Chapter 1449

"Of course, if the Empress Dowager lets me go, I will not refuse, but... three hundred thousand troops is too many, it is absolutely not advisable; I will only take a portion of the troops."

Liu Bei had selfish motives for saying this.

Three hundred thousand troops.

That was all of Liu Bei's current family wealth.

It was Liu Bei's trump card and reliance.

If they were all lost, even if he won, his current status would not be preserved.

On the contrary, if he only led a portion of the troops, even if the entire army was wiped out, as long as there were still troops, his status would remain stable, and he could advance or retreat.

This was the best method Liu Bei could think of now.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Dong hesitated.

"Grand Tutor, do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Dong turned her gaze to Yuan Kui again.

Yuan Kui took a deep breath, straightened his waist, held his tablet with both hands, and said: "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, actually, the war situation is not all bad news."

"Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Ji previously wrote a letter to the old minister, pointing out a strategy that might turn the war situation in Bingzhou around."

"Oh?"

Dong immediately raised her eyebrows and said excitedly: "Grand Tutor, speak quickly, what is the good strategy to deal with the enemy?"

Liu Bei also looked at Yuan Kui with surprise.

Yuan Kui paused slightly and then spoke slowly.

After Yuan Shao died unexpectedly in Jizhou, Yuan Kui recommended Yuan Ji to succeed him in Jizhou.

It was just that it was no longer Jizhou Inspector, but changed to Jizhou Shepherd.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Ji previously wrote to the old minister saying that Duan Yu attacking Bingzhou would inevitably make the Southern Xiongnu in the Mobei grassland go south to cooperate and attack Jizhou from the north and south."

"At that time, the old minister also thought so."

"Now Duan Yu has broken through Taiyuan Jun, and Bingzhou Inspector Zhang Yang has surrendered; if there is another Southern Xiongnu going south to cooperate, Bingzhou will likely be taken by Duan Yu very soon."

"Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Ji once said that four years ago, Duan Yu burned Tanhanshan and shot and killed the elder brother of the current Xianbei Chanyu Budugen, forming a deadly feud with the Xianbei."

"In these four years, Xianbei Chanyu Budugen has conquered the north and south and has almost unified all the Xianbei tribes, with power comparable to Tanshihuai in those years."

"Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Ji suggests that the imperial court should write a national letter to the Xianbei, form an alliance between the two countries, and then give certain benefits to let the Xianbei send troops to contain the Southern Xiongnu."

"In this way, the Southern Xiongnu will not be able to go south to cooperate with Duan Yu."

Empress Dowager Dong, sitting behind the pearl curtain, nodded while listening.

"This is possible, but this cannot stop Duan Yu from occupying Bingzhou," Dong said, frowning.

Liu Bei also thought so.

Without the Xianbei, it could indeed slow down the speed of Duan Yu occupying Bingzhou.

But it could not completely stop Duan Yu.

"Empress Dowager, Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Ji also mentioned in the letter that we can find ways to win over the Southern Xiongnu for the imperial court; if successful, we can give Duan Yu a counterattack at a critical moment."

Hiss!

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows and looked at Yuan Kui.

Win over the Southern Xiongnu?

Not very likely.

That Southern Xiongnu eldest daughter, Princess Suhe, was Duan Yu's first wife.

How could the imperial court win over the Southern Xiongnu?

"Empress Dowager, several years ago, when Duan Yu was still serving as a County Magistrate in Bingzhou, he once pursued to Daqingshan because of the Wang Rou case, and fought with the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu's eldest son Yufuluo at Daqingshan; in this battle, Duan Yu won and cut off one leg of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu's eldest son Yufuluo."

"Although later the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu married his eldest daughter to Duan Yu, the Southern Xiongnu is not a monolith."

"This son of the Southern Xiongnu, Huchuquan, has always been by Duan Yu's side, while the eldest son Yufuluo has stayed on the grassland for a long time."

"If this contradiction is well utilized, it is not impossible to win over the Southern Xiongnu."

Liu Bei suddenly realized after hearing this.

Yufuluo had one leg broken by Duan Yu.

And Huchuquan had been by Duan Yu's side for these years.

In the future, when the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu dies, who will inherit the position of Southern Xiongnu Chanyu?

Who will Duan Yu support?

No need to ask, Duan Yu will definitely support Huchuquan, or the child Duan Yu and the Southern Xiongnu eldest princess Suhe had, as the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu.

But no matter what, it will not fall on Yufuluo.

Then where will Yufuluo go?

Yuan Kui wanted to use the contradiction between Yufuluo and Duan Yu to find ways to intensify it and win over Yufuluo.

Not to mention, if the Southern Xiongnu and the Xianbei both turned to the Great Han and went south from Bingzhou to sweep, then Duan Yu's occupation of Bingzhou would definitely not be as smooth as it is now.

This Yuan Kui... is truly an old fox.

However, just as this thought was brewing in Liu Bei's heart, Yuan Kui spoke again: "If it is only the Marquis of Linxiang's route exiting the pass to attack Duan Yu, it may not be possible to defeat Duan Yu."

"But if there is cooperation from the Southern Xiongnu and the Xianbei... then I think the chance of winning should be much higher."

"There is another strategy; the old minister feels that we can use the name of the imperial court to win over the generals around Duan Yu."

"Even if the hope is not great, as long as it makes Duan Yu suspicious... it is always useful; Duan Yu's foundation is still shallow, and his subordinates have many troops, so there is still something to be done."

"Good!"

Empress Dowager Dong, sitting behind the pearl curtain, showed a smile on her face: "The Grand Tutor is indeed the pillar of the Great Han, I agree."

"As long as we can eradicate this rebel Duan Yu, there is nothing I will not agree to!"

Empress Dowager Dong was happy, but Liu Bei felt as if he had been calculated by Yuan Kui.