Liu Mang saw that Liu Ye was actually kneeling and pleading for mercy for such a young man. This made Liu Mang feel a little strange. One must know that Liu Ye was in charge of Yangzhou's government affairs in the past. He had even accompanied Liu Mang on an expedition before. It could be said that there were very few people in the world who could be Liu Ye's opponent.
Originally, Liu Ye still had thoughts of competing with Liu Mang. However, after Liu Mang gave him those books, Liu Ye had completely abandoned the idea of developing his career in the military and turned his attention to these books. Therefore, Liu Ye did not give any face to Xu Shu. He did not expect Liu Ye to kneel in front of him for this young scholar. Moreover, he was a person who stuttered.
What kind of ability did this person have? Liu Mang knew that Liu Ye was alone when he came to rely on him. He did not have any relatives, so there was no such thing as connections.
Then there was only one possibility. This person was very talented. That was why Liu Ye was pleading for him.
"Stand up and speak!" Liu Mang waved his hand. Half of the industrial zone was blown up. It was miserable here. Liu Mang could only shake his head and let his subordinates find a place to sit down. Liu Ye and the others followed Liu Mang and left.
After finding a place to talk, Liu Mang sat on the main seat. There were a few seats beside him. Liu Mang waved his hand and let everyone sit down.
"Zi Yang, this young man is your Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works?" In the Ministry of Works, there was a Minister and two Assistant Ministers. This was equivalent to a manager and two assistants. In ancient times, the left was the most respected. The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works was someone else. This person was called Ge Luo. Although this person was not very talented, he was reliable. The Ministry of Works needed to collect more things. If a dishonest and greedy person was in charge, Liu Mang would not be at ease.
Liu Ye was mainly responsible for turning the things in the books into reality. Therefore, the basic matters of the Ministry of Works were handed over to Ge Luo. There was also a Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works, who was the young scholar in front of him.
"Yes!" Liu Ye nodded. "Ma Jun, hurry up and greet the Lord!" Liu Ye said to the young man beside him.
"Ma, Right Assistant Minister of Works, Ma, Ma Jun, greets my lord." So this young man's name was Ma Jun.
"Ma Jun?" The name sounded familiar to Liu Mang.
"You're Ma Jun?" Before Liu Mang could say anything, Xu Shu, who was at the side, was surprised.
"Yuanzhi, do you know this Ma Jun?" Liu Mang asked Xu Shu curiously.
"Yes! How can I not recognize him! " Xu Shu smiled bitterly at Liu Mang and said, "My lord, do you still remember the time when Yu Province's Liu Bei and Nanyang's Zhang Xiu formed an alliance to besiege my Yangzhou?"
Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu had joined forces to attack Yangzhou. How could Liu Mang not remember? That was a crisis for Yangzhou. Yangzhou had almost been overturned by them.
"That happened?"
"When I was guarding Shouchun, the ballistae on the city walls were destroyed by the catapults of Liu Bei's Army. It was also those catapults that allowed Liu Bei's Army to climb up the city walls. General Deng Chao was also killed by Zhang Fei. Shouchun was almost lost in my hands!" Xu Shu explained to Liu Mang.
"I know about this? But what does it have to do with this Ma Jun? " At that time, the ballistae were still the second generation. They had a low range and were easily damaged. They did not have much power beyond 300 steps.
"Those, those catapults, they were made by me, Ma Jun." Ma Jun said to Liu Mang in an unyielding manner.
"What? His catapults?" There were many veterans behind Xu Shu who had survived the defense of Shouchun. Naturally, they had a deep impression of Liu Bei's catapults. Originally, relying on the huge moat and the ballistae on the city walls, Liu Bei's Army would not be able to climb up the city walls. However, who knew that Liu Bei's Army actually had catapults.
Therefore, the casualties on the city walls were heavy. It was also because of this that Liu Bei's Army was able to climb up the city walls. The casualties of the defenders of Shouchun increased. Many of those who died in battle were killed by the catapults. Among them were their comrades and brothers. Therefore, they all looked at Ma Jun with anger.
"Ma Jun!" Liu Ye glared at Ma Jun and turned pale with fright. He knew how many casualties Ma Jun's catapults had brought to Yangzhou. That was why Liu Ye had tried his best to cover up this matter. He did not expect that someone would still find out. "Milord, Ma Jun was young and ignorant at that time. I hope Milord can forgive me!"
"Those catapults were made by you?" Liu Mang also thought of Liu Bei's catapults. Not only did they appear in the Battle of Shouchun, but they also appeared in the attack on Yuzhou.
"Yes!" Ma Jun stood up and looked at Liu Mang. There was a stubborn look in his eyes.
"Milord, at that time, Ma Jun and I were serving different masters. Therefore, Milord, please spare Ma Jun."
"Milord, if this person is not killed, it will be difficult for those who died to rest in peace." A general jumped out and wanted Ma Jun to die.
"That's right! Milord, countless people in Yangzhou have died in the hands of this person's catapults. Kill this person to appease the souls of our brothers in heaven. "
Liu Mang did not say anything and just looked at Ma Jun. Ma Jun also looked at Liu Mang.
Suddenly, Liu Mang laughed.
"Milord, Ma Jun's nature is not bad. I beg Milord to show mercy. Don't kill Ma Jun and spare his life." Liu Mang pleaded.
"Martial Uncle, if you want him to kill, then he will kill. Martial Uncle, don't beg him." Ma Jun suddenly stopped stuttering.
"Kill? Who said I want to kill him? " Liu Mang smiled and said to Liu Ye and Ma Jun. "Ma Jun is the Right Assistant Minister of Works of Yangzhou. He is a talent of Yangzhou. Why would I want to kill him?"
"Then Milord, before you?" Liu Ye asked doubtfully.
"Before me?" Liu Mang thought for a while and said, "Ziyang, until now, I have not said that I want to kill Ma Jun. Ziyang, you are the one who has been pleading for Ma Jun."
"Ah ah!" Liu Ye suddenly remembered that Liu Mang had been asking about the gunpowder ever since they arrived. He did not mention anything about Ma Jun.
"But Milord, that angry look on your face?" Liu Ye was still very doubtful. He saw the anger on Liu Mang's face and that was why he revealed Ma Jun's identity in a panic.
"That is because I am angry at you! I am angry at you. Didn't I say that you should tell me immediately after you make the gunpowder? Even if you want to test it, it can be done slowly. I will not say anything about these industrial areas. If you, Liu Ye, were to die, where would I find another Liu Ye to take charge of my Ministry of Works? "Liu Mang said to Liu Ye.
"Milord!" Hearing Liu Mang's reprimand, Liu Ye did not panic. Instead, he felt at ease.
"And this Ma Jun. Why didn't you tell me that you got such a talent? Are you really afraid that I do not have a forgiving heart? If something were to happen to the two of you in this explosion, wouldn't it be Yangzhou's greatest loss? Liu Ye, tell me, should I punish you? "
"Yes, you should!" Liu Ye nodded.
"Originally, I should have punished you to go back and reflect on your mistakes. When you think it through, you can come back to the Ministry of Works. However, when I saw that the gunpowder was produced, I made up for it. However, if there is a next time, I will not let you off so easily. Liu Mang said sternly.
"Milord, this is not my martial uncle's fault. It is I, Ma Jun, who was too anxious." Ma Jun was about to speak up for Liu Ye again. These two martial nephews were very loyal. Liu Ye and Ma Jun were both people who had studied the School of Mohism before. Liu Ye was not entirely from the School of Mohism, but he was very interested in the School of Mohism. As for Ma Jun, he came from the School of Mohism. When Ma Jun saw Liu Ye, he introduced himself. When Liu Ye heard it, he was shocked. This was because Ma Jun's master's master was the old man that Liu Ye had studied under before. That was why these two people were able to recognize their martial uncle and martial nephew.
This time, it was also because of their martial uncle and martial nephew that they were able to produce the gunpowder. They did not expect that something would happen the moment it was produced. Ma Jun was too anxious. When he saw the books that Liu Mang brought back, his heart was itching. Whatever cannon, whatever gun, he wanted to try them all. That was why the explosion in the industrial zone happened. Fortunately, the two of them knew to stay away from the gunpowder. Otherwise, they would not be able to escape and would have to meet their ancestors.
"Ma Jun, stand down!" Being reprimanded by Liu Mang, Liu Ye could not be happier. If Liu Mang did not reprimand you, then it meant two things. First, you were not far from death. This was because Liu Mang would not reprimand you and would directly kill you. Second, Milord was distancing himself from you and did not want to use you anymore. No matter which it was, it was not what Liu Ye wanted.
"Hmph, Ma Jun, do you think you can run away? In the past, you were the one who created the catapult and injured my comrades! "
"Milord, you?" Liu Ye asked doubtfully. Didn't your Lord, Liu Mang, say that he did not want to pursue the matter?
"However, since you served your Lord before, you can avoid death, but you cannot escape punishment. As punishment, you will stay in Yangzhou for the rest of your life and serve Yangzhou. If you rebel, you will be killed without mercy." Hearing Liu Mang's words, Liu Ye heaved a sigh of relief. This Liu Mang was simply lifting up the plank heavily and gently dropping it down. It did not hurt the skin or bones at all. Not to mention Ma Jun, no matter who it was, if you wanted to betray Yangzhou,
"Ma Jun, quickly thank Milord!" Liu Ye said to Ma Jun who was still in a daze.
"Oh, oh, Ma Jun, greets Milord. Thank you, Milord, for killing me." Ma Jun immediately knelt down and regained his stuttering expression.
"Haha, I know that Ma Jun, your head is definitely sincere!" Liu Mang said to Ma Jun and the rest with a smile.
"Alright, all of you can get up."
"Ma Jun is from Fufeng, right?" Liu Mang suddenly asked, causing everyone to be stunned.
"How, how did you know?" Ma Jun admitted that he had never met the King Of Shu, Liu Mang. This could be considered as the first time they met.
"Haha, I knew it." Liu Mang did not explain much. At least he confirmed one thing. This Ma Jun should be the great inventor of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Jun. A person who stuttered and was from Fufeng, wasn't that Ma Jun, Ma Deheng?
This person was extraordinary. When Ma Jun was young, his family was poor and he had a stuttering problem. Therefore, he was not good at speaking, but he was good at thinking. He created the compass carriage and modified the silk weaving machine, increasing the efficiency by four to five times. Ma Jun also developed a tool for irrigation, the Dragon Bone Water Wheel. After that, Ma Jun also modified the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, which contributed to the development of science and technology.
Even Zhuge Liang and the others might not be a match for Ma Jun.
Only Ma Jun was left thinking about where he had met the King Of Shu. The rest of the Yangzhou Civil and Military Officials were already used to it.
"Zi Yang, what is the progress of the gunpowder?" Liu Mang asked Liu Ye.
"My Lord, the gunpowder has been created, but how do we have a container to shoot it? As for the cannon that my Lord mentioned, sigh, Zi Yang is not talented. I am helpless." Liu Ye said to Liu Mang. The gunpowder had been created, but when Liu Ye and the others were testing it, they encountered a problem.
The cannon written in the book was to use a metal barrel with gunpowder and bullets. They had followed the book's instructions, but in the end, they found out that they did not kill the enemy, but instead blew themselves up.
How was this a weapon to kill the enemy? This was clearly a weapon to kill oneself.
"You have also created a cannon barrel?" Liu Mang asked Liu Ye and the others.
"Yes!" Liu Ye nodded.
"Go and get it for me to see." Liu Mang frowned. If it was according to the book, then it should not explode.
It was not easy to get this cannon barrel. It was a huge object, and it was made of fine iron.
Liu Mang touched the surface of the cannon barrel. What a huge object. Liu Mang could not help but nod.
"Did you put in too much gunpowder?" Liu Mang asked. If there was too much gunpowder, it could explode.
"No!" Liu Ye shook his head. Although they wanted to put in more gunpowder, so that they could shoot further, Liu Ye gave up on that idea. This time, they only put in a small amount of gunpowder. "At the start, it was still okay. We fired two shots, and it did have a strong destructive power. But when we fired the third shot, it exploded."
"Hmm?" Liu Mang looked at the cannon barrel. The exterior was really well made. Liu Mang touched it gently with his hand. Suddenly, he frowned because there was a dent on the cannon barrel. It was uncomfortable to touch.
Liu Mang lowered his head and put his hand into the cannon barrel.
"Lord, be careful!" When Liu Mang took his hand out, it was cut and blood was flowing out of the wound. Guan Hai and the others wanted to help Liu Mang bandage the wound, but they were stopped by Liu Mang.
He could endure such a big wound on the battlefield, let alone such a small one.
Liu Mang sucked the dirty blood out of the wound with his mouth and ignored him.
"There is a problem with this cannon barrel." Liu Mang said to Liu Ye and Ma Jun.
"Cannon barrel?" Liu Ye walked forward doubtfully. This cannon barrel was built under his supervision. There was definitely no shortage of weight.
"That's not the problem. It's just that the cannon barrel is too brittle. The interior of the cannon barrel is filled with bubbles. This is because it wasn't handled properly during the quenching process, causing air to seep in when the steel solidifies. In addition, there are burrs on the surface of the cannon barrel. This kind of cannon barrel would be fine under normal circumstances, but if you were to really test it, it would be strange if the barrel didn't explode due to its brittle nature.
"Then what kind of cannon barrel is it? “
Liu Mang did not explain it to Liu Ye. The cannon barrel was full of air holes. The reason for the air holes was because the furnace fire was not easy to control. The number of air holes was determined by the fluidity of the material. There were also other factors such as insufficient melting. These were the reasons for the cannon barrel to explode.
If such a cannon barrel was taken out, it would only harm their own people.
"Change it to copper products." Liu Mang said to Liu Ye and Ma Jun.
"Copper cannon barrel?" Both Liu Ye and Ma Jun were stunned. Steel was obviously better than copper. Moreover, copper represented money. Copper coins, copper coins. This cannon weighed a thousand catties. If they were to use copper, then it would definitely weigh a thousand catties. How much would a thousand catties of copper cost? Moreover, it wasn't just a single piece of copper that was forged.
"Isn't this a little too extravagant?" Liu Ye asked.
"My Lord, between bronze and iron, iron is still a bit stronger." Ma Jun immediately stopped stuttering in his profession. Moreover, his tone also became impolite in his discussion with Liu Mang. Bronze weapons were no longer used since the beginning of the Han Dynasty. Everyone took pride in being able to forge good iron weapons instead of making bronze weapons.
"Iron cannons are indeed better than copper! However, you are still unable to make a cannon barrel that will not explode. Therefore, you can only use copper. Copper can guarantee that your cannon barrel will not explode. However, the prerequisite is that there must be sufficient weight. " Liu Mang emphasized this point.
"But!" Ma Jun was about to raise his doubts.
"No buts. If you can make a cannon that will not explode, I can use iron instead of copper." Copper's melting point was a few hundred degrees lower than iron. Therefore, copper was easier to form.
"My lord, how many cannons are you going to make?" Xu Shu asked.
"Three thousand cannons. I want a hundred. One thousand cannons. I want five hundred." Liu Mang said to Xu Shu.
"So many?" Three thousand cannons were three thousand catties. They were all made of copper. If he wanted a hundred cannons and five hundred thousand cannons, how much copper would he need? One must know that copper was money. Xu Shu was now the Internal Minister of Yangzhou. The Internal Minister was not only in charge of the military. This money bag was also in Xu Shu's hands. The Minister of Commerce, Mi Zhu, was also responsible for Xu Shu.
Xu Shu was not in charge and did not know how expensive oil was. The moment he took charge, he immediately began to nitpick.
Xu Shu immediately objected. If so many cannons were made at once, Yangzhou's finances would be more or less ruined.
"Yuanzhi, there is no need to agree immediately. Let's wait a few days. When Ziyang and the others finish making the three thousand cannons, it won't be too late for you to object." Since Liu Mang said this, Xu Shu could only nod.
…
Compared to Yangzhou's prosperity, the other provinces were cold and cheerless. Jiangdong and Jingzhou were originally the overlords of the Yangtze River. Now, they could only lick their wounds.
Even Cao Cao in Xudu was anxious. Liu Mang's speed was too fast. It was so fast that Cao Cao felt a little scared. In just one winter, Liu Mang had already taken over half of Yuzhou. It was only a matter of time before he dominated the Central Plains. Although Jiangdong and Jingzhou were not under Liu Mang's rule, they were not qualified to challenge Yangzhou.
If this continued, when Cao Cao unified the north, he would have to prepare to fight the south.
"No, no, I have to send troops immediately." Cao Cao was anxious. He was about to send troops to attack Yangzhou. Cao Cao was worried about Liu Mang. Originally, Cao Cao could crush a Lü Bu to death. Who knew that Liu Mang would appear out of nowhere. From a defeated army to a warlord, he was about to become the overlord of the south.
"Milord, now is not the time to send troops!" Cao Cao wanted to send troops. Naturally, someone would stop him. Cheng Yu immediately stepped forward to stop him. "Milord, it is more important for us to take over the north. When we get the north, it won't be too late to deal with that Liu Mang." Cheng Yu did not have a good expression on his face towards Liu Mang. However, he also knew that now was not the time to attack Yangzhou.
"Once we take over the north, this Liu Mang will become a force to be reckoned with. When the time comes, what can I use to deal with him? Do you want to fight the Battle of Guandu again?" Cao Cao said with a little anger. Although the Battle of Guandu was regarded by Cao Cao as his life's most outstanding work, after all, he defeated his former boss and successfully took over the position of Cao Cao. However, Cao Cao still spoke today because the Battle of Guandu was too difficult. No one wanted to fight such a battle again.
"Milord, cough, cough! This Yangzhou must be conquered. "A pale man said while coughing.
"Fengxiao. Are you feeling better? "Logically speaking, they were in the middle of a meeting. Everything should be focused on political matters. However, when Cao Cao saw this thin man, he could not help but be concerned.
"Many thanks for Milord's concern. Fengxiao is much better." This thin man was Cao Cao's chief advisor, Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao. Guo Jia's illness completely broke out after going to Hebei. Now, he was coughing all day. If there was no good treatment, he would not be far from the end of his life. Before he died, Guo Jia also wanted to help Milord clean up everything.
"Milord, Yangzhou must be conquered." Guo Jia said while coughing.
"Fengxiao, where does my Xu Du have any troops to go to Yangzhou?" Xun You, who was on the side, said, "Although my army is here, it's going to be spring soon. We're going to crusade against Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. If we split up, it'll be disadvantageous for my army." Although Yuan Shao had been defeated in the north, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were not idiots. Although they were fighting for power, they knew that Cao Cao was a hungry wolf watching them. Once one of them showed any signs of fatigue, he would pounce and bite them to death. Therefore, after fighting for two months, the two brothers suddenly tacitly hid their flags. This was what Cao Cao did not want to see. If these two Yuan family brothers had a screw loose in their heads and joined forces to deal with Cao Cao, then Cao Cao would be in big trouble.
Therefore, when the two brothers had just fought and the hatred between them was still deep, he sent troops to destroy one family first. By the time the other family reacted, it would be too late.
Cao Cao's troops could not be moved.
"My Lord, Xu Du can't take out any more rations." Xun Yu also spoke up. Xun Yu was responsible for the allocation of provisions for the entire Xu Du. His words meant that Xu Du could not attack Yangzhou.
"Haha, Wen Ruo, Gongda, you don't have to use Xu Du's troops to attack Yangzhou!" Guo Jia said to everyone with a smile.
"Don't need Xu Du's troops?" Everyone did not understand.
"Everyone, although we are anxious about Yangzhou's development, there is someone who is more anxious than us." Guo Jia said. Naturally, everyone had their own ideas.
"Jingzhou's Liu Biao?" Cheng Yu thought of Liu Biao. The hatred between Liu Biao and Liu Mang was very big. Liu Mang took away Liu Biao's wife and made Liu Biao wear a green hat. Liu Biao could not wait to grind Liu Mang's bones and scatter the ashes.
Liu Mang almost died in the hands of Liu Biao. The hatred between the two could not be resolved.
If Yangzhou was to become stronger, naturally the one who would not want to eat or sleep would be Liu Biao. If Yangzhou attacked, anyone could surrender, but Liu Biao would die.
"Jiangdong's Sun Ce?" Xun Yu said to everyone. Jiangdong's Little Conqueror Sun Ce was also one of the people who could not eat or sleep well. The reason why Liu Mang's Army took root in Yangzhou was because of Sun Ce. Originally, Yangzhou's Army left Yangzhou and went to Hanzhong to find trouble with Zhang Lu. Finally, they occupied Hanzhong and went to Sichuan to conquer the world.
But who would have thought that Sun Ce's subordinate, Chen Duan, resented the King Of Shu because Liu Mang had humiliated him and angered Lü Bu. In the end, Lü Bu did not want to leave.
He stayed in Lujiang and became the overlord of the Central Plains. This time, the navy that Jiangdong relied on was defeated. How could Sun Ce not panic?
"Yuzhou's Liu Bei!" Liu Bei's big eared Liu was also mentioned. But when he was mentioned, everyone just smiled contemptuously. This was because Liu Bei only had three cities left. Although Runan was in his hands, most of the people had been evacuated. Compared to the previous Zhang Xiu, he only had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. If it was not for Liu Mang's disappearance, Liu Bei would have been destroyed long ago.
"Whether it is Liu Biao, Sun Ce, or Liu Bei, they are more anxious than us! Therefore, it is not necessary for us to send troops. "Guo Jia said to everyone.
"Are you saying that we should send troops?" Cheng Yu looked at Guo Jia and said.
"Ahem!" Guo Jia coughed again. "Yes and no!" How many soldiers did these three families have? Liu Bei only had tens of thousands of soldiers. Sun Ce's main force had been destroyed in Jiangdong. Liu Biao was not much better. He still had tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command. How many soldiers did they have?
"We don't want them to send troops to attack Yangzhou because it is simply impossible. But we can give them a righteous cause!" Guo Jia said to everyone.
"A righteous cause?"
"Yes, a righteous cause. It is not easy to use weapons. If there is no righteous cause, they will not use weapons!" Guo Jia said to everyone. Since ancient times, a rebellion or an attack on the enemy had to be justified. For example, why did Cao Cao want to use the power of the emperor to command his vassals? Wasn't it for the sake of righteousness? Chen Sheng and Wu Guang revolted, what did they shout? It was the order of the nobles, generals, and ministers. Later on, they became puppets of the descendants of the six states that were destroyed by the Qin Dynasty.
This was because the commoners believed in this. If you were not righteous, it meant that you were not righteous. The soldiers would think this way. They were not the imperial army, so naturally, they would not work hard in this war. The commoners in the areas that were attacked would also jump out to protect their homes, because you were a bandit in terms of righteousness.
Even when Yangzhou attacked Jingzhou, it was not in the name of taking revenge for Liu Mang. That name could not be used because after all, Liu Mang had slept with Liu Biao's wife. Liu Biao did not kill Liu Mang because Liu Mang's character was good. If Liu Mang killed Liu Mang, Liu Mang deserved it.
When Yangzhou attacked Jingzhou, the name given was a punitive expedition against the traitorous officials. That was a punitive expedition against Liu Biao. Liu Mang had the title of General Zhennan. According to reason, Liu Biao was also Liu Mang's subordinate. General Zhennan could govern Jingzhou and Shu Chuan.
"Fengxiao, you mean?"
"That's right. We are going to give His Highness the King Of Shu's title of General Zhennan and the title of Yangzhou's Governor to him." Guo Jia said to everyone.
Liu Mang not only had the title of General Zhennan, but he also had the title of Yangzhou's Governor. This title was given to Lü Bu. Originally, Lü Bu was the Provincial Governor of Xuzhou. Now, he was the Governor of Yangzhou.
If these two titles were taken away, then Yangzhou would not have the righteousness to attack Jingzhou and Jiangdong.
"But how do we get rid of it? You can't just order Liu Mang to be removed from his official position. Without a reasonable reason, you can't just remove all the official positions of a General for no reason. Moreover, Liu Mang still had the title of Saint King. He might even be used by Yangzhou to get rid of the Emperor. That would not be good.
"He can't be demoted, nor can he be transferred! Then we will give him a promotion! "Cheng Yu was indeed an old fox. He immediately thought of a way to deal with Yangzhou.
"Yes! We will give him a promotion! "Guo Jia nodded.
"But what position should we give him?" Cao Cao was a little embarrassed.
"Milord, there is no one for the position of General of Light Cavalry." Guo Jia said to Cao Cao. The position of General of Light Cavalry was originally given to the Fuwan Family. However, because Liu Bei wanted to curry favor with Cao Cao, the position of General of Light Cavalry was given to the Fuwan Family.
"Good! Then we will ask His Majesty to give His Highness the King Of Shu a promotion to General of Light Cavalry. " Cao Cao smiled and said to everyone. The position of General of Light Cavalry was not small. He was second only to the Great General and was on par with the Great General of Light Cavalry. Compared to Liu Mang's previous position, General of Light Cavalry was two ranks higher. If it was a peaceful time, then Liu Mang was overstepping his position. However, this was a chaotic time.
As for the position of General of Light Cavalry, it was even more of a joke. The original General of Light Cavalry was an elite troop of 5000 heavy cavalry. The most glorious battle of the Light Cavalry was when the Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing led the Light Cavalry out of the fortress. They defeated the Xiongnu and forced the Xiongnu to retreat more than 700 Li.
However, that was in the past. The current General of Light Cavalry was a pit. The General of Light Cavalry represented the Emperor's personal army and the Emperor's authority. However, did the Emperor still have any authority? The General of Light Cavalry only had 2000 people and they were all second generation officials of Xu Du. They listened to their father and their father listened to Cao Cao. Therefore, the General of Light Cavalry was a pit.
If Liu Mang really became the head of the General of Light Cavalry, then it would be a joke.
"Then what about this Lü Bu?" After giving Liu Mang his position, this Lü Bu had to be changed. More than half of Jiangdong belonged to Yangzhou.
"Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian? Give them the position of General of Light Cavalry. " Cao Cao was not stingy. The title of General Who Supports the Country was a very high official position. It was only below the General of Agile Cavalry. It was one level higher than Liu Bei's Left General.
"If we give them righteousness, then what if Liu Mang insists on attacking Jingzhou and Jiangdong?" Cao Cao was still worried because Lü Bu's character was problematic. If the first villain in the world was Liu Bei, then the second villain would be Lü Bu. However, Liu Bei was sneaky while Lü Bu was an honorable villain.
Cao Cao was afraid that righteousness would not be able to bind Yangzhou. Lü Bu was someone who even dared to kill his father.
"Then we will need the three of them to survive." Guo Jia said with a smile. Although Jiangdong's main army was wiped out, the people of Jiangdong were valiant. They were able to quickly pull out an army from the common people. Jiangdong was doing this now. However, Jiangdong did not have the money. After years of war, Jiangdong's treasury had been emptied. The nobles were also poor. If Sun Ce continued to force them, they might change their master.
Therefore, Jiangdong's recruitment was very slow. This time, they only recruited 10,000 people. They were not like Jingzhou, who recruited 100,000 people. Even so, Jingzhou lacked elites. A group of farmers would run away when they saw blood. It was difficult for Jingzhou to recruit elites.
Jiangdong lacked money to form an army. Jingzhou lacked soldiers to fight. The two of them complemented each other. There was also Liu Bei who stirred up shit. The three of them added together would cause Yangzhou to suffer a loss.
"Lead by us? Let Jingzhou, Jiangdong, and Yuzhou join forces? " Guo Jia's idea was good. Now, Jingzhou, Jiangdong, and Yuzhou were no match for Yangzhou. They could only be killed and annexed by Yangzhou one by one. But if they joined forces, it would be different. Jingzhou had money and Jiangdong had soldiers. Although Liu Bei would only take advantage of them, it was still useful.
"Let Liu Biao be the alliance leader!" Liu Biao's identity was the Emperor of Great Han. He was much better than the fake Liu Bei. Liu Biao's age was also there. Moreover, Jingzhou had money. Therefore, the alliance leader was still Liu Biao.
"Lord, Jingzhou's Liu Biao and Yuzhou's Liu Bei are easy to deal with. But what about Jiangdong's Sun Ce?" Xun Yu voiced out his doubts. Liu Biao would form an alliance because of his hatred for Yangzhou. Last time, in order to destroy Yangzhou, he had sold Jiangxia to Jiangdong to attack Yangzhou. Liu Bei also had no problem with that. He was a thick-skinned person. If there were benefits, he would naturally not be lacking.
However, this Jiangdong's Sun Ce was difficult to deal with. One must know that this Sun Ce had always been the boss of the world. He learned the way of the overlord. That was why he was called Jiangdong's Little Conqueror. If you want him to submit to other people, it would be easy. But if you want him to submit to Liu Biao, it would be difficult. You killed Sun Ce's father. Sun Ce would not wait to kill you. How could he form an alliance with you? When he formed an alliance with Liu Biao, it was because of Liu Biao's words. Moreover, it was because of the Jiangdong Army. Guo Jia's method was to form an alliance with the three forces. With Liu Biao as the alliance leader, they could resist Liu Mang's attack.
"Then let Sun Ce be the alliance leader?" No one considered Liu Bei because Liu Bei didn't have the strength.
"Then Liu Biao won't agree." Liu Biao looked down on Sun Ce's father and even killed Sun Jian. In Liu Biao's opinion, he had already killed Sun Ce's father. Why would he submit to a brat like Sun Ce? The most important thing is that he, Liu Biao, paid for it. Although the end of the Han Dynasty is not like modern times, rich people are treated well wherever they go.
"What should we do now?" Everyone fell into deep thought. Cao Cao was also frowning. However, when Cao Cao saw the smile on Guo Jia's face, Cao Cao angrily said.
"Fengxiao, if you have a solution, just say it. Why are you keeping us in suspense? Why are you making us racking our brains?" Cao Cao shouted at Guo Jia.
The Guo Clan didn't know what to do after hearing Cao Cao's words. Guo Jia wasn't keeping them in suspense. He was helping his lord, Cao Cao, choose a candidate. Guo Jia knew his own body. If this continued, he wouldn't be far from the end of his lifespan. The Guo Clan had promised Cao Cao to help him rule the world. Since his body didn't allow it, Guo Jia wanted to find someone to inherit his will. Cao Cao didn't lack talents, but each of them had their own achievements in their own fields. They couldn't take charge alone.
Cheng Yu, although Old Chen was scheming, he was too stubborn. He didn't want to take any risks. If you weren't unique, how could you surpass others?
Xun You was talented, but that was only in terms of overall planning. With Xun You in the rear, you wouldn't have to worry about logistics. Xun You would definitely use all the resources. Unfortunately, Xun You didn't have the ability to take charge alone.
The last one, Xun Yu, had the ability to take charge alone. Moreover, he was a talented advisor. He had great achievements in planning, plotting, Kuang Bi, and High Scholar. Cao Cao called him "My Son's Room". However, Guo Jia didn't dare to fully trust him. This was because this person placed too much importance on being orthodox. He believed that the master of the Great Han Dynasty would always be someone with the surname Liu, and not someone with the surname Cao. The reason why he was able to play a role under Cao Cao was because he believed that Cao Cao could help the Great Han Dynasty rule the world.
If one day Cao Cao took over the world, the person most likely to rebel would be Xun Yu. Therefore, the Guo Clan didn't dare to entrust him with anything.
Therefore, the Guo Clan could only bring up some problems. It could also be considered as training these people. Once they were capable, even if Guo Jia left, Cao Cao wouldn't have to worry about anything.
However, when it was brought up by Cao Cao, Guo Jia's training was in vain. On the contrary, he would be seen as arrogant. Cheng Yu was about to speak ill of Guo Jia in front of Cao Cao.
Guo Jia smiled bitterly and shook his head. He could only say it first. "Milord, if Jiangdong's Sun Ce is not willing, we can change to another faction."
"Change to another faction?" Guo Jia confused everyone. Only Xun Yu thought of something.
"If there are no strong soldiers in Jiangdong, what's the point of this alliance?" In fact, it was an alliance between Jiangdong and Jingzhou. Jiangdong had good soldiers. They didn't need to be trained because they were strong. Jingzhou had a lot of money and provisions. This was what Liu Biao left behind. Liu Bei could only be regarded as a bystander. Originally, Liu Bei was not qualified to join this alliance. It was because he wanted to keep Liu Bei, who was a troublemaker, in Yangzhou.
"Jiangdong must join the alliance, but Sun Ce may not!" Guo Jia continued.
"What do you mean?" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes.
"Milord, do you still remember the messenger from Jiangdong a few days ago?" Guo Jia said to Cao Cao, who was sitting on the main seat.
A few days ago, a messenger from Jiangdong inexplicably came to Cao Cao's birthday. Of course, it was not Cao Cao's birthday, but Cao Cao's wife Bian's birthday. Originally, the wife's birthday was celebrated by her own people. Unexpectedly, a messenger from Jiangdong came with a gift.
"What's wrong with the messenger from Jiangdong?" Cao Cao still did not understand. What's wrong with the messenger?
"Milord, do you still remember the signature on the gift?" Guo Jia said to Cao Cao.
"Signature?" Cao Cao seemed to have forgotten about it. Guo Jia also thought of it. He clapped his hands and his subordinates handed over a letter to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao took it and looked at it. There was no difference in the front of the letter. The only difference was to congratulate Bian's wife on her birthday. However, the signature at the back made Cao Cao narrow his eyes. It should be Jiangdong's Sun Ce, but this time, it was Jiangdong's Sun Quan.
"Sun Quan?" Cao Cao thought of this name.
"This person is Jiangdong's second son. He is Jiangdong's Little Conqueror, Sun Ce's younger brother!" Guo Jia explained to Cao Cao.
"Sun Ce's younger brother?" What's so strange about this?
"This gift does not have Jiangdong's Little Conqueror, Sun Ce's name. Moreover, my spies in Jiangdong have also reported that Sun Ce did not know about this messenger. In other words, this messenger was sent by Jiangdong's second son behind his elder brother's back! " After Guo Jia's explanation, Cao Cao's civil and military officials immediately had an idea.
Since ancient times, the most vigilant thing about the change of royal power was between brothers. That's why there was no familial affection in the royal family.
Although Jiangdong was not an emperor, the sky was high and the emperor was far away. Naturally, there was no difference between them and the royal family.
"This Jiangdong's second son is ambitious!" Guo Jia said to the crowd.
"You have great ambitions?" This word was usually used as a compliment. However, when it was used on the second son, it had a different meaning.
He has an elder brother who is the master of Jiangdong. You, as the second brother, should have been a peaceful young master, just muddling along every day. But you have great ambitions and even sent a congratulatory gift to the enemy behind your elder brother's back. If this isn't your idea, then what is?
"Fengxiao, what do you mean?"
"It's time for Jiangdong to change." Guo Jia said to the people around Cao Cao.
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