The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 241 Ambitious Ambition

The first attack failed, but Liu Bei was not discouraged. He knew his advantages very well. Liu Bei immediately changed Zhang Lu's strategy, leaving 50,000 troops to continue the stalemate with Zhang Lu's main force.

The remaining teams dispersed and gradually encroached on the surrounding counties. Zhang Lu, who was tied down by Liu Bei's main force, saw that the counties under his jurisdiction were constantly surrendering to Liu Bei.

This greatly affected Zhang Lu's mentality. He gradually became depressed, which was exactly what Liu Bei needed.

Fortunately, Comrade Zhang still had a geographical advantage. With the help of this advantage and the fervent faith of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, Zhang managed to hold Hanzhong. However, it remains to be seen how long Zhang, lacking a successor, can hold Hanzhong.

The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven. This is no joke. Liu Bei was also very troubled by this. But what could he do? Wasn't it precisely because he valued this geographical advantage that he made the same choice as Liu Bei in the history of the world?

Are we going to use Yizhou as a base to establish a stable foothold in Jingzhou and Yongzhou? I know the road is treacherous, but if it's difficult for us, does that mean it's easy for the enemy? That's impossible.

The enemy is also troubled by this terrain. Although they currently have the advantage because of it, my organization has the advantage of manpower and resources. Zhang Lu and his Five Pecks of Rice Cult will not be able to hold out for long. Liu Bei said this to his subordinates.

Zhang Lu's Five Pecks of Rice sect had 50,000 members. Due to the influence of the sect's democratic ideas, Zhang Lu attracted many Westerners who were interested in this ideology to join, so his organization was not poorly equipped.

At the very least, they were all matchlock weapons. After flintlock weapons became an open secret, Zhang Lu quickly converted a large number of his matchlock weapons into flintlock weapons, even though the overall organizational strength of Hanzhong was not as good as Liu Bei's.

However, given Hanzhong's strategic geographical advantage, the cost Liu Bei would have to pay to conquer this formidable territory is difficult to estimate. "Analyzing the available intelligence," Xi Zhicai said.

"My lord, why are you so concerned about the affairs of Yizhou?" Guo Jia asked Chen Er.

Chen Er organized his thoughts and said to Guo Jia, "I have a feeling that Liu Bei will become our formidable enemy in the future. Paying attention to him now is to learn more about his strengths and weaknesses and find his vulnerabilities. This is to prepare for the worst."

Guo Jia had a sudden realization. Although he had never actually met Liu Bei, he had a considerable understanding of him based on Chen Er's descriptions.

In Guo Jia's view, Liu Bei was a very patient and patient man, a man destined for great things, and such a man could indeed become their formidable enemy in the future.

Guo Jia said to Chen Er, "My lord, if not, let's think of a way to get Yuan Shao involved. Liu Bei is using the pretext of 'cleansing the court of corrupt officials,' and judging from Liu Bei's current development direction, it's obvious that he's aiming for Yongzhou. Yuan Shao can't possibly remain indifferent, can he?"

"That's an idea," Chen Er said. He was more than happy to cause trouble for Liu Bei and Yuan Shao.

Chen Er said to Guo Jia, "Since this idea was proposed by you, then it is up to you, Fengxiao, to arrange. I will have Li Zhong cooperate with you."

"Well, Fengxiao has shot himself in the foot." Xi Zhicai said with a smile: Everyone present knows how lazy Guo Jia is. He saw that Guo Jia had dug a pit and jumped in himself.

Everyone laughed, even Wang Hui. Guo Jia glared at Wang Hui and said fiercely, "Little Hui, you just wait and see how I deal with you later."

Wang Hui was immediately frightened by Guo Jia's threat, and he quickly begged for mercy: "Mr. Fengxiao, please be magnanimous and spare me."

"I can spare you, just send me a jar of good wine." Guo Jia's true purpose was finally revealed: he just wanted to take the opportunity to drink.

Would Chen Er, standing to the side, let him have his way? Obviously not. Chen Er emboldened his adjutant, saying, "Wang Hui, don't be afraid. I'll entrust Feng Xiao's matter of quitting drinking to you from now on. If he dares to 'threaten' you, just make him quit drinking."

"Thank you, my lord!" Wang Hui said to Chen Er.

"My lord, you've forgotten the old for the new!" Guo Jia protested. Everyone laughed when they saw Guo Jia joking around. This Guo Jia is not young anymore, but he's still like a child. But it's precisely because of Guo Jia's personality that he has the best popularity in the entire autonomous region.

"Alright, enough joking around. You all need to pay close attention to things regarding Yizhou. It's not terrible that Liu Bei has occupied Yizhou. The most important thing is to prevent Liu Bei from leaving Yizhou. Do you understand?" Chen Er interrupted the group's teasing and said.

Chen Er didn't think much of Liu Bei's occupation of Yizhou. Yizhou didn't have high war potential, and its population was small, except for its relatively well-developed agriculture.

There was nothing else there. In such a place, Chen Er was not afraid of what tricks Liu Bei could play. He only needed to confine Liu Bei to Yizhou, and Liu Bei would not pose a fatal threat to him.

"Yes, my lord!" the crowd replied in unison.

Chen Er nodded and said, "We also need to keep a close eye on Yuan Shao. As long as Yuan Shao enters Yongzhou and gradually gains a foothold, we will advance towards Luoyang little by little!"

"My lord, what should we do about Liangzhou?" Xi Zhicai asked.

Chen Er thought for a moment and said to the group, "The problem in Liangzhou is easy to solve. Send an order to Zilong in Anbei Prefecture that his cavalry should move, as well as those steppe cavalry that have already submitted to us. Their target is the Western Regions!"

"Does the lord mean a roundabout approach?"

"That's right. Those families in Liangzhou may seem powerful on the surface, but in reality they are just scattered and disorganized groups, and they don't have a solid foundation for rule in Liangzhou."

"As long as I organize and control the Western Regions, I can launch an attack from the east and west at a suitable opportunity in the future and quickly resolve the issue of the Liangzhou warlords." Chen Er's plan was quite good.

Moreover, Chen Er's plan had another unspoken but understood purpose: to intimidate and scare the enemy. The northern grasslands stretched out before them, thousands of miles long, providing ample space for cavalry to roam freely. According to intelligence reports, some tribes on the grasslands had recently begun to stir up trouble again.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Er's first reaction was to have Zhao Yun lead his tens of thousands of cavalrymen on a tour of the grasslands. The autonomous region had so many cavalrymen, they weren't just for show.

Besides wanting to bring this region under his rule, Chen Er also had another purpose in sending troops to the Western Regions: to intimidate the nomadic peoples along the way. Look closely, these are tens of thousands of elite cavalry. If you have any ideas, you'd better give them up as soon as possible, otherwise those small countries in the Western Regions will be your example.

"Perfect timing! The cavalry factory has recently produced some new cavalry cannons. Let Zilong and the others test them on the battlefield," Chen Er said to Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai.