Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

He changed the subject, his tone becoming increasingly certain: "However, my lord need not worry. The agreement only states that the borrowed land will be returned, not that the entire territory of Jingzhou will be returned. Now we can say frankly that the borrowed land is only Nanjun. Many generals in Jiangdong believe that the entire Jingzhou is borrowed, but that is not the case."

Now that our lord controls the two provinces of Jing and Yi, commands an army of 100,000, and possesses abundant wealth, Jiangdong would have to think twice before launching a military campaign. Sun Quan knew all too well that if the Sun-Liu alliance broke, Cao Cao would reap the benefits, and he dared not easily turn against them.

Liu Bei nodded, agreeing with this reasoning.

He got up and walked to the window, looking at the scenery outside the hall, and said worriedly, "Zimao is right. But if we really return to Nanjun, our Jing and Yi provinces will be separated."

If we were to launch a northern expedition to the Central Plains in the future, Jing and Yi would be our foundation, and Nanjun our gateway. Losing them would sever the connection between Jing and Yi, leading to endless troubles. How could we so easily surrender them?

This was precisely Liu Bei's core concern.

Nan Commandery guards the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, connecting Cao Cao to the north and Bashu to the west, making it a crucial link between Jing and Yi provinces. If Nan Commandery were returned, Liu Bei's group would be divided into two parts by the mountains: Jingnan and Yizhou, unable to support each other, and the grand plan of the Northern Expedition would be impossible.

Upon hearing this, Gu Sulin smiled slightly, already having a solution: "There's no need to worry about that."

"Nan Commandery must be returned, but not necessarily in earnest. I have a plan that can settle old scores, solidify the alliance, preserve the connection between Jing and Yi, and also do Sun Quan a great favor."

"Speak quickly!" Liu Bei turned around hurriedly, his eyes filled with urgency.

"The Xiang River will be used as the boundary to divide Jingzhou."

Gu Sulin spoke in a deep voice, his words clear and logical: "Sun Quan's request is nothing more than settling the old score of 'borrowing Jingzhou' in order to quell Jiangdong's covetousness of Jingzhou."

"My lord may divide Changsha Commandery into Xiangdong Commandery and Xiangxi Commandery along the Xiang River, and agree with Sun Quan that: the area east of the Xiang River in Jingzhou, including Jiangxia Commandery, Guiyang Commandery, and Xiangdong Commandery, shall belong to Jiangdong; the area west of the Xiang River, including Nan Commandery, Lingling Commandery, Wuling Commandery, and Xiangxi Commandery, shall belong to my lord."

He analyzed each point meticulously, explaining the advantages and disadvantages one by one:

"Nan Commandery is the throat of the region and cannot be easily returned. If we were to exchange one commandery for another, my lord could simply return Guiyang, this remote area, to Sun Quan, but Sun Quan would certainly not be willing to accept that."

Guiyang and Changsha, located in the southeast of Jingzhou, are far from Yizhou and far from the Xiangfan battlefield bordering Cao Cao. They are not key points for the Northern Expedition. Long-term garrisoning of these two counties would not only waste money and supplies, but also become a strategic burden on the central government of Yizhou.

Changsha is a major prefecture in terms of population, grain production, and waterways. Its hinterland west of the Xiang River extends deep into the inland areas of Jingzhou. If it is lost, the flanks of Nanjun and Wuling will be exposed, and the interior will be unstable. Therefore, Changsha cannot be given away as a whole. It would be better to divide the area along the Xiang River, abandon the difficult-to-defend land on the east bank, and secure the hinterland on the west bank. This would protect the foundation of grain production and, with the water as a natural barrier, make it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Jiangxia, the north belonged to Cao Cao, and the south had already been under Sun Quan's control before Liu Qi's death. Only the corner of Xiakou remained in our hands temporarily thanks to Liu Qi's name. After Liu Qi's death, while Zhou Yu was still alive, Sun Quan appointed Cheng Pu as the governor of Jiangxia, thus completely securing the legal ownership of Jiangxia. Su Lin knew that our lord originally intended to use Xiakou to restrain Sun Quan, but our army's current focus is entirely on Yizhou, plotting to seize Hanzhong. Xiakou is far from our base, isolated on the south bank of the Yangtze River, surrounded by Wu territory on all sides, and difficult to supply. It would be better to return it to Sun Quan, allowing him to solidify his control over the entire Jiangxia region south of the Yangtze River.

The handover of these three territories, compared to returning only Nanjun, may seem like a loss for me, but in reality, it's a case of "sacrificing the less important to preserve the essential." It settles old scores with Jiangdong while also protecting the core territory within Jingzhou. Although the former Jingzhou officials and local gentry are reluctant to leave their homeland, with Zhuge Liang in charge, he can mediate between them.

With the alliance agreement in place, and by taking the initiative to draw this boundary, we are not only in the right but also demonstrate our lord's magnanimity. We have achieved both moral and legal advantages.

He paused, then continued:

"Jiangdong is greedy and must feel that the territory they have taken back is not much, but they have no choice but to agree due to the circumstances."

Sun Quan was only good at defending the territory; he lacked the ability to launch a northern expedition and unify the country. After Zhou Yu's death, Jiangdong lacked a commander capable of overseeing the overall situation and advancing into the Central Plains. Nan Commandery faced direct pressure from Cao Cao in the north, and even if Eastern Wu were to retake it, no one would have the ability or the will to hold it for long.

Sun Quan's ambition to seize Jingzhou stemmed from his concern that our army could advance down the Yangtze River and pose a threat to him. Now, by returning Xiakou and the east bank of Changsha to him, you are relinquishing some control of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, which will alleviate his concerns and reassure him.

Jiangdong civil officials like Zhang Zhao only cared about population and taxes. Exchanging Nan Commandery for these three places would be a sure win for them, so they would definitely persuade Sun Quan to agree.

However, the generals of Jiangdong, especially Zhou Yu's former subordinates, were deeply attached to Jingzhou. After all, the Battle of Red Cliffs was fought primarily by Eastern Wu, and with this division, most of Jingzhou would still be under our control. Cheng Pu, Lü Meng, Gan Ning, and others would certainly not let this go easily. However, due to the previously signed alliance agreement, if they were to forcibly send troops, it would be without justification and legal standing. Furthermore, with Lu Su, who prioritized the overall situation, by our side, everything would be foolproof.

Only in this way can our lord stabilize the alliance. Alliances are inherently fragile, bound by interests. After our lord acquired Yizhou, Jiangdong became increasingly wary of our army. This exchange of three territories for Nanjun satisfies Sun Quan's demands while demonstrating our lord's sincerity. It can temporarily quell Jiangdong's discontent and allow the alliance to be maintained.

Whether Cao Cao marches south or our army launches a northern expedition, we will need the alliance of Jiangdong. Only if the alliance remains intact can the overall situation be stable. This is precisely the essence of what Zhuge Liang meant when he said in Longzhong, "Form an alliance with Eastern Wu," which my lord must not overlook.

If our lord fails to honor the old agreement, or merely makes empty promises, it will cause mutual suspicion between Jiangdong and us, which will surely become a major problem in the future.

Our top priority right now is to continue accumulating strength and prepare to capture Hanzhong. Hanzhong is the throat of northern Yizhou. Although Ma Chao and Han Sui were defeated at Weinan two years ago, they still hold Liangzhou, and Cao Cao still has this powerful enemy to the north. This is the perfect opportunity for our army to take Hanzhong and pacify Sichuan. We must not allow any further complications with Eastern Wu before then, lest we miss this opportunity.

After Gu Sulin finished speaking, he bowed again and said, "This strategy is reasonable, does not harm our core interests, and can appease Jiangdong and safeguard the overall situation of the alliance. It is the safest choice at present."

"My lord may send someone to Jingzhou to inquire about Mr. Kongming's opinion, or we may discuss this further after Mr. Shiyuan returns to Chengdu."

After speaking, Gu Sulin breathed slightly, awaiting Liu Bei's decision.

Gu Sulin had already made up her mind about this when she first transmigrated.

The potential for betrayal from Jiangdong, lurking beneath the alliance, is a sharp blade hanging over Jingzhou's head. Rather than being passively controlled and attacked from both sides in the future, it's better to proactively break the deadlock.

He clearly remembered the historical context: Liu Bei was entangled with Sun Quan over Jingzhou, and always feigned compliance with Sun Quan, which made Sun Quan unable to tolerate it any longer. Sun Quan launched a major attack on Changsha and three other counties. Liu Bei could not sit idly by and had no choice but to lead the troops of Yizhou to confront Sun Quan.

The opportunity was thus lost. Taking advantage of the emptiness of Yizhou, Cao Cao captured Hanzhong, and Liu Bei almost put his own base in dire straits.

In order to secure his rear, Liu Bei had no choice but to compromise and passively draw a boundary.

Although Cao Cao captured Hanzhong afterward, the population was relocated by Cao Cao; although a clear border was drawn with Eastern Wu, the entire Changsha was given to Sun Quan, allowing Lü Meng's sneak attack to penetrate directly into the strategic location of Jiangling.

Despite being nominally allies with Sun Quan, they nearly came to blows due to geopolitical conflicts. This less-than-successful diplomacy sowed the seeds for the Shu Han's defeats on both the eastern and western fronts.