Chapter 116 Three Wise Men Offer Their Advice
Three days later, Liu Feng, who was soaking in the camp and continuing to train Xu Sheng Buqu, preparing to welcome new recruits, suddenly received a call from Liu Bei.
So Liu Feng hurried back to the state capital.
After meeting Liu Bei, I found that he was watching and there was nothing urgent.
Seeing his son coming, Liu Bei was very happy and waved to Liu Feng.
"Feng'er, please sit down next to your father."
Liu Feng was obedient and sat down obediently.
"Father, what do you want from me?"
Hearing this, Liu Bei pretended to be unhappy: "Why, if I miss you as a father, I have to call you for something else. Come and take a look?"
Liu Feng could only beg for mercy and confessed, and Liu Bei let him go.
Returning to the topic, Liu Bei pointed to the several volumes of silk books on the desk, frowned and said: "In recent days, Yuanlong, Changwen, and Zijing have all written to express their opinions, but the direction is completely different. I am hesitant and unable to make a decision. I just want to hear your opinion.”
With Liu Bei’s permission, Liu Feng opened the silk book and read it.
The first silk letter was written by Chen Yuanlong. He hoped to strengthen Langya's military strength and develop northward.
At present, Qingzhou has no owner, and all the heroes have risen together. Yuan Tan controls Pingyuan and Jinan, Tian Kai controls Le'an and Qi, Kong Rong controls Beihai, and Cai Zhen guards Donglai. They are all incompetent.
Moreover, Qingzhou has the advantage of salt and iron, and it is the northern barrier of Xuzhou. It is not necessary to occupy Qingzhou entirely. It only needs to capture the south of the Yellow River to occupy most of Qingzhou, and there is the natural danger of the Yellow River.
According to Chen Yuanlong's estimation, he could first unite with Kong Rong to capture Donglai, and then use Donglai and Langya as a basis to attack Tiankai. At least Le'an and Qi can be divided equally with Yuan Tan. In this way, Kong Rong's Beihai can be protected, and Yuan Tan's territory in Qingzhou will be divided into two by the Yellow River, making it unsustainable.
Chen Deng's judgment is correct. Historically, Yuan Shao's rule in Qingzhou can be considered real and effective. There is only one county in the plain west of the Yellow River. The other counties are nominally subordinate to Yuan Shao, but they are powerful and powerful. Each occupies one side.
Often the officials sent by Yuan Shao to Qingzhou did not dare to cross the river to take office. This was because Qingzhou's powerful men repeatedly killed the officials sent by Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao had nothing to do with them.
In the end, it directly led to the beginning of the Battle of Guandu. Zang Ba defeated three counties in January and pushed the battle line directly to the edge of the Yellow River. However, even though Yuan Tan had the advantage in military strength, he was unable to open up the situation.
Chen Deng's meaning is very clear, which is to take advantage of Kong Rong's advantage as his own ally to enclose land in Qingzhou first.
Tian Kai is hopeless and cannot be saved. To save him would be to break the alliance with Yuan Shao.
In this case, it is better to divide it with Yuan Shao. In this way, Kong Rong's Beihai country will also be surrounded by Xuzhou, and may even be integrated into one in the future.
With a buffer zone as large as Qingzhou in the north, the pressure on Langya County will be greatly reduced.
I have to say that Chen Deng’s strategy is very farsighted and very feasible.
And Liu Feng believes that Yuan Shao is also willing to accept such a result.
In this way, with the Qingzhou battlefield settled, Yuan Shao can concentrate all his energy on dealing with Gongsun Zan.
Liu Feng remembered very clearly that Yuan Shao's record against Gongsun Zan this year was quite ugly.
With the help of Xian Yufu and others, they first defeated Gongsun Zan, but in the end they were unable to capture Gongsun Zan's foundation. When they finally ran out of food and retreated, they were pursued and defeated by Gongsun Zan, losing all their supplies.
Yuan Shao's losses this time were quite heavy. Ju Yijun, who was the most capable of fighting, also lost more than half. These are all elites who have fought in hundreds of battles.
What is even more tragic is that all the baggage is lost. It is not just food, but also a large amount of armor, ordnance, and carts.
These losses made Yuan Shao feel more distressed than the losses of veterans of hundreds of battles. After all, the troops belonged to Ju Yi, but the equipment and armor were the ones Yuan Shao had worked hard to save.
After the fight, Yuan Shao began to hesitate again, and actually wanted to negotiate peace with Gongsun Zan. It can only be said that Yuan Shao really had a shadow on Gongsun Zan.
In the end, Gongsun Zan died because he was so crazy that he was seeking death, not because Yuan Shao could really defeat him.
Yuan Shao wanted to negotiate peace with Gongsun Zan until the beginning of the fourth year of Jian'an when Gongsun Zan burned himself, instead of completely wiping out the other party. This shows the great reputation of Baima Yicong.
However, Liu Feng feels that at least this year's peace proposal by Yuan Shao, in addition to the effect of the shadow of the white horse, still has the flavor of a delaying tactic. He suffered a huge defeat. If Gongsun Zan takes advantage of the situation and counterattacks again, it will be great fun. .
After all, most of Jizhou originally supported Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shao was the latecomer.
But Yuan Shao never imagined that Gongsun Zan no longer had the strength to fight back. His request for peace revealed his guilty conscience.
Putting down Chen Deng's silk letter, Liu Feng picked up another one.
This letter suggests that Liu Bei seize the opportunity to develop westward and occupy the two counties of Lu and Pei first.
Liu Feng smiled, this must have been done by Chen Changwen.
Chen Changwen carefully analyzed the situation in his silk book and believed that whether he went north to Qingzhou or south to Guangling, he would attract behemoths like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu to Xuzhou as enemies, which was not advisable.
Only in Yuzhou, although there is Guo Gong, the governor, the state is torn apart.
Excluding Yingchuan County, which was repeatedly looted and severely damaged by Dong Zhuo's army, the remaining Runan is the Yuan family's basic base. Even if it sends troops to occupy it, it will be difficult to control it. Liang Guo is It is Guo Gong who occupies it. He has more than 10,000 troops and has the title of governor. It is temporarily out of reach.
As for Chen State, there are Chen King Liu Chong and State Prime Minister Luo Jun. These two are brave and resourceful, and they have won the hearts of the people of Chen State. They can form an alliance but cannot control it.
Only the two kingdoms of Lu and Pei are located on the side of Xuzhou, and they are integrated into one. There is no prime minister in the country. If Liu Bei sends troops at this time, he will be able to succeed easily.
In addition, Chen Qun also tactfully reminded that Chen Deng's father, Chen Gui, once served as the Prime Minister of Pei, just a few years ago.
At that time, Tao Qian's strength reached its peak, spanning three states and eight counties, and he appointed Chen Gui as the prime minister of Pei.
During his stay in Pei State, Chen Gui conducted a clean and honest administration and suppressed banditry. He was highly praised by local nobles and people and left behind many legacy connections.
Later, Tao Qian was defeated and Yuan Shu continued to expand after occupying Lujiang. Chen Gui had no soldiers or food, so he had to leave his job and flee back to his hometown of Xiapi.
If Liu Bei presented Chen Gui as Prime Minister, it would have the effect of getting twice the result with half the effort.
At the same time, Chen Qun also admitted that his family had a bad reputation in Yuzhou, and if Liu Bei would not give up, he would be willing to serve Liu Bei and stabilize the place.
Chen Qun’s suggestion is relatively conservative, but as he said, the chance of success is high, and the most important thing is not to offend anyone.
Because neither Lu nor Pei has a prime minister now, let alone their old territory.
If Liu Bei sends troops to take it down, he will not be attacked by powerful snipers, nor will he offend any powerful enemies, which is similar to the advantages of picking it up for free.
Moreover, Lu and Pei are close to Xuzhou and can be integrated with Xuzhou, and can also cover the flanks of the East China Sea and Xiapi.
Especially the strategic location of Lu State is very important.
Although the state of Lu is not big, with only six counties, it is located at a strategic strategic point, connecting three states and eight counties: Donghai, Pengcheng, Taishan, Rencheng, Dongping, Jibei, Shanyang, and Pei. There are eight counties in the country.
Only one elite force is stationed in Lu State, which can threaten the five counties of Yanzhou at any time. It can be said that it has a sharp edge at its back.
If the Lu State is not eradicated, Yanzhou will have no strategic initiative against Xuzhou.
Confucius said, Climb the East Mountain and you will be small, and climb the Taishan Mountain and you will be small. This sentence is also quite correct from a strategic point of view.
Controlling the State of Lu would radiate half of the Central Plains.
The last thing Liu Feng saw was a silk letter of advice from Lu Su.
Compared with the previous two, Lu Su's silk book has a higher purpose and elaborates his opinions from the perspective of grand strategy.
If Chen Deng’s strategy is to advance northward, Chen Qun’s opinion is to expand westward, then Lu Su’s opinion is to march southward.
Lu Su pointed out that now is the best time to go south. All the surrounding warlords are stuck in the quagmire and unable to take action. Guangling currently has no eunuch, and Yuan Sui, who is acting as county official, is not a strong-willed person. He is talented and honest in politics, but his biggest weakness is that he is too humble and does not know how to fight.
Such an acting governor would be the best choice if peacetime prevailed, and he would also be able to gain support from all counties.
But these are troubled times, and what Guangling scholars and people lack most is a sense of security.
Ming Gong just led an army of tens of thousands to sweep across Langya in ten days, shocking Shandong. The scholars and people of Guangling must be respectful and eager to see Ming Gong's army going south. Guangling is within easy reach. If the time is delayed, when Yuan Shu is free, he will definitely send a large army to fight for Guangling with his lord. By then, the war will be filled with war and all life will be devastated. Even if Guangling is captured, it will get a piece of white land, what is the use?
Lu Su later described his strategic thinking in detail.
After taking Guangling, the envoy made friends with Liu Yao, and then contacted Liu Biao to besiege him on three sides. He first destroyed Yuan Shu and took all the land of Huaisi.
At that time, if Liu Yao surrenders, it will be the best. If he does not surrender, it will be annexed.
In this way, Ming Gong can sit on the two states of Xu and Yang. If he retreats, he can defend one side and split the land and become king. If he advances, he can compete in the Central Plains and compete in the world.
This is to let Yuan Shao occupy Hebei in the north, let Cao Cao occupy Si Yan in the west, and I will occupy Xu Yang.
In this way, three pillars can be achieved and a tripod can be achieved.
Yuan and Cao are facing each other head-on. They have no choice but to retreat and must fight first.
But if I keep Jiangdong, Yuan and Cao can only compete to win over me, but cannot join forces.
Lu Su's judgment was very accurate. If Liu Bei did not have an escape route to Jiangdong, then Yuan Shao and Cao Cao might even destroy Liu Bei first and then decide the outcome. It would be better than being attacked mid-fight.
This is why the boss and the second child are competing, and the third child dies first.
But if Liu Bei has a way out, then even if Yuan Shao still wants to drag Cao Cao to destroy Liu Bei first, as long as Cao Cao is not a fool, he will definitely be respectful and insensitive.
Even if Liu Bei is driven out of Xuzhou by then, can Yuan Shao still chase him to Jiangdong and destroy Liu Bei?
With Liu Bei of Jiangdong behind him, can Cao Cao still fight Yuan Shao?
This is the importance of Jiangdong to Xuzhou. With Jiangdong, Xuzhou will be safe. Without Jiangdong, Xuzhou will be in danger.
After reading the three silk letters, Liu Feng put them all back into place.
Liu Bei has been sitting quietly, looking at his proud son.
The more he looked, the stronger the smile on his face became.
Nothing makes a father happier than someone who is over fifty, who has finally created a career, and who has successors.
"Feng'er, have you finished reading? What do you think, but it doesn't matter."
"I've finished reading."
Liu Feng nodded towards Liu Bei , and then fell into silence again.
He was thinking about how to choose.
If it was before, then he would actually agree with Lu Su's suggestion and go south to Jiangdong.
After all, compared with the predators in the Central Plains, Jiangdong is really just a fish pond at this time.
Sun Bofu, the number one under Yuan Shu's command, can't even defeat Liu Yao's powerful coalition. He has been unable to cross the Yangtze River and is trapped in Liyang in the north of the Yangtze River to recuperate.
Although Liu Bei had to face Yuan Shu directly when he went south, the situation has changed now.
The Xuzhou Army no longer had historical worries, and was able to occupy Guangling first, which was equivalent to gaining a well-preserved large county that had not experienced war.
The most important thing is that even if Liu Bei does not go south, Yuan Shu will still go north next year. There is almost no possibility of coexistence between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei, and there is only a life-or-death relationship.
Liu Bei now went directly south, captured the entire Guangling without a single blow, and could collect an extra year of grain and taxes. This was equivalent to a huge blood transfusion, and the harvest was even greater than that of Langya. According to Liu Feng's estimation, as long as Yuan Shu can be defeated next year and Guangling can be protected from major destruction, the Xuzhou Army will be able to take the initiative to attack Yuan Shu's Huainan by the year after next.
Logically speaking, Liu Feng should choose Lu Su's plan without hesitation.
But he was still a little hesitant.
Because Chen Qun and Chen Deng's plan also has considerable advisability.
Chen Deng entered Qingzhou, thinking that the Langya barrier would give him a chance to occupy the natural dangers of the Yellow River, win over Kong Rong, and benefit from Qingzhou's salt and iron. Liu Feng was very tempted by the benefits.
As for the two countries of Lu and Pei mentioned by Chen Qun, they are indeed as tempting as ripe fruits, which can be easily picked without any effort. And once they are all captured, especially the Lu State, these two countries will immediately be able to integrate with Xuzhou, and they can also threaten Yanzhou's inner circle, so that Cao Cao will never dare to look at Xuzhou again.
But these are all advantages, and there are also disadvantages.
Going north to Qingzhou will inevitably disrupt Yuan Shao's strategic plan to obtain the four states in Hebei, arouse Yuan Shao's fear and hostility, and in vain share the pressure for Cao Cao.
The expansion of Lu and Pei to the west will seriously irritate Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, because Yuan Shu has already regarded Yuzhou as his own territory, but is temporarily unable to capture it, and the position of Lu is too threatening to Yanzhou's heart. How can Cao Cao sit idly by? ignore.
Liu Bei has already understood these stakes. In his opinion, these strategies are all very good, but it is a pity that he can only choose one of the three.
Personally, he has given up on Chen Qun's strategy of integrating the west, and has not yet made a decision on whether to advance north or south.
Seeing that Liu Feng was thinking seriously, Liu Bei waited patiently, fearing that Liu Feng's thoughts would be interrupted. It wasn't until Liu Feng slowly let out a breath that he curiously asked: "What are you thinking about, my son?"
Liu Feng showed a slightly cunning smile at Liu Bei, which moved Liu Bei's heart. A soft. Feng'er was still just a child after all. It was all his fault that his father was incompetent and put great pressure on him too early.
"Father, the child is thinking that the plans of the three great sages are very tempting and very feasible. I wonder if there is a plan that can make the most of them?"
Liu Bei burst out laughing. , my son is really greedy.
After laughing, Liu Bei shook his head and sighed: "My son's ambition is commendable, but it's a pity that the people's hearts are not enough. Although these three strategies are good, I, Xuzhou, are not within my capabilities. How can I get the best of them?" "
"Not really."
A mysterious smile appeared on Liu Feng's face.
When Liu Bei saw this smile, his body trembled and he said in disbelief: "Feng'er, do you have a way?"
Of course Liu Feng did not dare to continue to show off in front of Liu Bei, so he went straight to the point and said: "I may have a way, Feng'er. It can be tried."
Liu Feng spread out three pieces of silk from Chen Deng and others and gave them to Liu Bei to analyze.
“The opinions of the three wise men are all beneficial to our Xuzhou. But even so, according to the difficulty and the harvest, they can be divided into high and low. Among them, Mr. Zijing’s strategy is the most difficult, but the gain is It is also the largest. As long as Xuzhou can pacify Jiangdong and control Xu and Yangzhou, we can advance and retreat freely, and the world can be fought for."
Liu Bei nodded slowly. He also knew this, so he was in Chen. Deng and Lu Su were wavering between each other and could not make a decision. Otherwise, he would have overwhelmingly supported Chen Deng and gone north to Qingzhou.
Liu Bei is such a nepotist.
During the fierce battle in Hanzhong in history, Liu Bei was completely over the top. Even Cao Jun’s strong bows were fired at him, and he refused to retreat.
At that time, a lot of big guys were anxious, but no matter how hard they tried to persuade him, it was of no use. In the end, they had to rely on Fa Zheng to successfully make him retreat. Could it be that only Fa Zheng who said retreat was concerned about Liu Bei?
Obviously not, it was just because Fazheng said it that Liu Bei, who was in over his head, listened.
“The plan to go south is the most difficult and the most profitable, and it can become the foundation for aspiration.”
"Mr. Changwen's strategy is the least difficult and the least profitable, but it has the greatest consequences. Now that Cao Cao is entangled by Lu Bu and Yuan Shu is besieged by Liu Yao and Liu Biao, there is naturally nothing they can do against Xuzhou. But once they free up their hands, then The situation is different. Cao Cao may negotiate with Yanzhou, but Yuan Shu will definitely attack."
Liu Bei thought about it, and it was true that as Liu Feng said, Cao Cao might make peace, but Yuan Shu would definitely fight.
Liu Feng continued his analysis: "In this case, there is no fundamental contradiction between Mr. Changwen's policy and Mr. Zijing's policy, but there is an extra Cao Yanzhou. If my father can stabilize Cao Yanzhou, Then we can work together on two strategies."
Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and figured out the connection here.
To go south is to fight Yuan Shu, and to expand westward is to fight Yuan Shu. They are all fighting the same Yuan Shu, and it is impossible to conjure two Yuan Shus.
In this case, as long as the extra variable - Cao Cao - can be stabilized, Xuzhou's two strategies of southward expansion and westward expansion can indeed be pursued at the same time.
Liu Bei's interest immediately rose. Is it true that as Feng'er said, the three strategies can be implemented at the same time?
This picture is so beautiful that Liu Bei had never even dared to think about it before.
Liu Bei suppressed his excitement, "What about Yuanlong's strategy?"
Liu Feng shook his head, like a basin of ice water, which calmed Liu Bei down.
"Mr. Yuanlong's strategy has medium benefits and medium consequences. When we enter Qingzhou, we will definitely offend Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao also has Uncle Gongsun at this time, so he will most likely be tolerant. But once Yuan Shao unifies the North, then he will They are going to show their fangs to us”
(End of this chapter)