Liu Mang couldn't calm his anger towards the pimp in front of him. He was the one who almost caused Liu Mang's harem to catch fire. How could Liu Mang have a good impression of such a person? Therefore, his tone towards Jia Xu had changed a lot. Jia Xu was an old fox, how could he not see Liu Mang's discomfort? He couldn't do anything about it. Although this pimp didn't complete his mission perfectly, how could he know that his wives would come back at this time? But at least Liu Mang felt comfortable! Of course, Jia Xu wouldn't say this out loud. Jia Xu could only laugh to cover up the awkwardness.
"Old fox!" Liu Mang looked at Jia Xu and gritted his teeth in anger. As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. When Jia Xu smiled, Liu Mang couldn't scold him on the spot. This kind of thing could only be kept in his heart. If he said it out loud, Liu Mang would be unlucky along with Jia Xu. "Mr. Wen He, are you trying to make me ungrateful and break my promise to the world?" Liu Mang couldn't blame him directly, but he could find fault with him in a roundabout way.
Jia Xu didn't care. After all, Liu Mang was his junior. It was normal for him to have this kind of temper. If Liu Mang didn't say anything and didn't complain at all, then Jia Xu would really be afraid. Just like Cao Cao's second son, Cao Pi, who hid everything in his heart. On the surface, he didn't say anything, but in private, he might have already set a trap for you. Such a person would achieve great things. However, Jia Xu didn't like this kind of person scheming against him. Therefore, although Liu Mang's temper didn't match the temperament of a wise lord, Jia Xu didn't know why he felt a sense of belonging after joining Liu Mang's army.
"My lord, if you don't want to break your promise to the world, you just need to reject Yuan Xi's conditions. There's no need to offend Yuan Xi!" Jia Xu's way of doing things was to avoid offending people if possible. If he offended someone, then it was better to kill him directly, so as to prevent him from making a comeback and making himself uncomfortable. If he killed the messenger sent by Yuan Xi, then it would be tantamount to breaking off relations with the Yuan family. This was because Yuan Xi had a good relationship with his elder brother, Yuan Tan, and his younger brother, Yuan Shang. Other than when they were fighting for the right of inheritance, they still had some prestige. Offending Yuan Xi was the same as offending the Hebei Yuan family. Why bother? No matter what, Liu Mang was actually the brother-in-law of the Hebei Yuan brothers.
"Killing Yuan Xi's messenger will let the world feel this king's kindness and know how to repay kindness!" Liu Mang seemed to be at odds with Jia Xu. Whether or not he killed Yuan Xi's messenger was actually not a big deal. Although killing the messenger would make the world feel grateful for Liu Mang's kindness, Liu Mang's reputation was already there. Killing Yuan Xi's messenger was not a big deal. If he didn't kill the messenger, Liu Mang also did not care about the Yuan brothers. Among the three of them, other than Yuan Xi, the rest were short-sighted people. Sooner or later, they would lose their lives. Although Yuan Xi had some knowledge, he was too indecisive. If he was decisive enough, he would help one of the brothers take over the Yuan family and stabilize Hebei. Only then would he fight with Cao Cao to protect the Yuan family's foundation. However, Yuan Xi could not do that! He could only watch as Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fought among themselves. In the end, they would lose their momentum and become ghosts under Cao Cao's blade.
Liu Mang did not care if he offended such a person. What he cared about was the provisions of the Yuan brothers. Liu Mang did not care.
"My lord, don't you want Guangling and Huaiyin?" Jia Xu suddenly smiled and looked at Liu Mang.
"Guangling?! Huaiyin! " When Liu Mang heard Jia Xu mention these two places, he no longer bickered with Jia Xu. Instead, he pondered. These two places were very important to Liu Mang. This was because Liu Mang's army would have an outlet to the sea. Once they had an outlet to the sea, Liu Mang's ships would be able to directly go north to Liaodong. What was the difference between Jianghuai and Huaiyin? The layout was war horses! Moreover, Liu Mang's Army was lacking the most. This was because Liu Mang's Army had three cavalry units. Cavalry was not only equipped with armor, warhorses were also easily consumed. If Liu Mang wanted to maintain the consumption of these three cavalry units, then he would need a large number of warhorses. However, warhorses were very difficult for Liu Mang to obtain. Whether it was Xiliang or Hebei, the supply of warhorses was blocked. Liaodong did not lack warhorses. What Liaodong lacked the most was food and ironware. Therefore, trading with Liaodong was beneficial. With Gongsun Du of Liaodong, he would be able to contain the foreign tribes and strengthen his strength. Liu Mang was even prepared to go to Taiwan and Hainan. He could even go to Southeast Asia. That was a fertile land. With the food imported from there, not to mention Yangzhou, there wouldn't be many people starving in the entire Great Han Dynasty. Liu Mang needed a large number of people. Now that the Great Han Dynasty was almost empty, if he continued to fight like this, then the Han people would be almost wiped out. Only by increasing the population could the Great Han Dynasty truly stand in the forest of the world.
Therefore, this sea port was very important to Liu Mang. Now that Jia Xu mentioned Guangling, it was naturally the closest sea port to Liu Mang's territory. Liu Mang naturally wanted to obtain it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Zhang Liao to Linhuai as the commander-in-chief. He also sent the elite Xiliang Cavalry and the Black Flag Army to encircle Guangling.
"But Guangling and Huaiyin are both in Xuzhou!" Jia Xu continued to say with a smile.
Liu Mang's eyes sank. The scholars and generals in the hall also pondered. Liu Mang wanted to obtain the sea port, but this sea port was in Xuzhou. Cao Cao had "kindness" to Liu Mang. Therefore, Liu Mang couldn't defeat Cao Cao. At the very least, he couldn't take Xuzhou when Cao Cao was empty. Otherwise, he would take advantage of the situation and be ungrateful. However, if he couldn't obtain it now, he wouldn't be able to obtain it in the future. This was because once Cao Cao was free, he would definitely go south after unifying Hebei. And the first obstacle to going south would be Liu Mang's army. How could he still hope to take Xuzhou at that time? At that time, Xuzhou would definitely be under his control. Even if Liu Mang wanted to obtain it, it would be impossible for him to do so without paying a heavy price. Moreover, when he obtained the sea port, how many years would it take to transport the warhorses? Now, every minute was very precious to Liu Mang, or to the vassals of the Central Plains and even the entire Jianghuai region. This was because the world had been in chaos for so many years. Basically, it was about time to determine the winner and loser. With the arrival of the final battle, they had to prepare their own resources to bear the pressure!
"My Lord, if you want to obtain Guangling in Huaiyin and don't want to bear the infamy, you can ask for it from Yuan Xi's envoy!" The smile in Jia Xu's eyes finally made Liu Mang feel that he was pleasing to the eye.
"What do you mean, Wenhe?" Liu Mang patiently asked Jia Xu.
Jia Xu then said tirelessly, "My Lord, we can't attack Huaiyin and Guangling because Xuzhou is now under Cao Cao's command. But what if Xuzhou is not under Cao Cao's rule?"
"Not under Cao Cao's rule!" Liu Mang was afraid that if he attacked Xuzhou, he would be known as an ungrateful person. If Xuzhou was not under Cao Cao's command, he would not have such scruples.
"What if Xuzhou is under Yuan Xi's rule?" Jia Xu continued to induce Liu Mang to think.
"Impossible!" Liu Mang refused without thinking. Although Xuzhou was next to Qingzhou, even if the Lord of Qingzhou, Yuan Tan, attacked, it was impossible. On Xuzhou, Lao Cao deployed a large number of troops. In the original plan, he sent Zang Ba and his troops to set up defenses in Qingzhou. However, in this world, Liu Mang and Lü Bu broke out of the encirclement with Zang Ba. However, Lao Cao did not relax the defense of Xuzhou. He stationed General Yu Jin at the edge of Qingzhou with a large number of troops. Even if the Battle of Guandu was so miserable, Lao Cao did not let Yu Jin's troops move a single step. He wanted to become a nail nailed there.
When his father, Yuan Shao, was at his peak, Yuan Tan could not break through Yu Jin's defense line, let alone now that Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao.
Moreover, Yuan Xi's Youzhou was behind Qingzhou. How could he cross Qingzhou and Jizhou to attack Xuzhou?
"Hehe, Milord, Yuan Xi does not have troops, but we can lend them to him! Xu Shu also understood Jia Xu's words. Xu Shu was good at scheming, but not good at scheming. Naturally, he was a little worse than Jia Xu in terms of scheming. However, Xu Shu's IQ was very high. As long as Jia Xu gave him a hint, he would naturally understand. Although he did not have a good impression of Jia Xu, he had to admit that this Jia Xu was very good at scheming. With this person assisting the Lord, the Lord would not have to worry about being schemed against.
"Lend him troops?" Liu Mang's eyes were rolling. How could he lend troops? He only had four elite troops. Liu Mang was reluctant to part with any of them.
"Milord, have you forgotten that we now have 300,000 troops?" Xu Shu said to Liu Mang with a smile.
Liu Mang's eyes lit up. Indeed, he had 300,000 troops in his hands. Although it was not a complete army, it was still a force. Although the 300,000 troops were weak, Lao Cao had stationed troops at the northern border of Qingzhou and Xuzhou. However, in the southernmost part of Xuzhou, Guangling and Huaiyin, there were not many troops. At most, there were a few hundred old, weak, sick and disabled people in a county. The main force had been transferred. Moreover, Xuzhou had already experienced several battles. Therefore, although Liu Mang's 300,000 reserve troops were weak, the opponent was even weaker. Therefore, if he really borrowed troops, he could really take down Huaiyin and Guangling.
Moreover, the troops that Liu Mang lent to Liu Mang were not just reserve troops. Jia Xu was going to choose the people from Shanyue. Although these people from Shanyue were ordinary people, they still had fighting power. Although they were lent out, their families were still in Yangzhou. As long as Liu Mang raised his arm and called for help, they would rush to change sides. Therefore, the borrowing of troops was only temporary.
"What Wen He means is that we will lend troops to Yuan Xi to help him take down Huaiyin and Guangling. Then, we will send troops to attack Yuan Xi?" Liu Mang's eyes lit up. If this was the case, then there was no such thing as being ungrateful. Moreover, Liu Mang could also use the excuse of helping Cao Cao. At that time, he would have a reputation and territory. Why not?
The most important thing was the provisions of the borrowed troops. Yuan Xi wanted Liu Mang to attack Cao Cao. Therefore, he gave 200,000 shi of provisions and 10,000 gold. Although Liu Mang did not directly attack, it was no different from sending troops. He also gave Yuan Xi a territory for free. How could Yuan Xi not pay for this result?
"General Yuan's envoy must be taken good care of. Yang Hong, this matter will be handed over to you!" With such a rich master, Liu Mang's attitude immediately changed. Yang Hong was Liu Mang's chief diplomat. With Yang Hong, Liu Mang's Army basically had no pressure in diplomacy.
"This old minister accepts the order!" Yang Hong cupped his fist towards Liu Mang. Yang Hong's strength was to make alliances.
"If this plan succeeds, Wen He will record the merit!" Liu Mang looked at Jia Xu with a smile and said. If this plan succeeded, then with 200,000 shi of provisions, Yangzhou would be able to overcome the difficulties. Moreover, Yangzhou would also find an outlet to the sea. Why not?
"Hehe, Milord, don't be too happy! Although Wen He's plan is good, distant water can't put out a nearby fire! " Xu Shu did not have the conspiracy that Jia Xu thought of, but he knew how to scheme openly. Seeing Liu Mang so happy, he immediately poured a bucket of cold water on him.
"We can get 200,000 shi of provisions, but not now!" Although Yuan Xi had provisions, Youzhou was thousands of li away from Yangzhou. It would take more than a month to travel from Youzhou to Yangzhou. Not to mention the detour, he even had to pass through Cao Cao's territory. How could Cao Cao let him come over so easily? The only way to ensure safety was the sea route. However, the premise of the sea route was that Liu Mang had to find an outlet to the sea first. If he could not take Xuzhou, then there was nothing to talk about. Therefore, distant water can't put out a nearby fire.
Xu Shu's words directly sent Liu Mang into the abyss of hell. Yes, how long could Liu Mang's provisions last? In less than a month, everyone would be prepared to eat northwest wind!
"Continue!" Liu Mang could only rub his head. He had to find the fastest way to solve Yangzhou's current predicament.
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