Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 479: Station troops in Jingzhou and give me troops!
"In addition, there is Jiaozhou, which goes around the southwest border and then goes north from Yizhou. This is the safest way, but it wastes too much time and is full of dangers. It will not be the other party's first choice."

After Fa Zheng finished speaking, he looked up and around, as if waiting for others to catch up with his thoughts. Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, having guessed what Fa Zheng was thinking. Xi Zhicai frowned slightly, a little uncertain, and Liu Ye also had an idea.

After a while, Fa Zheng continued.

"The last solution, the best solution for Cao Cao and Sun Jian, and also the one that will solve the problem once and for all, is to take Jingzhou!"

Fa Zheng finally placed his index finger on the border of Jingzhou, and everyone stretched their heads to look at the geomancy map. Gu Rubing also held his chin with one hand and listened carefully to Fa Zheng's explanation.

"As long as we take Jingzhou, the entire area south of the Yangtze River will belong to the two of them. It will be much easier for them to do anything they want to do, and they will no longer be constrained by us. They only need to take Jingzhou when we are not prepared, and they won't lose too many troops."

As he spoke, Fa Zheng pointed to the junction of Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Yangzhou.

"At that time, they only need to set up defenses here. If we want to break through the defense line again, I'm afraid we will have to pay a huge price."

Looking at the place where Fa Zheng was pointing, Gu Rubing was shocked, because he happened to be pointing at the location of Chibi.

As a die-hard fan of the Three Kingdoms, how could Gu Rubing not know what Red Cliff represents?
The Battle of Red Cliffs in history was a famous battle in which the outnumbered side won. After this battle, the pattern of the Three Kingdoms was truly formed. It was also in this battle that Zhuge Liang became a god, helping the Eastern Wu and Shu Han to defeat Cao Cao, who was at the peak of his power at the time. This prevented Cao Cao from leading large armies to the south for more than a decade, which had a far-reaching impact.

Now that Fa Zheng had pointed here inadvertently, Gu Rubing was a little surprised, but he quickly reacted. After all, the location of Chibi was a battleground for military strategists, with four states connecting and the Yangtze River running through it. Gu Rubing was briefly distracted just now because he knew about the Battle of Chibi.

"Xiaozhi, what strategy do you have to deal with Cao Cao and Sun Jian?"

"Jingzhou cannot be lost. Not only can it not be lost, but it must also be strictly defended. I suggest that we mobilize 200,000 troops for Jingzhou, no, 400,000 troops, and station them in Yuzhang, Jiangxia, Nan, and Wuling counties to prevent sudden attacks by Cao Cao and Sun Jian."

Fa Zheng's point of view attracted many people's attention. After all, this idea was too bold. If 400,000 troops were stationed in Jingzhou, the combined strength of the troops in other states would be less than that of Jingzhou. Although Jingzhou's geographical location was extremely important, such radical actions were likely to cause a chain reaction.

"Jingzhou is indeed important. From the last time Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Liu Zhang and Shi Xie attacked Jingzhou at the same time, it is not difficult to see that they have always been eyeing Jingzhou. Although Xiaozhi's plan is radical, it is the best way to contain Cao Cao and Sun Jian. Moreover, Youzhou and Bingzhou do not actually need too many troops now. The final decisive battle must be for the Central Plains to win!"

Lu Su spoke. He was a man with a steady view of the overall situation, so he considered things more comprehensively. Gu Rubing put his hands on his abdomen, his mind racing. Suddenly, his right eyelid twitched rapidly and violently, but Gu Rubing did not show it. He still smiled and watched the people off the field discuss.

"I think that the strategy proposed by military advisor Xiaozhi is feasible. I only need 50,000, no, 30,000 elite soldiers in Xuzhou to defend Jiangling and Hailing. Even if Sun Jian brings an army of 200,000, I can still hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Zhang Liao stood up and saluted towards Gu Rubing. Fighting against Jiangdong was his old specialty, and now that he had been promoted to a famous general, he was naturally more confident.

"No, once the other party notices, no, Cao Cao and Sun Jian will definitely know that we have a large army heading to Jingzhou. They will most likely change the direction of their attack. Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Xuzhou, and even Yanzhou may become their targets."

Gu Rubing said in a deep voice.

"If Sun Jian mobilizes his entire army to attack Hailing City, Wenyuan, 30,000 people will definitely not be enough."

"Then 50,000 people. 50,000 people. Even if Sun Jian brings 400,000 troops, I can still defend Xuzhou!"

Zhang Liao never let go of his clenched fist. Xuzhou could be said to be the first line of defense facing Yangzhou. Moreover, Sun Jian had always had thoughts about Hailing Military Town and Jiangling City, and had never given up the fight for these two cities.

Therefore, once Gu Rubing's army poured into Jingzhou, Sun Jian would probably launch a full-scale attack on Xuzhou immediately. Once Xuzhou was lost, the severity of the situation for Gu Rubing would be even more serious than losing Jingzhou.

If Jingzhou was lost, it would mean that Sun Jian and Cao Cao could form an unimpeded alliance and launch an attack on Gu Rubing from Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou at the same time.

If Xuzhou was lost, Sun Jian could march straight in and kill his way to Qingzhou. Since occupying Qingzhou, no one has ever been able to get near Qingzhou. Even Yuan Shao and Lu Bu could not get close to Qingzhou, so Xuzhou was also a top priority.

"Jingzhou is important to us, and Xuzhou is equally important to us. Prime Minister, do you have any suggestions?"

Gu Rubing asked Zhuge Liang, who had been silent all this time. Zhuge Liang was holding a feather fan in his hand and wearing a crane hat on his head, and was gently waving the fan.

"Jingzhou is important, and Xuzhou is also important. I suggest that you first send 200,000 troops to station in Nanjun, Nanyangjun, and Jiangxiajun. As for the southern counties of Jingzhou, no troops have been sent since the last war. In addition, the terrain in the southern counties is rugged. You can send a cavalry to circulate among them and intercept the communication between the two sides. However, this troop is destined to fight to the death and will not be able to wait for any rescue."

Zhuge Liang stood up and used a feather fan to draw an area on the geomancy map, which was exactly the location of several counties including Guiyang County in Jingzhou.

"However, what's wrong with giving this area to Sun Jian and Cao Cao? What's wrong with letting them unite? We are the army of the king, the army of the Han Dynasty. The union of just two princes will not pose any threat to us."

"Hahaha, it's rare to see the Prime Minister say something so spirited."

Xi Zhicai laughed loudly on the side, and the civil officials and military generals also laughed when they heard the words. What Zhuge Liang said was indeed right. They already had the strength to fight against the combined forces of Cao Cao and Sun Jian. Even if the two of them annexed Liu Zhang and Shi Xie, they would still not be a match for Gu Rubing. This was Gu Rubing's strength and confidence.

"As scholars, what's wrong with talking big? Why can't we say something high-spirited?"

Zhuge Liang smiled.

Gu Rubing looked at the scene in front of him. Zhuge Liang is still a young man who has just come of age, but he already has the temperament of planning ahead and winning battles thousands of miles away. At this moment, Zhuge Liang, wearing a feather fan and a green scarf, is chatting and laughing with the civil servants and generals, discussing the future of the Han Dynasty and the pattern of the world.

For a moment, Gu Rubing was stunned where he was.

"My lord, my lord?"

Gu Rubing was brought back to reality by Fa Zheng's gentle call. "Xiaozhi, what's the matter?"

"My Lord, shall we proceed according to the Prime Minister's plan?"

"Oh, okay, okay, no problem, Prime Minister, I'm relieved."

Gu Rubing was distracted just now and didn't even hear clearly what Zhuge Liang said at the end, but he still nodded in agreement. Originally, the combination of Xi Zhicai, Fa Zheng, Liu Ye and others was already unsolvable, and now with Zhuge Liang to find out the shortcomings and fill in the gaps, Gu Rubing can be said to be relieved.

"Everyone, I have prepared one last banquet for you. After this banquet, we will all go our separate ways, so, let's not leave until we are drunk!"

Everyone applauded.

While everyone was cheering, Gu Rubing walked to Zhuge Liang's side.

"Prime Minister, can you please move aside? I have something to say to you."

"It just so happens that I have something to discuss with you, my lord."

The two smiled at each other and walked behind the screen in the conference room. Behind the screen was a square bed with tea cups, go pieces and other items placed on the bed. The two sat down one after another.

"My Lord, what do you want from me?"

Zhuge Liang had put away his arrogance and returned to his previous calm state. Gu Rubing recalled his right eyelid twitching just now and couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. Ever since he experienced the bolt from the blue last time, Gu Rubing had also taken this kind of unusual thing to heart.

"Just now, my right eye suddenly twitched wildly. What is this a sign of?"

"Right eye."

After hearing this, Zhuge Liang fell into deep thought, clenched his right hand and refused to listen. After a long time, he spoke.

"Cao Cao and Sun Jian may launch an attack in the near future, but it is not clear where they will attack."

Gu Rubing tapped lightly with one finger, his eyes dim and unclear.

At the border of Yizhou and Yongchang County, Zhang Meng and his two companions, along with the twelve people who escaped from the Yizhou military camp for the first time to deliver the letter, plus the second and third people who escaped, a total of seven people, were all caught. No one of them succeeded in sending the message, and the entire Yizhou military camp remained on alert.

Liu Zhang also knew the seriousness of the matter, so he brought several trusted first-class generals such as Zhang Ren, Deng Xian, Yan Yan, and his personal guards to firmly control the entry and exit of personnel in the entire Yizhou military camp.

After Cao Zhang led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry out of the canyon, he and Sun Ce escorted Meng Huo to an unknown place in a hurry. Before leaving, Sun Ce warned him in a very serious tone, telling him that if anyone from the camp under his command escaped and passed the news to Qingzhou, he would be dead.

At that time, Sun Ce's pressure made Liu Zhang dare not resist at all. Originally, he was not afraid of wearing shoes even if he was barefoot. Before he completely surrendered to Cao Cao, he could still show his fangs to Cao Cao. However, after reaching an agreement with Cao Cao, he became more cautious about his life and no longer had the same energy as before.

Even Liu Zhang himself did not notice this change. He gradually began to transition from a local lord to an ordinary governor.

Sun Ce and Cao Zhang held Meng Huo back, so they naturally had to send people to the Gunu tribe on the other side of the mountains in Zangke County. After traveling back and forth between Guiyang County and Cangwu County several times, Sun Ce discovered that Liu Qi had not deployed any troops here at all. In other words, after Liu Qi had experienced the last war, he had no troops to send to garrison several counties in the south.

This led to Sun Ce and his comrades leading the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and marching in Guiyang County under the banner of Cao's army, which was in stark contrast to the first time Sun Ce left.

When they arrived at the border of Zangke County, three days had passed. During these three days, except for eating and sleeping, they had been on the road all the time. In addition, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were all from the north and were accustomed to the flat plains. Now they were walking on the mountain road and found it a little too much for them.

If it was the same as the previous pursuit of Meng Huo, with stops and starts, they would be fine and could adapt to it. But this time it was different. Not only the people couldn't hold on, but the horses also couldn't hold on.

The horses of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were all top-grade war horses from the first-class ranches in Liangzhou. If other war horses had been subjected to such hard work, their hooves would probably have been worn out. It was also thanks to their haste at such a low cost that they dared to bring Meng Huo to Jiaozhi County before Sun Jian sent a thousand men into the territory of the Gu tribe.

After entering Jiaozhou, Cao Zhang kept looking around curiously. In Cao Zhang's words, since you don't tell me what to do, then I have to do what I want to do.

At the junction of Jiaozhi County and Zangke County, Sun Ce brought a thousand people that Sun Jian had prepared for him and set out for the Gu tribe.

Cao Zhang was increasingly confused by Sun Ce's actions. First, he captured Meng Huo, which already made him very unhappy. After all, Meng Huo should have been handed over to him. If he could kill Meng Huo, he would be one step closer to becoming a legendary general. This was something that had been bothering him since he met Sun Ce.

He felt that Sun Ce, as the son of Sun Jian, had become a legendary general, while he, as the son of Cao Cao, was merely a famous general. In addition, when he was in Yongchang County, he was mocked again and again by Cao Zhang, who was already very angry. This anger finally exploded after he came down the mountain.

This was the first time that Sun Ce and Cao Zhang had a conflict and disagreement. Sun Ce asked Cao Zhang to leave the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry outside on standby, but Cao Zhang insisted on bringing the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in.

"This is not a joke. I'm afraid that you, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, may be able to bring them in but not out."

Sun Ce said sinisterly that not only did Cao Zhang have a grudge against him, but Sun Ce also had one against Cao Zhang.

First, three spies of Liu Bei appeared in the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and then passed the news to the Yizhou military camp. So on the same day, twelve riders sneaked out of the Yizhou military camp, preparing to go to Jingzhou with the news that they had been promoted to legendary generals.

It took a lot of effort to stop them, but in the next two days, seven more people tried to pass the message out. Although they were stopped in the end, who can guarantee that there are no spies of Liu Bei in the Yizhou military camp now?

(End of this chapter)