Chapter 439: Meeting of Princes
The allies were in a state of panic, but Liu Bei and Sun Ce, who seemed to be staying out of the matter and having no worries, had no intention of standing idly by.
The lips are dead and the teeth are cold.
Whether it is Yizhou or the Central Plains, once they are invaded by fields and marshes, they will be the ones to suffer.
Tian Ze is not the Cao Cao in the original historical trajectory. He has no weaknesses in naval warfare and mountain warfare, and the natural barrier of the Yangtze River does not play that great a role.
Liu Bei and Sun Ce are not some hundred thousand men who only want to stab others in the back.
They were also actively contacting Liu Fan, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to discuss countermeasures.
Under Liu Bei's coordination, in the middle of winter, after confirming that Tian Ze had no possibility of moving south, the five princes gathered in Jingzhou to discuss strategies to resist Qi.
This was the first time that the five princes gathered together. Liu Fan, who had been supporting from afar in the past, finally joined in anxiously when the crisis was faced.
Liu Bei and others did not exclude Liu Fan because of this. After all, there was no need to target Liu Fan, as he was just a guardian dog.
The three princes other than Liu Bei treated Liu Fan even more enthusiastically than Liu Bei, who was kind-hearted by nature.
Yizhou does not border them, so they do not want to see either Tian Ze or Liu Bei getting an advantage.
They are full of goodwill towards Liu Fan.
You have to hold on, little brother, take good care of Yizhou and don't let these two bad guys succeed.
Liu Fan was a little flattered at first, but soon he realized the twists and turns in it and decisively integrated into it.
They are all thousand-year-old foxes, and the atmosphere in the field was particularly harmonious for a moment.
Of course, this is also because Tian Ze’s power is too terrifying.
If we don't unite sincerely, we will all be finished. Yuan Shao and others are very clear about this consensus.
As the initiator, Liu Bei sat in the first seat without hesitation.
Compared with Sun Ce who had a headache because of the expansion of aristocratic families, Liu Fan who was in great danger, and Yuan Shao and Cao Cao who were facing threats, Liu Bei who was in Jingzhou, a place surrounded by wars, was actually the most stable one.
Relying on his benevolence and good reputation, he was elected by other princes to become the second person in charge.
Even Yuan Shao had no objection to this.
The overall situation is more important. Now that the offense and defense have changed, he is at the forefront and is so outstanding that he is no longer suitable to be the leader.
Otherwise, if Tian Ze really attacked them and moved them to the Huai River area, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow.
Sitting in the first seat, Liu Bei slowly glanced at the crowd. His face was still kind, but his expression was solemn and steady.
In the hall, the charcoal fire was burning, but it could not dispel the gloom brought by Tian Ze in everyone's hearts.
"Everyone, we are gathered here today to discuss how to resist Tian Ze's relentless advance. The situation is critical now. If we don't work together, I'm afraid we will all be unable to protect ourselves."
Liu Bei's voice was low but powerful, echoing in the hall.
Yuan Shao nodded slightly and took the initiative to cooperate and said, "Xuan De is right. Tian Ze has stationed troops in Liangzhou and Jizhou, aiming directly at Yizhou, Yanzhou or Qingzhou. I am afraid that a war will break out again next year or the year after."
"We no longer have much strength to resist, so we must unite as one. I'm afraid Xuande and Bofu will have to help us."
The situation was stronger than the man, and even someone as arrogant as Yuan Shao couldn't help but humble himself at this moment.
Pretending to be arrogant at a time like this would only make people laugh at him, but Yuan Shao was so frank that everyone present couldn't help but look at him with more respect.
To put it bluntly, the content of this discussion was how Liu Bei and Sun Ce could support the other three princes.
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Liu Fan were the demanders, and Yuan Shao took the initiative to take on the responsibility for the other two.
Cao Cao also bowed and said, "Benchu is right. In this battle, Cao and the other three are not strong enough, so I hope Xuande and Bofu can help."
Upon hearing this, Liu Fan bowed to the two of them without hesitation and said sincerely: "Lord Xuande, General Bofu, Yizhou is in danger now. Fan really has no idea what to do. I hope you can help me." All along, Liu Fan was not as confident in Yizhou's defense as he appeared.
No matter how strong the city walls are, they will eventually decay.
Yizhou has many mountains and rivers, but to truly fight the enemy, one still relies on people.
People’s hearts are changeable.
Liu Fan had seen it since the expedition to southern Yizhou that the local tyrants in Yizhou did not support him at all.
In this situation, can we really defend it by relying solely on the fortresses and troops in various places?
Liu Fan often dreamed of Tian Ze's army approaching the city and the powerful people in the city opening the city gates to surrender.
When he can no longer bring any benefits and hope to the powerful people in Yizhou, and instead consumes the vitality of Yizhou, perhaps that is when he will be abandoned.
Liu Bei glanced at Sun Ce, then said, "We are allies, so we should be united. Don't worry, I and Bo Fu will do our best."
Sun Ce also nodded immediately: "When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. Ce knows this truth very well."
The promise of Liu Bei and Sun Ce was like a reassurance, which slightly eased the anxiety in the hearts of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Liu Fan.
But they know that this promise comes at a huge price.
After seeing that the thoughts were unified and the tone was clear, the meeting officially entered the main topic.
Pang Tong, who was under Liu Bei's command, stood up and pulled out a huge map of the Thirteen States of the Han Dynasty. He said in a deep voice: "Gentlemen, Tian Ze is preparing for war in Liangzhou and Jizhou at the same time. It is obvious that he is preparing for a two-front war."
"First, in the direction of Liangzhou, the target is undoubtedly Yizhou!"
Pang Tong pointed at the location of Yizhou.
"General Liu, I have something to ask you." Pang Tong looked at Liu Fan solemnly.
"Shiyuan, just go ahead and say it." Liu Fan said without hesitation.
Pang Tong did not recognize Liu Fan's position as emperor, but Liu Fan no longer cared about this small detail.
To the outside world, he might still attach importance to this matter in order to avoid damaging his own prestige.
But everyone present is “our own people”.
The Son of Heaven is the one who has strong soldiers and horses.
Who here can be convinced by me? It's good enough to barely maintain face to the outside world, why humiliate yourself?
What's more, he and Liu Bei had a very good relationship, and they had reached a tacit understanding on this issue long before they met.
"Hanzhong, what's going on?"
After hearing Pang Tong's words, everyone looked at Liu Fan, which made Liu Fan feel a little embarrassed.
"Lord Liu, I have no intention of offending you. It's just that the location of Hanzhong is too important. It is the most important gateway to resist Tian Ze's southward advance to Yizhou. We must ensure that it is foolproof." Pang Tong bowed.
"I understand." Liu Fan sighed.
What Pang Tong wanted to ask was a question that everyone present wanted to confirm, and it was also a question that he had always instinctively avoided and was unwilling to think about.
"Hanzhong is not under my control."
Liu Fan, who was fully aware of the seriousness of the current situation, had no intention of concealing anything, but spoke directly and honestly.
(End of this chapter)
