Although Nanzhong is part of Yizhou, due to various complicated reasons, the Han Dynasty had four counties in Nanzhong.

However, those who were actually in charge of the military and political affairs of the four counties were not the officials sent by the imperial court, but the powerful local foreign tycoons.

Of course, with the current national strength of the Han Dynasty, the power of a single foreign tycoon is not terrible.

But if all the local forces in the four southern and central counties unite to rebel together, tens of thousands of soldiers can be mobilized.

This number of soldiers is very threatening to the hinterland of Yizhou, which is empty of troops.

This is why Liu Bei wanted to strike first.

But after Zhuge Liang listened to Liu Bei's words, he thought for a while and then advised Liu Bei: "I don't think now is the time to launch a large-scale southern expedition."

Liu Bei was a little surprised when he heard Zhuge Liang's words to dissuade him from his intention to conquer the south.

He didn't think that Zhuge Liang, who was always good at strategy, wouldn't be able to see the problems he could see.

So Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang: "What do you think?"

Zhuge Liang bowed to Liu Bei and then said: "Your Majesty, why do you think the Nanzhong barbarians want to rebel but dare not? Even when foreign enemies have already linked them up."

The reason why rebellions often occur in Nanzhong is not only because of the complicated internal causes in the area, but also because the enemies of the Han Dynasty often send people to hook up with the ambitious people in Nanzhong.

Of course Liu Bei knew this situation.

He even knew that the foreign enemies mentioned by Zhuge Liang also included Sun Quan from Jiangdong.

After listening to Zhuge Liang's rhetorical question, Liu Bei replied without thinking: "Of course it is because our army has become so powerful in recent years that the rebellious people in South China dare not act rashly."

After Liu Bei finished answering, Zhuge Liang nodded slightly.

Then he said to Liu Bei: "Because our army has won successive battles, the Southern Barbarians have become more peaceful.

Of course, the Southern Barbarians have been disobedient for a long time, and as Your Majesty said, they will rebel sooner or later."

"But given the current situation, the Nanman will not make any rash moves in the short term, and they will still obey His Majesty on the surface.

Every warrior must have a reputation when he comes out as a teacher. The barbarians in the south have not yet made clear signs of counterattack. If your Majesty suddenly launches a large army to attack them, it is not consistent with this point.

The great Han Dynasty is the orthodoxy in the world, but now that the world is divided into three points and the situation is chaotic, we should pay more attention to this point."

Seeing that Zhuge Liang prevented him from attacking Nanzhong on the grounds that he had no name, Liu Bei refused to comment.

Zhuge Liang is right, if the teacher is out of nowhere, if nothing else, it will have an impact on his own morale.

It's just that Liu Bei knew that Zhuge Liang was a great talent with practical skills, and he would not refute him solely on this point.

Not to Liu Bei's surprise, Zhuge Liang continued to advise Liu Bei:

“Although Kuang Nanzhong is known as a gathering place for foreign ethnic groups, there are still many Yizhou wealthy families entrenched in it.

Many Yizhou wealthy families have taken root in the area for hundreds of years, and they have extraordinary influence in both Nanzhong and Shu County.

If your Majesty suddenly raises a large number of troops without any reason, Yizhou, which has finally been stable, will be in turmoil again."

Seeing Zhuge Liang mention this, Liu Bei's face began to become solemn.

Liu Bei knew what Zhuge Liang was reminding him.

Why has the turmoil in Nanzhong continued for hundreds of years and never stopped?

This was true even when the Eastern Han Dynasty was prosperous.

That was because of the turmoil in Nanzhong, and his semi-independence was tacitly approved by all the gentry in Yizhou.

Nanzhong's special geographical advantages made it a retreat for the Yizhou gentry.

Once the Yizhou nobles committed crimes in the center of Yizhou, they could use their local influence to flee from Shu County and take refuge in Nanzhong.

Although this would severely damage their family standing, it would at least ensure the family's survival.

And the Han Dynasty has always had the tradition of committing crimes and performing meritorious deeds, and its existence is intermittent.

As long as they can guarantee the lives of their clan members, and if one of their clan members can later make great contributions, or become a famous person in Yizhou through raising hopes, then their family will have a chance to make a comeback.

Perhaps before entering Yizhou, Liu Bei didn't know about this kind of saucy manipulation by the Yizhou nobles, but when he entered Yizhou, he saw this kind of manipulation with his own eyes.

For example, when he first took over Yizhou, Yizhou was "surprised three times a day".

During that time, he strengthened his rule and killed many people in order to strictly enforce the law.

But more people fled to Nanzhong.

The existence of Nanzhong was also a very important reason why he was able to stabilize Yizhou as quickly as possible through tough measures.

As long as there is a way out, the nobles will not easily stick together to fight to the death.

But if he draws his sword to cut off the retreat of the Yizhou nobles while his master is unknown, Yizhou is likely to fall into turmoil again.

And that kind of turmoil may not be calmed down as easily as it was back then.

Yizhou is currently Liu Bei's base area, and no emperor would not be worried about the instability of the base area.

Seeing that Liu Bei was deep in thought because of his words, Zhuge Liang continued:

"Jingzhou has been in the flames of war for more than ten years. The prosperous country it once was has long disappeared. Now most of the national strength of our Han Dynasty is only supported by Yizhou.

In recent years, Yizhou has also frequently depleted its national power to support wars.

The barbarians in the south are scattered all over the country. If we want to completely bring peace, our army should have tens of thousands of troops.

However, due to the dangerous terrain and poor transportation in Nanzhong, the Southern Expedition will not be short-lived.

With Yizhou's current national strength, it is really impossible to support His Majesty's long-term southern expedition.

Even if we don’t take into account the fact that our troops are out of nowhere, just considering the national strength of our Han Dynasty, sending a large number of troops to the south at this time is not the best move."

After Zhuge Liang said this, he looked at Liu Bei, hoping that he would seriously consider his opinion.

After Liu Bei was reminded by Zhuge Liang, he was already shaken by what he had just thought.

Zhuge Liang is right.

If the Han Dynasty now had the national strength to support a large-scale expedition, his first thought would definitely be the Northern Expedition, not the Southern Expedition.

However, although what Zhuge Liang said was very reasonable, the reason why Liu Bei wanted to conquer the south was not to completely bring the four southern counties into his rule.

What he was worried about was that when he launched his Northern Expedition in the future, Nanzhong would take the opportunity to sneak into the hinterland of Yizhou.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If this hidden danger is not eliminated, Liu Bei will always feel uneasy.

Seeing that Liu Bei was still hesitating, Zhuge Liang took a step forward and asked Liu Bei: "In the past, whenever His Majesty went out on an expedition, he would leave his ministers to guard Chengdu."

"And I assure your Majesty that as long as I am in Chengdu, the turmoil in Nanzhong will not affect your Majesty's Northern Expedition."

Zhuge Liang's words were full of strong self-confidence.

Zhuge Liang's confidence affected Liu Bei.

He looked at the confidant in front of him, who had never said anything false in front of him for more than ten years, with a smile in the corners of his eyes.

"Once Nanzhong is in turmoil, any attempt to appease it will be useless.

Military chaos can only be suppressed by military struggle.

And when all the good generals of the Han Dynasty will join me in the war, is Kong Ming confident that he can put an end to the war on his own?"

Liu Bei had this question because although Zhuge Liang had led troops in the past, he rarely led troops independently.

Facing Liu Bei's question, Zhuge Liang immediately answered: "Your Majesty, please rest assured."

"As long as there is peace in the south, if the ugly people in the south dare to rebel against our emperor, those who jump from the beam will be killed no matter how strong they are!"

When he heard Zhuge Liang's words, "Those who jump from the beam will be killed no matter how strong they are," Liu Bei burst out laughing instantly.

"good."

The word "room for laughter" shows Liu Bei's immense trust in Zhuge Liang.

Words without actual achievements may be pale to others, but Liu Bei was willing to believe in his Wolong without any reason.

Just because Zhuge Liang has never let him down for more than ten years.

After finding a solution to the big problem in his heart, Liu Bei was now in an excellent mood.

He took Zhuge Liang's hand and stood on the high steps together.

At this time, Liu Chan was already in the vast open space in front of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, driving his horse and continuing to shoot the target with his bow.

Liu Bei looked at Liu Chan's increasingly proficient riding and shooting movements, with unabashed love in his eyes.

"I once heard Lord She said: You praised the prince in front of many ministers: he is wise and has greatly improved his cultivation, exceeding expectations."

Liu Bei suddenly said this, Zhuge Liang was a little surprised, but it was indeed what he had said before, so he replied to Liu Bei:

"It's true."

"If the prince is really as good as you said, then what do I have to worry about?"

Liu Bei is good at understanding people, so why doesn't he know his son well?

In Liu Bei's view, although Liu Chan has strengths, he is definitely not as good as Zhuge Liang said.

The reason why Zhuge Liang praised Liu Chan so much in front of his ministers was just to use his personal prestige to increase Liu Chan's reputation.
To be continued...