Chapter 54: Six princes attack Cao, and the situation turns around
“The governor is probably angry.”

Seeing Liu Biao leave in anger, Cai Mao couldn’t help but smile bitterly and said to Kuai Yue and others.

Upon hearing this, Kuai Yue and others understood that they had indeed offended Liu Biao.

However, despite this feeling, when they thought about the huge profits that snow salt, rice paper, white sugar, and soap could bring to the family, they could only silently say sorry to Liu Biao in their hearts.

“We should discuss this with Pang Tong as soon as possible and ask Wancheng to bring out some more iron-cutting weapons to appease the governor.”

“In fact, we purchase goods from Liu Bei. This is a cooperation. It would be foolish for us to send 100,000 troops without doing anything else.”

Kuai Yue said.

When everyone heard Kuai Yue say this, they all nodded in agreement.

On the same day, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and other top families in Jingxiang met Pang Tong again and told him that if Jingzhou wanted to send an army of 100,000 to help, it would be possible, but they had to send Xiangyang’s iron-cutting weapons as a prerequisite.

Pang Tong argued with reason about the conditions proposed by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others, and talked about the huge profits that snow salt, rice paper, white sugar and soap could bring to the other party’s family. How could they also ask Wancheng to send them iron-cutting weapons?

After a fierce confrontation, the two sides finally made concessions and reached consensus.

Wancheng gave Xiangyang three thousand iron-cutting weapons. In addition, Wancheng also had to sell thirty thousand iron-cutting weapons to Xiangyang.

Although Pang Tong seemed to agree to this condition reluctantly, he actually disagreed in his heart.

The top families in Jingxiang have already established contact with Wancheng, and they have taken the bait they set. The other party is still plotting against Wancheng’s iron-cutting weapons, but they don’t know that Wancheng is already planning to take over the entire Jingzhou.

From now on, the entire Jingzhou will be theirs.

The iron-cutting weapon was bought by the other party, but it still belonged to them in the future.

The negotiation conditions soon reached Liu Biao.

When Liu Biao learned that Wancheng was willing to give Xiangyang 3,000 iron-cutting weapons, and would sell an additional 30,000 iron-cutting weapons to Xiangyang, and that Jingzhou would send an army of 100,000 to help repel Cao’s army, Liu Biao’s unhappiness immediately dissipated.

This condition is quite generous.

Liu Biao waved his hand and ordered Wen Pin to lead an army of 100,000 to march towards Wancheng to support it.

The clouds of war soon gathered over Xiangyang.

……

Just when Pang Tong persuaded the noble families of Jingzhou to send troops to help Wancheng resist Cao’s army.

Jiangdong was also sharpening his knives.

Jiangdong, Wu County.

Wu Hou Mansion, meeting hall.

A man named Sun Quan, wearing black brocade clothes, with purple beard, blue eyes and bright eyes, sat in the main seat.

Below, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Lu Xun, Yu Fan, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Cheng Pu, Taishi Ci, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other civil and military officials are lined up on both sides.

At this time, Sun Quan, who was sitting in the main seat, smiled and said:
“I believe you all know that Cao’s army was defeated in Nanyang County. The 40,000-man vanguard army was defeated by Guan Yu, and two Cao generals, Zhang Xiu and Xiahou Yuan, died. Liu Bei still has some strength.”

“I think that Jiangdong can send troops to help us conquer Hefei and march into the Central Plains. What do you think?”

Sun Quan said with some high spirits.

Ever since the imperial envoy brought him the title of Marquis of Wu, Sun Quan felt a change in his status.

If he was just a minor general before, now he is a prominent lord. Of course, he was more concerned about the conditions that Liu Bei had sent someone to promise him, that Sun Quan would be the governor of Yangzhou.

After Sun Quan finished speaking, Zhang Zhao took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed to Sun Quan:
“My lord, since Liu Bei’s army is able to confront Cao’s army, the main force of Cao’s army is involved in Nanyang County. We Jiangdong should seize the opportunity to capture Hefei, enter the Central Plains, and expand our territory.”

This time, even Zhang Zhao, who was in charge of maintaining stability, felt that this was a good opportunity given by God for Jiangdong to march into the Central Plains.

As the head of the civil officials, Zhang Zhao opened his mouth, all the military generals in the hall became excited.

Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Taishi Ci, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other generals all clasped their hands and shouted, “My lord, we invite you to fight!”

Sun Quan was happy to see this scene. His eyes moved among Cheng Pu, Taishi Ci, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other generals, and finally he set his eyes on Zhou Yu.

“Gongjin, if I appoint you as the Grand Commander of Jiangdong and lead an army of 100,000 to the north, do you have the confidence to capture Hefei, occupy Yangzhou, and lead Jiangdong to rule the Central Plains?” Sun Quan asked Zhou Yu solemnly.

After hearing what Sun Quan said, the expressions of senior generals including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang all changed.

That’s right, among the many generals, Sun Quan finally considered and decided to appoint Zhou Yu as the commander-in-chief to lead the Jiangdong army to the north.

Zhou Yu’s outstanding talents can be said to be extraordinary in wisdom and strategy.

Zhou Yu was good at commanding troops. Based on Sun Quan’s understanding of Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu used three strategies in one move, demonstrating his superb level in strategy and tactics.

Another thing is that Zhou Yu has rich experience in leading troops. Several years ago, Zhou Yu joined forces with his brother Sun Ce to conquer many places.

Zhou Yu and Sun Quan’s elder brother Sun Ce were brothers-in-law, and were related to each other. This relationship made Sun Quan trust Zhou Yu a lot, and it could be considered a bond of relationship.

Zhou Yu was the regent appointed by Sun Ce before his death. He was very kind to Sun Quan, and Sun Quan had deep reliance and gratitude towards Zhou Yu.

Old generals like Cheng Pu were Sun Quan’s uncles, and their thinking was probably relatively rigid. They liked to show off their seniority and sometimes looked down on the young Sun Quan. Sun Quan probably thought that these old generals were not suitable for such an important position as the Grand Commander.

After careful consideration, Sun Quan felt that Zhou Yu was more suitable for the position of Grand Commander than the more experienced Cheng Pu and others.

Of course, Sun Quan also thought about leading the troops himself, but considering that this attack on Hefei and march into the Central Plains was too rare and too important an opportunity, Sun Quan felt that he should be cautious and let the generals in the army lead the troops.

In the hall, although Zhou Yu had imagined it before, he was not very confident with Cheng Pu and other veterans in front of him. But when he really heard that Sun Quan appointed him as the commander-in-chief and would lead 100,000 Jiangdong troops to the north, Zhou Yu was shocked and surprised.

“I, General Zhou Yu, will do my best to capture Hefei and lead the Jiangdong army into the Central Plains!” Zhou Yu saluted Sun Quan without hesitation and quickly agreed.

“Haha, good, get up quickly. I will go to Wu County and wait for good news from Gongjin.” Sun Quan stepped forward to help Zhou Yu up, then looked at the generals, especially Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other senior generals who looked unhappy, and said loudly: “Listen, generals, this time I have assembled a hundred thousand troops in Jiangdong, which is the best effort of Jiangdong. If this feat is successful, my father and brother will be pleased. Even if you meet my father and brother a hundred years later, you will have face. If you fail, you will be the sinners of Jiangdong, and you will not be able to face the elders of Jiangdong, let alone my father and brother. I hope you will work together and obey the orders of the commander-in-chief. Do you hear me?”

Sun Quan spoke loudly to all the generals, and even brought out Sun Jian and Sun Ce in order to get Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other senior generals to obey.

Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other generals blushed. Although they felt that Sun Quan was very wicked and asked Sun Jian and Sun Ce to come out, it was indeed useful. They also felt the importance of this Northern Expedition to Jiangdong.

“promise!”

All the generals in the hall responded loudly.

Sun Quan’s prestige temporarily suppressed a group of generals. The army that had already assembled around Wu County, under the orders of generals such as Zhou Yu, marched northward and headed towards Hefei, which was guarded by Zhang Liao and Xiahou Dun.

Zhang Liao and Xiahou Dun led 40,000 Cao troops to station in Hefei, but they sent scouts to keep an eye on Wu County. When Wu County troops came to Hefei, Zhang Liao and Xiahou Dun knew about it immediately.
“Damn it! This blue-eyed kid actually dared to attack Hefei while my elder brother was attacking Liu Bei. How despicable! Send someone to report to my elder brother immediately.”

“Does this blue-eyed brat really think that he can go against me just because I defeated Guan Yu? He will definitely not let the Jiangdong army set foot in Hefei.”

In Hefei, in the hall of the county governor’s mansion, a scout came to report that Xiahou Dun was furious and cursed Sun Quan as a blue-eyed boy from Jiangdong.

Zhang Liao, on the other hand, frowned and focused on the commander of the Jiangdong army, Zhou Yu!

……

Bingzhou, Jinyang, governor’s residence, hall.

Zhuge Liang knelt steadily, gently waving a feather fan, drinking the wine in the wine jar, and did not seem to care why the senior official asked him to come.

“Zhuge Liang, aren’t you curious about what happened when the governor of this state suddenly invited you here today?”

Gao Gan looked at Zhuge Liang calmly and asked curiously,
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang put down the wine jar in his hand, looked at Gao Gan who looked curious, and smiled and said:

“What else is there to guess? The governor of Bingzhou invited Liang here today for two reasons. The first is that the governor of Bingzhou has made up his mind to send troops to Guanzhong to avenge the general. The second is that the situation in Nanyang has changed. This is probably the key. It may be that Cao’s army has suffered a setback, or that Liu Biao of Jingzhou or Sun Quan has sent troops to help Wancheng to resist Cao’s army. Otherwise, the governor of Bingzhou would not be so polite to Liang!”

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and said to Bingzhou Mu Gao Gan with a smile.

When Gao Gan heard what Zhuge Liang said, he immediately looked at Zhuge Liang with a little admiration in his eyes.

“Mr. Kong Ming is truly intelligent and has guessed most of the things right. Liu Biao and Sun Quan have not yet sent out their troops, but Cao’s army was severely defeated by Guan Yu and Guan Yunchang. Two of Cao’s generals, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Xiu, were killed.” Gao Gan said to Zhuge Liang.

“Huh!” Zhuge Liang was surprised to hear that Guan Yu had actually defeated Cao’s army. Did he underestimate Guan Yu?
Gao Gan did not notice Zhuge Liang’s surprise. At this moment, he suddenly changed the subject and said:
“Mr. Zhuge said earlier that the Yuan brothers only care about fighting for power and profit, and don’t talk about revenge. After thinking it over again and again, I still think that Mr. Zhuge’s words make sense. I should stand up first and attack Guanzhong to force the three brothers of the Yuan family to jointly destroy Cao. However, Mr. Zhuge, if I send troops to Guanzhong, it will also help you break the siege of Nanyang. I wonder what I can get?”

Zhuge Liang heard this and knew that Gao Gan had already made up his mind to lead his troops south to Guanzhong, but he wanted more benefits. He smiled and said, “I wonder what the governor of Bingzhou wants?”

Gao Gan heard this without hesitation and said with a smile:

“I have heard that Liu Xuande has created a number of iron-cutting weapons that are quite sharp. Bingzhou can send troops, but Liu Xuande needs to donate 10,000 iron-cutting weapons to Bingzhou!”

When Zhuge Liang heard Gao Gan’s loud words, he shook his head and said:
“To be honest with you, Governor of Bingzhou, even if Bingzhou did not send troops south to Guanzhong and tie up Cao Cao’s forces, Nanyang, together with Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Quan of Jiangdong, is now strong enough to fight against Cao’s army. We can even defeat Cao Cao together.”

“My lord still sent me to Bingzhou. On the one hand, he considered that Bingzhou Mu had a grudge against Cao Cao, and wanted to lend a helping hand to Bingzhou Mu. It would be an extra layer of insurance for the princes to fight Cao Cao together. Since Bingzhou Mu refused to accept my lord’s friendship and asked for too much, Bingzhou Mu should just treat me as if I had never been to Bingzhou. I’m leaving now.”

Zhuge Liang stood up and was about to say goodbye.

The senior official sitting in the main seat changed his expression and said hurriedly:

“Mr. Zhuge, please stay. The governor of this state and Mr. Zhuge were just joking, but you took it seriously.”

Zhuge Liang stopped and sat back after being comforted by the senior official.

Next, Gao Gan, realizing that he could not blackmail Zhuge Liang, stopped talking about the iron-cutting weapon and instead turned his attention to Guanzhong.

Gao Gan was determined to lead the army south to Guanzhong, but he would not take action until he saw the rabbit. In fact, many places in Bingzhou were occupied by foreign races, such as the Southern Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan. Gao Gan could only control a few counties. The title of governor of a province was somewhat unworthy of its reality. In fact, when Zhuge Liang came and asked him to go south to Guanzhong, Gao Gan was tempted. Guanzhong was a fertile land, far beyond what Bingzhou could compare to.

The only thing that worried Gao Gan was that Cao Cao had a strong military force and he was afraid of being held accountable by Cao Cao.

Now, seeing that Guan Yu had actually defeated Cao’s army, Gao Gan became courageous.

Next, Gao Gan discussed Guanzhong affairs with Zhuge Liang and sent troops from Bingzhou, while Zhuge Liang acted as a lobbyist to Ma Teng, Han Sui and other Guanzhong princes, asking them to attack Zhong Yao together. Zhuge Liang agreed, as this was the purpose of his mission.

Using Gao Gan to mobilize Ma Teng, Han Sui and other princes who were suppressed by Zhong Yao in Guanzhong to attack Cao’s army together. This would mean hundreds of thousands of troops and horses, which would definitely become a major concern for Cao Cao.

As long as the princes such as Gao Gan, Ma Teng and Han Sui became chaotic and tied up Cao Cao’s troops, Liu Wu’s troops could take the opportunity to expand and seize territory.

After Zhuge Liang and Gao Gan reached a consensus, Gao Gan immediately gathered 80,000 troops and began to quietly cross the Yellow River and head south. Zhuge Liang arrived near Chang’an before Gao Gan and joined the forces of Ma Teng and Han Sui to act as a lobbyist.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were both ambitious men. The reason they were suppressed by Zhong Yao was because they were afraid of Cao Cao’s military force. Suddenly they saw Zhuge Liang’s diplomatic mission and heard that Gao Gan was leading an army of 80,000 to the south to jointly fight against Cao. Liu Biao and Sun Quan would also send troops to fight against Cao.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were immediately tempted.

However, the two were cautious and immediately sent people to inquire about the news on both sides of the Yellow River. The scouts indeed found out that a large number of Bingzhou troops were heading south and crossing the Yellow River.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were overjoyed. After some calculation, they knew that Liu Bei, Sun Quan and Gao Gan had joined forces to attack Cao Cao, and Guan Yu had also defeated Cao’s army. Ma Teng and Han Sui no longer hesitated and directly agreed to form an alliance to fight against Cao’s army. Ma Teng and Han Sui led their army to Luoyang in the east without hesitation.

Because, at that time Zhong Yao’s troops were stationed in Luoyang, and Zhong Yao was the Inspector of the Imperial Guards. As long as Zhong Yao was captured and killed, there would be no Cao army in Guanzhong.

However, Zhong Yao was cautious after all. He did not trust Ma Teng, Han Sui and other princes, so he placed many spies and scouts around Ma Teng and Han Sui. As soon as the two men moved their troops, Zhong Yao in Luoyang learned about it in advance.

However, Zhong Yao soon learned the news that Gao Gan had also led his troops across the Yellow River to attack. Zhong Yao was shocked and realized that something had happened in Guanzhong. He hurriedly reported to Cao Cao and asked for help.

Liu Biao raised an army of 100,000 to help Wancheng fight against Cao’s army.

Sun Quan led an army of 100,000, with Zhou Yu as the commander-in-chief, and launched a fierce attack on Hefei.

Gao Gan, governor of Bingzhou, went south and cooperated with Ma Teng, Han Sui and other princes in Guanzhong to attack Zhong Yao and Cao Cao’s troops in Guanzhong.

For a moment, the situation in the world changed suddenly, and bad news came to Cao Cao’s army outside Wancheng.

At this time, Zhao Yun also led two hundred loyal and brave guards and sneaked into Xu Du.

(End of this chapter)