Chapter 240: Reuniting forces and joining forces In the original history, Sun Ce and Lu Bu had basically no intersection, so there was no deep hatred between them. But on this timeline, if you ask who Sun Ce hates the most, Liu Bei and Lu Bu are both on the list. These two former allies were the ones who hurt him the most and harmed him the most. Especially this guy Lu Bu. If he hadn't turned against his allies in the battle, he wouldn't have suffered such a tragic defeat. When Sun Ce heard Zhou Yu asking him to contact Lu Bu, he felt disgusted and said: "Gongjin is not unaware of the hatred between Lu Bu and our army. If it weren't for this man's betrayal, how could our army be in the situation it is today?" "When Wen Biao was abducted by them, I intended to fight him. Fortunately, you all persuaded me not to go north." "Now that Liu Bei has advanced to this point, why would he need to involve this person?" Once bitten by a snake, one becomes afraid of ropes for ten years. After being betrayed by Lu Bu, it is difficult for him to trust Lu Bu now.

But when he said this, Zhou Yu's pale face showed a hint of helplessness and said: "Don't say that you hate this man, brother. In fact, I don't want to associate with Lu Bu anymore." "But now that the situation is so unfavorable, if our army does not seek external assistance, it will definitely not be a match for Liu Bei's army!" "Brother, you may not know that Liu Bei's power is no longer what it used to be!" "Qin Zhen is not the only one among his wise men. Liu Ziyang and Lu Su are not to be mentioned. There is another person whom I am afraid you have never even heard of!" "The reason why I was defeated this time was because I was unable to carry out all my plans!" As he spoke, he informed Sun Ce of the details of the defeat, including his plans, arrangements, and how the enemy reacted. Sun Ce was surprised when he heard Zhou Yu's words, as he didn't know much about the details of the battle. Who would have thought that in this battle Zhou Yu’s enemies weren’t just Qin Zhen and Lu Su? As he thought about this, he recalled the unusual situations in Jiujiang and Lujiang counties, and suddenly woke up: "As Gongjin said, in addition to Qin Zhen and his men, there is probably another person in Lujiang who is giving advice and suggestions this time!" He had been wondering who could mobilize the troops from the two counties since Liu Bei hadn't mobilized his troops yet. Now it seems that Zhou Yu’s premonition was correct, there must be someone else helping with planning in the Lujiang direction! In other words, Zhou Yu was defeated this time almost entirely because of the simultaneous planning of three people! While thinking, Sun Ce's brows were already furrowed, realizing his current predicament. In a sense, their current predicament is not only due to the crushing strength of Liu Bei, but also the crushing strategies of his advisers! Qin Zhen alone is scary enough, and now there are several more counselors plotting at the same time. How can he handle it? Now with Qin Song's departure, the only advisers he had left were Zhang Hong and Chen Duan. Chen Duan's health has been poor to begin with, and he has been ill frequently since the beginning of the year. Zhou Yu is now in the same state. Can Zhang Hong really compete with Qin Zhen and others on his own? Thinking of this, Sun Ce couldn't help but stand up and slowly think about the way forward. Seeing this, Zhou Yu took a sip of water, continued to lie on the couch and said in a deep voice: "I know that you hate Lu Bu now, but anyone who wants to accomplish great things cannot act solely on his own will!" "For example, Liu Bei, I heard that he likes fancy clothes and music, and is a person who enjoys pleasure."

"However, since he started his army, he has been simple in appearance, showing his benevolence and righteousness, respecting the wise and humble, and even sitting at the same table with the common people!" "So after getting Qin Zhen, whenever this person mobilizes his troops, he will be able to get help from outside, whether it's Lu Bu, Chen Deng, Liu Biao, or even Cao Cao, they can all drink at the same table." "This is how the situation we have today was formed, forcing our army into this situation!" "I think that my brother is naturally generous and likes to make friends with wise men. His ability in both civil and military affairs is not inferior to Liu Bei in the slightest!" "Why are you trapped here now, and don't you know how to change your previous attitude and make friends with foreign aid?" "Cao Cao is probably powerless to fight Liu Bei right now, and Liu Biao has been won over by Lu Bu. The only one our army can turn to for help is Lu Bu and his family!" "Besides, Wen Biao is still under Lu Bu's command. As long as you are willing to send a letter, Lu Bu will definitely send troops." "If he is willing to attack Jiujiang County, Liu Bei will be unable to take care of both ends, and his offensive will inevitably be frustrated. Our army only needs to hold on until Liu Bei's troops are exhausted and food is gone, then we can still achieve great things!" Sun Ce listened to his words and walked back and forth a few steps. Suddenly he stopped and said: "That being said, I heard that Lu Bu and Liu Bei have formed an alliance, and now they are planning to go north. How could they attack easily?" Seeing that he finally gave in, Zhou Yu smiled and said: "Lü Bu is a man who values ​​profit over righteousness. The reason why we were unable to persuade him before was that he had no profit to gain." "So Qin Zhen promised him benefits and persuaded Lu Bu to make trouble for our army!" "Secondly, Liu Bei's power was not as strong as ours at that time, and a county could not threaten Lu Bu's safety!" "But now it is different. Liu Bei has occupied Yuzhou, Huainan and other places. Now he has sent Taishi Ci to Yuzhang. One-third of the land in Jiangdong is in Liu Bei's hands." "There is also the workshop built by Qin Zhen in Huainan, which makes a fortune every day. How can Lu Bu not be jealous?" "As long as our army explains the pros and cons to him, Lu Bu will definitely send troops to help us!" As he spoke, Sun Ce was persuaded. After hesitating for a while, he nodded and said: "It can be discussed and done. I will follow your advice, but I am worried that the envoys will need to go north along the coastal route, which requires a smart person. I wonder who can take on this task?" Seeing him asking for the choice, Zhou Yu put the bowl on the table next to him and said: "As for the option of going north, I have already thought about it. Among all the people under my command, only Gu Yuantan (Gu Yong) can go north!" But when Sun Ce heard him recommend Gu Yong, he hesitated and said: "The Wujun nobles all blame me for slaughtering too many people before. Now that Liu Bei is here, they may not be willing to go north!" "Furthermore, Gu Yong once studied under Cai Zhonglang and had a brotherly relationship with Qin Zhen. Can he be trusted?" "Brother, you are wrong. If Gu Yuantan cannot be trusted, then no one in our army can be trusted!" Seeing that Sun Ce was worried that Gu Yong would not be able to accomplish his mission, Zhou Yu said with a firm face: "Gu Yuantan is truly a gentleman. He studied under Mr. Cai in the past, and even Mr. Cai was impressed by him." "Not only was the name Yong bestowed upon him, but the courtesy name Yuantan was also bestowed upon him. If Qin Zhen had acquired the talent of Cai Yong, then Yuantan would have acquired the virtue of Cai Gong!" "Although this person has always been serious, he values ​​Confucianism and will not act without following orders." "My lord, just send this man north. With his ability, I guarantee that Lu Bu will send troops!"

Faced with Zhou Yu's strong recommendation, Sun Ce finally stopped talking and agreed to this plan. Then he let Zhou Yu recuperate in Wuhu and go into battle again after he recovered. Originally Zhou Yu was ready to return to the team immediately, but unable to withstand Sun Ce's firm attitude, and Wuhu might also be the front line of this battle, he simply agreed. Therefore, after Sun Ce stayed in Wuhu for a day, he ordered Xu Yi, who was originally stationed there, to look after Zhou Yu the next day, and returned to the camp with Lu Meng, Han Dang, Deng Dang and others. As Zhou Yu made plans for Sun Ce, Jiangdong also began to take action. Military orders were sent out to all parts of the country, and all counties entered a state of war readiness. The naval general Zhongli Xu also temporarily drew merchant ships from the Wujun family to form a small navy, which stopped east of Dantu. During this process, Liu Bei's troops finally arrived at the front line in Tongyang. Tongyang, which was originally a naval base under Liu Xun, instantly gathered the civil and military elites under Liu Bei. The civil officials were headed by Qin Zhen, and Liu Ye, Jian Yong, Zhuge Liang, Wang Can and Pei Qian were also under his command. The military generals were headed by Zhang Fei, followed by Lu Su, Chen Dao, Qiao Rui, Mei Qian, Chen Ce, Gan Ning, Wei Yan and others. Together with Zhao Yun, Xu Sheng and Taishi Ci in the south, almost all the forces that Liu Bei could mobilize now were mobilized! All the ministers gathered together, and Liu Bei held a grand banquet to entertain everyone. After hearing about the achievements of everyone in this battle, the people at the banquet highly praised Lu Su, Gan Ning, Zhuge Liang and others. Needless to say, Lu Su and Zhuge Liang have always been valued by Liu Bei. Only Gan Ning saw Liu Bei, and he knelt on one knee with excitement and said: "I have long heard of the envoy's reputation for benevolence and righteousness in Jingzhou. It is rare to see him like this!" "Thanks to the guidance of the military advisor, I am now able to serve under the wise lord. I hope you will accept me as your master!" In fact, he has already been considered a member of Liu Bei's army, but this is the first time he has met Liu Bei, so naturally he has to show his loyalty. As soon as he knelt down, Liu Bei quickly walked down and sat down, then helped Gan Ning up and said: "Xingba, please don't be like this. What virtue and talent do you have to deserve such a great gift?" "I heard that you killed two generals from Jiangdong and destroyed the enemy's water stronghold. You are truly a fierce general in the world!" "It is a great blessing for us to have Xingba surrender. How can we not accept him?" As he spoke, he carefully looked at Gan Ning's body and immediately smiled: "I heard that Xing Ba likes to travel in brocade clothes, so how could he not have brocade clothes with him now?" As he spoke, he took off the black brocade robe he was wearing and gave it to Gan Ning. The two men are of similar build, and after putting on black clothes, Gan Ning looks even more majestic. But he had never been valued before. But when Liu Bei saw him for the first time, he knew that he liked fine clothes and he took off his clothes to put them on. How much did he value him? Gan Ning was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he secretly said, "This is my true lord!" When everyone saw this, Qin Zhen, Zhang Fei and others knew that Lao Liu had always been like this, trying to be friendly to the leader. When Pei Qian, who had just joined Liu Bei's army, saw this, he nodded and thought that Liu Bei was truly a heroic leader, far superior to Liu Biao! Liu Biao would never be able to learn even the basics of this method of winning people's hearts in his entire life. He had originally just come to Huainan to take a look, but he didn't expect to be involved in Liu Bei's battle to the south. Now seeing Liu Bei like this, he no longer had the intention of leaving.

Then a banquet began, and Qin Zhen introduced Wei Yan and Pei Qian to Liu Bei one after another. Seeing that Qin Zhen's trip not only solved the problem of the navy, but also brought back a group of talents for him, Liu Bei was moved and said: "I have sent my military advisor to Jingzhou today, intending to join forces with Liu Jingsheng to fight the bandits, but I unexpectedly invited all of you talented people to come here as well." "For such a great achievement, how should we reward him?" Seeing him like this, Qin Zhen shook his head and smiled: "You all came here to gather for justice, but you don't have the power of me!" "If I can quickly pacify Jiangdong and go back to see my wife and children, that would be all I want!" When everyone heard his words, they burst into laughter. Although Qin Zhen's words were to express his own wish, in a sense he was also contemptuous of the Jiangdong troops. Qin Zhen, as a military strategist, was like this, which naturally gave everyone confidence. Only Liu Bei saw this and pointed at Qin Zhen with a helpless smile. Others thought Qin Zhen was joking, but only he knew that Qin Zhen really thought so! There is no other bad thing about him as a military advisor, except that he is too homesick. But in a sense, this is not a bad thing. With Qin Zhen's ability, if he no longer misses home, no one in the world would dare to use him. Thinking of this, he silently recorded Qin Zhen's achievement in his heart's book of merit, and then started drinking and feasting with everyone. After such a joyous banquet, Liu Bei’s army held a military meeting at noon the next day. The topic is naturally about how to advance. Regarding the issue of how to advance, Liu Ye proposed to Liu Bei a strategy of dividing the troops into four routes! To put it simply, the main force moved south from Tongyang, passed through Fanchang, and entered Danyang. In addition, a group of troops were sent to advance eastward along the river, attacking Chungu, Wuhu, Shicheng, Jiangcheng and other cities. He then ordered Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng to attack Jing County from the mountain road, and sent Taishi Ci as a surprise attack on Kuaiji. After hearing the four-pronged attack strategy, Lu Su and Zhuge Liang expressed their agreement. There are only four ways to attack Jiangdong at present. If we advance from all four directions simultaneously, Sun Ce will be unable to focus on one thing and will be exhausted. When Liu Bei heard this strategy, he nodded secretly. In fact, he had the same idea. More breakthroughs could speed up their capture of Jiangdong. But he nodded, but found that Qin Zhen remained silent, so he asked Qin Zhen again: "Zi Yang suggested that our army advance in four directions simultaneously. What do you think, military advisor?" When he said this, everyone looked at Qin Zhen, and saw Qin Zhen smiled and said: "It's not a bad idea to divide the troops into four groups, but I don't think this plan will be effective!" "Because our army has come from far away, we are not familiar with the geography of Jiangdong." "Zhou Yu and Sun Ce both started their careers here, how could they not know where this place is?" "So let alone dividing our troops into four routes, even if we divide them into five or six routes, I'm afraid that they will all be heavily guarded by the enemy and difficult to break through!" When everyone heard this, they all lowered their heads in thought, except Liu Ye who frowned and said: "Then according to the military advisor, how should our army advance this time?"

When Qin Zhen saw him asking questions, he pointed directly to the south and said: "If you follow my strategy, you only need to concentrate your superior forces and defeat them one by one!" "No matter how many routes he holds, our army will only attack one route fiercely, so that he can't hold on or divide his forces!" "If we act this way, Sun Ce will surely be defeated before this winter!" (End of this chapter)