My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 25: High profile, give Lu Su a little shock
"Not a single soldier from Jiangdong may enter Jiangxia..."

Liu Bei stood up and paced on the top of the city wall, chewing on every word Xiao He said.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Bei said happily:
"Bo Wen is absolutely right. I will follow your advice and stick to my bottom line. I will not allow even a single soldier from Sun Quan to enter Jiangxia!"

After saying that, Liu Bei pulled Xiao He up and left.

"My Lord, where are we going? I haven't even taken a bite of this fish yet."

"Of course, we're going to meet the Jiangdong envoy. It's not too late to eat the fish later. I'll ask Shuzhi and the others to catch ten and send them over."

...

A moment later, Liu Bei and Xiao He were sitting leisurely in the provincial government.

A scholar in black walked into the hall calmly.

He has an elegant face but a burly figure, which makes him a little different from ordinary counselors. He has the temperament of both a scholar and a warrior.

"I, Lu Su, have come to visit Liu Yuzhou on the orders of my general, Sun."

The scholar stepped forward slowly and bowed with neither arrogance nor servility.

Liu Bei naturally treated Lu Su with courtesy. After some polite words, he invited Lu Su to sit in the seat of honor.

"I have long heard of Zi Jing's great name, and seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is truly well-deserved."

In the following time, Liu Bei praised Lu Su in various ways, served him tea and wine, but did not ask Lu Su's purpose at all.

Lu Su waited for a long time, but Liu Bei didn't ask anything, and finally he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Then he coughed a few times and asked:
"General Sun originally intended to have Su come to offer condolences to Liu Jingzhou and also pay a visit to Liu Yuzhou. However, he didn't expect that while Su was in Jiangxia, he learned that Cao Cao's army was marching south and Xiangyang had undergone a drastic change."

"Just as I entered the city, I heard that Cao Cao's 150,000-strong army was drinking from the Han River and was attacking Fancheng fiercely."

"Cao Cao is a master of military strategy, and his army is ten times greater than Liu Yuzhou's. I'm afraid Fancheng is in imminent danger."

"If Fancheng is lost, Xiangyang will certainly be in danger. I wonder what Liu Yuzhou's plans will be then?"

Xiao He, who was listening quietly at the side, raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

You know, Lu Su’s image as an “honest man” is fake.

Lu Su was trying to persuade Liu Bei to take the initiative to propose an alliance with Sun Quan and ask Sun Quan to send troops to help in the battle.

When two parties are negotiating, whoever asks for something from the other party first will be in a passive position.

This Lu Su is very bad.

"Zi Jing, you're worrying too much. I've just got a new general named Huo Jun, also known as Zhong Miao. I didn't expect him to be such a prodigy in defending the city, he could be called a gate god!"

"Huo Zhongmiao, with 5,000 men, defended Fancheng and repelled Cao Cao's fierce attacks for ten consecutive days, preventing a single Cao soldier from reaching the city walls."

"Fancheng is in Huo Zhongmiao's hands and is as strong as a rock. I can rest assured in Xiangyang."

Fortunately, Liu Bei was well prepared and used the rhetoric that Xiao He had thought of in advance to deal with Lu Su's inducement.

A strange look flashed in Lu Su's eyes.

Before entering Xiangyang, he had done some research and had heard a little about the battle situation in Fancheng.

When I learned that Huo Jun, a little-known character, was able to withstand the fierce attack of Cao Cao's army of over 100,000 with only 5,000 soldiers, I always felt that there was something fishy about the rumors.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei confirmed it in person.

"Jingzhou is indeed a land of outstanding people and hidden talents, and it even has a prodigy like Huo Jun."

"How did Liu Xuande unearth such an unknown city defense genius?"

Lu Su was secretly amazed.

"Our Xiangfan is as strong as a fortress of iron and steel. Even if Cao Cao has a million-strong army, we are nothing to worry about."

"Zi Jing, you have come from afar, so I should do my best to be a good host and treat you well. Today, we will only drink and not talk about anything else."

Liu Bei wanted to change the subject, so he immediately gave orders to prepare a banquet to entertain the distinguished guests.

Lu Su was at a loss to bring it up again, so he could only force a smile and follow the host's wishes.

The banquet was set up.

Liu Bei kept drinking and chatting.

The topics they talked about were all over the place, but they still did not mention the war at hand, as if the hundreds of thousands of Cao's troops right in front of them were nothing.

Lu Su drank the wine absent-mindedly, and the more he drank, the more suspicious and confused he became.

Logically, Cao Cao's army is approaching, and you have to deal with Cao Cao in the north, Liu Cong in the south, and my Jiangdong army in the east is ready to attack Jiangxia at any time to cut off your arm, Liu Qi.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn't your top priority be to propose an alliance to me, the envoy from Jiangdong?

But now you haven't said a word and treat the threat from us Jiangdong as nothing!
You are really playing by your own rules... After guessing for a long time, Lu Su finally lost his patience and said:

"Liu Yuzhou, my general Sun has always respected Yuzhou. Now that he has heard that Cao Cao is launching a large-scale attack, he is willing to join forces with Liu Yuzhou to help Yuzhou fight against Cao."

"I wonder what Liu Yuzhou thinks?"

Liu Bei glanced at Xiao He.

As he expected, Lu Su came with the mission of inviting him to form an alliance.

This further supports Xiao He's speculation that under the current situation, Sun Quan has no intention of invading Jingzhou, and the first priority is to repel Cao Cao.

Lu Su was the first to propose an alliance, which meant he wanted something from one side.

The initiative is now in our hands.

"General Sun is so young, yet he's already a dominant force in Jiangdong. I've admired him for a long time."

"Since General Sun is loyal to the Han Dynasty and wants to join forces with me to fight against Cao Cao, I would naturally be more than happy to do so."

Having taken the initiative, Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and accepted Sun Quan's invitation to join forces.

Lu Su was afraid that Liu Bei would refuse, so when he got a positive answer, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Since the two families have joined forces to fight Cao, how could my General Sun let Liu Yuzhou fight against Cao's army alone without helping him?"

"So my General Sun wants Zhou Gongjin to lead his troops to Jiangxia. First, he can help defend against Liu Qi, second, he can march north to rescue Xiangfan at any time, and third, he can march west to Jiangling to threaten Liu Cong."

"I wonder if Liu Yuzhou can ask Liu Qi to allow our Jiangdong navy to enter Jiangxia."

Liu Bei picked up the wine glass and glanced at Xiao He with admiration.

"Bo Wen is indeed insightful and has seen through Sun Zhongmou's thoughts. That Bi Yan'er really wants to station troops in Jiangxia..."

After secretly praising him, Liu Bei politely declined:
"I appreciate General Sun's kindness, but with Huo Zhongmiao at the ready, Fancheng is impregnable. Even Cao Cao, with his million-strong army, is nothing to worry about."

"As for Liu Cong, I have ordered Military Advisor Kong Ming to the front of Yicheng to assist Yide in blocking his advance north. I believe this will be a sure thing."

"General Sun, sending troops into Jiangxia will be useless. It would be better to march on Hefei and seize Huainan, which would further divide Cao Cao's forces."

Lu Su frowned slightly.

He advised Sun Quan to join forces with Liu Bei, first to fight against Cao Cao, and second to extend the Jiangdong army's tentacles to Jiangxia, in preparation for further control of Jingzhou after repelling Cao Cao.

If Liu Bei did not allow his Jiangdong army to enter Jiangxia, wouldn't this second goal be in vain?

How can I explain this to Sun Quan when I get back?
"Although General Huo is a skilled defender, Cao Cao still has an army of 150,000 men. Liu Yuzhou must not underestimate the enemy."

"If Xiangfan is lost, Jingzhou will surely be swallowed up by Cao Cao, and Jiangdong will also be in danger."

"To be on the safe side, Su thinks it would be best for our Jiangdong Army to station in Jiangxia and be ready to provide assistance to Liu Yuzhou at any time."

How could Lu Su give up easily? He still insisted on letting Sun Quan extend his hand into Jiangxia.

Liu Bei smiled confidently and pointed at Xiao He:
"I have Xiao and Xiao Bowen, who can defeat a million strong soldiers. Cao Cao will never have a single soldier cross the Han River."

"Please tell General Sun, Zijing, to rest assured."

Xiao He?

Lu Su looked at the young strategist who had been drinking wine leisurely with a suspicious look.

He had heard before that Zhuge Liang was not in Xiangyang, so he guessed who this strategist beside Liu Bei was.

Now that he finally knew his name, Lu Su looked confused and unfamiliar.

"Xiao He? Xiao Bowen?"

"From Liu Xuande's tone, it seems this man possesses extraordinary wisdom and strategy. How could he possibly withstand Cao Cao's millions of troops?"

"But I've never heard of such a person in Jingzhou?"

Lu Su had a series of questions in his mind and looked Xiao He up and down, his eyes full of speculation and curiosity.

Xiao He naturally understood that Lu Su was questioning his own abilities and wondering why such a new face who came out of nowhere was praised so highly by Liu Bei.

A tall tree attracts the wind, so he didn't want to be too high-profile.

But given the current situation, it’s impossible not to be high-profile.

"I am just an idler in the mountains. Brother Zijing, of course, you don't know my name."

Xiao He laughed at himself first, then changed the subject:
"However, I have long admired Brother Zijing. The strategy you proposed to General Sun was truly a brilliant plan for achieving great things. I admire you deeply."

Strategy on the couch!
As soon as these three words came out, Lu Su's face changed with horror.

(End of this chapter)