In the Chaohu camp, Sun Quan sent his fourth brother Sun Kuang to reward the three armies. The entire Eastern Wu army celebrated the victory and laughter was heard everywhere.
In this battle, the Chaohu navy was completely wiped out, hundreds of warships and countless weapons were seized. In the short term, there was no need to worry about Cao's army threatening Jiangdong.
At the banquet, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong all toasted Liu Qi. If he hadn't devised a plan to scare Cao Ren away, all the efforts in this battle would have been wasted, and even Jiangdong would have been in danger.
Sun Kuang admired Liu Qi very much. He sat side by side with him and praised him endlessly. Facing tens of thousands of elite cavalry, no one else present might have the courage to do so.
Later, news from Guanzhong arrived. Zhou Yu predicted that Ma Chao would definitely raise an army to seek revenge and Cao Cao would withdraw his troops soon. All the generals were delighted.
The banquet ended happily, Sun Kuang and Liu Qi discussed going to Jianye, and everyone dispersed.
Seeing Zhou Yu looking unhappy at the banquet, Lu Su asked, "After such a great victory, the commander-in-chief looks unhappy. Is it because Liu Qi stole the limelight?"
Zhou Yu stood with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance, sneering, "If it weren't for Liu Qi, my reputation would have been ruined. Why would I be jealous of him? But from what I've seen, Liu Qi is not as useless as the rumors say. I'm afraid our marriage plan will not succeed."
Lu Su sighed, "Although we cannot take advantage of this opportunity to seize Jingzhou, the alliance between the two families will greatly defeat Cao's army. From then on, Jiangdong will be stable, and we can make plans calmly."
Zhou Yu frowned and said, "Recently, a spy reported that Jingzhou's troops were moving towards Zigui. Liu Qi may have intended to take over Xichuan. What do you think, Zijing?"
Lu Su hesitated for a moment and said, "After Cao Cao leaves, we can take over Jianghuai and rule the Central Plains, and we can also form a three-way alliance."
Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "Xuzhou is surrounded by enemies. If we cross the Huai River and head north, Cao Cao will surely raise a large army to attack. How can we stop him with the combined strengths of the Central Plains and Hebei? Our Jiangdong navy is the best. We should use its strengths to divide the river and rule, and then plan for the Central Plains. This is a long-term plan."
Lu Su was surprised: "The governor still wants to take Jingzhou? Now the Marquis of Wu and the Queen Mother are planning to host a wedding. If..."
Zhou Yu chuckled and said, "Zi Jing, don't worry. How can I put you in a dilemma? I have come up with a plan that will ruin Liu Qi's reputation and make the people of Jingzhou lose their will. They will have no intention of taking Yizhou. Then Cao will take the opportunity to attack, and I can act calmly!"
Lu Su frowned and said, "The marriage is about to be completed, and we should prepare our troops and horses for the opportunity to defeat the bandits! If we fight now, Cao Cao will gain the advantage. Wouldn't that make our relatives sad and our enemies happy?"
After experiencing the Empty Camp Plan, Lu Su also had great respect for Liu Qi, and he realized that in order to preserve Jiangdong, he might need to rely on Jingzhou. If he did not work hard to strengthen his strength at this time, but instead hindered each other, wouldn't that be tying his own hands
Zhou Yu said, "Although Ma Teng was defeated, Xiliang still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. Ma Chao and Han Sui are both desperate men. Cao Cao will not be able to return to the south for three to five years! However, the land south of the Yangtze River is limited. We only occupy Yangzhou in Jiangdong, which is vast and sparsely populated. But Liu Qi can take Yizhou alone. He is a relative of the royal family. Once he succeeds, his threat will be no less than that of Cao Cao. How can I not eliminate all the thieves and then let a tiger become a threat?"
"If we can stop Liu Qi from taking Yizhou without mobilizing troops, that would be fine. I wonder what arrangements the governor has made?"
Lu Su also knew very well that if Liu Qi took Xichuan, once he gained power, he might change his attitude. At that time, Dongwu would be the weakest, so wouldn't it have to rely on others and be at the mercy of others
Zhou Yu looked around and whispered, "Mr. Zhang must have been humiliated by Liu Qi before, so he must be holding a grudge. When Liu Qi goes to Jianye this time, we can ask him for help. Here's the arrangement!"
After hearing this, Lu Su's face changed several times and he hesitated: "This plan is too despicable, I am afraid it will tarnish Madam's reputation, Bo Fu..."
Zhou Yu raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, Zijing, my wife and I will be there at the time, so we can ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Lu Su sighed softly: "For the sake of Jiangdong's great cause, this is the only way."
The next morning, a spy reported that Cao's army had indeed retreated to Shouchun, and Cao Cao rushed back to Xuchang overnight.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Qi and Sun Kuang set off for Jianye. Zhou Yu was going back to report, and veteran generals such as Cheng Pu and Huang Gai went with him.
He left Han Dang and Zhu Huan to guard Chaohu Lake, Zhou Tai and Lu Xun to guard Ruxu, and rebuilt Ruxu Fort. He also ordered Lu Meng to reinforce the camp on Qibao Mountain and set up three lines of defense together with the water fort at the Yangtze River port. The next time Cao's army came, it would not be so easy to reach the river.
When they arrived at the Ruxu camp, Liu Qi also ordered Liu Pan and Huang Zhong to lead the troops back. They came by boat and returned on horseback. Each of them had two or three horses, and they returned with large and small bags.
Accompanying them were Xu Shu and Zhao Yun, one a civil official and one a military officer, as well as Gan Ning's 3,000 navy soldiers. From Wuhu to Niuzhu, the river was wide and calm, and they could reach the destination in half a day by sailing downstream.
Gan Ning, Su Fei and Lin Wen discussed their thoughts on seeing the Eastern Wu warships this time. Many of the ship types and internal structures were refreshing. Lin Wen considered himself to be proficient in shipbuilding, and he had to admire the Eastern Wu's advantages in warships.
Liu Qi stroked the Qingguang Sword and laughed, "After so many twists and turns, this sword finally returned to my hands."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "Is it possible that everything has already been predetermined by heaven? If it is destined to happen, it will happen. If it is not destined to happen, don't force it."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Sir, your words do have a bit of the flavor of wandering around the world."
"In the past, I wielded a sword in the martial arts world, taking pleasure in revenge. Who would have thought that today would come?" Xu Shu sighed, "Now the king's power is weak, the world is in chaos, and bullies are rampant. I can't eliminate all the injustices in the world with just a sword in my hand!"
Liu Qi held the side of the boat, looked at the surging river, and laughed: "Sir, you are both civil and military, and you have the talent to assist the king. If you and I work together, we will surely conquer the nine provinces and restore the Han Dynasty."
Xu Shu nodded and smiled, then suddenly sighed, "The imperial edict was issued, and all the loyal and good ministers died. In this world, the only one who can revive the Han Dynasty is you, the general!"
Liu Qi also sighed. The news of the war in Guanzhong was somewhat unexpected for him. He thought that by helping Ma Teng, he could split Guanzhong and fight against Cao's army, but he still couldn't escape his fate.
He escaped Cao Cao's butcher knife but could not escape Sima Yi's schemes. It was Ma Teng's misfortune to meet these two most ruthless people in the Three Kingdoms.
It's not that he doesn't want to give Ma Teng advice, but what he can do is limited. Everyone has his own territory, and Ma Teng is the first prince to start a rebellion. He has led troops for many years. Why should he listen to a junior like you, telling him what to do
Talking too much will only make people annoying, and they may even suspect you of having ulterior motives. If Ma Chao were to seek revenge next, he would probably end in a miserable defeat, but Liu Qi was powerless and could only wish for the best.
Thinking of this, Liu Qi said: "Ma Teng died tragically in Chang'an. His son Ma Chao is so powerful in Xiliang that he will definitely raise an army to seek revenge. Cao Cao will retreat this time and he is very likely to go to Chang'an to supervise the army himself. I am afraid that the Xiliang army is no match for him."
Xu Shu nodded and said, "The situation in Guanzhong is complicated. Although the Xiliang army is strong, they are independent and have many Qiang people. They value profit over loyalty and often attack each other. If they fall into the trap of sowing discord, they will collapse. It will be difficult for Ma Chao to take revenge!"
Liu Qi said: "If we can capture Hanzhong soon, maybe we can help Ma Chao."
Thinking of Ma Chao's tragic experience in history, his whole family was brutally murdered twice, and later he was not valued by Liu Bei. In the end, there was no hope of revenge, and he died of depression at the prime of his life. This is somewhat similar to Lin Chong's experience.
Even if I cannot help him get revenge in the short term, at least I can save the lives of his family, which can also be regarded as expressing my admiration for Jin Ma Chao!