Chapter 510 Helping in times of need
Everyone has their own strengths, and different positions require different people.

Just like the north and the western regions, what is needed is a general who can command light cavalry and is invincible.

And what kind of people are needed for the situation in the southeast?

Not someone who can fight.

He is a man who is good at maneuvering and ruthless.

The fighting power of those tribal members is not worth mentioning at all.

As long as you can find the enemy, you can win.

But the most difficult thing is to find the enemy.

Liu Fan had mixed feelings about Sun Quan’s arrival.

The good news is that the population problem that I was most worried about has finally been resolved.

Sun Quan readily handed over 500,000 people to Liu Fan without any hesitation or reluctance.

Because he knew that this was not a deal between him and Liu Fan, but Tian Ze’s order.

He would carry out Tian Ze’s orders without hesitation, and he would not frown even when dealing with Sun Ce.

Because he knows too well what power is and what the current situation is.

After receiving Tian Ze’s suggestion to march south, the first thing Sun Quan did was to read all of Tian Ze’s deeds again, trying to figure out what kind of person this emperor was.

Although he had once been an enemy and had done a lot of research, he was ultimately off track in direction and not comprehensive enough.

After his in-depth research and consideration, he finally confirmed one thing.

This is a heroic leader who is worthy of loyalty, a man who will not let his own people suffer, a man who is good at making a big cake and is not reluctant to share it.

The best approach for such people is complete loyalty.

Think what Your Majesty thinks and worry about what Your Majesty worries about.

His Majesty has eyes for everything about me. All losses will be remembered by His Majesty, and will eventually be fed back to me in another form, several times or even dozens of times more.

Therefore, Sun Quan had no hostility towards Liu Fan, such an obvious competitor, and was extremely friendly.

Even though Liu Fan was a little wary, he didn’t care. He even hoped that Liu Fan would target him, because the more Liu Fan did so, the more he would gain.

But Liu Fan was not a fool. Although he was not as good at politics as Sun Quan, he remained calm under the analysis and suggestions of his advisers.

The two rivals maintained superficial harmony, but their rivalry in secret continued unabated.

The two of them were competing to see who could seize the population and territory as quickly as possible, but they also maintained a certain tacit understanding. As long as they spotted the other party’s troops, they would turn around immediately and never have a conflict.

Liu Fan had a huge advantage in population and military strength, had the first-mover advantage, had already established a firm foothold, and also had the blessing of Tian Ze’s talents.

Logically, he should have been in an absolute advantage and crushed Sun Quan.

But it has to be admitted that Sun Quan’s excellence exceeded all of their imaginations.

With a population of 800,000, Sun Quan did not rush to compete with Liu Fan for territory, but settled down nearby first.

In fact, the Jiangdong noble families who came this time only provided Sun Quan with 20,000 soldiers and 800,000 people. This was the limit of what they could currently provide, and it was also the limit that Sun Ce could tolerate.

Most of these 800,000 were illegal residents and were not on Sun Ce’s household registration book at all, so he could still turn a blind eye.

Where did the 500,000 people handed over to Liu Fan come from?

Of course it was Sun Quan who tricked him into doing this.

No one is perfect, just like the military genius Han Xin, who has unlimited soldiers and commanders, but he cannot start from scratch.

Similarly, Sun Quan was not good at conquering the world, but he knew how to expand assets with a certain amount of capital.

On the way, he brought 20,000 soldiers with him, but he was not in a hurry to travel, but visited Shi Xie, the local emperor of Jiaozhou who was more patient and peaceful than Gongsun Du in history.

In the past two years, Liu Bei and Sun Ce have both been targeting him.

After all, population is everything. Although the population of Jiaozhou is not too large, it is about three million, which is a piece of fat meat.

It’s just that Jiaozhou’s climate and terrain, as well as the complex local conditions, made it difficult for them to swallow it easily.

The three brothers Shi Xie controlled more than half of southern Xinjiang and had a strong foundation, but they were not arrogant fools.

Those who are good at Confucianism and Taoism have a clear mind and can see the situation clearly.

Therefore, his attitude towards Sun Ce and Liu Bei was neither humble nor arrogant.

I have given all the gifts and expressed all the goodwill, but if I want Jiaozhou, I’m sorry, that’s not possible.

Anyone with a little knowledge can see clearly who the world will eventually belong to.

Why should he give up his bright future and hang out with two guys who are doomed to fail?

But Sun Quan came, bringing Tian Ze’s letter.

Although the letter did not mention support for Sun Quan, the content was very simple, just simply mentioning Sun Ce and Sun Quan.

This is enough.

For Sun Quan, the biggest gains of this trip were the support of the aristocratic families and this letter.

To a certain extent, it was precisely because of this letter that so many powerful families supported him.

How clever Sun Quan was! He was extremely perceptive in politics.

In his hands, this letter was like an imperial edict and was more effective than Sun Ce’s words.

Although Shi Xie seems to be sitting on the Diaoyutai now, he is actually quite embarrassed.

The overall situation has been decided. If you seek refuge again, the value of this refuge will be greatly reduced and it will become dispensable.

Jiaozhou must be taken away from the Shi family, and Shi Xie himself had no doubt about this.

The arm cannot twist the thigh. Which of Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yizhou is easier to deal with than Jiaozhou? In the end, it was still clear.

In front of Tian Ze, who can’t tolerate any sand in his eyes, there is no way that the Shi family can stay in Jiaozhou any longer.

But where to go after leaving?
Shi Xie was not an arrogant person. He knew that his family was just mediocre and could not be compared with the princes of the world, so he always stayed honest and did not cause trouble.

He was not qualified to receive the same treatment as Liu Fan and others, nor did he have the ability to fight his way out of the siege among the powerful Central Plains families, especially when playing away from home.

Sun Quan grasped this point firmly.

Shi Xie can’t see the direction of the future, so isn’t he the best choice?
Follow me to grow bigger and stronger in the Southeast. As an original shareholder, I will definitely not treat you unfairly.

For Sun Quan, drawing a pie in the sky was a piece of cake. Moreover, it was easy to realize the pie, but he just happened to lack the funds to start his business.

It is better to provide timely help than to add icing on the cake. Shi Xie has already missed it once. Will he miss this last chance again?

As for why he chose Sun Quan instead of doing it alone.

Because Sun Quan had that letter and he didn’t, it’s that simple.

The rules are always made by the strong.

How could Shi Xie dare to go out without Tian Ze’s permission?

Without Tian Ze’s support, how could Shi Xie get out?

(End of this chapter)