Everyone was stunned and looked at each other, some were shocked and some were in disbelief, but Cao Cao had always been unconventional in employing people, and having made the decision, there was no further discussion.
Xun You said: "The Wu army has been badly defeated and will certainly ask Jingzhou for help. The Prime Minister needs to take precautions early."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, "This time I am marching out of Huainan, and I am planning to send troops from Jingzhou to break up their alliance, so that Sun and Liu can attack each other, and I can reap the benefits!"
Xun You was surprised and said, "It turns out that the Prime Minister has a brilliant plan. I wonder what he has planned?"
Cao Cao turned to look at Cao Chun: "Are Peng Hu and the others ready?"
Cao Chun clasped his fists and said, "When the Prime Minister wanted to recommend him as a general and confer him the title of Marquis of Guannei, the bandit Pengli gladly surrendered and is now preparing to fight and make a contribution."
Cao Cao nodded and said, "Tell Peng Hu immediately to wait for the Jingzhou fleet to pass through Pengli Lake, and then send troops to attack it. After the success, I will reward him according to his merits. I will also grant him the land of Yuzhang."
"Yes, sir!" Cao Chun sent someone to deliver the message immediately.
Xun You twirled his beard and smiled, "This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone!"
"Three birds!" Cao Cao held up three fingers and said with a smug smile, "Whether Peng Hu succeeds or not, the Sun and Liu families will become enemies. If we stir up the rebellion in Yuzhang, Sun Quan will have no time to go north. If we can take the opportunity to kill Guan Yu, we can get rid of the biggest worry in my heart. It's a pity that Yunchang is unwilling to be used by me. I am already desperate!"
Xun You was slightly startled: "How did the Prime Minister know that Guan Yu was coming?"
Cao Cao said, "If Jingzhou needs support, Jiangxia is the closest. To show the sincerity of the alliance, Liu Qi will definitely send a general to lead the troops. Guan Yu is now the governor of Jiangxia, so why wouldn't he come?"
Xun You shook his head and said, "The Jiangxia troops have a grudge against the Eastern Wu, and Guan Yu is arrogant. If he goes to Jiangdong, he might end up making things worse. Even if Liu Qi doesn't know, Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Young will surely be able to see it. I don't think so."
"Oh?" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment and laughed, "No matter who comes, I will make the two families fight each other, and I will take over Jiangnan in no time."
…
Zhuge Jin came to Xiangyang again and found that there were new changes here. Many shops on the two streets had been replaced, and the most eye-catching one was the "Huaji Medical College" opposite the academy.
There used to be several rows of buildings here, where famous scholars and Confucian scholars who came to Jingzhou to avoid the chaos could temporarily live. Now a tall archway has been built, which is more imposing than the academy opposite.
"Aiming to save lives with miraculous medicine, and to save the world from serious illness!" Zhuge Jin looked at the large gilded characters carved on both sides of the archway and asked in confusion: "What famous doctor in Jingzhou has such a magnanimous demeanor?"
Pang Ji, who was in charge of reception, smiled and said, "You can guess a thing or two from the names. The chief priest of the academy is the divine doctor Hua Tuo. The other two are also very famous. They are the sons of the imperial physician Ji Ping. In the past, because of the Yidai Zhao incident, Ji Ping was killed by Cao Cao. The two sons fled to the mountains and escaped. They met Hua Tuo by chance, and heard about the war in Nanyang, so they came to Jingzhou together to avoid the chaos."
"So he is a descendant of a loyal and righteous man!" Zhuge Jin nodded slightly, looked at the two lines of words again, stroked his beard and said: "The words engraved on the archway are quite innovative."
Pang Ji smiled and said, "This is General Liu's idea. During the Spring Festival this year, this text was posted on the doors of every house and government office to inspire people. Because it is in pairs and connected from top to bottom, it is called a 'couplet'. It has become popular in Jingzhou and is very popular."
"General Liu is a young man with great ambitions, which is always beyond our expectations!" Zhuge Jin sighed.
Since I met Liu Qi, I found that this person seems simple and peaceful, but in fact he is unfathomable and elusive.
The last time I went to Xiangyang with Lu Su, I saw that Liu Qi was vigorously supporting business and improving the status of merchants. The two of them also discussed that this move would inevitably make people restless, and everyone would pursue profit and make money. There might be no famous people in Jingzhou in the next generation.
Now we see that Liu Qi attaches importance to doctors, and it seems that they are on par with scholars. In the future, all kinds of people will be able to enter and leave the government. Wouldn't this cause great chaos
While they were thinking, the two arrived at the government office. Liu Qi had already heard the news and was waiting. He greeted him and took a seat. Zhuge Jin then busied himself asking about the situation in Guanzhong.
When he arrived at Xiakou, he learned that Ma Teng had started a rebellion and captured Chang'an. Liu Qi had just returned to Jingzhou not long ago. Jiangdong was completely unaware of such important news, and he was afraid that the spies in Jingzhou had done something unexpected.
Liu Qi briefly introduced himself and said with a smile, "The thief Cao led 300,000 troops out of Huainan and is eyeing Jiangdong. Sir, you are coming to Jingzhou now. I'm afraid you haven't been looking for Kong Ming for a long time, right?"
Zhuge Jin said, "Cao's army is powerful, and the Sun and Liu families have agreed to fight Cao together. Now that the army has invaded our territory, and the general has heard the news, are you going to just sit back and watch?"
Liu Qi said: "Since there is rebellion in Guanzhong this time, Cao Cao will definitely withdraw his troops. The Lord of Wu is worrying too much."
"General, are you unwilling to send troops?" Zhuge Jin said unhappily, "The two families formed an alliance through marriage before. When Zi Jing and I returned to Jiangdong, we were highly praised by the Marquis of Wu. Now that we haven't formed an alliance yet, you are making excuses like this. How can I report back? If I return without success, I'm afraid that not only will the alliance fail, but the Marquis of Wu will also join forces with Cao to take Jingzhou!"
"Oh?" Liu Qi frowned slightly and asked, "General Sun is in control of six counties, with elite soldiers and sufficient food. There are many heroes on the Jiangbei side. The Northern Army is not good at water battles, so why are they afraid of the enemy and afraid to fight?"
Zhuge Jin sighed, "General, you don't know that most of the people in Jiangdong are content with the status quo and are content with living in a corner. They are also afraid because of the battle of Hefei last year."
Liu Qi sighed in his heart. With such a mentality among the people of Soochow, it was no wonder that Cao Cao chose to attack them first.
The situation is much better than the Battle of Red Cliffs. You still want to make peace and be so compromising. Who else should we fight if not you
If Zhou Yu and Lu Su had not been there to support them, there is a possibility that they would have surrendered. Anyone would have wanted to try out the effect.
When Sun Ce was in power, everyone was a hero of Jiangdong, decisive in killing and invincible.
Now that Sun Quan is in power, they have all become cowards in Jiangdong, hesitant and timid.
The weaker you are, the more you need to be powerful and self-reliant. Only in this way can you have a chance of survival. This is true whether you are a human being or a country.
Although Sun Quan's compromise with the Jiangdong families stabilized the situation, it also became a stumbling block to the Sun family's hegemony, making it difficult to make further progress.
Thinking of this, Liu Qi frowned and said, "To establish a country, one must be strong. If the people in Jiangdong are like this, even if I give my full support, it will probably be of no use."
Zhuge Jin sighed, "All the people in Jiangdong are avoiding fighting. Zhang Zhao and others are willing to return Lujiang and seek peace with Cao. Fortunately, Governor Zhou and veteran generals such as Cheng Pu strongly advocate fighting, and the Marquis of Wu has sent troops to the north. But after all, the Eastern Wu has few soldiers and cannot support the country alone. Now is the time to verify the friendship between the two families. If the general does not send troops, it will be disappointing. In anger, the Marquis of Wu may take risks."
At this point, Liu Qi had no choice but to answer: "Mobilizing troops is no child's play. Sir, please go to the inn and rest. I will discuss with the civil and military officials and then mobilize the troops."
Zhuge Jin urged, "Reinforcements are like putting out a fire, General, please do not delay too long."
After Liu Qi sent Zhuge Jin away, he immediately sent someone to invite Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and Pang Tong to discuss matters.
Ma Teng captured Chang'an and the siege of Hanzhong was lifted. Yang Song had returned to Hanzhong and instigated Zhang Lu to send troops to attack Liu Zhang and divide West Sichuan.
Jingzhou was secretly planning to invade Shu, but Sun Quan was frightened by Cao Cao's 300,000 troops and ran to ask for help, disrupting his plan.