Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

"Is it to wholeheartedly rescue Yuan Shu?"

"Do they still harbor the same ambition as us, wanting to seize Jianghuai?"

Chen Gong, who was standing next to him, shook his head and said.

"Seize the Jianghuai region? You mean........."

Lu Bu's eyes widened.

He then shook his head frantically.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. The two families are related by marriage. If they were to make a move now and seize Jianghuai, wouldn't they be despised by the world?"

"That's true, but... what if Yuan Shu is defeated by someone else? Then he can rightfully take over his father-in-law's territory. Logically and morally, it can be said that he is avenging his father-in-law. How could he bear the infamy?"

Chen Gong countered with a question.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Gongtai, do you mean that Zhou Heng never intended to truly help Yuan Shu from beginning to end, but only used this pretext to seize Yuan Shu's territory?"

Chen Gong nodded: "That's right. Otherwise, why do you think Zhou Heng would make a move at this time? Why did he leave the six counties of Xuzhou unattended after taking it over? Because he knew that Xuzhou, being a battleground, was impossible for him to defend. Although Jianghuai was also a battleground, it had natural defenses. The key is that all the major warlords in the world are currently tied down. Jiangdong only has a small Sun Ce with a few thousand horses, Liu Biao has no ambition, and Cao Cao has to face Yuan Shao. If he were to annex Jianghuai now, and then launch an attack from Yuzhang, defeat Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and seize Jiangdong, using Jiangdong and Jianghuai as springboards, he could enter Zigui, advance westward to Xichuan and Hanzhong, cross the Yangtze River and launch an attack from Nanyang, threatening Jingzhou. In this way, he would have almost completely controlled the south of the world. After the north was decided, the south would be firmly established under his rule. With the Yangtze River as a natural barrier, he could completely divide the world in two. If Zhou Heng still has ambition, after taking control of Jingzhou, he could enter the Central Plains from the north. At this time, the north has just experienced a major war and its foundation is not yet solid. Who can be his opponent?"

"hiss."

This statement came out.

Lu Bu and his generals gasped in shock.

Ultimately, their attack on Yuan Shu was simply a ploy to secure a place to survive.

In order to make a comeback.

Zhou Heng, on the other hand, was thinking of using Xuzhou as a springboard to take control of the Jianghuai region, annex Jiangdong, enter Xichuan from the west, and occupy the rich land of Guanzhong.

Even if they didn't capture Jingzhou.

With the Yangtze and Huai Rivers as a springboard, he could also march north into the Central Plains at any time.

Such a grand plan and undertaking.

How could they not be shocked?

Is this still the same lowly bandit they once knew?

They've actually laid out such a grand plan.

"No wonder he ignored the six prefectures of Xuzhou, because he never took them seriously."

"His goal from beginning to end was Jianghuai."

"No wonder he chose to form a marriage alliance with Yuan Shu when all the warlords in the land were jointly attacking him."

"Given this connection, his entry into Jianghuai can be considered a natural progression."

"No one in the world can say anything."

"Accept your father-in-law's inheritance."

"At this crucial moment, Cao Cao had to take care of Yuan Shao in the north and could not stay in the Jianghuai region for long."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou has no ambition. If Cao Cao hadn't retreated last time, he wouldn't have sent troops now."

"Therefore, in terms of current strength, he is the most powerful among all the warlords of the Jianghuai region."

"No one."

"In that case, it's quite possible that he could actually pull off this plan."

Think about it this way.

Almost everyone present broke out in a cold sweat.

They thought they had overestimated Zhou Heng.

I didn't expect that I had underestimated it.

No wonder he would go to any lengths to snatch the Zhen family from Yuan Shao.

It has the support of two major families.

He would then have no more worries.

The troops are well-trained and well-supplied.

We are fully capable of achieving this.

At that time, even Cao Cao and Liu Biao had already seen through each other's schemes.

There was no other way.

Because with the opponent's strength, they are now capable of engaging in a direct war with them.

As long as we hold on for a period of time.

Cao Cao would inevitably be forced to retreat.

Liu Biao also had to consider Sun Ce.

It's also impossible for the war to drag on for long.

In addition, although Zhou Heng entered Jianghuai and accepted Yuan Shu's legacy.

However, he did not declare himself emperor.

At this time, we should attack the enemy.

It's completely illegitimate and lacks legitimacy.

This is not in the interest of the powerful families in Jingzhou, and it is unlikely that they would support the other side.

In this way...

"Damn it, damn it, why is it always Zhou Heng? Why?"

"I'm thinking of using the opportunity of the warlords eliminating Yuan Shu as a springboard to make a comeback."

"I didn't expect the other party..."

Lu Bu was also gritting his teeth.

For some reason, he always felt that Zhou Heng was his nemesis.

Every time I want to do something.

Whenever they encounter each other, nothing good ever comes of it.

The current outcome is the same.

"Oh no! If that's the case, Zhou Heng's troops are right behind us. If he launches a sneak attack on us at this moment, won't we be doomed?"

Wei Xu seemed to have thought of something and his expression changed drastically.

"No, I suspect that the other side will not advance quickly at this time in order to achieve this goal."

"They won't even attack us first. They'll only choose to attack us after we've completely wiped out Yuan Shu."

"After all, it would only be legitimate for him to enter Jianghuai after Yuan Shu died."

"So, we should be safe at this time."

"However, this is only for this period of time. Once Cao Cao has captured Shouchun, he will definitely launch a fierce attack on us, and we must be on guard."

Chen Gong shook his head.

Chen Gong may be slow to react, but that doesn't mean he's stupid.

Now that everything is out in the open, it is easy to deduce Zhou Heng's purpose.

"What should we do then? Should we still choose to attack Yuan Shu?"

"If we both suffer heavy losses with Yuan Shu, we will then have to face Zhou Heng, who is watching us from behind."

"The consequences would be unimaginable."

Song Xian was also somewhat worried.

"Of course we'll attack. Even if we know their plans, we have no way out."

"Cao Cao is even less likely to listen to us."

"Whether we attack or not, Cao Cao will break through Shouchun; this is inevitable."

"If we give up the attack now."

"Zhou Heng, who was originally following behind us, will definitely send troops ahead of time and leave us with no place to bury our bodies."

"Because we have no value to him anymore."

"So there's no way around it. Even if we know they're plotting against us, we have no choice but to follow the path they've laid out for us."

"I am no match for Zhou Heng."