Li walked up to Shatu, pointed at Jingzhou, and said, "You have Jingzhou in your hands, why don't you launch a northern expedition from Jingzhou?"
According to the original historical trajectory, the Shu Kingdom started its journey from Yizhou because it lost Jingzhou.
Now that Jingzhou is in their hands, Lu Li is puzzled as to why Zhuge Liang still needs to set off from Yizhou.
"Because of Eastern Wu..."
"The alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei is now only in name. If I send troops from Jingzhou, and if Eastern Wu and Cao Wei join forces to attack me from both sides, my army will not even have a chance to retreat," Zhuge Liang said helplessly.
Lu Li laughed and said, "Kongming, you are too cautious."
Zhuge Liang was stunned, and asked in confusion, "What do you mean, sir..."
"Leaving aside whether Eastern Wu has the strength, even if it does, would Eastern Wu be willing to get involved?"
Lu Li said with a hint of sarcasm, "Sun Quan would love for Shu and Wei to fight to the death so that he can reap the benefits in the end!"
After listening, Zhuge Liang suddenly understood.
"You are absolutely right, sir. I was too cautious!"
Zhuge Liang let out a long sigh and said, "However, if I set out from Jingzhou, I will have to attack Yuzhou, which will probably cost me a lot of my elite soldiers."
After Liu Bei's battle with Eastern Wu, he suffered heavy losses, and it took the Shu Kingdom many years to recover.
"Our generals are all getting old, even Xu Huang's hair has turned white. Our Shu Han is facing a shortage of capable leaders." Zhuge Liang sighed, his words filled with worry and sorrow.
Xu Huang was once a pillar of the Shu Han state, but he was getting old.
Zhang Bao and Guan Xing were not as brave or skilled in leading troops as their fathers.
Only Jiang Wei was considered a promising talent, but he was still young and lacked maturity and composure, making him unsuitable for important responsibilities.
“Actually, you can trust Wei Yan more. His ability to lead troops is no less than Zhang Liao’s,” Lu Li suggested.
Zhuge Liang's expression was somewhat moved, and he slowly said, "Back when the Yellow Turban Army attacked Changsha, Wei Yan murdered his lord and surrendered the city. He was born with a rebellious nature, and I really dare not use him."
In this era, loyalty and righteousness are valued most.
Wei Yan's actions were despicable, which is why he has never been given an important position over the years.
Those who achieve great things are not bound by trivialities.
"As long as he has the ability, all you need to do is bring out his full potential and make good use of him," Lu Li advised.
"I understand your teachings, sir." Zhuge Liang nodded, his eyes gleaming.
"By the way, sir, the repeating crossbows used in this Northern Expedition are quite powerful. Not only are they very lethal, but they also have a longer range, making them much more effective than bows and arrows," Zhuge Liang suddenly remembered something and immediately said.
Upon hearing this, Lu Li's heart stirred.
The repeating crossbow was indeed very powerful in this era; it was powerful and lethal, and there was simply no way to stop it.
"I also have some blueprints for transporting grain, I'll give them to you as well."
After saying that, Lu Li took out a blueprint.
"This blueprint is..."
Zhuge Liang's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I gave it a name, Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, to transport grain and fodder, which can save a lot of effort and time," Lu Li replied.
"This is simply a divine object!"
Zhuge Liang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, then his face lit up with joy.
The reason why each Northern Expedition from Yizhou became exceptionally difficult was due to insufficient food supplies. Transporting food supplies along the Shu Road was too difficult and took a long time each time, resulting in a slow march for the army and ultimately insufficient food supplies, forcing them to retreat.
Now that we have this wooden ox and flowing horse, traveling along the Shu Road will be much smoother, and the army can march faster, or even shorten the journey time.
In this way, the Shu army's marching speed can be increased several times.
Zhuge Liang was so excited he almost jumped up. He wanted to crack open Lu Li's head to see how his brain was structured, that he could invent something like this!
This is truly a genius!
Zhuge Liang took a few deep breaths, trying to suppress the shock in his heart, and then bowed respectfully to Lu Li, saying, "I will never forget your great kindness, sir."
"Hehe, it's alright!"
Lu Li smiled faintly, not taking Zhuge Liang's gratitude to heart.
“Sir, the affairs of Shu are very busy, and I must return immediately,” Zhuge Liang said to Lu Li as he stood up.
"Yes, the Shu Kingdom still needs you, but rest assured, when you launch your next northern expedition, I will definitely lend you a hand," Lu Li said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir." Zhuge Liang bowed to Lu Li again in gratitude.
Immediately afterwards, Zhuge Liang left Yunmeng Mountain and returned to the Shu Kingdom.
But when he returned, he received news that the southern barbarians had launched an invasion against them for some unknown reason.
"An invasion by alien races?" Zhuge Liang frowned and muttered, "Why did these guys suddenly attack?"
Zhuge Liang was somewhat puzzled by the intentions of the southern tribes. After all, the southern tribes and the Shu Kingdom had always kept to themselves, so why would they suddenly attack the Shu Kingdom?
"Report!" At that moment, a report came from outside.
"Come in!" Zhuge Liang said.
"According to intelligence, Prime Minister, the southern barbarian tribes have been unified by a man named Meng Huo!"
Zhuge Liang raised an eyebrow. Meng Huo? He had never heard of this person before.
"It is said that this man is exceptionally brave and can also drive away wild beasts to his side!"
Zhuge Liang nodded upon hearing this. Although Meng Huo was not well-known, he was a fierce general!
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and then ordered, "Dispatch troops to the Southern Barbarians."
………………
In the southern part of Sichuan, there is a mountain range surrounded by forests, with a rugged terrain.
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