Chapter 678: Only by turning to the dead can you find a way to live!
Liu Bei finally felt the importance of advisers again.
The last time he felt it so clearly was when Jia Xu’s words pointed out the general trend for him for several years.
Now Liu Ye's words made him feel that he had grasped the new trend. He looked at Liu Ye with sparkling eyes and said, "Zi Yang, I understand.
What do you think we should do now?"
When Liu Ye heard Liu Bei talking about us, he realized that Liu Bei had recognized him, so he asked: "Lord Xuande, now the question arises, which part of Qingzhou can you accept losing?"
Liu Bei said firmly: "We must not lose Taishan County and Yinghou State. If we lose these two places, it will be difficult to defend Xuzhou even if we enter it."
Liu Ye nodded in agreement and said seriously, "Since Lord Xuande has seen it, then Ye will speak directly.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are both heroes of the world, but who is the greater threat?
Yuan Shao!
Now that Yuan Shao has defeated Gongsun Zan and has Lu Bu as his ally, can Gongsun Zan still defeat Yuan Shao in the future? "
Liu Bei thought of his brother and shook his head helplessly. He failed even when things were going well, and it could be seen from the last incident with Zhang Jue that his brother was not someone who could survive stubbornly in adversity.
Liu Ye said in a deep voice: "Since Lord Xuande also recognizes that Gongsun Zan will fail, then let's assume that Yuan Shao has already occupied Youzhou and Jizhou, plus Lu Bu's Bingzhou and Cao Cao's Yanzhou. Even if he occupies Qingzhou and Xuzhou, can he fight against Yuan Shao's alliance?"
Liu Bei's expression changed again. He knew Liu Ye had something else to say. Liu Ye said, "So finding allies is the most critical issue.
Yuan Shu, greedy, cruel and violent, is like a water ghost on the road, or nothing more than dry bones in a tomb!
If we form an alliance with him, the final outcome will be just like this war, a complete defeat.
Lord Xuande, you should defend Mount Tai and fight Cao Cao to the death, letting Cao Cao know that even if you die, you will never give Cao Cao the slightest chance to enter Qingzhou.
Then let the northern part of Qingzhou belong to Yuan Shao, let Yuan Shao become more powerful, and finally ally with Cao Cao to defeat Yuan Shao together! "
Liu Bei was stunned when he heard this. "Zi Yang, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are allies. Why would they form an alliance with us?"
Liu Ye sneered and said, "What ally?
It's just that everyone gets what they need and keeps each other warm.
Yuan Shao seized Youzhou in the north and Qingzhou in the east. What about the south?
Only Yanzhou!
Is Cao Cao really willing to dedicate the foundation he has worked so hard to build to Yuan Shao?
If he is willing, are all the civil and military officials under his command willing?
Moreover, when Dong Zhuo was executed, Yuan Shao returned to Jizhou, and Cao Cao led his army to chase the emperor. Was he really doing this just to rescue the emperor and become a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
Didn't he also want to learn from Li Jue and Guo Si and use the emperor to control the princes?
Once Yuan Shao became too powerful to be controlled, Cao Cao had only two choices: the first was to strengthen himself, and the second was to find allies.
This is why Ye wants you to fight Cao Cao to the death. This is telling Cao Cao clearly that you can increase your strength, but don't come to Taishan County and don't provoke me, Liu Xuande. Otherwise, even if I risk my life, I will drag you, Cao Cao, down with me.
If Cao Cao fails to gain land in the east, he will definitely go to Sizhou in the west or Yuzhou in the south.
It was impossible for him to fight on two fronts, so as the largest warlord in the east, Cao Cao would definitely send envoys to form an alliance.
By then, Yuan Shao would have to fight on two fronts. If he could still contact Gongsun Zan to attack together, even if Gongsun Zan was defeated, he could still contact Yan State to attack Yuan Shao, making Yuan Shao be attacked from three sides.
Yan State seized the entire territory of Youzhou, Cao Cao seized Jizhou, and our army took the opportunity to recapture Qingzhou and Bohai County. With the complete Qingzhou and Xuzhou plus Taishan and Bohai counties, we can fight for the whole world!"
"good!"
Liu Bei was overwhelmed by Liu Ye's words. He had never felt the general trend of the world so clear before. Looking at Liu Ye who was talking eloquently, he could not help but exclaimed: "Zi Yang is really the unicorn talent of my Liu family!
I wonder if Zi Yang is willing to assist Bei and revive the Han Dynasty!"
This was a recruitment, Liu Ye bowed and said: "Ye greets the lord!"
Liu Bei quickly helped Liu Ye up and said, "Zi Yang, you are too polite. With your talent, this is a great fortune for me, Liu Bei."
Guan Yu and others finally reacted and looked at Liu Ye in surprise. They didn't know what was going on in this man's brain. They couldn't figure out what he had just said.
When Liu Ye joined Liu Bei's camp, his status was completely different. He was a relative of the Liu family. Although he joined later, his status was naturally similar to that of Guan Yu and others, similar to the Xiahou and Cao generals around Cao Cao.
According to his status, if Liu Bei really became emperor, Liu Ye would at least be able to restore his ancestral title of marquis.
If he can really achieve unprecedented great achievements, then it is not impossible for him to restore the status of princes of his ancestors.
After all, his surname is Liu and he is not bound by the White Horse Alliance. This is Liu Ye's natural advantage.
This is why Liu Ye surrendered to Liu Bei. If there were really great heroes among the Liu clan, who would be willing to work under someone else?
After talking about the future situation, Liu Bei knew that he had to eat his meal slowly, so he asked again: "Zi Yang, I already understand the future situation, now let's talk about what to do next."
Liu Ye hesitated for a moment before saying, "My lord, I think the most important thing now is to save strength. It would be best to withdraw most of the troops to Taishan County as soon as possible to guard the gateway from Yanzhou to Qingzhou.
Before Yuan Shao attacks Qingzhou, everyone who can be relocated from Qingzhou should be relocated as soon as possible, especially various craftsmen and so on.
These people are the most important resource, far more than any other type of worker.”
Liu Bei nodded. What Liu Ye said was exactly what he was thinking. After Liu Ye explained the future trends in detail, he no longer wanted to fight these meaningless wars with Cao Cao on the battlefield in Yanzhou.
Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and said, "I will send a letter to Cao Cao and tell him that I am waiting for him in Taishan County. We will fight to the death there so that Cao Cao can be mentally prepared."
Everyone was stunned and didn't know what Liu Bei was going to do. Only Liu Ye reacted and smiled to himself.
Liu Bei said, "It is not so easy to withdraw. Seeing that you are about to win a great victory, how can you let us get away so easily?
Yide, you will lead three thousand troops to cover the rear so that the army can escape.
Yunchang, lead the army and follow me back to Mount Tai to prepare for battle.
Zilong, you lead five thousand elite cavalry to the northern part of Qingzhou and bring back those craftsmen, as well as the people who are willing to follow us.
Let’s get started now without further delay.”
Zhang Fei was the best at this kind of chaotic battle, and the rear guards were all elite. When he heard the task assigned to him by his elder brother, he immediately responded, "Yes!"
Everyone responded in silence. At this moment of life and death, they had to race against time.
The unusual movement of Liu Bei's army soon attracted the attention of Cao's army, and everyone in Cao's army thought that Liu Bei was going to fight with all his might.
But everyone soon realized that Liu Bei was going to withdraw his troops!
Cao Cao laughed out loud and said, "Liu Xuande fled as soon as he saw things were not going well. When we faced Zhang Jue, it was also Liu Xuande who saw the situation was not going well and told us to flee. People all over the world say that Liu Xuande has the demeanor of Emperor Gaozu. Other aspects have not been discovered, but his ability to flee is truly like the demeanor of Emperor Gaozu facing King Xiang."
When they heard Cao Cao teasing Liu Bei, and even mentioned Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang in his words, everyone laughed out loud, not mentioning that it was now the Later Han Dynasty.
Even in the Western Han Dynasty, the most respected saintly kings were Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu. This was mainly because the founding heroes were so powerful. Later, Empress Gao and King Luo Wen were also so powerful, which greatly diverted Liu Bang's style.
"My lord, there is a letter from Liu Xuande."
As everyone was laughing, a letter was delivered from outside the tent. Cao Cao did not expect Liu Bei to actually write to him, so he unfolded the letter in front of everyone. Liu Bei's words were not harsh, he just lamented that Cao Cao was lucky to have an ally like Yuan Shao.
Seeing this, Cao Cao thought that Liu Bei was just being stubborn and was about to laugh and mock him.
But at the end of the letter, Liu Bei wrote: "I have returned to Mount Tai. I have known for a long time that Meng De wants to take over Mount Tai and enter Yanzhou. I am waiting for Meng De to lead his army to Mount Tai. One hundred thousand warriors from Qingzhou are all lined up in the Taishan County to fight a life-and-death battle with Meng De. If Taishan County falls, I will die here. I hope that after my death, Meng De will be buried for me to preserve our friendship!
well.
How did you and I get to where we are today?
I really miss the days when we drank and talked happily together. "
Cao Cao originally thought that Liu Bei was just uttering harsh words, but after reading it again, he frowned deeply. The determination to die in these words was so strong that it made Cao Cao feel uncomfortable.
Xun Yu saw Cao Cao's expression and knew what Liu Bei must have said in the letter, so he asked, "My lord, can you show me the letter?"
Cao Cao handed the letter to Xun Yu, who read it quickly and also frowned deeply. He was much smarter than Cao Cao and immediately understood some hidden meanings in the letter. The letter was passed among Cao Cao's advisers.
Guo Jia and Xun You were both good at this kind of strange strategy. They immediately understood the meaning of Liu Bei's words. He wanted to use all his military forces to defend Taishan County. If they attacked, they should be prepared to suffer mutual losses.
Xun You was Cao Cao's strategist. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "My lord, I have some guesses about what Liu Bei meant in the letter, but the final result will depend on Liu Bei's actions afterwards. However, this is probably not a good thing for us.
My Lord, you must be mentally prepared. Your plan to seize Taishan County may change."
Seeing that all his most trusted advisers nodded silently, Cao Cao knew that his intuition was right, "This damn Liu Da'er is trying to cause trouble for me!
Let's see what he can do.
I want to leave, but it’s not that easy.
Chase!"
(End of this chapter)
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