After Liu Bei had no choice but to accept the reality of no hope of seizing Bashu, he led his army back to Gong'an County. However, for Liu Bei, not only does it mean no hope of seizing Bashu, but he can't stay in Jingnan anymore. Liu Jing has clearly proposed to him the conditions for using Jingnan to exchange Guan Yu. The problem is not with Guan Yu, but with Liu Jing's attitude.

Liu Jing has clearly put forward the request to take back Jingnan. Even without Guan Yu, he will use force to retake the four counties of Jingnan, Hengyang, Wuling, Lingling, Guiyang, and Xiangdong and Linhe. This is his final foundation for Liu Bei. If Liu Jing wants to take back, what should he do? Could it be that he can only go to Jiaozhou?

Liu Bei was worried all the way. At noon that day, he led his army to finally arrive in Gong'an County. At the gate of the city, Zhuge Liang led all the officials to greet him. At this time, Zhuge Liang had already known the news that Guan Yu had failed to capture the ship.

Although Guan Yu did not follow his plan to land at night and then seize the ship, but instead tried repeatedly in land battles, which gave the other party a chance to prepare and failed and was captured, Zhuge Liang did not want to shirk his responsibilities.

But what made Zhuge Liang even more sad was that the plan of Bashu was completely failed, which made him lose his plan to seize Bashu, and the three-pointer of the world was shattered. After all, they were not strong enough. After they retreated south of the Yangtze River, they no longer had the opportunity to participate in the strategic competition, and they could not get a share of the pie after the Battle of Chibi.

It was the result of the Battle of Chibi that made Liu Jing become stronger quickly and defeated Jiangdong's ambition again. Zhuge Liang knew the current crisis, and he also knew that he needed to have a good talk with Liu Bei.

"My minister Zhuge Liang, please see the lord!" Zhuge Liang walked forward and bowed deeply to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei waved his hand tiredly, "Sir, don't be too polite. I have a lot to talk to you in detail. Let's go to the city first!"

"Please get in the car, lord!"

Liu Bei handed over the army to Guan Yu, and he changed to a carriage and followed Zhuge Liang's carriage into the city.

In the carriage, Liu Bei quietly looked at the Public Security New City through the car window. Many houses in the new capital he had just built have not been completed yet. Most of the residents in the new capital are from Jiangling on the other side. They are full of hope to build their new homes.

Groups of children ran happily by his carriage, and smoke was rippling from the chimney on the roof of the house. More than a dozen women were gathering next to a well to wash clothes and wash rice. Laughs kept coming, everything was so vibrant. Unfortunately, Liu Bei had to give up.

Liu Bei sighed long, his eyes full of attachment to this city...

When he returned to his official room, Liu Bei ordered all the personal guards to retreat, and only he and Zhuge Liang were left in the room. After pondering for a moment, Liu Bei spoke up and broke the silence in the room. "At this time, Liu Jing gave me a letter from Zigui, the military advisor will take a look first!"

Liu Bei handed Liu Jing's handwritten letter to Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang took the letter and read it silently. He closed the letter and said, "Liang's first request is to hope that the lord will remove Liang's position as a military advisor to punish Liang's responsibility for defeat in Jiangling. Liang is willing to continue to assist the lord as an aide."

Liu Bei shook his head and sighed: "The defeat in Jiangling has nothing to do with Mr. He. It was because Sima Yi's reinforcements arrived in time, and it was because of the failure of the second brother to implement the military advisor's strategy of seizing the water camp at night. If you have to say responsibility, it is my responsibility. I did not give Mr. He enough military power."

Zhuge Liang was about to speak, but Liu Bei waved his hand and interrupted him, saying a little displeased: "Now is the time for us to be in danger. I hope the military advisor will work together with me to overcome the danger, and don't put pressure on me anymore."

Zhuge Liang sighed in his heart, he had to give a tribute to him, "Liang is willing to devote himself to his work and solve his problems for the Lord."

"Okay! Sir, how should I deal with this letter from Liu Jing?"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Liu Jing's intention to take Bashu is already very obvious, but he doesn't want to be too impatient. I guess he will rest for a while before taking action against Bashu. If I'm not wrong, he will definitely use the conflict between the Dongzhou Shishi and the local Bashu family to trigger civil strife in Yizhou and find an excuse for him to march into Bashu, but before entering Bashu, he will definitely take Jingnan first."

Liu Bei sat down dejectedly. It was his own guess before, but he still had a glimmer of hope. But now he said it from Zhuge Liang, and the meaning is different. Liu Bei was as if he was sentenced to death, his face was dark and his expression was extremely frustrated. After a while, he asked in a hoarse voice: "Is there no hope?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head, "Liu Jing originally hoped that Jiangdong would capture Jingnan, and then he would seize it from Jiangdong. After all, it was Liu Qi's fief, but I guess he would ask the court to clarify the scope of Jingzhou or grant him the prefect of Guiyang, so that he could advance in a legitimate way."

These words were like a spring breeze in the cold winter, which made Liu Bei's withered heart burst into a glimmer of vitality. He hurriedly asked, "Does the military advisor think Cao Cao would agree?"

Zhuge Liang couldn't speak for a long time, and he also felt Liu Bei's despair and expectation. He couldn't bear to speak out again and hurt Liu Bei, so he had to respond silently. Liu Bei was stunned for a moment and smiled bitterly: "If you have any words, the military advisor just say it. I'm not that fragile."

"In fact, Cao Cao appointed his lord as the governor of Jiaozhou, and he had already accused Liu Jing of possession of the four counties of Jingnan. It was only because Liu Jing took into account the influence of Liu Qi and did not take action for a long time. But this does not mean that he doesn't want Jingnan. Using General Guan to exchange Jingnan for Jingnan is also his attitude. It can be seen that he does not want to fight martial arts in Jingnan."

"Then how much time do I have?" Liu Bei asked in a deep voice.

"This requires a talk with Liu Jing. If the negotiation is well, it should be able to win in half a year. After all, he also needs time to prepare."

Liu Bei didn't say anything. He walked slowly to the map by the wall with his hands and stared at Jiaozhou for a long time. In his past impression, Jiaozhou has always been a barbaric land. He never thought that he would go there one day, but now he has to go, but even the barbaric land has been occupied by three major forces. Can Liu Bei still squeeze in?

Zhuge Liang also walked to the map and sighed slightly: "I sometimes admire Liu Jing's long-term vision. He could obviously destroy us, but he did not do so. Instead, he drove us to Jiaozhou. He wanted to use his lord's power to unify Jiaozhou and manage Jiaozhou. In the future, he could directly take over a wealthy and no longer barbaric Jiaozhou from his lord."

Liu Bei sneered, "He thinks very well, but can he do it?"

Zhuge Liang also laughed, "In fact, although Lingnan is located in a corner, with the foundation laid by the King of Nanyue Zhao Tuo and his descendants, the lord can dominate the country and establish an imperial career. It is not necessarily necessary to go to Bashu. We can build warships, train soldiers, and wait for the opportunity. When the Central Plains are weak and tired, we can ride the wind and waves, and conquer the Central Plains in the north, and have the opportunity to make another achievements."

Liu Bei's ambitions gradually burned again. Perhaps he did not have the chance to return to the Central Plains, but his descendants could inherit his career and realize their ideals.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei said with confidence: "Among the three major forces in Jiaozhou, we can start from Wu Ju. Wu Ju and I have old friends, and Wu Ju supports Mr. Qi. As long as we open the gap from Wu Ju, we can establish a foothold in Jiaozhou."

Before they knew it, they no longer talked about Jingnan, but turned the topic to Jiaozhou. Zhuge Liang was not optimistic about Liu Bei's optimism. No matter how deep Liu Bei and Wu Ju had, no matter how Wu Ju supported Liu Qi, he would not harm his vital interests. He could not give up Cangwu County.

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "The lord is the governor of Jiaozhou appointed by the court. Whether Wu Ju, Lai Gong or Shi Xie, they have to admit this. Morally, the lord has the first advantage. In fact, we still have 15,000 troops, which are stronger than Wu Ju and Lai Gong and weaker than Shi Xie. We can attack them separately and eat them one by one."

Liu Bei bowed and smiled, "I wish to hear it carefully!"

Zhuge Liang pointed to Yulin County on the map with a wooden pole and said, "When you go down from Lingling, the first thing you can do is Lai Gong's Yulin County. Lai Gong is ambitious and hostile to Wu Ju, so we must swallow him first. And I know that this person is brave but not resourceful, so I can take his six thousand troops into your own without any damage."

Liu Bei was very interested and hurriedly said, "Military advisor, please continue!"

Zhuge Liang pointed to Cangwu County and smiled, "Wu Ju has five thousand troops, so our army has exceeded 20,000. At this time, the lord made peace with him on the surface and comforted him. But our army should only be rushed to the city before Shi Xie rescued, and with a force that was out of reach of thunder. I think Wu Ju has no choice but to surrender to the lord."

Liu Bei nodded slowly, "The military advisor is indeed a clever one. How should Shi Xie deal with it?"

Zhuge Liang said lightly: "Shi Xie has 20,000 troops. His family has a deep foundation in Jiaozhou, which is a little troublesome, but we can wipe him out in just one year. The key lies in Shi Xie's sphere of influence, which is his biggest weakness."

Zhuge Liang pointed to Nanhai County with a wooden pole, and pointed to Jiaozhi County, and smiled and said, "Didn't your lord find it? Shi Xie's army and foundation are in Jiaozhi County to the west, but the most populous and the most developed farming place is in Fanyu area of ​​Nanhai County to the east. Jiaozhi and Fanyu are only connected through the narrow Gaoliang County and Hepu County. As long as we cut off Gaoliang and Hepu, Fanyu will be at your fingertips. Shi Xie can only retreat to the south of Jiaozhi. Without Fanyu's food supply, how can Shi Xie support his 20,000 troops? Just one year of confrontation, Shi Xie can't hold on."

Liu Bei sighed, "The military advisor has a plan to pacify the south without leaving the house, which is enough to comfort me. I decided to send an envoy to Jingzhou tomorrow to have a good talk with Liu Jing, and gain half a year to prepare. In addition, I hope he can release his second brother back as soon as possible."

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Let me go! I think as long as I hand over someone to Liu Jing, I can convince him to release General Guan back."

"Who?" Liu Bei asked back.
Chapter completed!