As for the two different opinions of the ministers under his command on the tone of the Luo army, whether the Shu army and the Qi army should form an alliance or not, it was difficult for the king of Luoyang to make a decision for a while. Different opinions have their own reasons to support them, but the consequences are indeed different.

Whether the alliance is formed or not will directly affect the next actions of the Luo army. It can be said that whether or not to form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army determines who the enemy of the Luo army is, and determines the direction and goal of the Luo army's attack.

As a last resort, the king of Luoyang summoned several important ministers under his command to discuss the matter. Of course, with the discussion between the courtiers under his command, it also gave Situ Hao, the king of Luoyang, another idea in his heart.

"Let's talk about your opinions, the envoy of the Shu army has arrived here, we can't continue to delay, otherwise, it will definitely cause other trouble." Situ Hao's face was indifferent and he said to the several important ministers of the Luo army gathered together, "This king doesn't want your opinions to be influenced by other people or other reasons, this king only needs you to analyze the pros and cons from the perspective of our Luo army, and make the most favorable judgment for our Luo army." ”

"Wang Dao, you are my Luo Jun Zuo Cheng, the first person to be a heavy minister, you say it first!" Situ Hao asked directly.

Wang Dao first saluted Situ Hao, and said in a deep voice: "Great King, the minister thinks that we can't form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army, and an alliance with them will not be of substantial benefit to us, but will bring endless troubles. ”

"The minister knows that many of your colleagues think that it will be easier for us to form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army, and it will be easier to do something against the king of Hanzhong. As long as the Shu army restrains the main force of the Han army in the land of Wuling Mansion, it can be said that it will be effortless for us to destroy the Han army. ”

"However, have you ever thought about what is the situation of this Shu army? Why are they allied with us and the Qi army? That's because they were hostile to the Zhao army, and they were already defeated by the Zhao army. If we form an alliance with the enemies of the Zhao army, naturally, we will also become the enemies of the Zhao army. ”

"Of course, we can use the Shu army and the Qi army to contain the Zhao army, but can they wave the army and counterattack the Zhao army in an all-round way? Could it be that the current Shu army and the Qi army are not holding back the Zhao army? No, they are pinning down the Zhao army, whether it is Hanzhong to the north of the Shu army or Xuzhou to the north of the Qi army, there are a large number of Zhao troops stationed, and the two sides are hostile and border. ”

"Could it be that the Shu army and the Qi army can continue to contain more Zhao troops? As long as they did not dare to counterattack in an all-out way, the Zhao army in Hanzhong and the Zhao army in Xuzhou alone would have been able to suppress the Shu army and the Qi army in the old nest of the two armies. In other words, after we formed an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army, they were also unable to transfer the Zhao army from Yongzhou. ”

"In Yongzhou, Zhao Jun has three towns, all of whom are soldiers, and they are not responsible for local security affairs in Yongzhou. In Yongzhou, the Zhao army still has 20,000 or 30,000 county soldiers and government soldiers, that is, our garrison here. In other words, the Zhao army could use an army of nearly 80,000 in the three towns at any time. So, colleagues, who dares to guarantee that the current strength of our Luo army can defeat the attack of 80,000 Zhao troops? In addition, the local security in Yongzhou is excellent, and the Zhao army can draw out the local county soldiers and government soldiers at any time and join the soldiers, waving more than 100,000 troops. ”

"The Zhao army has always had ambitions for Jingzhou, but it was just to avoid that when it went south to Jingzhou, the Shu army and the Qi army would get a reply and take advantage of it, so the Zhao army did not go south to attack us. In addition, the Zhao army was unwilling to let the Qi army and the Shu army use us to consume their own strength when they went south to Jingzhou. Therefore, the Zhao army has been supporting us and the Han army in Jingzhou, and used it to hostile the Shu army and the Qi army. This is also the reason why we got Zhao State's armor and war horses in the past, and it is also the reason why Zhao State opened trade with us. However, this is not to say that the Zhao army does not have the strength to attack. ”

"If we form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army, then we will directly become the enemy of the Zhao army. Will the Zhao army watch us attack the Han army? Will you watch us dominate the land of Jingzhou? I'm afraid that even if the Shu army and the Qi army benefit at that time, they will wave their army south and attack us first. After all, among the three princes of the Qi army, the Shu army and our Luo army, the strength of our Luo army is the weakest, and it is also the easiest to attack. ”

"Besides, the Shu army and the Qi army are allied with us, once we make a move against the Han army and let the Zhao army attack, will the Shu army and the Qi army cooperate with us to counterattack the Zhao army? Will they send men and horses and food and grass to support us? I'm afraid that they will use this time to recover themselves, and send a partial division or provide some supplies for us to stalemate with the Zhao army, and use us to delay the time for the Zhao army to win, so that they can benefit themselves. ”

"For the Qi army, if the Zhao army goes south, I am afraid that the pressure on the Zhao army they are under in Yangzhou will be reduced, and the Qi army will take this opportunity to wave the army to clear out the Jieyi army and other rebellious troops in the territory, and will never have the right to help us. Therefore, we did not get the support of the Qi army at all. As for the Shu army, it was already good that they could deal with the Zhao army in Hanzhong, even if they fought back with all their strength, they could not shake the Zhao army in Yongzhou. Don't forget, in the south of Liangzhou, the Zhao army and a town army have begun to move south. ”

"For the Shu army, I am afraid that they can attack the Han army, seize the land under the jurisdiction of the Han army, and even seize Jingzhou, more than to support us and cooperate with us. Even if the Shu army wants to support us, it will need to move the Han army's territory through it, so once we start a war with the Han army and the Zhao army, the Shu army will definitely go to the Han army's territory first, and then consider assisting us. Moreover, they also have good reasons to occupy the prefectures and counties of Jingzhou under the jurisdiction of the Han army, because if they want to support us, they must first open a channel of communication with us. After this is occupied by the Shu army, will he return it to us? The lord of Jingzhou promised by the Shu army is a joke at all. When it comes to the fat in Situ Che's mouth, will he let it out again? ”

"Therefore, our alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army will only anger the Zhao army and the Han army in the end, so that the Zhao army will have a reasonable excuse to attack us, but it will give the Shu army and the Qi army time to recover themselves and solve their own problems."

"Take another 10,000 steps back, if the Zhao army hasn't had time to attack us, we will attack the Han army first. So, will the king of Hanzhong, who can't resist our attack, be like the king of Hanzhong when he was in Hanzhong, can't resist the Shu army and introduce the Zhao army? If the king of Hanzhong surrendered directly to the Zhao army, what would happen if the Zhao army went south? In this way, the Zhao army will not only have a reasonable excuse and reason to go south, but will also get the strength of the Han army. In this way, we will face a combined attack by the Han army and the Zhao army. I'm afraid that the southern areas such as Wuling Mansion, which is supported by the Zhao army, will not be able to break through even the Shu army. ”

"In addition, we now have normal trade relations with the Zhao State, and we can also obtain armor and war horses from the Zhao army. Once we are hostile to the Zhao army, all this will be cut off. Then the large taxes we receive from the merchants can no longer be collected. If we can't trade with Yongzhou and Zhao, what will happen to the merchants under our rule? The big merchants, caravans, chambers of commerce, etc., who participated in the trade with the northern Zhao State, which one had nothing to do with the great clan? They have lost their interests, will they not be dissatisfied because of this. When Zhao Jun goes south, what choice will they make? My lord, my lords, everyone knows what these great clans value very much. Under the contrast of interests and strengths and weaknesses, will these people turn their backs on the king and welcome the Zhao army? ”

When Wang Dao said this, all the ministers in the palace had different faces. They immediately thought of those great clans who were eliminated by the king of Hanzhong. They are the kind of people that the king says he is, even though these people have taken refuge in themselves. However, this behavior of these people was not liked by the ministers in the palace, and at this moment, after listening to what Wang Dao said, they couldn't help but secretly feel worried. It was Situ Hao, the king of Luoyang, whose face also changed slightly at this moment.

Wang Dao ignored everyone's faces at all, and continued: "Instead of being hostile to the Zhao army, why don't we take advantage of the fact that the Qi army is busy clearing out the internal rebellion, and we will recover Jiangxia Mansion first." The Han army took back Wuling Mansion, so that the prestige of the king of Hanzhong increased greatly, and the strength of the king of Hanzhong increased greatly, and we took back Jiangxia Mansion, and the benefits we got will definitely be more than that of the Han army. After all, Jiangxia Mansion is located on the side of the Yangtze River, with thriving commerce and dense population, and we can get much more benefits from taking back this place than the Han army from taking back Wuling Mansion. ”

"Therefore, the minister believes that we cannot form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army. On the contrary, we should take this opportunity to take action to the southeast and take back Jiangxia Mansion, and even take advantage of the internal strife in the Qi army, we can still expand to Qi. ”

Zuo Cheng Wang said his views cleanly, and analyzed the current situation and possible crisis of Luo Jun very clearly. Situ Hao listened and kept nodding.

"If any of you have different opinions, let's talk about it directly, let all the ministers analyze it together, and see what measures our Luo army should take to solve this alliance."

Military Sima Xue Lin came out and said: "Great King, the minister thinks that we can form an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army. The Zhao army is very strong, but is it because of the strength of the Zhao army, we have to retreat everywhere, and then ignore it, and let the Zhao army continue to be strong until it is easily annexed by the Zhao army one day? No, it is precisely because of the strength of the Zhao army that we have to form an alliance with other princes to fight against the Zhao army. If it weren't for the Zhao army, we would have taken the entire territory of Jingzhou by now, and we would have completely swept away the Han army. Why does the Han army, which has almost disappeared, still exist, and can continue to compete with the powerful us and divide the land of Jingzhou equally? Isn't it because of Zhao Jun? ”

"Zhao Jun doesn't have to do anything, he can control the situation in our Jingzhou, and if this continues, this land of Jingzhou will be annexed by Zhao Jun sooner or later. Zhao Jun will not be satisfied with our concessions. For Zhao Jun, they just need to see that the situation in Jingzhou is in their interests, not our Luo Army. If we want to get rid of the influence of this Zhao army on Jingzhou and us, we must form an alliance with other princes and join forces to deal with the Zhao army. ”

"Your Excellency, think about it, in the past, when our southern princes were still allies, although the Zhao army was strong, could they affect any changes in the situation in our Jingzhou? The coalition of the princes of the Four Roads approached the north of Jingzhou, so that the Zhao army had to stop in Dongyongzhou. But what about now? We can't even do anything about a prince who is on the verge of ruin. ”

"What about the strength of the Zhao army, is it possible that our ten thousand Luo troops are decorations? So vulnerable? Could it be that the Shu army and the Qi army will watch Jingzhou be slowly annexed by the Zhao army? Besides, if we are not aligned with the Shu army and the Qi army, are we not the enemies of the Zhao army? Now, among the princes, which one does not regard the other princes as enemies? Rather than being controlled by people everywhere, it is better to take the initiative. ”

"Our alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army does not mean that we have to cooperate with the Shu army and attack the Zhao army. Our target is the Han army, and if the Zhao army goes south to Jingzhou, we should meet it. Raising troops for a thousand days and using troops for a while, our Luo army has developed so far, and tens of thousands of soldiers are not to take it for view. Besides, once the Zhao army goes south, will the Shu army and the Qi army sit idly by? Even if they want to solve their own problems first, they will never watch our army lose and lose, nor will they watch Jingzhou be occupied by the Zhao army. ”

"The current development of our Luo army has reached the extreme, and our jurisdiction can no longer support more soldiers. In this land of the Han army, we should have been able to unify Jingzhou when the king of Hanzhong was defeated and the Shu army was defeated. With more territory and more people, our strength will be developed. But now, the existence of Zhao Jun has limited us everywhere. If this continues, our Luo army will always be the way it is now, so how can we deal with the situation in the future? ”

After a pause, Xue Lin continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, we can't shrink our hands and feet everywhere because of Zhao Jun's strength, and swallow our anger everywhere. If that's the case, we might as well surrender to the Zhao army directly. Even if we don't ally with the Shu army and the Qi army this time, the Zhao army will not go south, but what about in the future? Could it be that Zhao Jun will never go south? ”

"In an alliance with the Shu army and the Qi army, our first target is the Han army, and with our knowledge of the Han army's territory, it is very easy for us to attack the Han army's territory. If the Shu army can contain a part of the Han army, it can be said that it will be easy for us to fight against the Han army. Even though the current Han army is expanding rapidly, it is far inferior to us. In addition, although the rapidly expanding Han army has grown rapidly in terms of strength, the actual combat strength has not increased much. ”

"Since we have such a good opportunity, why don't we take the land under the jurisdiction of the Han army and unify Jingzhou? If the Qi and Shu armies want us to contain the Zhao army for him, and hope that we can relieve their pressure, they must assist us in armor and food and grass supplies. In addition, if the Shu army wants us to become a line of defense to block the Zhao army's southward movement, and hopes that we can protect the flank for him, we must let us occupy Jingzhou, otherwise, we can only sue for peace with the Zhao army and form an alliance with it. I think that at that time, even if the Shu army wants to seize the territory of the Han army, it will have to consider whether it is worth it. ”

"If we take the entire territory of Jingzhou, and then get the armor and equipment and grain and grass materials supported by the Shu army and the Qi army, then we can become the great princes who dominate Jingzhou and connect the Shu army and the Qi army, and together with the Shu army and the Qi army, we can fight against the Zhao army with the entire south. At that time, even if Zhao Jun wants to go south, he must consider the possible reaction of the three parties. ”

Xue Lin's words made the dozen or so important ministers of the Luo Army in the hall nod their heads secretly, and their hearts were moved. If the Luo army becomes the three major princes in the south, they will naturally rise and their status will increase greatly.

Xue Lin's words did not stop there, but continued: "Jiangxia Mansion is better than Wuling Mansion, we have a shot at the Qi army, and the harvest of taking Jiangxia Mansion is indeed greater than that of the Han army taking Wuling Mansion." However, because of the Han army's actions against Wuling Mansion, the Qi army is now also on guard. Jiangxia Mansion is located on the side of the Yangtze River, and the Qi army is on the Yangtze River, and there are sailors, so it is very inconvenient for us to move. In addition, in our eastern region, many places are bordered by the Qi army, and now, because the Qi army has stationed a lot of men and horses in these areas in order to guard against us, in addition, the Qi army has also begun to expand the local garrison and train young and strong, and is ready to defend with all its might. It is extremely difficult for us to attack Jiangxia Mansion. ”

"In addition, I don't know if it is the Han army or the Zhao army, or other people's speculation, so that the news that we are going to attack the Jiangxia Mansion of the Qi Army has completely spread. The Qi army has already heard the news, you say, will it be easy for us to attack the Qi army? This is not a sneak attack on Wuling Mansion by the Han army. ”

"The Han army's sneak attack on Wuling Mansion was able to succeed so quickly, because of the logistical problems of the Shu army, coupled with the all-out war between the Shu army and the Zhao army. In addition, no one thought that the Han army, which had almost disappeared, would make a move on the Shu army. Therefore, the Han army was able to take Wuling Mansion so quickly, so that the Shu army had to retreat in defeat. ”

"But can we do the same with Jiangxia Mansion? Although there was harassment by coalition forces within the Qi army, there was a confrontation with the Zhao army in the north. However, the Qi army did not start a full-scale war with the Zhao army, and in Jiangzhou, the Qi army stationed nearly 100,000 troops to guard against us and the Shu army. If we take action, we are afraid that we will immediately provoke this army, which is used by the King of Qi to deal with Jiaozhou and Jiangzhou, and to guard against the Qi army and Jiaozhou Zhao army. At that time, if you want to take Jiangxia Mansion unsuccessfully, you will have a full-scale war with the Qi army. ”

"And now the Shu army is eager to have allies to share the pressure of the Zhao army for him, so the Shu army at this moment will definitely not have anything dirty with the Qi army in Jiaozhou and Jiangzhou. Therefore, more than half of this new force can be dispatched at any time. Therefore, it is not easy for us to attack the Qi army. Especially now that the Qi army is already on the opposite side, it is not cost-effective to engage the Qi army if they can't quickly take Jiangxia Mansion. It is even very likely that we will be in a long-term confrontation with the Qi army. If this is the case, we will enter the will of the Zhao army and share the pressure of those chaotic armies for them. You won't forget that the most powerful of the chaotic army, that is, the Jieyi Army, was supported by the Zhao army. In other words, we have fulfilled the Zhao army and contributed to their quest for the territory of the Qi army. In the end, we didn't benefit, but fought to the death with the Qi army. ”