Chapter 3 Surrender?

"What's the advantage?" As soon as Lu Su finished speaking, Zhang Fei, the most anxious surnamed Zi, had rushed to ask.

"First of all, food. Under the rule of the main government, the states have gained a lot of grain this year. Even if Jing Yang is handed over to the three states, the grain is enough to support 300,000 Northern Expeditionaries for a year. A year later, new grain has been harvested. It is also sharp in our army, and the transportation of grain is much faster and more convenient than by land. In the same way, although Cao Zhen has many soldiers and horses, he is trapped in military food, and he can't mobilize too many troops and horses at once!" Lu Su said in detail.

"So that's it!" Everyone is an con noon. They know that when an army is stationed, it is completely different from the consumption of food and fodder during the war. The latter consumes at least twice as fast as the former. At this time, Zhao Feng frowned and said, "That being said, Cao Qian has strong strength. I'm afraid it's unrealistic to want to defeat him in one fell swoop, right?"

"Of course, so the purpose of this Northern Expedition is only to seize the Central Plains. It is best to drive Cao Jian back to Hebei and Guanzhong in one fell swoop!" Lu Su said in detail.

"Zi Jing can be said in detail!" Guan Yu motioned Lu Su to speak in more detail. Lu Su did not sell the matter and said directly, "Our cavalry is not as good as Cao, and the battle on the plains is very unfavorable. But our navy is sharp, but it is far better than Cao. More than 200,000 Cao's troops in Yanzhou are absolutely not enough to rely on Yanzhou to supply grain and fodder. It is bound to be necessary to mobilise grain and fodder from Hebei and even Guanzhong. Therefore, once the war began, our army cut off the transportation of the Yellow River with the Jingxiang sailors, making it impossible for Cao to replenish his military food. In the end, the army was confused and defeated him in one fell swoop!"

"If I can occupy Yanzhou, plus the previous Qingzhou and Yuzhou, I can occupy all the Central Plains. In addition, Yanzhou is the birthplace of Cao Yan. If Yanzhou can be occupied, it will be a great blow to Cao Yan's army. In addition, Yanzhou can produce horses, and occupying Yanzhou can also make up for the shortage of war horses. Lu Su continued to introduce.

"It's so good!" Everyone knows that among the three points mentioned by Lu Su, the first two points are okay, and the third point is a little spoof. Although the Central Plains regions of Yanzhou and Qingzhou also produce horses, the size and surname of Shandong horses are inferior to Liaodong horses and Bingzhou horses. This advantage is really better than nothing.

I have to admit that although Zhao Feng prepared to raise war horses, the problem of war horses has been bothering Liu Bei because there is no stable horse-producing area. Being able to occupy Yanzhou is equivalent to occupying the Central Origin Horse Area, which is still very large. However, as a time traveler, Zhao Feng was really not satisfied with this achievement. He immediately said, "Master, why don't you march into Xiliang to get Xiliang Horse?"

"Xiliang?" Liu Bei was slightly stunned when he heard the words. At this time, Pang Tong beside him had already said, "If you want to enter Xiliang, you must march from Yizhou or Hanzhong. It's just that these two places are the beginning, and the hearts of the people are not stable, so it is not appropriate to use swords and soldiers. We have been planning for a long time, and we all feel that there is no need to send troops to Yizhou for this Northern Expedition, just food!"

Shit, do you want me to watch the play? Pang Tong's words made Zhao Feng very unhappy. With a gentle hum, Zhao Feng said, "Although Yizhou is initially decided, 100,000 troops can still be taken out. If you can take advantage of the fierce battle between the Lord and Cao in the Central Plains, Longxi and Guanzhong will inevitably be empty. Wouldn't it be good if we could take this good opportunity to calm Xiliang in one fell swoop?

"There are only 100,000 Sichuan troops, I'm afraid it's not enough to compete with Han Suixia Hou Yuan!" Pang Tong muttered. Zhao Feng frowned a little when he heard the words. Pang Tongxiang liked to take risks. It was not his style to act so cautiously. Looking for excuses again and again, it seems that there is no other reason than to exclude myself from the Northern Expedition.

Although he knew that Pang Tong was making a lot of noise now, it was the first time that he was provoked face to face. Zhao Feng frowned slightly and was about to speak, but he saw Jian Yong rushing in. His expression was very strange, and he still handed a letter to Liu Bei.

"Lord, please take a look at this letter." Jian Yong's words were full of disbelief. Liu Bei took it and opened it, and his face also changed slightly. After reading it in a hurry, Liu Bei was silent for a long time. This time, he handed it to Mi Zhu and said, "Zi Zhong, this is Zifang's letter!"

"What?" Mi Zhu was shocked when he heard the words, and his hand that received the letter began to tremble. After reading it with excitement, Mi Zhu also took a breath and then said, "Master, this is indeed Zifang's handwriting."

"What did this one say?" Zhang Fei was the most urgent and asked quickly. Liu Bei shook his head, and then said, "The letter was written by Zifang to Xianhe. He said that he knew that he was guilty and did not dare to write to Zizhong. He could only speak through Xianhe. Zifang told me that Cao Qian was ready to go to Liaodong to attack Yuan Tan immediately, and the defense of the Central Plains was empty. He was appointed as the governor of Xu Chang and was willing to offer Xu Chang to help our army advance into the Central Plains! After it's done, just ask me to have a life around him, and don't implicate the Mi family!"

"What?" Everyone was really surprised this time. Liu Bei suffered huge losses from Mi Fang's mutiny six years ago. Now he is ready to present the important town of Xuchang anyway. This ** is not small. For a moment, the whole council hall was silent.

Xu Chang is not only the former capital, but also the main road from Yuzhou to Yanzhou. If you enter Yanzhou from Taishan County or Liang County, you need to cross Mount Tai or Woniu Mountain, and the difficulty of marching will be greatly increased. Therefore, since ancient times, there have been people who have obtained Xuchang to the Central Plains. If Mi Fang can present Xu Chang, although there is still Xiangcheng between her and Runan, the wall of Xiangcheng is low and not difficult to fight.

Moreover, Cao Qian has just moved the capital for more than a year. If he captures Xu Chang at this moment, the onlookers will naturally think that Cao Qian moved the capital purely because he could not stand Liu Bei, so he had to give up Xu Chang. This is an immeasurable blow to Cao's military morale. But now the question also comes, that is, is, is it true that Mi Fang's mutiny this time is true, or Cao's plan to lure the enemy? No one dares to take this ticket. In case of a mistake, it will trap the Northern Expeditionary Army in the Jedi. No one dares to bear this responsibility. For a long time, everyone still looked at Liu Bei and waited for him to make a decision.

Liu Bei's frown, which had been tightly, suddenly unfolded. Everyone knew at a glance that Lao Liu had figured out something. Sure enough, Liu Bei said, "I'm thinking, with Zifang's wisdom, even if he wants to offer Xu Chang, can Cao Qian let him succeed?"

There is a way to think about the problem from another angle. As soon as Liu Bei said this, everyone's heads were much more awake. Whether Mi Fang's surrender is true or not, even if he really has the intention to surrender, it is estimated that his mediocre intelligence will be used by Cao.

"That being said, wouldn't it be better to take Xu Chang in one fell swoop?" Pang Tong has an extraordinary enthusiasm for taking down Xu Chang, which is also the common desire of Jing Xiangshi. Everyone couldn't help frowning when they heard the words. Finally, Zhao Feng said, "Master, in fact, if you can take down Yanzhou, Xuchang's lonely city can be taken down sooner or later. Our army still implements the strategy of cutting off the grain road and take down Cao Yanzhou."

Liu Bei nodded and suddenly saw Zhuge Liang shaking his feather fan. His expression was very elegant. Knowing Zhuge Liang's ability, he immediately said, "Kong Ming, what do you have to do?"

"Master, in fact, there has been a flaw in Mi Zifang's letter!" Zhuge Liang smiled and said in a very positive tone.

"Kong Ming, what are you talking about?" Pang Tong thought for a moment and thought of something.

"Lord, you see, Zifang said that Cao was ready to go on an expedition to Yuan Tan, so the guard of the Central Plains was empty. However, Yuan Tan is located in Liaodong, and his soldiers are less than 100,000. Only the soldiers from Hebei are enough to defeat him. Why do Cao need to fight in person? Zhuge Liang is full of confidence. When everyone heard the words, they immediately woke up.

"That's true, Kong Ming, in your opinion, what should I do?" Hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Liu Bei's mind also came to life, and he hurriedly asked.

"Cao Qian used this as bait to lure the main army to Xuchang. Xuchang is located in the plain. Once the lord's army goes deep, Cao can cut off the cavalry and force the lord to fight with him in the field. In this case, why don't we do the opposite? Taking advantage of Cao's gathering of the army in the Central Plains, Guan Long and Xiliang are empty, first take down the land of Xiliang in one fell swoop, and then wait for Cao's army's lack of food, and fight with it in Xuchang!" Zhuge Liang said in detail.

"Good plan!" Liu Bei was also heart-pounding when he heard the words. At this time, Pang Tong frowned and said, "Nevertheless, how can we capture Guan Long and Xi Liang in one fell swoop? Moreover, Pang Tong also paused here, and then said, "Xiliang is not under the rule of the Lord, and the Ma family is very powerful there. Even if you take Xiliang, you just make wedding clothes for others in vain, and it is useless for our army!"

Pang Tong's words are not unreasonable. Xiliang is different from other places. Even if Liu Bei can calm Xiliang in one fell swoop, most of the benefits can only belong to Ma Teng. Moreover, Ma Chao's surname is undomited, and with his high prestige in Xiliang, it doesn't seem to be a good idea for him to occupy Xiliang.

Liu Bei couldn't help but hesitate when he heard the words, but then he said firmly, "Brother Shoucheng and I have the same clothes and an edict to ask for the thief. Now that he is in trouble, how can I sit back and ignore it? In addition, after taking Xiliang, even if Brother Shoucheng can't help the war, it's always okay to contain Cao's army in Guanzhong!" As soon as he said this, it was difficult for Pang Tong to persuade him again.

"In addition, Zilong has been married to Miss Ma, which is also Xiliang's son-in-law. This matter has nothing to do with me!" Liu Bei added that when Zhao Feng heard this, he couldn't help admiring Liu Bei's political skills. At this time, Fa Zheng took the initiative and said, "Master, Fa Zheng is not talented. I have been in Guanlong for a long time. I am willing to march to Xiliang for the Lord."

The scenery is back to my hometown. No one doesn't like it, and Fazheng is no exception. Although Liu Bei nodded with a smile when he heard the words, he still looked at Zhao Feng, and his eyes were full of questions.

"Your lord, if you get the help of filial piety, you can calm Xiliang as soon as possible!" Zhao Feng said without thinking. At this time, it is different from the past. Now Xichuan has just calmed down, and the people's hearts have not been completely stabilized. Even if it is the Northern Expedition, Zhao Feng and Zhuge Liang can't all go out. There must be a place to stay and appease them. With Fa Zheng's advice, Zhuge Liang can free up his hands to do logistics. Liu Bei was not surprised when he heard the words. He nodded and said, "In this case, Xiaozhi, you can go back to Xichuan with Bo Tao. And Meng Qi, inform him to go with him immediately!"

Because Ma Chao did not officially defect to Liu Bei, he was not eligible to attend such a big strategic meeting. Of course, with his IQ, it is estimated that even if he participates, he can't say any useful suggestions. At this time, Liu Bei said, "I immediately wrote a book to reply to Zifang, saying that I was going to wave my army north to Xuchang. After Bo Tao and Kong Ming returned to Xichuan, they immediately sent troops to Xiliang. After Meng Qi calms down Xiliang, Cao Wei will definitely wave his division to the west, and I will fight with Xu Chang again!"

"No!" Zhao Feng and Zhuge Liang quickly got up and answered. After counting, Zhao Feng and Zhuge Liang, who hurriedly met his wife and children, returned to Xichuan again. They went to Xichuan with them, as well as Fa Zheng and Ma Chao.

(to be continued)