Sun Quan asked Zhuge Liang for help, but Zhuge Liang's situation was not much better. He returned from the battle in Luoyang without success. He was pressed hard by Li Yan in the court and suffered heavy economic losses. Wei Ba pressed for debt.
, which was really beyond his expectation. But now he can't even get the pension for the fallen soldiers, so how can he have the money to pay it back to Wei Ba?
After all, isn't it because the pre-planned battle plan was not met? If Luoyang had been conquered, great achievements had been made, and a large amount of loot had been captured, how could we be in the current predicament.
Failed at every step and embarrassed at every step, this is Zhuge Liang's current situation. How can he settle down and recuperate? He eats less and less, sleeps less and less, and his physical condition is not getting worse day by day. Jiang Wei is here
During the attack on Huguan, there was no one to share his worries. Even if he wanted to rest, he couldn't find a trustworthy helper.
Facing his brother's concern and blame, Zhuge Liang was helpless and even felt frustrated. He welcomed Sun Quan's plan to purchase war horses, but he was a little worried.
"Who bought these war horses?"
"Two types of people." Zhuge Jin sighed softly: "One is the clan generals, and the other is the generals from Jiangdong. The Jianghuai people have limited strength and cannot be compared with them."
"If this continues, there will no longer be a place for Jianghuai people to stand among the Wu army?"
"There is nothing we can do about it." Zhuge Jin was silent for a moment: "Brother Yuan Xun is also in the army. Which one of them do you think can become a great weapon?"
"Brother wants to buy war horses for them?"
Zhuge Jin nodded.
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment: "My brothers don't say polite words. Yuan Xun is talented, but his surname is rough. He has the trust of the King of Wu. He can achieve great things, but he can also miss great things. As for his uncle, he was born in wealth, and he is arrogant.
Luxury is not as good as Yuanxun."
Zhuge Jin pondered for a moment: "Then Yuan Xun is better?"
Zhuge Liang nodded and said nothing more. Having reached this point, Zhuge Jin still refused to give up, so what else could he say. Besides, this was probably a helpless move. Sun Quan couldn't just watch the Jianghuai system collapse from now on.
Let the Jiangdong faction dominate.
"I will mobilize the war horses as soon as possible, but you should be careful. If Wei Ba hears the news, he may come to collect debts again." Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly and said: "I owe him a large sum of money."
Zhuge Jin also smiled bitterly and said: "Not only do you owe him money, we also owe him a lot of money."
…
In Xiangguan, Wei Ba welcomed a distinguished guest from Chengdu: Li Feng.
Once again serving as an envoy to meet with Wei Ba, Li Feng was no longer as restrained as the last time. He accepted Wei Ba's hospitality calmly. After having a good meal and wine, Wei Ba invited him to the study.
At this time, Li Feng restrained some of his arrogance, showed the humility of a courteous corporal, and bowed his hand to Wei Ba: "General, I came here on my father's orders this time, and I want to ask the general about a few things."
"Young General, please speak." Wei Ba said with a smile: "Don't worry about walls having ears. Whatever words come out of your mouth and into my ears, heaven knows and earth knows, you know and I know."
"That's very good." Li Feng was very satisfied with Wei Ba's attitude. "The first thing: have you indeed sold fire bombs to Wei, and how many were they in total?"
"Yes." Wei Ba said without thinking, "a total of one million."
"So many?" Li Feng pretended to be surprised and said: "The general does not know. The last time the Prime Minister discussed the Luoyang War, some people said that the reason why the Prime Minister was defeated was because the Wei army had a large number of fire bombs, so it suffered a major setback.
.The general is the main culprit of this failure. The general is suspected of collaborating with the enemy. I request the general to order that the general be arrested and brought back to Beijing for questioning."
Wei Ba curled his lips and dismissed it: "Such rumors are nothing more than to excuse the Prime Minister, so don't listen to them."
"But the general also said just now that you did sell fire bombs to the Wei people, and there were a lot of them."
"Yes, but that was all before the war. The Prime Minister sent troops to Luoyang. So far, there has been no official notice. I always thought that the Wei people bought these to deal with the Wu people. Who knew that the Prime Minister would send troops." Wei.
Ba sighed: "Although I have a clear conscience, I also know that it is difficult to be a general. I will keep this feeling in my heart and I will repay you in the future."
Li Feng smiled. Of course he was not here to arrest Wei Ba. After all he said, he just wanted to sell a favor to Wei Ba to pave the way for the next negotiation. If Wei Ba is so understanding, then things will be much easier to handle.
.
"Please rest assured, general, my father believes in you, otherwise, we would not be sitting here. Hahaha..." Li Feng pretended to smile cheerfully: "The second thing is, has the general sold any warships to
Wei people?"
"Who is doing harm to me and spreading rumors about me?" Wei Ba was very angry. "I sold ships to the Wei people, but those were cargo ships, not warships. The Cao family usurped the Han Dynasty, and the Han and the traitors are not at odds with each other.
The warship is a weapon of the country, how could I sell it to him? The ship is not a fire bomb, it will be gone after use."
"Can the general build warships?" Li Feng asked with a smile.
"Of course." Wei Ba looked at Li Feng suspiciously: "What the young general means is..."
"If the general can take out real warships and compare them with the merchant ships bought by the Wei people, then the facts will be clear. If the general can lead these warships to attack Wei, the rumors will be self-defeating. Who will believe the general?
You are giving a sharp weapon to others to create trouble for yourself."
Wei Ba laughed and shook his head repeatedly. "Major General, you think too highly of me. I fought with the Xiangyang Navy, and now I can build ships, but I know nothing about water warfare. If the general goes out, I can
There are many people who will provide warships and lead the army, so the general should choose it himself, and I won’t make a fool of myself.”
Li Feng blinked: "In the general's opinion, among the generals who can command the navy, which one is more suitable, Feng Jin or Fu Xing?"
Wei Ba smiled: "Young General, you should ask Meng Da about this, he is more familiar with them than me. Besides, who said that the people who command the navy can only be selected from Xiangyang Navy, there are also navy in Chengdu
, the general has been in Yong'an and Jiangzhou for many years, and he doesn't have a few people who are proficient in water warfare, right?"
Li Feng smiled and narrowed his eyes until there was only a slit left. Wei Ba was simply too wise. He was originally worried that Wei Ba would compete for credit, but now it seems that Wei Ba is very sensible and does not compete with Li Yan at all.
mean.
"Then there is one last question left." Li Feng leaned closer to Wei Ba and seemed more intimate: "If we want to equip a navy with ten thousand people, how long will it take for the general to provide all the warships?"
Wei Ba pondered for a moment: "I'm not an expert on this. I'd better ask the Major General to provide a specific list of warships before I can give you an answer. Based on the current scale of Hepu Shipyard, I estimate it will take at least five years. Of course, if each
The materials are supplied in a timely manner and the time may be shortened."
"Shortened to how many years?"
"There is no shortage of wood in Jiaozhou, and there are mountains and forests everywhere, but there is a shortage of iron in Jiaozhou." Wei Ba said in embarrassment: "At present, part of the iron we use is transported from Wancheng, and the other part is transported from Nanzhong. I originally expected that
The Prime Minister can take Hedong and take the Hedong Railway to pay for my goods, but it is hard to say whether he can take Hedong now. If there is not enough iron supply and the construction period is not delayed, it should be shortened to three years."
"Three years." Li Feng frowned slightly: "Three years is still a bit too long."
"Why, the general wants to use troops?" Wei Ba asked in surprise.
Li Feng smiled and nodded proudly: "General, this is actually the last question. My father wants to send troops to attack Wu, and I want to hear the general's opinion."
Wei Ba frowned and thought for a long time. "Major General, can I ask a question first?"
"General, please speak."
"The Prime Minister failed in the Eastern Expedition. I'm afraid he won't have the strength to send troops again in a short time. Ordinarily, no one above the court can threaten the status of the general. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for the general to break his promise and send troops to attack Wu.
Is it? The prime minister went out to control the military power and compete with the general. Who will he compete with when the general goes out? The general is already a very popular minister, and if he performs meritorious deeds again, he will not be rewarded. Could it be..."
"What is it?" Li Feng glanced at him and said with a hint of something in his words: "Is it true that when you reach the rank of general, you should enjoy your wealth and status, have enough to eat all day long, and have nothing to do?"
Wei Ba was stunned and looked straight at Li Feng.
Li Feng tilted his mouth and looked at Wei Ba calmly: "General, my father is determined to serve the country and seek peace for the people of the world, but he still needs the help of talents like the general. General, are you willing?"
Wei Ba shivered, and a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He avoided Li Feng's eyes and looked at the hand on the case. His two thumbs were circling each other. After a long time, he finally
He said hoarsely: "Young General, can you allow me to think about it?"
"Of course." Li Fengpi nodded with a smile: "Such a big matter must be carefully considered by the general. To be honest, my father and Ma Youchang have high hopes for you, general."
Wei Ba laughed twice and retreated.
Looking at Wei Ba's hurried back, Li Feng laughed silently. The bait had been released, and it was up to the fish to take the bait. He was not worried that Wei Ba would report him. From his words, Wei Ba could not find out.
When there is conclusive evidence, this is something that can be expected but cannot be said. Wei Ba will not be so stupid. If Wei Ba refuses, it is obvious that he will not be a loyal subordinate and will cooperate with him in the future.
You have to be vigilant at all times. If Wei Ba agrees, then you can boldly use him. If you can follow him in the rebellion, what else can't you trust?
Of course, after the successful defeat of Wu, whether it will really go further depends on the specific situation. This initiative is firmly in the hands of the Li family. If there is enough confidence, my father will not refuse.
Going one step further - only when you reach that position can power be truly passed down within the family. If you are not sure enough, then you can give up when you are good and become a general who is a very popular minister. What's wrong with that?
Han Feizi said that magic power is power. Only those in high positions can seize the initiative at any time.