Chapter 107 Zhuge Liang's plan shocked everyone!

After the imperial edict was issued, troops from all parties were mobilized.

In addition to the troops guarding the rear, the court's strategic intention to send troops southward has become obvious!

This shocked the world!

Because in addition to deploying troops against Yuan Shu in Huainan, the imperial court also stationed heavy troops in Nanyang County.

Considering that Liu Biao of Jingzhou suddenly became seriously ill and his wife's family, Cai, took over the power, it is not difficult for those who are interested to speculate:

Either Liu Biao of Jingzhou pretended to be ill on purpose, or Liu Biao of Jingzhou was unable to control the situation and was sidelined.

No matter which one it is, it represents Jingzhou’s resistance to the imperial court!

This speculation has caused many people to panic!
Especially those aristocratic families who fled to Jingzhou to avoid the war in the Central Plains, they lamented and felt helpless.

It turns out that you can escape for a while, but you can’t escape forever!

The world is so big, is there no place for them? !
At this time, it was impossible for them to continue fleeing south, because the southwest of Jingzhou was an uncivilized and wild area, and there were barbarians causing chaos.

It is impossible for them to live in seclusion in the deep mountains and forests, so they can only take one step at a time.

But many people already want to surrender to the court!
Now that the general trend is unstoppable and everyone has seen the future of the Han Dynasty's revival, it is meaningless to try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm!
However, the three rises of the Han Dynasty were built on the basis of "distributing the tax on land" and "robbing the rich to help the poor", which made many aristocratic families unwilling!
But what can I do if I am not willing? !
People are worthless when they leave their hometown!

Rather than leaving their homes and even going deep into the mountains and forests, it is better to accept the tax reform of equalizing the land tax.

When I think about it this way, I wonder why they leave their hometowns!
But who could have imagined that the world is changing and unpredictable.

The Han Dynasty was once in decline and on the verge of collapse. That puppet emperor made it impossible for people in the world to see any hope of the Han Dynasty’s revival!

But it was this puppet emperor who managed to turn the tide and save the empire from collapse. Now the power of the Han Dynasty is so strong that people no longer have the courage to resist!
Not every family is the Runan Yuan family!

After thinking it through clearly, they simply surrendered to the court in secret, turning from darkness to light, hoping to atone for their mistakes and make up for their crimes with meritorious service.

The city of Xiangyang in Jingzhou did have a moat that was several hundred meters wide and more than 5,000 meters long. In the future, the Song Dynasty relied on Xiangyang to block the Mongol cavalry from moving southward!
The Mongolian cavalry was so powerful that they reached the Eurasian continent and the Danube River, but they could not break through the defenses of Xiangyang City.

This shows how strong Xiangyang’s defense is. In the eyes of forces lacking naval forces, they can only sigh in despair!

but! !! !!

Even the strongest city cannot withstand being opened from the inside!

The future war between the Song Dynasty and Mongolia will be a war that will determine the destruction of the country and the family, and it will be a war of nations!
but!

Strictly speaking, it is now a war within the Han Dynasty.

Even the rebellion of those treacherous ministers against the imperial court, against the legitimate and orthodox Han Emperor who was recognized and trusted by the people of the world!
The imperial court represents justice and is the king’s army!
Therefore, when the Mongolian cavalry marched south to attack Xiangyang in the future, they would face resistance from the entire Southern Song Dynasty, which was united in purpose and united against foreign aggression.

And now.

The Han army marched southward, and the city of Xiangyang was already riddled with holes.

It's like a big ship is leaking and is about to sink, but the passengers on it are not thinking about repairing it, but jumping off the ship.

Because, this ship is unjust!
The imperial power is granted by heaven and is legal and orthodox. With this righteousness, the troops of the Han court are the royal army and the army of justice!

This made the atmosphere in Xiangyang City extremely weird!

The Cai family and other local aristocratic families in Jingxiang are fighting stubbornly and organizing naval forces to resist the imperial court's attack.

However, those noble families who had fled to Jingxiang to avoid disaster were trying every means to respond to the court, make up for their crimes by performing meritorious deeds.

This weird atmosphere cannot be hidden from anyone who is interested!

But everyone knew the truth, but they kept it to themselves and maintained a tacit silence.

...

Jiangxia in Jingzhou is adjacent to Yuzhang County in Yangzhou.

Ever since the Yangzhou governor Liu Yao fled to Yuzhang County and joined forces with Yuzhang prefect Zhu Hao to retake Yuzhang.

Liu Biao submitted a memorial, but it was too late for Zhuge Xuan, who did not receive approval from the court, so he had no choice but to withdraw from Nanchang, the capital of Yuzhang County.

At this time, Zhuge Xuan was in a dilemma!

He didn't understand why Liu Biao recommended him as the prefect of Yuzhang, but in the end Zhu Hao took the position?

Such a mistake would never happen to the imperial court!

As for the court deliberately using a knife to kill someone, Zhuge Xuan had thought about it, but he quickly rejected this idea!

The Zhuge family was loyal to the Han Dynasty, and Zhuge Xuan was well-known.

Even if the court believed that he was not qualified to serve as the prefect of Yuzhang, it would not make such a big fuss, but would transfer him to other positions.

But now, Zhu Hao launched a direct attack on him, which would undoubtedly dishearten Zhuge Xuan and many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhuge Xuan could be sure that this matter had nothing to do with the court, but was a dirty deal between Liu Biao and Liu Yao!

After Zhuge Xuan withdrew from Nanchang, the capital of Yuzhang County, he discovered that Liu Yao and Zhu Hao did not pursue the victory and allowed him to stay in the west city of Yuzhang.

The two armies confront each other.

This confirmed Zhuge Xuan's speculation that Liu Yao and Liu Biao were having some dirty tricks and were using this incident to fight openly and secretly.

Zhuge Xuan did not move his troops as he was also waiting for Liu Biao's instructions.

But at this time, Zhuge Liang and his brother were right beside Zhuge Xuan.

Especially Zhuge Liang, the ability of Prime Minister Zhuge, needs no words to explain. The three words "Zhuge Liang" are enough to illustrate his talent!
This is a natural genius, a perfect match. If you can get one of them, you can pacify the world!

Although Zhuge Liang was still young, he was already familiar with classics and military strategies. For such a genius, age cannot be used to measure.

Just like Sun Shuao who killed a snake at the age of ten, Gan Luo who became an official at the age of twelve, Shangguan Tiying who made suggestions to the emperor at the age of ten, Cai Yan who could distinguish string music at the age of six, and Huo Qubing who was made a marquis at the age of eighteen...

Age cannot restrict genius!

Not to mention that Zhuge Liang could be called a rare genius. Even though he was still young, he already had the rudiments of being able to strategize and plan everything in the future.

Zhuge Liang said to Zhuge Xuan, "Uncle, are we loyal to His Majesty or to Liu Biao?"

"Although Envoy Liu is a relative of the Han royal family and my former master, we are naturally loyal to Your Majesty!" Zhuge Xuan replied without any doubt.

Zhuge Liang asked again: "Uncle, are we loyal to the court or to Jingzhou?"

"Of course it's the central court!" Zhuge Xuan said firmly.

Zhuge Liang nodded: "If that's the case, uncle, then why should we wait for Liu Biao's instructions? We can just send a special envoy to meet Liu Yao and express our intentions!"

"This……"

Zhuge Xuan was stunned, and his words woke him up!

Liu Yao and Zhu Hao joined forces to attack, and Zhuge Xuan immediately organized a counterattack. After the two sides got angry, he did not calm down and think carefully.

They are all loyal to the court. Even if there are some misunderstandings, they can be frank and sit down to have a good talk.

Zhuge Xuan was somewhat tempted, but still a little hesitant: "Kong Ming, we have fought repeatedly with Liu Yao and Zhu Hao. If we send a special envoy to meet them, will they take advantage of their tricks and capture us alive?"

...

"Liu Yao is also a relative of the Han Dynasty, and was personally appointed by His Majesty as the governor of Yangzhou. He represents the imperial court, but is now under fierce attack from Yuan Shu's general Sun Ce, and has been defeated in succession.

"At this time, we should gather the loyal officials of the Han Dynasty to fight back, rather than infighting and disrupting our own formation.

"If Liu Yao really did this, it would only chill the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty and cause him to be reprimanded by the court. The soldiers under Liu Yao would lose their meaning of existence and would immediately disperse.

"As long as we make our position clear, Liu Yao will definitely accept us. By then, we can also find out why the two Yuzhang governors had such a misunderstanding?"

Zhuge Liang had not yet reached the age of coming of age, but he already had the courtesy name "Kong Ming", which was given by his late father Zhuge Gui.

Zhuge Gui named his eldest son Zhuge Jin, with the courtesy name Ziyu, which means holding Jin in one's arms and Yu in the other's arms, indicating that he wanted his son to be a gentleman with high moral standards.

When his second son was born, he hoped that this child would be very talented in the future. So he named him Zhuge Liang. The word "Liang" means "clear". A talented person must be a clear-headed person.

Zhuge Gui's courtesy name was Jungong and his nickname was Zigong. Zigong was a disciple of Confucius and a master in politics, diplomacy and trade.

Zhuge Gui admired Confucius very much, and it was recorded in "Records of the Grand Historian": Confucius understood the kingly way and served more than seventy kings, but none of them could use his power.

Therefore, Zhuge Gui took the name "Kong Ming" as Zhuge Liang's courtesy name, meaning that he hoped his son would have the talent to assist the king like Confucius.

Zhuge Liang obviously lived up to everyone's expectations and achieved it when he grew up. Now that he is still young, he has performed very well.

After Zhuge Liang's analysis, Zhuge Xuan calmed down and felt that it made sense, so he sent someone to contact Liu Yao and Zhu Hao.

The two armies were facing each other very close.

Therefore, before Liu Biao of Jingzhou sent a message, Liu Yao sent a special envoy to invite Zhuge Xuan to meet.

Zhuge Xuan agreed and went to the meeting with Zhuge Liang alone.

Zhuge Xuan was also a smart and talented person, but because he lost his temper and became a fake and shoddy prefect, he never came to his senses.

After Zhuge Liang's analysis, Zhuge Xuan also understood that no matter what, Liu Yao would not dare and would not take action against the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty!

With this confidence, Zhuge Xuan brought Zhuge Liang and others to meet Liu Yao and Zhu Hao in a welcoming pavilion outside Nanchang City, the capital of Yuzhang County.

Both parties were friendly and courteous.

After simply drinking a cup of tea, he got straight to the point.

Liu Yao asked, "Deyuan (Zhuge Xuan's courtesy name), don't you really know why Liu Biao recommended you to be the governor of Yuzhang?"

"Of course it is the confrontation with Yuan Shu in Huainan." Zhuge Xuan said.

He had a slight friendship with Yuan Shu, which was why Zhuge was able to move south smoothly with his family.

But when it comes to major issues, he will not bend the law for personal gain.

Liu Yao and Zhu Hao looked at each other and he shook his head:

"No! This is just a tacit understanding and unspoken reconciliation between Liu Biao and Yuan Shu!
"Yuan Shu appointed Liu Xun as the governor of Lujiang. Liu Xun was on good terms with Liu Biao and Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia. Liu Biao appointed you as the governor of Yuzhang because you were on good terms with Yuan Shu.

"This is a strategic statement. Appointing a candidate who has a slight relationship with the other party to serve as the governor of a neighboring county is an implicit intention to ease the conflict or even turn hostility into friendship."

...

"Is Zhengli (Liu Yao's courtesy name) overthinking this? Envoy Liu is a relative of the Han Dynasty and a loyal minister. He joined forces with the court to fight against Yuan Shu and made great military achievements. How could he flirt with Yuan Shu?"

Zhuge Xuan frowned in confusion.

...

"Deyuan has this view from the perspective of the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty. But what if we change the perspective and stand from the perspective of Jingzhou?" Liu Yao asked.

...

Zhuge Xuan was stunned! Standing in Jingzhou...

He suddenly understood!

If I were standing in Jingzhou, how could I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed when Yuan Shu was occupying Nanyang? !

At that time, Liu Biao and Yuan Shu had a direct interest in each other!
However, as Yuan Shu fled to Huainan and the imperial court sent troops to garrison in Nanyang, Liu Biao and Yuan Shu were separated by the Dabie Mountains and no longer had any direct interests.

At this time, both sides stated that they would not send troops to each other and appointed people who were familiar with each other as prefects of neighboring counties.

This is indeed a way to ease the conflict!

Zhuge Xuan was suddenly shocked!
He subconsciously glanced at Zhuge Liang and found that his little nephew did not seem to be as surprised as he was!

Recalling Zhuge Liang's question before he came -

Loyal to His Majesty or to Liu Biao? Loyal to the court or to Jingzhou?
Could it be that this is what Zhuge Liang meant? !
From the perspective of the imperial court and from the perspective of Jingzhou, these are two completely different views and results!
"Kong Ming will become a pillar of society in the future!"

Zhuge Xuan was somewhat relieved. Wasn't this exactly what his late brother had wished? Kong Ming showed such talent at such a young age. He would surely be a great helper to the king in the future!

...

"It seems that Deyuan has figured it out."

Liu Yao thought that Zhuge Xuan was shocked after he turned around, but he didn't know that Zhuge Xuan was shocked by Zhuge Liang's ability.

Seeing Zhuge Xuan nod slightly, Liu Yao continued:
"When I was confronting Sun Ce, I had no time to care about Liu Biao. But now I have been defeated by Sun Ce and fled to Yuzhang.

“In addition to joining forces with Kuaiji Governor Wang Lang to confront Sun Ce’s troops, I also need to find a way to get Liu Biao to express his stance.

"If he continues to be stubborn, I will definitely report him. But if he is still loyal to the Han Dynasty, I will definitely send troops to help him.

"Therefore, my attack on Yuzhang was not aimed at Deyuan, but to drag Liu Jingsheng into the water!"

...

"I see."

After combining the information from both sides and the current conversation, Zhuge Xuan finally realized it.

But at this moment, a messenger suddenly came hurriedly, whispered in Liu Yao's ear, and handed him a sealed letter.

In an instant, Liu Yao's expression became solemn.

"I see, you go down first."

"promise!"

Zhuge Xuan didn't ask any more questions, but from Liu Yao's expression, he knew it must be bad news.

really.

Liu Yao opened the sealed letter, which was a piece of silk cloth the size of a handkerchief. He quickly glanced through it and handed it to Zhu Hao who was standing beside him to read. His expression became more and more solemn.

Liu Yao turned to look at Zhuge Xuan and said in a deep voice: "Deyuan, Liu Jingsheng suddenly became seriously ill, and his wife's family, the Cai family, controls the power of Jingzhou!"

"What?!!!"

Zhuge Xuan was stunned. "Is Envoy Liu really ill?! Or is he pretending to be ill?!"

Through the intelligence revealed by Liu Yao, Zhuge Xuan knew that Liu Biao and Yuan Shu had tacitly agreed to ease their conflict.

But the imperial court had ordered troops to attack Yuan Shu, and Liu Biao suddenly became seriously ill. It was too much of a coincidence, which made people wonder if it was intentional!
"No! Liu Biao is really sick."

Liu Yao actually handed the silk cloth to Zhuge Xuan:
“To be honest with you, Deyuan, this is a secret decree from the imperial court to attack Jingzhou and Huainan!
“My spies and the court’s intelligence have all proven that Liu Biao is truly ill. It seems that Liu Jingsheng has lost control of Jingzhou!

"Liu Jingsheng, who once rode alone into Jingzhou, has ended up in this situation after he became old and weak. Alas, he has hired the wrong people!"

Liu Biao's wife's family, the Cai family, was once just a lower-middle class family in Jingzhou. Liu Biao obviously took this into consideration and chose to marry into the Cai family in order to avoid the family becoming too powerful and becoming the host.

But the Cai family is also full of talents. Relying on Liu Biao, they rose to prominence and gradually became the leading figures among the aristocratic families in Jingzhou. Now they are too powerful to be eliminated. They even used Mrs. Cai to attack Liu Biao.

It’s impossible to guard against the person next to you!

...

"Send troops to Jingzhou and Huainan at the same time? However, the imperial court lacks naval forces. If we start fighting on two fronts, the troops will be dispersed like a pile of loose sand. I'm afraid they will be defeated one by one by Yuan Shu's Huainan navy and the Jingzhou navy!"

Zhuge Xuan quickly glanced at it and noticed that Zhuge Liang was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He subtly tilted the secret decree at an angle so that Zhuge Liang could see it more clearly.

As Zhuge Liang demonstrated his talents, Zhuge Xuan also wanted to cultivate him and give him opportunities to gain experience.

...

"Your Majesty has already dispatched troops and generals, ordering Liu Bei, the governor of Qingzhou, to be transferred to Xuzhou as governor, and Cao Cao, the governor of Dongjun, to be transferred to Yuzhou as governor.

"Yuzhou's military and political officials have already marched to the Huai River to confront Huainan. When Liu Xuande takes office, they will definitely gather troops from Xuzhou to confront Guangling."

Liu Yao looked solemn, as he also knew that the imperial court lacked a navy.

However, Yuan Shu's Huainan Navy and Jingzhou's Jingzhou Navy are two powerful armies, which may make it difficult for the imperial court to make any progress.

But now they need to take action!

"Therefore, we need to suppress Sun Ce's rebellion as soon as possible, pacify Jiangdong, and launch an attack from the Yangtze River to Huainan from behind, so that Yuan Shu in Huainan will be attacked from both sides."

"In that case, I will go back immediately to inform all the soldiers, boost morale, and join forces to fight against Sun Ce's troops." Zhuge Xuan said impatiently.

"it is good!"

Liu Yao and Zhu Hao looked at each other. With Zhuge Xuan's troops and Kuaiji Prefect Wang Lang, if multiple forces joined forces, they would be able to counterattack Sun Ce's troops.

But at this time, Zhuge Liang, who had been silent all the time, finally couldn't help but say:
"Sun Ce's troops won battle after battle, while Liu Shijun lost battle after battle.

“We should secretly join forces to fight the enemy, and continue to show a confrontation on the surface to give Sun Ce an illusion.

"We will show the enemy our weakness, lure them into our territory, surround them from multiple sides, and severely damage Sun Ce's troops. This is a godsend opportunity!"

...

Hearing this, Liu Yao and Zhu Hao looked at Zhuge Liang in disbelief. This reminder was like a bolt from the blue, and it made them feel that it made a lot of sense!

It would be a shame to miss such an opportunity to show weakness to the enemy and lure them into deep territory!

In the future, when Liu Yao and Zhuge Xuan join forces, Sun Ce's troops will definitely be on guard, and it will be difficult for him to take action!
Why didn't they think of that?!
They looked Zhuge Liang up and down and confirmed that he was not old!

At such a young age, he has such strategic vision. He is truly a hero in his youth!

"Deyuan, who is this..." Liu Yao asked in surprise.

...

"This is Zhuge Liang, the second son of my late brother." Zhuge Xuan felt proud to be the parent of "someone else's child."

...

"As his name suggests, he is a wise man!" Liu Yao exclaimed: "Does he have a courtesy name?"

...

"My late brother has already given him a courtesy name: Kong Ming!"

...

"Kong Ming?!"

Liu Yao and Zhu Hao looked at each other, and it was Zhu Hao who said, "Confucius is the kingly way, and he served more than 70 kings, but none of them could use him. It should be this Kong Ming!"

...

"This boy will surely become a pillar of society and a capable assistant to the king in the future!" Liu Yao said with certainty.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang was not surprised by praise or criticism, he became more convinced of this idea, "Act according to the plan immediately. If this battle is successful, Zhuge Liang will be the first to win!"

...

"Thank you, General Liu, but we need to be careful and cautious in showing weakness to the enemy," Zhuge Liang reminded.

...

"Oh? What is Kong Ming worried about?" Liu Yao asked curiously.

...

“It is said that Sun Ce has the same spirit as his father, Sun Jian, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, who is good at employing people and values ​​friendship and loyalty.

But he also has his father's shortcomings - more bravery than strategy. However, Sun Ce's troops won battle after battle, so there must be someone behind him helping him."

Zhuge Liang analyzed.

...

Zhuge Liang's analysis made Liu Yao's eyes light up, and he clapped his hands and said:

"That must be the case! I have met Sun Ce before. He is indeed a brave general, but he lacks vigilance. He often leads his troops and bravely kills the enemy.

"Little do they know that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. He is not only a general, but also a commander. If something happens to him, the three armies will be shaken and defeated.

"With Sun Ce's personality, there must be someone behind him helping him. That's why he can win battles one after another. I was defeated so quickly."

...

"If we want to show weakness to the enemy, we need to be on guard against this expert." Zhu Hao also nodded and said, "Then we need to find a way to divide our forces and make Sun Ce rush forward rashly, so that the expert won't have time to be on guard and send orders. This way, we can lure the enemy deep into our territory."

...

"What does Kong Ming think?" Liu Yao asked.

...

Zhuge Liang expressed his views and arranged the troops. Although he was still a little immature, he already had the bearing of a military strategist.

This amazed Liu Yao and Zhu Hao, and they secretly sighed that they wished they had a son like Zhuge Liang!

Zhuge Xuan was watching from the side. Perhaps they had all forgotten that Zhuge Liang was only in his teens.

However, Zhuge Liang's talent and comprehensive analysis made everyone forget his age. Instead, they gradually became convinced of his strategies and began to discuss plans.

Zhuge Liang was also planning everything in detail. In fact, he was quite excited because this was his first battle!

A plan gradually took shape during the discussion!

And Zhuge Liang is the leader!
……

(End of this chapter)