Chapter 77 Discussion on Xichuan

"Botao, Boyan, call you from your newlywed wife so soon. You won't blame me for being unfriendly!" Liu Bei seemed to be in a good mood. After seeing Zhao Feng and Lu Xun, he also joked with a smile.

"The Lord's words are heavy, and he should put the state first!" Zhao Feng and Lu Xun hurriedly thanked him. If the leader has something to say, just listen to it. If you take it seriously, it will be a tragedy. At this time, Zhao Feng found that in addition to Lu Su and others in Shouchun, many important generals and civil servants also came to Shouchun, including Zhang Fei in Pengcheng, Zhang Liao in Yuzhou, Zhuge Liang in Jingzhou, Gaolan in Yangzhou, and even Gaoshun in Qingzhou, whom he had not seen for some years. In this way, it took a lot of effort for everyone to catch up the past.

When everyone sat down, Liu Bei said the reason why he summoned everyone to come. Before that, Liu Bei first took out two official documents and circulated them to everyone. It turned out that the two official documents were sent by Zhang Zhao, the pastor of Yangzhou, and Gan Ning, who was in Jiaozhou. Zhang Zhao told Liu Bei that Xu Jing, who was stranded in Yizhou, no longer stubbornly resisted after learning that Sun's foundation was destroyed. He led people to surrender. More than 10,000 remnants had been incorporated, and Xu Jing himself was also coming to Shouchun. Gan Ning's part showed that Ling Tong, who was in Zhuya County, killed himself in the army after learning that Sun Quan was killed. His subordinates have also surrendered. Sun's last two islands fell without a fight. Coincidentally, even the two military newspapers arrived in Shouchun at the same time.

"That is to say, Zhuya County and Yizhou have been calmed down?" After reading these two military newspapers, Zhang Fei was also a little surprised.

"Exactly!" Liu Bei nodded with a smile. To be honest, although everyone has thought that the defenders in these two places may collapse themselves, it is still a little unexpected and unexpected.

"At this point, all the troubles in southern Xinjiang have been cleared up, and the lord has no worries. After rectifying the governance of officials, recuperating and resting the soldiers and horses, we can swing the Northern Expedition!" After reading all this, Zhuge Liang immediately understood what it meant.

Northern Expedition!

When the words

popped out of Zhuge Liang's mouth, everyone felt refreshed. For a long time, although everyone is often fighting, it is often limited to one state. Once the Northern Expedition, it will be a decisive battle related to the ownership of the world. At that time, both the military strength and the scale of the region will be far from comparable to the battles in the past. Thinking that they could have the opportunity to participate in such a war, everyone felt that their blood began to boil, and they couldn't help but start to be a little distracted.

"Brother, I would like to lead an elite soldier to the north, wipe out Cao's children, save your majesty, and help the big man!" The first person to react after excitement was Zhang Fei, who was the most often hot-headed. Perhaps for him, his blood is boiling all the time in his life, so it doesn't matter whether he reacts or not?

"Third brother, don't be impatient!" Liu Bei waved his hand to show Zhang Fei not to be so excited, and then explained in detail: "At present, our army has experienced the five-way army attack, especially after Sun's rebellion. This year, there is no spare time to carry out a large-scale battle, and the immediate Northern Expedition is impractical. In addition, I have an appointment with Cao Xun first. As long as he is still sweeping the border for the Han Dynasty, I will never do anything to hinder him, so as not to make my relatives and enemies happy.

"If so, my lord, what are we going to do next?" After learning that Liu Bei would not march in the short term, Gao Shun also asked.

"At present, we will rest and recuperate first, and then we will have a decisive battle with Cao Wei. Yesterday, I just received a military report. The remnants of Yuan Tan, who was stationed in Youzhou, colluded with Xianbei to attack Cao Jian, but Cao Jian took the opportunity to attack the three counties of Xiadai County, Shanggu and Zhuo County. Yuan Tan was forced to retreat to Yuyang. I'm afraid that in a few months, he will return to Liaodong. Liu Bei sighed.

"Is it like this?" Everyone looked at each other in front of each other. Hearing this news, everyone's mood was also quite complicated. They were not only angry at Yuan Tan's introduction of the wolf into the house, but also some regret for his failure. After all, without Yuan Tan, Cao's worries will be greatly reduced. At that time, what he is right about will be a Cao who integrates the whole north and Guanzhong, and the pressure can be imagined.

"In addition, according to the detailed report, Cao Qian ordered the construction of a palace in Yecheng, presumably to force your majesty to move the capital to Hebei." Liu Bei suddenly mentioned another thing.

"Relocating the capital to Hebei?" Zhao Feng was also shocked at the beginning, but then he understood that this was also normal. In history, when Guan Yu hit Fancheng, Cao Qian was so scared that he almost moved the capital. After all, it was too close to Fancheng. Now not only Fancheng, but also Wancheng and Runan are in Liu Bei's hands. In addition to the fact that Liang County in the east is still in Cao's hands, Liu Bei can attack Xu Chang from both sides of the southwest. Once Xu Chang falls, it will be a great blow to Cao's morale and military spirit. Although moving the capital to Hebei now is also a little harmful to morale, it is always much better than being directly captured by others.

"Brother, why don't you send Jingxiang sailors to ambush on the side? When Cao Qian moved the capital to cross the Yellow River, he took the opportunity to save the emperor? Zhang Fei suddenly proposed. This proposal is quite novel, and everyone is also a little moved. Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed, "It's so inappropriate. The sword has no eyes on the battle. In case he hurts the emperor, isn't he a sinner?"

"But?" Zhang Fei wanted to say anything more. Liu Bei waved his hand to indicate that he should not come up with the idea of reducing the danger coefficient to a relatively high one. Zhang Fei had to retreat anguishly, but he muttered, "If Cao Yan wants to move the capital, he can do whatever he wants. It's still the emperor. It's just a dough. I don't know if he is intentional, but his voice is really small. Liu Bei looked a little ugly when he heard the words, but he didn't say anything.

"Yuan Tan colluded with Xianbei, and the soldiers and civilians in Youzhou were very disappointed with him. At present, they have lost the hearts of the people. I'm afraid it is difficult to live in Youzhou. It is said that Mr. Zhong, the former son, met Yuan Tan from Jingxiang Water Division through the sea to Youzhou. His situation was very bad. There were less than 80,000 soldiers and horses left. Qian Shao and Zhang Yi were dissatisfied with what he had done and had defected to Cao Qian one after another. Although Guo Tu, Ju Shutian Feng and others are still doing their best to assist, there is no general's talent. It's only a matter of time before they lose. Zhuge Liang saw that the atmosphere was a little awkward and quickly changed the topic.

"Mr. Zizhong has been to Youzhou?" Everyone was very surprised to hear the words. At this time, Mi Zhu also smiled and said, "Zu took a sea boat from Donglai to land in Liaodong. Finally, he saw Yuan Tan. He exchanged armored weapons for some war horses.

"So that's it!" Only then did everyone suddenly realize it. How much did you change? Zhang Fei asked eagerly.

"Not much, only two thousand." Mi Zhu said with a smile. As we all know, Yuan Tan himself is more nervous now, and it is not realistic to want to get more war horses from him. In the prefectures under Liu Bei's command, there are also established cavalry in Xuzhou and Jingzhou, namely Baima Yicong and Fengyun Cavalry. Among them, there are more than 20,000 war horses, more than 10,000 cavalry, and so are the Fengyun cavalry. It's just that there are more than 40,000 war horses, and more than 30,000 are for Shandong horses. Among the various war horses of the Han Dynasty, the surname of Shandong horse is far less than that of Xiliang horse, Bingzhou horse and even Liaodong horse, so now Liu Bei Group's desire for good horses is quite strong.

Just for Yuan Tan's side to get the war horse, we can't let him hang up so quickly. This is the consensus of everyone present. At this time, Liu Bei said, "This is the case in Liaodong. Now I invite you to come here to discuss the next stage. I don't know what you think we should do in the next year or two?

"You should take Xichuan, or Hanzhong!" Zhao Feng was the first to clearly express his attitude.

"Yes, if you don't take Xichuan, how to enter Guanzhong?" Zhuge Liang also nodded and agreed. Because of Zhao Feng, Longzhong has not had a chance to come out for a long time, but the strategic significance of Xichuan is still obvious. Those who are present have a little vision and agree with them.

"At present, Wuguan is already in the hands of our army, and it is also possible to enter Guanzhong. Is it necessary to enter Xichuan under such a situation?" General Liu Pan of Zhendong was a little puzzled. As a meritorious official who seized Wuguan, he didn't want his original efforts to be useless.

"Although Yuwuguan can enter Guanzhong, the road is rugged and narrow, which is quite inconvenient. What's more, the green mud pass is also a dangerous pass, and it remains unchanged. If you can march from the middle of the Han Dynasty, there will be several valley roads on Qishan Avenue, and the defenders must be defenseless. Zhuge Liang is most familiar with the terrain of Guanzhong, and now he also explains it in detail.

"So that's it!" Only then did Liu Pan understand. However, Liu Bei was a little silent after listening to everyone's proposal.

"What's the lord's worried about?" Seeing that Liu Bei was not very excited, Jian Yong, who was the best at observing words and colors, also asked.

"Alas!" Liu Bei sighed, and then said, "Zhang Lu in Hanzhong is a demon, and he is also a mediocre soldier before. If you attack Hanzhong, you can do it. However, Liu Zhang in Yizhou was also a relative of the Han Dynasty. When he was preparing for the army, his father once recognized me as his nephew and had the kindness of my brother. The first two people came to invade Jingzhou. Liu Jiyu not only refused to help Cao Qian send troops, but also helped me pace the Nanman and Hanzhong troops, and was kind to me. Prepared to treat people with benevolence and righteousness. Nowadays, there is kindness that does not repay, but the army violates its boundaries. How do you face the world's people?

"This?" Everyone was speechless when they heard the words. In fact, if you send troops to fight Xichuan now, it will be a little unkind. This kind of thing is easy to say. Zhao Feng thought about it carefully. In history, Liu Bei also used benevolence in Jianmeng Guanguang, and he dared to turn against Liu Zhang a year later. Even so, there was still a lot of resistance when entering Chengdu. If I had fought so openly now, it would be strange that there were different enemies in Shu. Shu Dao is difficult. In case Liu Zhang is determined to keep it, it will be like an iron-shell turtle.

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhuge Liang first said, "Since the lord has treated people kindly and righteously, it may be inappropriate to attack Xichuan at this time. From a bright light, you might as well capture Hanzhong first and connect with the mediocrity. As for the matter of Xichuan, it's time to see you later.

Zhuge Liang's meaning is very clear, that is, if it is inconvenient to take Xichuan now, at least take Hanzhong first. Once Hanzhong is taken, a huge encirclement network can be formed to wrap Xichuan in the center. At that time, no matter how Liu Zhang jumps, he can't turn over the big waves.

Such a strategy can still be accepted by Liu Bei, and it can also convince the world. Nodding his head, Liu Bei also agreed, "If that's the case, I'll wait for the advanced army in Hanzhong."

"It's just that the road in Hanzhong is rugged, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If you send troops through Shangyong, once Zhang Lu is locked up, I'm afraid it will be difficult to attack!" As soon as he decided to take the strategy of Hanzhong first, Liu Bei immediately had a headache about how to march. There are many dangerous barriers in the two rivers. There are many levels where thousands of people can make tens of thousands of troops helpless. It is absolutely very difficult to win Hanzhong by strong attack.

At this time, it's Zhao Feng's turn to show. He has been planning how to attack Hanzhong for a long time. At present, he also laughed and said, "Why don't you borrow the way from Liu Jiyu in Yizhou, send a man from Yizhou to attack Hanzhong, and then send troops from Shangyong to the west city. Under the attack on both sides, Zhang Lu will certainly not be able to look at each other."

"This is a good word!" Liu Bei also felt that he was a little more confident in this way. He immediately asked, "Since this is the case, what strategy do you have to connect Xichuan and borrow Liu Jiyu?"

"The former Duke of Shu once helped us resist Zhang Lu and Nanman. The Lord could thank him in the name, send a eloquent man as an envoy, and bring a heavy gift to the river to meet Liu Jiyu. Thank you first, and then discuss the matter of borrowing. Zhuge Liang thought for a time.

"It's so good, Kong Ming, I ordered you to be an envoy and take my handwritten letter to Chengdu to see Liu Jiyu. I hope he can remember the feelings of the same clan and help me destroy Zhang Lu. Liu Bei thought about it and made a quick decision.

"Lord, if you take Hanzhong, you must march from Jingzhou. Although there is no general under Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, you still need to beware of Cao in Guanzhong. Pang Tong suddenly reminded him.

"That's true. Yan Liangwenchou in Guanzhong is a fierce general in the world, which is not comparable to him." Liu Bei nodded and said. Although they have never had a relationship with each other, they are also listed in the four pillars of Hebei, and the strength of Zhang Yi and Gao Lan is not bad. With the higher ranking of Yan Liangwenchou, Liu Bei had to be treated with caution.

"Don't worry, Lord. No matter how brave Yan Liangwen Chou is, he will not be brave enough to pass Lv Bu in the past. In addition, Guanzhong and Hanzhong are separated by high mountains. If Yan Liangwenchou wants to intervene, it is not easy. If the lord is worried, he can let the second general personally lead the troops out of Xiangyang to attack the west city. The second general is both wise and brave, which is comparable to Yan Liangwen Chou!" Lu Su also came slowly at this time.

"That's right, the second brother is on the horse, why are you afraid of Yan Liangwen's ugly!" Liu Bei was not a person who lacked self-confidence. He nodded and agreed with Lu Su's suggestion.

"The second general led the army out of Xiangyang and attacked the western city from the Han River. And once Liu Jiyu agrees to take the opportunity, which general should join the army along the way? I don't know whether Zhuge Liang is too forward-conscious or too confident in his persuasion ability, and has directly discussed the issue of marching.

"This!" Liu Bei also gently tapped his forehead when he heard the words, feeling quite a headache. He doesn't know how arrogant his second brother is. It's really difficult to find someone who has a tacit understanding with him. At the same time, the generals all looked at Liu Bei with expectant eyes for no reason. In the short term, I'm afraid there is no other war to fight except this battle. If you want to make contributions as soon as possible!

"Butao, it's up to you to lead the army to pass the Mengguan and help your second brother pacve down Hanzhong!" Liu Bei thought for a moment and was still busy with Zhao Feng, who had a tacit partner with Guan Yu. The two cooperated with Yuzhou and Jingzhou twice, and the tacit understanding should not be a problem.

Liu Bei was very efficient. After it was finalized, Zhuge Liang immediately returned to Jingzhou, and then went to Xichuan to meet Liu Zhang to discuss the military.

(to be continued)