"Ladies and gentlemen, the 100,000 troops of the three generals and Zhuge military divisions have arrived in Fuling, and Fuling Taishou Zhuoying surrendered in Kaicheng, but Zhang Ren, known as the first general in Sichuan, has led an army of 50,000 troops to garrison Ba County to confront it. Although it is impossible to go down in a hurry, with the wisdom of Zhuge and the courage of the three generals, Zhang Ren is definitely not an opponent. At present, after the arrival of General He Qi's 5,000 Danyang elite soldiers, plus the 20,000 Sichuan troops of General Lei Tong before, as well as the troops stationed in the three eastern counties, we already have **10,000 military horses, of which about 10,000 are in Tuntian. In addition to staying in Hanzhong and the three eastern counties, I want to mobilize 50,000 Ma Ce to attack Xichuan by the three generals. Pointing to the unfolded map, Zhao Feng gave a detailed introduction to the current military situation.

"Where does the unknown general want to march from?" Lu Xun asked at this time. Judging from the map, that is, Jianmen Pass, Jiameng Pass, and Brazil County can enter the army. The first two are rare Xiongguan in the world, and it is not easy to capture. Although Brazil is relatively easy to attack, it is very unpredictable to have a veteran who is strictly guarded.

"We'll gather our men first, and we'll make our own decisions when we march in!" Zhao Feng still reserved a little, and then ordered someone to go to Baocheng to transfer Wang Ping, who was familiar with the geography of Hanzhong and Xichuan, to another use. At this moment, someone came to report that an urgent letter had arrived in Jingzhou. Zhao Feng hurriedly came in, but saw a dusty junior colonel come in and handed Zhao Feng an urgent letter. Zhao Feng took it apart and took a look, but he also sighed lightly.

"General, what's wrong?" Lu Xun saw that Zhao Feng's face was not too good-looking, and hurriedly asked. Zhao Feng sighed, and said in a plain tone as much as possible: "The lord originally wanted to send Gan Xingba to lead the army to attack Xichuan by water, but heavy rains fell in Jing and Yangzhou, and the river water soared. Moreover, there is a possibility of flooding in Jingyang at any time, and there is not much food to be drawn for the army to fight, so General Guan told us to fight quickly. ”

Since Hanzhong had just purchased war horses, the surplus grain stored was not much, and this campaign largely relied on Jingzhou to provide grain and grass, not to mention Zhang Fei's journey. Once the flood breaks out in Jingxiang, it will be difficult to protect itself, so Zhao Feng and Zhang Fei will not have enough food and grass, but it will be a little dangerous.

"Zhang Ren and Yan Yan are both famous generals in Sichuan, and they know the key points. If they are allowed to find out the truth of our army, they will hold on without a fight, and then try to counterattack when our army runs out of food. Lu Xun also sighed after reading it, and everyone was silent. Zhao Feng felt that this was really unpleasant retribution, and he and Guan Yu took advantage of the lack of food in Jingbei the year before last to easily take Jingzhou. Now that I am short of food, this kind of taste is really uncomfortable.

"It's okay, we just need to break Xichuan as soon as possible!" Zhao Feng thought about the historical examples of Liu Bei, Zhong Hui and Deng Ai attacking Xichuan, and he could learn something from them. Everyone knew that Zhao Feng was acting steadily, and seeing that he was so confident, they also let go of most of their hearts.

Compared with Zhao Feng's light breeze, the atmosphere of Shouchun at this time is a little dignified. As Zhuge Liang expected, this spring rain has been falling continuously for more than a month since the beginning of spring. The entire Jianghuai region, Jingxiang and Jiangdong, was covered by this rainfall, and a lot of winter wheat had been soaked. Fortunately, the last grain production base under Liu Bei's rule, Jiaozhou, far away in southern Xinjiang, was not invaded.

"The water levels of the water in both the water and the Ganshui have risen recently, and although the dikes have been strengthened overnight in many areas, the symptoms are not the root cause." In the Mansion of the State of Qi, although it was the third watch in the middle of the night, Liu Bei and his important officials Tai Ban were here. It was Chen Qun who introduced the disaster at the right time, and listening to his tone, he was not optimistic.

"Shi Yuan, how long do you think the rain will stop?" Liu Bei knocked his head, and still asked Pang Tong on the left. Zhuge Liang is not there, and Pang Tong is the most familiar with astronomy. Hearing this, Pang Tong opened the window and looked at it carefully, and said in a very affirmative tone: "Lord, in two days, this rain will inevitably stop!" ”

"Two more days?" Liu Bei never felt that two days were so long. Although there is nothing wrong with it at the moment, several tributaries of Yingshui have begun to overflow, washing away several villages that flow through. If it continues to rain for two more days, Liu Bei feels that the Yangtze River or the Huai River may not be divided.

"My lord, this spring rain is very bad, according to the detailed report, the water level of the Yellow River has begun to flood yesterday. Jizhou and Yanzhou under Cao Ying's rule were also severely affected. Yi Su estimates that although we can't spare our hands to go to the Northern Expedition, Cao Ying doesn't want to go south! Lu Su said at this time. When Liu Bei heard this, his heart was also a little more stable.

"If we can experience this heavy rain, we will be able to accumulate more strength during the Northern Expedition next year." Pang Tong suddenly said, although everyone knew that his words were a little unkind, but this was indeed the case. If there is an extra year to accumulate strength, with the water, soil and population of the five states under Liu Bei's rule, one year will be enough time for them to accumulate more food and troops.

According to the statistics of Chen Qun and Zhuge Liang, the total grain output of the prefectures under Liu Bei's rule last year was conservatively estimated to be nearly twice the total grain output of the prefectures under Cao Ying's rule, not including the grain obtained before the capture of Hanzhong at that time. Although Jizhou and Guanzhong were also famous fertile places under Cao Ying's rule, they could only grow wheat and only one crop a year, and even if they adopted the method of deep cultivation and meticulous cultivation, the grain output obtained could not be compared with the four prefectures of Jingyang, Xuyu and Henan, which practiced two seasons of rice and wheat, let alone Jiaozhou, which implemented three crops of rice in one year. At the same time, according to Zhuge Liang's proposal, Liu Bei will retire the veterans every year, and a large number of them will be resettled to Yizhou for reclamation, and at the same time promote the construction of Yizhou and strengthen exchanges with local aborigines. It is expected that in a few years, Yizhou will become a major grain production base again.

Contradicting the dominance of grain production, the population under Liu Bei's rule was inferior to Cao Ying. At present, the population of the five prefectures under Liu Bei's rule plus Hanzhong is about 97.8 million, but it is less than 10 million anyway. Cao Ying originally had a population of 4 million in the three prefectures, and after pacifying Hebei, it occupied Jizhou, the most populous prefecture in the world, with a conservative estimate of 134 million. The population ratio between the two sides is almost 1.5:1. And a larger population means a more abundant supply of soldiers. However, under the premise of insufficient grain and grass, it is also more likely to trigger a crisis of insufficient military rations. Moreover, once Yizhou can be won this year and connected to Xiliang, then Liu Bei's room for maneuver will be even broader.

"But don't be careless, now that the war in Xichuan is in full swing, if Cao Ying takes the opportunity to enter Hanzhong from Guanzhong, General Zhao can't take care of each other." Lu Su said suddenly.

"Didn't Zi Jingshi say that Cao Ying was powerless to go south?" Sun Qian said a little strangely when he heard this.

"It's powerless to go south, but Cao Ying's strength should not be underestimated, and Xiahou Yuan in Guanzhong is known for being good at long-distance surprise attacks, and the land of Hanzhong still needs to be guarded." Lu Su said cautiously.

"Bo Tao has been on the battlefield for a long time, even if he captures Xichuan, there will be people left behind in Hanzhong, no need to worry!" Liu Bei has a lot of trust in Zhao Feng's ability, although he has also been conspiracy a few times, but when he really does things seriously, he really hasn't seen him suffer.

"For the sake of prudence, the lord can send a large general to garrison the three eastern counties to prevent the enemy from coming to Guanzhong." Lu Su thought for a while. Liu Bei nodded when he heard this, and then asked, "Do you think there is a suitable candidate?" ”

"This matter is just a precaution, there is no need for a labor general, and it is enough to make a general. According to Su's opinion, Liao Yuanjian was ordered to lead an army of 20,000 to settle in Shangyong! Lu Su was talking about this, and suddenly there was a "bang", and the originally closed door was pushed open, and Jian Yong, who was dripping with water, walked in with a shocked face.

"What's wrong, Kenhe?" Seeing Jian Yong's dejected appearance, Liu Bei suddenly had a hint of foreboding in his heart.

"Lord, the embankment of the Xiangjiang River has burst in the Jingling section, and all of them have been flooded from Jingling to Hanyang!" After Jian Yong finished speaking, he was already sitting on the ground. Liu Bei was shocked when he heard this, and only after a while did he stand up tremblingly, and said abruptly: "How can this be? Didn't Huangzhou County Commander Sun Kang send someone to report yesterday, saying that the Jingling Embankment was foolproof? ”

"Cao Jun took advantage of the heavy rain to dig the embankment unprepared, and it ended up causing this disaster!" Jian Yong said dejectedly, and Liu Bei couldn't help but be angry when he heard this. "Cao Mengde!" Liu Bei said with hatred word by word, and his voice gritted his teeth, which really made people wonder if Liu Bei would kill him alive if Cao Ying was in front of him.

Once the Xiangjiang River floods, it will inevitably affect all parts of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and it is estimated that no less than two million people will be affected. Liu Bei said to prevent night defense, not only to prevent heavy rain, but also to prevent Cao Ying from taking the opportunity to destroy, and finally it was still a hundred secrets. Cao Ying has always been decisive with his strategy, and this time he did not hesitate to destroy the Xiangjiang embankment, but also to make Liu Bei suffer a heavy loss.

"Damn, lord, Cao Ying is so vicious, why don't I retaliate?" Pang Tong said hatefully, Liu Bei hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed and said: "Cao Ying can carry out a poisonous plan, but he can't use it." Changwen immediately organized manpower to go to the counties and counties along the river to repair the embankments and strive to reduce losses. Zijing, send more people to guard the important embankments everywhere to prevent Cao Ying from taking the opportunity to destroy them again, and make plans after the rain stops! ”

"No!" Lu Su and Chen Qun knew that Liu Bei couldn't do anything for a tooth, so they sighed secretly and went to work separately. Liu Bei looked at the spring rain outside the window, and only after a while did he sigh and say, "Fifty million Han people, how much is left?" ”

In stark contrast to Liu Bei's compassion, at this time, in the Wei Palace, Cao Ying was overjoyed after learning that the plan was successful.

"Wenhe, after this, Liu Bei's loss of grain and grass is really countless!" Cao Ying smiled a little arrogantly. The poisoner Jia Xu has always made ruthless moves, and a single strategy can make human corpses all over the field. This time, it hit Liu Beijun's weakness.

"But Prime Minister, Hebei has been suffering from continuous spring rains recently, and the disaster is also very serious!" Liu Ye, a strategist on the side, saw that Cao Ying was a little too excited, and hurriedly poured some cold water on him.

"No matter how miserable it is, there will be no Liu Xuande miserable!" Cao Ying was full of confidence. But this time, he miscalculated. Although the embankment of the Xiangjiang River was successfully excavated, under the careful management of Zhang Zhao and Zhuge Liang, the water conservancy measures in Jingzhou and Yangzhou were far more complete than those in Hebei. Coupled with the fact that the embankment was guarded by a large army, Cao Ying's men did not dare to dig in the key area, and the opening was only in a place that was not too critical, and it was blocked the next morning. In the end, although the losses were heavy, it was not enough to hurt the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On the contrary, Hebei, although he has been carefully governed by Xun Yu, although he was born in Yingchuan, he is Wang Zuozhicai, but his understanding of the important surname of water conservancy facilities is far inferior to Zhuge Liang, who has lived in Jingxiang for a long time, let alone Zhao Feng, who travels through it.

The final outcome was that Cao Ying had just made Liu Bei suffer a big loss, and he hadn't been happy for long, when Jizhou Assassin Shi Xiahoudun told him a very unhappy news: the Yellow River dam had burst.

"What?" Cao Ying was upset, but when he saw the chief bookkeeper Yang Xiu running in a hurry, he said to Cao Ying with a shocked face: "Lord, something is wrong, Xun Shangshu him?" ”

"What's wrong with Wen Ruo?" Cao Ying convulsed when he heard this, and his intuition told him that something had happened to Xun Yu.

"Xun Shangshu he, he committed suicide by taking poison!" After Yang Xiu finished speaking, tears were already raining down. Cao Ying was shocked when he heard this, and his mind went blank for a while. The whole person seemed to be stunned, and began to stumble subconsciously.

"Be careful, lord!" Yang Xiu saw that Cao Ying almost didn't fall, so he hurriedly stepped forward to help him. I didn't want Cao Ying, but I pushed him away, and muttered in his mouth: "Wen Ruo, Wen Ruo, is the Han family so important?" I became the king of Wei, and you didn't even want your life? ”

After staggering a few steps, Cao Ying felt that his head was getting more and more painful, and he trembled for a long time, and finally fell down on the spot with a scream.

"King Wei (lord)!" Yang Xiu and the others were shocked, and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, and at the same time hurriedly summoned the imperial doctor without mentioning it. After more than two hours of meticulous diagnosis and treatment by the imperial doctor, although Cao Ying was still unconscious, his condition finally stabilized a little. In the early morning of the next day, Cao Ying woke up.

"Ahh After Cao Ying opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Cai Wenji, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at him anxiously. Sighing lightly, Cao Ying barely squeezed out a smile and asked, "Wen Ji, what time is it, how long have I been asleep?" ”

"It's only been a few hours, it's still early, and it's not even dawn?" Cai Wenji comforted softly while pulling the quilt onto Cao Ying's body.

"Wen Ji, do you think I've done something wrong?" Cao Ying was silent for a long time and suddenly asked, and as soon as he finished asking, he began to wheez, and he didn't know if he was in a troubled mood or depressed.

Cai Wenji was silent when she heard this, and finally sighed: "Right and wrong, I can only leave it to future generations to comment!" ”

"Maybe you're right, but if that's right, why did Wen Ruo abandon me?" Cao Ying didn't seem to be much distracted by Cai Wenji's words, and sighed for a long time, then sighed to the beauty in front of him and said: "Maybe Ling Zun is still here, and I will be a thief!" ”

"You can't say that, husband, you pacify Saibei and knock on the Huns, you still have merit to the Han!" Cai Wenji hurriedly said with relief. Cao Ying smiled with some relief when he heard this, and said with a little emotion: "I, Cao Mengde, have done a lot of good things!" At this time, he understood that the reason why Xun Yu suddenly begged for death was certainly related to his claim to be king, but it was also related to his poisonous plan to adopt Jia Xu. He has always admired self-cultivation and Qi family to rule the country and level the world, and he must not accept it if he kills and injures the people like this to weaken the enemy army.

"Liu Xuande, Liu Xuande, this time I am much worse than you!" Cao Ying muttered in his mouth, and finally sighed and fell asleep until it was dark.

(To be continued)