarily joining forces with Sun Quan is a win-win choice."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, obviously agreeing with Xiao He's suggestion.

After all, he only had 30,000 soldiers and horses, and he had to resist 150,000 Cao troops and block Liu Cong's 30,000 Jingzhou troops in the south. The pressure was enormous.

The less enemy there is, the better.

"However, when the lord negotiates with Lu Su later, you must stick to a bottom line."

"Sun Quan's Jiangdong Army must not send a single soldier into Jiangxia!"

Xiao He added in a very firm tone.

Liu Bei closed his eyes slightly, unable to understand for a moment.

"Sun Quan has always coveted Jingzhou and will certainly send troops to Jiangxia to assist in the defense under the pretext of aiding the war."

"The purpose is, on the one hand, to quickly send troops north along the Han River to Xiangfan to reinforce if our army's situation becomes unfavorable."

"On the other hand, they are taking advantage of the situation to extend their tentacles into Jiangxia. As the saying goes, it's easier to invite a god than to send him away. Once the Jiangdong Army is stationed in Jiangxia, do you think they can be easily swept out?"

"If our lord defeats Cao Cao someday, Sun Quan could easily seize Xiakou and take over Jiangxia overnight."

"By then, Jiangdong's elite navy could reach Xiangyang within two days, blocking the Han River, and Jiangling within three days, blocking the Yangtze River. Wouldn't that mean we wouldn't even have time to react?"

"So, my lord, your bottom line is this: we can join forces, but not a single soldier from Jiangdong can enter Jiangxia!"

(End of this chapter)