Chapter 228: Zhuge Liang's plan, Liu Biao's anger The love, hate and vengeance between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu are actually all fiction. In the original story, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu did not actually have that many rival scenes. Although Zhuge Liang went to Jiangdong to seek reinforcements, the Battle of Chibi had little to do with Zhuge Liang. Basically, Zhou Yu led Cheng Pu, Lu Su and others to defeat Cao Cao's army in one fell swoop. But now, due to the influence of Qin Zhen, Zhuge Liang was able to come out of seclusion early, and by chance he had an intersection with Zhou Yu. The two guards were shocked when they heard Zhuge Liang's judgment and said hurriedly: "If the enemy is planning this, they are probably planning to attack Jingzhou's troops." "We went to Lujiang on the orders of the military advisor, not to explore the secrets. Now that we have seen this, what should we do?" When Zhuge Liang heard this, he smiled and said:

"This is not urgent. I think the enemy is like this, most likely they want to send a surprise force here!" "If our army has not observed it, we must be concerned about its movements." "Now that we know the enemy is like this, we can perhaps use their tricks to counter them and see what they want to do before making a plan!" Although he saw Zhou Yu's unusual behavior, he was not worried. Because this method of hiding troops is generally not used immediately. Zhou Yu was lying in ambush here, probably to guard against some means, and Qin Zhen asked him to come to Lujiang this time to support the navy's actions. The word "support" is easy to say but difficult to do. It is necessary to adapt to the times and take different measures according to the different movements of the enemy. In his opinion, Qin Zhen was extremely cautious in using his troops and would not easily fall into Zhou Yu's trap. The only ones who might be at risk are the troops from Jingzhou! But to be honest, although Zhuge Liang had good character, he was essentially a politician. There is no politician who is not sinister. He and Qin Zhen had similar ideas. The Jingzhou navy would sooner or later become their enemy. The more they lose now, the greater the benefit to them in the future. At this time, if this news was told to Qin Zhen, it would be equivalent to giving Qin Zhen a difficult problem. If we tell the Jingzhou army, it would be disadvantageous for them to keep too many Jingzhou navy. If we don't tell the Jingzhou army, it would be an unjust act in a sense! So after thinking about it for a while, he decided to put the matter aside for the time being and take action after seeing clearly what Zhou Yu was planning! The best outcome would be a fight between the Jiangdong navy and the Jingzhou navy so that they could benefit from it! While thinking, he instructed his two followers: "Now that the enemy is lying in ambush here, they may plant spies all over the case."

"As a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, we should leave quickly at night and head to Lujiang as soon as possible!" Upon hearing this, the two followers immediately escorted Zhuge Liang towards Wan County. After several days, they finally arrived at the city of Wan County. After entering the city and reporting, Zhuge Liang met Qiao Rui, Zhao Yun and others. If we say that Zhao Yun and others are here, we have to start from before Qin Zhen left. More than a month ago, when Qin Zhen set out on a diplomatic mission to Jingzhou, Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng received an order from Liu Bei and led 8,000 soldiers and horses south, preparing to cross the river first and disrupt the autumn harvest process under Sun Ce. Originally, according to Liu Ye's intention, he wanted to take advantage of Sun Ce's unpreparedness and deploy a troop of troops to the south in advance. As a result, the reality was that Sun Ce, under Zhou Yu's advice, directly set up a line of defense between Danyang and Pengze. Every day, the warships were ordered to patrol the river to prevent their troops from moving south. So after Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng received the military order, they were blocked in Lujiang. With no other choice, the two could only stay here and wait for news from Qin Zhen. They waited for more than half a month. Seeing that the autumn harvest of grain had already begun in the south, the two of them were extremely anxious! So when they heard that Qin Zhen had sent Zhuge Liang, everyone gathered together and asked Qin Zhen what arrangements he had made. Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Zhuge Liang shook his head and said: "To be honest, I came here because you saw that the navy of Jingzhou was not very useful and you were afraid that Zhou Yu would lead the navy to the west, so you asked us to come and monitor the movements of Sun Ce's army." "However, not long after I received the order and left Jiangxia, I saw the Jiangdong navy heading west. It seems that things are just as you predicted!" "I see that Huang Zu is already old and demented. I'm afraid he is no match for Zhou Yu!" "If our army wants to wait for the navy to decide the outcome, it will probably take more than a month!" As soon as he finished speaking, everyone frowned. Before Zhao Yun spoke, Xu Sheng said in a deep voice: "We are here under the order of our lord to march southwards. Now we are blocked here. We will not allow the enemy to do so!" "Sheng sees that Sun Ce is patrolling very closely right now, I'm afraid his troops have already reached Danyang." "In this way, the land of Wu County will be empty. We may be able to force our way south from Jiujiang and break the enemy's deployment!" This was the first time Zhuge Liang had met Xu Sheng, but he knew his name. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and said: "Although what the general said makes sense, it is not easy to act!" "Yin Liang came from Jiangxia, and all he saw along the way were scouts and soldiers from Jiangdong." "They will search for the river along the way, setting up a sentry post every fifty miles." "If we cross the river separately, we will inevitably be defeated one by one by the enemy. If we cross the river together, we may be discovered by the enemy before we reach the south bank!" "General, you only have 8,000 soldiers and horses, and you don't have any city to defend. Once you are discovered by Sun Ce, you will be surrounded and annihilated by him!" "I have a plan that may help you two go south!" When Xu Sheng heard that he first rejected his idea, he was displeased. Then when he heard that he had a plan, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said:

"Sir, do you have any plan to help us go south?" When Zhuge Liang heard this, he looked at everyone and said: "It's easy to say. It's nothing more than making a feint to the east and attacking in the west." "Although the enemy has deployed sentries on the river, how many troops can they have to defend this thousand-mile stretch along the river?" "So I'm thinking, our army might as well make a feint and look for boats in Lujiang to make it look like we're heading south." "Let General Chen from Jiujiang cooperate and make a move southwards, so as to mobilize the enemy troops to split on both sides." "When the enemy relaxes their guard, the two generals will move south from Linhu Lake and station at Lingyang and other places!" "Although Sun Ce has reached Danyang, Lingyang is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the commanders from various places are also defending it firmly." "As long as the two generals raise the banner of General Taishi, I think they will not refuse to let us in." "Once you have this place as your base, you two can naturally act as you see fit!" Xu Sheng and Zhao Yun were originally worried about the matter of going south, but after hearing this, they suddenly felt enlightened. Previously, they just thought that the defense line in the south was too tight and it was difficult to cross the river and go south. But now, after listening to it, I realized that although Sun Ce's defense line is dense, it is not impenetrable. As long as you are flexible and adaptable, you can break through it directly. The two of them were naturally delighted at the moment, and Qiao Rui and Mei Qian were naturally surprised when they saw this. They originally thought that Zhuge Liang was just a minor official around Qin Zhen and did not take him seriously. Unexpectedly, this young man is also a wise man. He just arrived and solved a big problem for them! It seems that none of the talents that Qin Zhen chooses are simple. While thinking about this, the two naturally asked Zhuge Liang what they should do. Zhuge Liang thought for a while after hearing this, and then said to the two of them: "The threat our army faces from the Jiangdong navy right now is that the enemy can crisscross the river and come and go as they please!" "Even if our army sets up sentries to monitor, it is difficult to detect the enemy's troops!" "So in my opinion, our army might as well set up beacon towers along the coast and use fireworks as signals." "If you see a small group of enemy naval forces, light up the black smoke. If you see a large group of enemy troops, light up the white smoke!" "In this way, the enemy's naval movements will no longer escape our surveillance, and we can also complete the order given by the master!" Qiao Rui and Mei Qian were also delighted when they heard this, thinking that Zhuge Liang was indeed an extraordinary person. The person sent by Qin Zhen can come to help them! When everyone found a solution, they began to lead their men to set up beacon towers while preparing to move south. At the same time, the military report sent from Jiangxia had reached Liu Biao. When Liu Biao first received the military report from Huang Zu, he was actually a little confused.

Because Huang Zu hasn't sent any letters on his own initiative for eight hundred years, so how come he is so proactive in sending military reports as soon as he sends out his troops! But after taking a closer look, Liu Biao was shocked. It turned out that before he knew it, Sun Ce had already extended his reach into Jingzhou. We have already fought a battle with Huang Zu at the border of Xiakou! Therefore, he summoned Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, Pang Ji, Liu Xian and others to discuss the matter: "I didn't expect Sun Ce to be so bold!" "Although our army has been ordered by the imperial court to attack him, the troops have not yet been dispatched. How dare this man lead his army to invade our Jingzhou!" When everyone read the military report, they were also shocked. They had only heard that Sun Ce was good at fighting, but they didn't expect Sun Ce to be so good at fighting! Send troops directly to Xiakou and almost march directly into Jingzhou! After watching for a while, Liu Xian stood up and said: "From this perspective, Sun Ce is indeed a thief. He has come to Jingzhou without declaring war. How can this be possible!" "If we don't cooperate with Liu Yuzhou to wipe them out and allow them to grow stronger, how can we be at peace with our army?" If Liu Xian had said this before, Liu Biao would probably have made a few rebuttals. But now that he saw Sun Ce coming right before him, he naturally had nothing to say. He just nodded and said worriedly: "What Shizong said is absolutely right. Sun Ce is still a traitor and he should be killed." "But now that I see Huang Zu's army is defeated, I'm afraid he is no match for Zhou Yu. If he can't win, what should we do?" Before, he thought that he could defeat Sun Ce with just one army, but after seeing Zhou Yu's strength, he was afraid that Huang Zu could not defeat Sun Ce, which led to Zhou Yu's army approaching the city. When everyone heard this, they began to think for a while. Only Kuai Liang was a little surprised when he saw this and said: "Sir, this military report seems to contain some information!" "You must know that Huang Zu is not the only one marching. Qin Zixuan has also requested to join the army." "This man is a man of wisdom and strategy. Although he is not familiar with naval warfare, he is not without advice!" "Why didn't Huang Zu mention Qin Zhen in this military report?" When Liu Biao heard this, he immediately realized something was wrong and frowned: "Qin Zhen is not good at naval warfare, or maybe he didn't participate in the battle this time!" As soon as he spoke, Kuai Yue stood up and asked in confusion: "No, Qin Zhen is the one who advocates the attack on Jiangdong. Why didn't he go with the army when he saw the battle?" After hearing what the two said, Liu Biao could not help but paced with his hands behind his back and said: "Then according to what you two said, why is this so? Could it be that Huang Zu's military report is a false report?" When Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue heard this, they looked at each other and shook their heads: "Whether it is true or not is still unknown, but there must be something different here, so we must investigate!" The two brothers have always been smooth and transparent in doing things. He wanted to show that he was working seriously, but he rarely gave Liu Biao any direct advice.

After hearing this, Liu Biao could not help but pace back and forth. After walking around for a while, he said: "Degui, what do you think about this matter? It seems to be your opinion, how should we proceed?" When Cai Mao heard this, he raised his hand and saluted Liu Biao and said: "In my opinion, Sun Ce sent his troops here as a desperate attempt to resist." "Perhaps our army should send more troops to Jiangxia to prepare for any unexpected event!" "In addition, what you two said is not without reason. Qin Zhen will go with the army this time and will most likely participate in the battle." "Huang Zu's sending of this kind of military report this time obviously shows that there is something fishy going on. Why not send someone to investigate and see what this person is hiding!" Seeing his statement, Liu Biao hesitated for a moment and then said in a deep voice: "Let me think about this for a while." "But the war ahead is urgent, so we must be careful!" "We should send someone to inform Huang Zu to be careful and not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly!" "If we are defeated by the enemy again, I will be held responsible!" Having said this, he asked everyone to leave, but after they left, only Cai Mao stayed. Seeing that he remained in the same position without moving, Liu Biao could not help but say in surprise: "Degui, what else do you want to say? Why don't you retreat?" As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Mao took out a secret letter from his pocket and read: "I have something to present to you, my lord. This is a letter from Huang She from Jiangxia!" "A secret letter from Huang She? What does it say?" Liu Biao was surprised for a moment, and he stepped forward to open the letter and took a look. He immediately glared, slammed the table and shouted angrily: "How dare you, Huang Zu, deceive me like this!" (End of this chapter)