The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 230 Wei Qing opens the door, Liu Bei opens up new territory, Lieutenant Piao Yao, Li Yi captures prisoners
However, the two brothers Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu had already discussed and decided to incite rebellion in the counties of Youzhou.

They jointly launched an uprising and went south to join Li Yi.

Just as all the officials in Youzhou were swearing an oath of blood one after another, one man stood up and angrily scolded the two generals for their actions that were against the great principles of justice.

When everyone looked at him, they found that it was Han Heng, the deputy governor of Youzhou.

Han Heng was from Dai County, Youzhou.

This person was pure and magnanimous. He lost his parents at a young age and took care of his brothers and sisters, so he was praised by his clan members.

Zhang Nan whispered to Jiao Chu:
"Han Heng is loyal to the Yuan family. You can kill him now, but don't encourage this trend."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Chu drew his sword and shouted fiercely:
"I know that General Liu is a hero of the time, so I want to lead my brothers to surrender and gain wealth and honor together."

"The military order is ahead, anyone who disobeys it will be executed!"

Han Heng opened his clothes and faced death calmly.

Jiao Chu was stunned, looked up to the sky and sighed:

"If you want to start a great cause, you must uphold the great principles."

“The success or failure of a matter does not depend on one person.”

"Since Han Heng is so determined, why not let him do as he pleases?"

So, Jiao Chu did not kill Han Heng, but only ordered people to expel him.

However, he and Zhang Nan led 30,000 troops from the county and plundered the counties from the rear.

Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, who were integrating their troops at the front, were shocked and angry when they heard that something had gone wrong in the rear.

Yuan Xi had no idea, so he asked Yuan Shang:

"Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu are plotting a rebellion, and you and I have less than 20,000 soldiers and horses."

"With such a small number of people, it's hard to protect ourselves, how can we take back Jizhou?"

Yuan Shang was also struck by lightning and became disheartened.

Seeing that he was speechless and pale, Yuan Xi sighed:

"At the beginning, I said that we should surrender while Li Jizhou was recruiting us."

"How could there be such a disaster today?"

"Now I am in a dilemma, what can I do?"

Do not! !

Yuan Shang opened his eyes wide and roared loudly:

"We haven't lost yet, there is still a way to go!"

Yuan Xi hurriedly asked which road it was.

Yuan Shang replied:

"Now we can go to the northeast and join the Wuhuan people."

"The Wuhuan King Tadun is an old friend of my father."

"Today, we are in a desperate situation. Only by borrowing his strength can we conquer Jizhou and avenge our hatred!"

At the beginning, the Wuhuan people took advantage of the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty to invade Youzhou and occupied three of its counties.

Therefore, they were called the Three Commanderies Wuhuan.

At that time, the Wuhuan people took the opportunity to plunder more than 100,000 Han households, which made the Youzhou Wuhuan, who were far away in the bitter and cold land of the northeast, very powerful.

According to conservative estimates, the total number of Han and Hu people under the rule of the Wuhuan people exceeded 200,000, a number that cannot be underestimated.

At the same time, Tadun was a brave and skilled fighter with extraordinary talents.

He was an outstanding leader among the Wuhuan people, and in recent years he expanded his sphere of influence to Yuyang County.

Yuyang is adjacent to Bohai, the capital of Jizhou. This is why Li Yi wanted to divide Bohai into two parts and separate them with Zhangwu County.

"What about the officials and civilians who came with us?"

Yuan Xi asked again.

After Yuan Shang was defeated, many officials and people from Jizhou fled to Youzhou with Yuan Shang.

Even in Youzhou, there are still many Youzhou officials like Han Heng mentioned just now, and local people who are willing to continue to follow the Yuan family.

And how many of these people are there in total?
The answer is more than 100,000 households.

This is the terrifying influence of the Yuan family in Hebei.

Even though anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Yuan family was doomed, there were still so many people who were willing to leave their homes and accompany them to the bitter and cold land of Northeast China.

"Take them all away!"

Yuan Shang made up his mind and decided to relocate these more than 100,000 households to Liaoxi.

He is not a fool and knows how important population is.

This is a population of more than 100,000 households. Having it is equivalent to having a strong military potential.

With the help of the Wuhuan people, there is every chance of regaining Hebei.

After the discussion, the two brothers abandoned Youzhou and took all the officials and civilians from Ji and You states who had followed them, totaling more than 100,000 households, to Liaoxi.

At this time, the capital of the Wuhuan people was Liucheng in Liaoxi County.

Someone had already reported the news that Er Yuan'er was coming to seek refuge to the current Wuhuan King, Tadun.

After receiving the letter, Tadun immediately ordered:
"You can summon the kings to discuss this matter!"

Not long after, Wuyan, the Khanlu King who commanded more than 800 Wuhuan tribes, arrived with a large army.

He was followed by Su Puyan, the King of Qiao from a vassal state of Liaodong, who ruled over a thousand tribes.

They are all brave, strong and resourceful people, not just barbarians.

Tadun first met King Hanlu and King Qiao, who were the two most powerful leaders among the Wuhuan tribes.

When the two kings arrived, they asked him the reason, and Tadun told them the truth.

The second king said:

"We can first call the Chanyu here and then discuss the matter."

The Chanyu mentioned by Wuyan and Su Puyan was the Wuhuan Chanyu Louban.

The relationships within the Wuhuan sound complicated.

A bunch of kings and a Chanyu.

In fact, the main reason was that there were many leaders in the Wuhuan tribe, and without a clear commander, everyone claimed to be a king.

As early as the period of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, the then Wuhuan leader Qiuliju commanded more than 5,000 Wuhuan households.

It is considered to be one of the most powerful tribes among all.

And this Lou Ban was the son of Qiu Liju.

As for Tadun, he was actually the nephew of Qiuliju.

However, Louban was still young at that time, and according to nomadic tradition, the throne was of course inherited by the more powerful Tadun.

This is also recorded in eu4:

——"How can a child inherit the Khan's throne!"

However, the Wuhuan people were deeply influenced by Han culture.

Although Tadun inherited the throne, Louban was not killed.

On the contrary, after Louban becomes an adult.

With the support of Qiao King Subuyan, Hanlu King Wuyan and others, Louban was made the Chanyu of Wuhuan.

Logically speaking, since Lou Ban became the Chanyu, he would be the leader of all the Wuhuan tribes.

However, the military and political power was still in the hands of his cousin Tadun.

In short, the relationship within the Wuhuan people was rather chaotic.

Basically, everyone has "guns and cannons". If it were a Han regime, they would have started fighting long ago.

However, these Wuhuan tribes were unexpectedly united, and thus formed a very powerful force.

Currently, Su Puyan and Wu Yan both support letting Lou Ban participate in the meeting to welcome Yuan.

They also hoped that this young Chanyu could help balance Tadun's power.

Tadun followed his advice and immediately ordered people to invite his brother over.

After a while, Chanyu Lou Ban arrived.

Tadun repeated what he had just said to Lou Ban again.

After listening to this, Lou Ban said:
"The Yuan family has been a benefactor to the Wuhuan tribe. Now that the Yuan family is in trouble, we cannot stand by and watch them die."

Tadun said happily:

"This is exactly what I want!"

Then he asked Wuyan and Su Puyan for their opinions.

"I wonder if King Hanlu and King Qiao have any opinions on this?"

The two looked at each other and replied immediately:

"Since the Chanyu and the King have no objection, we naturally have no objection either."

"We should quickly welcome Yuan to Liaoxi to avoid any changes if we delay."

After the discussion was finalized, the Wuhuan people welcomed the Yuan brothers into Liaoxi County.

Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi successfully entered the three counties of Wuhuan and were treated as guests of honor by Tadun and Louban.

Along with the Yuan brothers came a large number of followers, including more than 100,000 officials and civilians, who they brought from Jizhou and Youzhou.

As a result, Tadun was able to command a population of more than 300,000 Wuhuan and Han people.

For a time, he was a powerful figure in Liaodong.

With the help of the Han population and the Yuan brothers.

Tadun then planned to use his military force inside the Central Plains, but he was afraid of the military power of the Central Plains people and did not dare to act rashly.

Yuan Shang then spoke out to advise:

"I have many followers in Hebei. If I use military force sooner rather than later, a large number of soldiers and civilians will rise up in rebellion."

"If you hesitate and procrastinate for too long, you will let go of your hatred."

"By then, it will be difficult for the king to advance his troops."

What this means is that Li Yi's propaganda offensive in Hebei was also very rapid.

Yuan Shang was worried that within two years, the military and civilians in Hebei would fall under Li Yi's "sugar-coated bullets" and forget the old kindness of their Yuan family.

After hearing this, Tadun stopped hesitating and formally decided to send troops to the Central Plains.

The fifth day of the first lunar month, 203 AD.

Tadun sent troops to attack Yuyang County on the pretext of helping the Yuan family recover lost territory.

The Wuhuan people had a certain influence on Yuyang, and a large number of Wuhuan people lived here.

However, the person who had the strongest control over Yuyang County was Xianyu Fu, an old subordinate of Liu Yu.

As early as after Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, Xianyu Fu gathered troops from his county and formed an alliance with Yan State's powerful Yan Rou, Yuan Shao's general Qu Yi, Qiao Wang Su Puyan, and even the Xianbei people.

With a total of 100,000 troops, they defeated Gongsun Zan at Baoqiu and killed more than 20,000 enemies.

Since then, Dai County, Guangyang County, Shanggu County and Youbeiping County in Youzhou have all risen up and broken away from Gongsun Zan's control.

Even after Yuan Shao unified Youzhou, he still granted these counties a high degree of "autonomy".

Because Youzhou was too poor, if it were directly governed by Yuan Shao, he would have to pay a lot of money every year.

Why not just let them govern themselves? As long as you don't cause trouble, you are allowed to do whatever you want there.

So until now, the northern counties of Youzhou are still relatively independent.

Xianyu Fu was quite popular in Yuyang because he defeated Gongsun Zan.

Therefore, with the support of his subordinates, officials and people, he took on the duties of the prefect.

Xianyu Fu soon received the news that Tadun was attacking Yuyang, and he immediately summoned everyone to discuss the matter.

"Yuyang is poor and isolated, and it is hard to defend. Where do you think we should go?"

Someone advised:
"At that time, heroes emerged, and the world did not know which one to follow."

"In my opinion, the one who can finally rule the world must be Liu Bei."

"Now Liu Bei has appointed Li Yi as governor of Jizhou to take charge of Hebei affairs."

"Li Yi will mobilize troops against Youzhou sooner or later. You should return quickly to obey him, and you will not lose your title of nobility."

Xianyu Fu followed his advice and led 5,000 soldiers from Yuyang County south to Bohai to join Li Yi.

at the same time,

Located in the south of Yuyang, the State of Yan, also adjacent to Bohai County, is Guangyang County.

The boss of Guangyang at this time was Yan Rou, who had participated in the campaign against Gongsun Zan.

He was born into a powerful family in the State of Yan, and took over the throne because he killed Xing Ju, the captain of the Wuhuan.

Now he is also considering what to do next.

The situation in the north has changed drastically, and Youzhou is in chaos.

With the defeat of the second Yuan'er, he fled eastward to Wuhuan.

After careful consideration, Yan Rou also decided to lead all the troops in the county and head south to Bohai.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month,
Xu Huang, the governor of Zhangwu, suddenly saw a large number of troops in the north.

At least tens of thousands of people.

While sending people to find out the situation, he also quickly reported the news to Li Yi.

Li Yi personally went to Zhangwu to greet him.

It turned out that these tens of thousands of troops were divided into three groups.

Along the way were Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu, who instigated rebellion in the counties of Youzhou.

Along the way was Xianyu Fu, a powerful man from Yuyang who was acting as the prefect.

Along the way was the Guangyang tyrant, Yan Rou, who was the commander of the Wuhuan.

These three armies have a total of 30,000 troops.

Although they come from different regions, they all have one goal:

"I will abandon the dark and join the light, and follow General Liu till death to support the Han Dynasty!"

Of course, this is just a slogan they shout.

His real wish is to get promoted and given more titles, so that he can enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of his life.

Li Yinai met them one by one.

At the same time, he reported to Liu Bei and asked him to promote everyone to higher positions.

Jiao Chu was appointed governor of Youzhou and Zhang Nan was appointed general of Zhenbei.

He appointed Xianyu Fu as governor of Yuyang and appointed him General Jianzhong, but at the same time he was ordered to supervise the military affairs of the six counties of Youzhou.

This was obviously intended to check and balance Jiao Chu, the governor of Youzhou.

As for Yan Rou, he was appointed as the commander of the Wuhuan Guard.

The so-called Protector of Wuhuan was a military officer who was specifically responsible for managing the affairs of ethnic minorities in the Youyan area.

It was not under the jurisdiction of the Youzhou governor, and the powers exercised by the two men were also different.

This can actually be seen through this round of rewards.

Youzhou's special geographical location and political environment made even the officials it appointed very complicated.

The distribution of power is not as simple and crude as in other counties.

Like Li Yi's Jizhou,
He is the governor of Jizhou, the absolute leader and the governor of the military and political affairs of the entire province.

It's nothing like Youzhou, where there are a bunch of officials holding great power, but no one is the one who has the final say.

After recruiting Zhang Nan, Jiao Chu, Yan Rou, Xian Yu Fu and other generals who had brought money into the group, Li Yi planned to go north to conquer Wuhuan.

But this plan undoubtedly aroused opposition from all his subordinates.

Xu Huang, the governor of Zhangwu, advised:

"At present, Jizhou has just been settled, and people are restless. It is not appropriate to start a war."

"Besides, the counties of Youzhou have not yet been pacified. How can we send a large army to Liaodong, wasting manpower and money?"

Zhang Liao also advised:
"There are many people in Jizhou who support Yuan. It will take more than one or two years to settle the issue."

"If you leave Jizhou, there will be rebellion within."

"Although the Wuhuan have become stronger in the past two years, they may not be able to come to Jizhou."

"In my opinion, we should take our time and not rush into it."

Li Yinai said:

"What the two generals said is not a good idea."

"I have stationed heavy troops in every county in Jizhou and sent my trusted men to guard them."

"Even if I leave, those who are restless may not dare to move rashly."

"And the Wuhuan people have been occupying Liao territory for a long time."

"Now they have joined forces with the Yuan family, won over the people's hearts, and swept across the country. This is truly a great threat."

"If we don't plan early, the north will never be settled."

Li Yi’s meaning was very clear: a short pain is worse than a long one.

Anyway, the problem of the Wuhuan people will be solved sooner or later, so why not solve it now?

As for the series of issues mentioned by Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.

Li Yi had already made preparations. He left enough troops in Jizhou and sent his trusted men to guard it, so he was unable to stir up a major rebellion.

"Besides, Yunchang is in charge of Qingzhou. If there is any change in Jizhou, the troops from Qingzhou can arrive the next day."

"Why do you doubt it, gentlemen?"

Even if something really went wrong in Jizhou, Guan Yu could still rush over from Qingzhou to clean up the mess.

Therefore, issues of political stability were not within Li Yi's consideration.

On the contrary, the people in Jizhou who are still loyal to the Yuan family as mentioned by everyone are the ones that Li Yi really needs to deal with carefully.

The second Yuan'er still has a certain influence in the north, and now he has the help of the Wuhuan soldiers.

They could easily launch a dual offensive of force and public opinion at the same time to shake Li Yi's rule in the north.

Based on this, Li Yicai must quickly resolve this hidden danger.

"If you leave the Jizhou troops behind, where will you send troops to attack the Wuhuan?"

Chen Dao asked aloud.

But the moment he asked the question, his eyes unconsciously fell on the new recruits such as Zhang Nan, Jiao Chu and others.

This group of Youzhou generals brought more than 30,000 people.

It is an absolute fresh force.

Could it be that Li Yi wanted to use them to conquer the Wuhuan people?
Unexpectedly, Li Yi said to Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu, the two generals with the largest number of troops:

"You two can lead your troops back to Youzhou to defend the territory first, and then make plans after my army arrives."

When these words were spoken, everyone including Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu were shocked.

He secretly thought that this was their first time to surrender and they were planning to make great achievements and serve General Liu, but Li Yi actually refused the free labor.

Why were they sent back to Youzhou?

"...here."

Although Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu did not understand Li Yi's intention, since it was an order, they had no choice but to obey.

Li Yi then said to Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu:

"The two generals were born in Youzhou and had frequent contacts with other ethnic minorities such as the Wuhuan and Xianbei."

"If I want to conquer Liao, I must have guides and interpreters."

"You two can come with me to conquer the Wuhuan."

“…Yes, sir!!”

Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu bowed and accepted the order.

But at the same time he secretly thought that the combined number of soldiers under his command was less than 10,000.

Could it be that Li Yi wanted to use such a small number of people to challenge the coalition forces of Yuan and Wuhuan soldiers?
"...Bring me some paper and pen."

Li Yi ordered Zhen Yao to bring pen and ink, and he personally wrote three military orders.

These three military orders were sent to different places.

One was Ma Chao of Bingzhou, who was ordered to lead his Ma family men to participate in the war in Bohai.

One was Zhang Xiu, who was ordered to lead the Liangzhou cavalry to Bohai to join the battle.

One was Lu Bu of Runan, who was ordered to lead his troops to Bohai to participate in the war.

Li Yi's three military orders all have one thing in common, that is, they all summoned "cavalry units."

Because of the bitter cold in Liaodong, if infantry were used, half of the people would die just in the marching process.

So we can only use cavalry.

But he did not use Gongsun Xu's 5,000 Youzhou cavalry.

This was because Gongsun had old grudges with Xianyu Fu, Yan Rou and others.

Li Yi was afraid that if he called these people over, there would be a fight between the two sides, so he simply decided to just stay in Xuzhou.

Among them, the focus must be placed on Lu Bu's army.

Now, Lu Bu would be summoned almost at the command.

Why?

Because the situation in the world has become clearer, or more unified.

If it is just a casual thought and those with a weak political sense would think that the previous warlord separatism was just a minor episode.

The political situation of the Han Dynasty was about to return to stability.

Lu Bu is such a representative figure.

He never realized that he was a prince. He only knew that the imperial court had issued an edict ordering him to go to the north to participate in the war, and he dared not disobey the order.

If it were in the past, Lu Bu could still play tricks, but the princes around him were flirting with him.

But now he is surrounded by the two powerful forces of Cao and Liu.

He won't be allowed to have any evil thoughts.

Since the imperial court has issued an edict, then just go. Lu Bu originally came from the border area.

Now it's just a matter of returning to the border.

It would take time to recruit troops from three directions, and Li Yi had to do another job during this period.

That was to obtain the consent of Xuzhou and support his northern expedition against Wuhuan.

This Northern Expedition to Wuhuan was a matter of great importance, so it was impossible not to report it to Xuzhou.

In addition to requesting Lao Liu's permission, Li Yi also hoped that Lao Liu would review the two case reports.

One is to open canals.

That’s right, Li Yi’s favorite thing is still repairing canals.

When he was in Xuzhou, he supported Chen Deng in repairing the Hangou Canal.

When he was in Huainan, he supported Yuan Min in repairing the Shaobi Canal.

Now that he has arrived in Jizhou, he also wants to build two canals between Ji and Youzhou.

First of all, it benefits the country and the people and develops agriculture.

Secondly, it was to prepare for the northern expedition against Wuhuan.

With canals, grain from Bohai to Guangyang can be transported by water and delivered to the front line continuously.

This will save a lot of money.

According to Li Yi's idea, he hoped to build a Pinglu Canal starting from the Hutuo River and all the way to Gushui.

Then, starting from the mouth of the Beihe River, it entered the Luhe River and connected to the Bohai Sea, and built a Quanzhou Canal.

With the logistical support of these two canals, the northern expedition against the Wuhuan could go much more smoothly.

Of course, building canals costs money.

Therefore, the second report Li Yi made to Lao Liu was to ask Xuzhou for money and food.

There is no need for you, Xuzhou, to provide manpower. We in Jizhou can recruit labor service ourselves.

But you must give me money and food, Lao Liu. Otherwise, how can I repair the canals and fight against the Wuhuan?

You know, in order to win over the people's hearts and resume production.

Li Yi exempted Jizhou from one year's rent and taxes.

This means that this year, the Jizhou government has generally been spending more than it earns.

They could only rely on the Xuzhou headquarters to provide money and food to fill the gap.

So when Old Liu in Xuzhou received Li Yi's letter, he was also a little confused.

He thought to himself, Jizhou is now in a state of disrepair, and the military advisor has always sought stability, so why is he suddenly seeking an urgent expedition this time?
Liu Bei found that he was gradually unable to keep up with Li Yi's pace. Every time he thought he should slow down, Li Yi would start a war.

But when Liu Bei felt that it was time to go to war, Li Yi had to stop and resume production.

It seemed as if the two of them were not on the same rhythm.

...80 million coins and one million hu of grain.

Five hundred cows, five hundred mules, one thousand sheep, and two thousand pigs.

Three thousand pounds of iron, and a thousand warships.

Looking at the list of supplies handed over by Li Yi, Liu Bei was overwhelmed.

I thought to myself that Li Yi was really bold in asking for so many supplies just to conquer the Wuhuan.

But then I thought about it,
Considering that Jizhou was exempted from rent and taxes for one year, Xuzhou needed to fill the vacancy left by Jizhou.

Li Yi must have taken this item into account, which is why he asked for such a high price.

But even so, it is still not a small amount.

Even for Xuzhou, it is impossible to raise so much in a short time.

It is also necessary to raise land and collect materials from Huainan and Qingzhou to gather what Li Yi asked for.

But with such a huge sum of money, even Liu Bei had to think carefully about whether to support Li Yi's northern expedition against the Wuhuan.

If we can slow down this war, we can just fill the vacancy in Jizhou this year.

Then there would be no need to raise money and grain from other places, and Xuzhou alone could fill the gap.

But if we support this war, the soldiers and civilians of Xuzhou will suffer.
Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and had to write back to Li Yi first.

He said he would find a way to raise supplies and fill the gap in Jizhou this year.

As for the expenses required for the northern expedition against the Wuhuan, they need to be carefully considered and not rushed.

Li Yi received the reply, but of course he was not in a hurry.

Anyway, the construction of Pinglu Canal and Quanzhou Canal will take time, and he can wait.

During this period, let the officials in Xuzhou hold meetings and discuss the matter slowly.

Just as Li Yi expected, at this time, Xuzhou Xia Pi was having a heated discussion about whether or not to support Jizhou in the war to the north against Wuhuan.

Wang Xiu advised:
"Now that Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi have been defeated and are about to die, their strength and power are exhausted, so they can only flee to the desert and surrender to the barbarians."

"If Marquis Tan leads his troops to attack them, Cao Cao will take advantage of the opportunity to attack Jizhou, and we will not be able to rescue them in time, and Jizhou will be lost!"

"This will cause great harm. My lord, please order the Marquis of Tan to return to his army."

"It is better not to enter, be careful!"

The situation in Jizhou is now unstable. Wang Xiu is worried that once Li Yi leaves, Cao Cao will take the opportunity to attack Jizhou.

Originally, Cao and Liu were only allies in name only, and their relationship was already very tense.

In the previously signed Treaty of Jizhou, Cao Cao suffered a loss.

If he seizes the opportunity and sweeps across other counties in Jizhou, all the efforts of the soldiers in the past few years will be wasted.

Zhang Fei immediately interrupted and said:
"Didn't Mr. Ziyu make it clear in his letter?"

"They did not mobilize the troops from Jizhou, but mobilized troops from Bingzhou and Youzhou."

"The counties of Jizhou have sufficient manpower, and even if Cao Cao attacks, they are able to defend themselves."

"At least hold on until Xuzhou responds. That's no problem."

"...Oh, no! No!"

The person who spoke was Kong Rong.

Kong Rong was considered the president of "Xuzhou University" and often participated in important meetings.

Seeing that everyone was hesitant on the issue of whether to attack the Wuhuan people, he expressed his own opinion.

"Wuhuan is the Eastern Hu."

"I have never admired China, and I have never submitted to the king's rule."

"Later, Liu Youzhou was pacified, and he made them admire China and drive out the foreign nations."

"Now they are in the bitter cold of Liaoxi. Sending troops to conquer them would cost the people money and trouble the harmony of nature."

"The second Yuan'er is already at the end of his rope and it's hard for him to achieve anything."

"We only need to use Liu Youzhou's old strategy to win over the barbarians, and the Wuhuan will be pacified sooner or later."

"The reason why he sent troops to attack Yuyang was because he was sending troops for the Yuan family."

"Because the Yuan family has done favors for the Wuhuan people, if our favors are greater than those of the Yuan family."

"Why should we worry about the dangers of Wuhuan?"

Kong Rong spread his hands and urged Liu Bei not to be impulsive.

Kong Rong's opinion actually represented the opinions of many officials in Xuzhou.

Which official in Xuzhou would not feel the pain when asked to pay so much money?

Of course, the most important thing is that the benefits of the northern expedition to Wuhuan were too low.

When attacking Jizhou, everyone wanted to go there because it was rich.

But if we are going to attack western Liaoning, who would go there if they have nothing better to do?

"Liao is a poor land, as far as I know."

"There is little rain in the spring here, so irrigation depends entirely on the melting snow flowing into the rivers, forming ice floods."

“If there is no river nearby, water has to be drawn manually for irrigation, which is extremely laborious.”

"It's not that our great Han Dynasty has no arable land, but the 400-li area between the Lu River and the Yu River is uncultivated, and the court has not set up any counties there."

"Let me ask you, what is the benefit of this long expedition?"

Kong Rong pointed out the biggest problem in the northern expedition against the Wuhuan.

The land you conquer will also become a bleeding sink for your central government.

Why not leave it to the barbarians and let them develop it themselves?
Liu Bei frowned. This was the first time he held an opinion opposite to Li Yi's on this issue.

Until Zhuge Liang, who had remained silent, spoke.

……

(End of this chapter)