Not long after, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu arrived at the same time. It turned out that they were both at Xu Shu's house. They were indeed good friends.
Zhuge Liang accepted Zhou Buzhi as his student, and Deng Ai also studied with him. He found that these two were very intelligent, one was wise and clever, and the other was pragmatic and steady, and they both won the heart of Zhuge Liang.
Liu Qi told Sun Quan about his request for help. As Pang Tong had not yet arrived, he discussed with the two of them. For the sake of the Sun-Liu alliance, if it really didn't work, he could just transfer troops from Jiangxia as a gesture of help.
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "General, don't worry. Since Sun Quan wants my sincerity in the alliance with Jingzhou, why not go to Jiangdong in person?"
"I will go in person?" Liu Qi was startled, and couldn't help but think of Liu Bei who was persuaded by Zhuge Liang to marry into the Eastern Wu. He frowned and asked, "What about the matter of Xichuan?"
Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and said with a smile, "Xichuan is a strategically located place with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food. It will take time to conquer it. We will also need to reserve horses, carriages and food. It will take at least half a year to deploy them. By then, Cao Cao will have already withdrawn his troops. The general can return to Jingzhou and take Xichuan directly. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Kong Ming's words make sense!" Xu Shu nodded and said, "The Yangtze River is the only thing that can stop Cao in Jiangdong. Although Cao's army is strong, how can they succeed in competing with Dongwu without horses and boats? In a few months, it will be the rainy season in the south of the Yangtze River. The northern army will not be able to adapt to the climate and water after traveling so far. Cao Cao will definitely withdraw his troops to lead the battle in Guanzhong. When the two armies are fighting fiercely, I will take Yizhou and there will be no worries."
Liu Qi suddenly felt relieved and said with a smile: "If that's the case, I will go to Jiangdong in person to show our friendship and make Cao Cao afraid. I will also settle the marriage. Only then can we work together to defeat Cao."
Zhuge Liang said, "Although Jiangdong is in urgent need of help, you must be careful when you go there. You must be on guard against others. I am willing to accompany you."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "The crossbow will soon be tested, Kong Ming needs to take charge of the workshop to prepare for the conquest of Xichuan. I will go with you, young master!"
"I know the people in Jiangdong best, so it's best for me to go!" As he was speaking, Pang Tong came in from the door, reeking of alcohol, obviously having a hangover from yesterday.
Zhuge Liang frowned and said, "Shi Yuan is drunk all day, which is not only harmful to his health but also disrupts his work. He should exercise more restraint to avoid delays."
Pang Tong raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you think I am willing to drink? This is also for official business. If I hadn't accompanied Zhang Biejia to drink all night, how could I have obtained the treasure?"
Zhuge Liang asked, "What treasure do you have?"
Pang Tong chuckled, took out a package from his arms, and patted it with his hands: "This is the topographic map of Xichuan!"
"Oh?" Liu Qi and the other two's eyes lit up and they all stared at the package.
Just as I was preparing for the plan to enter Sichuan, I got a map. Isn't this like a pillow when I feel sleepy
It turned out that Zhang Lu could not wait to send troops half a month ago, and Yizhou was shocked. Zhang Song took the initiative to ask for help in Xuchang. On the way through Jingzhou, he was discovered by spies.
Liu Qi knew that this guy had a map, so he took him to Xiangyang and treated him warmly. However, Zhang Song looked cold and arrogant, and insisted on going to Xuchang to meet the emperor.
Just when he was feeling helpless, Pang Tong took a jar of wine to see Zhang Song. Perhaps because they had the same appearance and the same suffering, they felt sympathy for each other. Anyway, the two of them hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation. Unexpectedly, the result was borne overnight.
"This is God's help to the general!" Zhuge Liang opened the map and his eyes suddenly lit up. "The mountains and rivers in Shu are connected, and the terrain is complicated. But looking at this map, you can know the roads in Shu."
Liu Qi was also watching from the side. Although the map was hand-drawn, it was extremely detailed. Roads of all sizes, directions and journeys were all marked with distances, and even the amount of money, food, and soldiers and horses were recorded one by one.
This was already a top military secret, and spies and scouts had no access to this information at all. However, as the deputy governor of Yizhou, Zhang Song naturally knew all of this.
Xu Shu said: "Even if Zhang Song is drunk, he probably won't easily reveal such confidential information. Shi Yuan must have used other means."
Pang Tong chuckled and said, "I am just speaking up for Zhang Song and the people of Yizhou. Liu Zhang is an incompetent ruler. With Yizhou's wealth, he dares not compete with Zhang Lu of Hanzhong. Wouldn't that make people all over the world laugh at Xichuan for having no one?"
Xu Shu nodded and said, "Since Liu Yan entered Shu, there have been many conflicts between the people of Dongzhou and Yizhou. In addition, Liu Zhang is weak and the people are scattered and want a wise leader. Cao's army is far away in the Central Plains, and Guanzhong is not settled. It is out of reach. Zhang Song will not get any results if he goes there. Now the general has made a great success and defeated Cao's thieves. He also has the ambition to rectify the court. Shi Yuan's words will surely wake Zhang Song up from his dream and make him willing to surrender."
Pang Tong stroked his beard and smiled, "Liu Zhang is incapable of employing talented people, he is weak and hesitant, yet he lives in Yizhou, a land of abundance. Zhang Lu still has the desire to annex it, let alone others."
"Where is Zhang Song now? Please come and see me as soon as possible!" Liu Qi was excited. If he had the chance to enter Shu, he would never let it go.
With his current status and strength, he does not need to be as cautious as Liu Bei and does not need to worry about his reputation. In this era, the law of the jungle is the truth. Even brothers kill each other, not to mention those Han royal relatives who are not related to him at all.
Pang Tong smiled mysteriously and said, "Zhang Yongnian is enjoying himself in Shuiyunjian and has forgotten about Shu. Let me discuss the matter in Sichuan with him slowly. If the general summons him now, won't it ruin his good plan?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head helplessly, pointed at Pang Tong with his fan, and said with a smile: "A strategist should use the right way. Shi Yuan's move is a bit of taking advantage of others' misfortune."
Pang Tong didn't care at all, waved his hand and smiled: "What conspiracy, the winner is the king, if I can take Xichuan for the general without spending a single soldier, why should I care whether the method is clever or not?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly but did not argue with him. In his opinion, everything must have a legitimate reason and the right things must be done before planning. He disdained to use these tricks of taking advantage of others and gaining control over them.
Xu Shu laughed and said, "Since both of you have official duties, it seems that I am the only one who can go to Jiangdong!"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "This trip to Jiangdong is just to boost morale. Why should I, Crouching Dragon and Phoenix, go there in person? Yuan Zhi can go with me to investigate the information of Jiangdong. It's a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."
Zhuge Liang said: "We cannot transfer troops from Jiangxia when we go to Jiangdong. Only if Yunchang is stationed at Xiakou can we threaten Dongwu."
Liu Qi thought so too. When Liu Bei went to Soochow, Zhou Yu caused so many troubles for him. Although Jingzhou has a slight advantage now, he can't be too complacent.
"In that case, let's transfer Gan Xingba here. It may be helpful for training the navy if he goes to Jiangdong to observe and learn."
Zhuge Liang added: "We should fight if we can. If we can use the Wu army to contain Cao Cao and weaken his army, Ma Teng and his son will have a lot to do in Guanzhong, and we can enter Shu at ease in the future."
"This strategy of two tigers competing for food is the same as mine!" Liu Qi nodded and said, "Since this is the case, the military affairs of Jingzhou will be fully dispatched by the military. When we have enough troops, money and food, we will take Xichuan as our base and divide the world into three parts. Then we will go north to Hanzhong and take over the Central Plains. Then we can achieve hegemony and revive the Han Dynasty."
"Liang is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!" Zhuge Liang looked stern and stood up to salute.
This was exactly what he had planned in Longzhong. All his ambitions were focused on this move. How could he not be excited