Sun Ce told Qiao Jingjing that he wanted to take the opportunity to attack Xuchang and move Emperor Xian of Han to Jiangdong.
When Qiao Jingjing was in college, she heard an expert talk about the history of the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty followed the Sui Dynasty.
The capital of the Sui and Tang dynasties was Chang'an.
Later, Wu Zetian moved the capital to Luoyang.
The reason is that Chang'an had too many people, and the groundwater was no longer drinkable. In ancient times, people only had one way to dispose of their sewage: they would dig a hole and discharge it underground.
Ultimately, this contaminated the underground drinking water.
Wu Zetian then moved the population and the capital to Luoyang.
That Luoyang was the Luoyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
In the south, the Jiangnan region has always had excellent climate and water resources, making it a fertile ground for agriculture and population growth, and its economic center is located in the Jiangnan area.
Historically, no one has ever established their capital in the south.
This country has its political center in the south and its economic center in the north.
Almost all of the dynasties that established their capitals in Nanjing were short-lived.
This includes Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di). When Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the Yuan Dynasty and unified China, he established his capital in Nanjing. However, after Zhu Di became emperor, he insisted on moving the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.
The reason is that in the north, he was able to defend against the Mongols and the invasion from the west.
This is why Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are locked in a stalemate in the north. Cao Cao still needs to launch a campaign against the Wuhuan in the northwest to stabilize the nomadic ethnic minorities in the north before he can march south and fight a major battle with the Sun-Liu alliance at Chibi.
If Cao Cao had not pacified the north, he would not have been able to march south; he would have been attacked from both sides.
Similarly, Sun Ce's Jiangdong was also in such a predicament.
Sun Ce only controlled the economic center, which had money and population.
But the political center was not in his hands.
In the north, formerly in Luoyang, now in Cao Cao's hands, lies Xuchang.
Sun Ce's idea of bringing Emperor Xian of Han under his control was theoretically sound.
However, Sun Ce only operated in the southern region. He never went to the Northwest, nor outside of Beijing, nor to the Northeast, Mongolia, or Xinjiang.
Sun Ce was not really familiar with the dramatic changes in terrain from top to bottom and from north to south, like an overwhelming tide.
What he wanted to discuss with Qiao Jingjing was how he personally rode a fast horse and, taking advantage of the fact that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in a fierce battle, leaving many defenses vulnerable, he kidnapped Emperor Xian of Han and brought him to Jiangdong.
At this moment, he feared that someone might shoot a hidden arrow at him, which would be difficult to defend against.
Qiao Jingjing looked at Sun Ce, looking at him again and again.
Her husband.
Sun Ce had said all that to her.
How can she explain this to him?
Here we go again, drawing pictures.
Qiao Jingjing first sketched the Mongolian grassland.
The Mongolian grasslands, the Tianshan Mountains, Yinshan Mountains, and Hexi Corridor to the west, then the Greater Khingan Mountains, Lesser Khingan Mountains, North China Plain, Yellow River, Central China Plain, Huai River, Yangtze River, the towering mountains in the southwest, the Yangtze River Delta in the southeast, and the Fujian area, etc.
After Qiao Jingjing finished drawing, she made a downward gesture to Sun Ce.
She asked him with just her eyes whether it was easier to attack from south to north or from north to south.
Sun Ce's brows were really furrowed at that moment.
In military campaigns, it is often necessary to occupy high ground, because a fierce attack from above provides an advantage.
Occupying a high ground makes it easy to hold out.
No one can gain an advantage by occupying a low-lying area and attacking a bandit stronghold on a mountaintop.
For example, Pan Lin, the bandit who frequently causes trouble in the Kuaiji area, is still someone Sun Ce has not yet dealt with.
"Da Qiao, are you trying to tell me that even if I successfully bring His Majesty the Emperor to Kuaiji Wu County, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and others will easily launch a counterattack, while I will find it difficult to defend and attack?"
Sun Ce then pointed to the Yangtze River.
"I have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Northerners are good at cavalry warfare, but not at naval warfare."
Qiao Jingjing only knew that in the past five thousand years, no one had the ability to divide this country into two parts, north and south, along the Yangtze River.
If so.
To the south, there are Jingzhou, Yizhou, and the southwest region.
From east to west, it is a case of using the low to control the high.
It's expensive, laborious, and difficult.
Qiao Jingjing and Sun Ce finally discussed it like this.
Welcoming Emperor Xian of Han to Jiangnan was the highest priority.
Before reaching this ultimate goal, the first priority is to deal with the restless Yue tribes in the Jiangdong region, as some of them are in league with Liu Biao in Jingzhou, while others are in league with Cao Cao in the north.
We also need to purge certain reactionary forces within Jiangdong. They are watching from the sidelines, ready to set fires when the time is right, which is very frightening.
We must seize the right opportunity to acquire the vital Jingzhou.
Only by capturing Jingzhou can we have the opportunity to march west and seize Yizhou.
Yizhou has been known as the Land of Abundance since ancient times. Thousands of years ago, the ancient kingdoms of Luocheng, including the Cancong and Yufu kingdoms, had a large population and a developed economy. Moreover, the more turbulent the external environment, the more stable and peaceful it became internally.
Sun Ce pointed at Qiao Jingjing's nose and nodded happily.
"When we first met, you told me you could draw maps, and that the Longzhong Plan divided the world into three kingdoms, with the goal of seizing Jingzhou. Seizing Jingzhou, I get that! But you explained drawing maps to me too? How do you divide the world into three kingdoms?"
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