Cao Shuo dispatched troops and prepared to deal with Liu Bei's northward journey.

In Xinye City, Liu Bei was discussing with Zhuge Liang and others how to use troops.

In Liu Bei's study, there is a map on the table.

Zhuge Liang sat opposite him, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stood aside.

"I'm going to send troops to Lujiang." Pointing to the map, Liu Bei said: "Capture Anhui City first, then march north, capture Hefei, and then enter Shouchun." ”

"Cao Zirong deployed heavy troops in the Lujiang area, and Pang Shiyuan was in charge." Zhuge Liang said: "Our army is to avoid the line of the Lujiang River. ”

"Avoid the Lujiang River?" Liu Bei asked, "Could it be that this time it wasn't to attack Cao Zirong?" ”

"Of course you want to hit him." Zhuge Liang said: "But we have to catch him off guard, so that he thinks that we are going to deal with Cao Cao, so as to relax his vigilance." ”

"What is Kong Ming's plan?" Looking at Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei asked.

Putting his finger on the boundary of Yuzhou, Zhuge Liang said: "Bowang, I plan to take Bowang first and force Xudu." forced Cao Zirong to send troops to help, and hit him halfway. Before Cao Cao could react, he turned to the east and won Shouchun with one sentence. ”

"In this way, our army will have to run a long distance." Liu Bei said: "The soldiers must be very tired. ”

"Be prepared versus unprepared, although the officers and men of our army will work very hard, the chances of victory are not small." Zhuge Liang said: "Our army is small, and it is uncertain how many men and horses Jingsheng Gong can give to the envoy." All you can count on is what Rampant can do in the north. If Rampant Xi can delay the elite under Cao Zirong's command, this battle will have a few chances of winning. ”

"Kong Ming thinks he has a chance of winning?" Liu Bei asked.

"Three points." Zhuge Liang said: "Rampant Xi can delay the elite of the enemy's army, and our army can defeat Cao Cao and Cao Zirong in Bowang, and there is a three-point chance of breaking Shouchun." ”

"With all the conditions in place, there is only the possibility of three points to break Shouchun." Liu Bei frowned and said, "In this way, this battle can be fought or not. ”

"Fight or fight." Zhuge Liang said: "This time I went north, the main purpose of the envoy was to consume the Cao army and give the Yuan family some respite. As long as the Yuan family can delay for two more years, there will be enough time to sit firmly in Jingzhou, and then expand their forces and prepare for the attack on the Central Plains in the future. ”

"Speaking of which, I still can't beat it." Listening to Zhuge Liang's plan on the side, Zhang Fei frowned and said, "We sent troops just to give the Yuan family a chance to breathe. There is no difference between a brother doing and not doing a thankless thing like this. ”

"Of course there is a difference." Zhuge Liang said: "The Yuan family is already at the end of the crossbow, if there is no external help, it won't be long before they are broken by the Cao family." The envoy and the two generals can think about what they will do next if the north falls into the hands of the Cao family? ”

Liu Bei looked at the map and didn't say anything, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei glanced at each other and didn't speak.

The answer to the question could not be more obvious, once the Cao family seized Hebei from the Yuan family, there would be no more forces in the north that could threaten them.

After pacifying the north, the Cao army's army will definitely move its troops straight down, and Jingzhou, which is adjacent to Yuzhou, Yangzhou and other places, will bear the brunt and become the target of Cao's army's attack.

"Since Guandu, the envoy has been in Jingzhou for two years." Zhuge Liang said: "In the past two years, you have befriended many Jingzhou officials, and you also have some foundation here. When the roots are deep and the leaves are thick, it is an excellent time to hold Jingzhou in your hands to resist the Cao family. It gave the Yuan family a chance to breathe, and it was also to win time for the king. ”

"Kong Ming, don't say anything about taking Jingzhou again." Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "Liu Jingsheng and I are both in the Han family, and he kindly took me in when I was down, how can I take Jingzhou away from him?" ”

"Those who win the world should be informal." Zhuge Liang said: "Although the envoy has the ability to help the world, he has no foundation to settle down. It's like duckweed in summer, and although it is verdant, it can't even leave a little green in autumn. ”

"We sent troops to fight Cao, but the real purpose is here." Zhuge Liang pointed to a point on the map and said to Liu Bei: "For several years, Liu Jingsheng has always had the idea of coveting the Central Plains, and he has also sent troops to fight with the Cao family several times but has never returned, not even a decent small victory. Jingzhou is already talking about the Cao family, as long as you can make the Cao family suffer a big loss, the prestige in Jingzhou will definitely rise rapidly, and there will be a lot less constraints to take Jingzhou from Liu Jingsheng in the future. ”

Zhuge Liang bitterly persuaded Liu Bei to take Jingzhou.

Liu Bei still waved his hand again and again: "Such a strategy, Kong Ming still don't come out again." Cao Cao coerced the Son of Heaven to order the princes, and he was a thief. I sent troops to attack Cao, nothing more than for the sake of the Han Dynasty. As for getting Jingzhou from Jingsheng Gong, I never had such an idea. ”

Liu Bei said this, but Zhuge Liang saw greed in his eyes.

Smiling slightly, Zhuge Liang said: "I am abrupt to make Jun benevolent and unwilling to fight in the same room." ”

"Kong Ming just said, what are you going to do this time?" Liu Bei asked, "Once our army reaches Bowang, how should we repel Cao's army?" ”

"Dare to ask the envoy, how many soldiers and horses can be mobilized?" Zhuge Liang asked.

Liu Bei thought for a moment and said to Zhuge Liang: "There are only 20,000 soldiers and horses available in Xinye City, if I need more soldiers and horses, I have to go and discuss with Jingsheng Gong......"

"Of the 20,000 people, only 5,000 can go out." Zhuge Liang said: "Please also ask the envoy to leave Mi Zhu and Mi Fang to guard Xinye, and the rest of the horses will try to get them from Liu Jingsheng." Seeing Liu Jingsheng, the envoy could only say that there were only six or seven thousand soldiers and horses that could be mobilized, and he must not let him know that Xinye now had 20,000 soldiers to fight. ”

Liu Bei nodded and said to Zhuge Liang: "It's okay for Kong Ming to prepare for the dispatch of troops, I went to Xiangyang with Yun Chang and Yide first to persuade Jingsheng Gong to send troops north. ”

Zhuge Liang responded, stood up and said to Liu Bei: "This matter is not too late, and please make Jun go to Xiangyang as soon as possible." ”

Liu Bei also stood up and beckoned to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "The two virtuous brothers will accompany me to Xiangyang." ”

Accompanying Liu Bei out, Guan Yu also glanced back at Zhuge Liang.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a flash of distrust flashed in his eyes.

"Brother really believes that Zhuge Liang can get benefits from the Cao family on this way north?" After walking dozens of steps, Guan Yu asked Liu Bei.

"Kong Ming has the talent to help the world, and since he came to Xinye, many things have been done in an orderly manner." Liu Bei said: "He is an old man and serious, and if he is not sure of victory, he will never propose to let me go north." ”

"If he can't win, he's cheating on his brother." Zhang Fei said: "Let's see if I will screw his head off." ”

(End of chapter)