Chapter 2298 The dispute between Chu and Wu, the era of emperors


    Chapter 2295: The Battle between Chu and Wu, the Imperial Age


    Cao Cao was a monarch who was good at accepting advice, but this time even though most civil officials opposed it, he decided to make arbitrary decision and still decided to be king.


    The reason is just like what Fan Li said. If you don’t become king, you will have no chance of winning at all.


    In the eyes of the civil and military officials of Wei, if Cao Cao was forced to be king under the pressure of Qin, it also shows that even Cao Cao himself did not have the confidence to protect Wei, so how could his subordinates have confidence in him?


    Of course, it is not to say that after Cao Cao became king, he would have the chance to win again in the face of Qin, but being king can at least inspire people and strengthen his belief in perseverance to the end.


    Since Cao Cao has decided to become king, the marriage with him cannot be so urgent. He also needs to see the reaction of Daqin to make a decision.


    After all, if the princesses who are married have been given away and Daqin regrets the marriage, wouldn’t Wei State be even more embarrassing?


    Daji even tried the princess uniform. When the marriage delegation was about to leave Xuchang, Cao Cao suddenly called it to stop. Everyone was confused, but they didn''t obey orders.


    After the marriage delegation was stopped, Cao Cao immediately sent a message to the two countries of Song and Wu, agreeing to the mutual respect for the three countries, and proposed to set the location of the respect for the king in Shouchun.


    The matter of honoring the king was initiated by the State of Song. Since Zhao Kuangyin started this, Cao Cao naturally had to accept his feelings, and it was reasonable to set the location in Shouchun.


    The three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu made an appointment with Shouchun City, the capital of Song, and jointly became king. At the same time, they invited their ally Daqin to come and watch the ceremony.


    As soon as this news came out, everyone was shocked.


    Ying Hao had just become emperor, and all three allies of Wei, Song and Wu were going to become king. Is this the case of Daqin''s agreement after discussing in advance? Or was it not only the Qin Dynasty agreed to the spontaneous actions of the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu?


    If it were the former, the four-nation alliances of Qin, Wei, Song and Wu will remain as solid as rocks, and the era of emperors will come completely.


    But if it were the latter, could Ying Hao, who was determined to unify the world, tolerate the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu? Will the relationship between the four countries collapse and then trigger a new round of wars among countries?


    No one knows this, but they all turned their eyes to Luoyang tacitly, waiting quietly for Daqin to react next.


    ———————


    The capital of Chu State, Changsha County, Linxiang City.


    Linxiang City is too close to Wu State, and it is obviously not suitable to be a capital, but Liu Xiu just regarded this city as the capital. It was not that he wanted to "the emperor guard the country''s gate", but that there was no better choice.


    The State of Chu borders many forces, with Shu to the west, Wu to the east, Qin and Song to the north, and Nanyang indigenous people to the south. Except for the ally Shu to the west, it is relatively stable, the other three parties are hostile forces.


    Surrounded by many forces, such as: Jiangling City, Jiangxia Xiling City, etc., although it is larger than Linxiang City, it is also closer to hostile forces, so it is not as suitable as Linxiang City as the capital.


    Of course, since Liu Xiu dared to set the capital in Linxiang City, he was not afraid of the army of Wu. After all, the Chu State, which had Jiaozhou, Jiangxia, and half of Jiujiang County, had already formed a three-sided siege against Wu. If Chu State did not attack Wu, Sun Jian should burn the incense. How could he dare to provoke Chu State?


    In the palace, the civil and military officials of the Chu State were separated from each other.


    There are civil officials, including Deng Yu, Pang Tong, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Liao Li, Liu Ba, Han Song, Liu Xian, Li Mi, Lu Kang, Hong Renqi, and Zhufu Yan...


    There are military generals, Cen Peng, Feng Yi, Gai Yan, Wei Wentong, Gan Ning, Wang Bodang, Chong Heihu, Cui Ying, Jiang Xiong, Ma Yuan, Ma Wu, Ma Cheng, Wei Zhang, Zeng Guofan...


    It can be said that there are many talents and talents.


    Liu Xiu looked at the ministers below and said in a deep voice: "My dear friends, Sun Jian dared to be the king. He was determined to send troops to attack me. What do you think?"


    "I object."


    "I object."


    …


    After learning that Liu Xiu was about to send troops to attack Wu, the ministers below expressed their opposition and took turns to persuade him to give up Liu Xiu''s thoughts.


    In fact, Liu Xiu was just acting. After all, as a relative of the Han Dynasty, he could not support anyone who was not Liu''s surname to be king and emperor. This is the most basic political correctness.


    In addition, after the Xiangyang War, the Shu-Chu coalition was defeated. Compared with Shu, the Chu State''s losses were not large, but they were not small. The current main task is to recuperate and completely destroy the strength of Wu State alone.


    Liu Xiu''s attitude towards the State of Wu was that if he did not send troops, he would do so. Once he sent troops, he would destroy the State of Wu, otherwise he would kill the snake and suffer the consequences.


    Liu Xiu was not only not angry about Sun Jian’s claim to be king, but was also a little happy, which also means that Qin and Wu might part ways.


    The biggest obstacle for Chu State to annex Wu State was not Wu State, nor the invincible Sun Wu, but Qin State.


    Qin and Wu could not watch Chu annex Wu, and they did not even need to send troops directly. Just by showing their attitude to the border, they could restrain a large number of Chu''s troops and prevent Chu from attacking Wu with all their strength.


    There is no conflict of interest between Qin and Wu, and the relationship between the two countries is as solid as a rock. Liu Xiu has been having a headache about how to separate the relationship between the two countries. Unexpectedly, Sun Jian dares to be king now. I think the Qin Dynasty will definitely not be indifferent, right?


    Thinking of this, Liu Xiu couldn''t help but look forward to it, and even wished that Qin and Wu would break up immediately.


    But thinking about it again, even if Qin and Wu turn against each other, Chu will still be unable to attack Wu before it is restored, and if Sun Wu is not solved, even if it is attacked, it may not be a sure win.


    As soon as he thought of this, Liu Xiu couldn''t help but feel discouraged, and he felt so envious and jealous of Sun Jian.


    Why is this genius commander who is not interested in Liu Xiu?


    Except for being cheated by Tao Qian and captured by Zhu Yuanzhang, Sun Wu has never lost a single battle.


    When facing opponents such as Jiangdong princes, Shanyue rebels, Japanese pirates, and Chu army, Sun Wu was so fierce. He won one battle in one battle, won one battle after another, and won one battle after another, but never met an enemy.


    Famous generals of Chu, such as Deng Yu and Gan Ning, have basically suffered defeats at Sun Wu, and even if Liu Xiu personally led the army, he could only barely remain unbeaten.


    Therefore, before resolving the threat of Sun Wu, even if the Chu State attacked Wu in three ways, it might not be able to destroy Wu in one battle.


    Liu Xiu also thought of many ways to do this, such as the assassination of Sun Wu, but he has never succeeded. Sun Jian attached great importance to Sun Wu''s safety.


    The assassination failed, Liu Xiu could only hope to recruit a commander who could compete with Sun Wu, but it was not so easy to recruit. Anyway, this genius commander has not appeared yet.


    Liu Xiu decided to prepare for the attack on Wu first and wait for the new commander to appear. If the preparations are not shown, then he will personally lead the army to restrain Sun Wu.


    No matter how powerful Sun Wu is, he is just one person, blocking the Chu army. If the other two Chu army win, they can still annex the Wu Kingdom.


    Of course, this method has the element of gambling. After all, Liu Xiu is not absolutely sure and will not lose when facing Sun Wu. If he loses, the situation will not be optimistic.


    "Lord, as Chi You took the initiative to retreat, Liu Yu returned to Chengdu with the great victory. The internal struggle in Shu has reached an extremely fierce level. Do we want to intervene?"


    The master''s father Yan said, he was also the civil servant recruited by Liu Xiu recently. He is very capable and deeply trusted by Liu Xiu.


    Chiyou''s big attack on Shu this time ended in failure, and it was still due to food shortage.


    Of course, there is another secondary reason, that is, during the First World War, Chi You was injured by Xing Tian and Liu Er.


    This injury made Chi You realize that this attack on Shu would not be successful. With the food and grass being about to be exhausted, he decisively retreated. Chiyou decided that the Shu army would definitely pursue, so he set up an ambush halfway and defeated Xing Tian''s pursuit army, and calmly retreated back to the Southern Barbarians.


    Although Liu Yu did not defeat Chi You, in the eyes of the people of Shu, the ability to support the brutal Chi You retreating was also a great victory.


    Liu Yu was also well versed in propaganda. After winning, he promoted this victory, which greatly increased his prestige in the court.


    Liu Yu returned to Chengdu with the momentum of great victory. After making military achievements, his political capital naturally became stronger, and many fence-bearers in Shu had turned to Liu Yu.


    Although Chen Ping is strong in ability, he is just a minister, not a monarch. No matter how he uses all his means, he still cannot stop Liu Yufang from growing stronger.


    In today''s Shu Kingdom, the power of the Shu king sect has gradually declined, and it has been replaced by the rapidly growing Chengdu royal family.


    Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Chengdu King''s Sect completely replaces the Shu King''s Sect, but it is just a matter of time. The difference lies in whether the two factions will start a war.


    After hearing the words of Master Yan, a strange look flashed in Liu Xiu''s eyes and he sneered: "Liu Yu can really tolerate this. Now he has taken all kinds of advantages and still has no force to seize power. He really underestimated him at the beginning."


    After the founding of the Southern Han Dynasty, although Liu Yu was named King of Chengdu, it was just a means by Liu Ji forcing him to leave Chengdu. As a defeated dog, Liu Xiu naturally would not take Liu Yu seriously, but he never expected that Liu Yu would turn around.


    "Liu Ji is gone. Chen Ping alone may not be able to beat Liu Yu."


    Liu Xiu''s eyes were full of deep expressions and he said in a deep voice: "This time, the Chu State should not intervene in this battle in Shu, just treat it as a friend of Liu Yu."


    Shu Kingdom was Liu Xiu''s most important ally to resist Qin, but the period when he joined forces with Liu Ji was obviously not pleasant for Liu Xiu.


    Liu Ji''s ambitions are too great and suspicious, and he always cheated him as his ally.


    If Shu and Chu could truly trust each other, the Qin army in Jingzhou would probably not be able to wait for Yue Fei to return, and the Jingbei War would have two completely different outcomes.


    Liu Ji only hopes that Liu Yu will not be as short-sighted as Liu Ji, otherwise the revival of the great man will be a castle in the water.


    "Lord, recently, a spy from Luoyang sent back a news that Liu Bei''s two sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei defected with his counselor Shan Fu after surrendering. The Qin Dynasty has sent a large number of people to pursue him from multiple sources. Will our Chu State rescue him? Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to escape from the Qin Dynasty." Kuai Yue said.


    Liu Xiu''s eyes lit up when he heard this. The Chu State now has not only a shortage of genius commander, but also a shortage of top-level generals.


    After all, the Wu Kingdom not only had Sun Wu, but also the little overlord Sun Ce, and the three Li brothers who came out of nowhere but had a remarkable record as soon as they were born, Li Hu, Li Lu and Li Yang.


    The three Li brothers had extraordinary forces. With the three of them joining hands, even Chong Heihu, known as the number one general of Chu, almost died under the joint attack of the three.


    If Cui Ying and Jiang Xiong hadn''t taken action in time, Chong Heihu might have been killed on the spot.


    Liu Xiu finally got a war-level war-level general like Chong Heihu, so he was reluctant to let him die in the battlefield so quickly, so he didn''t dare to fight against Wu State. Even if the generals fight, they would fight one by one, and if there were too many people, they would immediately make a sound.


    Before, the Chu State was just not as commander as the Wu State, but now it is not even as powerful as the generals, so this strange phenomenon has occurred.


    The national strength of Chu is obviously stronger than that of Wu, and it also forms a three-sided siege on Wu. Logically speaking, it should be directly crushed, but it was restrained everywhere in the war with Wu, so naturally I was eager to recruit more powerful generals.


    Liu Xiu naturally hated Liu Bei and even hated him. After all, his killing of Liu Xie, the orthodox emperor of the Han Dynasty, not only confirmed the prophecy of "Liu, the devastated Han Dynasty", but also gave Ying Hao a reason to become independent in the Han Dynasty openly, which also made his goal of reviving the Han Dynasty even more slim.


    However, Liu Xiu couldn''t hate Liu Bei''s two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, at all. These are all heroes who took the lead in the word "Yi".


    It is better to surrender to the Qin Dynasty, but because of the word "Yi" they resolutely embarked on the road of rebellion against Qin without hesitation. What the Han Dynasty needs most is this kind of firm will.


    "Well, the two warriors Guan and Zhang are extremely brave, so they naturally have to help. If they can surrender to our Great Chu, they will not be so passive in the future." Liu Xiu said.


    At this moment, Pang Tong stood up and said, "But lord, is this the trap of the Qin Dynasty? Even if Guan Yu doesn''t care about his own life? Doesn''t he even care about the lives of the Guan family? His subordinates suspect that there might be a fraud in this."


    Hearing this, Liu Xiu showed a thoughtful look, and then thought for a little while and said with a smile: "Mr. Pang is too worried. If Guan Yu really cared about his family, he would not have done the right thing with Ying Hao at the beginning.


    Ying Hao is good at everything, but he treats the heroes, and he is a bit too kind.


    When Sima Yi rebelled, Ying Hao did not do anything to the Sima family, and now he will not attack the Guan family.


    Perhaps Guan Yu used this as a basis, so he dared to surrender and rebel. ”


    Pang Tong subconsciously wanted to refute, but he was speechless. After all, in this era, there were too many people who didn’t care about the family. Didn’t Sima Yi and Kong Peng rebel regardless of the family’s life or death? So it would be fine if there was one more Guan Yu.


    There are obviously more than Liu Xiu, and Liu Yu has sent Wang Yue to rescue Guan Zhang.


    The defection of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Dan Fu and the other two was naturally the result of Ying Hao''s intentional act.


    When Zhang Fei came out, his anti-Qin spirit was not firm. After all, even he himself felt that his elder brother Liu Bei''s death was a relief.


    Seeing that Zhang Fei was not taking the bait, Ying Hao asked Xu Shu to guide him indirectly and told Zhang Fei what Liu Bei said before his death.


    When Zhang Fei learned that Liu Bei was still begging for mercy for him and Guan Yu before he died, he burst into tears. Only in his grief and anger did he strengthen his anti-Qin spirit.


    After learning that Zhang Fei was still determined to rebel against Qin, Guan Yu followed the situation and agreed to defect with Zhang Fei and Xu Shu. However, he didn''t know that Xu Shu was also an undercover agent like him, but Xu Shu knew that Guan Yu was the No. 1 Xuan.


    As for Zhang Fei, who was truly anti-Qin, and Liu Xiu and Liu Yu, I''m afraid they would never have thought that there were only three people who defected, and two of them were undercover agents.


    In order to make this drama more realistic, after Guan Yu defected, Ying Hao ignored the dissuasion of the generals and directly beat Guan Sheng to the end.


    This also made the Guan family full of resentment towards Guan Yu and directly announced to the public that they would expel Guan Yu from the Guan family genealogy.


    With the assist from the Guan family, and Zhang Fei was sincerely opposed to Qin, Guan Yu''s deceitful surrender rebellion seemed extremely real, which led to the rescue of Shu and Chu.


    Just as the attention of the major forces was attracted by the mutual respect of the Three Kingdoms and the defection of Guan and Zhang, another bombshell was heard from the Qin Dynasty.


    Emperor Qin Ying Hao, with Zhang Yi as his envoy, went to Shouchun and congratulated the three kingdoms respectively, and the alliance between the four kingdoms remained the same.


    Not only did the Qin Dynasty not object, but also supported the proclaiming king of the three kings of Wei, Song and Wu. This was something that most of them did not expect, and it also disappointed Liu Xiu, Zhu Di, Liu Yu, Li Shimin and others who were waiting for the four-national alliance to split.


    The era of emperors is also coming.


    (This chapter ends)