On February 10 in the spring of the 14th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to visit Pang Tong in person.

At this time in history, Pang Tong had not yet emerged.

It was not until the second half of the year that Zhou Yu defeated Cao Ren and led the Nanjun Taishou that he was recruited by Zhou Yu as the county gong Cao to help Zhou Yu take care of the affairs of Nanjun.

Therefore, at this time, Pang Tong was still living in seclusion among the Pang clan in the east of Xiangyang City, reading books all day long, and not asking about world affairs.

As his friends, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen and Xu Shu naturally knew that Pang Tong didn't really want to be a leader, so they strongly recommended him.

Liu Bei also wanted to know how powerful the man who was called Feng Xiao by Sima Hui was, so he came to visit and wanted to know his views on the current general trend.

Pang Tong received Liu Bei's three brothers at home, and the two sides talked happily and talked about many things.

First of all, in terms of strategy, Pang Tong is also the same as Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen, suggesting that Liu Bei first make it easy and then difficult, stabilize Sun Quan, capture Xichuan, and then destroy Jiangdong after getting Bashu.

Secondly, in internal affairs, he suggested that Liu Bei should reuse the family to stabilize Jingzhou, alleviate the contradictions between the scholars and the rulers, and prevent rebellions within Jingzhou when he led troops to fight outside.

Then, militarily, he believed that Nanyang was easy to attack and difficult to defend, and a large number of Chen soldiers on the border would contain his troops. Although it will also contain Cao Cao's many troops, Cao Cao's plate is large and can afford it.

Therefore, he suggested that Liu Bei relocate the people north of Nanyang to the south of Wancheng, and only arrange 20,000 or 30,000 people along the line from Kunyang to Wancheng.

In this way, even if Cao Cao suddenly went south to attack Nanyang, there were many cities along the way to slow down his pace, and there was a buffer zone from Xuchang to Wancheng for 500 miles in the middle.

Finally, another idea was put forward, that is, the cavalry problem.

Pang Tong believed that if Liu Bei unified the south in the future, it would not be easy to rely only on Jingzhou and Jiangdong if he wanted to go north to the Central Plains and revive the Han dynasty.

Because whether it is from Nanyang or Huainan, it is a flat river.

The southern army engaged the northern army on the plains, and it was difficult to achieve victory without a large cavalry.

Therefore, even if Yangzhou cannot be taken for the time being, Hanzhong must be captured first to ensure that Liu Bei's forces can contact Xiliang and Guanzhong.

Naturally, the reason for getting Guanzhong is that you can use Guanzhong as a base point to attack Kanto in the east, so as to blossom more points and attack on all fronts.

And to get Xiliang, it is because Xiliang has horses!

As long as there is Xiliang, a horse-producing area, then a cavalry will be formed in the future, and only then will there be the capital of the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.

And if you want to seize Hanzhong, you can't just focus on Chengdu, now Zhang Lu is going south from the Golden Bull Road to surround Luocheng, Liu Zhang's forces are in danger, and you can completely ignore it.

Pang Tong suggested that after Liu Beixi left Bashu, he didn't need to care about Liu Zhang's life or death, and went north from Micang Road, came to encircle Wei to save Zhao, and directly attacked Hanzhong.

As long as Hanzhong is taken down, even if Liu Zhang is gone, Zhang Lu's soldiers will inevitably be in chaos because of the loss of the rear.

When the time comes, another Jingzhou army will be sent up the Yangtze River, and Liu Bei will go south from Hanzhong, and if he attacks from both sides, Zhang Lu will be eliminated, and at the same time, Liu Zhang will also be eliminated.

In this way, Liu Bei can smoothly obtain the entire Yizhou, including Hanzhong, and does not need to bear the name of attacking the same sect.

And after having Hanzhong, you can send troops to Xiliang and Guanzhong to get the land of horses.

Hearing Pang Tong's opinion, Liu Bei suddenly felt enlightened, and his whole body was a lot more transparent.

This is ultra-long-term strategic thinking that even Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen have not mentioned to him. As a native of Youzhou, Liu Bei knew too well the importance of a highly mobile cavalry.

Even if he owns the entire south, with a population of 20 million, he has the capital to compete with Cao Cao.

But the absence of cavalry meant a lack of mobility, and it was easy to suffer a big loss in a battle with Cao Cao on such a vast plain in the north.

Therefore, after Pang Tong was pointed, Liu Bei immediately understood that if he wanted the Northern Expedition to succeed, it was indeed as he said, he needed to get Xiliang first before he could compete with Cao Cao for the north.

At that moment, Liu Bei saw Pang Tong's talent, and was overjoyed, and immediately worshiped Pang Tong as the commander of the military division, and the intimacy was no less than that of Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu.

And after having Pang Tong, Liu Bei also had to start preparing for the march into Xichuan.

In late February, Liu Bei worshiped Pang Tong and Xu Shu as the masterminds, leaving Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang to govern Jingzhou, reorganizing his troops and horses, and planning to go south to the Three Gorges area.

It's just that I didn't expect Huang Zu to die of illness.

Huang Zu's death hit Liu Qi very hard, making his already serious condition worse, vomiting blood and fainting, making Liu Bei unable to travel south.

For this reason, he could only send Guan Yu and Pang Tong to Wuxian in advance, Zhang Fei and Xu Shu stayed in Jiangling, Zhao Yun, Tai Shici, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong and others were responsible for grain and grass affairs, and he stayed in Xiangyang to take care of Liu Qi.

At the same time, Shen Chen began to rectify military affairs, and ordered dozens of his students, including Huo Yang, Wu Dang, Wu Tao, Shan Yi, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Wei, and Li Qiu, to be in charge of the army, and ordered Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi, Deng Zhao, Shen Tao, and other generals to be responsible for the dismissal.

The reason why the former generals of the Jingzhou Army, such as Wen Ping, Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, Li Ying, and Huo Jun, were not used for fear that they would show favoritism and not be completely eliminated at that time.

Therefore, it is necessary to find people from the outside world, just like the investigation of corruption in later generations, and the corruption cannot be allowed to investigate itself, but can only be found out clearly by parachuting in a high-ranking official or by an inspection team.

And just when Liu Bei was delayed in Xiangyang due to Liu Qi's serious illness, and Shen Chen was in full swing to rectify the Jingzhou army, Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian went to Jiangdong to envoy Sun Quan.

At the end of February, in Chaisang County, Yuzhang, Lu Su sat in the backyard of the county government with a very heavy face.

Sun Quan was in Anhui at this time.

Wankou is not far from Zhou Yu's hometown of Shu County, so Sun Quan decided to bury him here to watch over the Yangtze River, hoping that he can bless the great cause of Jiangdong.

And Lu Su waited for Liu Bei's envoy to arrive in Chaisang to discuss the matter of Jiaozhou.

It's just that Lu Su is in a very anxious mood now.

Sun Quan lost his mind because of Zhou Yu's death, but Lu Su did not lose his mind.

At that time, after learning of Zhou Yu's death, Sun Quan was angry and panicked, and he didn't know what to do.

In order to comfort Sun Quan, Lu Su suggested that he find Liu Bei to borrow Jingnan in the name of peace talks, and then raid Jingzhou while Liu Bei was attacking Bashu.

But he knew that it was just an expedient measure to comfort Sun Quan and think of temporarily.

In fact, his strategy is extremely difficult to exercise.

Let's not talk about the question of whether people are willing to lend Jingnan to you.

Even if people are willing to borrow, Jingnan Jiaozhou is located in a remote area, what can be developed in that kind of place?

There is inconvenient transportation, miasma, barbarism, and even the local Han people have united against the government, and it will take at least ten years to completely pacify this place, and it may not even be able to completely pacify it.

Even if it occupies Jiaozhou and Jingnan, at most, it is to relocate the population there, collect local taxes, and find ways to attract and lure some barbarians to use it.

In terms of the general trend, it is still difficult to shake the entire Jingzhou.

Therefore, sending troops to Jingnan and Jiaozhou cannot be regarded as a bad move, but it is by no means a good move.

It's just that.

Today's Jiangdong can be described as gloomy and bleak, with Cao Cao in the north and Liu Bei in the west, and neither of the two enemies can afford to provoke them.

If you develop internally, you can only fight Shanyue, and at the same time compromise with the Jiangdong family.

Sun Quan is already doing these two things, but it is a drop in the bucket, Yangzhou is such a big place, at least more than half of the population is still controlled by the wealthy family, and it is difficult to develop too much.

Therefore, expanding to Jingnan and Jiaozhou is also a way to increase power in a short period of time, at least even if you can't rule, you can plunder.

Therefore, borrowing Jing Nanhe and asking Liu Bei for Jiaozhou is actually just a helpless choice.

Even this choice, people don't necessarily give it a chance.

"It's a tough day."

Thirty-seven-year-old Lu Su's sideburns had already grown gray hair, and he couldn't help but sigh as he sat at the table.

There was still a person sitting at the head of his table, it was Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin.

I heard that Zhuge Liang was Liu Bei's most trusted person, and now he was an envoy to Jiangdong, so Sun Quan immediately sent Zhuge Jin over, hoping to help lobby.

Seeing Lu Su sighing at this moment, Zhuge Jin asked curiously, "Why is Zijing sighing?" ”

Lu Su shook his head and said, "I'm just wondering if Liu Bei will agree to our conditions and lend Jingnan to us." ”

"Didn't Zijing swear before?"

Zhuge Jin was surprised.

Lu Su smiled bitterly: "That's just to appease Marquis Wu, not to mention that Liu Bei and Cao Cao were still fighting at that time, we thought we could take the opportunity to blackmail, but we didn't expect Cao Cao to lose so quickly." ”

Zhuge Jin was also embarrassed: "This is difficult, if I were Liu Bei, I probably wouldn't agree to lend us Jingnan." Although he promised to give Jiaozhou to us, he did not promise to lend Jingnan to us, and even if we said that he violated the covenant, he could say that Jiaozhou was left to us to take it upon itself, and he did not violate it. ”

Lu Su stood up and thought, "Ziyu, this matter still needs your trouble. If we can convince your younger brother Zhuge Kongming, even if we can only borrow Guiyang County, it will be excellent, and we can occupy Nanhai County and Cangwu County through Guiyang County. ”

"I'll do my best."

Zhuge Jin shook his head: "It's just that my younger brother was only thirteen years old when he separated from me, and more than ten years have passed. What's more, he should also be an assertive person, I'm afraid it's not so easy to move. ”

"Ugh."

Lu Su sighed again: "It would be nice if I could say moving, if I could say moving." Now that Jiangdong is bleak, if you can move him, you can at least relocate the population there, collect local taxes, and transport some minerals and grain and grass to fill the lack of Jiangdong. ”

Zhuge Jin was surprised: "Is that all?" I remember Zijing told Wu Hou that after borrowing Jingnan, he would garrison Changsha, and when Liu Bei took Xichuan, Jingzhou's troops were empty, and he united with Cao Cao to seek Jingzhou again? ”

"That's just my words to comfort Wu Hou."

Lu Su's face was like a bitter melon, and he said with a sad face: "The top priority now is to restore Jiangdong's vitality." Therefore, even if Liu Bei generously lent Jingnan to us, we must not start a war with him, use Jingnan and Jiaozhou, nourish Jiangdong, recuperate, and wait for the day. ”

This is actually what Lu Su really thinks.

Borrowing Jingnan to seek Jiaozhou is really a move to put the place of death and come back to life.

He told Sun Quan at that time that he would use Jingnan and Jiaozhou to develop himself, and after he became stronger, he would go north to Jingbei.

But in fact, the second half is to comfort Sun Quan, and the real intention is only the first half.

That is, to develop first.

The Battle of Yixian and the Battle of Hongkou greatly damaged Jiangdong's vitality.

In history, Sun Quan had 100,000 horses in this period, which is clearly recorded in historical records, when fighting the Battle of Chibi, he asked Zhou Yu to bring 50,000 people, and the remaining 50,000 people guarded all parts of Jiangdong.

But now after those two defeats, all the soldiers and horses in the entire Yangzhou add up to less than 60,000.

After removing the defenders from all over the country in order to guard against Shanyue, pirates, civil strife and wealthy clans, as well as Cao Cao's soldiers and horses in Xuzhou and Huainan in the north, the actual force he could use was actually the 30,000 people who fled back from the Battle of Hongkou.

In other words, Shen Chen single-handedly wiped out almost half of the Jiangdong Army in history.

The original Sun 100,000 has now become Sun 50,000, and the soldiers and horses have been cut in half.

With such a serious loss, and still continuing to think about seizing Jingzhou, it is not Lingyun's ambition, but whimsical.

Therefore, it is the best choice to develop first and wait for opportunities.

At this point, Lu Su understood better than anyone else, which was also an important reason why he strongly persuaded Sun Quan to negotiate peace with Liu Bei, and at the same time preferred to persuade Sun Quan to marry his sister to Liu Bei.

Because as long as Jiangdong is still there, they can silently develop their strength, even if Liu Bei gets Bashu and is strong, one day, Cao Cao will come.

When the time comes, sit and watch the situation, if Cao Liu Zhengxiong loses both, then Sun Quan will have a chance to survive and benefit from it.

Therefore, the top priority now is not to fight a war, but to diplomacy and to seek survival and development!

"Report!"

At this moment, someone from outside the government came to report: "Liu Bei's envoy has arrived at Chaisang Wharf. ”

"Ziyu."

Lu Su immediately said to Zhuge Jin: "Quick, follow me to greet you." ”

"Okay."

Zhuge Jin nodded.

The two immediately left the mansion and headed for the docks.

Soon at the Jiujiang wharf, they met Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian.

Zhuge Jin watched from afar.

I saw a majestic man standing on the pier, a man in white clothes fluttering, and his face looked like his father who had been dead for many years.

Although they hadn't seen each other for more than ten years, Zhuge Jin still recognized it at a glance as his half-brother, so he stepped forward in surprise and called: "Kong Ming!" ”

"Big brother!"

Zhuge Liang looked at his brother, he hadn't seen him for more than ten years, but his brother was much older, bowed his hand, and said with a smile: "The eldest brother is good in Jiangdong." ”

Zhuge Jin held Zhuge Liang's wrist with both hands, looked up and down, and said with a smile: "Everything is fine, come, I'll introduce you." ”

He turned his head to Lu Su and said, "Zijing, this is my younger brother Zhuge Kongming, Kong Ming, this is Lu Su Lu Zijing, the captain of Fenwu under the command of Wu Hou." ”

Before Lu Su was a lieutenant of the Praise Military Academy, but before Zhou Yu died, he left his last words, telling Lingtong Lu Meng and others to go back to report to Sun Quan, hoping that after his death, Lu Su would take over his position.

Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Lu Su as the captain of the Zan Military Academy, and Zhou Yu's subordinates had three or four thousand personal troops, all of which were also under the jurisdiction of Lu Su.

Zhuge Liang bowed his hand to Lu Su and said: "The name of the public is admired for a long time." ”

"Oh?"

Lu Su was surprised: "Kong Ming knows my name? ”

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Shen Chen is known as the god of war in Jingzhou, and in the battle of Anhuikou, the public won more with less, and repelled him, and his reputation has naturally spread throughout Jingzhou." ”

Lu Su smiled dumbly and said: "Although I can't praise the enemy to wear out my military heart, but I did take advantage of the geographical advantage in that battle, Shen Chen's name as a soldier god is well deserved, several attacks and defenses, I am also dangerous and dangerous, and I was almost broken by it." ”

"But it is precisely because the enemy is strong that it sets off the talent of the public."

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "If it were an ordinary person, if he met Shen Chen, I am afraid that he would have been defeated long ago." ”

Lu Su said, "Come, please sit in the city." ”

The group entered the city and returned to the county office.

After the host and guest sat down separately, Zhuge Jin said to Zhuge Liang: "Kong Ming, I invited you here this time, in fact, I still want to ask about Jiaozhou, Xuande Gong promised to give Jiaozhou to us. ”

"It's nature."

Zhuge Liang replied with a full mouth: "Now that Cangwu is too guarded by Wu Ju, and Jiaozhi is too guarded by Shixie, both of them have expressed their vows to surrender to the eldest son, and Wu Hou only needs to send a general to Jiaozhou, and he can be pacified." ”

Lu Su said: "However, between Jiaozhou and Yangzhou, there are countless mountains and mountains, and they cannot be passed. You can only go through from Guiyang County in Jingnan, so Wu Hou means that he hopes that Xuande Gong can lend Jingnan to us so that our soldiers can pass. ”

Borrowing Jingnan?

Zhuge Liang narrowed his eyes, revealing a fox-like cunning gaze.

Sure enough, as he and Xiaoqing expected.

Sun Quan asked for state leave, and it was true that he was plotting against Jingnan.

Jingnan and Jingbei are relatively separated, and the Yangtze River and Yunmengze separate the north and south.

It's just that Sun Quan has a water master, if they really lend Jingnan to him, then Jingnan Jiaozhou and Yangzhou will be able to be connected.

Although Jiaozhou is remote, it has a large population, and Jingnan is quite rich, so it is not good to say that it was really strengthened by him.

It's just that.

Sun Quan made a small calculation, why not Xiaoqing?

According to Xiaoqing's words, you want my interest, and I want your principal.

Once Sun Quan plotted to seize Jingnan and Jiaozhou, he was bound to move troops and horses, and if he divided his troops out, Yangzhou would be even more empty.

It may not be said that the day of pacifying Bashu is also the time of pacifying Yangzhou.

It seems that Xiaoqing really knows Sun Quan well, and this trick is indeed exquisite.

"This."

Zhuge Liang didn't answer immediately, but said: "This matter is very important, although General Zuo entrusted me with full responsibility, but I need to meet with Wu Hou before I can discuss it in detail." ”

Didn't refuse?

Lu Su and Zhuge Jin glanced at each other, and they could see the joy in each other's eyes.

No rejection means it can be discussed.

At that moment, Lu Su said again and again: "This is nature, this is nature." However, Wu Hou is now in Wankou, and it is getting late today, so Kong Ming might as well wait for me to set off with me tomorrow and go to Wankou to meet Wu Hou together. ”

"Then there will be Lao Zi to respect the public."

Zhuge Liang bowed slightly, showing respect, but there was a sly smile flashing in his eyes.

You can borrow Jingnan.

But at most, it's to borrow you from Guiyang County.

At the same time, you have to set up a trap for you to drill, in preparation for closing the door and beating the dog in the future.

In addition, in order to avoid being discovered by Sun Quan and Lu Su, he knocked on Sun Quan's bamboo pole by the way.

In Zhuge Liang's heart, he was already thinking about how to slaughter Sun Quan well.

After all, although Zhuge Liang didn't know that Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou in history, he only borrowed a southern county, and he also took the exchange between the four counties of Jingnan and Sun Quan, and only borrowed the southern county when he lost blood.

But in the matter of borrowing land, he must not let Liu Bei suffer. In addition to Sun Shangxiang, Sun Quan has to pay some other price.

This Lujiang County is a good place.