Chapter 83 Arms Race

Sun Luban looked at Sun Deng and was very embarrassed. On the one hand, she was belligerent. She had just been majestic on the battlefield. She didn't enjoy it yet. She couldn't wait to have a chance to fight again. On the other hand, although she left the State of Wu and came to the State of Yue for a general, in her heart, Wu Yue was actually a family, and her father was also OK, brother or the eldest brother, they are all surnamed Sun. Who can help? If it hadn't been for Guan Yu's leadership, she wouldn't have thought too much at all. She would have asked to participate in the war. She was both enjoyable and help her father. What a good thing.

But it involves Guan Yu, which is a little troublesome. Although Sun Luban is scheming, she is not stupid. Of course, she knows that the battle outside the West Scroll City was Guan Feng who achieved her reputation. If Guan Feng hadn't let Ding Feng protect her with the destroyer camp, with her and those female soldiers in the Flying Tiger Camp, it would not be possible to stop the Funan soldiers who were about to go crazy to escape. No matter how brave they were, at most, they only If you can kill and injure more Funan soldiers, you can't avoid the fate of being swallowed up by the defeated soldiers in the end.

Out of a very simple sense of gratitude, Sun Luban did not want to play against Guan Yu, even for his father and brother. In her heart, Guan Feng is also a relative, no alienated from Sun Quan and Sun Deng. The reason for Sun Deng's frustration is that Sun Luban is simple-minded. If she refuses to help because of her relationship with Sun Shao and Guan Feng, how will Sun Shao and Guan Feng react?

Sun Deng sat silently, and Zhuge Ke, who stood behind him, clenched his fist and coughed gently with his mouth. Sun Deng turned his head and didn't say anything. Zhuge Ke smiled and said calmly, "Actually, the prince is in a hurry to rush back this time. He doesn't want to go to fight with the State of Shu. General Guan's predecessors are heroes. It has been 40 years since he became famous from the battle of the Yellow Turban. In the battle of Wancheng, General Guan advanced thousands of miles, took the key points of Cao Wei, and welcomed back the emperor. Shock China and achieve the power of the four kingdoms. My prince also admires such a hero very much. How can he fight against him?

Sun Shangxiang and Sun Luban couldn't help but be a little strange. They looked at Zhuge Ke and looked at Sun Deng suspiciously. Sun Deng nodded and said with a smile, "Yuan Xun said exactly. I didn't rush back to fight against General Guan this time. Wu Yue, Shu and Wei, the eldest brother focused on the overseas expedition, not asking the right and wrong of the Central Plains. Among the Three Kingdoms of Wu, Shu and Wei, Wei is the strongest, followed by Wu and Shu. If you want to support the emperor and reward the royal family, only Wu and Shu unite to restrain the heart of Cao's unvassals, so that the world can be safe. If Wu Shu goes to war, no matter who wins or loses, it will be difficult to fight against the State of Wei again. At that time, not only will Wu and Wei be defeated, but also the world will be turbulent and the people will be displaced. This is what I can't bear to see.

Sun Shangxiang was silent. She saw a lot of the people in the war, and she also experienced it when she was a child. First, Sun Jian fought outside. She ran around with her mother and brother. Later, Sun Ce led the army to fight. The situation was even worse. She walked through many places with her mother, her uncle Wu Jing, and it was not uncommon for her to be stunned. Now that she is getting older and older, she is married to Lu Ji. The Lu family has suffered even more because of the war. Although the people of the Lu family will not take the initiative to talk to her, when she thinks that the Lu family has killed hundreds of people in the Lujiang River, the resentment can still be felt, just like the ghost of the undead lingering in her heart. If Wu Shu went to war, not only Guan Feng was in a dilemma, but also she felt in a dilemma. She did not miss Liu Bei, but Liu Chan. She has been Liu Chan's stepmother for two years. At that time, Liu Chan was three or four years old and was very dependent on her. Since she left the public security, she has never seen Liu Chan again. I think she has grown up like Sun Deng this year.

Liu Bei has been in poor health in the past few years and may die at any time. If he dies, Liu Chan will be the king of Shu. Wu Shu will go to war. If Shu is defeated, of course, the prospect is not good. If he wins, I'm afraid it will not be a good thing for Liu Chan. Guan Yu is a general, Zhang Fei is a former general, or the father of the crown princess. If he has made contributions, he must be a general in the future, and the power of his relatives is inevitable.

Thinking of the scourge brought by foreign relatives in history, Sun Shangxiang couldn't help but worry about Liu Chan. However, she couldn't think of any good way, so she could only worry secretly. Now Sun Deng said that he didn't want to fight this battle either. Although he couldn't solve the actual problem, he always gave her some hope to solve it.

"Then why are you looking for your eldest brother?" Sun Luban asked in surprise, "Do you want to ask the eldest brother to mediate?"

"I do think so." Sun Deng nodded sincerely: "At least, I also hope that my brother will not contribute to the interests of Vietnam." He stared into Sun Shangxiang's eyes and whispered, "Although the eldest brother will not send a large army to war, the strength of the [***] weapon is unmatched at present. If the eldest brother supports some ordnance of the State of Shu, I just want to persuade him to make peace. I'm afraid General Guan and others will not give me a chance to speak."

Sun Shangxiang nodded. Sun Luban thought for a moment and nodded.

Zhuge Ke and Xie Jing looked at each other and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Zhuge, what are you busy with?" Sun Shao looked at Shu's envoy Zong Yu calmly and asked in a very close tone. The identity of Zong Yu, who was nearly 40 years old, was very delicate. He was a group of people in Nanyang'an. In the 19th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei's attack on Lucheng was frustrated, and Pang was killed in the battle. As a last resort, Liu Bei transferred Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and others to the river. Zong Yu's identity at that time was Zhang Fei's staff, which was quite trusted by Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei was appointed as the governor of Ba County. He also worked as the main secretary for a period of time. Later, Zhuge Liang became the prime minister, and he became the prime minister's main book. This time, his identity was the right middle general who joined the army and assisted Guan Yu in the eastward expedition. This time, he was sent to Funan as an envoy.

It is not easy to go from Shu to Funan. From the waterway, you not only have to cross the Yangtze River controlled by the State of Wu, but also take time. From the land road, you also have to go through Yulin County and Cangwu County, which are controlled by the State of Wu. There are countless obstacles in the jungle, and Zong Yu not only arrived safely, but also took only a month, which made Sun Shaoshi I was surprised.

What surprised Sun Shao more was Zong Yu's identity. Zong Yu was related to Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and his ability was obvious. With Sun Shao's bad habit of using the heart of a villain, he suspected that Zong Yu knew Zhuge Liang before he made friends with Zhang Fei. Anzhong was not far from Xinye. Zhuge Liang could not know anything about talents like Zong Yu. If his conjecture is true, then Zong Yu is very suspicious as Guan Yu's army now. Is he just an official arrangement or is Zhuge Liang's person around Guan Yu? You know, the previous position of Zong Yu was the prime minister's main book.

At this time, it is very important to find out what Zhuge Liang is thinking.

"The Prime Minister is raising grain and fodder for the army." Zong Yu was neither humble nor arrogant, "However, although Yizhou has tried its best to recover in the past few years, it has not been able to recover its vitality. When such a thing happened in Yizhou County, the king was furious and thought that the State of Wu was too strong to bully people and insisted on sending troops to fight. The Prime Minister was hard to persuade him, but he was unable to stop it. At present, he not only had to support the army to march, but also to appease Yizhou. Kezhu County was really struggling. The general realized the difficulties of the prime minister, so he decided to ask the king for help, so he sent me here.

Sun Shao smiled secretly in his heart. It seems that Liu Bei ordered the expedition largely for the sake of face. Yizhou County is thousands of miles away from the border of Jiaozhou, and there is still a Ke County in the middle. The power of the State of Wu can actually infiltrate, rebelled against the local indigenous people, killing a Taishou, and kidnapping a Taishou. It can be seen that Shu's control over the southern part of Yizhou is really poor. If Liu Bei is not angry, who knows whether the State of Wu will be in the future. Do you want to go further into the territory of Shu?

So, the symbolic significance of the military expedition of the State of Shu is greater than the practical significance. In fact, the State of Shu is not ready to fight this battle. Did Sun Quan see through this point, so he was fearless, did not give in, and resolutely refused to give in?

With the strength of Shu, if Zhuge Liang fully supports the army, there should be no problem. Although Yizhou's strength is not the strongest, 50,000 troops will be dragged down in a few months. However, Zhuge Liang has to be distracted to appease the southern counties of Yizhou at this time. It seems to be a matter of course, but I think about it. But it is a little doubtful. The southern part of Yizhou is in chaos. This is not just today. Shu's control over the southern part of Yizhou has not been strong. It doesn't matter much to appease them one day earlier and one day later. Or, if there is no army entering, even if it is appeasement, it is only a superficial thing. The actual problem has not been solved, with Zhuge Liang's wisdom. How can he not see this?

Then there is only one explanation. Zhuge Liang not only disapproves with the Eastern Expedition, but also opposes it very much. Guan Yu led the army to fight against the State of Wu, facing not only the shortage of food and fodder, but also the contradiction of internal disagreements. He is now a general. If he is defeated in this battle, I'm afraid he will do it.

Zhuge Liang may be using this opportunity to trip Guan Yu.

What does Liu Bei think? Does Liu Bei also have any problem with General Guan Yu? Otherwise, although he is not a wise man, he should also be able to see Zhuge Liang's passive slack work. Of course, it is normal for Liu Bei to make a faint move. In history, didn't he go out against the crowd to fight against the Eastern Wu?

"How does the Prime Minister want me to help?" Sun Shao raised the corners of his mouth slightly and showed a meaningful smile. When he saw the internal affairs of Shu, he had an idea.

Zong Yu frowned inadvertently. He was very uneasy about the calmness shown by Sun Shao. At this time, he did not ask what Liu Bei thought, nor did he ask what Guan Yu thought. He directly asked Zhuge Liang what he thought. Is his relationship with Zhuge Liang closer than his relationship with Guan Yu's son-in-law? As Zhuge Liang's cronies, Zong knew that Zhuge Liang and Sun Shao had cooperated several times, but these cooperations seemed to be official, and there were not many personal palities in them. Even Zhuge Liang's younger brother Zhugejun went to Zhuya College for official business, and I didn't hear how many personal palities they had. At this moment, Sun Shao's familiarity with Zhuge Liang in his tone made Zong unpredictable and naturally did not know how to answer Sun Shao.

He thought for a moment and could only say vaguely, "Now the war is presided over by the general, and I also came to ask for help on the order of the general. The general hopes that the king can support some food and armaments. It would be better if he could threaten Jiaozhou from the side.

"Do you know that the King of Shu and the Prime Minister are here?" Sun Shao chased after him.

Zong Yu frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure. I'm appointed by the general. The general should inform the king and the prime minister's mansion."

"Well, I know." Sun Shao nodded and stopped asking. This sentence was very clear. It was Guan Yu's idea to come here. Guan Yu had always been used to being arrogant. This kind of thing was actually cut off first and then. When Liu Bei still trusted him, of course, he would not embarrass him because of this kind of thing, but when it came to the time to settle the accounts, this was an unforgivable crime. No matter how light it is, you can be convicted of transporting a foreign country. You can rest here for two days to see the scenery of Temu City. I will discuss it with the queen and support you as much as possible. Sun Shao said with some ostentatiousness, "I dare not say anything else. I don't lack food and ordnance. My father-in-law opened his mouth, and I can't be too stingy. After a while, I'll send someone to take you to see the armory. If you like anything, just tell me that I will try my best to meet your requirements.

After listening to such news, Zong Yu bowed and thanked him, but his expression was a little ironic.

Zong Yu went out. Guan Feng, who had been standing behind the scenes, came out and sat opposite Sun Shao. He asked puzzledly, "Husband tried his best to help him. Why didn't Zong Yu mean to be happy? Is the war really difficult to the point of not just the problem of food and fodder and ordnance?

Sun Shao smiled, leaned over and took Guan Feng's hand, and pulled her to his side. Although it is already October, the weather in Funan is still very hot. Guan Feng wears a thin silk coat. Although it is dyed with gorgeous patterns, she can still reveal the clothes inside. In addition to her body wrapped in opaque clothes, her arms are almost exposed, and her chest also shows a snow-white skin below her knees. There is only a pair of cowhide sandals and iced feet, which look tempting.

"Husband..." Being held in Sun Shao's arms, Guan Feng blushed and struggled uneasily twice. Although there are no outsiders in the hall, Guan Feng, who has always been restrained, is still not used to such intimate movements in broad daylight.

"Don't you want to hear me analyze my father-in-law's current danger?" Sun Shao blinked his eyes and said with a bad smile. As soon as she heard about her father, Guan Feng did not dare to struggle and quietly leaned beside Sun Shao to listen to his explanation.

"Will it be like this?" After listening to a few words, Guan Feng opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Although I can't say for sure, I'm still sure." Sun Shao smiled and reached out and clicked the tip of Guan Feng's nose: "Don't forget that Zhang Fei's daughter is the crown princess. Once Liu Chan succeeds to the throne, Zhang Fei should be a general. Although his father-in-law is two or three years older than Liu Bei, he has always been in good health. On the contrary, Liu Bei has been ill. In case Liu Bei dies first, what about his father-in-law? Who can counterbalance him? If this long-term expedition is useless, or even a small sprovocation, the matter will be different. With his father-in-law's temper, he will definitely take the blame and resign, and Zhang Fei, as a former general second only to his father-in-law, has become a legitimate thing for him to succeed as a general.

Guan Feng took a breath of cold air. He stared at his eyes and asked after a long time, "What should I do?"

"It's okay." Sun Shao patted Guan Feng on the shoulder and smiled disapprovingly, "On the first hand, they were just afraid of their father-in-law and wanted to restrain him properly, so that they didn't want to deal with him. Secondly, they forgot that your father also has a daughter who is a queen.

"I... What's the use of me? The powerful state of Yue is the sailors, and if the sailors want to reach Changsha, they have to cross the border of the State of Wu. Moreover, what's the difference between that and the meeting with the State of Wu?" Guan Feng shook her head and sighed, "In that way, it is equivalent to the war between Wu and Yue. Although I care about my father, I don't want to drag Yue into this inexplicable war. We have just taken Funan. We need time to stabilize the situation of the people in Funan. We can't have a rash expedition, and there is no need for that.

Sun Shao looked at Guan Feng quietly and was very satisfied. Although Guan Feng did not have the power to plot, he could still distinguish between the basic right and wrong.

"Don't worry, I have a way." Sun Shao whispered a few words in Guan Feng's ear. Guan Feng listened attentively and nodded repeatedly. Finally, she couldn't help blushing. She looked at Sun Shao with shame and got up and ran away.

Under the leadership of Zhao Feng, Zong Yu visited the newly renovated arsenal, especially the crossbows that had just been installed in the Temu City. Zong Yu didn't take it seriously at first, but was a little curious about the shape of the crossbow. When Zhao Feng saw that he didn't believe it, he asked people to demonstrate it. When Zong Yu saw the strong arrows shooting at an almost non-stop speed, he was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide and lost his temper for a moment.

"How many such sharp weapons do you have in Vietnam?" Zong Yu immediately changed his look and asked impatiently.

"It's not too much." Zhao Feng smiled and took Zong Yu forward while saying, "There are about ten to thirty such crossbows on each building. It depends on the size of the ship. There are fewer medium-sized battleships. The standard configuration is one at the head and tail of each warship. However, the bases of these crossbows can be rotated and can be shot in one direction at the same time. In a sum of words, there are about four or five hundred such crossbows in Vietnam. Zhao Feng glanced at Zong Yu, and his expression was full of pride: "In the Battle of Xijuan City and the Battle of Dunxun, our army defeated the enemy with the strong lethality of the crossbow. If it can be equipped with a hundred such crossbows, I believe that it is not difficult for the prince to defeat the Wu army.

Zong Pre held his beard, turned his eyes, and thought nervously. The Han Dynasty has always used crossbow as the strongest weapon. Whether it is to deal with nomadic people dominated by cavalry, or to deal with soldiers, whether it is field warfare or siege, the number and surname of long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows determine the strength to a large extent. Now the State of Yue has overcome the defect of slow crossbow shooting and pushed the power of this weapon to a new height. They are no longer the most inconspicuous foil among the four countries, and have become a powerful force that cannot be ignored. In addition, the new Funan has solved the problem of food shortage. The strength of the State of Yue has surpassed that of Wu Shu. It can be compared with the State of Wei. Shu and Wu competed with each other. The State of Shu relied on the relationship between the general Guan Yu and Sun Shao's son-in-law, while the State of Wu took a step closer. They were all surnamed Sun. Even if there was a conflict between Sun Quan and Sun Shao, he would not watch Sun Quan frustrated. If Sun Shao supports some such crossbows to Sun Quan, not only will Guan Yu's defeat be greatly increased, but also may change from a small provocation to a big defeat.

Zong predicted that Zhuge Liang could not hope that such a thing would happen. They just hoped that Guan Yu would suffer a small setback or go to the army unfavorably, and they would never hope to suffer heavy losses.

"If the King of Yue can support some such crossbows to the general, the general will definitely win and succeed." Zong Yu quickly changed into a happy smile. He couldn't put it down and stroked the crossbow. He circled around the crossbow several times and looked at it carefully.

"Since the king said he strongly supports it, it must include such a crossbow." Zhao Feng nodded: "It's not only a crossbow, but also a sword and a horse. As long as the general needs it, the king will definitely try his best to support it."

Zong Yu's eyes couldn't help jumping, and he was in a dilemma. Why is Guan Yu so strong now that even Liu Bei is afraid? This has a lot to do with Sun Shao's support for Guan Yu's 2,000 fighting horses last time. Two thousand war horses Guan Yu did not swallow alone. He gave a thousand horses to Liu Bei. Now he is Liu Bei's personal guard of the cavalry in the white-eared army. In addition to a small number of gifts to Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei and others, Guan Yu left seven hundred horses alone. At present, among the generals of Shu, Guan Yu's personal guard horse is the largest, reaching a thousand people. In addition, with Sun Shao, his son-in-law, his horses can be replenished every year, and he can always maintain a strong combat effectiveness. Other generals are too far from him. Even the white-eared army is not as convenient as he wants to change his horses. The speed of replenishment is far from the speed of loss, and his strength is constantly declining.

If he gets a large number of ordnance and war horses this time, Guan Yu's strength will further expand. Even if he loses the battle, I'm afraid no one dares to touch him easily.

This is a dilemma. If you ask for this support, it is exactly the opposite of the expectations of Zhuge Liang and others. If you don't want these support, the risk will become too big and uncontrollable, which is also not what Zhuge Liang hopes for.

Zong Yu scratched his head very much, and the worry in his eyes was more obvious. Zhao Feng saw it and thought that he was worried that Sun Shao would not give it for nothing. Guan Yu might not be able to pay such a price, so he comforted him: "Zongjun, don't worry, my king loves the queen very much, and he also respects General Guan very much. Although he is a father-in-law, he is no worse than his biological father. This Although some things are expensive, of course, it won't cost so much money to give them to General Guan. At most, it's just a little to symbolize the surname.

It's okay if he doesn't say it. If he says so, Zong Yu is even more worried. He glanced at Zhao Feng and stopped talking. He knew that there were many generals around Sun Shao who were from the Guan family. I'm afraid that it was not appropriate to say Guan Yu in front of such a person. However, he must think of a solution that the State of Wu could not gain the upper hand, nor could he take advantage of Guan Yu.

Zong thought hard for a moment, and suddenly he had an idea and thought about it.

(to be continued)