Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 175 On Keith’s Advance and Retreat
After returning from the Shanyang Shipyard, Huo Jun did not return to Wancheng, but stopped at Wankou to meet Liu Bei who was heading north to Xiangyang.

The two coalition forces of Liu and Liu entered Jiangzuo and sent Sun Quan's family members, Cheng Pu, Zhu Zhi and other important people to Xiangyang.Liu Biao was overjoyed and took advantage of his mental state to summon Liu Bei and Liu Qi into Xiangyang.

Liu Bei was stationed at Jingkou and wanted to consult Huo Jun about something. He took the first boat to Wankou to meet Huo Jun, and then met Liu Qi at Wankou and headed north to Xiangyang.The person accompanying Liu Bei was not Zhuge Liang, but his new favorite Lu Su.

After Danyang County was returned to Liu Bei's autonomy, Zhuge Liang became the de facto governor of Danyang. Together with Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Xu Shu and others, he checked the population of Danyang County, allocated taxes, and persuaded Shan Yue to go down the mountain.

Lu Su was promoted as fast as a river of fire. He took office as the county magistrate of Wuhu for more than two months. Liu Bei was invited to Jingkou as a general of Zuo to join the army, completing the gold plating of his status.Wei Yan then served as the magistrate of Wuhu County and suppressed the bandits in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty!"

"Zi Jing!"

Huo Jun and Liu Bei entered the tent together, accompanied by Lu Su, Ding Feng, and Tai Shi Heng each guarding the tent gate.Although Jiang Ji joined the army and knew the military and political secrets inside and outside Poyang County, such secrets were beyond his knowledge for the time being.Now Huo Jun has arranged to go to the county to handle government affairs for Huo Jun.

"Zhong Miao!"

"The Governor!"

Huo Jun and Liu Bei sat on the same couch, Lu Su took second place, and the three seats were not far away.

After not seeing each other for several months, Liu Bei did not talk about important matters immediately. Instead, he joked: "Zhong Miao, how are you doing at home these days?"

Huo Jun smiled a few times and said: "Jun is not like Kong Ming, Bu is not jealous, and the two Qiaos are also respectful. The house is very peaceful, as usual."

It was normal for a little girl to be jealous, but Huo Jun coaxed her with sweet words. In addition, Bu Lian Shi came from Jianghuai Bu family and was taught by family tradition and was not jealous. Er Qiao's matter was quickly revealed.Instead, the little girl pretended to be a doctor and arranged for Er Qiao for him.

"Kong Ming?"

Liu Bei said helplessly: "Seeing that Kong Ming has no heirs, I gave him two beauties. Kong Ming declined the offer, probably for the same reason as Zhong Miao said."

Huo Jun poured a cup of tea for Liu Bei and said with a smile: "Since you have no children, you should be more considerate."

After Jiangzuo was conquered, Liu Bei took two widowed women as concubines out of the idea of ​​procreating heirs.Including Mrs. Gan, Mi and others, there are six wives and concubines in the house, two more than Huo Jun.But except for the birth of two daughters, there has been no news so far.

Hearing this, Liu Bei lowered his voice and said: "Zhong Miao doesn't know the secrets in Wancheng, and Bei's concubine Gan has a happy event. Now the internal and external news is blocked and no outsiders are allowed to know."

"what!"

Seeing Huo Jun's surprised look, Liu Bei explained in a low voice: "To meet Brother Jing Sheng, I have no choice but to do this so as not to increase suspicion among his disciples."

It's not easy for Liu Bei either. His son was lost to Lu Bu in the early years.Now that I am over forty years old, I have to be very careful when giving birth to a child. I am afraid that Liu Biao will know about it and I dare not announce it.

Huo Jun did not talk about such embarrassing things, changed the topic, and said with a smile: "Jun's wife, Bu, has also had a happy event recently. I guess the date is not far different from Mrs. Gan's."

In order to appease the hungry Bu Lianshi, Governor Huo worked hard for days.In the past few days, Bu Lianshi had a reaction. The doctor checked his pulse and confirmed that Bu Lianshi was indeed happy.Huo Jun was happy for several days when Trainer Bu was pregnant. After all, he had two lives, so how could he not be happy to have an heir to continue his bloodline.

"what!"

Now it was Liu Bei's turn to be surprised and said with a smile: "Zhong Miao didn't say anything. It's really gratifying!"

"Not many people in the military know about recent events," Huo Jun explained.

"it is good!"

Liu Bei smiled and applauded, and said: "As soon as we conquered Jiangzuo, both Yide and Zhongmiao have heirs. It's great to congratulate you." "

Zhang Fei's wife Xiahou was pregnant three months ago. At that time, Zhang Fei made a loud noise to everyone, and Huo Jun also heard about it.At present, except Zhuge Liang, everyone else has children.

After chatting for a while, Liu Bei finally revealed the purpose of his trip.

Liu Bei sat down hugging his knees and sighed: "Zhong Miao, Bei is nearly fifty this year and only has a corner of Danyang. The world is in chaos today, but I don't know when we will be able to settle down?"

Huo Jun took a sip of tea and asked, "I wonder what Zijing and Kong Ming should say?"

Liu Bei thought about it for a while and said: "Kong Ming thought that we should take it slow. Comparing Cao Cao to Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu couldn't help but rise. Although he dominated the Central Plains, he was eventually destroyed by Gaozu." "Su's knowledge is shallow and he secretly thinks that the Lord should be based on the river. First establish the Han Dynasty, and then attack the Central Plains." Lu Su said with cupped hands.

"What about the envoy's intention?" Huo Jun asked.

"Cai Mao and Kuai Yue want to help Liu Cong succeed. Cao Cao is close to Xiangyang, and I am far away from Xiangyang. If Cao Cao leads his army south to attack Xiangyang, I will be thousands of miles away and be prepared for Jingzhou. Moreover, there is no large army guarding the Jianghuai area, so be prepared. I got a letter from Chang Xi, the governor of Donghai, but now I don’t know what to do with it!”

With that said, Liu Bei took Chang Xi's letter promising to raise troops and put it on the table and said.

Chang Xi, together with Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, each gathered a crowd to rebel, and was one of the bandits in Mount Tai.He first fought with Lu Bu. After Lu Bu's defeat, Chang Xi surrendered to Cao Cao and was appointed as the governor of Donghai.

Later, Liu Bei killed the chariots and occupied Xuzhou. Changxi rebelled and helped Liu Bei resist Cao Cao.Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao, and Chang Xi surrendered to Cao Cao. After the Battle of Guandu, Chang Xi rebelled again. Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Liao led troops to conquer, and Chang Xi surrendered to Cao Cao again.

Later, Cao Cao defeated Changba in five battles. The Changba was originally Chang Xi, the governor of Donghai.

Huo Jun knew clearly that Liu Bei was worried about Cai Mao and Liu Cong. Cao Cao would take Jingzhou before he did, so Liu Bei was worried about Jingchu.Moreover, Chang Xi, the governor of the East China Sea, wrote to him and promised to raise troops to rebel. Liu Bei was also concerned about Jianghuai.

Huo Jun put down the letter, raised his hand and asked: "Shu Jun is brave, Cao Cao is Xiang Yu, do you dare to ask if you can compare with Gaozu and Shizu?"

Lu Su, who was sitting next to him, had a serious look on his face, worried that Liu Bei would be displeased by this.To his surprise, Liu Bei sighed and admitted: "Bei is not as good as Gaozu, nor as good as Shizu."

Liu Bei was very self-aware and said with a wry smile: "It took seven years for Emperor Gaozu to raise his army to destroy the Qin Dynasty, kill Xiang Yu, and bring peace to the world; Emperor Shizu defeated Xinmang in the 12th year of the campaign, killed Gongsun, and revived the Han Dynasty; it took 20 years for Emperor Gaozu to raise his army and only captured a corner of Danyang. The military is not as good as the second ancestor, the political strategy is not as good as the second ancestor, and the governor is late, how can he compare with the second ancestor?"

Seven years after Emperor Gaozu raised his army, when he proclaimed himself emperor, he was just the county magistrate of Pingyuan, obeying Gongsun Zan; Liu Xiu fought for 12 years, when he was reviving the Han Dynasty, his home was stolen by Lu Bu and he lived in Haixi.Comparing Liu Bang, Liu Xiu and Liu Bei, Liu Bei feels inferior and dares not talk back.

Seeing that Liu Bei was still alive, Huo Jun said with relief: "The commander is not the second ancestor of Gao Shi, and Cao Cao is not Xiang Yu. It is not impossible to reverse the situation and win."

"Please Zhongmiao, please speak carefully!" Liu Bei raised his hand and asked for advice.

"Do you remember that Lu Bu attacked Yanzhou and Cao Cao led his army into exile, and was almost destroyed?" Huo Jun asked.

Nodding, Liu Bei said: "Cao Cao was in exile with the Cheng family. He no longer had military rations and everyone was eating each other. At that time, Bei first took control of Xuzhou. Cao Cao turned around and destroyed Lu Bu, recaptured Yanzhou, and the military strength was greatly strengthened."

Huo Jun commented: "Cao Cao's actions at that time were like Emperor Gaozu's protection of Guanzhong. Guangwu occupied Hanoi, and they were deeply entrenched to control the world. You can attack when you advance, and you can defend when you retreat. Therefore, although there are difficulties and defeats, it will eventually help the great cause. If Cao Cao is afraid Lu Bu's troops, concerned about the gain and loss of food and grass, diverted their troops to Xuzhou, which would be a suicide attempt."

"Cao Cao in the past was like an envoy. Although Jingchu is good, people's hearts are not attached to it; although there are many soldiers and horses, they are not mine; although the land is vast, it is not suitable for me to live in. Jianghuai seems to be a place that can be planned. But I am afraid of Cao Cao's military strength and it is difficult for me to use him."

"The land on the left half of the Yangtze River is under my control. Although it is now in ruins, it can still protect itself. This means that the land in Guanzhong and Hebei must be settled and cared for first."

The reason why Xun Yu has such a high status in Cao Cao's group is that Xun Yu saved Cao Cao time and time again.At that time, after Cao Cao was attacked by Lu Bu, he wanted to seize Xuzhou while Tao Qian died of illness.He was persuaded by Xun Yu to come back and defeated Lu Bu to recapture Yanzhou.

Without Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao's attack on Xuzhou would most likely have been defeated by Liu Bei.At that time, Liu Bei relied on his military exploits in defeating Cao Cao to gain a firm foothold in Xuzhou and enter the Central Plains.

Now, in Huo Jun's view, Cao Cao is about to go south, and Jiangzuo itself is uneasy.It would be too dangerous if we don't protect Jiangzuo and instead worry about territory like Jianghuai.

Moreover, Jingchu’s internal problems are not so easy to solve.Liu Biao is not dead yet, and Liu Bei and Liu Qi lack status.Even if he has a title, whether they are local scholars in Xiangyang or exiled scholars in the north, a group of leading parties are waiting for Cao Cao.For example, in history, Liu Cong had the idea of ​​resisting Cao Cao, but a group of people forced him to surrender.

Liu Bei gradually became aware of the situation, and said with emotion: "When we entered Xiangyang on this trip, Bei originally wanted to advise Jingsheng's brother to make Bo Wei his heir, and let Bo Wei take over the leadership of Jingzhou Mu and join forces with Jingchu. There is also Chang Xi in Jianghuai, so I raised my troops. Cutting it down can be a strategy for both the north and the south. Kong Ming advised Bei to slow down the plan, but he was hesitant and undecided. Now I have Zhong Miao's advice, so Bei should not have such thoughts!"

Huo Jun poured himself a cup of tea, raised his head and said seriously: "Your Majesty, please do not talk to General Chariot and Cavalry about establishing an heir, as it may make General Chariot and Cavalry more suspicious. Moreover, Kuai Yue is not a fool, Jun listens to the words of his friends in Xiangyang , the Cai family has isolated itself from the inside and outside. Except for Liu Hu, most of the generals north and south of the Han River listen to Cai Mao's military orders."

When Liu Biao was attacking Jiangdong, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were not idle either. Cai Mao took advantage of his second sister Cai's relationship, and he served as a chariot and cavalry general and military advisor. The two teamed up to almost isolate the inside and outside while Liu Biao was seriously ill.What's more fatal is that Liu Qi went to Jiangdong and took away loyal generals like Wenpin and Liu Pan. There were not many reliable generals in Jingchu.

Scholars like Yi Ji and Wang Kai who were related to Er Liu have been squeezed out of the political circle. Yi Ji has been driven to Jiangdong to serve as General Zuo.Wang Kai reluctantly stayed in Xiangyang City by virtue of his status as Liu Biao's son-in-law. Now Jiangdong can get the core information of Xiangyang all thanks to Wang Kai.

"This~"

Liu Bei frowned slightly, his mind was tossing and turning, and he exhaled and said: "If the establishment of an heir fails, Bei and Bo Wei will quickly retreat to Jiangzuo and never stay."

"Yeah!" Huo Jun said with a smile: "With Zijing's advice, your trip will be safe."

　It’s gone for the night. I’ll start at midnight tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)