In the big tent of the Chinese army, the lights flickered and flickered.

In the side corner of the handsome case, a spicy incense burner curls with smoke, emitting a faint fragrance.

The soldiers boiled a pot of hot tea again, served tea to the five generals in the tent in turn, and then bowed and retired.

"Actually, I know what Uncle Cheng and Uncle Huang said, and I have already found out three days ago." Taking a sip of tea, Sun Ce said with a smile on his face.

"Ahh The young master has long known that the defenders of Dongyuan City are real and false? Cheng Pu and the others were shocked when they heard this.

Sun Ce gently put down the teacup and nodded in affirmation: "Yes, I have long known that these defenders are all rabble, vulnerable to attack, and they are definitely not the main force of the Xiliang Army under the command of Li Thief. The world knows that Xiliang is bitter cold, and the counties of Sili are places that have been war-torn for a long time, but many people may not realize that the land of Xiliang Sanzhou today is completely different from three years ago. In the past three years, when the princes of the Central Plains and all the states and counties in the world were vigorously expanding their territory and recruiting troops, the land of the three states of Xiliang was stable and peaceful, and the swords were stored in the warehouse and recuperated. Therefore, at present, the Central Plains and all parts of the south of the Yangtze River are getting poorer and poorer, and the markets are becoming more and more depressed, but the land of Xiliang Sanzhou is getting better and better, and it is thriving.

Two or three years is not a long time, but it is not a short time. Within three years, the world fell apart, the beacon smoke was everywhere, countless cities and villages were reduced to ashes, but there were also countless cities quietly rising, Si Li is like this, and the entire Xiliang territory is like this. More than two years is enough for the people of Xiliang Sanzhou to get rid of the dilemma of hunger and food, and then rebuild their homes, be self-reliant, and have enough food and clothing. That's why we met so many young people who picked up their shovels and fought against us, because in their eyes, we are here to take away their homes and ruin their hard-won good life. ”

Sun Ce's words undoubtedly hit the nail on the head, and he said it exactly right. But Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others were surprised. As if they were meeting Sun Ce for the first time, their faces were full of shock, as if they couldn't believe their glasses and ears, and they suddenly felt like a dream.

This qiē seems to be very abrupt, but it is actually not surprising, because Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others have not been with Sun Ce for more than half a year. And half a year is enough time for a person to reflect on many things, summarize the lessons of previous failures, and re-plan his future path. That's how Sun Ce is.

Since Sun Jian's death, seventeen-year-old Sun Ce has shouldered the burden left by his father, not only to take care of the family. He also has to bear the livelihood of thousands of people. During this period, he led his troops to fight against Liu Biao in Jingzhou, captured Huang Zu alive in exchange for Sun Jian's corpse, and then returned to Jiangdong to bury his deceased father. Subsequently, he was ostracized by the Jiangdong clan. had nowhere to stay, so he had to lead his troops to Xuzhou Tao Qian to live temporarily; After that, he was not secret. was discovered by Tao Qian, he secretly recruited troops and horses, and secretly befriended Guangling celebrities. Then he was expelled by Tao Qian and had no choice but to defect to Yuan Shu.

However, Yuan Shu is an old and cunning person, far less talkative than Tao Qian. After containing Sun Ce, Yuan Shu immediately dispersed Sun Jian's old department and isolated Sun Ce from Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others, except for the promotion of accounts. It's almost hard for them to meet. Since then, Yuan Shu has repeatedly sent Sun Ce to lead troops into battle, so that he has been leading troops to fight for a long time without unloading his horse. I don't take off my armor, and I have almost no leisure. This time he led the troops to Hanoi to join the alliance, which was the opportunity for Sun Ce to lead the troops at a great cost, and perhaps this was also his only chance to turn over. If he misses this good opportunity to lead the army alone, he will not want to turn over in his life, let alone make a great career, because he has given his greatest reliance to Yuan Shu, which is equivalent to a desperate bet, and if he does not succeed, he will become a benevolent, and there is no way out.

Many things in the world are forced out, and no one will be desperate and desperate as a last resort.

That's how Sun Ce is. Originally, he also wanted to lie dormant under Yuan Shu's tent for two years, secretly accumulate strength, and wait for the right time to break away from Yuan Shu and support his own army. However, Li Li's secret trip to Yangzhou touched him greatly, and he couldn't sleep at night after hearing about it, and for the first time seriously thought about his future future. Then came the news that his best friend Zhou Yu had joined Li Li, which shocked Sun Ce, and he lost his soul for many days, like a mourner. Until now, he couldn't accept this fact, and still subconsciously thought that it must be caused by Li Li holding Zhou Yu hostage, otherwise how could Zhou Yu, who was the same brother as him, defect to Li Li?

At the same time, Zhou Yu's hijacking by Li Li greatly stimulated Sun Ce, making him clearly realize that he must be as strong as he can, and he must have his own territory, otherwise he will not even be able to protect his relatives and friends. It was at this time that he learned of the news of the alliance of the princes of the Central Plains, and Yuan Shu was also invited. So he immediately went to ask Ying to fight, but unfortunately Yuan Shu had no idea of participating in the alliance at all, but made up his mind to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, watching from the sidelines, unwilling to meddle in the war in the Central Plains.

This made Sun Ce discouraged, secretly resentful, and privately cursed the eighteenth generation of Yuan Shu's ancestors, but he still couldn't solve the actual problem. Without Yuan Shu's approval, Sun Ce has no right to mobilize a single soldier and a soldier, how can he meet the alliance without soldiers and horses?

During this period, Sun Ce also thought of following the example of Liu Guan and Zhang, but immediately abandoned this idea. Back then, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rode to the alliance, fought desperately, and won a great reputation, but in the end they still got nothing and returned empty-handed. This is not the result Sun Ce wants, he not only wants to become famous in one fell swoop, but also wants to gain fame and fortune, and then achieve a hegemony. If you want to achieve your wish, you must have a team of soldiers and horses, and he wants to borrow soldiers and horses from the miserly Yuan Shu, which is tantamount to a fool's dream and whimsical.

As the saying goes: reluctant children can't trap wolves, and can't catch hooligans without cuckolding.

Therefore, Sun Ce was able to borrow 20,000 soldiers and horses from Yuan Shu this time, which was indeed a great price, so big that Sun Ce would grit his teeth every time he thought of it, and his teeth grinded "rattle". In addition, fortunately, there was also Yuan Shao's secret letter after secret letter urging him, otherwise Yuan Shu would never have given him 20,000 soldiers and horses so generously.

At such a huge price, if Sun Ce didn't know how to cherish the hard-won soldiers and horses in his hands, and blindly rushed and struck, then he would live in vain, and he would have no face to see his deceased father Sun Jian after his death, because what he mortgaged to Yuan Shu was a priceless treasure that Sun Jian exchanged for his life.

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After being stunned for a long time, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai slowly came back to their senses, and turned to look happy, their eyebrows full of relief.

Sun Jian said before his death that if a prince only thinks about expanding his territory, he only has scholars and celebrities in his eyes, but he does not care about the hardships and lives of the people; Then his people will be strong for a while at most, but they will not last long after all, and sooner or later they will be destroyed by other princes.

At that time, Cheng Pu and the four didn't really understand what Sun Jian wanted to say, until Liu Bei collected the six counties of Xuzhou for nothing, and they finally figured it out. It turns out that the deep meaning of what Sun Jian said is: Those who win the hearts of the people win the world. This proverb was not created by Sun Jian, as early as the beginning of the founding of the Western Han Dynasty four hundred years ago, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, did this, but he did not play the banner and the words were not condensed, but the meaning was the same.

Now, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai are happy that the young master Sun Ce finally understands this truth, which means that he already has the posture of the overlord of the princes, at least with this potential. As long as Sun Ce uses the soldiers and horses in his hands to grab a piece of territory this time, he will be able to develop rapidly until he truly becomes a prince all the way, and then divides one side and achieves a hegemony. This is the long-cherished wish of Cheng Pu and the others, since Sun Jian's accidental death, they were desperate at that time, feeling that there was darkness ahead, and this life was completely ruined. Unexpectedly, four years later, Sun Ce actually borrowed soldiers and horses from Yuan Shu, and finally had the hope of making a comeback.

The most gratifying thing is that Sun Ce actually understands what the princes and overlords need most and what they rely on the most, which is the people's heart, or the support of the people. For the princes and overlords, fame and fortune are not enough, and the most important thing is not to win the recognition and trust of the people; Only in this way can they gain a firm foothold and develop and grow step by step.

Any founding emperor must care about the suffering of the people and have his heart for the people, so that he can win the support of the people and make the foundation more stable, until he finally conquers the country. As for the military generals of Wenchen, they also come from the common people, and the gate lord clan and celebrities are a small group of people after all, and they cannot represent the majority of ordinary people at all.

Sun Ce understood this truth at a young age, and realized that the scholars were usable but not the foundation of the great cause, which showed that his people had extraordinary knowledge, great ambitions, and a broad mind was no longer limited to the people and things in front of him. Only such a person can truly achieve a hegemony, and at this moment, in the eyes of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, Sun Ce is like this.

"The young master is very talented, which really makes us admire and ecstatic!" After calming down, Cheng Pu sighed with relief.

Huang Gai continued: "Yes! Before, I always thought that the young master was young and vigorous, and sometimes I didn't listen to advice at all, for fear that the young master would follow the old path of the old lord Sun Jian. Now it seems that I am too worried, the young master is smart and wise, has a good plan, and has a bamboo in his chest, which is really a blessing for me! ”

Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Zu Mao nodded happily in agreement, and praised Sun Ce's young talent, who will be able to achieve great things in the future and realize Sun Jian's last wish.

After being delighted, Cheng Pu asked with a smile: "So, there is no need for me to dissuade you, the young master has long planned to garrison to rest, and when Yuan Shao's army arrives, he will join forces to attack Dongyuan City?" ”

"No, I'm going to attack Dongyuan City tomorrow!" Sun Ce shook his head slightly, and said with a firm expression.

"What? Still going to continue the siege? Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were shocked when they heard this, and exclaimed in unison.

Sun Ce smiled and affirmed, "Yes, continue to attack the city." As we all know, Dongyuan City is the last barrier in front of the camp of Anyi, and only by capturing this city, even if we achieve most of the purpose of this alliance, it will be enough to become famous all over the world!

―――――――――― (To be continued)(To be continued......