Nanyang County, Xinye.

Winter in the north came earlier, and the snowflakes were like flowers, sprinkling all the conspiracies.

The calmer streams, the thinner rivers, are no longer watery and covered with snow and ice.

Liu Bei replaced a briquette stove with a new briquette, rubbed his hands, and sighed, he likes to do these little things by himself.

"Kong Ming, I feel that this year's winter is very cold, what do you think?" Liu Bei said as he pulled a stool and sat next to the stove, without waiting for Kong Ming to answer, he continued: "Don't say it, this Yang Xi really has some doorways, this stool, this coal stove, and this cotton jacket are all produced by his Chenhe Chamber of Commerce, which is really beneficial to the people." ”

Kong Ming also pulled a stool and stretched out his hand, but he really didn't dare to fan his goose feather fan at this time.

"Lord, this year's weather, in fact, is the same as usual, the lord feels cold, so he feels cold." When Kong Ming said this, he didn't look at Liu Bei's expression, just looked at the briquettes in the stove.

Liu Bei's face was actually ugly.

Kong Ming knows it even if he doesn't look at it.

Liu Bei said: "Kong Ming, you tell the truth, Yang Xi is already so powerful now, not to mention, Cao Cao is not bad, I think I am Liu Bei after King Jing of Zhongshan, so down, but I am a little unwilling." Now that Yang Xi occupies Wuling County and is stuck in the throat of the Yangtze River, even if we quietly enter Yizhou, we have cut off the connection with Jingzhou, and the two places cannot be connected, so we can only monopolize Yizhou. How do I deal with myself? ”

Kong Ming said: "Liang has been thinking about this for a long time, such as today's general trend, Yang Xi wants to dominate the south first, and then go north, Cao Cao wants to swallow the Yuan family, get Liaodong, close Liangzhou, and then go south, only Yizhou can live, but it is difficult to do." Such a question comes, Yang Xi with a population of tens of millions, wolf to the north, what does Cao Cao think? ”

When Liu Bei heard this, he suddenly became refreshed.

Kong Ming said again: "Cao Cao definitely doesn't want a strong opponent to stop him, and even at this time, it seems that Yang Xi is stronger than Cao Cao, and Cao Cao is a weak one." ”

Liu Bei said: "Since this is the case, then why didn't Cao Cao do anything to Yang Xi, but stared at Jingzhou?" ”

Kong Ming said: "Before Cao Cao got the Yuan family, he didn't dare to make a move on Yang Xi, first of all, the Yuan family was hindered in its rear, and once it went south, the north would inevitably be attacked." Second, Liu Jingzhou has always been at odds with Cao Cao, and Cao Cao can't go all out. ”

"What does Kong Ming mean?" Liu Bei dressed up and did it right, but he was a little excited.

Kong Ming said: "Lord, Liang wants to go to Cao Ying, persuade Cao Cao, tell the world, suspend the war, and discuss Yang Xi together." ”

Liu Bei's eyes were shining.

"If this is the case, then you can combine the forces of Liu Biao, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan in Jingzhou to jointly attack Yang Xi and make him suffer from the enemy on three sides."

Kong Ming said: "On Liu Jingzhou's side, you have to ask the lord to lobby, and it will be successful." Liu Jingzhou is now at the end of his rope, and I am afraid that there is only one way to go. ”

Liu Bei said: "In this way, Bei must persuade Liu Jingzhou to shake hands with Cao Cao and make peace, not to attack each other, if he can defeat Yang Xi and get his land and population, Liu Jingzhou's strength will not know how many times to expand." ”

Kong Ming said: "Lord, this battle is not for Liu Jingzhou, but for the lord himself." At that time, the lord was bound to take out the task of conscription and lead the troops south. If you can really defeat Yang Xi and get his territory, you need to keep it for yourself. ”

Liu Bei looked embarrassed, and Kong Ming said again: "Liu Jingzhou is now old, and his son is incompetent. If he can't get a foothold, how can the lord fight against a hero like Cao Cao? ”

Liu Bei thought about it for a long time, and finally nodded in agreement and no longer insisted.

"This matter is sooner rather than later, this snow has passed, and in the spring of next year, I will go to Xiangyang to report this matter to Liu Jingzhou."

Kong Ming said: "No, the lord should set off immediately, every day passes, Yang Xi will be stronger." The lord also read the newspaper, this Yang Xi recruits 9,000 soldiers every year, why did he suddenly recruit 30,000 soldiers this year? The newspaper said that it was an expedition to the island, but in case this was a suspicious plan, then Jingzhou was in danger! ”

Hearing this, Liu Bei's hand shook slightly.

30,000 troops, if you transfer 20,000 Jiangxia soldiers and horses, Wuling soldiers and horses 15,000, Changsha soldiers and horses, 780,000 troops to take Jingzhou, it is estimated that Liu Biao will not even have scum left.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei resolutely got up and said, "Bei will leave immediately and go to Xiangyang to see Liu Jingzhou." ”

In December, Zhuge Liang secretly traveled north, accompanied only by Zhao Yun, Sun Gan and a few guards.

Lang evil Zhuge clan, for the scholar clan, Zhuge Liang naturally learns the six arts, and they are all proficient, although the heavy snow can not drive, but Zhuge Liang and his party, all riding horses, the heavy snow can not stop its footsteps.

Before the end of the year, the group arrived in Xudu, Zhuge Liang found the inn and lived, and ordered someone to hand the worship post to Cao Cao, Cao Cao was quite surprised.

Although Zhuge Liang is not famous at this time, he represents Liu Biao in Jingzhou, and of course he cannot mention Liu Bei's name.

Cao Cao ordered people to see Zhuge Liang, and Kong Ming only led Zhao Yun to accompany him into the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Kong Ming entered the mansion and saw that above the hall, Cao Cao was the first, but there were more than a dozen people at the bottom, and Kong Ming confirmed them one by one in his heart.

There are Xun You, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Chen Qun, Xu You, Jia Xu and several people present at this time, Cao Cao has Xu Chu behind him, and Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Le Jin, Yu Ban and a few people, and other civil and military generals are not on the side, Kong Ming is estimated to be guarding outside.

Although these people don't know Kong Ming, they can refer to the rumors and descriptions in the market.

As for some other people with lower status, Kong Ming didn't take them to heart.

Cao Cao invited Kong Ming to the table, and he was also secretly observing the envoy, but he saw that Zhuge Liang was eight feet long, with a face like a crown of jade, wearing a scarf on his head, and wearing a crane, fluttering like a fairy.

Looking at the guards behind Kong Ming, it turned out to be magnificent, and he did not lose to any of his generals, Cao Cao couldn't help but secretly love it, and if he won Jingzhou, he would keep these two for his own use.

After the greetings, Kong Ming sat down, and Cao Cao said: "But I don't know if Liu Jingzhou came with Kong Ming, whether to discuss the matter of returning to the imperial court?" ”

Kong Ming said: "Prime Minister Mingjian, this time I came to Liang, but not to surrender, but to save Xu Du!" ”

As soon as Zhuge Liang's words came out, the audience was shocked.

Cao Cao said: "Save me Xu Du? My Xu Du is now as stable as Mount Tai, Wenchen and military generals, full of halls, with 100,000 armor, excellent armor, who can move me Xu Du, could it be that Liu Jingsheng has just lost the four counties of Jingzhou? ”

When Cao Cao said this, the audience laughed, but Guo Jia and a few others were indifferent, waiting for Kong Ming to answer.

Kong Ming didn't care, he just stood up from the banquet, looked around and said: "Xu Du is in danger, and the prime minister is about to become a prisoner of others' subordinates, but everyone is making fun of me here, which is really ridiculous." ”

Hearing this, Xu Chu and other generals were furious, and they stepped forward to kill Kong Ming.

Fortunately, at this time, Cao Cao stopped the left and right and said: "The generals will be angry and listen to what they say." ”

Kong Ming said: "In the past, Liu Jingzhou lost a small county in Jiangxia, and with the power of Jingzhou, he failed to take Yang Xi, and then Yuan Shu combined tens of thousands of people and was defeated by Yang Xi. After Sun Ce was a Jiangdong Tiger, he was led by people and driven into the wild land of Jiaozhou. Now Yang Xi occupies Wuling, collects Changsha, cuts Zhang Xiu, and nets the south. Liu Jingzhou didn't dare to move, and the blue-eyed Sun Quan led tens of thousands of people to take Lingling and not report it to the prime minister, but he had to listen to Yang Xi's words in an ordinary letter. Now, Yang Xi has one of the third of the world's territory, half of the world's population, if he is waiting for him to attack and kill Sun Quan in Jiaozhou, and take the space of Jingzhou in the north, try to ask the world, who can compete with him, is it not these frogs at the bottom of the well? ”