The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 271 His reputation is well-deserved; Li Xiangzhi provokes Zhou Lang
Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang traveled south and met Liu Qi, the eldest son of the Jing family, in Jiangxia.

While preparing for a counterattack on Jingzhou, he also sent someone to contact Zhou Yu in Xiakou.

Although the southward expedition brought 50,000 troops, it mainly relied on Chen Yuanlong's Huainan navy.

To control Jingzhou, one must first control Jiangling.

Jiangling is a major transportation hub in southern China because it is located at the golden intersection of many waterways, including the Han River, the Yangtze River, the Yang River, the Xia River, and the Xiang River.

The Three Gorges waterway in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is narrow, the current is rapid, and there are many dangerous shoals. Therefore, the boats are generally relatively small to facilitate safe navigation.

Only after leaving Yiling will the Yangtze River begin to open up and become clear.

Guan Yu's naval, land, and amphibious special forces were trained here.

Therefore, although Zhuge Liang's 50,000-strong army seemed very powerful, he actually relied mainly on his navy.

The defeat of Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs in history was due to a variety of reasons.

But there is another key point: it wasn't just the Eastern Wu side that had naval forces.

At that time, Liu Bei also recruited a large number of naval troops in Jingzhou, which enabled him to adapt to the climate and water of the south.

Otherwise, no matter how many troops come from the north, they will only be a disgrace.

In this way, the 20,000 Jiangdong naval troops in Zhou Yu's hands became extremely valuable.

This was the source of Zhou Yu's confidence to come to the negotiations, and it was also the best bargaining chip that the Eastern Wu side he represented could offer.

Zhuge Liang was very satisfied when he heard the number, but he remained expressionless.

"...Does Commander Zhou know that Cao Cao has already marched south of the Yangtze River and reached Xiangyang?"

"...known".

"Oh? Then I wonder what your opinion is on this, Governor?"

Zhuge Liang looked at Zhou Yu and asked.

Zhou Yu calmly stated:

"Now the King of Qi has secured his homeland, while Cao Cao has been defeated in Hebei and has not yet reorganized his weapons and troops."

"If they wish to march south and contend for territory, how could they possibly compete with our school in a matter of boats and oars?"

"Moreover, Ma Chao is still in Bingzhou, and Han Sui is also in Guanzhong, posing a threat to Cao Cao's rear."

"For Cao Cao to abandon his horse and saddle and rely on boats to contend with the lands of Wu and Yue is not his forte."

"Cao Cao led all the soldiers of Wei to travel far and wide across the rivers and lakes."

"Those who are not accustomed to the local water and soil will inevitably fall ill."

"These four factors are all major dangers in warfare."

“But Cao Cao has acted recklessly, and I predict that he will surely be defeated.”

From the moment Zhou Yu heard that Cao Cao was marching south, he was convinced that Cao Cao would end in defeat.

The points he analyzed basically coincided with Zhuge Liang's appearance.

The general idea was that Cao Cao had just suffered a defeat in Hebei and had not yet recovered his strength, so he came to compete with Eastern Wu and Qi for Jingzhou.

The Qi state only sent 50,000 troops.

The main force consisted of the Huainan naval forces.

The soldiers from Huainan were generally able to adapt to the humid and rainy climate of the south.

The remaining soldiers from Xuzhou were also selected from the strongest and most capable men.

Even if you get sick, at least you can try to tough it out.

Moreover, the army also has Zhang Zhongjing, an expert in epidemic prevention, and his apprentices, so they can definitely hold their own.

From Cao Cao's perspective, however, he had no choice but to fight for it.

One wrong step leads to another.

If it weren't for Liu Jing's sudden death, Cao Cao might have continued to fight Liu Bei to the death in the Central Plains.

They would never have thought of seizing Jingzhou.

But it was precisely because Liu Biao died that Cao Cao and Liu Bei both wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to seize Jingzhou.

This is a rare opportunity; whoever is a step behind will lose the initiative.

As it turns out, both Cao Cao and Liu Bei made the right choices.

With Liu Jingsheng's death, Jingzhou's weakness—outwardly strong but inwardly weak—was magnified.

They seem to possess one of the top three powers in the world, as well as the world's number one navy.

Faced with pressure from Qi and Wei, the powerful clans actually packaged up their Jingzhou shares and listed them on the stock exchange.

Even if Qi and Wei hadn't come, Eastern Wu would have had a great chance to take Jingzhou into its own hands.

After Liu Biao's death, no one was able to unite the forces of Jingzhou.

No matter how strong they are, they are ultimately just a disorganized mess.

"good!"

Zhuge Liang stood up happily and said to Zhou Yu:

"Since the commander-in-chief is certain that Cao Cao will be defeated, he can lead the charge for our army first."

Zhou Yu was taken aback, before he could even refute.

Zhuge Liang continued speaking:

"Although Liang fled to Jingzhou in his early years, he was not as familiar with the geography as the Governor who had lived in Jiangnan for a long time."

"I have heard that the Commander-in-Chief is skilled at navigating the river. I would like to trouble the Commander-in-Chief to lead an army to Gong'ankou to test the strength of Jingzhou."

hiss……

Zhou Yu took a deep breath, thinking to himself that Kongming was not playing by the rules.

I came here to discuss how to divide Jingzhou, but why did you immediately send me to lead the charge?

Just as Zhou Yu was about to refute, he suddenly saw Li Yi leading Chen Deng out.

The two walked hand in hand, surrounded by a group of civil and military officials.

Zhou Yu observed him and wondered what this renowned Master Tian Shu looked like.

He was tall and slender, with a graceful and elegant demeanor.

His demeanor was elegant and refined, serene and divine.

He is different from the handsome young man of his earlier years.

Zhou Yu had long wanted to meet Li Yi, and seeing that Zhuge Liang was being unreasonable, he took the initiative to go and find Li Yi.

Zhuge Liang did not stop him, but sighed inwardly:
"If you talk to me, there is still a chance for things to turn around."

"If you were to negotiate with the gentleman, I'm afraid you wouldn't even have a chance to bargain."

Although Zhuge Liang was ruthless, he still had some bottom line in his actions.

Negotiating with him is a matter of life and death.

Li Yi was a typical political beast who prioritized national interests above all else.

If you try to negotiate with him, you'll truly be facing certain death.

I'm afraid they'll be eaten until not even a bone fragment is left.

Zhou Yu approached Li Yi and his entourage, and bowed deeply.
"The Governor of Jiangdong greets the Prime Minister."

Li Yi, with his hands behind his back, glanced at Zhou Yu from head to toe, but did not rush to reply.

Seeing that Li Yi did not speak, the people behind him also closed their mouths and remained silent.

Zhou Yu was left standing there for a while, and the atmosphere became somewhat stagnant.

Zhuge Liang walked over slowly and smoothed things over, saying:

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, this man is Zhou Yu, the Commander-in-Chief of Eastern Wu."

"...Oh? So it's Zhou Yu from Jiangdong."

Li Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, and raised his voice slightly at the end of his sentence.

"I have heard that you defeated Huang Zu's Jiangxia navy at Xiakou, and your prestige has shaken Jingchu."

"How impressive! Even Mr. Li, who is far away in Hebei, couldn't help but admire it."

Although Li Yi praised Zhou Yu, his tone was very indifferent.

There was not a trace of reverence in them.

Zhou Yu immediately replied:

"...I dare not accept such praise. I am far inferior to Prime Minister Li."

"In the past, Prime Minister Li defeated Yuan Shu in Huainan and later defeated Yuan Shao in Hebei."

"The two Yuan brothers were once arrogant and domineering, but they were both defeated by Prime Minister Li."

"The reason why King Qi has such a great foundation today is due to the unparalleled contributions of Prime Minister Li."

Hey, this kid.

Everyone understood the sarcasm in Zhou Yu's words.

Liu Bei secretly believed that without Li Yi, he would not have achieved his current success.

This statement is not wrong, but saying it in front of a group of officials is still likely to attract criticism.

If you admit it, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that Liu Bei can't do without you?

If you don't acknowledge it, you'll lose face in front of your foreign ministers again.

The very nature of achievements is something that is mutually reinforcing between the ruler and his subjects.

Without the trust and bold delegation of authority by the monarch, how can subordinates exert their abilities?
Huo Qubing's feat of sealing the wolf's lair was indeed remarkable, but behind it was the fact that Emperor Wu of Han provided him with the best equipment and warhorses in the empire.

Every soldier was handpicked by Emperor Wu of Han, so Huo Qubing only needed to perform normally once he had them.

However, Emperor Wu of Han had much more to worry about in the preparations before the war.

The brilliance of Zhou Yu's words lies in the fact that at first glance they seem perfectly reasonable, making it difficult to find fault with them.

Getting angry will only make you seem petty.

It seems he wants to confront Li Yi head-on to get revenge for ignoring him earlier.

Everyone whispered:

"...Who is this Zhou Lang?"

"It was just a few lucky breaks and a few empty titles."

"You're also going to argue with our Prime Minister Li?"

Hahaha……

Li Yi was not angry when he heard Zhou Yu's words; instead, he smiled.

“...Alright, Zhou Yu is about the same age as me.”

"I heard that you also once harbored lofty ambitions, but now Sun Bofu has passed away."

"His successor, Sun Quan, was more than capable of defending himself, but lacked the drive to advance."

"With Zhou Yu's talent as a prime minister, staying in Wu would have been a waste of his youth."

"Our lord is a descendant of the Han dynasty, and has already gained control of five of the nine provinces of the world."

"If Zhou Yu would be willing to abandon Eastern Wu and serve King Qi with me."

"Then he will be worthy of being a Han official, and he will also be able to fulfill his lofty ambitions, bringing honor to his wife and children."

"Isn't this a win-win solution?"

What is your opinion?

Zhou Yu was taken aback, thinking to himself that he had only intended to test Li Yi.

I didn't want him to say it, which would make me seem petty.

Therefore, Zhou Yu had no choice but to reply:
"I am grateful for Prime Minister Li's kind offer, but I have received great kindness from General Sun, how could I possibly betray him?"

"……good."

Li Yi nodded, as if he had expected Zhou Yu to say that.

“Since you are loyal to your master, you can work with peace of mind.”

"We will discuss other matters after we have defeated Cao Cao and Cai Mao and taken Jingzhou."

Zhou Yu couldn't express his ambitions to Sun Quan, so Li Yi's words weren't exactly slander against Brother Shiwan.

Zhou Yu's strategic plan for Sun Quan was to first take Jingzhou and then Yizhou.

Then, they allied with Liangzhou and attacked the Central Plains to seize the world from Cao Cao.

Lu Su himself approved of the strategy, but the two disagreed on the details.

That was how Liu Bei was dealt with.

Lu Su believed that Liu Bei was an important ally and that Jingzhou could be given to Liu Bei so that he could help defend against Cao Cao.

Zhou Yu, on the other hand, believed that Liu Bei had great ambitions and that if he were given territory, he would surely rise to prominence and no longer be controlled by Eastern Wu.

He advised Sun Quan to place Liu Bei under house arrest, and then use Liu Bei to control Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

At that time, Liu Bei had just gone to Jiangdong for negotiations, and it was indeed possible that he would be placed under house arrest by Sun Quan.

Afterwards, Liu Bei was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat and even asked Pang Tong if this had happened.

Because Pang Tong had served as Zhou Yu's secretary, he confirmed that this event did indeed occur.

From then on, Liu Bei hated Zhou Yu intensely.

Sun Quan ultimately did not place Liu Bei under house arrest, partly due to Lu Su's persuasion and partly due to his hesitation regarding Zhou Yu's strategy.

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Eastern Wu captured the most important Nan Commandery, which was the road connecting Yizhou.

At that time, Zhou Yu was already preparing to attack Yizhou.

But for Sun Quan, Yizhou was an extremely suitable territory for separatist rule.

There was no one in Eastern Wu whom Sun Quan could confidently send to Yizhou.

But fate is cruel, and Zhou Yu died of illness at this time.

Lu Su, who succeeded Zhou Yu, overturned all of Zhou Yu's plans.

By ceding Jiangling to Liu Bei, Eastern Wu was effectively cut off from its opportunity to conquer Yizhou.

It can only be said that Zhou Yu's talents were not fully utilized under Sun Quan's command. "...Prime Minister Li, wait!"

Seeing that Li Yi was about to leave, Zhou Yu quickly stopped him.

"Yu has come here specifically to discuss the demarcation of the Jingzhou border."

"I know that among all the outstanding figures in Qi, only Prime Minister Li is capable of taking charge."

"I urge Prime Minister Li to spare some time to discuss this matter with me."

Li Yi smiled upon hearing this and pointed at Zhuge Liang, saying:
"When I traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, I did not concern myself with politics."

"What is it that you wish to discuss with Kongming?"

"He is the commander-in-chief of this expedition to the south of the Yangtze River."

Seeing that Li Yi refused to negotiate with him, and that Zhuge Liang insisted on sending him to attack Gong'ankou first, Zhou Yu realized that Li Yi was unwilling to negotiate with him.

It wasn't that Zhou Yu was afraid of battle; it was just that the matter of Jingzhou was still far from settled.

They wouldn't even give him a glimpse of the future, so they just sent him to work.

Even modern capitalists wouldn't do something like this, so Zhou Yu would find it even more unacceptable.

"...President Li, please wait a moment."

Zhou Yu doesn't usually ask for favors casually, but the State of Qi was so powerful that he couldn't lower himself.

Relying solely on its own, Eastern Wu had absolutely no chance against the Wei-Chu alliance.

Moreover, even without relying on the State of Qi.

Caught between two powerful nations, Eastern Wu's attempt to go it alone would likely be opposed by Qi and Wei.

Therefore, rather than saying that Eastern Wu wanted to form an alliance with Qi, it would be more accurate to say that it wanted to buy a ticket to enter Jingzhou.

As a result, they couldn't even book tickets.
They haven't even told you that they're going to give you the reservation right yet, and they're already asking you to transfer money.

Who could stand that?
"...Just now, Mr. Zhuge instructed me to lead the allied forces to attack Gong'an Port."

"It is not that I am afraid of the enemy or afraid of battle, but that the cost of feeding the soldiers and horses of my Jiangdong soldiers is enormous."

"Your country possesses vast lands in Hebei and the wealth of Qing and Xu provinces. Surely you can't leave Eastern Wu to fight alone?"

Zhou Yu didn't explicitly say that he wanted to divide up the land of Jingzhou.

He thought he would try to persuade Li Yi gently first, and then talk to him when Li Yi relented.

Li Yi turned around, looked coldly at Zhou Yu, and said:

"Since Kongming has already given the instructions, you should just follow them."

"Why bother asking me?"

Well!
So domineering.

Those around him sighed in admiration, saying that he was indeed Prime Minister Li, and that he remained as tough on foreign affairs as ever.

This tone, which sounded almost like a command, would have likely caused Zhou Yu to turn around and leave if it were anyone else.

However, Li Yi was well-known, and Zhou Yu knew all too well what kind of person he was.

Just now, Zhou Yu kept referring to allies, which was to emphasize the importance of Eastern Wu and place it on an equal footing with Qi.

How could such cleverness possibly fool Li Yi?

Therefore, Li Yi directly ordered Zhou Yu to just do what he was told and not to ask any more questions.

The point was to tell Zhou Yu that Eastern Wu was not allowed to dine at the same table as Qi.

If we have leftovers, we can indeed leave some for you, depending on our mood.

If there's nothing left, then there's nothing left.

In response, Zhou Yu had no choice but to try asking:

"Since you have no sincerity in cooperating, then I can only take my leave."

"Please do as you please."

Li Yi answered without hesitation.

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Zhou Yu paused, hesitating whether to give chase.

By this time, Li Yi had already taken several steps, and Chen Deng whispered a reminder to him from the side:

“…Brother Ziyu, Zhou Yu’s 20,000 naval troops are fierce soldiers. Even if we don’t rely on them for help, we shouldn’t offend them.”

"If we anger Zhou Yu and he defectes to Cao Cao, he could then harass our rear and become a major threat!"

On the Qi side, it's clear to everyone that the strategic position of Eastern Wu is actually quite significant.

The 20,000 naval troops under Zhou Yu's command were trained by Sun Jian and Sun Ce.

After being tempered by Zhou Yu, they had already become a group of skilled surfers.

If it could be used on the battlefield in Jingzhou, it would definitely have a miraculous effect.

Conversely, if they were pushed towards Cao Cao's side...

That would definitely be a very tricky problem.

At that time, the State of Qi will be surrounded on three sides in the Jiangnan battlefield.

Do you think the State of Qi really couldn't handle being outnumbered three to one?
That's not the case.

If the three kingdoms of Wei, Chu, and Wu were to attack Qi together, Qi, with all its strength, would still be able to fight them.

But that was a defensive battle.

There is a fundamental difference between offensive and defensive warfare.

A war to defend one's homeland is a desperate gamble where there is no way to retreat.

It can mobilize the entire nation's military and civilians to defend it.

Foreign wars are essentially a way for those in power to gain benefits.

His strategy for launching the war was to attract other people who wanted to profit to join him.

If the State of Qi were to wage a defensive war, it would have absolutely no problem taking on three opponents at once.

However, if the sole purpose is to seize Jingzhou and end up surrounded on three sides, it will certainly end in failure.

Because the Qi state was unable to mobilize more troops, specifically its navy, in the Jiangnan region.

Over the past decade, almost all of Liu Bei's campaigns have been fought in the Central Plains and Hebei.

Therefore, it is reasonable that the army is far stronger than the navy.

If they had attacked south from the beginning, Qi's navy would definitely have been stronger than its army at that time.

The problem is, in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, if you could fight to the north, who would fight to the south?
To put it bluntly, the combined strength of the six counties of Jiangdong is no match for that of Ji Province.

This is not an exaggeration at all.

As mentioned before, Jiangdong was developed by Sun Quan over several decades.

Before its development, Jiangdong was a land of pestilence.

It's difficult to fight, and the returns are low.

No strategist would consider attacking the south first unless absolutely necessary.

Despite Li Yi's consistent emphasis on the development of the navy.

They were buying warships and advocating for the development of Huainan.

However, given the ongoing conflicts in the north, military spending will certainly prioritize the army.

If it weren't for Li Yi's strong protection, Jiangnan at this time wouldn't even have been able to muster the Huainan navy.

Now Liu Bei has the time and resources to focus on developing his naval forces.

I just didn't expect the war in Jiangnan to progress so rapidly.

Once Jingzhou was bombed, wolves came from all directions.

Although this added another 30,000 elite troops from Xuzhou to Zhuge Liang's forces.

But whether these brave men can adapt to the climate and soil of Jiangnan remains to be seen.

Liu Bei knew this, and so did Li Yi.

Zhou Yu was well aware of this, which is why he believed that the State of Qi needed him and his 20,000 Jiangdong naval troops.

However, Li Yi's reaction was indeed beyond his expectations.

He turned around with such ease and grace, without the slightest hesitation.

Not only Zhou Yu didn't understand, but even the civil and military officials of Qi didn't understand what Li Yi was really thinking.

Only Li Yi knew that it was time for his favorite part: the theory of "market game".

Li Yi was the shop owner, and Zhou Yu was the buyer.

As the saying goes, "compare three shops before buying," and Zhou Yu could indeed choose Cao Cao as well.

But that would mean a complete breakdown in relations with the State of Qi.

Eastern Wu was no match for Qi on its own.

Today, the State of Wei no longer shares any territory with the State of Eastern Wu.

Considering that Wei had just been defeated by Qi in Hebei, Zhou Yu was very worried about whether Wei had the ability to protect Eastern Wu.

Would Cao Cao really go all out to save Eastern Wu?

Especially the most important Jingzhou, how much territory could Cao Cao give to Eastern Wu?

Zhou Yu had to question all of these issues.

Although the State of Qi was powerful, it was ultimately known for its land warfare.

Facing the powerful Jingzhou navy, they thought they could defeat the Wei-Chu allied forces with only the Huainan navy.

It's not impossible, but it will definitely take a lot of effort.

If we could acquire Zhou Yu's Jiangdong navy, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that our chances of winning would increase by 40%.

Moreover, Jingzhou is so large, and the local power is strong, with powerful families and clans being arrogant and domineering.

Even if your Qi state has a huge appetite, it's impossible for it to digest everything at once, right?
Zhou Yu's mind raced as he hesitated, wondering whether he should call out to Li Yi.

Seeing Li Yi walking further and further away, Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and finally couldn't help but call out:
"...Prime Minister Li, please wait!"

Li Yi's lips curled up slightly.

It seems he has won this "market game" again.

"...Oh? Is there anything else, Governor Zhou?"

Li Yi slowly turned around, his calm expression making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath, walked slowly over, and asked in a deep voice:
"...Yu only has one thing he doesn't understand."

"If Li Xiangruo didn't have my Jiangdong navy, how could he possibly resist the Jingzhou navy with only the troops of Huainan?"

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

Upon hearing this, the Huainan generals, led by Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and Xu Sheng, drew their swords and shouted:

Do you underestimate us scholars from Huainan?

"You young upstart from Jiangdong, how could you possibly know anything about boats on the river!"

Zhou Yu ignored the enraged general from Huainan and instead gazed at Li Yi, hoping he would tell him the truth.

Li Yi smiled slightly and said:
"Do you think I cannot defeat the Jingzhou navy?"

"You just need to go back to Xiakou and see how I defeat the enemy."

what?
The reason Zhou Yu repeatedly confirmed with Li Yi was to see whether he was merely strong and composed, or truly confident and at ease.

I am fully confident that I can easily defeat the Jingzhou navy without using the Eastern Wu navy.

"Was the mission truly successful?"

Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes and asked again.

Li Yi laughed loudly:

"I excel in naval warfare, infantry warfare, cavalry warfare, and chariot warfare; how can I not achieve great feats?"

"He is not like the other people in Jiangdong who only have one skill."

Zhou Yu thought to himself, "This traitor is deceiving me into knowing about naval warfare."

He insisted that I go and fight the police first. Could it be that he wanted to assess whether the strength of Eastern Wu was up to standard?

Is it really worth Qi trying to win them over?

If we were to reassign him now, we would surely be laughed at.

Only by agreeing and killing a few Wei and Chu soldiers can we let Li Yi know the strength of Jiangdong.

This will make them dare not underestimate us.

"……good!"

Zhou Yu waved his hand, "Then let's do as Prime Minister Li says."

"I will lead my troops to attack Gong'an."

"If we win, Prime Minister Li, could you spare a moment to discuss the division of Jingzhou with me?"

Li Yi nodded and said calmly:
"If the governor can truly break through Gong'an, then the matter of Jingzhou is not out of the question."

"...Okay, it's a deal!"

Zhou Yu took his leave.

As soon as he boarded the ship, he regretted it.

It seems I've fallen for Li Yi's provocation and am now working for him for nothing.

In the end, all they got was a chance to negotiate with him.

How to negotiate at that time is entirely up to him.

Ugh……

Li Yi truly lived up to his reputation.

Zhou Yu gazed at the rolling Yangtze River and couldn't help but sigh.

……

(End of this chapter)