Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Now, the news that the Allied Forces Against Dong had broken through Hulao Pass and were about to return to Wu Commandery was nothing short of a disaster for the Allied Forces Against Wu.

Immediately, the Jiangdong aristocratic families who had reacted almost unanimously spoke out in angry condemnation.

"Impossible!"

"A mere pretense. News came from the Central Plains not long ago that the two sides were deadlocked at Hulao Pass for many days."

"Such a petty trick, trying to scare us..."

However, no matter how disdainful and angry the tone of these aristocratic families was, it undoubtedly failed to conceal their outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature.

What kind of person was Liu Bei?

And what kind of person was Li Ji?

What kind of people were Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei?

Perhaps others didn't know, but being in the Jiangdong region, the Jiangdong aristocratic families undoubtedly knew much more about the Liu Bei Group than most Central Plains aristocratic families.

Pacifying the Yellow Turbans, clearing out bandits, suppressing the Shanyue, controlling Kuaiji, resisting the Wuhuan, managing Yingzhou...

It wasn't that the Jiangdong aristocratic families were unaware of the strength of the Liu Bei Group; on the contrary, they were quite aware and wary. Otherwise, if it were any other commandery administrator who dared not allow the Jiangdong aristocratic families to sit at the table, the Jiangdong aristocratic families would have long since hollowed them out through various means.

Now, apart from Wu Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery, the commandery administrators of Lujiang, Jiujiang, Yuzhang, and Danyang commanderies were able to control their territories while also deeply relying on the power of the Jiangdong aristocratic families.

It was under the impetus of various forces and the inducement of factors that many Jiangdong aristocratic families chose to unite and crusade against Wu Commandery after various considerations, preparing to forcibly drive Liu Bei away.

But to say that they weren't afraid of Liu Bei was almost impossible.

Faced with the overwhelming wave of questioning and angry condemnation, Jia Xiao subconsciously shrank back, saying:

"I dare swear to the Yangtze River that this matter is absolutely true, without the slightest falsehood. Presumably, everyone's news channels will be able to obtain relevant information in a few days."

At this time, swearing to the heavens was undoubtedly quite convincing.

However, Jia Xiao's fearful and timid appearance, coupled with his faintly tough words, undoubtedly formed a strong contrast.

Zhou Xin slightly recovered his senses and sneered:

"Heh, these words can fool others, but they can't fool me. Hulao Pass is more than a thousand miles away from Wu Commandery. Even if you abandon some supplies and march day and night, it will take at least a month to return to Wu Commandery."

"In this month, may I ask, with only ten thousand remaining soldiers and veterans, what does Wu Commandery have to resist my army of three hundred thousand?!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xiao showed a look of horror in a very cooperative manner.

Although Jia Xiao was very clear that the Allied Forces Against Wu actually only had a little over 130,000 troops, exaggerating the strength to the outside world was only a basic operation.

Compared to Zhou Xin, who only exaggerated by less than three times, it wasn't much.

Some exaggerated five times, ten times to the outside world; that was common.

It was just that Jia Xiao was a little regretful that he hadn't come to provoke the other party this time.

Otherwise, Jia Xiao really wanted to give these Jiangdong rats a thumbs up and add a mocking sentence: Why was your army of 300,000 almost pierced by a hundred riders?

Jia Xiao felt no pressure at all to secretly scold "Jiangdong rats."

After all, Jia Xiao was from Liang Province and was considered a distant relative of Jia Xu. It was said that after Jia Xu gained a foothold in Jiangdong, he came to rely on Jia Xu as a retainer or staff member.

Immediately, Jia Xiao pretended to be forcibly calm, saying in a weak voice:

"My lord is deeply loved by the people in Wu Commandery. With just a call to arms, followers will gather like clouds. Moreover, since the government office urgently began recruiting young men, the young men in various cities of Wu Commandery have responded one after another. It won't take long to add at least 30,000, no! 50,000 troops!"

At the end, Jia Xiao carefully raised his hand, as if wanting to increase persuasiveness.

"Hmph!"

Zhou Xin smiled disdainfully, saying:

"If you are so confident, why did you come here to inform us of such important information? It's simply because you know it's difficult to resist the might of the allied forces."

"Absolutely not... that's not it..."

Jia Xiao waved his hand repeatedly, saying:

"It's just that my family head, Secretary Jia, is a kind gentleman who can't bear to see war break out between the two sides, causing suffering to the people. Therefore, he specially sent me to mediate."

"Now that you haven't attacked the city, there is still room for maneuver. In addition, my family head will explain to the lord, which will surely allow you to reconcile with the lord."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xin frowned slightly, and information about Jia Xu appeared in his mind.

A loafer!

An incompetent loafer!

This was the first impression that most people had of Jia Xu, who held a high position in Wu Commandery.

Especially Jia Xu, who usually showed no performance, was mixed among a group of civil servants with the talent of prime ministers, such as Li Ji, Gu Yong, Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Hong, which made Jia Xu seem like a pure loafer.

It was like a group of smart sheepdogs mixed with a husky with clear and harmless eyes.

Combining Jia Xiao's actions, which seemed to be trying his best to prevent the allied forces from attacking the city, and even took the initiative to reveal all kinds of important information, Zhou Xin seemed to understand Jia Xu's thoughts.

As a senior official left behind to guard Wu Commandery, Jia Xu had limited ability and knew that he could not resist the Allied Forces Against Wu. He was even more worried that once Wu Commandery fell, he would be punished by Liu Bei afterward.

Therefore, it was not difficult to understand that Jia Xu hoped to resolve this conflict through peaceful negotiations.

Once the Allied Forces Against Wu attacked, Yangxian City would be difficult to defend, and Jia Xu would inevitably bear the responsibility of failing to guard the territory.

Even if Jia Xu barely managed to hold back the Allied Forces Against Wu by exchanging space for time, it would be without merit to Jia Xu.

As long as he persuaded the Allied Forces Against Wu not to attack the city, Jia Xu would at least not bear the responsibility.

With this thought, Zhou Xin's heart suddenly moved, his face softened a little, and he stepped forward and said to Jia Xiao:

"What you said is not without reason. I wonder if Secretary Jia is in Yangxian City? War is a major matter of the country. Whether it is attacking or ceasing hostilities, it is by no means something that can be decided in a few words."

After a pause, Zhou Xin sighed a long sigh, saying:

"To be honest, the establishment of this Allied Forces Against Wu was actually due to traitors within Wu Commandery instigating and colluding with each other. By the time the allied forces were established, even if we wanted to dissuade them, it was already difficult to stop."

"However, along the way, the Shanyue warriors have been constantly harassing us, and the Jinfan bandit Gan Xingba has raided and robbed our camps, which has long caused complaints in the army and greatly reduced morale."

"Now that the allied forces are in low morale and have no will to fight, if we can clear up the misunderstanding with Wu Commandery and obtain Lord Liu's forgiveness, and the two sides reconcile, it will also be a blessing for the people."

The first to be confused by Zhou Xin's series of words were Xu Gong, Ze Rong, and a group of aristocratic families present.

After all, others could be said to have gathered together because of profit, but Zhou Xin's target was completely Wu Commandery because of that deep blood feud.

For a time, even though many of the aristocratic family representatives were despicable people, they couldn't help but secretly despise Zhou Xin's ungrateful behavior.

On the contrary, Jia Xiao's face was full of smiles, and he quickly responded:

"If that's really the case, my family head is in Yangxian City and will definitely do his best to mediate for everyone, so that the lord understands that it was a traitor who was causing trouble, and will definitely not blame or hold you accountable..."

After a pause, Jia Xiao was still afraid that everyone would not believe him, so he lowered his voice slightly, saying:

"To be honest, my family head has a life-saving grace for Mr. Zikun, and they are as close as father and son. And my lord listens to Mr. Zikun's words."

"Very good, very good..."

Zhou Xin continued to force a smile on his face, saying:

"However, I also need to discuss this matter with my colleagues to come up with a specific plan, and then confirm it with Secretary Jia tomorrow, how about that?"

Jia Xiao immediately agreed with a relieved expression. After agreeing with Zhou Xin on the time and place for continuing negotiations with Jia Xu tomorrow, he left with a smile on his face.

After Jia Xiao left for a while, the entire central army tent was still silent, and everyone looked at Zhou Xin with strange expressions.

It wasn't until Ze Rong coughed lightly that he declared the Buddha's name to make up for Zhou Xin:

"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhou is willing to let go of hatred, which is not without merit..."

Before Ze Rong could finish speaking, Zhou Xin, who had been standing at the entrance of the tent, suddenly turned around and said with a grim expression:

"Let go of hatred? That is a hatred that can only be washed away with blood! If I can't avenge the Zhou family, how can I, Zhou Xin, be a human being?"

"Then Lord Zhou was just now..."

"A trick to confuse the enemy!"

Zhou Xin said coldly, then strode to Xu Gong, cupped his hands slightly, and said loudly:

"Everyone, what that person said may not be false. Hulao Pass may have been breached. It is said that the traitor Liu Bei will definitely return to Wu Commandery quickly after hearing about the Wu Commandery Incident, which means that we don't have much time left."

"At least a month or so, at most two months, Liu Bei will definitely lead his troops back to Wu Commandery."

As soon as this was said, everyone's expressions became heavy.

"However, we have no way out. Even if we retreat now, the traitor Liu Bei, out of his false reputation for benevolence and righteousness, will choose not to pursue the matter. But after he dominates Jiangdong, he will secretly settle accounts one by one, and we will have no possibility of resistance."

"And now, Jia Xu is mediocre and cautious, and there is a god-given opportunity right in front of us..."

As Zhou Xin said decisively, everyone was shocked and asked:

"Where is the opportunity?!"

"The opportunity is tonight!!"

Zhou Xin said loudly.

"Just now, I pretended to hesitate and discussed the details of the negotiations with Jia Xu tomorrow with that Jia Xiao. After Jia Xiao brings this news back to Jia Xu, Jia Xu will definitely be overjoyed and start preparing wholeheartedly for how to persuade us to abandon our concerns and withdraw our troops tomorrow."

"Furthermore, our army has been harassed for a long time. With Jia Xiao's deep reconnaissance into our camp, he must have confirmed that we are a tired force. Jia Xu will surely believe that our army needs to rest for a day or two and has little strength to attack the city!"

At this moment, Zhou Xin's eyes flashed with determination as he waved his hand forcefully and said loudly.

"We must do the opposite and attack when they are unprepared. Tonight, we will launch a full-scale assault on the city!"

"Currently, most of the remaining Wu Commandery garrison is within Yangxian. As long as our army takes advantage of their unpreparedness to capture Yangxian, and even annihilates most of the garrison within, how can the entire Wu Commandery have the strength to resist our army?"

"At that time, our army will sail down the river to occupy Taihu Lake, and then seize cities and territories with lightning speed. We will first occupy the northern part of Wu Commandery, block the Yangtze River, and prevent the traitor Liu Bei from leading his army back to Wu Commandery."

"Even if Liu Bei has strategists like Li Ji and fierce generals like Zhao, Guan, and Zhang, the natural barrier of the Yangtze River is enough to completely isolate them, making it impossible for them to return to Wu Commandery. How can they possibly harm us?"

After Zhou Xin spoke out the plan in his heart in one breath, it undoubtedly shocked everyone present.

(End of this chapter)