Can I get to the other side?

"Xuzhou military situation?"

Liu Xie's attention was attracted by Lu Bu's words. His eyebrows showed a hint of surprise and he asked, "Mr. Wen, what happened in Xuzhou?"

Since it is a military situation, it is related to war.

When it comes to military affairs, it is closely connected with the war.

After Lu Bu withdrew his troops from Yangzhou, it became the stage for the competition between Cao Cao and Sun Quan. Could it be that they are still eyeing Xuzhou, which is now empty of troops.

Lu Bu replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, according to a secret report from Xuzhou, Cao Cao has quietly evacuated Yangzhou, while Sun Quan has assembled a heavy army on the border of Xuzhou, with the number exceeding 40,000."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers were shocked.

Cao Cao and Sun Quan have been attacking each other for a long time. Now the two sides suddenly stopped fighting and Cao Cao withdrew his army from Yangzhou. The two sides obviously planned to stop fighting and make peace.

As for Sun Quan's large-scale deployment of troops on the border of Xuzhou, his intention is self-evident, and he is obviously eyeing Xuzhou.

"When was this news?"

Liu Xie's expression changed slightly and he asked Lu Bu.

Although he is not a military wizard, he has been baptized by war and has unique insights into strategic situations.

Cao Cao and Sun Quan stopped fighting, which was not as simple as it seemed.

If the two sides continue to fight and consume each other, it will be beneficial to his cause of going south.

Now they actually chose to stop fighting, and Sun Quan even ignored Cao Cao and prepared to attack Xuzhou, which meant that there was a deeper understanding and conspiracy between the two sides.

The most important thing is that he didn't receive the news about such a big matter until now, and Xu You didn't inform him in advance.

"Cao Cao withdrew his troops in early winter last year, while Sun Quan quietly deployed troops at the border of Xuzhou two months ago."

"However, they carried out these actions very secretly, and Xuzhou only became aware of their actions recently."

Lu Bu reported it truthfully. He also just received the news yesterday.

Hearing this, Liu Xie further confirmed his suspicion, because it was the early winter of last year when he broke through Hejian County and defeated Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao chose to withdraw his troops after that. He must have guessed that he would send his troops southward next, so he stopped the war with Sun Quan.

Both sides are planning to form an alliance to fight against the imperial court!

Even Liu Xie could see it, not to mention the officials in the court. After hearing Lu Bu's words, everyone was excited.

"Cao Cao and Sun Quan! These two thieves dare to join forces to resist the imperial court. They are simply treasonous and audacious!"

"Cao Cao supported the false emperor, and the Sun family secretly hid the imperial seal. They are all rebellious people and should be punished by heaven!"

"Thief Cao! Traitor! Evil thief! Rebellious thief!"

"I sincerely request your Majesty to reorganize the army and send troops south to attack these two rebellious officials and traitors. They will be wiped out completely. We must not tolerate this!"

"Yes, the clan must be exterminated!"

The ministers scolded Cao Cao and Sun Quan angrily.

They all knew Liu Xie's attitude towards such rebellious ministers, and the Cao family and the Sun family had no interest in them, so of course they had to quickly take a stand.

Each one of them was even afraid that they would not speak quickly enough and would speak too slowly.

Now that the north has been basically pacified, if Cao Cao and Sun Quan continue to fight, the movement of troops southward can be slightly slowed down.

But the two sides stopped fighting and made peace, and still planned to form an alliance against the imperial court. There was no room for delay, and troops must be sent out as soon as possible to defeat the thieves!

"His Majesty."

When Sima Yi heard that he was going to start a war, he knew that his opportunity had come. He immediately stood up and said: "Now the imperial court has 80,000 elite troops available. It only needs 20,000 to guard Bingzhou Pass to prevent Ma Chao's troops from entering." close."

"We have enough troops left to go south to hunt down thieves!"

"I think that the 60,000 troops can be divided into two groups."

"All the way down from Qingzhou, go to Xuzhou to attack Sun Quan; all the way in from Yanzhou, passing through Liyang, Baima, Yanjin, Guandu, capture Yanzhou and then go straight to Xu County!"

Since defeating Gao Gan and recruiting all the soldiers and horses under his command, the total number of soldiers and horses available to the imperial court has reached an astonishing 80,000.

It's almost the same as Yuan Shao's peak period.

Even excluding the 20,000 troops who need to guard Bingzhou, the number of remaining troops is terrifying, enough to support a two-front battle!

However, after listening to Sima Yi's words, Cui Yan put forward a different opinion and frowned and said: "Sima Yushi, Yanzhou has natural dangers from the Yellow River. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to send troops to Yanzhou."

"Cao Cao mobilized his troops to leave Yangzhou. He was undoubtedly preparing for the imperial court's troops to move south. He would definitely gather a large number of troops in Yanzhou and rely on the natural dangers of the Yellow River for defense."

"In my opinion, instead of dividing the troops into two groups and advancing together, it is better to mobilize all the troops to Xuzhou."

"Xuzhou and Yuzhou are also adjacent. At that time, we can attack Sun Quan on the one hand and Yuzhou on the other."

The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are natural barriers.

Because of the natural dangers of the Yellow River, it was not easy for the northern troops to go south; because of the existence of the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, Sun Quan could rely on the land east of the Yangtze River to resist Lu Bu and Cao Cao.

"No."

Just when Sima Yi was about to explain, Zhuge Liang shook his head and said to Cui Yan: "I think what Sima Yushi said is reasonable, for two reasons."

"First, although Yanzhou has natural dangers on the Yellow River, it also has many ferry crossings. If Cao Cao planned to defend each crossing of the Yellow River, his troops would inevitably be dispersed. Once one crossing is breached, the entire line will collapse."

"But Guandu is different. Not only is the water network densely covered with Guandu Water as a natural barrier, but Guandu Water meets the Guangou Water to the east, and there are 200 miles of fields to the southwest. In order to prevent flooding, many river embankments have been built for boating and Hiking is difficult.”

"If I were Cao Cao, I would only designate the Yellow River barrier as a secondary defense line and deploy heavy troops in Guandu."

Cui Yan glanced at the young man in surprise and asked curiously: "What about the second reason? What is the second reason?"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and slowly said his analysis: "Secondly, if we transfer all our troops to Xuzhou, Cao Cao might take the opportunity to go north and take Jizhou directly."

"Now that the imperial army is stronger than the thieves, we must not give the thieves a chance to take advantage. We should send two generals and divide the troops into two groups, one to attack the Cao thieves and the other to attack the Sun thieves."

After listening to Zhuge Liang's analysis, Cui Yan nodded silently.

Sima Yi, on the other hand, was completely silent.

Because what Zhuge Liang said was exactly what he was thinking, and the other party's thoughts actually coincided with his!

They all focused this battle on Guandu!

"No wonder he is so trusted by His Majesty. He is indeed not an ordinary person..."

Sima Yi looked at Zhuge Liang with deep eyes, feeling not only extremely threatened, but also faintly happy and excited.

This is his opponent and his close friend!

Noticing the gaze directed by Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang also looked at him, returned a faint smile and then withdrew it again.

Guo Jia and Jia Xu on the side also gave their own suggestions.

On the basis of dividing the troops into two groups, detailed discussions were held with Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

On the dragon chair, Liu Xie listened to everyone's complete and thorough plan to defeat the thieves, his eyes flashed, and he stood up suddenly and said: "Okay! Then according to what you dear friends said, the troops will be divided into two groups and go south to hunt down the thieves!"

The battle plan was finalized and the generals were excited.

Lu Bu's eyes were shining, and he took the initiative to ask for a fight: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to attack Sun Quan's son, and let him know the consequences of resisting the imperial court!"

He didn't even look down on Sun Ce, let alone Sun Quan who didn't even have a hairy head? Moreover, even Sun Ce was beheaded by him, so what's the harm in beheading one more Sun Quan.

This man dared to invade Xuzhou while he was away, and he already had a plan for death!

"Mr. Wen, please slow down!"

As soon as Lu Bu finished speaking, Zhang He stopped him and said sternly: "It's just Sun Quan, why does Duke Wen need to personally take action?"

After saying this, he handed over his hands to Liu Xie and asked for his orders: "I ask for orders to go out to attack Sun Quan!"

He is now one of the nine nobles, and the situation in the north is stable. He only needs to defend the imperial city, and no longer has to personally lead troops to fight on the front lines.

He did not participate in the war in Bingzhou.

But as a military general, he was unwilling to stay behind and enjoy the glory and wealth so early. He hoped to kill the enemy on the battlefield and make contributions.

"No, you're not suitable."

Liu Xie shook his head and rejected Zhang He's request.

When Zhang He heard this, he thought that the emperor did not trust his ability. He couldn't help but feel anxious. He knelt on one knee and said: "Your Majesty! I am willing to issue a military order to defeat Sun Quan!"

"If you can't bring Sun Quan's head to see you, I will bring your own head to see you!"

This statement is extremely serious.

Even Lu Bu, who wanted to compete with Zhang He, couldn't help but look sideways, feeling a bit of admiration for him in his heart.

He's a man.

Seeing this, Liu Xie couldn't help but said: "Jun Yi, get up. It's not that I don't believe you, but that you are indeed unfit to fight against Sun Quan. Besides, I have more important responsibilities to entrust to you."

"Your Majesty wants me to attack Cao Cao?"

Zhang He was overjoyed, because Cao Cao posed a greater threat than Sun Quan, and attacking Yanzhou was much more difficult than attacking Sun Quan.

"No, it's to guard Bingzhou." Liu Xie gave an answer that surprised Zhang He, "You replace Wen Yuan and guard Bingzhou on his behalf. This is the top priority."

"It is better to let General Wenyuan do the crusade against Sun Quan. He is better at this matter. I feel most at ease leaving it to him."

Who should I use to beat Sun Quan? I still have to think about it?

Of course it was a no-brainer to choose Zhang Liao!

As the saying goes, "Eight hundred tigers marched across the river, and a hundred thousand Wu soldiers returned in fear." Who else is more suitable to defeat Sun Quan than Zhang Liao?

Natural attributes are suppressed!

Zhang He was stunned when he heard this. Although he was a little confused, he was able to lead an army alone to control Bingzhou. It was already a great blessing from God. How could he dare to ask for more.

"How good is Zhang Liao at beating Sun Quan?"

"Why didn't I know?"

Lu Bu was confused. He knew that Zhang Liao had extraordinary ability in commanding troops, but how could he talk about being good at defeating Sun Quan?

However, Lu Bu couldn't figure it out, so he didn't bother to think about it. He simply put the matter behind him and said to Liu Xie in a high-spirited voice: "Your Majesty, leave the crusade against Cao Cao to me!"

He actually disliked Sun Quan's lack of strength.

But Cao Cao's words are just right.

Let him gnaw the hardest bone!

"It's just as Mr. Wen wished."

Liu Xie nodded and agreed. This was his original plan. Letting Lu Bu defeat Cao Cao was the safest and he was most at ease.

"Master Wang goes south to attack the rebels!"

"Recover the Central Plains and return the old capital!"

Liu Xie's eyes were bright and he said in a deep voice that he had kept Yuan Shao alive for three more months, and it was time for him to use his last remaining energy!

"Your Majesty, ten thousand years——!"

"The Han Dynasty has been around for ten thousand years——"

The ministers in the palace prostrated themselves one after another, and the sound of mountain shouts came from the Tai'an Palace, echoing in the majestic palace.

…

After the court meeting, Liu Xie returned to the propaganda room.

Then he called Jia Xu over.

"Wen He, send someone to sneak into Xu County to inquire about Xu You's current situation and see what happened to him."

This time Cao Cao and Sun Quan stopped fighting to discuss peace or even an alliance. He didn't receive any news from the beginning to the end. This was not normal at all.

Because according to the past, if something like this happened, Xu You would definitely write a letter and report it to him as soon as possible.

In addition, he has not received a letter from Xu You since the beginning of winter, and now he feels that there is something abnormal about this.

Xu You has either rebelled or been exposed, neither of which is good news.

No matter what, you have to send someone over to find out.

Jia Xu was very thoughtful and naturally guessed the situation on Xu You's side based on today's news, and his eyes couldn't help but twinkle slightly.

"Your Majesty, Xu Youruo is a traitor..."

"Then kill him." Liu Xie looked calm, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

If Xu You is exposed, then he will definitely find a way to rescue people; if he is killed, then he will remember Xu You's merits and treat the Xu clan members well.

But if it is a rebellion, then he will never be merciful. At most, he will not implicate his tribe because of Xu You's previous achievements.

"I understand."

Jia Xu felt confident, so he bowed to accept the order, and then said: "Your Majesty, I received an urgent report from Jingzhou spies last night. Jingzhou shepherd Liu Biao and his son Liu Qi suddenly died of a sudden illness."

"With the support of Cai Mao, Liu Cong was appointed by the puppet emperor as the new shepherd of Jingzhou, and he will soon send troops to Yizhou to help Liu Zhang attack Xuande Gong."

Liu Xie's eyes changed slightly and he frowned: "Liu Biao and Liu Qi, father and son, died of a sudden illness? How is that possible?"

In history, Liu Biao lived until the thirteenth year of Jian'an before he died of illness. Now it is only the fifth year of Jian'an, and it is still eight years since Liu Biao died of illness!

The key is that both father and son fell ill and died at the same time.

There must be something fishy about this.

Jia Xu said: "According to information gathered by spies, the puppet emperor held a banquet that day and invited Liu Biao, Liu Qi and his son to the banquet. Soon after, the father and son died violently at the banquet."

"But what is very strange is that the death of Liu Biao and his son did not cause much disturbance. The next day, the puppet emperor issued an edict to let Liu Cong succeed Jingzhou Mu and Liu Biao's title of Weiwei Marquis."

"I speculate that this matter may be closely related to Cai Mao and others, because not long ago Liu Biao suddenly canceled the dispatch of troops to Yizhou, but after Liu Biao's death, Liu Cong announced the dispatch of troops again."

"This kind of thing is definitely not something Liu Cong can decide in one word."

The situation in Jingzhou was complicated. Liu Biao relied too much on the local wealthy families in Jingzhou, which led to his power being eclipsed. The Cai, Kuai, Huang, Pang and other families dominated everything.

How could Liu Cong, a young son who had just succeeded to the throne, decide whether to send troops to attack Liu Bei?

Without even thinking about it, there must be some shadow of aristocratic families behind it, so the death of Liu Biao and his son is very suspicious.