Chapter 86 It’s over, Li Yan, you little bastard, you’ve misled me!!!
In the hall, Zhang Zhao was so angry that he started cursing and said it was too bullying.

Yes, Zhang Zhao was really angry at this time.

In fact, the Zhang family represented by Zhang Zhao has a very high status in Jiangdong.

Zhang Zhao was one of the founding fathers of the Sun family regime in Jiangdong. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the pillar of Jiangdong.

Zhang Zhao held a prominent position among the civil officials and had extremely high prestige.

He assisted Sun Quan according to Sun Ce’s will and made great contributions to the stability and development of Jiangdong.

Historically, although Zhang Zhao’s status declined before and after the Battle of Chibi because he advocated surrender, his influence among the scholars and people of Jiangdong remained profound.

In addition, the Zhang family also occupied an important position in the political and social life of the Eastern Wu. Zhang Zhao’s family had marriage relations with many important families in the Eastern Wu, which further consolidated the Zhang family’s position in Jiangdong. At the same time, members of the Zhang family held important positions in the Eastern Wu regime, which had a profound impact on the political decision-making and social life of the Eastern Wu.

The Zhang family represented by Zhang Zhao had a very important position in Jiangdong and was an indispensable part of the Eastern Wu regime.

Similarly, the stronger the Sun family’s sphere of influence becomes, the greater the Zhang family’s power will expand.

However, just as Zhang Zhao would wake up with a smile every day, Jiangdong’s territory was about to occupy Xuzhou, and then under Zhou Yu’s command, its sphere of influence would even expand to Qingzhou and even Jizhou, and the Zhang family’s sphere of influence would become even larger.

Liu Wu is suddenly going to take action against Jiangdong?
Are all those territories that are beckoning to the Zhang family disappearing without a trace?
How could Zhang Zhao not lose his composure and get angry?
Not only Zhang Zhao, but also Gu Yong and Yu Fan all had ugly expressions.

Gu Yong was from Wu County, Wu Commandery, and was born into the Wu Commandery Gu family, one of the four major surnames in Wu Commandery in Jiangdong. He was also an important supporter of Sun Quan, and members of the Gu family held many important positions under Sun Quan. The Gu family had a prominent position in Jiangdong, so as long as the Sun family was strong and powerful, the Gu family would also rise.

“Lord Wu, we can’t just sit there and wait for death. Otherwise, once Liu Wu takes over Qingzhou and Xuzhou, his sphere of influence will be extremely large, and our Jiangdong will be confined to a corner of Yangzhou, subject to many restrictions from Liu Wu. Then we will really be finished!” Gu Yong said to Sun Quan with a grim expression.

“Lord Wu, Yuan Tan is right. We cannot let Liu Wu succeed.” Zhang Zhao hurriedly echoed Gu Yong’s words and said hurriedly to Sun Quan.

Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong were anxious, and Sun Quan was also annoyed.

In a blink of an eye, Jiangdong, under his leadership, has already occupied Yangzhou, and Xuzhou is in sight. But now Liu Wu suddenly attacks Jiangdong, wanting to take over Yuan’s territory alone.

This is snatching food from the tiger’s mouth, showing that he does not take Sun Quan seriously at all.

“I was so blind that I married Shangxiang to the villain Liu Wu, and now he was assassinated in Jiangdong!” Sun Quan slammed the table and said angrily.

Sun Quan suppressed his anger, looked at everyone, and said, “Tell us what you think. Zijing, you must have had some thoughts along the way, you go first.”

Sun Quan said to Lu Su.

Lu Su listened to Sun Quan’s words, but did not refuse. He just frowned and said:
“Su went all the way south, but he was thinking about these things, and he felt that it was quite strange.”

“Strange? What does that mean?” Sun Quan asked in confusion.

Lu Su cupped his hands and said:
“My lord, Zhao Yun could have taken advantage of the situation to cut off Gongjin’s retreat when he attacked Xuzhou, but he didn’t do so. Instead, he stationed troops at the border of Shouchun and didn’t cross the border. Why?”

“If Su’s guess is correct, Liu Wu actually doesn’t dare to cross the line and attack Jiangdong to cut off Gongjin’s retreat. Otherwise, if Zhao Yun cuts off the retreat, Jiangdong will be directly hit hard. Liu Wu didn’t do that, so he must be taking the alliance and the imperial decree issued by the court into consideration.”

“He ordered Zhao Yun to station his troops outside Shouchun to threaten Gongjin’s army, so that Gongjin’s army could not move north. They took the opportunity to capture Qingzhou and Xuzhou.”

Lu Su paused, and then said quietly: “Su knows that Liu Wu planned to take Qingzhou and Xuzhou, but he went all the way south without any harm. I am afraid that Liu Wu wants us to act first, and then let the world know that it was Jiangdong that broke the alliance first and did not obey the imperial edict first, so that he would have the opportunity to attack Jiangdong with justification.”

Lu Su’s voice sounded faintly, but it accurately revealed the entire process of Liu Wu’s plan.

In the hall, Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, Zhuge Jin and others listened to Lu Su’s words, frowning and thinking carefully about what Lu Su said. It must be said that they really felt that what Lu Su said made sense.

“But, Zijing, what if Liu Wu really wants to trap Jiangdong in Yangzhou, and then take advantage of the situation to occupy Xuzhou and Qingzhou, and then find an excuse to say that the alliance has been dissolved, and attack Jiangdong?”

Zhang Zhao took a deep breath and said angrily.

“This…Alas!” Lu Su listened to Zhang Zhao’s question, opened his mouth, but could not say anything.

In fact, this is another possibility he wanted to talk about.

Sun Quan’s face turned pale. The current situation was very bad for Jiangdong.

While they were fighting the Yuan brothers, Liu Wu was recruiting and training troops on a large scale and secretly planning for Jizhou.

After they had decided the outcome of the battle with the brothers of the Yuan family, Jizhou fell into the hands of Liu Wu. Liu Wu had even marched his army eastward, threatening Jiangdong.

But the current situation is that they are in a dilemma, neither moving nor stopping.

If they move, they will fall into Liu Wu’s trap. It is they in Jiangdong who broke the alliance first and disobeyed the imperial edict first. In this way, Liu Wu will have the opportunity to attack Jiangdong with justification.

If they did not take action, they would have to watch Liu Wu station troops in Xuzhou and Qingzhou to encircle Jiangdong.

“What do you think I should do?” Sun Quan took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth.

Everyone was silent.

Because Jiangdong’s military strength was really limited, they couldn’t win the fight.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhao’s cloudy eyes revealed a hint of coldness, and he bowed to Sun Quan and said:

“Lord Wu, we can’t just sit there and wait for death. If we sit and watch Liu Wu take over Xuzhou and the Mi family, then Liu Wu’s power will only become stronger, and Jiangdong will be at a disadvantage.”

“Since Liu Wu is so ambitious and wants to treat Jiangdong as an enemy, we can’t just sit there and wait for death.”

Zhang Zhao’s words directly shattered the lucky mentality of Sun Quan, Lu Su, Zhuge Jin and others.

Yes, the attitude Liu Wu is showing now has actually shown that even if Liu Wu does not attack Jiangdong now, he will definitely attack Jiangdong in the future.

If that is the case, why should they wait until Liu Wu becomes powerful before fighting him?

“You’re right. However, our Jiangdong military force is obviously inferior to Liu Wu’s army. Even the navy is being actively expanded by Huang Zu. Whether it’s infantry or navy, it’s difficult for us to fight against Liu Wu!” Sun Quan said somewhat distressedly.

At this time, Sun Quan also wanted to fight against Liu Wu, but there was no way because Liu Wu’s ambition was expanding too quickly and his power was expanding too quickly.

They must have a fight!
In the hall, Lu Su looked at Zhang Zhao and interrupted:
“In Guandong, the Yuan brothers surrendered to Liu Wu. Now only my Jiangdong family is left, but we are no match for Liu Wu.”

“So, if we are to fight against Liu Wu, we should look for allies, and the only ones are Guanzhong, Cao Cao!”

Lu Su’s voice resounded.

Zhang Zhao gave him an admiring look, then sneered, “Although Liu Wu is brave and good at fighting, he has made many enemies, Cao Cao is a big one. Now, in Guanzhong, Cao Cao has led hundreds of thousands of troops to completely crush Han Sui and Ma Teng. It shouldn’t be long before the war ends. If Jiangdong wants to join forces with Cao Cao to attack Liu Wu, Cao Cao will certainly agree.”

Zhang Zhao’s words made Sun Quan’s eyes suddenly brighten.

“It would be appropriate to unite with Cao Cao and attack Liu Wu. We can’t wait any longer. We should immediately send an envoy to Guanzhong to invite Cao Cao to attack Liu Wu together!” Sun Quan gritted his teeth and made a decision immediately.

“Yes!” Everyone looked at each other and agreed.

After discussing with everyone that day, Sun Quan sent Yu Fan as an envoy to Guanzhong.

……

Just as Lu Su rushed back to Jiangdong, Liu Wu was not idle either. He left Ma Liang and Li Yan in Jizhou, and he also rushed back to Xiangyang, Jingzhou, with the pregnant Zhen Mi.

Now, the overall situation in the north has been settled. With Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun leading the army, Youzhou, Qingzhou and Xuzhou should not have too many problems.

Now, what he needs to face is the reaction of Sun Quan in Jiangdong, and it is obviously easier to control the situation in Xiangyang.

On this day, just as Liu Wu had just returned to Xiangyang, the Jinyiwei hurried to report.

Liu Wu pondered for a moment, then asked someone to summon Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

The residence of the General of Cavalry.

In the meeting hall.

“A spy reported that Jiangdong sent an envoy to Guanzhong. I’m afraid it’s Sun Quan who wants to ally with Cao Cao.”

Liu Wu’s face did not look very good as he told Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong the news reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Because the Jinyiwei was established only recently and was not yet omnipresent, they discovered that Jiangdong had sent an envoy to Guanzhong because Zhang Zhao was talking to someone in his mansion and was overheard by the Jinyiwei.

Facts have proved that Li Yan is still a little immature.

At that time, Li Yan’s advice to him was that the general should not tarnish his own reputation, but should rebuke Lu Su and let Jiangdong fall into chaos. Then, the general could take advantage of the situation and intervene in Jiangdong’s affairs with justification.

Judging from the current situation, Jiangdong is indeed in disarray. However, it is not just ordinary chaos. It has simply stopped playing in Guandong and directly jumped out of the Guandong map to seek external aid from Guanzhong.

Cao Cao is almost defeating Han Sui and Ma Teng. If he were to receive Sun Quan’s proposal for an alliance, he would probably happily agree to it.

In short, Li Yan was in big trouble.

Liu Wu trusted Li Yan too much.

In the hall, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong frowned as they listened to Liu Wu’s words.

“My lord, you are really reckless. How can you force Jiangdong so hard? Even if we give Xuzhou to Sun Quan, we can maintain peace with Jiangdong Sun Quan for two years. Then, after two years of development, we can control Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, and Youzhou. Who in the world can compare with us?”

Pang Tong slapped his head and felt that Liu Wu was so reckless.

Liu Wu’s face turned a little dark when he listened to Pang Tong’s straightforward words, but he didn’t have any hatred towards Pang Tong. He just cursed Li Yan in his heart. His wisdom value was only 93, and he still believed in him. Liu Wu’s strategy value was not high, so when he was in Xiangyang, he would consult Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong for any important matters. When he was in Jizhou, Liu Wu only had Li Yan by his side. He was just thinking about promoting the curved plow at the beginning, and he didn’t bring Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang with him. Who knew that he went to Yecheng at that time and only trusted Li Yan, who seemed to be a good person.

Who would have thought that Li Yan was still not very capable.

“My lord, was this plan proposed by someone else?” Zhuge Liang suddenly asked after looking at Liu Wu’s expression.

Based on his understanding of Liu Wu, Liu Wu was a very cautious person. Generally speaking, he would not make his own decisions on major strategies, but would think carefully and ask for wise and profound advice.

Obviously, someone must have given Liu Wu some advice.

Liu Wu said:

“Yes, when I was promoting the curved plow, I met a county magistrate named Li Yan. He was quite intelligent and a talent, so I brought him with me and asked him for advice when I was in Yecheng.”

After hearing what Liu Wu said, Pang Tong stopped blaming Liu Wu and started to scold him:
“This man of talent is nothing but a fool. With just one word, he stirred up the Sun-Cao alliance. We haven’t digested Jizhou and Youzhou yet, and we haven’t taken Xuzhou and Qingzhou yet. If we fight Cao Cao and Sun Quan with only Jizhou, Yuzhou and Yanzhou, who will win?”

Pang Tong cursed Li Yan.

Zhuge Liang’s expression was not very good either. His impression of Li Yan, who had never met him before, was instantly reduced to the extreme.

Liu Wu now realized that he might have made a bad move by listening to Li Yan’s advice. He frowned and looked at Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong and asked:

“I didn’t think this through. It’s my fault. I must take this lesson to heart.”

“However, we still have to find a way to deal with it now!”

Liu Wu took a deep breath and cursed Li Yan in his heart for misleading him.

Seeing that Liu Wu admitted his mistake actively, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong understood that Liu Wu really realized that he had been reckless this time.

The two stopped talking and both frowned in thought.

But how should they deal with it?

In the hall, Liu Wu did not disturb Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, but Liu Wu felt that he should improve his IQ.

Otherwise, if he were in his position, he would not have been able to ask Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong for everything. For example, this time, Li Yan was still immature, and the strategy he came up with was not good and had great hidden dangers, but he did not even notice it.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhuge Liang looked at the map of the Han Dynasty, his eyes flickering and gently waving his feather fan.

“My lord, I may have a plan that can divide the forces of Jiangdong, or even cause chaos in Jiangdong!”

Zhuge Liang’s voice immediately attracted the attention of Liu Wu and Pang Tong.

Liu Wu was shocked. Wolong was worthy of being Wolong. He was so awesome. It had only been a short time, but he had a plan that could divide the forces in Jiangdong and even cause chaos in Jiangdong.

Even Pang Tong couldn’t help but look at Zhuge Liang with some curiosity.

“Kong Ming, tell me quickly. As long as you can resolve this crisis, I will report to His Majesty and give you more responsibilities and promote you to the rank of Three Dukes!” Liu Wu said to Zhuge Liang with a smile, making a promise directly.

Hearing the big promises made by Liu Wu, Zhuge Liang couldn’t help but smile bitterly, but he felt warm inside. Liu Wu really trusted and valued him.

(End of this chapter)