Sun Ce's letter was quickly released. Zhang Zhao also received Sun Ce's order to deal with Danyang County's affairs. Because of Sun Quan, Lu Su was involved in this matter. Lu Su had no choice but to give up his position as Wuhu's Governor and ran to Jianye to temporarily replace Zhang Zhao's position.
Sun Ce's letter was the first to reach Sun Ce's nemesis, Liu Biao of Jingzhou.
In Xiangyang, Liu Biao's expression was very strange. After fighting with the Jiangdong Army for so many years, this was the first time Sun Ce sent a messenger to deliver a letter. Ever since Sun Jian died at the hands of Liu Biao, other than exchanging Huang Zu for Sun Jian's corpse, the two Lords did not have any contact. Even if they did, it was on the battlefield. Now, Sun Ce actually sent someone to deliver a letter to Wen Pin's Army. It was the letter in front of them.
"Everyone, speak! What does Sun Ce want in his letter? "Liu Biao asked as he passed the letter around to all the scholars and generals.
"Milord, I don't think this plan is feasible!" The first to speak was Kuai Liang. When Kuai Liang saw the letter, he was startled. Why? This was because Sun Ce's plan was completely hopeless! He had already sent a letter to Liu Biao, let alone the other Lords. Once the millions of starving people caused trouble in Shouchun and Lujiang, Lü Bu would be finished. Kuai Liang was the first to speak up because he had a much better impression of the Lvbu's Army than the Jiangdong Army.
Sun Ce was a fierce tiger that could swallow Jingzhou at any time. Kuai Liang had almost died at the hands of Zhou Yu. How could Kuai Liang have a good impression of Sun Cejun? As for Lü Bu, Kuai Liang and Kuai Liang were brothers. Yang Hong and Kuai Liang were brothers. Although Kuai Liang knew that Yang Hong was just waiting for the right price, Yang Hong was still a warlord! Moreover, because of the Lvbu's Army, Jingzhou had almost taken back Jiang Xia!
"Zirou, tell me!" Liu Biao treated Kuai Liang very well. After all, Kuai Liang was one of the two most intelligent strategists under Liu Mang. If Zhuge Liang was included, it would be three. Moreover, Kuai Liang was also a member of the Kuai Clan. Liu Biao used the Kuai Clan to control the Cai Clan, but he was also controlling the Kuai Clan. During the Battle of Jiang Xia, Kuai Liang had helped the Jingzhou Army to take down Sanjiangkou. Otherwise, Jiang Xia would have been lost. Liu Biao treated Kuai Liang with a smile.
"Milord, Sun Ce of Jiangdong had killed Milord's father. Now, he wants to take over Jingzhou's Jiang Xia. During the war with Jiangdong, how many soldiers and civilians had died in Jingzhou? Does Milord want to ask a tiger for its skin with such a person? " Kuai Liang directly pointed out the main conflict between Liu Biao and Jiangdong's Sun Ce. Liu Biao had killed Sun Ce's father, Liu Biao. Moreover, Jingzhou was a huge mountain blocking Jiangdong. Whether it was for public or private reasons, Sun Ce's first target was Liu Biao.
"Mister Zirou, you are wrong!" Cai Mao said. "Milord, this is not asking a tiger for its skin. It is just taking what each of us needs!" Cai Mao was a member of the nobility. Moreover, he was a member of the nobility who only cared about his own interests! In his eyes, there was only profit and nothing else. Everything else could be sacrificed. Otherwise, Cai Mao would not have used his nephew's foundation to exchange for the Cai Family's wealth after Liu Biao's death.
Whether it was Jiangdong's Sun Ce or Shouchun's Liu Mang, they were not good people to Cai Mao. Jiangdong's Sun Ce wanted to take over Jingzhou. As for Shouchun's Liu Mang, although he was not attacking Jingzhou, his recruitment order had offended all the nobles in the world, including Cai Mao. Hmph, what was Liu Mang trying to do? He wanted to be Wang Mang!
Western Han's Wang Mang was such a person. In the history books, it was written that Wang Mang usurped the throne to seek power. Wang Mang was labeled as a traitor. But who knew that Wang Mang was actually a person who supported the Han Dynasty? What was his previous title? He was the reincarnation of the Duke of Zhou! He was humble, humble, and thrifty. He was courteous and courteous. He was famous in the imperial court. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, social conflicts were unprecedentedly intense. Wang Mang was seen as the only person who could turn the situation around. Wang Mang's reforms were really beneficial to the common people. He did not allow the wantonly buying and selling of land. This reduced the amount of land that the nobles could annex. He adjusted the taxes and lessened the burden on the common people. Furthermore, he did not allow the sale of slaves. In terms of talent, he was even more selective.
He was a person who stood at the forefront of this era. However, in the end, he did not have a good ending. He was even cursed for thousands of years in the history books. Why was this? It was because he, Wang Mang, had come into contact with the vital interests of some people. These people were the nobles of the world. Wang Mang stopped these nobles from becoming powerful and powerful. He even had an iron rice bowl as an official. How could these nobles let him off? Therefore, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, when Wang Mang's new policies were introduced, these nobles began to rebel. In the end, Wang Mang's new dynasty disappeared from history. Wang Mang was also labeled as a traitor who usurped the throne.
And now, Liu Mang's actions were exactly the same as Wang Mang's. First, he withdrew from the recruitment order. Then, he gave the commoners a chance to rise. In Cai Mao's eyes, what were the commoners? They were just a bunch of lowly people. How could such a person be worthy of sitting on the same level as the nobles and becoming an official? Cai Mao's natural arrogance as a nobleman made him look down on the commoners. He was not the only one who thought this way. Back then, Tao Qian, now Liu Biao, and Guandu's Yuan Shao, they all looked at your background before asking about your talent. Now, Liu Mang even came up with such an order. Reducing the taxes on land? Not allowing the sale of land. Even if they wanted to sell land, they had to sell it to the government. Wasn't this what Wang Mang had proposed?
Sun Ce was a threat to Cai Mao's current interests. On the other hand, Liu Mang was a threat to Cai Mao's fundamental interests.
Therefore, Cai Mao was willing to help Sun Ce deal with Liu Mang.
"Take what we need?" Kuai Liang laughed disdainfully. Cai Mao's official position was Jingzhou's Military Advisor. However, everyone knew that Cai Mao was an idiot when it came to strategy. Cai Mao objected because his family's interests were threatened. "May I ask Military Advisor, how are we taking what we need from Jiangdong's Sun Ce?"
"The Lvbu's Army has always been Jingzhou's enemy. Previously, Lü Bu attacked Huang Zu and persuaded our generals to surrender. He even captured General Huang Zu's beloved son, Huang She. Has Sir Kuai Liang forgotten? Sun Ce wants to deal with Lü Bu. How can we not need him? It's better to have one less neighbor eyeing us covetously than to have one more! "
"Aren't you afraid that the Lvbu's Army will implicate us?" Kuai Liang continued to ask.
"This is Jiangdong's Sun Ce's plan. It has nothing to do with Jingzhou. We are just going with the flow!" Cai Mao said righteously.
"Go with the flow!" Kuai Liang laughed coldly. Cai Mao was really an idiot when it came to strategy. In other words, he agreed with Jiangdong's Sun Ce's plan to use millions of people to destroy the Lvbu's Army and cause internal strife in the Lvbu's Army. "Military Advisor, have you ever thought about who will benefit the most if the Lvbu's Army is destroyed? Sun Ce or Jiangdong's Sun Ce? "Kuai Liang asked and answered his own question." If there is no Lvbu's Army, Military Advisor! Are you able to defend Jiangxia now?! If there is no Lvbu's Army? Jiangxia is still in Jingzhou's hands! "
"With Jingzhou's talents, how can we not defend Jiangxia?" Cai Mao also treated Kuai Liang coldly. Compared to his elder brother, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang was more of a strategist. He no longer used his status as a landowning household to work for the benefit of the landowning household. Just like Tian Feng and Ju Shou, these two were also descendants of landowning households. However, they were not like Guo Tu and Xu You, who did not hide from their lord Yuan Shao in order to strengthen their own household. They did not take bribes and use unscrupulous means to fight each other for power.
"If we can defend Jiangxia, why did we lose Sanjiangkou? If we can defend Jiangxia, why did we retreat to Xiakou? If we can defend Jiangdong, why is it always Jiangdong attacking Jingzhou? Why can't we retaliate against Jiangdong? "Kuai Liang questioned without giving Cai Mao any face. Cai Mao was the military advisor of the entire Jing Province and the Admiral of the Navy. It could be said that he was responsible for the failure of the Jing Province's Navy. Now, Kuai Liang's questions were pointing out these problems and questioning Cai Mao's ability. How could Cai Mao not be angry? Cai Mao's face turned red. If it was not for Liu Biao, he would have gone up and killed Kuai Liang. Scolding people does not mean scolding their mother. Hitting people does not mean hitting their face.
"Kuai Liang, how much did you receive from the Lvbu's Army? Why are you speaking up for them?" Cai Mao was really angry and started to speak without thinking. Kuai Liang had been to Lujiang before, but that was to negotiate. He had also taken back the ballista and even conquered Sanjiangkou because of it. This time, Cai Mao had recommended him for this diplomatic mission.
Kuai Liang saw Cai Mao's blushing face and did not let him off. Since Cai Mao was speaking without thinking, Kuai Liang did not need to give him any face. "Received benefits? I, Kuai Liang, have lived a clean life. Money is like floating clouds to me. My salary is enough. I don't have a large family to take care of like the Military Advisor. Is my salary really enough? "Kuai Liang silently brought Cai Mao into the conversation. Kuai Liang said that he had lived a clean life, which meant that he was a clean person. Although he didn't explicitly say that Cai Mao was a corrupt person, he had a large family to take care of. Even the commoners could understand that he was indirectly implying that Cai Mao was corrupt.
"You, you!" Cai Mao pointed at Kuai Liang and was speechless. Cai Mao was the military advisor of Jing Province and the Navy Governor. According to his salary, he was a high ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi. But how many people did the Cai Family have? Including the private army and the various branches, there were tens of thousands of people. Two thousand shi was not even enough to eat! Only a fool would believe that Cai Mao was not corrupt. Thus, Cai Mao had no face to speak.
"I would like to ask how much benefits did the Military Advisor receive from Jiangdong's Sun Ce? If it is really as the Military Advisor said, then we are really helping Jiangdong's Sun Ce by helping Lujiang's Lü Bu. "
"A bunch of nonsense! Kuai Zirou, do you think you can humiliate me just because you are from the Kuai Family? " Cai Mao's face was filled with anger. Kuai Liang's brother, Kuai Yue, didn't say a word. He couldn't side with anyone. Kuai Liang was his younger brother, and they were family. Cai Mao was his ally. It could be said that only with the cooperation of the two families could they become powerful in Jingzhou. He couldn't help Cai Mao. Liu Biao sat on the main seat and did not say anything.
He hoped that the Kuai Family and the Cai Family would have a conflict. As long as it was not a blood feud and they did not fight openly, he would let them fight! The way of balance was the way of the King and the way of the Emperor.
"Oh, then let me ask the Military Advisor. Once Lujiang's Lü Bu is defeated, who will get Lujiang?" “
"Of course, it will be Sun Ce!" Cai Mao was not an idiot. He might be stupid in terms of strategy, but he still knows the basics. Currently, there are only Jingzhou's Liu Biao's Army and Jiangdong's Sun Cejun's Army in the Yangtze River Valley. If the Lvbu's Army is defeated, then Lujiang will belong to these two families. If Jiang Xia was still in the hands of Liu Biao, Liu Biao's Army might still be able to fight for it. But now, only Sanjiangkou and Xiakou are still in the hands of Liu Biao.
"Then how much benefits did you receive from the Jiangdong Army?" Kuai Liang asked again. Cai Mao could not take it anymore and wanted to fight. Liu Biao felt that it was enough and said, "Alright, alright! Zirou, stop talking. "
"Milord! The Lvbu's Army can hold back tens of thousands of Jiangdong's troops. If Lü Bu is defeated, then Sun Ce will be free to fight with us! " Kuai Liang listened to Liu Biao's words and let Cai Mao go. He said to Liu Biao, "Sun Ce with his hands and feet tied, or Sun Ce with his full strength. Which one does Milord want? Milord, please decide!"
"Okay!" Liu Biao nodded. Kuai Liang's analysis was very good. The Lvbu's Army and Sun Cejun were not good people in Jingzhou. If Sun Cejun did not go overboard with Chen Duan, then Lü Bu would have already left Xinye. Huangzhou Province was captured, the generals were persuaded to surrender, and Huang She was captured. It can be said that this was a disgrace to Jing Province. They were given a big slap in the face. If they didn't care about it, it would be too shameful. This time, Sun Ce sent a letter to take revenge.
"Yidu, what do you think?" Liu Biao then looked at Kuai Yue. Kuai Yue had always been calm and collected. Moreover, if he spoke, he would be able to find the crux of the matter. He was a first-rate strategist. Otherwise, Cao Cao would have said that Jingzhou was inferior to Kuai Yue.
"Me?" Kuai Yue knew that he could not escape. He did not want to get involved in the argument between his brother and Cai Mao, but now, he had to conclude.
"Brother Zhong De is right!" Kuai Yue said directly. Cai Mao laughed when he heard Kuai Yue's words. Cai Mao could not win against Kuai Liang, but Kuai Yue might not be able to do the same. "Whether it is Jiangdong Sun Ce or Lujiang Lü Bu, they are both threats to Jingzhou. What's the difference between a tiger and a wolf? Moreover, this skill can drive a tiger to devour a wolf. We can release the news that this is Jiangdong Sun Ce's plan! What do you think will happen to Lu Bu when he is enraged?! He will definitely burn his boats and look for Sun Ce to settle the score! " Kuai Yue changed Cai Mao's thoughts. Sun Ce wrote a letter. We can agree to help them, but we can also leak the letter and tell Lü Bu that it was Jiangdong Sun Ce who asked us to do this!
If the Lü Bu can handle it, then it will be fine. If the Lü Bu is really forced to a certain extent, then with his character, he will fight to the death. This happened once before. Sun Ce forced the Lü Bu to form an alliance and thought that he had plotted against the Lü Bu. At that time, the Lü Bu had offended too many people. He had Cao Cao behind him, Liu Bei beside him, and Liu Biao was beaten by him. He had no way to escape.
However, Sun Ce did not expect that Lu Bu would play a life and death struggle plan and directly attack Wancheng city. If Sun Ce forced Lu Bu again, it would be inevitable that Lu Bu would get angry and abandon Lujiang to find trouble with Sun Ce. At that time, the Jiangdong Army would have profited a lot. They would have gained a powerful fighter.
"Brother Yidu's words are my words!" Cai Mao was shameless. He looked at Kuai Liang proudly. Look, even your big brother supports me. You still want to fight with me? In fact, Cai Mao did not think so much. He just wanted to destroy Liu Mang!
Liu Biao also nodded. If this is the case, then Jingzhou will gain a lot. He was not afraid that Sun Ce would not admit it because he had Sun Ce's letter.
"Big brother?" Kuai Liang looked at his big brother and was puzzled. Why would his big brother speak for Cai Mao? Doesn't his big brother know that Jingzhou can only be stabilized with the Lvbu's Army? A tripartite balance of power is the safest strategy.
"But!" Just when everyone was guessing that the lord might use Cai Mao's strategy, Kuai Yue suddenly made a 360-degree turn. "Zi Rou's words are not false!" Kuai Yue smiled at Kuai Liang. Even if he supported Cai Mao, he would not directly hit his brother's face. There were so many people here. The Kuai brothers' relationship was very deep. The elder brother was like a father. The Kuai family's father died early. It was Kuai Yue who supported the family. The relationship between the two brothers was like that of a father and son. No matter how close Cai Mao was to the Kuai family, he was still an outsider.
"If Lü Bu is defeated, then Sun Ce will benefit the most. Once that happens, Sun Ce will go all out to deal with Jingzhou. Right now, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are facing off in Guandu. Liu Bei, Wancheng, and Zhang Xiu are also waiting to see what happens. Jiangdong can be considered unstoppable. When the time comes, it will be a huge problem for Jingzhou!" Kuai Yue said.
"That can't be! Yidu, didn't you just say that Lü Bu will fight to the death? As long as we tell Lü Bu that this is Jiangdong Sun Ce's plan, then Jiangdong Sun Ce will go for wool and come home shorn! " Cai Mao wanted to repeat what Kuai Yue had just said, but Kuai Yue's words didn't stop him.
However, Kuai Yue did not think of his own shortcomings. "Zhongde, don't worry. I said before that Lü Bu might fight to the death with Sun Ce. According to Lü Bu's character, the probability of this happening is more than 90%!" Kuai Yue said to Liu Biao. "But everyone, don't forget one thing! The Lvbu Army does not have a navy. The Lvbu Army and Jiangdong Sun Ce are separated by the Yangtze River! Lu Bu is simply unable to cross the river. How can he talk about a life and death struggle? Previously, it was because Wancheng city is Sun Ce's territory. Now, Wancheng City belongs to the Lvbu Army! "Yes, the Lvbu Army's only warship was sold to Liu Biao. How can he cross the Yangtze River? The Lvbu Army's Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry is the best in the world. The Jiangdong Navy can still block the Yangtze River.
Previously, the Lu Bu's Army might have the ballistae, but now, Sun Ce also has the ballistae. The navy is not Kuai Yue or Zhang Jiangdong. The Jiangdong Navy is now the number one navy in the world. From the scale, the level of training, and the standard of the soldiers, it is the same!
"Our Jingzhou Navy can help him!" Cai Mao said. Lü Bu does not have a navy, but Jingzhou does! They can help him.
"Haha, Brother Zhongde, according to Lu Bu's temper, do you think he will accept it? Kuai Yue said to Cai Mao.
"This!" Cai Mao also hesitated. To be honest, with Lu Bu's stubborn temper, Lu Bu would not be able to accept such a thing.
"Not only will he not accept it, but if our army also participates, Lü Bu will not be able to cross the river. Who do you think he will vent his anger on?" “
"Our army!" Everyone present thought of the consequences. Jingzhou is not like Jiangdong. Jingzhou has a lot of land on the other side of the river. For example, half of Jiangxia is exposed. Sanjiangkou is exposed on land. Then there is Xinye. If the Lvbu Army is good, they can go upstream and attack Jingzhou. Then Jingzhou will be really unlucky. There are hungry wolves in front and tigers behind. This is not driving the tigers to eat the wolves. It is sending them to be eaten by the tigers.
Cai Mao also thought of the terrible consequences and could not help but shiver.
"Then according to Yidu's plan?" Liu Biao also frowned. This plan is not good. What should we do?
"Wait and see!" Kuai Yue said with a smile.
"Wait and see?" Everyone was puzzled.
"We will not take the initiative to help Sun Ce send the people to Shouchun. However, we will not stop them. We can even help Liu Mang spread the news. This way, even if the people go, Liu Mang will not blame us. After all, the King Of Shu issued the conscription order! Even if Lü Bu is defeated, it has nothing to do with us. The next step is to send Sun Ce's letter.
With this letter, not only can we sow discord between Lü Bu and Sun Ce, but we can also ease the relationship between Jingzhou and Lü Bu. This is a favor! We can even give the Lvbu's Army some rations to support them, "Kuai Yue said to everyone. Kuai Yue did not mean to give a lot of rations. He just meant a few thousand shi." Whether Lü Bu is defeated or not, it has nothing to do with us. However, it is beneficial to us! If Lü Bu is defeated like what Sun Ce said, we will provide the warships. We will provide you with warships. I believe that Lu Bu will not refuse at that time. "Of course, Lu Bu would not refuse. Liu Biaoyi did not take the initiative to scheme against Lu Bu and even provided provisions. Although Lu Bu would not be grateful, he would at least give him some face.
If the Lvbu's Army crossed the Yangtze River, Sun Ce would be the unlucky one.
"What if Lü Bu is not defeated? Then Lü Bu will not be a big threat to us. Furthermore, Lü Bu has been schemed against. Who do you think Lü Bu will hate the most? At that time, Sun Ce will be the one who will have a headache! "Kuai Yue finally finished his plan.
No matter what, Jingzhou was the most advantageous to him.
Liu Mang schemed against the Marquises, Sun Ce schemed against Liu Mang, and now Kuai Yue schemed against Sun Ce and Lü Bu. There was no righteous war in the world. Benefits came first.
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