Liu Bei really invested a lot of money this time. He has a total of 50,000 troops and 45,000 soldiers in addition to the 5,000 sailors. 10,000 people are guarding Runan. He is afraid that Cao Ren, who will be left behind by Lao Cao They were taken from the rear, and the remaining 35,000 people can be said to have been used. Among the generals, there are Zhang Feichen to Liu Pi. Although Liu Pi is a little short, he is still a second-rate general. Zhang Fei and Chen Dao are both top-notch.
Except for the absence of Sun Gan, Liu Paopao, the top counselor, can be regarded as bringing everything he can bring, Jian Yong is responsible for the delivery of military rations in the rear, and Pang Tong is the military adviser of the entire army. The combination of the two is really a luxurious lineup.
"Liu Bei has sent troops?!" Xu Shu in Shouchun put down the information in his hands, his brows were frowned, not only Zhang Xiu's flag but also Liu Bei's soldiers and horses appeared near Gwangju, and many intelligence personnel died It was not until it was found out that Liu Bei brought no less than tens of thousands of people this time.
This is going to be bad. In the whole Shouchun, Xu Shu has 50,000 soldiers and horses available, but it is impossible for these 50,000 people to fight in the field! These are the soldiers Liu Mang recruited when the 1.2 million people arrived. They can still defend the city and fight in the field. They are just a bunch of recruits, and there are not many soldiers in Shouchun. Among these 50,000 soldiers, they can Half of the people on the ship would be fine.
Now that Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu joined forces, it would be really difficult. Originally, Zhang Xiu only relied on cavalry, and he would wreak havoc at most for a while. As long as the city gates were closed, could his cavalry still attack the city? It is different now that there are pawns with Liu Bei and Liu Daer, and it is completely enough to attack the city and loot the land.
"Like Marquis Wen of Lujiang sending a request for help!" Xu Shu said to a soldier nearby. Now I can only ask for help, but Xu Shu is not helpless, "Let Zhang Rui and Deng Yi each take 20,000 troops to guard Hefei in Lujiang! Tell them they only need to defend the city and not fight!"
"Twenty thousand each?" The generals on the side didn't understand. "What about you, military commander?" There are only fifty thousand soldiers in Shouchun. If each took twenty thousand, there would be only ten thousand left. Then how to protect Shouchun
"Hehe, I don't need to worry!" Xu Shu smiled. If both Lujiang and Hefei are destroyed, then Shouchun will also be safe, and will be completely exposed to the enemy's sword light. There is no need to fight, and the city can be directly besieged Xu Shu can be besieged to death. After all, there is not enough food and grass in Shouchun, and if Hefei and Lujiang are not breached, then it is impossible for Liu Bei and Wancheng Zhangxiu to dare to enter the hinterland of Shouchun, because Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu The military ration supply line of the army was completely exposed to the attack of Lu Bu's army, and there was no food to supplement Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu near Shouchun. As a transfer station, if Lujiang, Hefei cannot be taken down, the supply of military rations will not be safe.
I believe that Marquis Wen of Lujiang will not ignore Shouchun. Once there is a problem with the food supply of Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu's army, he will have to retreat.
Xu Shu kept 10,000 horses, because the speed of the cavalry was very fast to prevent accidents. If Zhang Xiu really relied on the cavalry to attack the city, Xu Shu would not have no soldiers at his disposal. 10,000 soldiers and horses are not enough to guard Shouchun. , but there are still millions of people in the city, and it is enough to use them to defend the city.
…
Zhang Xiu's Xiliang iron cavalry and Liu Mang's 40,000 troops met under Guangzhou, and Liu Bei used Pingchun as his back base to transport food and grass.
"General Zuo, Duke Xuande, what is the purpose of your visit this time?!" Although Zhang Xiu and Liu Beijun have contacts, they have always been in correspondence, and they have never met each other. The lords of the two sides Qiqi personally commanded the troops to fight.
"General Zhang, the purpose of Bei's coming here this time is to help the general seek justice. Originally, the 16,000 gold was given to the general by Bei. It was admired by the general for fighting Cao's bandits before. Who would have thought that it would be given to the general by these three family slaves?" The general sent envoys to contact him, but the slaves of the three surnames killed the general's envoys and insulted the general. This matter happened because of Bei, and he should seek justice for the general!" Liu Bei He spoke righteously, as if he was a saint, and wanted to help Zhang Xiu get justice.
"Seek justice?!" Zhang Xiu is not a fool, he sneered secretly in his heart listening to Liu Bei's words, "If that's the case, then please ask General Zuo to go back! Although Xiu is weak, he can still seek justice for himself , don’t bother General Zuo!”
"This!" Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu were polite, who knew that Zhang Xiu was completely out of touch, and Liu Bei's face changed drastically with a single word, and he didn't appreciate it at all.
"Wu that Zhang Xiu, why are you talking to my elder brother!" Zhang Fei next to him was dissatisfied and looked angry, so he picked up Zhang Ba's spear and pointed it at Zhang Xiu.
"Who dares to hurt my lord!" Beside Zhang Xiu is also a fierce general, not weaker than Zhang Fei, with a pair of iron hammers in his hands, which are powerful and buzzing. These are not hollow hammers, but solid ones. hammer. A pair of hammers weighs no less than a hundred catties.
"Hu Che'er, get out of the way, or don't blame Zhang Fei's snake spear for not recognizing people!" Zhang Fei shouted when he saw the person coming. Isn't this the chief general Hu Che'er under Zhang Xiu who drank and slept with him? , who is the easiest to make friends with, that is, people who have common hobbies. Zhang Fei likes to drink, and so does Hu Cheer.
"A black face, you should be the one who should step aside. Don't blame me, Hu Che'er, for giving you a hammer!" Hu Che'er is not a Han, but a Qiang. Well, it can be said that Zhang Xiu’s brother who worships is the same as Zhang Fei and Liu Bei. He has a good impression of Zhang Fei, and the two became friends because of drinking, but all friends are farts in front of the lord. Kill such a drinking friend Dian Wei.
Zhang Fei and Hu Che'er were still confronting each other, Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu were also looking at each other, the smell of gunpowder was very strong.
"My lord, General Zhang Xiu, let Pang Tong say something!" Pang Tong interrupted.
"It's okay for Shiyuan to talk!"
"It's all right, sir!"
"General Zhang Xiu, Ming people don't speak dark words. We have the same idea as the general when we come this time!" Pang Tong stepped forward and said.
"Oh? Is that so? Is General Zuo also here to ask for the 16,000 gold?!" Zhang Xiu's words were a bit ironic, and it's no wonder that Zhang Xiu asked Jia Xu before he set off on the expedition. In other words, since Zhang Xiu killed Grandma Cao’s son, Jia Xu now never tells Zhang Xiu if he doesn’t ask. This is Jia Xu’s life-saving skill. And it was obtained by Liu Bei.
In name, the sixteen thousand gold was originally given to Zhang Xiu by Liu Bei. If Liu Bei got it now, it means that Liu Bei didn't take out the sixteen thousand gold at all, and he was using it as an excuse to provoke Zhang Xiu. The war between Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu.
If Zhang Xiu might be furious before, not only would he not send troops to Lu Bu, but he would question Liu Bei instead, but that's all said! That was before, now Zhang Xiu not only didn't settle accounts with Liu Bei, but he was so confused that he managed to settle accounts with Lu Bu, why? The first is that Lu Bu killed Zhang Xiu's envoy. At that time, Zhang Xiu thought that Lu Bu sent someone to rob him. If Lu Bu explained to Zhang Xiu, Zhang Xiu might feel more comfortable, but if Lu Bu directly killed Zhang Xiu's envoy, that would be Slap in the face, second, and this is the most important point, that is Sun Ce's plan to destroy the household. A few months ago, Sun Ce not only gave Liu Bei and Liu Biao a letter, but also Zhang Xiu, releasing 1.2 million people. In Shouchun, Lu Bujun couldn't bear it at all. He would either block the road to Shouchun and lose his trust in the world, or he would endure the hardship with his nose.
It is not a small problem to eat, drink, and scatter for 1.2 million people. The simplest thing is to eat above. Lu Bujun's food and grass are not enough to feed 1.2 million people. Once the food and grass are insufficient, not only will the people commit suicide, Lu Bujun himself could hardly be able to send troops anymore. After careful calculation, it has only been two months. Zhang Xiu still knows how to take advantage of the fire. After all, the first boss of Xiliang Iron Cavalry Dong Zhuo Dong Fatty is a big robber.
With such a good excuse to send troops, of course Zhang Xiu would not let it go.
The meaning of Zhang Xiu's words is that I have already seen your Liu Bei's thoughts, and want to use me Zhang Xiu? Do you really think that Zhang Xiu is a fool
"General Zhang Xiu, although my lord didn't give the 16,000 gold, but General Zhang Xiu, please don't forget that my lord also gave 17,000 gold back and forth, so the general sent troops in exchange for such a generous gift, the general is at a loss ?!" Pang Tong said very indifferently.
Yes, even if the 16,000 gold is not counted, there are quite a lot of things that Liu Bei gave Zhang Xiu, and the total amount of money is more than 10,000, more than 10,000 gold. Enough for Zhang Xiu to raise tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.
Now that Zhang Xiu understands everything, let's make it clear.
"What the hell does General Zuo want?!" Zhang Xiu is not the kind of unreasonable person, no matter whether Liu Bei uses him or not, he has solved a big problem of Zhang Xiu by paying him, so Zhang Xiu also reciprocated.
"What does General Zhang want?!" Pang Tong did not answer immediately, but asked rhetorically.
"Xiu wants all the money and food in Lujiang!" Zhang Xiu opened his mouth and said.
"All the money and food in Lujiang?" Pang Tong asked in a daze.
"Why are there too many? You know, my 20,000 Xiliang iron cavalry are going to stop that tiger and his 5,000 wolf cubs for you!" Zhang Xiu was a little dissatisfied. There are only two rich places in Lu Bujun, one is Shouchun is Lujiang alone, Zhang Xiu has given up Shouchun, what else does he want to do
"No, no, General Zhang Xiu, you have misunderstood my lord's meaning! My lord's meaning is that not only the money and food in Lujiang County belong to you, but also the money and food near Shouchun belong to you, General Zhang Xiu!" Pang Tong said He is very generous, but he is happy in his heart, money and food? This Zhang Xiu is really short-sighted. This is a troubled time. No matter how much money and food there is, the most important thing now is the land. Only by occupying one side of the land can there be greater development. Even if the money and food of Lujiang County and Shouchun are all given to Zhang Xiu , Zhangxiu is only a county, no, it should be said that there is only one city, and there are not many people, almost all of whom are soldiers. It has completely become a military base. In this way, there are only soldiers and horses without land, and sooner or later the money and food will be spent. .
It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Only when there is a land and a population can there be a steady stream of food and taxation.
And another reason why Pang Tong is so generous is that Lu Bu's army may have money, but food and grass? Hehe, that is definitely going to be the bottom line. If there is enough military rations, who would fight Lu Bu recklessly.
"Is this true?!" Zhang Xiu asked with joy on his face, and Zhang Xiu couldn't be blamed for being short-sighted. The first Zhang Xiu and Liu Bei thought differently. Zhang Xiu was just like Cai Mao in Jingzhou. They didn't want to dominate It's not about winning the world, it's about waiting for a price. They are waiting for a master to take refuge, or they want to see whoever has the most bargaining chips, and they will follow whoever is the younger brother. Cao Cao Yuan Shao is the object of their bet.
The more money and food they have, the more soldiers and horses they have, the more natural weight they will have in front of the new master.
"Letters can be an alliance!" Pang Tong said with certainty and affirmation.
"Then what do I need to do?!" Zhang Xiu also calmed down, such a big benefit would not have been paid.
"There is no need for the general to do anything! Several months have passed, and the strategy of the little overlord in Jiangdong is gradually taking effect. He is short of food and grass, and I am afraid that sending troops will be a problem, but we cannot take it lightly, so if Lu Bu's reinforcements arrive in Lujiang, please General Zhang to stop them." Teach General Zhang the second looting land, and we will leave the siege to us!" Zhang Xiu's 20,000 Xiliang iron cavalry have good maneuverability, and the Bingzhou wolf cavalry that can take down Lu Bu can even threaten Lujiang. To fully attract the attention of Lu Bujun, what Liu Bei needs to do is to knock down these Yangzhou cities one by one.
"Okay, if the enemy is fighting on foot, then the left general will swallow it; if the enemy is cavalry, then the left general will reject it!" The 20,000 Xiliang iron cavalry is really not a joke, why did Lao Cao fall in love with Zhang? Xiu just fell in love with the 20,000 Xiliang iron cavalry in Zhang Xiu's hands. According to the original trajectory, even if Lao Cao was killed by Zhang Xiu and his confidant Dianwei died, Lao Cao still accepted Zhang Xiu's decision. It's because of the Xiliang cavalry under his command!
If Zhang Xiu has always grasped the Xiliang iron cavalry, Lao Cao may still be afraid. After Zhang Xiu joined the Cao army, the Xiliang iron cavalry was scattered, and only a few thousand people remained in Zhang Xiu's hands. A huge strength was abrupt. If Lao Cao didn't kill Zhang Xiu, who would he kill
Zhang Xiu has his self-confidence, Lu Bu's army will either not come, or the whole army will come to attack, fall into the camp, and the Bingzhou wolf cavalry, these two troops have fought against the Xiliang cavalry before, and the Bingzhou wolf cavalry is superior to the Xiliang cavalry , but at most the difference is twice that’s all, he has a full 20,000 Xiliang cavalry.
"Hehe, so, within today, my lord will present a big gift to General Zhang Xiu!" Pang Tong winked at Liu Bei, and Liu Bei nodded.
"Great gift?!" Zhang Xiu didn't understand.
"I don't know if General Zhang Xiu is interested in the money and food in Gushi Anfeng, Gwangju?"
"Gushi Anfeng Guangzhou? Within today? This Liu Bei intends to conquer three cities in one day?!" (To be continued.)