"Lord, lord?"

Fazheng's call gradually sounded in his ears.

Liu Bei raised his head, and his slightly dazed gaze gradually sobered up.

He saw that everyone was looking at him.

He asked, "What's wrong?" ”

Fa Zheng said: "The lord thinks that Xiaoqing's words are feasible. ”

At that moment, Liu Bei's face became grim, and he said in a deep voice: "Filial piety, Ziqiao." I can sit on Jing Yi now because of Xiaoqing's plan. Kong Ming is right, if someone else says this, I will not ignore it, but if Xiaoqing says so, then there must be his reasons. ”

After saying that, he turned his head to Shen Chen and said, "Xiaoqing, if you insist on this, I will take your suggestion and choose to destroy Jiangdong first, and unite with Han Sui and Ma Chao to fight against Cao Cao." But I want you to tell why, of course, it's okay if you don't, you just say you want me to be like this, and I will do it. ”

Fa Zheng and Zhang Song's faces suddenly changed, serious with consternation, their eyes widened in disbelief, and they were full of shock when they saw Liu Bei trusting Shen Chen so unconditionally.

"Thank you, Lord, for believing in me."

Shen Chen got up and said seriously: "It is precisely because I know that the lord is a human being that I am willing to serve the lord. can gain this trust, and die in the morning without regrets. ”

Liu Bei got up and walked in front of Shen Chen, took his hand, patted it lightly and said, "Xiaoqing, do what you say." ”

"But my lord."

Fa Zheng hurriedly said: "If things don't develop as Xiaoqing said, there will be endless troubles." ”

"yes."

Zhang Song also said: "My lord, if Han Sui and Ma Chao choose to submit to Cao Cao, and we start a war with Jiangdong again, then Cao Cao will own the entire north, and I don't know how many cavalry there are in the middle, and Yizhou will face a huge Cao army offensive." At that time, Cao Cao will send troops to Jianghuai, Nanyang and other places, and sit and watch us fight with Jiangdong, lest Cao Cao take advantage of the fisherman. ”

Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, I have today, all thanks to Xiaoqing, even if Xiaoqing miscalculates, it is just a bitter battle." After many years in the north, how could I ever be afraid of Cao thieves? I am countless times stronger today than I was then, will I still be afraid of him? ”

People often dare to fight hard when they have nothing.

But suddenly he became rich overnight, but he became cautious and afraid of losing.

Just like Yuan Shao.

Now Liu Bei also has a great business like Yuan Shao, but he dares to trust Shen Chen and gamble with this family business, which also makes Shen Chen very moved.

Fa Zheng turned his head to look at Shen Chen, and said solemnly: "Xiaoqing, I think you should also understand the importance of this matter. The lord trusts you so much, but if you miscalculate, Han Sui and Ma Chao return to Cao Cao, we will lose Guanzhong and Xiliang, and we will have to face Sun Cao's joint attack, which will become a critical survival for us, please explain why you are acting like this. ”

Shen Chen was also sitting upright, and said with a solemn face: "Okay, then let me tell you why you chose to destroy Jiangdong first, and then take Guanzhong." First of all, it is a geographical factor, although the Xiliang Pass occupied by Han Sui and Ma Chao is very critical, but for us, its role is only a horse production land, and it cannot constitute a huge benefit. ”

"Please elaborate."

Everyone also knelt down seriously, straightened their waists, and looked at Shen Chen.

Shen Chen said: "First, there is no one in Guanzhong, after countless invasions of Sanfu by the princes of Xiliang, coupled with Dong Zhuo's rebellion, ten rooms and nine empty rooms in Guanzhong, 500,000 households are now probably less than 50,000 households, the land is vast and sparsely populated, if these places are occupied, the people can not provide grain and grass, they can only transport grain from Hanzhong, but the road to transport grain is difficult, and the long journey will increase the loss. ”

"Hmm."

Fa Zheng nodded slightly, this is something he knows, and he can't deny it.

Shen Chen said again: "The second is that Jiangdong is too close, Sun Quan is forbearing, and even his own sister is willing to sacrifice to the lord, and he definitely doesn't want to be friendly with us." Otherwise, why would he continue to divide and submit to the lord? With the heart of a prince, he will definitely join forces with Cao Cao to attack Jingzhou. Because he can't fight in the north, only the south can enter the land of Jingyi through water warfare, so the first destruction of Jiangdong is to prevent us from being attacked in the back when we fight with Cao Cao. ”

"Hmm."

This time, including Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, everyone had no objections.

Because what Shen Chen said was the truth, since he had already saved the mind of dividing the north and the south into two worlds, then the Sun family must be the target they wanted to eliminate.

Regardless of whether Sun Quan backstabbed Liu Bei or not, they said that if he did, then he would.

And geographically, it is true that Sun Quan is too close to the center of Jingzhou, and it takes a month for Guanzhong to beat Hanzhong and walk Chencang Road, and there are still a large number of passes in the middle, and it takes two or three months to walk straight into Chengdu.

In history, Sima Yi faced Zhuge Liang, but instead of entering Hanzhong, he was always passively beaten.

So from a practical point of view, the Yizhou area is actually very safe, as long as you hold Hanzhong, you don't need to worry about others attacking it.

Jingzhou, on the other hand, is different.

Cao Cao to the north and Sun Quan to the east, caught in it, suffered from the enemy on his belly and back.

Therefore, it is necessary to destroy an enemy and prevent backstabbing in the back, so that he can concentrate on Cao Cao in the north.

It's just that in order, Pang Tong Fazheng Xu Shu and they thought that they should first eliminate Han Sui and Ma Chao's Guanzhong forces to prevent Cao Cao from getting this part of the soldiers and horses, and then turn back and destroy Jiangdong.

Shen Chen thought that Han Sui and Ma Chao would not defect to Cao Cao, and should eliminate Sun Quan first, and then confront Cao Cao.

This is where Shen Chen and Pang Tongfa Zheng Xu Shu have their opinions to the left.

Shen Chen continued: "Third, Guanzhong is barren, and from a geopolitical point of view, Jiangdong is a greater threat. At the same time, from a strategic point of view, it is far worse to obtain the role of Guanzhong and Xiliang than to get Jiangdong, and the cost is much higher than the benefits of harvesting, so it is best to destroy Jiangdong first and then take Guanzhong. ”

"But that's still the problem."

Fa Zheng said: "Once Cao Cao gets Guanzhong Xiliang, and wins over Han Sui and Ma Chao to return to Shun, plus the rest of the large and small forces in Guanzhong, he will be able to expand more than 100,000 soldiers and horses for Cao Cao at once, and there will be a large number of cavalry. ”

"That's my fourth point."

Shen Chen said: "I know that Shiyuan, Yuanzhi, and Xiaozhi have a long-term vision, and have already considered the problem of the north-south hegemony in the future. However, when I look at Han Sui and Ma Chao's actions, it is by no means like I want to submit to Cao Cao, so this is the difference between my conclusion and your conclusion. ”

"Oh?"

Fa Zheng asked: "What is the basis that Han Sui and Ma Chao will not return to Cao Cao?" Do they not even care about their parents, children, and families? Although Han Sui only sent one son over, his general Yan Xing's parents and children, as well as Ma Chao's family are all in Yecheng, Ma Chao's father and brothers and sisters are all gone? ”

"This."

Shen Chen didn't know how to answer this, so he had to smile bitterly: "You may not believe it when you say it, but I do think so, they may indeed give up their families and choose to be independent." ”

Fa Zheng didn't refute, but said, "I want to hear why Xiaoqing made such a judgment." ”

"This time, Cao Cao attacked and merged with the state, and Gao Gan fled into the pass in embarrassment. Although the senior cadres sent people to contact Han Sui and Ma Chao, wanting to fight Cao with them, they refused, but they did not send troops to help Zhong Xuan. ”

Shen Chen thought about it and said: "Look at their actions, first, they will not send troops to help Cao Cao, and second, they will not intercept Gao Gan. Zhong Miao was in Chang'an, and almost let Gao Gan run away. No one will miss such an opportunity to show favor to Cao Cao. But their only move was when the lord went north to meet the high cadres, as if he was facing a great enemy, which showed their desire to divide one side. ”

"It's a pity."

Fa Zheng shook his head: "This can't convince me, because this reason is too far-fetched, the news that Hanzhong was conquered by the lord has long been spread in the past, Cao Cao ordered them to be strict in order to prevent the lord from taking over the senior cadres, or sending troops to Guanzhong, it is also possible, and even this may be the situation at the time, so it is impossible for me to agree with what you said Xiaoqing." ”

There was silence.

The autumn wind gently beats the doors and windows, making a whirring sound.

Zhang loosened the collar of his royal blue Shu brocade silk robe, Zhuge Liang closed his eyes to recuperate, and Liu Bei leaned on the table in front of him with both hands, leaning forward to look at Shen Chen and Fa Zheng.

After Fa Zheng finished questioning, he kept looking at Shen Chen, hoping that he could give him a reasonable answer.

But Shen Chen just lowered his head and meditated, with a serious expression on his face.

He couldn't give a reasonable explanation for Fazheng.

After all, he can't say that Han Sui and Ma Chao did this in history.

And Cao Cao in history is much stronger than now, although he has experienced the defeat of the Battle of Chibi, he is still the biggest overlord in the north.

In that case, Han Sui and Ma Chao dared to rebel, which shows that they don't care about the life and death of their families at all.

But how do you say such a thing?

Just like the great men of later generations thought about it for ten days and ten nights, but they didn't understand why that mysterious eastern power dared to come and attack us.

Han Sui Ma Chao's behavior was also incomprehensible in the eyes of people at the time.

You must know that Cao Cao and Ma Chao did not have any personal enmity at that time, but Han Sui killed Ma Chao's mother.

Moreover, Cao Cao's treatment of the princes and generals who surrendered to him was very good.

Except for Lu Bu, as long as you come to surrender, you will basically accept it.

Even the die-hard loyalists of the Yuan family like Gao Gan, as well as people like Zhang Xiu who killed his sons, nephews, and favorite generals, Cao Cao accepted them.

It can be seen that even though Cao Cao has many shortcomings, he still does a very good job in accommodating people.

In a world where filial piety governs the world, there are people who give up their reputation and morality, give up the glory and wealth brought by surrender and obedience, and they don't even want a family, they just want to fight hard with Cao Cao.

This kind of thing is not in itself in line with common sense.

Shen Chen wanted to find a suitable reason to overturn common sense, and it was difficult to argue a thing that did not conform to common sense.

Unless it happens.

So Shen Chen said in a deep voice: "These are just my personal inferences, and I have no way to verify them. I will ask Mr. Wenhe to see if his understanding of Han Sui and Ma Chao will be consistent with me. ”

"Mr. Wenhe?"

Fa Zheng was quite surprised: "Could it be Jia Wenhe?" ”

"Yes."

Shen Chen nodded and said, "He's in Xiangyang." ”

Fa Zheng said: "Mr. Wenhe is indeed a wise man in the world, but I believe that he will choose to attack Xiliang in Guanzhong like us, at least he should miss Xiliang's hometown very much." ”

Shen Chen said: "I still insist on my opinion on this matter, my lord, the top priority now is to deal with internal affairs, and in foreign affairs, we should not fight with the enemy for at least five years." Everyone is fighting for time, have a good rest and recuperation, the people are rich and the country is strong, and the country is strong in order to compete for hegemony. Therefore, I thought that we could not fight in the middle of the pass, and wait and see the situation first. ”

Liu Bei thought for a while, so he said: "Since I promised Xiaoqing, this matter will be up to you, then you can do it with confidence." Before, you said that you would not preside over the internal affairs of Jingzhou and Yizhou, and you need to lead troops to resist Cao Cao outside, so why not simply garrison Hanzhong to deal with Guanzhong affairs? ”

Zhuge Liang stood up at this time and suggested: "Xiaoqing can't go to Hanzhong. ”

"Why?"

Liu Bei was puzzled: "When Xiaoqing goes to Guanzhong, won't he be able to deal with Han Sui and Ma Chao's affairs at any time?" ”

Zhuge Liang said: "Now Yizhou should remain on the defensive, and the places where the most likely battle is in front are Nanyang and Huainan, both of which need to be garrisoned by a general." Liang thought that Xiaoqing must be in Nanyang to resist Cao Cao's attack. What's more, there is a martial pass in Nanyang, and there are changes in the pass, Xiaoqing can go out of the martial pass and enter the pass at any time. ”

"Hmm."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "Or Kong Ming thinks thoughtfully, how about Xiaoqing stationing troops in Nanyang?" ”

"Yui."

Shen Chen should have given his hand.

Liu Bei said again: "Then this matter is so decided, according to Xiaoqing's policy, Han Sui and Ma Chao will be married outside, Cao Cao will be resisted in the north, and Sun's will be removed inside." ”

Shen Chen said, "Where does the lord plan to set General Zuo's residence?" ”

Liu Bei thought for a while and said, "Chengdu? ”

"No."

Shen Chen shook his head: "Chengdu is too far away from Jingzhou, once the war in Jingzhou changes, it will be difficult to react. ”

"What about Xiangyang?"

Liu Bei asked again.

Shen Chen shook his head again: "Xiangyang is too far away from Hanzhong, if there is a change in Hanzhong, Jingzhou will not be able to rush to the aid immediately." ”

"Be the center."

Zhuge Liang pondered: "Is it Dingjiangzhou? ”

"Not bad."

Shen Chen said: "Jiangzhou is the center of the two places, the east can quickly rush to Jingzhou, and the north can immediately go north to Hanzhong, so General Zuo's residence in Jiangzhou is the most suitable." ”

Liu Bei nodded: "Okay, then it will be in Jiangzhou, and Kong Ming can go to Jiangzhou with me to govern Shu at that time." ”

"There is also the matter of Huainan, we have obtained a small half of Lujiang County, which can deter Jiangdong in the east, and Cao Cao Jianghuai in the north, and we also need generals to garrison."

"Who does Xiaoqing think is the most suitable person to recommend?"

"There are many talents under the main account, but I think the only people who can be generals alone are Kong Ming, Shi Yuan, Uncle Yun Chang, Uncle Zilong and Wen Zhongye."

Shen Chen said: "As for Uncle Yide, the lord knows that he likes to drink and make mistakes. ”

"Zilong?"

Liu Bei was surprised and said, "Does Xiaoqing think Zilong can lead the troops alone?" ”

"Exactly."

Shen Chen nodded seriously.

In fact, later generations often think that there is only one person in Liu Bei Group who can take the lead, and that is Zhuge Liang. The rest of Pang Tong died early, Guan Yu had character flaws, and was finally defeated by Maicheng.

But Shen Chen thought that Zhao Yun could too, because Zhao Yun had a calm personality and had strange schemes, such as the famous empty city strategy, which he used in the Battle of Hanzhong, and successfully defeated the strong with the weak, leading the army alone to defeat the troops led by Cao Cao himself.

Later, Zhuge Liang came out of the battle of Jieting in Qishan, due to Ma Tan's wrong tactics, which led to a great defeat in the battle of Jieting, and it was Zhao Yun who gathered his troops in time, stuck to Keigu, and personally led the troops to break off, so that no major losses were caused.

Therefore, in his opinion, Zhao Yun is a reliable general, even if he can't reach the point of flooding the Seventh Army like Guan Yu and shocking Huaxia. But if Zhao Yun is placed in Jingzhou, there is a high probability that there will be no defeat in Maicheng.

It's just that in a sense, Zhao Yun's substantive status is not high at present.

In the current Liu Bei Group, in the first echelon most trusted by Liu Bei, it must be Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tong, and Fa Zheng.

Needless to say, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei raised troops in Zhuo County, and they were Liu Bei's most trusted right and left hands.

Shen Chen is similar.

When Liu Bei was in Xuzhou, he saw Shen Chen's ability, just like even if Chen Deng didn't go with Liu Bei, Liu Bei would still praise Chen Deng's heroic spirit when he arrived in Jingzhou.

Although Shen Chen had not yet defected to Liu Bei at that time, the two sides had already established a foundation of friendship.

It is precisely because Shen Chen had already told him that if he was desperate in the future, he should go to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao, that he has today.

What's more, Shen Chen still led troops to join, and the 100,000 army in Jingzhou is now under his command, and in terms of military status, it is higher than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In terms of political significance and advice for Liu Bei, it is not inferior to Zhuge Liang.

As for Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tong, Fazheng, and Shen Chen, everyone helped him plan Jingzhou and Yizhou, and it was because of them that Liu Bei was able to get a huge territory.

So these seven people are the core layer of Liu Bei Group.

And Zhao Yun and Tai Shici's words, because they are not primitive shares like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, nor are they leading troops to join, or giving advice, their status is not as good as the seven of them.

It is probably similar to the status of Mi Zhu Sun Qian and other Xuzhou followers, and even Tai Shici's status may be higher than Zhao Yun.

Because Zhao Yun went back to the funeral for a period of time due to his brother's illness, he was absent from Liu Bei's experience in Xuzhou.

This is the same as the selection of founding marshals, generals, and generals in later generations, no matter how good the military exploits are, it is difficult to evaluate them if they are absent from the three major uprisings and the Long March.

Therefore, at this time, Zhao Yun's status belongs to the second level, and his position will be relatively backward.

may be ranked after Jian Yong, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Tai Shici and others, and has the same status as Shiren, Liu Yan, Yuan Qi, Xiahou Su and others.

If Liu Bei needed to find someone to lead the army alone to guard Huainan, he might choose one of Shen Chen, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong or Wen Ping, but he would never think of Zhao Yun.

Only Shen Chen strongly recommended it.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, since that's the case, then I'll order Zhao Yun to garrison Xunyang." ”

"There are also Hanzhong, the land of Chengdu, there must also be people stationed in the army."

"In addition, south of Yizhou and south of Jingzhou, although these places are remote, they cannot be underestimated. For example, Yinan produces iron, gold, silver, and copper. Jingnan has good sunlight and can use double-cropping rice to produce grain. ”

"As for the issue of local governance, the lord can use more talents from the big families in the two places, and the land of one county should still be able to be governed well."

"If Mr. Wenhe is in Xiangyang, he can also make suggestions, at least for five years, there will be no war in Jingzhou."

“.”

Shen Chen also gave a lot of suggestions, such as stationing troops in various places, internal politics, diplomatic affairs, economic development, and so on.

Liu Bei basically adopted them one by one.

In the end, when everything was almost done, Zhuge Liang said softly: "The governance matters in various places have been dealt with, so it's time to talk about the last thing." ”

"What?"

Liu Bei asked in surprise.

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Don't forget, the lord, there is still a marriage." Sun Quan sent envoys several times to ask when the lord would be able to marry his sister. Thinking about it, he couldn't wait. ”

Speaking of this matter again, Liu Bei had no choice but to smile bitterly: "This matter, forget it, then send a messenger to Jiangdong to deal with this matter." ”

He didn't really want to agree.

But Zhuge Liang had also said before that they needed an excuse to go to war against Jiangdong.

And Sun Quan sent his sister over, which will inevitably make Sun Shangxiang an internal response.

When the time comes, they can plan and let Sun Shangxiang pass on some false information back.

Once Sun Quan was fooled and took the initiative to provoke a war, then they would have a legitimate reason to send troops to Jiangdong.

So for the sake of the great cause, Liu Bei could only agree to get married.

(End of chapter)