The first year of Jian'an may be destined to be a disaster. In Qing, Xu, Yu, Yan and Huainan, which are north of the Yangtze River, swarms of locusts suddenly arose and eat all the rice. For example, in the Guandong area, a hu of grain, a hu of money is required, and the people eat each other, and the bones accumulate and the corpse is covered in the road. The situation is terrible.

In October of autumn, Cao Cao's troops came from Jiangbei to welcome the emperor. At the beginning of the year, after successfully eliminating Zhang Miao's rebellion, Cao Cao led his army to defeat the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou by Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, and recruited the strong men to serve as soldiers, and his momentum was restored. The emperor appointed Cao Cao as the general of Zhendong, led the lieutenant of the Si Li, and recorded the ministerial affairs. He also appointed thirteen generals of the Wei and the general Dong Cheng as the marquis of the marquis, and appointed the commander of the Shesheng School Ju Jun as the prefect of Hongnong. Since then, the government has been controlled by Cao Cao's faction.

At the same time, Yuan Shu in Huainan had a lot of grain and had a jade seal made by Sun Ce. So he thought that the Han Dynasty had 400 years, and the energy was gone, and the country was full of energy. My family had four generations and three dukes, and the people returned. My Yuan surname came from Chen. Chen was the descendant of Dashun. He used earth to carry fire, and responded to his fortune. He had long been secretly determined to be the emperor. In order to expand his power, Yuan Shu ordered the general Ji Ling to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Xuzhou. Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei to defend Xia Pi, and he and Guan Yu led the troops to resist Yuan Shu in Xuyi and Huaiyin. The two armies had a victory or defeat.

When the stalemate was in stalemate, Cao Bao, the prime minister of Xia Pi, was beaten to death by Zhang Fei. The old troops of Danyang in the city took advantage of the situation to rebel. Yuan Shu saw that Liu Bei's rear was unstable, so he compiled a letter to Lu Bu, who was temporarily living in Xiaopei, and promised him to attack Xia Pi. Lu Bu was overjoyed and led his army to the east. Zhang Fei was defeated when he received the battle. Liu Bei's wife and generals and officials were all captured.

When Liu Bei was rewarded for help, he was later pursued and defeated by Ji Ling, so he had to station troops in Haixi. Later, Lu Bu was angry that Yuan Shu did not carry on food, so he summoned Liu Bei again and called him to be the governor of Yuzhou and sent him to station troops in Xiaopei. Lu Bu himself was the governor of Xuzhou.

The princes compete for hegemony, fighting for each other, and the strong are fighting for the weak. This happens to be back to the Warring States Period more than 200 years ago. Among them, which of the princes would care about the lives and deaths of the people. Although I have gained a firm foothold in Yuzhang, I would not be annexed by powerful others, in addition to farming to enrich the people and strengthening the military, I also need to open a school and summon knowledgeable scholars to vote.

Fortunately, after a fierce battle, it did not affect the root of Yuzhang. Compared with the hungry and cold states in Jiangbei, Yuzhang's situation was much better, and the full treasury also gave me some confidence to compete for hegemony.

On this day, I had just rushed back to Yuzhang City with Liu Ye, Cang Ci, and Zheng Hun from Shangliao. Xu Jing, who was responsible for the reception ceremony, hurried over. He said, "General, Yuan Yin of Huainan has been waiting in the inn for many days, but I don't know-?"

Yuan Shu, a greedy and extravagant guy, raised hundreds of mothers and imperial concubines when he arrived in Huainan, and all of them were liberated. He was tired of meat and meat, which caused the treasury to be empty and the people were hungry. When he heard that Yu Zhang was rich, he immediately sent his companion Yuan Yin to borrow grain. Although it was a name for borrowing, he actually forced us to give him food free of charge by force.

I frowned and said, "Didn't Ziyu meet him? Why didn't he be lucky? If you go and tell him again, I will say that I'm not feeling well and it's not convenient to meet guests."

When Liu Ye saw Xu Jing looking upset, he advised: "Then Yuan Yin is Yuan Shu's consul, and I'm afraid it's not that easy to pass."

While talking, Gan Ning stepped in from outside and heard Liu Ye's words, and continued: "Although Yuan Shu was descended from the fourth generation and the third emperor, he was a small person and had only a false reputation. What's so scary?"

I thought, "Yuan Shu has two Huaihe Rivers, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If he really launches troops to attack, it will not be stopped by our own strength. Moreover, if the war once again affects the people and makes the land that has been reclaimed decay again, Yuzhang's just stable situation will be destroyed. This is not the result we want."

When Liu Ye heard what I said, he laughed and said, "Actually, it is not difficult to send Yuan Yin away."

I asked anxiously, "What is Ziyang's trick? Let's talk about it."

Liu Ye said calmly, "It's nothing to say it bluntly, it's actually just a word - money. When I first joined the prefect of Lujiang, Liu Xun, I met Yuan Yin and sent Yuan Shu to collect military rations in Wancheng. Liu Xun knew that Yuan Yin was greedy for money, so he complained to Yuan Yin and cried poorly, and secretly sent Yuan Yin a lot of gold, silver and jewelry. Yuan Yin received a bribe. After returning to Shouchun, he said that Lujiang was flooded and the people were in poverty and had no food to supply. Therefore, the matter of collecting grain was confused. This time, why don't we do it according to the same situation?"

I said happily: "As Ziyang said, it turns out that Yuan Yin is reluctant to leave. The purpose is to quarrel, and it's okay, let this kid be proud."

Liu Ye said again: "This year, locusts invaded the various places in Huainan, and the particles were not harvested. Since Yuan Shu came to Yuzhang to borrow grain, I think he would definitely send an envoy to ask Sun Ce of Jiangdong for grain. Sun Ce is now full of Yuji, how could he take Yuan Shu seriously anymore? I am worried that Sun Ce will not borrow grain, and the two will lose harmony. Sun Ce now has Kuaiji Inside, Yan Baihu and other enemies attack the county, and Yuan Shu is watching the tiger outside. He will not fight with our army again. Therefore, if we send envoys to Jiangdong to make peace at this time, things will be accomplished. Once the talks with Sun Ce are successful, then Yuan Shu will definitely be afraid to act with us. Even if he knows the truth later, he will not dare to do anything to us."

Liu Ye’s idea was really unexpected. Our army had just fought fiercely with Sun Ce and went to discuss peace talks in a short time. The possibility of success was really questionable.

However, Liu Ye's analysis was just right. After Sun Ce drove out the prefect of Wujun Xu Gong in Jiangdong, he had occupied Danyang and Wujun. At the same time, he led a large army to capture Kuaiji. He fought with Kuaiji Prefect Wang Lang in Xijin, killed the former prefect of Danyang Zhou Xin, and defeated Wang Lang's army. Later, Wang Lang retreated to Guling and could not stand out. Sun Ce crossed the river several times but failed to work. The two armies had been confronting each other for several months.

For Sun Ce, if he sent troops to conquer Yu Zhang to revenge and fight our army despite the internal troubles, he would give Yan Baihu, Xu Gong the chance. Danyang and Wu counties that had just been pacified will be repeated again. Therefore, the most important thing for Sun Ce now is to concentrate his forces to defeat Kuaiji Wang Lang and quickly unify the three counties of Jiangdong.

However, no matter how speculation is, if the envoy is really sent, this journey will be too dangerous. After all, Sun Ben's head is still here, and for Sun Ce, who is invincible all the way, how can he not repay such a great defeat?

I looked around everyone and said, "Although Ziyang's plan is good, I don't know who can bear this important task in Dongjie Sun Ce?"

Before I could finish my speech, I heard a loud response from someone: "I am willing to go to Jiangdong!"

When I looked closely, it was Liu Yao's eldest son Liu Ji. This trip to Jiangdong was full of dangers. If Sun Ce took his anger on the head of the messenger for Sun Ben's death, he would be beheaded. Liu Ji had such courage, just this was much better than his father Liu Yao.

I was hesitating, and Liu Ji thought I could not trust him, so he said, "Ji's father Yao was the governor of Yangzhou first. Now I inherited my father's order and served as a mission to Jiangdong. Sun Ce can't do anything to me!"

Indeed, among the lords of Yuzhang, I really can't find a more suitable candidate than Liu Ji. Although Sun Ce now occupies Jiangdong, it has not yet been recognized by the court. If Sun Ce goes here, if Sun Ce causes harm, he will be abandoned by the Han people and will not tolerate it for the court. Sun Ce has great ambitions and has the ambition to go north to fight for hegemony. He should not do anything to vent his anger for a while and harm his own interests.

After weighing the pros and cons, if Liu Ji was on an envoy, the result would be better than others. I nodded and responded to Liu Ji's request and said, "This trip to Jiangdong is to return Sun Ben's head to the full corpse. This is a way of accumulating virtue; the second is to have the determination of our people to inherit the will of the previous lord and to express our army's determination to defend the territory. It is of great importance. For a comprehensive plan, Brother Ziyang can go with you and have a response along the way."

Liu Ji smiled and replied, "With Brother Zi Yang's accompanying you, you will definitely get what you want when you travel to Wujun."

Wujun, yes, Sun Ce is in Wujun now. There are too many names and places that I am familiar with, but I don’t know whether things are right or wrong. The young man Lu Xun, the innocent and lovely Huaiju Lu Ji, and Lu Ti who exists in my dreams, are they all okay?

Lu Ti——, the beautiful woman who spoke softly and tenderly on Taihu Lake, the girl who brought me medicine with her delicate hands, how can I forget her in this life? At this moment, I just don’t know where she is now?

Maybe it's time. Now I have gained a firm foothold in Yuzhang and should take Lu Xun and the others. After half a year, Xiao Luji must have become much older, and I'm afraid I won't recognize him anymore.

When everyone dispersed, I left Liu Ye alone and handed him a letter. I said, "When I stayed in Wujun, I had an old age with Lu Xun in Wuzhong. Now I have a handwritten silk book. If Zi Yang arrives in Wujun, I can pass this letter to him."

Liu Ye took the silk book and hid it in his arms. It is hard to predict whether he will live or die when he will come back. The night before Liu Ye left, we talked all night long and couldn't sleep all night.

The lights flashed and darkened, just like Yuzhang, falling on the Han Dynasty, was just the most inconspicuous black spot. It was not easy to survive in the cracks between Liu Biao, Yuan Shu and Sun Ce.

That night, Liu Ye's expression was so confident. He said: "Ye thought that only the current plan was to go east and Sun Ce, Bei'an Yuan Shu, and Xi'an Liu Biao. First, determine Baiyue in the south and expand the borders and borders. He thought that Yuzhang was solid. When the world suddenly changed, our army could wait for an opportunity to attack and choose one to attack him. Only then would it be the best strategy!"

Liu Ye's opinion is very reasonable. Although Yuan Shu is willing to be emperor, he has not shown his appearance. He also has Ji Ling, Zhang Xun and other owls who are rashly turning against him to hit the stone with eggs. Although it is the best way to stabilize the Yuzhang, if the army takes Jiangxia, it is necessary to risk going to war with Liu Biao, and this cannot be done.

Besides, Sun Ce is now in charge of Jiangdong, and his foundation is gradually strengthening. Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang are all enemies of thousands of people. Zhang Zhao and others are planning for it. It is not easy for our army to defend the existing land. How can we still cause trouble and perish on our own? After thinking about it, the only way is to attack Shanyue in the south, expand the territory, and consolidate the foundation is to be the best.

I high-five and praised: "Zi Yangguo is a think tank in the army. If you have a brother to help you, it is a blessing to be favored."

Liu Ye said with worries: "Yuzhang has many powerful enemies, undercurrents are turbulent, and the wind and clouds are surging. The hexagram says: The dangers are everywhere in Kunmen, and it is not a place where the dragons lurk. After I leave, Brother Shaochong must be careful. Although the southern expedition to Manyue is the right way, I am afraid that the people will have doubts."

Liu Ye's words were deeply affectionate and profound, which moved me very much. Until now, Liu Ye and I have both referred to each other as their names and respected each other. Both of them were open-minded and had long been known to each other. After saying goodbye, I couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to leave.

My heart was moved, and I reached out to hold Liu Ye tightly and said, "Brother Ziyang's trip is really at the forefront of the storm, and everything must be more careful!"

As Liu Ye expected, as soon as I told the way to go south in the conference hall, everyone was full of opposition. Not to mention the famous scholars such as Hua Xin, Xu Jing, and Xu Shao, even the two great generals, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning.

"Yuan Shu in Huainan is extremely desperate and urgently abolishes the emperor and establishes himself. This is a defiance of heaven, and our army should be able to deal with it!" Hua Xin was the first to refute.

Gan Ning stared at the tiger's eyes and said, "Ning came from Jiangxia all the way, knowing the water feelings of the Yangtze River, the mouth of the Xia River, and the throat of the Yangtze River, holding the key points of the north and south. Liu Biao's general Huang Zu was secretly weak and unrighteous. He believed in traitors, not the general's talent. If our army attacked him, he would rather be a pioneer!"

Taishici also said: "Jiangdong, therefore the land of Liu Envoy. Sun Ce recruited private troops to seek Jiangdong and drove us into a partial county in Yuzhang. It was not given by the court, and it was not right. If our army could take advantage of the opportunity to return to the army to fight, it would be favored by the people of Jiangdong."

Before I could speak, Gan Ning said again: "Shaochong, I am forgiving that the move south was done by a coward. Now my Pengze Zhou army has fifteen Mengchong warships, hundreds of fighting ships, and nearly 3,000 elite soldiers. All of them have been trained into an army. The Yuzhang Navy controls the vast waters from Xiakou to Wancheng. Looking up and down the Yangtze River, even if the Jiangxia Huangzu sent the strongest Jingzhou navy, I, Gan Ning, have the courage to gain a chance!"

Gan Ning has been with me for a long time in the past two months, and their names have been replaced by the word "table". These days he has been supervising the construction of warships in Pengzekou and training the newly established naval army. Seeing that I expressed my opinions on going south, I thought I was worried that Yuzhang would be surrounded by strong enemies and fear that he would lose his battle, so he came out to report.

Taishici was not willing to fall behind and said, "The construction of the Stone Seal Pass has been basically completed. As long as the last batch of stones is shipped, it can be completed within three days. At that time, only one army must be stationed at the Stone Seal Pass to guard the pass. One man can block the pass, and no one can drive it. No matter how Sun Ce has thousands of troops, he will not do anything to us!"

I smiled bitterly. Yuzhang Water Town, with dense river networks and lakes, and an elite naval army, just like a fast cavalry in the north. On the battlefield, time determines victory and loss, life and death in a sense. The reason why I defeated Sun Ben last time was beyond the conventional expectations of the enemy. Taking a boat to attack Fanyang with a rapid force was one of the reasons. Therefore, supervising the construction of warships in Pengze and preparing for the construction of a naval army was something that must be done in Yuzhang.

However, it was a last resort to build a pass in Shiyin Mountain. Although I sent Liu Ji and Liu Ye to Jiangdong to negotiate, the result was still unpredictable. Moreover, Yu Zhang slammed Wu Chu's throat, which was the place that Sun Ce would seize when entering Jingzhou. Now he has not sent troops to invade the main force, mainly due to the rampant activities of Kuaiji Wang Lang and the bandits in the country. Generals such as Cheng Pu and Han Dang are busy fighting against and quelling the rebellion. Once they recover in the future, I am afraid that he will be the first to attack Yu Zhang, so I must be on guard.

I said, "Ziyi must not be careless. In ancient times, the name of the dangerous passes and narrow passes was not only the dangerous terrain on which it was based, but also the main reason was that the soldiers guarding the pass were united and good at guarding it. If the soldiers were distracted from the upper and lower levels, or the generals were arrogant and careless, even if the pass was as dangerous as the water, the Huzhu would be useless."

After hearing this, Taishici said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, lord, if you are in the lockdown, people will die. As long as I, Taishici, live, I will never let Sun Ce's army cross the pass."

Taishici thought to himself that he was brave and had been resentful of being deceived by Zhou Yu in the previous episode. When I heard Taishici say this, somehow suddenly a trace of ominousness flashed through my heart. The trap was destroyed. This was extremely unlucky, and it was a great oath that could not be said casually.

Thinking of this, I loudly comforted me: "Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Ziyi should not take it to heart. Our contest with Sun Ce has just begun. If you have a future battle, you can fight Ziyi. I guarantee that you will be satisfied with the fight, and I am afraid that you will not be able to avenge you!"

Gan Ning said loudly, "This is not possible. If Ziyi can do it alone, I, Gan Ning, will not agree."

Both Taishici and I laughed when they heard this. Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, I carefully sorted out my thoughts and said, "Yuzhang is located in a remote and sparsely populated place. If we wait for the enemy to attack, we will be defeated and captured in the future. Now the matter of military farming and accumulation of li and nourishing the people is just about to be completed. Our army has sufficient food and grass, and the soldiers are elite, so we should make a difference. Looking around, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, and Sun Ce all have strong soldiers. They are strong and weak. If they are strong, they will have nothing to say when they are defeated. If they win, they will not be worth the loss. The south of Yuzhang is the place where Baiyue lives. Although most of them are wilderness and forests, if they can be taken under their jurisdiction, our army can take the way to Guiyang, Lingling, Jiaozhi counties, food, equipment, and military horse procurement. There is no need to be restrained by the Huang Zujun of Jiangxia. This is a long-term plan for Yuzhang. I hope you will think about it carefully."

Although Hua Xin, Xu Shao and others still have some objections, after I said this, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning already understood my intention. The Yuzhang county lacked depth and had no room for maneuver. If there was a war, a fertile field would become a battlefield. If Shanyue colluded with the enemy to attack our rear, our army would be defeated. Therefore, if our army wanted to gain a foothold in the battle with the powerful, it would have to attack Shanyue in the south and pacify the future troubles.
Chapter completed!