There was no reception banquet, no welcome and send-off, as soon as the Qiying monarchs and ministers entered Nanpi, they went straight to the meeting hall to discuss how to deal with Cao Cao's attack on Wu. At this moment, I saw Cai Ji sitting on the couch, leaning on the lacquerware pestle, leaning over to look at the map on the case. Beside her, Cai Yan sat on another table, wrote a book, and recorded the content of the discussions of the participants one by one. It is said that this is the first time that Cai Yan has participated in such an important meeting related to the overall situation of the world. Not to mention that there are also famous celebrities and generals such as Jia Wenhe, Tian Yuanhao, Taishi Ziyi, Zhao Zilong and so on. Cai Yan was still a little apprehensive when she first sat down, but as time passed, she soon discovered that the military generals under the command of the Marquis of Qi were all frank gentlemen, and her previous worries were completely unnecessary.

At the same time that Cai Yan was gradually adapting to the same discussion between men and women, Lin Fei had already introduced the battle situation in the south to everyone present in combination with the information he had recently obtained, "In June, Cao Mengde led 300,000 troops from Jiangling to the east of the Shunjiang River by land and water; In the same month, Sun Bofu led 30,000 sailors to confront Cao's army in Chibi. ”

Hearing that Sun Ce dared to face Cao Cao's 300,000 army with 30,000 sailors, an uproar suddenly sounded in the hall. However, such a disparity in strength did not surprise Cai Ji. It must be known that in history, when Cao Cao went south to attack Wu, he declared to the outside world that "there are 800,000 people in the army of water control". In this time and space, although Cao Cao's 300,000 army is still ten times that of Eastern Wu in terms of numbers, "300,000" is obviously inferior to "800,000". In addition, as far as Cai Ji knows, in the Battle of Chibi in history, Cao's army did not have 800,000 troops at all, and at most only 200,000 or 300,000. The so-called "800,000 people in the water control army" is completely Cao Cao's psychological warfare. It was intended to put pressure on the Koto monarchs. So what made Cao Cao honest in this plane? Or is there something else?

With these questions, Cai Ji cleared his throat and asked, "Cao Junguo has 300,000?" ”

Facing Cai Ji's questioning. Tian Feng smiled disappreciatively and said, "After Meng De took possession of Jingzhou, he only got more than 100,000 water and army, so how could he get 300,000 people. Cao Agui bluffed people again. ”

Tian Feng's statement won the unanimous approval of the civil and military forces present. In the past two years, the Cao Cai family has been fighting openly and secretly, and both sides know more or less how many catties and taels the other party has. And lying about the strength of the army by two or three times is indeed in line with Cao Cao's usual style of acting. It's just that this scale of troops is not only far inferior to the Chibi War in history, but even the destruction of Wu is a bit enough.

Thinking of this, Cai Ji couldn't help but muttered to himself thoughtfully. "Is 100,000 land and water enough to destroy Wu?"

Lin Fei nodded in agreement after hearing this, "It is reported that Cao Mengde's attack on Wu this time was provoked by Sun Bo Fu's Xiushu. The lack of troops in a hurry is also understandable. ”

But Tai Shici, who was sitting opposite, was not as optimistic about Sun Ce as Cai Ji and Lin Fei, so he saw him with his arms crossed. He said with a solemn expression, "Having said that, Cao Jun's strength is several times that of Sun Wu. Jiangdong will inevitably have a fierce battle. ”

Seeing that everyone was discussing the comparison of the strength of Cao Sun's two armies, Zhao Yun couldn't help but interject. "Yu Wen Jiangdong has an alliance with Xuande Gong. How could Liu Yuanjun sit idly by and watch Cao's army attack Wu? ”

As soon as Zhao Yun's words fell, Lin Fei turned around and said with a wry smile, "General Zilong doesn't know, a few months ago, the Sun and Liu families had already fought against each other in order to seize the tomb. Now Liu Xuande is afraid that he is waiting for Cao Jun to attack Wu, so as to find an opportunity to fish in troubled waters. ”

"There is such a thing! How could Xuande Gong be so short-sighted? Zhao Yun was speechless with an expression of disbelief.

At this time, Cai Ji suddenly asserted in a deep voice, "Liu Xuande is by no means short-sighted, and Sun Bofu is not a reckless person. There must be something strange in the dispute between Sun and Liu. ”

In Cai Ji's view, the Sun and Liu families in history fought constantly for the capture of Jingzhou. But that was after the Battle of Chibi. Or more precisely, only the threat from Cao Cao was lifted. Sun Quan and Liu Bei will have spare time to compete with each other and dismantle the stage. And once the Cao army in the north presses the border, the Sun and Liu families will abandon their previous suspicions and re-embrace themselves to resist the strong enemy. At present, although the leader of Eastern Wu has changed from Sun Quan to Sun Ce, the truth of cold lips and teeth is still there after all. What's more, Cai Ji believed that with the wisdom and influence of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, it was impossible to allow his lord to ignore Cao Cao's threat and wantonly betray the alliance and fight. As the saying goes, when things go wrong, there must be demons, and the various abnormal situations that are happening in the south at the moment will certainly not be as simple as they seem on the surface.

Although the people in the hall did not know the battle of Chibi in the original history as well as Cai Ji. But at this moment, Cai Ji's categorical tone still infected the civil and military forces present. Seeing Tai Shi Ci's brows, he lowered his head and thought, "According to the Lord's intentions, Liu Xuande and Sun Bofu are planning to deceive?" ”

Tian Feng followed the twist and said, "It's possible." However, Cao Mengde has always been suspicious, how can he enter the game lightly? ”

Tian Feng's question can be regarded as a complete question about Cai Ji. Because she still hadn't figured out how a suspicious and shrewd person like Cao Cao could be angered by Sun Ce's letter and make an important decision to attack Wu. Or was Cao Cao conceited enough to think that he could ignore the conspiracy of the Sun and Liu families and directly rely on force to capture Eastern Wu?

And just as Cai Ji was in deep thought, Jia Xu, who had not spoken, suddenly broke the silence, "Lord, no matter what conspiracy Liu Xuande and Sun Bofu have, Cao Mengde has sent troops to attack Wu, and we must finally deal with it." ”

Cai Ji listened to what Jia Xu said, and thought to himself: That's right, how to fight the Battle of Chibi is a problem that Cao Cao and Sun Ce need to consider, and the top priority on his side should be to deploy troops as much as possible, so as to intervene in the struggle in the south at the necessary moment, so as to seek the greatest interests for his own side.

So, Cai Ji, who had a draft in his heart, immediately nodded decisively and ordered, "Mr. Wenhe is reasonable. Zhengjie Ru quickly passed the book to Jinxi for the lone flying pigeon, and ordered the sailor to immediately go south to Longkou to standby. ”

"Whoa." Lin Fei gave up his hand.

Then Cai Ji turned back to Tai Shici and asked, "General Ziyi, how many soldiers and horses can be used in Jizhou now?" ”

Hearing that Cai Ji was going to transfer troops from his side, Tai Shi Ci was stroking his long hair and fell into hesitation, "The early harvest will be ripe, if the Lord wantonly recruits troops and horses at this time, I am afraid that it will affect the harvest." ”

It is said that most of the armies of this era are in a state of half-cultivation and half-war. When not on the march, the army would reclaim farmland near the garrison to grow food. When the harvest season came, the whole army used scythes to grab grain everywhere. I think that Cao Cao and Lu Bu fought to harvest the same wheat field.

So at this moment, Cai Ji was not angry, but waved his hand and said frankly with Tai Shici. "It's okay, Lone only needs an elite team."

This time, Tai Shi Ci listened to what Cai Ji said, and immediately agreed, "If that's the case." The remaining 3,000 fine horsemen are sent by the Lord. ”

"Good! Three thousand is enough. Cai Ji nodded with satisfaction, and then instructed Cai Yan, "Madam, you drafted a military order for Gu, and ordered Qing and Xu to be on standby. ”

Cai Yan put down the brush and leaned over to answer, "Obey." ”

Seeing that Cai Ji, who was still worried about whether Sun Ce could stop Cao Cao's army a moment ago, summoned sailors and mobilized elite soldiers and horses to go south in just the blink of an eye. It seems to be an active preparation for war, Jia Xu's heart couldn't help but tremble slightly. You must know that although he is not optimistic about Cao Cao's defeat of Wu, he only thinks that Sun Ce has a sixty percent chance of winning. But according to Cai Ji's current arrangement, it is clear that Cao Cao will definitely lose.

Stunned, Jia Xu subconsciously raised his head. The line of sight happened to meet Tian Feng opposite, and under the eyes of each other, both of them saw surprise and suspicion in each other's eyes. However, Jia Xu and Tian Feng did not come forward to stop Cai Ji from dispatching troops in the end. In their opinion, the actions of their own masters are certainly a bit laborious and costly, but as long as they can cheer up Sun Liu in the south. It's not that the gains outweigh the losses.

In fact, there are really not many people who are as optimistic about Soochow as Cai Ji at the moment. It's not. After Sun Quan learned that Cao Cao led an army of 300,000 to the south to attack Wu, he was immediately like an ant on a hot pot. Fortunately, at this moment, he still has Lu Su by his side. Although Lu Su was also worried about the war situation in the south, he trusted his lord's martial arts and Gong Jin's wisdom more. Therefore, after analyzing the situation for Sun Quan, Lu Su volunteered to meet Cai Ji to persuade him to join forces with Eastern Wu to fight against Cao.

Lu Su's mention can be said to be in the arms of Sun Quan. In his opinion, Cai Ji's strength is not inferior to Cao Cao, and the so-called Cao Cai Alliance has long existed in name only. As long as Lu Su could persuade Cai Ji to form an alliance with Eastern Wu, Cao Cao's 300,000-strong army would not be feared. But if Cao Pi's kid was allowed to take the lead in lobbying Cai Ji to send troops to help Cao defeat Wu, the situation would be very bad. Especially when he thought of the scene of the Qi army's sailors approaching the mouth of the Yangtze River, Sun Quan suddenly felt a tremble all over his body. So, without saying a word, he picked up Lu Su and hurried to Cai Ji's accommodation. It's a pity that Cai Ji is still in the council hall with his retainers at this time. It was precisely the second son of Cao who they didn't want to see the most - Cao Pi.

"Qi Hou is not here. Please come back! Resisting the urge to draw his sword, Cao Pi spoke in an undisguised tone of disgust. An expulsion order was issued to the two uninvited guests in front of him.

However, Sun Quan, who was standing on the opposite side, didn't care at all that Cao Pi exuded bursts of killing intent. In fact, if it weren't for the Qi army guards watching around, Sun Quan would have teamed up with Lu Su to draw his sword and cut the little ghost in front of him into meat paste. After all, as long as Cao Pi dies, the Cao Cai alliance will collapse. It's just that killing the nominal fiancé of the Marquis of Qi in front of the guards of the Qi army is a bit inappropriate after all. However, if Cao Pi drew his sword first in a fit of rage, and accidentally stabbed the second son of the Cao family to death in order to protect himself, it would be another matter.

In a flash of inspiration, Sun Quan provoked Cao Pi without smiling, "Yu is waiting for Qi Hou here, what are you doing!" ”

"You!" Cao Pi subconsciously put his right hand on the hilt of the sword.

Sun Quan, who was secretly happy in his heart, made a secret signal to Lu Su, and at the same time stretched out his hand and pointed at the tip of Cao Pi's nose and snorted coldly, "Yu is the guest of Qi Hou, how can you not see Qi Hou?" Could it be that you are Cao Yinghu here! ”

Sun Quan's words can be described as heart-wrenching, which immediately attracted the surrounding Qi soldiers to look at Cao Pi sideways. Although Cao Pi has always been articulate, the previous Pingcheng Incident has made him the target of public criticism in Qiying. At this moment, in the face of questioning eyes from all directions, Cao Pi only felt that it was difficult to argue, and he couldn't help but subconsciously clench the hilt of his sword.

Draw your sword! Draw your sword! Draw your sword quickly! Sun Quan shouted wildly in his heart, but he didn't want Cai Jiqing's voice to suddenly sound behind him.

"What's the matter with Sun Gongzi looking for a lonely?"

Sun Quan was stunned at first, then changed into a smiling face and turned to bow to Cai Ji and said, "Quan is here today for the Sun Cai Alliance." ”

Hearing that Sun Quan did not shy away from talking about the Sun Cai Alliance in front of everyone, Cao Pi suddenly trembled with anger. However, Cai Ji didn't pay attention to Sun Quan at this time, so he saw her walking in front of Cao Pi and instructed, "Zihuan, you go back to the room first." ”

Cao Pi opened his mouth and wanted to argue a few words, but after meeting Cai Ji's bright eyes, he finally lowered his head and left the courtyard silently. At the same time, Cai Ji turned his head and gestured to Sun Quan and Lu Su, "The two of you, please come into the house for a while." ”

Seeing that Cai Ji drove away Cao Pi and invited him into the house to talk, Sun Quan excitedly exchanged glances with Lu Su. How do you know that Lu Su is not shocked. So Sun Quan also quickly restrained his smug attitude and stepped into the study with Cai Ji.

After the three of them entered the room and sat down, Lu Su took the lead in leaning over Cai Ji with a long sleeve and saluting, "Lu Su has seen Qi Hou." ”

"Mr. Zijing doesn't need to be polite." Cai Ji looked Lu Su up and down, and saw that he was burly, dignified and bold, and couldn't help but secretly praise in his heart - he really deserved to be a great husband who went to the meeting alone. It is said that Lu Su became another governor of the Eastern Wu Navy after Zhou Yu in history, but his main merit is still reflected in diplomacy. From joining forces to resist Cao to going to the meeting alone, Lu Su used the art of vertical and horizontal to run around again and again to maintain the Sun-Liu alliance, laying the foundation for the later three-point world. And if Cai Ji had not changed history, Lu Su at this moment would have been a lobbyist for Sun Quan, going back and forth between Jingyang and Jingyang to lobby Liu Bei and Sun Quan to form an alliance against Cao. So in the face of Lu Su, who was acting as a lobbyist in front of him, Cai Ji couldn't help but ask him with great interest, "I heard that Prime Minister Cao Cheng led 300,000 troops to the east to attack Wu, I don't know what Jiangdong has to protect itself?" ”

Lu Su quietly clasped his fists with both hands and replied loudly, "The rebellious general is brave and good at fighting, respects the virtuous and virtuous soldiers, and the heroes of Jiangbiao are attached to him, and he has six counties, and there are many soldiers and food, which is enough to resist Cao. ”

The rebellious general is the title granted to Sun Ce by the imperial court, and as soon as Lu Su came up, he blew Jiangdong's strength to the sky, which was undoubtedly building momentum for Sun Ce. However, Cai Ji obviously does not eat this set. After glancing at Sun Quan, Cai Ji asked Lu Su with interest, "Oh? Since your lord is not afraid of Cao Gong, why should he form an alliance with Gu? (To be continued......)