Chapter 187 Poor Uncle Liu, he is about to lose his Mr. Kong Ming forever.

Chapter 187: Poor Uncle Liu, he is about to lose his Mr. Kong Ming forever.

Jianye, on the bank of the river.

A large ship stopped at the dock and all three hundred soldiers boarded.

Liu Xuande tightly grasped Kong Ming's arm, his expression solemn: "When we go north this time, we must get reinforcements from Cao Mengde, even at all costs!"

"What I am worried about is whether Jiangdong can be defended. Sun Shao and the other noble families are incompetent people who only care about their own interests. They have no courage. The safety of Jiangdong now depends entirely on the military advisor."

Since leaving Xuchang, Uncle Liu has been fighting with Cao Cao non-stop.

How much Liu Bei hated Cao Cao,
Cao Cao hated Liu Bei so much.

Both of them wanted to eat each other's flesh and sleep on its skin.

Especially in the previous Jiangling conflict, under Liu Wu's plan, both of them almost killed each other, adding new hatred.

Liu Bei certainly did not want to take the risk of going to Xuchang, but Liu Wu, together with Sun Quan, led the navy of Jingzhou to attack, and the Jiangdong nobles lost their courage and had no intention of resisting the enemy.

Liu Xuande was unwilling to sit there and wait for death.

Liu Xuande wanted to survive from death.
Liu Xuande would never want to be Liu Wu's prisoner!
In this way, he could only bite the bullet and go to Xuchang to earn a glimmer of hope for Jiangdong and for his own great cause!
But before that, if Jiangdong cannot be defended, everything will be empty talk.

Call ~
The autumn river breeze blows across both banks, bringing with it a deep chill.

Xuchang was like a den of dragons and tigers to Emperor Liu, but he had to go there at this time.

Looking at the lord who is about to go to the dangerous place,
Zhuge Liang had a lot of words in his mind, but in the end he could only take a step back and bow deeply to Liu Bei: "Even if it costs me my life, I will hold back Liu Wu's Jingzhou navy and do my best to keep Jiangdong safe before my lord returns..."

"Cao Mengde is insidious and cunning. Even if he knows that Jiangdong is closely related to his interests, I am afraid he will make things difficult for the lord at every turn. My lord... My lord, please take care of yourself when you go!"

How can the hatred between Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande be expressed in just a few words?

Liu Wu and Sun Quan were coming at them with great force, and the people of Jiangdong were in chaos. How could Zhuge Liang be sure to defend Jiangdong alone?
What the master and his minister did was extremely dangerous, and only by burning their boats can they have a chance of survival!
"Be prepared to go."

"Take care, lord!"

In the rustling autumn wind,
Liu Bei bid farewell to Zhuge Liang, turned around without hesitation and boarded the ship.

Wow! ~
The huge sail soared into the sky, and taking advantage of the strong wind, it slowly sailed away from the shore, getting farther and farther away on the river...

……

In the distance, looking at Kong Ming and Liu Bei who were saying goodbye, a group of Jiangdong noble families whispered:

"Uncle Liu left Guangling this time and took the Han Canal to the north during the flood season. Although the Han Canal is not accessible and cannot accommodate large naval forces, small boats like this can sail smoothly. I think it won't take long to reach Xuchang..."

"Well, that being said, the hatred between Liu Xuande and Cao Cao is well known to the world. Can he, can he really borrow reinforcements from Cao Cao?"

"Although Zhuge Liang has the talent to lead the army, I don't think he is completely confident in leading the Jiangdong navy alone to resist Liu Wu."

"I think it won't be a problem for Zhuge Kongming to lead us to Jiangdong and defend it until Liu Bei returns..."

Previously in the hall, although Zhuge Liang had stated the pros and cons of Jiangdong and Cao Cao, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong present also agreed with what Zhuge Liang said.

Now that Zhuge Kongming came to guard Jiangdong, Liu Bei went to Cao Cao for reinforcements.

Everything has been arranged, and the Jiangdong families don't need to pay any extra price. It seems that everyone's hearts have settled down.

But Liu Bei was really going north to Xuchang, and he saw Zhuge Liang's lonely figure on the shore.

The officials of the noble families were confused again...

Can Liu Bei really ask Cao Cao for reinforcements?
Can Zhuge Liang really defend Jiangdong?
They are not sure; they are unsure.

"Oh, wait until Liu Bei returns? How foolish you are!" Lu Ji sneered, awakening everyone who was in a trance.

Zhang Zhao frowned: "Gongji, what do you mean by this?"

Lu Ji: "Mr. Zibu, don't forget that Liu Xuande suffered countless defeats in his life. Whenever he encountered a strong opponent, he would flee without hesitation, even without caring about his wife and children."

"Now Liu Zilie has returned with his old master from Jiangdong, and is leading the navy of Jingzhou to attack the border. He says he wants to ask Cao Cao for reinforcements, but I think his old illness has relapsed, and he wants to escape!"

It is no longer a new thing that Liu Xuande is good at running away and escaping.

This is the case in Xuzhou.
This is the case in Xinye.
This was the case under Yuan Shao.
The same was true under Liu Biao.

Now that the enemy is approaching from Jiangdong, could it be that this Emperor Liu...

Many people were stunned. The next moment, they all turned their heads to look at the river. Did this Emperor Liu really escape from the battlefield? !

But there are still many people who firmly believe that Liu Bei can bring back reinforcements:

"Gong Ji, you are worrying too much. Liu Xuande is a sincere gentleman who always keeps his promises. Even if he wanted to run away, it was because we, Jiangdong, lost the battle with Liu Wu, so he fled for his life and retreated. Now that the two sides haven't fought yet, why would he do this?"

"Yes, Zhuge Liang is Liu Xuande's chief strategist. If he really wanted to escape, why would he leave Zhuge Kongming here?"

"Mr. Wolong is a rare talent of the time. With him guarding Jiangdong, even if he cannot defeat Liu Wu, he can at least hold him off for some time."

"Yes, Liu Bei left Kong Ming here, which shows his determination to protect Jiangdong!"

Facing the rebuttals of the noble families, Lu Ji just smiled coldly: "Gentlemen, do you really think Zhuge Kongming can stop Liu Wu and his old master..."

Sun Quan is coming back soon!

Because the Jiangdong noble families had betrayed Sun Quan, they were all afraid that Sun Quan would liquidate their families after he returned to Jiangdong, so they tried their best to resist Liu Wu.

But there are exceptions among these noble families...

The exception is the Jiangdong Lu family.

Sun Quan returned to Jiangdong, but was sent back by Liu Wu.

These two people are relatives by marriage, and now Liu Wu is personally leading the army to help Sun Quan seize the throne... If this succeeds, Sun Zhongmou will receive a huge favor from Liu Wu, and the blood alliance between Jiangdong and Jingzhou will be doomed to be unbreakable.

Lu Xun was Liu Wu's confidant and held a high position in Jingzhou. After Sun Quan returned to Jingzhou, even if he wanted to take revenge and purge the Jiangdong families, for the sake of Lu Xun and Liu Wu, Sun Quan had to let the Lu family go no matter how reluctant he was.

Even after Sun Quan had killed other aristocratic families, he still had to use the Lu family in order to maintain stability in Jiangdong and consolidate relations with Jingzhou.

As a result,
Sun Quan returned to Jiangdong, and most of the noble families in Jiangdong suffered the most, but his Lu family was the only one that benefited!
Lu Ji had long seen through the conflicts of interest involved, and he even hoped that Sun Quan would return to attack him as soon as possible.

When Liu Bei was alive, the Jiangdong aristocratic families, who had suddenly suffered a great change, almost relied on him as their backbone, so Lu Ji could not say anything.

Now that Liu Bei is gone, Lu Ji finally has nothing to worry about.

Zhang Zhao's frown deepened: "When Cao Cao's army marched south, even I felt that Cao Mengde was like a mountain crushing an egg, and he would win without a doubt."

"Only Zhuge Kongming saw the opportunity to win, and he stabilized the Duke of Wu's determination to fight. He also traveled back and forth between the two sides of the Yangtze River and worked with Lu Zijing to promote the alliance between Sun and Liu."

"In the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhuge Liang borrowed arrows from a straw boat and borrowed a strong southeast wind for three days and three nights! This is how Zhou Yu's battle against Cao Cao, which burned 800,000 troops, started..."

"This man understands battle formations, knows astronomy, and knows human hearts. He is truly a genius of his generation... Why does Gong Ji say that he can't stop Liu Wu?"

Lu Ji shook his head slowly: "Zhuge Liang facilitated the Sun-Liu alliance?"

"Mr. Zibu, have you forgotten that Zhuge Liang himself admitted in the Jiangdong Palace that it was Liu Zilie who secretly facilitated the Sun-Liu alliance..."

Liu Bei went to Jiangdong that day, trying to persuade Jiangdong to break the alliance with Liu Wu. Zhuge Liang told them many things Liu Wu had done in front of the civil and military officials of Jiangdong and the former Marquis of Wu.

Among them was the Sun-Liu alliance, which was secretly guided by Liu Wu...

Lu Ji's voice continued: "The so-called borrowing arrows from straw boats was just something Zhou Gongjin did to make things difficult for Zhuge Liang. Without those 100,000 arrows, the Battle of Red Cliffs would not have been fought? The two generations of our Jiangdong ancestors expanded the territory, could it be that they couldn't even save up 100,000 arrows?"

"It's even more ridiculous to borrow the east wind! At that time, the yang is born on the winter solstice, so how can there be no southeast wind? Zhuge Liang is deliberately making things mysterious. Whether he borrows it or not, the southeast wind will come on time."

"In the Battle of Red Cliff, it was our Jiangdong and the Grand Commander Gongjin who really contributed! Zhuge Liang not only did not contribute the slightest bit of effort, but he even took advantage of the time when we were chasing Cao Mengde to encourage Liu Xuande to seize the four counties of southern Jing..."

"Can such a person really stop Liu Wu head-on?"

The words of the patriarch of the Lu family were so powerful that everyone, including Zhang Zhao, fell silent. For a moment, no one knew how to refute him.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Lu Ji finally revealed his real purpose: "Liu Xuande must have left to escape for his life! Earlier in the hall, we were in a state of panic, but we were deceived by Zhuge Liang's eloquent words."

"Please think carefully..."

"It is true that the King of Wu became a captive of Liu Zilie because of us, but the King of Wu has ruled Jiangdong for many years after all, and these six prefectures and eighty-one counties are the hard work of three generations of Jiangdong."

"If the King of Wu really massacres our noble families after his return, what will he use to govern Jiangdong in the future? Even if there are noble families that he spares, will they still serve the King of Wu?"

"It is true that the King of Wu relied on Liu Wu to return to Jiangdong, but he cannot rely on Liu Wu to govern Jiangdong!"

"In the end, won't he still have to rely on us to govern these six prefectures and eighty-one counties for him?"

What Lu Ji said made a lot of sense, and many people became even more shaken.

From this perspective, it seems that welcoming back the old master... no, welcoming back the King of Wu will not have too much impact on these aristocratic families.

But there are still some people who are still sober. Gu Yong, the head of the Gu family, said hesitantly: "Even if the King of Wu does not settle accounts with us for the sake of Jiangdong's foundation, he will definitely try his best to suppress us in the future. This..."

"Mr. Yuan Tan, why are you so confused?" Lu Ji looked at him strangely. "Since the Sun family took over Jiangdong, have we, the Jiangdong noble families, ever been suppressed?"

Ever since Sun Jian established his foothold in Jiangdong, the Jiangdong aristocratic families have been extremely dissatisfied with Sun Jian's rule. These aristocratic families had been dividing up the interests in Jiangdong, controlling the situation, and controlling huge benefits.

Who would like to have a lord who is against him?
What's more, there are too many outsiders under Sun Jian's command, which has affected the interests of the local natives.

Not to mention Sun Ce who came later, he directly attacked the noble families, killing them and causing a river of blood. After Sun Quan ascended the throne, he was much gentler than his brother, but his methods were more sophisticated than Sun Ce's. He silently eroded and suppressed the various tribes in Jiangdong bit by bit...

To be honest, over the years, the Jiangdong families have long adapted to this environment and no longer care about whether they are suppressed or not.

The expressions of the officials of the noble families changed...

As long as Sun Quan does not liquidate and massacre them, and as long as Sun Quan still needs to use them, what impact will the return of the King of Wu have on them?
It was nothing more than driving Sun Shao down and pushing Sun Quan back up, replacing the Marquis of Wu with the King of Wu, and worshipping a different lord.

Keep drinking, keep feasting, and keep living your life. Isn't that good?
Why should we worry about whether Liu Bei can ask Cao Cao for reinforcements?

Why should we worry about whether Zhuge Liang can defend Jiangdong?
Why bother fighting to the death?
They had joined forces with Liu Bei to recommend Sun Shao in order to control the six counties of Jiangdong and to fight against the Huaisi faction headed by Zhou Yu and Lu Su.

Now that the Huaisi faction has fallen, Liu Bei is of little use.

After Sun Quan came back, even if the Huaisi faction rose again, as long as the King of Wu hired people to govern Jiangdong, most of them would still be from the Jiangdong aristocratic families. Would the Huaisi faction be able to counterattack?

After all, their operations in the six counties of Jiangdong for so many years are not just for show.

By then, Jiangdong will still belong to the aristocratic family...

The eyes of the officials from the noble families present became brighter and brighter, and they have made a new decision!
Zhang Zhao glanced at Zhuge Liang in the distance, then looked at the leaders of several major families. As their eyes met, they nodded slightly, imperceptibly.

Zhang Zibu coughed lightly and said, "Gongji, last time you visited Xiling on our behalf... ahem, are you still in contact with Xiling?
Jiangdong had done prisoner business with Liu Wu several times, and Jiangdong made a lot of money every time.

Before this, it was Lu Su and Xiling who were in charge of the business, doing the open business for Jiangdong, and the whole Jiangdong benefited from it.

After Lu Su retired, because of Lu Xun's relationship with Liu Wu, the 10,000 captives from Xiakou were exchanged by Lu Ji.

However, the deal for these 10,000 captives from Xiakou was made by Lu Ji on behalf of the Jiangdong noble families when he met Liu Wu in private.

These captives who were exchanged did not go into Jiangdong’s public account, but were secretly pocketed by several major families!
No one expected,
On the surface, the nobles of Jiangdong rejected the prisoner exchange in Xiling, but secretly, the major families were secretly doing business with Liu Wu!
Lu Ji nodded in understanding: "Don't worry, Mr. Zibu, Lu and Boyan have been exchanging letters, and I often ask Boyan to send my regards to the King of Chu in my letters."

Since that private transaction with Liu Wu, the Jiangdong family made a lot of profit, and Lu has been secretly having an ambiguous relationship with Liu Wu and has been in intermittent contact with him.

Zhang Zhao heaved a sigh of relief: "That's good. Please ask Gongji to send someone to see Liu Wu and tell him..."

"We in Jiangdong are willing to use Liu Bei, Sun Shao, Zhuge Liang, and the nearly 3,000 remaining troops of Liu Xuande to make a deal with the King of Chu..."

(End of this chapter)