In the face of this situation, Yang Rui's first thought was to send an emissary to communicate with Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian.
He even wanted to contact the faction in Yi Province that Yang Rui had supported, Liu Dan, so as to prevent himself from being isolated and falling into a situation similar to Dong Zhuo's.
However, Yang Rui's plan was dissuaded by Guo Jia. After hearing Guo Jia's reason, several other strategists agreed with Guo Jia's opinion.
"Your Excellency, our current situation is very different from Dong Zhuo's, so Your Excellency naturally won't be as passive as Dong Zhuo. Let me explain.
First, Your Excellency's foundation is solid, far from what Dong Zhuo could compare to.
Although Dong Zhuo's master was skilled in battle, his foundation was on the Western Liang border. Back when He Jin transferred him to Luoyang, he had seized the Han Son of Heaven in the name of protecting the emperor and flaunted his might, but he had no backing in the Luoyang region.
Your Excellency should also know that when Dong Zhuo first entered Luoyang Imperial City, he had his cavalry repeatedly enter the city at night to impersonate the size of his troops. From this, one can see how much distance restricts Dong Zhuo.
But Your Excellency's situation is the complete opposite of Dong Zhuo's. Your Excellency has obtained Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou for a long time. The lands under your control are rich in resources, the people are united, and the population is large. This is the foundation of war.
Although Xuzhou was recently obtained by Your Excellency, the Liegeman under your control has heard of Your Excellency's sage reputation for a long time. Moreover, Your Excellency has implemented various systems in a timely manner, so the lives of Liegeman are no longer the same as before. Your Excellency's desires are what the people desire.
With such a foundation, Your Excellency's offense will be unstoppable, and Your Excellency's defense will be as impregnable as Mount Tai. No storm will be able to touch Your Excellency in the slightest.
Secondly, Your Excellency's valiant troops and orderly armor are not something that Dong Zhuo could compare to.
When Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang Imperial City, it was said that he had two to three million soldiers, but in reality, only forty to fifty percent of them could fight. Among them, there were even fewer brave soldiers like the Flying Bear Cavalry and the Bing Province Cavalry.
At that time, Dong Zhuo also had many capable ministers and generals like Lu Bu, Li Ru, Hua Xiong, Niu Fu, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, Li Jue, Li Su, and so on. However, Dong Zhuo was not a person who knew how to judge people. Finally, he died under the hands of treacherous generals without knowing it.
On the other hand, the current lord had four to five times more soldiers than Dong Zhuo. The strength of the soldiers and the number of high-ranking soldiers were far beyond Dong Zhuo's. Naturally, their combat strength was not on the same level.
Moreover, our Lord has many advisors and generals, many of whom are of the same mind, and none of whom are treacherous or disobedient. Our Lord also has a good eye for people, and the generals dare to disregard their lives, which is far beyond what Dong Zhuo and the others can contend against.
Furthermore, our Lord is far beyond what Dong Zhuo can compare to in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, and commerce. The degree of abundance of resources is also a world of difference.
Although Dong Zhuo bullies and humiliates the Han Dynasty, he still relies on the Han Dynasty's prestige and many of its ministers and industries. His own foundation is negligible.
Our Lord is very different. From the planting of sweet potatoes, to the establishment of the workshops, to the establishment of the commerce alliance, everything is the result of our Lord's meticulous efforts. In this regard, Dong Zhuo is far inferior to our Lord.
Apart from this, the most important thing is the difference between our Lord and Dong Zhuo. There is no need for flattery. Everyone present should have their own feelings. There is no need for me to elaborate. Dong Zhuo is far inferior to our Lord … "
Guo Jia's eloquent speech made four comparisons between Yang Rui and Dong Zhuo to show that Yang Rui would not end up as isolated as Dong Zhuo.
"… My Lord, in my opinion, with these four victories, our Lord is already in an invincible position.
However, at this time, it is not appropriate to take the initiative to ally with the other vassals. Just as the experts often say, facts speak louder than words. Our Lord only needs to win a few battles and use facts to inform everyone of our Lord's strength. People like Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian will definitely take the initiative to express their goodwill.
Moreover, even if our Lord does not ally with the other vassals, I believe that some of the powers that have a good relationship with our Lord will certainly assess the situation and carefully choose a side.
Therefore, our Lord only needs to seek a few victories at this time. At the same time, we will take some measures to control the resources and commerce alliance. Then, we will be able to calmly deal with the current situation. "
Not only did Guo Jia make a simple comparison, he also planned a suitable course of action for Yang Rui. After another round of discussion, they jointly came up with a few measures for Yang Rui.
The first aspect was the control of food and other strategic resources. Yang Rui directly cut off almost all of the external food supply channels. Only Fan Li's cargo bag, Coral Reed Vessel, and Bai Gui's storage container were left open.
Among them, Fan Li's cargo bag still had an order that was due and had not been delivered. After that, Yang Rui was prepared to stop this trade channel. Coral Reed Vessel was the tool channel for Zhang Rang and Yang Rui to trade resources. Bai Gui's storage container was the tool channel for Ma Teng and Yang Rui to trade resources.
Yang Rui was not prepared to adjust Zhang Rang's supply of resources. As for Ma Teng's needs, it would need to be specifically considered according to his performance in the following plot.
In addition to food and other resources, the commerce alliance's internal trade fair had to be suspended due to the impending war. At least in the current situation, the commerce alliance's internal trade fair had to be suspended for a period of time due to the control of resources.
The second aspect was to plan for a few victorious battles. They had to establish victory at the start of the battle and establish an image for potential allies. This was to achieve the goal of the other factions taking the initiative to approach Yang Rui.
The result of the discussion was that they could not remain passive and continue to defend. Instead, they should use their advantage in information, transportation, and navy to seize the opportunity to take the initiative to attack.
Yang Rui's plan to use the navy to attack Liu Bei was the first choice. Within three days of preparation, the Flame Falcons and Golden Hawks were transferred to Taishi Ci's navy. The moment Liu Bei's troops made any movements, the plan would be put into action.
Apart from the plan to target Liu Bei in Yangzhou, Yang Rui had also placed the Ethereal Ninjas in Jizhou, Sili, Yuzhou, and Yangzhou. This was to ensure that they would be able to obtain the movements of the various factions and seize the opportunity to take the initiative to attack.
The third aspect was to stabilize the internal stability of the area under his jurisdiction, including the development of Yizhou, Shrimp Island, and other places. It was also to ensure that Yang Rui could have a good foundation for the long-term confrontation in the third large-scale system storyline of the three civilizations.
Shrimp Island was already very stable and had an endless supply of food and wood. On the other hand, Yizhou was in a period of rapid development. It was not easy to not be affected during the storyline.
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