♂?，，

  Thanks for the reward from Yun Zhong Yi Pian Ye, haha.

  ——————

  "Who is it?" two young men with the surname Liu asked simultaneously.

  "This person has a lot of connections with General Liu, I'm sure General Liu won't be unaware of it." Liu Ba started to build suspense, pretending to be mysterious.

  "What's your connection with me?"

  Liu Feng's sword eyebrows slightly condensed, his fingers stroked his chin, and his brain quickly turned around, searching for the threads of memory. Suddenly, a name emerged in his mind, and a flash of inspiration flashed through his eyes: "The person Mr. Zi Chu mentioned, could it be Ma Liang Ma Ji Chang?"

  Hearing Liu Ba utter this name with his own mouth, Liu Ba couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile, with a hint of admiration for Liu Feng's quick thinking in his eyes.

  Liu Ba's expression showed that he had indeed guessed correctly, and after some thought, he couldn't help but reveal a delighted look: "The person recommended by the master is indeed the most suitable candidate, the master has really solved a big problem for us."

  Liu Feng was intelligent and quick-witted, grasping things at once, while Liu Qi still looked bewildered, saying vaguely: "I've heard of Ma Zichang's name in Xiangyang, but why would recommending him as the governor of Guilin be beneficial to us?"

  "Zi De Gongzi is indeed a loyal and honest man, no wonder that Liu Bei dares to deceive him." Liu Ba was moved by Liu Qi's slow reaction and did not hide his regret in his words. He immediately explained the reason why he recommended Ma Liang again.

  Firstly, although Ma Liang was not a native of Guiyang Commandery, he was after all from Jingzhou. In an era where localist sentiments were strong, his appointment as the governor of Guiyang would not have aroused resentment among the indigenous people of Guiyang.

  Secondly, although the Xiangyang Ma family is not as prominent as the Kuai or Cai families in Jingzhou, they are still a major surname in the region. The five Ma brothers have a reputation outside, and Ma Liang's prestige is the greatest among them. Moreover, this person has some connections with Zhuge Liang, and with his identity as a scholar, plus this layer of relationship with Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei will necessarily agree to appoint him as the Taishou of Guilin.

  The last and most important reason is that Ma Liang must be ensured to stand firmly on the side of Liu Feng and others when they break with Liu Bei.

  Ma Liang's younger brother Ma Cai is currently serving under Liu Feng. Whether it is Liu Feng or outsiders, they will regard him as a confidant. If this younger brother follows Liu Feng to "rebel", then for the sake of family interests, Ma Liang has no choice but to maintain the same line with Ma Cai.

  This is the most fundamental reason why Liu Ba recommended Ma Liang.

  After listening to Liu Ba's explanation, Liu Qi suddenly realized and couldn't help but add a few more points of respect for this newly "joined" Jiangnan genius, excitedly saying: "Sir is indeed a strategist beyond ordinary people, we can get sir as our helper, why worry that great things won't be accomplished?"

  "It's just a humble opinion, not worth mentioning, Master De has overpraised me." Although Liu Ba's words were self-deprecating, his face was filled with unhidden pride.

  When he heard the four words "Wang Zuo's talent", Liu Feng's hidden string in his heart was lightly plucked, and while he complimented Liu Ba with his mouth, his eyes involuntarily cast a glance northward. The true Wang Zuo's talent in his heart was not in front of him, but in that distant and unreachable place.

  'Mr. Shi Yuan, I will soon realize your plan one by one, and I hope that the next time we meet again will not be too far away.'

  ………………

  Jian'an 14th year, Jiangling.

  It has been a whole month since the great victory at Red Cliff last year and the start of the Jiangling campaign by the allied forces of Sun and Liu. Although the allied forces of Sun and Liu seemed to be riding on the momentum of their great victory at Red Cliff, they actually did not gain much advantage on the battlefield in Jiangling.

  The total strength of the allied forces was around 50,000 men. Among them, about 30,000 Wu troops were on the front line in Jiangling, while Cao Pi left 3 to 4 million elite Beidi troops for Cao Ren to defend Jiangling, which means that on this main battlefield in Jiangling, the allied forces were not at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

  However, this did not change Zhou Yu's determination to capture Jiangling. Soon after arriving at Jiangling, Zhou Yu made a deployment for the entire Battle of Jiangling:

  Gan Ning led an army of a thousand to capture the undefended Yiling in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, seizing control of the upper river and cutting off the connection between Jiangling and Yi Province.

  Liu Bei divided his troops to advance along the Xia River, occupying the strongholds along the riverbank and exerting pressure on Jiangling from the east. The Xia River is a water system connecting the upper reaches of the Han River to Jiangling, and it is the only waterway between Jiangling and Xiangyang, a major town in the upper reaches of the Han River. Seizing control of the Xia River would be equivalent to cutting off Jiangling's lifeline on the water.

  On the Han River, Guan Yu led 10,000 naval troops northward along the Han River, putting pressure on Xiangyang and harassing the rear of Jiangling, holding back Cao's reinforcements heading south to aid Jiangling.

  Zhou Yu led the main force of Wu's army and stationed on the south bank of the Yangtze River, facing Cao Ren's army across the river on the north bank.

  Zhou Yu's strategic deployment made full use of the advantages of his own navy, and all the offensives were launched along the Han River, Yangtze River, and Xia Water. However, facing this three-dimensional offensive, Cao Ren in Jiangling City not only did not adopt a defensive policy but also fully utilized the advantage of having more troops, dispatching Yue Jin, Wen Ping and other generals to take Xiangyang and Jiangling as their base points, actively launching a counterattack against Zhou Yu's three-pronged advance.

  Late at night.

  On the southern shore, in the middle of the military camp, Zhou Yu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the map showing the distribution of enemy and friendly forces. In his mind, various tactical ideas flashed by like a fast-forwarded movie scene, but none of them could make him pause.

  The river wind shook the big tent with a rustling sound. Early spring is approaching, but the cool breeze that crept in through the gap between the curtains still felt chilly and oppressive.

  Under the flickering flames, a few hints of melancholy flashed across that handsome face.

  The curtain was suddenly lifted, and someone came in.

  His face suddenly changed to a natural confidence, Zhou Yu turned around and saw that it was his staff member Pang Tong who had just entered from outside.

  This so-called phoenix among the common people of Jingzhou, was actually short and thin, with a dark yellow complexion like dried fruit skin. His facial features seemed to have been carelessly kneaded into a dough, his nose bridge low and sunken, and in his deep eye sockets, only two fine lines could be seen.

  One beauty stunned, one ugly made people sigh, two completely different people, at this moment in the same military account, the contrast between heaven and earth, how obvious.

  "Grand Commander, you've summoned me so late at night; surely there's something you wish to instruct me on?" Despite facing a man of breathtaking beauty, Pang Tong seemed entirely unembarrassed, his words and demeanor as calm and collected as ever.

  "The Battle of Jiangling is slow to start, I'd like to hear your insights, sir." Zhou Yu's tone was equally calm, without a hint of arrogance.

  Pang Tong pointed to the northern end of the map: "The reason why Cao Ren dares to follow our army with an attack is that he relies on Cao Pi leading a large army to garrison Nanyang, and can come to rescue him in Jiangling at any time. To take down Jiangling, we must first cut off Cao Ren's financial resources."

  Zhou Yu smiled: "In the whole camp, only you can think of it with me. Since you have thought of it, you must already have a good plan in mind."

  "Hmph." Pang Tong let out a dry laugh, his sallow face showing a hint of disdain. "Actually, it's quite easy, just need to trouble Lord Wu a bit, and the problem will be solved effortlessly."

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