Sun Luban muttered, pleading and threatening. Zhao Tong remained unmoved and looked at her with a half-smile. Finally, Sun Luban felt a little nervous and asked weakly: "
Husband, is there any problem?"
Zhao Tong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back... He crossed his hands in front of his mouth, rested his elbows on the case, and thought for a moment. "Princess, do you know why Ziyu
Aren’t you going to give your father the technology for making stone bullets?”
Sun Luban blinked, half understanding.
"We do need your father's help, but Ziyu is worried that after your father's strength has increased, his thoughts have become bigger." Zhao Tong raised his eyelids, quietly looked at Sun Luban, whose face gradually dimmed, and continued.
: "You don't need to ask Guan Feng. She remembers what happened that year more than Ziyu. You don't need to ask Ziyu either. What Ziyu is most worried about is that your father is behind our backs. We can no longer afford this.
It was a big blow.”
Sun Luban lowered his head in frustration. She knew clearly that Zhao Tong was telling the truth. If her father Sun Quan really had the strength to compete with the Shu Han, he would definitely have other ideas. Wei Ba occupied Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, and he was already
His teeth are itching with hatred. Now that Li Yan has occupied Nanyang again, Wu's territory in Jingzhou is dwindling, and it is attacked from the north and south by the Shu Han. He may be forced to withdraw from Jingzhou at any time. It would be strange if he has no idea in his heart.
.
"So, your chance of being promoted to ** is gone?"
"I never wanted to be promoted consecutively." Zhao Tong laughed and said, "Princess, I have just reached my thirtieth year. If I can successfully capture Wancheng this time, I will make a big contribution to the army. At least I will be a
Being a general is not a problem, so why do you have to be promoted consecutively? In the officialdom, promotion of official positions too fast depends on opportunities, and sometimes it is not a good thing. Because only those who climb the dragon and the phoenix will not follow the rules of the officialdom.
Come, you can rise to the top."
"That's not how you came here. You earned it through military exploits." Sun Luban pouted and said, "What do you have to be afraid of? My uncle was promoted to two levels without anyone saying anything."
Zhao Tong smiled slightly: "I won't mention this matter again. However, we do need your father's help now. I will ask General Hussar. No matter whether it can be done in the end, it is always good to give him some advice."
After hearing this, Sun Luban nodded repeatedly and followed Zhao Tong out of the tent happily.
…
Li Yan, Meng Da, Wei Ba and others were discussing around the sand table. The soil work under the city had basically been completed, and Wei Ba's long-range strike position was almost ready. However, Li Yan was uneasy and convened a military meeting to prepare for the upcoming attack.
The unfolding siege battle and subsequent battles are deduced.
The results of the deduction are somewhat unsatisfactory.
Wei Ba patted his chest and promised that as soon as the battle started, he could destroy the defenses in the southwest of Wancheng within two or three days and create opportunities for the main force to ascend the city. However, Meng Da had no confidence in the next battle because the total strength of the Shu Han army was
It’s just twice the number of defenders in Wancheng.
, but also to dedicate a group of people to monitor Sun Quan, which does not have an overwhelming advantage like the long-range strike forces of both sides. Even if the city is broken, unless the Wei army collapses immediately, it will definitely fall into street fighting, or Sima Yi will retreat to defend Yacheng, and the next step is
A hard-fought battle.
If the casualties are too great and Sun Quan is ready to make a move, the Shu Han army will be attacked from both sides, and the consequences will be disastrous.
Facing Meng Da's worry, Wei Ba remained silent, as if he didn't hear it.
Li Yan was a little unhappy. He glanced at Wei Ba: "Ziyu, do you have a solution?"
Wei Ba shook his head and said succinctly: "No. So far, we have used all the troops we can use and all the means we should use. I can't think of any other way." He paused.
After a pause, he added: "And I would like to remind General Hussar that time is tight. If the war in Wancheng is not resolved within half a month, I am afraid that we will not be able to sustain it."
Li Yan sneered: "Half a month is easier said than done." He frowned and regretted: "Now it seems that it was a mistake to let Sun Quan watch from the sidelines. Not only can we not count on him to help, but we also have to reserve manpower to guard against him.
It’s really self-defeating.”
Ma Su echoed: "If Sun Quan can be allowed to help us attack the city, the situation will be much better."
"It's easier said than done." Li Yan shook his head. He had the most dealings with Sun Quan and knew Sun Quan's thoughts very well. "He won't let go until there are no benefits."
As Li Yan spoke, he glanced at Wei Ba. Wei Ba smiled: "General, I'm afraid that even if he gets the benefit, he won't let go, and he might bite him back. Even if the general is satisfied with taking Nanyang's military exploits, he will plan strategies in the future.
, we will no longer fight on the battlefield, and we should not take this risk."
Deng Zhi coughed: "What Ziyu said makes sense. Sun Quan is capricious and has to be on guard. The general's capture of Xiangyang is like a thorn in his heart. Without any visible deterrent, it is really hard to rest assured."
Ma Su and Meng Da also nodded in agreement.
Li Yan frowned even more tightly. He very much agreed with Wei Ba's worries. The problem was that he needed Sun Quan's help now. Otherwise, he would not dare to speak when Wancheng was right in front of him. Once Zhuge Liang took the lead, he would be in trouble for most of half a year.
His hard work may be in vain. He himself was hesitating whether to compromise with Sun Quan, but before that, he needed Wei Ba's consent, because only the technology in Wei Ba's hands was what Sun Quan wanted, so he
Wei Ba cannot be forced directly.
When he was in a dilemma, Zhao Tong and Sun Luban came. He glanced at Wei Ba, who nodded as if inadvertently, and then turned his eyes aside. Zhao Tong saw the ceremony and took Sun Luban with him.
I said it briefly when I came back.
Li Yan sighed and turned to Wei Ba: "Ziyu, what do you mean?"
"I don't agree." Wei Ba said without hesitation: "I still have the same opinion. Instead of giving in to Sun Quan and attacking Wancheng, it is better to return to attack Wuchang."
Li Yan's face became more gloomy, and there was unconcealable anger in his eyes. He coughed several times: "Ziyu, do you think Wuchang is easy to fight? Even if it is easy to fight, the results of Nanyang will be lost one after another.
,isn’t this a good idea?”
Wei Ba asked back: "What good idea does the general have? Can you guarantee that he won't bite back after getting this technology?"
Li Yan was speechless. After going around and around, the problem remained: Sun Quan cannot be trusted.
There was a dead silence in the big tent, and Sun Luban was sitting on pins and needles. Obviously, his father's reputation was not very good - of course, in his eyes, the Shu Han people were not good people either. He had always been worried about Liu Bei's rogue behavior.
——It directly affected her husband's military exploits, leaving her wondering what to do.
Finally, Zhao Tong broke the silence: "General, I have a suggestion that may be feasible."
"Bo Ren, tell me." Li Yan had been impatient for a long time. When he heard Zhao Tong speak, he actually felt relieved.
"I think that even if the production technology of stone bullets is given to Wu State now, Wu State will not be able to make them in time. It is better to give them some stone bullets and let them transport them to Kunyang to assist the generals in attacking Kunyang and cut off the Wei army's retreat first.
. Once Kunyang is reached, the Wei army will have no way to retreat, and its morale will inevitably plummet, which will also be of great benefit to our attack on the city. After this battle, it will not be too late for the two sides to discuss the issue of technology transfer."
When Zhao Tong told Li Yan his suggestion, he immediately understood it. He would not give him any skills, but would give him some stone bombs. This would not only solve the problem of Lu Xun's attack on Kunyang, but would not cause major troubles. Moreover, Sun Quan
To escort these stone bullets to Kunyang, some troops must be sent, which can also reduce the pressure on them to defend Sun Quan.
This is not the best way, but it is not a bad way. More importantly, it solves Li Yan's urgent need.
"I think it's good." Li Yan glanced at Meng Da: "Zidu, what do you think?"
Meng Da stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "I think it's feasible, too."
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Ma Su and Deng Zhi: "Youchang, Bo Miao, what do you think?"
Ma Su and Deng Zhi exchanged glances and smiled: "Bo Ren's plan is very clever."
Li Yan finally showed a smile on his face and turned his gaze to Wei Ba. Sun Luban clenched his fists and turned his gaze to Wei Ba. Everyone else agreed. Now it's up to Wei Ba to agree or not.
Wei Ba shrugged and said helplessly: "The general thinks it's good, what else can I say. However, I'll say it first. As long as one of these stone bullets falls on the head of our army, don't blame me for turning your back on him."
Man, no matter whether the general is willing or not, I will seek justice from Sun Quan."
"That goes without saying." A stone in Li Yan's heart finally fell to the ground. He turned to Sun Luban, winked his eyes deliberately, and looked innocent. "Princess, I have to trouble you to bring this sentence to you."
King Wu, our General Zhennan is really going to get angry, but no one can stop him."
Sun Luban liked it so much that he couldn't help but nodded: "General, don't worry, my father will definitely not do this, otherwise, I won't agree."
Everyone laughed.
Li Yan immediately sent Fei Yi to formally convey a message to Sun Quan, willing to support some stone bombs to the Wu army first. If the two sides cooperate well, they will discuss the technology transfer issues such as the production of stone bombs after the war. At the same time, Sun Luban also put Wei Ba's threat
He told Sun Quan. When Sun Quan heard this, he knew that it was impossible for him to obtain the technology he wanted at this time. If he had to force Wei Ba to fall out, it would be of no benefit to the other party. Instead of doing this, it was better to gain actual benefits first.
The tone was set, and after several rounds of negotiations, Sun Quan discussed Li Yan's request. Li Yan allocated a batch of stone bombs to Sun Quan. Sun Quan immediately sent Zhuge Ke to escort the stone bombs to Kunyang and help Lu Xun conquer Kunyang.
Yang. Then, he formally met with Li Yan to discuss how to cooperate in attacking Wancheng.
The cooperation between the Han and Wu alliance finally broke the ice and entered a new situation. Both sides were busy preparing for the siege, which made the Wei army in the city feel the chill of the coming rain.
As an advisor and Sun Quan's son-in-law, Zhao Tong gained the trust of both parties and took on the important task of cooperating with the Wu army. Li Yan asked him to serve as a hussar general with the rank of Huwei Zhonglang, commanding 10,000 elite troops and Sima of another department.
More than 10,000 Wu elites were stationed in the east of Wancheng, ready to block reinforcements and pursue the enemy.