Chapter 506

Hanzhong, this plain area between the Qinling Mountains and the Daba Mountains, had a very critical geographical location, connecting Liu Bei's two important territories, Guanzhong and Yizhou.

Liu Bei also inspected the counties of Hanzhong and arrived at Shangyong County in the eastern part of Hanzhong,

"Kongming, what do you think of this place, Shangyong?"

Zhuge Liang had already studied the Hanzhong map I don't know how many times,

"My lord, Shangyong's geographical location is very important. Going north, you can reach Chang'an; going west, you reach the heart of the Hanzhong basin; and following the Han River to the southeast, you can reach Xiangyang City in Jingzhou directly."

Everyone looked at the map,

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

"My lord, once there is a change in Xiangyang, our army going from Shangyong to Xiangyang is half the distance of the road from Chang'an, and also closer than from Xuxian to Xiangyang."

Liu Bei nodded,

"In the past, Zhang Lu had no desire for progress and didn't manage Shangyong very well."

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang,

"Kongming, if I want to restore the Great Han, where should I start?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the map,

"My lord, there are only four powerful feudal lords left in the world: Yuan Shao in Hebei, Cao Cao in the Central Plains, Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and Liu Biao in Jingzhou."

"My lord occupies the lands of Guanzhong and Yizhou, with the best geographical location, situated upstream of the rivers, with mountains and passes for defense, and after my lord's many years of effort, the population is also the largest."

"Cao Cao occupies the Central Plains, with a large population, and now that he has taken most of Taking Xuzhou, he can go directly to the sea and has the benefits of fish and salt."

"Sun Ce occupies Jiangdong, with the natural barrier of the Yangtze River; he has enough to hold territory but lacks the ability to progress, and is eyeing Jingzhou covetously."

"Yuan Shao occupies the three provinces of Hebei, with countless fertile fields and a very large population."

"Jingzhou has a population of over six million and is situated in the central part of the Great Han; to restore the Great Han, one must take Jingzhou!"

"Liu Biao is old, and his sons are mediocre; as soon as Liu Biao dies, Jingzhou will surely be the center of contention for the three parties."

"Whoever takes Xiangyang first and gains the support of the Jingzhou gentry will find it easier to take Jingzhou. My lord has a high reputation in Jingzhou and has also taken the daughter of the Cai clan—hmm, the daughter of the Huang clan."

Zhuge Liang almost choked when he said this; his lord sacrificed too much for him and for the great cause!

Liu Bei... "Kongming, continue."

"The support of the Pang clan, Ma clan, and other gentry. However, because our army has an advantage, Cao Cao and Sun Ce might join forces to deal with us."

"Cao Cao takes Nanyang Commandery, pointing directly at Xiangyang!"

"Sun Ce takes Jiangxia Commandery; following the Han River, he can attack Xiangyang, and following the Yangtze River, he can attack the four commanderies of Southern Jingzhou!"

Liu Bei nodded; Jingzhou is a piece of fat meat that everyone wants to take a bite of!

"Then how should we respond?"

"Our army can send troops from three places: from Chang'an, go through Wuguan to compete with Cao Cao for Nanyang Commandery!"

"From Shangyong, rush directly to Xiangyang to take the capital of Jingzhou!"

"From Badong Commandery, go down the river to take Nan Commandery and the four commanderies of Southern Jingzhou!"

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands,

"My lord left Wei Yan to guard Badong Commandery and also trained the navy, and this time brought us to Shangyong, clearly having already begun deployment."

Guo Jia also nodded,

"The three armies taking Jingzhou with lightning speed and keeping the enemy out is the key."

Liu Bei smiled,

"Good, everyone's analysis is very good. Kongming, I intend to appoint you as the Administrator of Hanzhong to manage Hanzhong, focusing on the Shangyong area, what do you think?"

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands,

"My lord, rest assured, I will definitely complete the task!"

"Good, Shangyong has many mountains; I will let Wang Ping lead the Qingqiang mountain troops to guard it under your command, and leave Guo Huai and Yan Xing to assist you."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Liu Bei stayed in Hanzhong for a few more days and led his army back to Chang'an, which he had been away from for many days.

The accompanying Liu Zhang was sent to Anding for settlement, and Liu Zhang's son went to the Chang'an Academy to study.

Liu Bei also ordered Guanqiu Sun Jian to lead 10,000 troops to assist Zhang Lu's 10,000+ troops to go to the Western Regions to occupy territory, help Zhang Lu gain a firm foothold, and incidentally bring back some good horses and beauties from the Western Regions.

After arranging all this, Liu Bei finally returned to Chang'an.

Hearing that Lord Liu Xuande had returned from Yizhou, the people of Chang'an poured into the streets one after another to welcome him on both sides of the street!

Zhang Ren, who followed Liu Bei to Chang'an, sighed deeply,

"With my lord having such support from the people, why worry about the world not being settled!"

Liu Bei let Zhang Ren and Gan Ning train the navy together, training in the Wei River and Yellow River areas.

Returning to the General of the Cavalry's mansion,

Ju Shou, Xun You, and Lu Su reported the recent situation,

"My lord, you opened up the trade routes of Yizhou, and now merchants from both places communicate frequently; the commercial tax of Guanzhong alone has doubled and a half!"

Liu Bei nodded,

"How is the situation with other feudal lords?"

Xun You presented the bamboo slips,

"My lord, Yuan Shu died of illness in Huainan, and the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal are unknown; it is most likely taken by Sun Ce."

"Although Lü Bu killed Chen Gui, Chen Deng escaped. He joined some gentry to welcome Cao Cao's army, and Taishan bandits like Zang Ba and Sun Guan also defected to Cao Cao to besiege Lü Bu."

"Lü Bu was no match and was trapped in Xiapi City. My lord once warned him to be careful of Cao Cao digging the Si River to flood Xiapi."

"He led his elites to break out, but went to Jiujiang Commandery and was defeated by Liu Xun of Lujiang; like a stray dog, he has now fled to Jingzhou."

"Jingzhou?"

Liu Bei was also speechless; this Lü Bu was actually imitating his previous route, but unfortunately, he was fleeing in defeat all the way.

"What do you think Lü Bu wants to do in Jingzhou?"

Lu Su cupped his hands,

"My lord, Lü Bu should want to imitate his experience in Taking Xuzhou, asking Liu Biao for a place to live, and when Liu Biao dies of illness like Tao Qian, he will replace him."

Liu Bei laughed dumbly,

"This Lü Bu killed two adoptive fathers, Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, waited for Tao Qian to die, and now wants to wait for Liu Biao to die? Even if he is younger and healthier, he can't be like this."