Three Kingdoms: I help Liu Bei grow thousands of miles

"Although the Gu letter has been written, it is not known whether Bi Yan'er can use his strength. If Guan Yunchang fights with us, will the follow-up supply of food and grass keep up?" Cao Cao put down his brush and looked at Sima Yi and asked.

Since Cao Cao proclaimed the Duke, Xun Yu, and Xun You died one after another, the Yingchuan gentry obviously didn’t care about logistics supplies. Cao Cao encountered a wall several times and learned from his experience. Returning to the tacit understanding of the past, the corvee problem exposed by the Battle of Hanzhong is the root of Cao Cao's current distress.

Sima Yi was born in Hanoi County. His grandfather Sima Jun was the prefect of Yingchuan, and his father Sima Fang was Jing Zhaoyin. The Sima family was inextricably linked with the Yingchuan gentry. He became one of the spokespersons of the Henan gentry.

Cao Cao has been balancing the nobles all his life, and he has already seen clearly the background of Sima Yi, so asking at this time is to clarify the attitude of the nobles in Henan.

Sima Yi was extremely intelligent, so he quickly prevaricated: "In the past two years, due to the heavy corvee, there was a lot of uncultivated land in the Central Plains, so the grain production was severely reduced. General Yuan Rang (Xiahou Dun) was defending on the eastern front. Tun the fields, so as to maintain enough food and grass.”

Seeing Sima Yi talking about him, Cao Cao frowned and said more emphatically, "I will transfer the yuan to return to the fields, but is there any problem with the supply of grain and grass to the battlefield in Fancheng?"

"Uh... no problem, it's just that the people are suffering from corvée, and it's better to have someone supervise the transportation along the way..." Seeing Cao Cao chasing and beating him, Sima Yi hastily handed over the truth.

Before Cao Cao made his fortune, except for his surname Li Dian, most of the grain and grass were supervised by his confidant Xia Houyuan. At this time, the grain road was within the sphere of influence, so there was no need to worry too much about Guan Yu or Sun Quan's harassment.

Seeing Sima Yi's suggestion, Cao Cao pushed the boat forward and told Liu Ye: "Zhongda's words are very kind, order Zijian to be the general of Nanzhong Lang, and the general who will conquer the captives, and let him come to the front line to supervise the transportation of food and grass as soon as possible."

"The Marquis of Linzi (Cao Zhi) has never had any experience in commanding troops. Why didn't the King of Wei send the Marquis of Yanling (Cao Zhang) there?" Sima Yi looked at Cao Zhang in the hall and made a suggestion, thinking why the lord wanted to look far away?

Cao Zhang, who was standing aside, didn't answer, because no matter how the two brothers fought for the heir, he would have no chance as a martial artist, and he was very disgusted with Sima Yi pulling himself into the water.

Cao Cao frowned, and asked in a deep voice: "You have to practice without experience. Didn't Ziwen (Cao Zhang)'s meritorious service also come from practice? Zijian and Ziwen are both orphaned heirs, so of course they should be given a chance, Zhong Da What else do you want to say?"

"I don't dare." Sima Yi hastily cupped his hands in salute, he dared not take part in Cao Cao's housework.

Sima Yi planned in his heart to write a letter to remind Cao Pi that Cao Cao had entangled Cao Pi and Cao Zhi when he was establishing an heir, and he was worried that Cao Cao would do the foolish thing of changing reserves in his later years.

Cao Pi is now a done deal, and it is impossible for Cao Cao to commit the mentally handicapped thing of changing the reserve. At this time, the appointment of Cao Zhi is nothing more than wanting to beat the Henan gentry represented by the Yingchuan gentry, which means that he still has a choice. The Hongnong Yang family behind Cao Zhi is also a behemoth among the gentry.

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction. He tapped on the table and continued to ask: "Then it's settled. Regarding the battle situation in Fancheng, does Zhong Da have anything else to say?"

"Uh... Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou, has a rough personality, and Fu Fang, the prefect of Nanxiang, is arrogant and extravagant. I think they should not be stationed at the border. Once there is a change in Nanxiang County, not only will it affect the defense of Fancheng, but Wan and Luo will also be affected. Threat." Sima Yi replied seriously.

During the period of Liu Biao, Jingzhou was divided into seven counties: Nanyang County, Nanjun, Jiangxia County, Lingling County, Guiyang County, Wuling County, and Changsha County. After the Battle of Chibi, the southern part of Jingzhou was controlled by Guan Yu, and the northern part of Jingzhou was occupied by Cao Cao.

Cao Cao changed the control area north of Nanjun to Xiangyang County, and designated Nanxiang, Zhuyang, Yinxian, Shunyang, Xixian, Wudang, and Fengxian, which belonged to Nanyang County, as Nanxiang County, and the seven counties of Jingzhou became Nanxiang County. The nine counties of Jingxiang.

Nanxiang County is located to the east of the three counties of Hanzhong and Dongdong controlled by Liu Bei, to the north of Xiangyang County controlled by Cao Cao, to the west of Nanyang County, and to the south of Sili Prefecture. The upper reaches of the Han River pass through here.

At this time, Sima Yi was really acting out of selfishness, but Cao Cao thought that he had other motives, so he replied impatiently: "It is a taboo for military strategists to change generals just before the battle. Zhong Da, you don't have to worry too much, just raise food and grass for Gu Gu."

"Wei." Sima Yi lowered his head again.

"Zi Yang, quickly send Gu's letter to Hefei by flying horse." Cao Cao raised his hand and pushed the letter to the front of the case.

"Wei." Liu Ye responded and stepped forward to accept the letter.

When Sanshi left the main hall, Sima Yi quickly caught up with Cheng Yu who was in front of him, bowed his hands and asked, "Mr. Zhongde, in the past, he often offered advice to the King of Wei, why he seldom expresses his opinions today? With public wisdom, he should be able to see I am sincere."

Cheng Yu smiled slightly, revealing the wrinkles all over his face: "I'm an old man, it's good to be able to catch my breath, so what's my opinion? In my opinion, Zhong Da's wisdom is the best among all the officials. At the time of Li Wan..."

"Sir, Miao Zan, you have followed the king for a long time, can you teach me?" Sima Yi saluted and asked again.

"As soon as I am dismissed from office, how can I teach you anything? However, I have been idle at home for the past few years, and I feel that I usually talk less and argue less, which makes my body healthier. I am leaving..." Cheng Yu turned around and turned his back after speaking. Started to walk out of the courtyard.

Sima Yi looked at Cheng Yu, who was nine feet tall, and fell into deep thought. He said to himself that I am in my prime, you tell me not to speak?

After Cheng Yu was dismissed from office, he reviewed his own life, and found that Jia Xu, who was the most capable, lived the most transparent life, so after being re-activated by Cao Cao, he chose not to stand in line as much as possible and talk less, after all, he is already so old.

Cao Cao's letter was sent to Hefei, and Jiang Ji sent someone to send a letter to Sun Quan, agreeing to meet at the west bank of Shishui.

At this time, Sun Quan stationed troops in Chaohu Lake and did not disembark. When Cao Cao and Liu Bei were fighting for Hanzhong, he mobilized troops and horses to send troops to Ruxu under the instigation of Huaisi faction. The hometown of Yangzhou.

Because Zhang Liao was stationed in Hefei and Xiahou Dun was stationed in Shouchun, Sun Quan got the news that Liu Bei had occupied Hanzhong before Cao Cao drew his troops to leave.

Sun Quan is now in a dilemma. He managed to mobilize his troops in Ruxu. Now he is not sure of winning when he goes ashore, and he will lose his face if he retreats directly. Therefore, he felt a little relieved when he received Jiang Ji's letter. He decided to make an appointment to meet him .

Chapter 532 Jiang Yiyi Gives Gifts Before the Battle

In late July, Huainan is full of scorching sun.

According to the agreement in the letter, Jiang Ji came to wait on the flat land west of Shishui. Zhang Liao was worried that he would make a mistake, so he led three thousand troops to go with him.

In the morning at chen, Sun Quan's warship sailed out of Chaohu Lake and entered the end of Shishui. From a distance, he saw thousands of soldiers stationed in the west. Cao Jun left enough space for landing as agreed.

"My lord, that Jiang Ji is treacherous and cunning, why should we meet him?" Xu Sheng, the defender of Ruxu, asked puzzledly.

Sun Quan's face darkened instantly when he heard it. When Zhou Yu was besieging Xiangyang, Sun Quan took the remaining elite from Jiangdong and sent troops to Hefei for the first time.

At that time, Hefei was besieged to be rescued, and Cao Cao couldn't spare any extra troops, so he asked his general Zhang Xi to lead a thousand troops to rescue. At that time, Yangzhou Biejia cleverly used the trick of suspicious soldiers, and deliberately sent three envoys to Hefei to spread the news. , falsely reported that Zhang Xi led an army of [-] troops to Yulou, and Cao Cao's follow-up main force would arrive one after another, and the false letters of two envoys were intercepted by Jiangdong soldiers.

Sun Quan's first command of troops didn't know what to do, and he retreated in a hurry without distinguishing falsehoods. Zhou Yu's army on the western front went deep into Xiangyang to fight, which also made Jiangdong the least profitable after the Battle of Chibi.

"One moment, another moment. This is Jiang Ji's personal letter. What's the point of seeing it?" Sun Quan frowned.

The general Ruxu supervised Zhou Tai, seeing which pot Xu Sheng was not opening and which pot he was carrying, he quickly changed the subject and said, "My lord, although Jiang Ji left a landing position as agreed, it is hard to say that the other party will not launch a surprise attack. The last general suggests Send people to find out the truth first, and then we will make a fuss."

"You Ping is right, who wants to get off the ship to investigate?" Sun Quan looked around at the generals on the deck.

Seeing this, Zhou Tai winked at his subordinate Xu Sheng, meaning that the fire you lit is not going to be extinguished by yourself?

Xu Sheng clasped his fists knowingly to invite Ying: "My lord, the general is willing to go at the end."

"Go." Sun Quan replied lightly.

Xu Sheng took a dozen people with him, and boldly went to Jiang Ji's direction to investigate, but they suddenly ran towards Shi Shui in the middle of the walk. This strange scene made Jiang Ji and Zhang Liao very puzzled.

"General Zhang, what is Jiangdong Bing's intention?" Jiang Ji looked bewildered.

Zhang Liao shook his head, expressing his puzzlement: "I don't know, the Jiangdong rats did something unexpected, sir, let's wait and see what happens."

Xu Sheng's men ran suddenly, Cao Jun remained motionless, and all Jiangdong generals on the warship had question marks on their faces.

Zhou Tai came to the side of the boat and shouted loudly towards the shore: "Wen Xiang (Xu Sheng), why are you panicking?"

Xu Sheng stood on the spot and swallowed his saliva, then panted and replied: "Zhang... Zhang Liao's flag... beware of fraud..."

"My lord, what do you think?" Zhou Tai turned around and asked for instructions.

Because of the last battle of fame in Hefei, Zhang Liao's name has the effect of stopping the cry in Jiangdong. 800 people have the strength to defeat 10 people. Now the 3000 people not far away can still win?

At this time, no one persuaded Sun Quan, and everyone lost face together, but in the end it was the lord who took the blame, so the pressure still came to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan was at a loss now, and the total force he brought this time was less than [-]. He had no confidence in defeating Zhang Liao, but he was unwilling to leave in such a disheveled manner.

While Sun Quan was hesitating, Hu Zongjin, the governor of the right department of Xie Fan Wei, said: "Jiang Ji is no more than Cao Cao's subordinate. You are the lord of Jiangdong. How can you commit yourself to come in person? Since Jiang Ji wrote a letter to ask for an interview, he should be with us. Lord, why don't you let him come and see you?"

"Wei Ze (Hu Zong) is right, but what if the other party doesn't come?" Sun Quan asked.

"If he is cowardly and doesn't come and break the appointment first, we can ignore it and go away, and we can lead our troops to fight in the future." Hu Zong replied.

Sun Quan stroked his green bean and said affirmatively, "According to Wei Ze's words, did you hear that, Youping?"

Zhou Tai nodded, and then told Xu Sheng on the bank: "Wen Xiang, you go again and let Jiang Ji meet by Shishui."

Xu Sheng's eyes widened, and he wondered who would be so stupid to come here to die. He couldn't help but ask, "Yes... I'm afraid the other party won't come?"

"This is the Lord's general order, let's carry out the order." Zhou Tai raised his voice.

"Wei." Xu Sheng could only bite the bullet and move forward.

Xu Sheng and his entourage turned back again, and when they were about to reach the front of Cao Jun's formation, they met the scouts sent by Zhang Liao to greet them, and Sun Quan's meaning was passed back like this.

Zhang Liao smiled wryly after hearing this: "I know Jiangdong is a moron, but I didn't expect him to act like this. He wants to lure Mr. to come forward, or kill or capture him as a fish, so we won't fall into his scheme."

Jiang Ji frowned and said solemnly: "Sun Quan's courage is a bit small, but as the lord of Jiangdong, he will not do such a despicable thing. This man is afraid to disembark because of General Hu Wei. The king of Wei entrusted me with important matters , so why not go to see each other alone?"

"Sir, don't do that. Are we afraid that he won't succeed? We can talk with the whole army directly." Zhang Liao stopped.

"That may scare Sun Quan away. We are not only retreating Jiangdong soldiers, the king of Wei needs reinforcements along the way now, I have made up my mind, Wen Yuan should stop persuading him." Jiang Ji was resolute.

Jiang Ji had the right to do things cheaply, and Zhang Liao couldn't persuade him any more when he saw this, so he could only send a few personal guards to follow him, and he just walked to the bank where the water was applied.

The eyes of the generals on the Jiangdong battleship were burning, and the soldiers in full armor with bows and arrows were paying attention. They did not expect Jiang Ji to be so bold. Now that the two sides are so close, Zhang Liao's guards holding shields could not stop the attack on the ship. plotting.

"Mr. Zitong, please get on the boat and answer." Zhou Tai shouted at the side of the boat.

Jiang Ji laughed and said, "Sun Cheqi is so afraid of me? Originally, I was very sincere to give gifts, but it's a pity that you dare not accept..."

"What's the gift, sir?" Sun Quan, with blue eyes and purple beard, appeared beside the boat in response.

Jiang Ji replied in a deep voice: "The matter is confidential, please ask the general to disembark and speak. I can see everything behind me, and there are only a few soldiers accompanying me. Is it not enough sincerity?"

"Okay." Sun Quan agreed, and then ordered Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, and twenty tiger soldiers to disembark.

The two sides were facing each other less than ten feet apart, and Sun Quan looked at Jiang Ji first and asked: "Mr. said in the letter that there is something important and good to discuss. I don't know what it is?"

"May I take the liberty to ask, does the general know how your former ally, brother-in-law Liu Bei is doing now?" Jiang Ji asked meaningfully.

Sun Quan frowned, "Xuande defeated your lord in Hanzhong, and I haven't had time to send envoys to congratulate him, so why should you humiliate yourself?"

"Hahaha, it is indeed true that King Wei withdrew from Hanzhong, but Liu Bei has now assumed the title of King of Hanzhong. I am afraid that in his eyes, not only the land of the Central Plains, but Yangzhou may also be regarded as something in his pocket. Does the general really think it is gratifying? ?” Jiang Ji laughed.

It was less than a month since Liu was named King of Hanzhong, and Sun Quan had no idea that his cheap brother-in-law had surpassed himself in the court.

"What exactly do you mean, sir?" Sun Quan frowned, and directly squeezed out the word Sichuan.

Jiang Ji asked solemnly: "How about giving Jingzhou to the general?"

Chapter 533 Chaisang meets an old friend in a foreign land

"Sir, what nonsense are you talking about? King Wei wants to give Xiangyang and Nanyang to Jiangdong?" Sun Quan sneered.

Jiang Ji explained calmly: "To be honest, Xiangyang is being attacked by Guan Yu. Even if King Wei wants to send him off, the general may not be able to get it, right?"

Jiangxia currently has Lu Meng in charge, and Guan Yu's big moves in Hanshui have not been hidden from Jiangdong's eyes. Not long ago, Sun Quan received the news that Guan Yu had repeatedly defeated Wenpin in Hanshui and pulled out Cao Jun's strongholds on Hanshui. , It turns out that Guan Yu hit Xiangyang's attention.

"The King of Wei sent Mr. to ask for peace?" Sun Quan suddenly became confident.

Jiang Ji twitched his beard and smiled, "General Zhang's troops are two miles away. Does General Sun think it is necessary to seek peace with Jiangdong? The King of Wei just wants to join hands with Jiangdong to take Jingzhou. If Guan Yu can win Xiangyang through Han Dynasty Water, it’s not good for you or me, is it?”

"General Guan and Jiangdong are good neighbors and friends. King Wei may not have the prestige of Chibi." Sun Quan is not a good person either.

Jiang Ji raised his head and laughed twice, and then asked meaningfully: "Good neighborliness and friendship? Is it different from the rumors? I heard that the general once asked Guan Yu to marry him, but was insulted as 'Tiger women don't marry dog ​​sons'. General Sun is very generous. "

Sun Quan's face changed instantly, and he didn't know who was spreading the rumors. It had been so long, and Jiang Ji even took it out to rub him. He quickly explained: "Mr. Don't marry Quanzi', wouldn't it be too childish to use such words to separate things?"

"Really? Guan Yu has an arrogant personality. I'm afraid it's not so pleasant to be a neighbor of such a person. The general attacked Jiangxia secretly in the past, isn't he afraid that he will turn around and attack Jiangxia after he wins Xiangyang? After all, Liu Bei named him the shepherd of Jingzhou." Jiang Ji Keep reminding.

The sun was in the sky, and there was no cover on the shore. Sun Quan said impatiently: "Although you are eloquent, sir, how can the state affairs be changed with just a few words? If you have nothing important to do, we might as well go back to the camp to rectify our troops. Just fight every day."

Sun Quan's tone became blunt, meaning that there was no real material, and he didn't want to waste any more time.

Seeing this, Jiang Ji said solemnly: "Now that Guan Yu is attacking Xiangyang and Fancheng on a large scale, the rear of Nanjun must be extremely empty. The king of Wei has sent Xu Huang and Yu Jin to help. The cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng are tall and strong. Guan Yu will not be able to attack them in a short time. Those who come down, why don't General Sun lead Jiangdong's army to attack behind him, and attack from both sides to capture and kill Guan Yu."

"The king of Wei thought really well, but we, Sun Liu, are both in-laws and allies, don't you underestimate me, Sun Quan?"

"The general and King Wei are related by marriage. Besides, how can there be any real allies in this world? The King of Wei promises to let the general stay in Jingzhou and Jiangdong forever after the matter is fulfilled."

Cao Cao gave Jiang Ji an easy way to do things. At this time, he took out a "bad check" and began to fill in the numbers. As long as the temptation is strong enough, he is not afraid that Sun Quan will not be tempted.

"Would the King of Wei be so kind? After the event is completed, he won't take a single county of Jingzhou?" Sun Quan expressed doubts.

"The general should be very clear that since Liu Bei's betrayal in Xuzhou, he has been rebelling against the court and fighting against the king of Wei. These 20 years have never changed, so there will never be reconciliation between Cao and Liu. Liu Bei's arrogance as king, this matter makes me difficult. , plus he is old now, and he is powerless to expand the territory, as long as he can suppress the villain, it is worth paying a price." Jiang Ji gave a very reasonable explanation.

"Although Zitong's words are well-founded, they are unsubstantiated. If I really defeated Guan Yu for the king of Wei, what if you go back on your word?" Sun Quan raised his eyes and asked.

"Jiangdong attacked the rear of Jingzhou, won't he occupy the city and control the people? The land of the city is already in the hands of the princes, are you afraid that we will go back on our word?" Jiang Ji smiled cunningly.

Sun Quan was stunned when he heard that, and he had already made up his mind. The so-called loyalty was only because he didn't have enough bargaining chips for betrayal. Now the bargaining chips offered by Cao Cao are already very attractive. Up front is worth it.

"I can think about it, but it's still unfounded. The Jiangdong warship can return to Ruxu for the time being, but the king of Wei needs to show some sincerity." Sun Quan took the retreat as an advance and threw the question to Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji nodded slightly, "It's not too far away, the general can retreat to Ruxu first, and slowly start deploying to attack Jingzhou. Please leave a few warships waiting in Chaohu Lake. I believe we can bring back King Wei soon. sincerity."

"Then I will wait for the good news." Sun Quan bowed his hands in return.

The two sides boarded the boat, and the horse and horse rode. Sun Quan left Xu Sheng in Chaohu to wait for the news, and led Jiangdong to withdraw from Shishui and advance to Chaohu Ruxuwu.

Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin understood Sun Quan's thoughts because they accompanied him all the way, but the others didn't know and dared not ask.

On the way back to Ruxu by boat, General Pingnan Lu Fan met Sun Quan alone and asked: "My lord, you have worked so hard to mobilize the people, but why are you returning without success? What did Jiang Ji tell you? You Ping (Zhou Tai) and Gong Yi ( Jiang Qin) is also unwilling to say."

"As a general, you should keep secrets. Guan Yu is attacking Xiangyang and Fancheng. Now the rear of Jingzhou is quite empty. It is a good time for me to take revenge in Jiangdong." Sun Quan revealed his thoughts in front of his confidants.

"My lord wants to...but you forgot last time..." Lu Fan hesitated to speak.

Sun Quan's eyes darkened: "One moment, another moment. How can I not avenge Huang Gongfu and Ling Gongji's enmity? Liu Xuande is now the king of Hanzhong. If Guan Yu is still allowed to take Xiangyang and Fancheng, they will release me from Jiangdong. In the eyes? The difference between this time and last time is that Cao Cao's restraint is stronger, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to have this kind of opportunity again."

"Indeed, my lord can secretly send the governor back to discuss. Don't forget that there is still Lantian in Jiaozhou." Lu Fan nodded in agreement and made another threat.

"There is no reply from Cao Cao, so you should handle this matter in secret first," Sun Quan instructed.

"Wei." Lu Fan nodded in response.