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

Chapter 23 Sun Quan's bomb has to be defused by you, Bowen
Although Zhao Yun is not someone who can guess his superiors' intentions, it does not mean that he does not understand the ways of the world.

Looking at Liu Bei's expression and hearing the meaning of his words, Zhao Yun naturally understood the hidden meaning.

"Yin Ping is a daughter of a general, and Xiao Congshi is a genius of his time. They are a perfect match, not to mention Yin Ping saved Xiao Congshi before. It can be said that they are destined to be together."

"Yun also thinks that the two of them are quite a good match."

Zhao Yun understood what Liu Bei meant and asked:
"From what the Lord said, could it be that he wants to bring Yin Ping and Xiao Congshi together?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded slightly:

"I just had this idea all of a sudden, but I have to ask Yun Chang for his opinion on this matter first. After all, he is the father."

"And that girl Yinping, she has to be willing too. Otherwise, with her temper, even if Yunchang is willing, there's nothing we can do if she doesn't agree."

Zhao Yun smiled and said:

"Yun thinks that Yinping will definitely agree."

"This girl has a cold personality and is neither cold nor warm to anyone. But from what I've seen these past few days, she seems to be a little more affectionate towards Xiao Shigong..."

Zhao Yun scratched his head with his fingertips, unable to think of the right words to describe it.

"gentle?"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he blurted out two words.

"Yes, yes, that's what I mean."

Zhao Yun nodded repeatedly and continued:
"So Yun feels that since Yinping is able to treat Xiao Congshi differently, if the lord is willing to match them up, she may not refuse."

Liu Bei suddenly understood and laughed:
"After hearing what you said, Zilong, I feel relieved."

"But right now, with the war just around the corner, we have to put this matter aside for now. Let's deal with it after we're through this battle and overcome this difficult time."

Zhao Yun nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei stopped chatting, walked forward and asked with a smile:

"Bowen, Yinping, what delicious food are you eating? I can smell it from far away."

When the two looked up, they saw that Liu Bei had arrived without them noticing.

"My Lord, you have arrived just in time. I have just grilled some sea bass. Would you like to try some?"

Xiao He then brought forward the untouched one with a smile.

"Uncle, please don't try it."

"This fish is sprinkled with chili peppers. It's extremely spicy. You will definitely not be able to stand it, uncle."

Guan Yinping rushed forward and stopped Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was frightened when he heard this and had to decline:

"I'm not used to spicy food. So, forget it."

Xiao He did not force Liu Bei, so he asked him to sit down and poured him a glass of wine.

After drinking a glass of wine, Liu Bei showed respect:

"Cao Cao's army of over 100,000 men attacked fiercely for ten days, but not a single soldier was able to reach Fancheng."

"Bo Wen, you are truly a reincarnated Bole. The Huo Zhongmiao you recommended is truly a genius at defending the city!"

"This glass of wine is a toast to you. Thank you for digging out this unpolished gem for me!"

Liu Bei was amazed and offered a glass of wine.

"My lord, you are too kind. Recommending talented people is the duty of a minister. I do not deserve your thanks."

Xiao He took the wine, but returned it the same way he had come to thank Liu Bei.

The master and the minister smiled at each other, their words all reflected in the wine, and they raised their glasses and drank them all.

"By the way, why didn't I see Military Advisor Kong Ming today?"

Xiao He saw the clue, Zhuge Liang usually stayed by Liu Bei's side.

Liu Bei's casual smile disappeared and his expression gradually returned to seriousness.

"I was just about to tell you, Bowen, about this when Yide just sent an urgent report from Yicheng: Cai Mao has mobilized all his troops in Jiangling and is marching north. The vanguard is already nearing Dangyang. It's clear he's planning to cooperate with Cao Cao and attack Xiangyang from both sides."

"Given that Cai Mao has approximately 30,000 troops, and Wen Pin, a veteran general from Jingzhou, is leading the vanguard, I discussed this with Military Advisor Kong Ming. Concerned that Yide might be outnumbered, Military Advisor Kong Ming personally went to Yicheng to assist Yide in resisting the enemy."

Liu Bei explained the reason why Zhuge Liang was away.

"No need to guess. This is most likely because Cao Cao hit a wall in Fancheng. With no other options left, he ordered Liu Cong to send troops to attack Xiangfan and cooperate with him in attacking Fancheng."

Xiao He pointed out the mystery in one sentence, and then smiled and comforted him:
"Military advisor Kong Ming is a man of genius, and one man is worth a million soldiers. Since he is assisting General Yide, you can relax." The combination of Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang may be a little short of soldiers, but it should be more than enough to deal with Cai Mao.

Xiao He still looked relaxed as he poured Liu Bei another glass of wine.

"Military Advisor Kong Ming has gone to Yicheng, so I am naturally relieved."

Liu Bei did not touch his wine glass, but looked at Xiao He expectantly:
"Military Advisor Kong Ming said before he left that the major military operations in Xiangfan must be shouldered by you, Lao Bowen."

"Bowen, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. You will have to work hard in the future."

Xiao He choked.

I originally thought that with Zhuge Liang around, I could just drink some wine, relax, and wait for victory without any effort, without having to worry too much.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao's trick forced Zhuge Liang to leave Xiangfan and go to Yicheng.

Well, once Wolong leaves, all the pressure will be on me.

"Looks like the leisurely days are over..."

After secretly sighing in his heart, Xiao He could only say helplessly:
"He eats the master's salary, so he should share the master's worries. But to be honest, He is not very good at strategy."

Hearing the words "not very good at strategy", Liu Bei, Zhao Yun and Guan Yinping exchanged glances and all smiled knowingly.

At this point, everyone knows that you, Xiao Bowen, are very smart, and you are still being so humble?

You can be humble as much as you want, we don’t believe it anyway.

"I came here because I have something I want to hear your opinion on."

Liu Bei ignored Xiao He's modesty and said straight to the point:

"Before Military Advisor Kong Ming left today, he received a letter from his nephew Gong Wei, saying that Sun Quan was massively increasing his troops in Chaisang, Xunyang, and Qichun, with the intention of taking advantage of the situation and attacking Jiangxia again."

"Military Advisor Kong Ming judged that Sun Quan must have been invited by Cao Cao to lead the Jiangdong army to capture Xiakou in order to cut off our arm and leave Xiangfan isolated and helpless."

"Jiangxia was conquered by Sun Quan last year and is already in ruins. Gong Wei currently has only 10,000 soldiers and horses, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist Sun Quan's next attack."

"The situation in Jiangxia is not good."

Liu Bei's face gradually became gloomy and he expressed his concerns.

After hearing this, Xiao He asked, "What does Military Advisor Kong Ming mean?"

Liu Bei sighed lightly and said:

"Military Advisor Kong Ming said the best strategy is to explain to Sun Quan the principle of the loss of one's teeth and lips, and persuade him to abandon the attack on Jiangxia and join forces to fight Cao Cao."

"It's just that the Sun family has coveted Jingzhou for a long time. If we want to convince Sun Quan, we have to have Military Advisor Kong Ming go to Jiangdong in person."

"However, the battle on the Yicheng front is imminent, and Military Advisor Kong Ming is too busy to spare any time. He can only prioritize repelling the enemy from Yicheng, and the mission to Jiangdong must be put on hold for the time being."

"Before leaving, Military Advisor Kong Ming asked Bei to come and seek your opinion, Bo Wen, saying that you might not have a foolproof plan."

Xiao He smiled bitterly in his heart.

Zhuge Liang really trusted him. Before leaving, he left Sun Quan as a bomb to him.

However, Sun Quan's bomb has not yet exploded, so it is not that difficult to deal with it.

Xiao He recalled briefly, then said without hesitation:
"Sun Quan is a very cunning man and will not be easily exploited by Cao Cao. We don't need to send an envoy to find him. Sun Quan should have already sent Lu Su to find the lord."

Liu Bei's body trembled slightly, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

What made Xiao He happy was that he calculated that Sun Quan would take the initiative to seek alliance with him.

What was surprising was that Xiao He even figured out the name of Sun Quan's envoy!

Zhao Yun and Guan Yinping on their left and right also looked at each other with a strange look on their faces.

"Bowen, Naru——"

Liu Bei was just about to ask.

Chen Dao hurriedly climbed up the city wall and said with a bow:

"My lord, a scholar named Lu Su, claiming to be sent by Sun Quan to see you, has arrived at the provincial capital and is waiting for you!"

Liu Bei's expression suddenly changed.

Zhao Yun and Guan Yinping were both shocked.

The three of them suddenly looked at Xiao He.

(End of this chapter)