My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 212: The strategy of using the weak to defeat the strong! Xiao He: If I use the Fubing system and the equal-field system, how will you, Cao Cao, respond?
As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. On the day Liu Bei was promoted to Duke of Chu, he naturally bestowed titles on his ministers.

As a military general, Guan Yu was granted the title of General of Chu.

Zhang Fei was granted the title of Left General.

Zhao Yun was appointed Right General and Wei Yan was appointed Rear General.

Gan Ning was awarded the title of General of the Eastern Expedition, and Huang Zhong was awarded the title of General of the Northern Expedition...

The rest of the generals, including Ding Feng, Chen Dao, Lu Xun, Guan Ping, Huo Jun, Feng Xi, Zhu Huan, and the newly surrendered generals Zhang Liao and Zhang Yan, were all granted official positions in the State of Chu according to their merits.

The titles of civil officials did not change much. Basically, the three dukes and nine ministers of the original court were all granted official positions in the State of Chu without any changes.

Zhuge Liang was still the Minister of the Chancellery, acting in charge of the General's Office and all affairs of the State of Chu, and Xiao He was still the Minister of the Chancellery of the State of Chu.

The rest of the new and old civil officials, including Mi Zhu, Xu Shu, Fa Zheng, Pang Tong, Gu Yong, and Sun Qian, were all granted official positions in the State of Chu.

But when it comes to granting titles, Liu Bei gave Xiao He the highest level of honor.

Marquis of Tangxiang, with a fief of two thousand households!
In the Chu camp, except for those who originally had titles, the rest were all Tinghou.

Even Guan Yu, the chief military general, was only granted the title of Marquis of Han Shou Ting.

Xiao He is the only marquis among the counselors and generals.

And the fiefdom has nearly two thousand households!

The country has been in chaos for many years, and the population has been reduced by half. More than 2,000 households are already the maximum amount of fiefdom reward.

This number of households is rare even in the State of Wei, let alone the State of Chu.

Liu Bei's generous reward was naturally to highlight Xiao He's unparalleled contribution.

When this reward was announced, everyone in the State of Chu was convinced.

Even Guan Yu, the father-in-law and second-in-command of the entrepreneurial group, agreed with both hands and believed that Xiao He was worthy of the position.

There is no other reason, Xiao He’s contribution is obvious.

Without Xiao He, Liu Bei would not have launched a surprise attack on Xiangyang, and would not have been able to take Jingzhou, pacify Jiangdong, seize Huainan, and even dominate the three states and be promoted to a duke!
Everyone has seen Xiao He's every contribution, who would dare to disobey?
Now that he has been granted the title of Marquis of Xiang and the highest fief of 2,000 yuan, it is naturally what everyone wants.

Liu Bei was promoted to duke, and all his counselors and generals were promoted and given titles, and all the soldiers of the three armies were rewarded, which made the three southern states excited.

This news was soon spread to the north by spies.

...

Yecheng, the residence of Duke Wei.

"A big-eared thief, a mat weaver and shoe seller, is worthy of being on equal footing with me!"

Cao Cao, who was sitting in a high position, was furious and slammed the information in the silk book in his hand on the table.

He was really out of his mind.

Although the Cao family was not a top-tier aristocratic family like the Yuan family, they were still a powerful family with generations of nobles.

Who are you, Liu Bei? You are just a peasant weaving mats and selling shoes. Yet you still want to follow my lead and imitate me in establishing a country and granting me the title of duke, and treat me as your equal?

Did I give you face?
In the government hall, all the ministers were filled with indignation.

Cao Pi observed his expression and took the opportunity to speak:
"Father, the big-eared thief has usurped the title of Duke. This is clearly a provocation to you and to our Great Wei."

"I believe that Father should immediately mobilize all the troops in the country and march south to destroy the pseudo-Chu. Only then can you demonstrate your power."

As soon as Cao Pi took the lead, many ministers began to challenge him.

Especially relatives such as Cao Chun and Xiahou Shang, who were mindful of the blood debts they had with Liu Bei, were even more enthusiastic in challenging him.

Cao Cao stroked his thin beard and pondered silently, but a hint of fighting spirit was obviously burning in his eyes.

"Father, I think we must never mobilize our army and march south so easily!"

However, Cao Zhi stood up and sang a different tune from everyone else.

Yang Xiu's face changed suddenly, and he winked at Cao Zhi.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Cao Cao has the intention of marching south. It would be fine if you didn't welcome him, but you are singing a different tune. Aren't you just asking for trouble?

Cao Zhi ignored Yang Xiu's hint and said solemnly,
"I witnessed it with my own eyes while in the enemy camp. Xiao He's literary talent is astonishing, ten times greater than mine."

"I wonder how in this world there could be someone with both extraordinary wisdom and unrivaled literary talent?"

"This Xiao He must not be a mortal. He must be a god descended to the world as the rumors say!"

"If not, how could he have helped Liu Bei become the overlord who dominated half of the southern half of China in just a few years?"

"I believe that Liu Bei has such a god-like assistant. Even if we have a million-strong army marching south, I am afraid we will still repeat the same mistakes!"

When Cao Zhi said this, everyone was shocked.

Even Cao Cao opened his mouth slightly with an expression of disbelief.

Although his son was not good at everything, when it came to literary talent, Cao Cao had to admit that he was inferior to him.

Everyone knows that Cao Zhi's literary talent is unrivaled in the world!
But Cao Zhi actually claimed that Xiao He's literary talent was ten times better than his!
Everyone knew that Xiao He was a genius, but this was the first time people had heard that his literary talent was so amazing that even Cao Zhi was impressed by him.

Cao Pi also looked at Cao Zhi in surprise and confusion. He couldn't guess what his younger brother had experienced during his captivity that he was so afraid of Xiao He.

He was even so frightened that he openly opposed Cao Cao's southern expedition just because of Xiao He, regardless of angering Cao Cao.

"It's a scare tactic, it's just nonsense!"

After being shocked, Cao Cao slammed the table and said angrily:

"That country bumpkin may be cunning and deceitful, but he's still just flesh and blood. The rumors of a god descending to earth are nothing but ridiculous and foolish."

"Those illiterate people are gullible enough, but you, my son, well-educated, actually believe such nonsense!"

"When you were captured by the Big Eared Bandit, did that country bumpkin drug you with some kind of magic potion? Why are you so afraid of him?"

Cao Cao was already annoyed by Cao Zhi's humiliating experience of being captured. After he exchanged him back, he never scolded him because he remembered the suffering he had suffered.

At this moment, he could no longer bear it and exploded, angrily scolding Cao Zhi.

Seeing that Cao Cao would not listen, Cao Zhi was eager to persuade him again.

"Shut up!"

Cao Cao interrupted him, waving his sleeves and shouting:

"Stop talking nonsense here and disrupting the morale of our army. Go back to your own house and reflect on your mistakes for a few days. From now on, you will no longer be required to participate in discussions on important military and national affairs!"

Cao Zhi was speechless.

His original intention was to give honest advice and suggestions for the Cao Wei regime, but he did not expect to be publicly scolded by Cao Cao and even be driven out directly.

At this moment, Cao Zhi was disheartened and could only shake his head, sigh, bow and silently take his leave.

Seeing his "coward" son retreat, Cao Cao finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Cao Chong, who had been silent.

"Cang Shu, do you think I should mobilize all the troops in the country and march south again to attack the big-eared bandits?"

Cao Chong hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said:

"Father, I think what my second and fourth brothers said makes sense. Father, you should punish me, but you should not punish me."

Cao Cao was stunned and didn't understand what he meant, so he gestured for him to explain in detail.

"Fourth brother said that we shouldn't attack Liu Bei lightly. I actually agree with him, but not because I'm afraid of Xiao He."

"Now Liu Bei has unified the south. He has the fortified city of Wancheng in the west and the natural barrier of the Huai River in the east. The people of the three states have already pledged their allegiance to him, and his foundation is now solid."

"My father founded the Wei Kingdom, and Liu Bei established the Chu Kingdom. The situation in the world was no longer one of warring princes, but had entered a stage of confrontation between the north and the south."

"I believe that at this stage, it is no longer realistic to expect to crush Liu Bei with overwhelming force."

"The competition now should be about national strength!"

Cao Chong pointed out the situation of the country and analyzed the general trend of the world in a fluent manner.

Cao Cao nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.

"My Wei Kingdom dominates the Central Plains, and my father controls the fertile lands of the two rivers. Our population, fields, and military resources are far superior to Liu Bei's, and our foundation is naturally far superior to that of the pseudo-Chu."

"I believe that as long as we rest and recuperate for a while, within a few years, our national strength will be restored to the point where we can crush the Pseudo-Chu."

"If father leads a million-strong army southwards, how can Liu Bei, with only three states, resist? He will be annihilated like a dead tree or rotten wood!"

Cao Chong, full of heroic spirit, put forward his own judgment. To sum it up, it can be summed up in four words:
The national strength is overwhelming.

As soon as these words were spoken, Cheng Yu, Xun You and other counselors all agreed and supported him, and they all looked at Cao Chong with new respect.

Cao Cao's eyes also lit up, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

At such a young age, he can have such a broad vision and look at the enemy and our situation from such a high perspective. He is worthy of being the prodigy of the Cao family.

"Cang Shu is right, that makes sense!"

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, his face showing unconcealable admiration.

"This is what I mean by not being able to do this. As for what is being able to do this..."

Cao Chong changed the subject and continued:
"Liu Bei has usurped the title of Duke. Father, I cannot sit idly by and watch. He must punish him."

"I believe we can leverage the superiority of our Wei cavalry and use our light cavalry to penetrate deep into the territory of the Pseudo-Chu State and plunder the border counties of Nanyang and Huainan."

"In this way, we can not only plunder the population, but also continue to bleed the pseudo-Chu, depleting its already weak national strength."

"Our cavalry came and went like the wind, and we didn't engage them head-on. Liu Bei had no way of doing anything to us. He could only watch us come and go as we pleased, helpless."

"In this way, the strength of our Great Wei will continue to grow, while the strength of the Pseudo-Chu will continue to be drained by us. As one rises while the other falls, within a few years, our Great Wei will have the momentum to crush the Pseudo-Chu!"

"If Father marches south again then, even if Xiao He is truly a god descended from the heavens, what use will it be in the face of Father's absolute strength?"

Hearing this, Cao Cao smiled and stood up, slamming the table.

"Great, great, what a good strategy to strike at the right time and not at the right time!"

"Cang Shu, I see the shadow of your elder brother in you, and even more so the shadow of Guo Fengxiao."

"This is the vision and wisdom that my son, Cao Cao, should have!"

"Okay, okay, I'll follow your advice!"

Cao Cao was extremely delighted and admired Cao Chong very much, even comparing him to a combination of Cao Ang and Guo Jia.

Cao Pi saw it, but frowned, and there was a hint of coldness in his eyes as he looked at Cao Chong.

The strategy was thus set.

Cao Cao gave up the impulse of launching a large-scale southern expedition and issued several edicts in succession, encouraging agriculture and mulberry cultivation, carrying out large-scale military farming, and restoring the economy.

At the same time, cavalry from Youzhou, Bingzhou and Guanzhong were dispatched to Runan, Peiguo, Xia Pi and other areas north of the Huai River, and they broke into the Huai River area in different routes to plunder.

...

Yingtian, the residence of Duke Chu.

Liu Bei was frowning as he listened to Yi Ji's report on the battle from the Huainan front.

"In recent months, the pseudo-Wei cavalry has repeatedly invaded the border. When they encounter a city, they do not attack it, but only plunder the cattle and sheep of the people."

"Qisi, Fubo, Xiangxian, Huailing and other counties were all ravaged by the enemy. In total, over 3,000 households were plundered by the enemy..."

Liu Bei suppressed his anger and looked at his advisors:

"Kong Ming, Bo Wen, in your opinion, what is the purpose of Cao Cao's actions?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and said:

"I believe that Cao Cao's actions cannot be simply regarded as sending troops to plunder."

"According to recent intelligence reports from spies, Cao Cao has no immediate plans to mobilize a large army south. Instead, he has issued a series of decrees encouraging agriculture and mulberry cultivation to restore the economy."

"In my opinion, Cao Cao has realized that the confrontation between the North and the South is inevitable. It is no longer possible to destroy us with a single victory, as he did with the northern heroes."

"That's why Cao Cao turned to recuperation, hoping to use his advantage in occupying the fertile land of the Central Plains to quickly restore the population and economy of the two river states, and then launch another attack with overwhelming national strength."

"As for the pseudo-Wei's cavalry raids on our Huainan frontier, they intend to leverage their cavalry advantage to continuously plunder our border population in order to weaken our national strength."

"If this continues, as the national strength ebbs and flows, Cao Cao will have the opportunity to crush them once again if he moves south."

Zhuge Liang revealed Cao Cao's intention.

There was an immediate buzz of discussion in the hall.

"Kong Ming's words make sense. The Central Plains has a vast expanse of fertile land and is vastly superior to the South."

"Cao Cao's current strategy is indeed the best!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly, then asked:
"Then according to your opinions, how should I respond?"

Zhuge Liang had already made up his mind, so he said:

"The pseudo-Wei army has the advantage of cavalry, but our army has the advantage of navy!"

"I suggest that the Duke of Chu order our navy to sail north from the Si River, the Wo River, and the Ying River to raid the land north of the Huai River in retaliation against the pseudo-Wei army and compensate for the population loss in the south of the Huai River."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement and agreed with it deeply.

Changing the subject, Zhuge Liang said:

"Mr. Chu just said that the Central Plains has thousands of miles of fertile land and a far greater foundation than the south. If Cao Cao is given enough time to recuperate and his population and economy recover, his national strength will surely become unstoppable."

"Gu Liang believes that we must not be led by Cao Cao's nose. Instead of competing with each other in national strength, we must quickly launch a northern expedition to reclaim the Central Plains and deny Cao the opportunity to recuperate!"

Liu Bei's heart trembled slightly, and he immediately realized the urgency of the situation.

The north has such a profound foundation that if Jizhou alone were to restore its population and arable land to its heyday, it would probably be more than the three southern states of Jing, Yang, and Jiao combined.

The longer this confrontation between the North and the South drags on, the greater the gap in national strength between the North and the South will become.

And now is probably the moment when the gap in national strength between the South and the North is the smallest.

If we don't seize the opportunity to march north and recover the Central Plains now, when will we?
"Kong Ming's words make sense. The Northern Expedition cannot be delayed. It is indeed necessary..."

Liu Bei was about to make a decision when he saw Xiao He was lost in thought, as if he had other ideas. So he turned around and asked:
"Bo Wen, what do you think of what Kong Ming said?"

Xiao He withdrew his thoughts, coughed lightly, and said:

"I naturally agree with what Kong Ming said. The Northern Expedition cannot be delayed. We cannot give Cao Cao a chance to recuperate."

"However, I believe that even at this point in time, the pseudo-Wei's national strength is much stronger than ours."

"If Duke Chu wants to launch a northern expedition, with the combined strength of our three states, we can only mobilize about 100,000 troops at most."

"And with our current national strength, we can only afford so many troops for the Northern Expedition."

"I think that if you want to defeat the pseudo-Wei and reclaim the Central Plains with such a small force, you are underestimating Cao Cao."

Liu Bei suddenly came to his senses, and the fighting spirit that had just ignited in his eyes was instantly extinguished by three points.

Xiao He is right.

With the current national strength, the number of soldiers and horses that can be recruited is limited, and there is only so much food and grass that can be collected. Any more would be excessive military spending and would inevitably trigger civil unrest and internal chaos.

With limited troops and food supplies, but with the weak attacking the strong, the chances of winning can be imagined.

"What Bowen reminded me of is that manpower and food are always our weak points."

Liu Bei stroked his thin beard and couldn't help but sigh.

Zhuge Liang and other counselors were all frowning for a moment, and had no good plan for the time being.

At this time.

Xiao He stood up and stepped forward, with a confident look on his face, and said with a bow:

"Your Excellency, Lord Chu, I have been deliberating on this for a long time. Today, I would like to present to you two new measures to enrich the country and strengthen the military."

"If these two new systems can be implemented, they will greatly increase our military strength, food supplies, and even national strength in a short period of time."

"The Duke of Chu will lead his troops north to reclaim the Central Plains. It will be just around the corner!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was in an uproar and everyone was surprised.

Liu Bei was even more delighted and asked anxiously:
"Bowen, what new invention are you going to offer that has such power?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Xiao He.

Xiao Heze took a deep breath and slowly said six words:

"Equal-field system, military-bureaucratic system!"

(End of this chapter)