Chapter 199: Income is insufficient, and the envoy goes to Jingzhou Ever since entering Huainan, Sun Ce has always been a thorn in Lao Liu's side. On the one hand, it was because the two families had fought a great war before and had a long-standing grudge; on the other hand, because of the strategy Qin Zhen set for Liu Bei, Jiangdong was a part that had to be taken. With Yuan Shu dead in battle, Lu Bu heading north, and Cao Cao looking west, they finally had the opportunity to seize Jiangdong. Therefore, as soon as Liu Bei heard the imperial edict, he called together his subordinates Qin Zhen, Liu Ye, Yuan Huan, Liu Fu, Jian Yong, Zhuge Liang and others to discuss the matter. The only theme of the meeting was how to defeat Sun Ce and occupy Jiangdong as quickly as possible. Regarding this issue, Liu Fu was the first to come forward and give Liu Bei advice: "I know you are worried that Sun Ce has occupied the Jiangdong area for a long time. However, it is early autumn now and our army has not yet collected the autumn grain. We are short of food and it is difficult to march out!" "Why not follow the imperial order and go to Jingzhou to discuss the matter of advancing with Liu Bei?" "After the two families have reached an agreement and the autumn grain is harvested, it won't be too late to march forward!"

After Liu Fu joined Liu Bei's army, he became Liu Bei's chief steward. Originally, Liu Fu was only the governor of Jiujiang, responsible for all civil affairs of Jiujiang County. However, after the imperial court issued an edict, Liu Fu was promoted to the governor of Yangzhou, and Sun Qian replaced him as the prefect of Jiujiang. Liu Fu naturally took over the civil affairs of Lujiang and Jiujiang counties. But Qin Zhen saw that he was able to handle it with ease, so he suggested to Liu Bei: "Liu Yuanying is quite capable in governing the country. The two states that our army has captured are both incomplete. If we divide them, it is inevitable that the government's orders will not be implemented." "It would be better if Liu Yuanying governed the two states together to coordinate and take care of everything, so that the government can be implemented." Upon hearing this, Liu Bei knew that Liu Fu was capable, so he entrusted all the civil affairs of the counties in Yuzhou to him. Liu Fu is already in his fifties. Perhaps because he had wasted most of his life, he did not mind the trouble of receiving such an important task. He also worked hard every day and was very conscientious and responsible. As a result, over time, all civil affairs under Liu Bei were managed by Liu Fu, who was equivalent to Xun Yu under Cao Cao. Hearing Liu Fu's words, Liu Bei naturally frowned and said: "I wonder how much food and fodder our army can draw now?" But it would have been better if he didn't ask. As soon as he asked, Liu Fu said with a stern face: "If you ask me this, there is not a grain left, only a little food, how can there be any surplus food?" As he spoke, he gave a brief account of the current economic situation of Liu Bei's army. Simply put, they are still spending more than they earn! Even though Qin Zhen's suggestion to dispatch troops to Runan, Chen State and other places seemed to be going quite smoothly, in fact, their stored grain had already reached the warning line! The reason is that their current expenditure is too huge. First of all, Huainan, which Liu Bei took over, was originally in a state of negative assets. Although a large amount of old grain was purchased from Jingzhou, and Qin Zhen built a workshop to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, the overall situation in Huainan was stabilized. But with the speed of their expansion, the stable situation once again fell into a predicament. The biggest expense is maintaining the army. At present, the total strength of Liu Bei’s army has exceeded 160,000. This included more than 80,000 troops on the northern front, 30,000 in Lujiang, more than 20,000 in Hefei, Liyang and the navy, and more than 30,000 in Shouchun. The 160,000-strong army, combined with Qin Zhen's military training methods, would consume at least 120,000 shi of grain every month.

Just their military training and farming consumed hundreds of thousands of shi of military rations in the past few months. The reason why Cao Cao was able to support more than 200,000 soldiers and horses was because he implemented the strategy of military farming! They had only been in Huainan for a year and the autumn harvest had not yet been harvested, so they could only use money to buy grain from various places. Over the past year, almost all the surplus grain in Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou and other places was bought up. In addition, there were a large number of miscellaneous expenses. Fortunately, Qin Zhen established a large number of workshops last year and they were continuously in operation, so there was money to spend. Otherwise, the huge burden alone would be enough to drag them down! People like Liu Fu are in charge of a lot of civil affairs, and now everyone is cutting back on spending, just waiting for the autumn harvest. At this time, seeing that Liu Bei wanted to go on another expedition, he naturally could not provide food. Old Liu felt a little embarrassed when he heard Liu Fu's words. In fact, after Liu Fu took over, he had not asked about financial issues for a long time. Looking at Liu Fu now, he is probably very tired. At that moment, he did not want to ask Liu Fu any more questions, but turned his gaze to Qin Zhen and others and asked: "Although the imperial court has issued an edict, our army has no food. What should we do?" When Qin Zhen heard this, he looked at Liu Ye and said with a smile: "I wonder what strategy Zi Yang has available?" This was the first time that he and Liu Ye attended a military meeting at the same time. Previous meetings had either been for planning or diplomatic missions, but there had never been any planning for an advance. Now that he has encountered a problem, he would like to see Liu Ye's ideas. After hearing this, Liu Ye pondered for a while and said: "It is because the three armies have not yet moved, and the food and grass have been sent first. Since there is a shortage of food, the army cannot be moved." "But in my opinion, our army is short of food, and Sun Ce is probably short of food as well." "Since last year, Sun Ce has been traveling around to quell the rebellion. Although the rebellion has been quelled, the shortage of military supplies remains." "From this point of view, although our army does not have the strength to send troops, the time has come to send troops!" "While Sun Ce is running low on food and supplies, we should first march south to Jiangdong to gain a firm foothold, and then follow up with the main army. This is the best strategy!" At this point, he bowed to Liu Bei and said: "So in my opinion, no matter what, our army must first send a detachment across the river, eat in the enemy's territory, snatch the enemy's wheat, and disrupt Sun Ce's foundation." "This army doesn't need to be too large, eight or nine thousand will be enough. The key is to defend the base of our army's advance!" "Eight or nine thousand people don't need much food and fodder. We only need five thousand dan of food to march south." Qin Zhen smiled slightly when he heard this, and said to Liu Bei: "I think what Zi Yang said is in line with the military doctrine, and it can be put into practice!" "Although our army cannot provide food now, we can borrow it from the major clans in Jiujiang."

"A family can raise about 100 dan. I think with the Jiujiang nobles, it's not impossible to borrow 5,000 dan." "As for the people who will lead the army this time, I recommend Zilong and Wen Xiangqian!" "Zilong is loyal and reliable, and he is also cautious and courageous;" “Although Wen Xiang is young, he is mature beyond his years. He has been stationed in Zhongli for a long time and is quite capable. He could be of great use! After they captured Huainan last year, Xu Sheng was sent by Lao Liu to garrison in Zhongli. Now that we are going to attack Jiangdong, this kind of general should be replaced and prepare to move south. Otherwise, with only the generals they have now in Shouchun, they may not be able to be a match for Sun Ce. Liu Bei nodded when he heard this and said, "Zilong and Wen Xiang are heading south, so our army will not have to worry. But I wonder who should be replaced to guard Zhongli?" Although Lu Bu has now placed his focus on the north, Zhongli is the gateway to Jiujiang after all. He is not at ease if anyone else is stationed there except Xu Sheng. Qin Zhen saw this and said to Liu Bei with a smile: "It is not difficult to defend Zhongli. When the time comes to send troops, you can send a letter to Guangling and ask Chen Yuanlong to send troops to Dongyang." "With Chen Yuanlong watching over us, nothing serious should happen!" "As for the garrison, Xiahou Lan can go. Although he doesn't have the courage of Wen Xiang, he is strict in managing his troops and will definitely be able to hold on!" "There is also the matter of the handover with Jingzhou. Although the emperor has issued an edict, Liu Biao may not obey it." "Besides, even if Liu Biao sends troops, he needs to coordinate with our army." "We should send an envoy to find out the other side's attitude first, and then we can mobilize the troops!" "After sending out troops, they will also need to provide intelligence to our army and strive for benefits." After deciding on their military strategy, the next issue was Liu Biao's. Liu Bei heard this and couldn't help but think: "So the envoy not only needs to be eloquent, but also needs to understand our military strategy!" Having said this, he turned his attention to Liu Ye and Zhuge Liang. Seeing this, Liu Ye hurriedly lowered his head. To be honest, he doesn't want to go on a diplomatic mission again at all! Because being on a diplomatic mission is both tiring and time-consuming. For example, in this battle of Chen State, he stayed in Chen State for several months. In addition to worrying about Liu Chong every day, he also had to guard against the movements of Yuan Shu and Cao Cao. On this basis, we also have to consider their interests and ease interpersonal relationships. Life is so torturous! Now seeing that Old Liu was going to send someone out again, he was naturally a little reluctant. When Zhuge Liang saw this, he was ready to step forward to receive the order, but unexpectedly Qin Zhen stepped forward and said: "Your Excellency, there is no need to worry about the selection of the envoy. This time, Zhen will go personally!" When these words came out, everyone was shocked, and Liu Bei was even more puzzled: "Why did the military advisor go there in person?" You should know that after Qin Zhen joined his army, he almost never left him except when leading the army to war. Now he is just sending an envoy to Jingzhou, it is definitely not Qin Zhen's turn to go.

But Qin Zhen saw this, but shook his head and smiled: "I am not going on this mission to win merit, but I have to go!" "First, the emperor's decree ordering Liu Biao to assist our army was something our army had requested." "If we send someone else, Liu Biao will not be pleased with this request, so we should send an important official to explain the pros and cons so that Liu Biao will be willing to send troops." "Otherwise, even if Liu Biao sent troops, he would definitely not be willing to do his best." "Even if they try their best, they will inevitably clash with our army." "There are conflicts of interest and important decisions to be made. No one else can do this. I have to go there in person." "Secondly, the main reason Liu Biao was persuaded to send out the army this time was because of the navy." "Zhou Yu is a great commander of the army, but Huang Zu under Liu Biao is not as capable as him. How can we defeat him?" "I am afraid that the navy of Jingzhou will not be able to defeat Zhou Yu, but will be defeated by Zhou Yu, causing the navy of Jiangdong to grow stronger, and there will be no place for our navy to use its power." "So I should go and supervise the army, so that I can know the details and mobilize Zijing to cooperate." "It has to be this way. We must defeat Zhou Yu and open the way to Jiangdong!" In fact, he didn't want to go on the mission, but there was a certain necessity for this mission. Because Liu Biao was not as incompetent as he was portrayed in the novel. In fact, Liu Biao never had a peaceful life after entering Jingzhou! On the one hand, in order to preserve his foundation, he asked Liu He, the deputy governor of Jingzhou, to instigate Shen Mi, Lou Fa, Gan Ning and others to rebel. On the other hand, he continued to support Zhang Xiu and often intended to attack Yingchuan. In the south, he fought fiercely with Zhang Xian, Zhang Jin and others, and in the east, he also attacked Jiangdong frequently. It can be said that Liu Biao is a guard dog, but he is also a vicious dog. Cooperating with Liu Biao inevitably involves issues of interests and distribution. If Zhuge Liang were to go there now, his qualifications and status would not be enough to impress Liu Biao. Only if he goes there in person would he be qualified to talk to Liu Biao. In addition, their main purpose of borrowing Liu Biao's power now is the Jingzhou navy. But the navy of Jingzhou was no match for Zhou Yu at all! In the original process, Liu Biao supported Liu Xun, and the two armies advanced together by sea and land, but they were directly wiped out by Sun Ce. Not only was the Jingzhou navy defeated, but Sun Ce's naval power was also greatly enhanced. If Liu Biao sends troops to give Zhou Yu another appetizer now, then there will be no need to fight for Jiangdong, and they can only develop towards the north in the future. Therefore, he had to supervise the battle personally and cooperate with Lu Su to destroy the Jiangdong navy first. Only in this way can we ensure the smooth progress of this battle. Moreover, there are talents like Gan Ning who need to be discovered, their trade routes need to be opened, and the Jingzhou aristocratic families also need to establish good relationships first. Who else besides him has the power to decide all this? Therefore, it was not that he wanted to go, but that he had to go. After saying this, he added to Liu Bei:

"Besides, now that Zi Yang is here, our army will have no immediate worries when advancing. With Zi Yang's assistance, our army can be divided into two groups." "Zi Yang will be here to provide support. My Lord, please send troops directly in the autumn." "I will move to Jingzhou first, defeat the Jiangdong navy first, and then go south to integrate Taishi Ci's troops to attack." "With the support from both the south and the north, Sun Ce will be unable to resist!" After hearing this, before Liu Bei could say anything, Yuan Huan and others stepped out and said: "This theory makes sense, but it can only be implemented with a military advisor!" Liu Ye thought about it for a while and felt that it would be appropriate for Qin Zhen to go, so he quickly told Liu Bei that it was feasible. Seeing that everyone was saying this, Liu Bei nodded and said: "Well, let's follow the military advisor's advice. But the military advisor must be careful when he goes there, and don't give the traitors any chance to take advantage of you!" After this agreement, a military meeting to attack Jiangdong ended. The next day, Qin Zhen packed up and set out, taking Zhuge Liang with him, and personally escorted by Chen Dao and five hundred soldiers, heading towards Jingzhou. (End of this chapter)