He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 64 Better to give to Liu Bei than to Liu Biao

"Gongjin, it's true I was wrong to come to this. Do you have any better ideas?" Sun Ce had drunk quite a bit and was now slightly tipsy. "Yes, Bofu, yes."

Hearing that his good brother indeed had a solution, Sun Ce's mind cleared up considerably, and he quickly asked, "Really? Gongjin, tell me quickly."

"I have a plan to use the tiger to devour the wolf, which can resolve the current crisis." After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yu finally revealed his solution.

"Sell all the cities that our army currently occupies north of the Yangtze River to Liu Bei, allowing Liu Bei to enter Huainan. This will make Liu Biao believe that Liu Bei and our army have already made peace, and the alliance between the two sides will end before it even begins. Take this opportunity to let the two sides fight each other, and we will return to Jiangdong. As long as we stabilize Jiangdong again, it will only take one or two years for our army to be able to conquer all directions once more."

Zhou Yu's move was a classic example of trading space for time, withdrawing from the disputed area in exchange for time to consolidate the three counties of Jiangdong.

"You're right! I wouldn't give it to that old scoundrel Liu Biao even if it were Liu Bei!" Sun Ce thought about it for a moment and realized that he could accept it, but there was still a major problem to solve.

"Bo Fu, are you saying that Liu Bei might not take the bait again, just like last time?" This was also what Zhou Yu had been thinking about. No matter how good the plan was, if the other party didn't take the bait, it was as if it never happened.

"No, I'm not too worried about that. Judging from Liu Bei's constant attacks, he's not exactly an honest man. I'm just wondering what to do with Zheng Bao and his gang of Chaohu pirates. They only joined us to resist Liu Xun's interference in Jiujiang. Now that we're withdrawing our troops, they're definitely not happy. That's not a good situation."

Sun Ce wasn't afraid of Zheng Bao causing trouble. His men had already prepared contingency plans; if Zheng Bao dared to make any improper moves, a large force would immediately come to suppress him. Sun Ce actually had his eye on the bandits under Zheng Bao's command. They were good swimmers and daring fighters, which made Sun Ce, whose navy was currently not very strong, extremely envious.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce, "Let's use the old method. Let him come to the meeting, and then we'll get rid of him there. We'll say that he harmed too many people before, and that it's against all reason."

"And then Zheng Bao was also constantly on guard against Sun Ce, and that's how they started fighting?"

Seeing the messenger nod at him, Chen Deng couldn't help but lean back tactically. This was the first time Chen Deng had ever seen internal strife erupt before the enemy even arrived. However, the various events that had occurred in the past few months had greatly impacted his original worldview, so Chen Deng was now highly resistant to various abstract events.

Therefore, after receiving the news, Chen Deng only reacted slightly and did not pay too much attention to it.

The course of events was quite ordinary. When Zheng Bao was besieged and prepared to retreat, he was directly killed by Sun Ce in battle. However, Zheng Bao's subordinates did not surrender to Sun Ce.

These pirates had been watching the gradual decline of Sun Ce's army for some time. Now, surrendering to Sun Ce would be the same as joining Guo's army in 1949. After discussing it, these pirates retreated to the depths of Chaohu Lake. Sun Ce's navy was not strong enough to force them to surrender, so they had no choice but to begin their retreat.

Although Sun Ce's army wouldn't publicize how well the pirates fought, and Chen Deng didn't obtain specific details about the outcome of the battle, the fact that Sun Ce's army itself didn't publicize how valiant they were speaks volumes.

Chen Deng also received Sun Ce's suggestion. Naturally, Chen Deng would not make the decision on his own, so he relayed the message back.

Thanks to the current economic recovery in Xuzhou, the Sishui and Huaihe Rivers have been developed into major economic arteries connecting Xuzhou, and even military intelligence transmission often relies on these two rivers.

Upon reading Chen Deng's message, Liu Bei stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, a knowing glint in his eyes: "Zheng Bao's troops have retreated into Chaohu Lake, neither surrendering to Sun Ce nor joining Liu Xun, becoming leaderless river bandits. This is a golden opportunity for me."

He turned to Chen Qun, his tone resolute: "Changwen, immediately draft a proclamation in the name of the Xuzhou Governor's Office. Proclamation to all counties in Huainan: Zheng Bao, the bandit of Chaohu Lake, has plundered the region and ravaged the people. Though he is dead, his remnants remain. As a member of the Han imperial family, I, Liu Bei, have an inescapable responsibility to protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people. I am now sending troops south, employing both suppression and appeasement, to surely eliminate this scourge and restore peace to the people!"

Chen Qun immediately understood Liu Bei's intention: by entering Huainan under the guise of suppressing bandits, Liu Biao would have no way to accuse him. Moreover, Zheng Bao had previously followed Yuan Shu in attacking Xuzhou, so it was perfectly reasonable to settle scores with him now.

As for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's good intentions, Liu Bei wanted to first see what Lu Wan and others thought.

"As for Sun Ce's army, we just need to maintain a tacit understanding. They can take away any supplies from his cities, except for food, but the people must be left behind. We absolutely cannot let them rob the local people." Lu Wan answered from the perspective of people's livelihood and economy.

Population is one of the most unique resources in the world; it's easy to destroy, but it takes many years to create. While the early stages of the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods often saw absurd instances of the weak defeating the strong through ingenious strategies, as the war progressed, each faction gained more and more experience, making it increasingly difficult to win through such tactics. At this point, warfare became a matter of attrition.

At that time, human resources will be one of the most valuable resources.

Guan Yu believed that it was not enough to just enter Guangling City; several detachments should also be sent to occupy the cities in the southern part of Pei State and the cities along the upper reaches of the Huai River that flowed through Jiujiang County.

This is the answer from a military perspective. The cities along the Huai River in northern Jiujiang Commandery were almost entirely destroyed due to the raids by Zheng Bao and Lü Bu. However, if Liu Bei wanted to advance into Huainan, this was a crucial supply line he had to pass through.

The cities in the southern part of Pei State were built to protect the flanks of the waterway and prevent Cao Cao from directly attacking the Huai River.

After listening to the two men's speeches, Liu Bei turned to Chen Qun and asked, "Changwen, what are your thoughts?"

Chen Qun cleared his throat and said, "What I want to say has already been said by others. What I'm thinking is that since last year, Sun Ce has occupied these places for several months. During this time, he must have developed intricate connections with the local powerful families. I simply do not believe that there are no people among them who are friendly to Sun Ce."

"If we simply continue with our usual policies, it will be difficult to root out these rats. These people usually lie dormant, and when Sun Ce makes a comeback, they will most likely become our accomplices. We really have to be on guard against this."