"What about Cao Mengde?" Liu Mang asked one of his subordinates.
"Cao Cao did not make things difficult for our envoy. He ate and drank well, but he did not sell provisions. Xu Du Xun You gave us a condition. If we meet it, he can sell 100,000 provisions to our Yangzhou!" Xu Shu cupped his fist and said.
"What condition?" Although Liu Mang knew about this condition, he still hoped that Cao Cao would give him something else. However, Liu Mang was disappointed.
"Cao Cao's appetite is even bigger. This time, not only does he want the ballista blueprint, but also Xun You. He also wants our army to give him the ballista!" Before Xu Shu could finish, Liu Mang waved his hand and stopped Xu Shu from speaking.
Liu Mang stood on his chair with a cold expression. If Cao Cao only wanted him to give him the ballista, then Liu Mang would not be so angry. After all, Cao Cao also gave 100,000 provisions. It was also because of these provisions that Xu Shu was still alive and Shouchun was still standing. When Liu Mang was scheming against Cao Cao, he also felt a trace of guilt. He even thought about taking Guangling and not touching Huaiyin. But now, it seemed that there was no friendship between the vassals. There were only benefits. This Cao Cao actually took advantage of this opportunity to add insult to injury. Not only did he have a big appetite, he also wanted the ballista.
Liu Mang absolutely could not give the ballista to Cao Cao. With Cao Cao's background, those three idiots would not be a match for Cao Cao. Once Lao Cao took Hebei, then he would have a long time to deal with Liu Mang!
"Cao Mengde does not need to send any more envoys. Since Cao Mengde does not want to give it to us, there is no need to ask him. As for the ballista, Cao Mengde will not be able to get a single ballista! If he wants it, then let him come and get it himself! " Liu Mang did not even think about it and refused.
"There are other places!" Liu Mang continued to ask.
"Milord, the last place is Jingzhou!" Xu Shu looked at Liu Mang. There was a trace of anger and embarrassment in his eyes. Liu Mang was originally waiting for Xu Shu to talk about Jingzhou, but Xu Shu suddenly stopped.
"Yuanzhi, why did you stop?" Liu Mang asked doubtfully. Jingzhou's Liu Biao was a wealthy person. If there was a place in the world that had not experienced the flames of war, then it would be Jingzhou.
Whether it was the Central Plains' Yan Province, Yu Province, Yangzhou, Hebei's Ji Province, You Province, Bing Province, or even the Western Region's Liangzhou, they had all experienced the flames of war.
In the Central Plains, there was Yuan Shu, Zhang Miao, Tao Qian, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao fighting for hegemony. In the Central Plains, Yangzhou, which once had a population of a million, was beaten to a wasteland. Xuzhou, which was the granary of the world, was beaten to a pulp. Yuzhou, which used to be the gathering place of nobles, was also occupied by the Yellow Turban Army, which only had a few hundred thousand people. Even Lao Cao's Yan Province only had a population of a million, and most of them had migrated from Zi Zhili.
Hebei's Ji Province, You Province, and Bing Province were originally at the border. The flames of war were constant. Gongsun Zan, Liu Yu, Han Fu, and Yuan Shao were all fighting for hegemony, and it was difficult for them to calm down.
There was no need to mention Xiliang. When Dong Zhuo was alive, it was already chaotic. After Dong Zhuo's death, it was even more chaotic. Was Han Sui or Ma Teng a good person?
In Sichuan, Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang were also fighting each other. Only Jingzhou had never experienced the flames of war. To the east of Jingzhou, Jiang Xia was the stronghold. Strictly speaking, Jiang Xia belonged to Jiangdong. Otherwise, there would not be Red Cliff. Jingzhou was the stronghold. To Jiangdong, Red Cliff was easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, to Jingzhou, one man could hold back ten thousand men. The battle between Jingzhou's Liu Biao and Jiangdong's Sun Ce was only in Jiang Xia. It was impossible for there to be a war in the hinterland of Jingzhou.
To the north of Jingzhou was Nanyang County. Nanyang County was originally Zhang Xiu's territory. With Zhang Xiu guarding the door for Liu Biao, who could break in? Although there were disputes in Sichuan in the west, Liu Zhang could not even clear the snow in front of his house. Zhang Lu had already exhausted him. It was good enough that Jingzhou did not attack him. How could he have the time to find trouble with Liu Biao?
In addition, Jingzhou had the natural Yangtze River as a barrier. It could be said that Jingzhou was the only place in the Great Han Dynasty that had not been invaded by the flames of war. In recent years, the common people and nobles had rushed to Jingzhou. It could be said that Jingzhou's prosperity was not inferior to Luoyang and Chang 'an.
Therefore, Jingzhou's Liu Biao's wealth was comparable to that of a country. If one went to him, it would be unreasonable if one did not buy hundreds of thousands of grain and fodder. It could be said that Jingzhou was the place that Liu Mang had the most hope for. It might be more expensive. After all, this was a chaotic world. Even if it was three or four times more expensive, Liu Mang could still afford it.
"Milord, this, this!" Xu Shu's stammering made Liu Mang's face even more gloomy. Other than the good news that Jia Xu brought, the rest were all bad news. It was either not selling, or adding insult to injury. Xu Shu was still able to speak before, but now he was stammering without saying a word. This meant that this trip to Jingzhou was worse than the other trips.
"If you have something to say, say it! When did you, Xu Yuanzhi, become so wishy-washy? " Liu Mang was a little dissatisfied. Xu Shu had always been known for being calm and upright. When did he become so wishy-washy?
"Milord, the Jingzhou messenger we sent did not return!" Xu Shu said.
"Did not return? What do you mean?! Is Liu Biao willing to sell the grain and fodder? Is it a problem with the price? If it's the price, we can negotiate. Even double is fine! " Liu Mang was now rich, but he did not have any grain and fodder. Even if Liu Mang was a prodigal, he would accept it. As long as he could get the grain and hold on for a period of time, there would naturally be greater returns.
Liu Mang's words only made Xu Shu smile bitterly and shake his head. "Milord, Milord, our messenger was not discussing the price with Jingzhou Liu Biao. Our messenger was killed and could not return!"
"What!" Liu Mang suddenly jumped up. The messenger could not return? The messenger was killed? Liu Mang's mouth was filled with monstrous anger. "This Liu Jingsheng, he really wants to break off relations with Yangzhou and start a war! If that's the case, then I will fulfill his wish! " How could Liu Mang not be angry? Although the messengers sent by other routes did not manage to buy the grain and fodder, at least they returned. For example, the messengers sent to Hebei were treated well by the three brothers of the Yuan family. Cao Cao treated the messengers well. Even Sun Ce's messenger in Jiangdong, although Sun Ce took the money he brought, the messenger returned alive. However, the messenger who came to Jingzhou was killed.
When two countries went to war, they would not kill the messengers. Killing the messengers meant breaking off relations and preparing for war. Jingzhou had the Yangtze River as a barrier, but one should not forget that he did not have any territory on the other side of the Yangtze River.
Liu Mang's army could attack Huangzhou and Jiangxia from Lujiang. Liu Mang's army could attack Xinye from Yiyang and Zaoyang. If Liu Mang was more ruthless, he could have Gan Ning's navy go against the current and attack Jingzhou's hinterland.
Since Liu Biao did not give the grain and fodder, Liu Mang could snatch it.
"Men, send a letter to Father-in-law in Lujiang. Set a time to send the troops immediately!" Liu Mang was really angry. Bad news came one after another. Now, this Jingzhou Liu Biao was going too far. Previously, Liu Biao sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight. This already made Liu Mang angry. Now, Liu Mang even killed his messenger. If Liu Mang did not show some courage, it would not be easy for him to lead his troops.
"Lord, it was not Jingzhou Liu Biao who killed my messenger. It was, it was!" Xu Shu quickly stopped Liu Mang. If Liu Mang did not lack food, it would be fine. However, Liu Mang's army was lacking food. If they could take Xinye and replenish their food, they could still fight. However, if Jingzhou Liu Biao made a big move and burned Xinye to the ground, then Liu Biao would be injured and Liu Mang would not be any better. This kind of situation where both sides were injured would only allow others to reap the benefits.
"It wasn't Liu Biao who killed my messenger?" Liu Mang did not understand. The messenger was sent to Liu Biao's Jingzhou. If the messenger was killed on the way, then Liu Mang would definitely know. He would definitely send out a second and third wave of messengers and not just find out from Xu Shu.
"The one who killed my messenger was not Jingzhou Liu Biao, but Yuzhou Liu Bei!" Xu Shu finally pointed out the culprit.
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