Chapter 307: United with Jiangdong
Inside Chang'an City, Li Jue and Guo Si were tied up tightly by their generals and made to kneel in front of the city gate.
Zhang Liao looked at the scene in front of him and sighed slightly.
If you know today, why should you be in the beginning.
What wolves bring forth are only wolves, without any loyalty and with only their own interests in mind.
When Li Jue and Guo Si were both suffering losses in the internal strife, Zhang Liao's 100,000-strong army was approaching the city, and the outcome was inevitable.
There was no need to attack the city. The generals under Li Jue and Guo Si took the initiative to tie up the two men and sent them to Zhang Liao.
The present is different from the past. In the past, they could retreat back to Xiliang. But now, Xiliang has been occupied by Gongsun Zan. Even if they go back, they may not even be able to become rich.
The relationship between Gongsun Zan and Tian Ze was known to the world, and Fa Xiaozhi was a cruel official. The Xiliang generals, who had no way out, naturally chose to surrender.
With Zhang Ji's example before them, it should not be a problem for them to live a prosperous life, not to mention anything else.
Although Zhang Liao despised these people, he did not attack them.
After all, they were all "heroes", and killing them without authorization would have a very bad impact on the unification of the world in the future.
However, although it was difficult to take action openly, Guo Jia had already secretly put these people in his "little book".
It would be fine if these people could live a peaceful and wealthy life in the future, but if they make the slightest mistake, Guo Jia will have the means to kill them.
The joy of taking Guanzhong without bloodshed diluted the disgust for these treacherous ministers.
Tian Ze did not let Li Jue and Guo Si go. After all, the sins of these two people were too serious, and their abilities were not enough to make up for their mistakes.
When the heads fell to the ground, the people in Guanzhong cheered.
At this point, all the land of Sili was taken by Tian Ze.
When the princes of the world heard the news, they all sighed and lamented.
Although Chang'an and Luoyang have been ruined, their status as the former capitals of the Han Dynasty still remains.
The capture of Sili by Tian Ze did not bring much increase in strength, but it was of great significance in terms of strategy.
In today's world, those who are loyal to the Han Dynasty are becoming increasingly desperate.
Three emperors stood in a three-way stalemate, two kings ruled their own kingdoms, and the Tian family dominated.
What destiny does the Han Dynasty have?
Inside the city of Xiangyang, Liu Bei slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the map of the Thirteen States of the Han Dynasty.
Pang Tong walked in, looked at Liu Bei who looked a little depressed, and said in a deep voice: "My lord, you have been watching here for three days, it's time to wake up."
Liu Bei, who seemed to have lost his soul, sighed deeply: "Shi Yuan, do you think there is still hope for the Han Dynasty?"
Hearing this, Pang Tong shook his head slightly and said, "My lord, I don't care whether the Han Dynasty can be saved, I only care about you."
"As long as the lord is here, the Han will be here. If the lord loses his will to fight, the Han will truly perish."
Pang Tong was never a man who was loyal to the Han Dynasty. The only person he cared about was Liu Bei.
"As long as I am alive, the Han Dynasty will exist." After listening to Pang Tong's words, Liu Bei slowly came to his senses.
"In the past, Emperor Gaozu killed the white snake and started an uprising, which established the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years. Why can't my lord start anew and rebuild the Yan Han Dynasty?" Pang Tong said without any hesitation.
Son of Heaven, he who has strong soldiers and horses will do it!
Although Liu Bei had become a prince at this time, he had never given up the Han Dynasty in his heart and was quite conflicted.
Benevolence made Liu Bei successful, but it also bound him and caused him to miss many good opportunities. Chen Qun, Pang Tong and others realized this early on.
In this chaotic world, benevolence alone is not enough, you must have skills. What they want is a lord who has ambitions for the world, not a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty who is at a loss as to what to do.
"My lord, if you want to restore the Han Dynasty, you can only rely on yourself. It is orthodox to rebuild the Yan Han Dynasty as the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan." Pang Tong said solemnly.
In Pang Tong's eyes, all that Zhou Gong spitting out food to feed his guests and the whole country being at peace were pure nonsense.
Why should I give up the world I conquered to a son of heaven who only has a title? In terms of ability and achievements, is he worthy? My lord's surname is also Liu.
At this moment, Liu Bei seemed to have recovered some strength. He stood up and looked at Pang Tong with sharp eyes.
"Shi Yuan, Tian Ze is now in great power, with a large population, countless money and food, and strong soldiers and horses. We are now trapped in Jingzhou, what should we do?"
Pang Tong said without hesitation: "My lord, the current strategy is to consolidate the land of Jingzhou, vigorously reform, accumulate money and food, and train troops."
"At the same time, you can send envoys to contact Sun Ce in Jiangdong and Liu Yan in Yizhou."
"It is now a consensus in the world that Tianze is powerful, and all knowledgeable people will work together to resist him. Sun Bofu is a smart man, and Liu Yan is also a shrewd man. They both understand the principle of losing one's lips and teeth."
"Gather the remaining princes of the world and perhaps we can fight against Tian Zenanbei and compete for supremacy."
Liu Bei nodded in agreement, but he knew in his heart that the road to alliance was full of thorns.
The repeated missed opportunities in the past are the best proof of this.
Everyone has reservations, so it's impossible to really work together.
Especially for Sun Ce, he does not border Tianze at all, so the alliance does not bring much benefit to him.
But given the current situation, he had no choice but to give it a try.
"Everything depends on human effort. I hope Sun Bofu is a hero."
In Jiangdong, Sun Ce had mixed feelings when he heard that Si Li was captured by Tian Ze. Zhou Yu stood aside, looking heroic but solemn.
"My lord, Tianze is so powerful that the Central Plains princes cannot contend with it. Although Jiangdong is thousands of miles away from them, if we sit back and watch the Central Plains princes lose their battles, we will be annexed by them sooner or later."
"Tian Ze's naval lord, you know that even with the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, we cannot take it lightly. Liu Bei has sent people to form an alliance. In my opinion, we can agree to it for now. Let's fight Tian Ze together first, and then make plans later."
"I'm afraid that Liu Bei and other princes in the Central Plains have formed an alliance with us in order to borrow our strength to alleviate their crisis. Forming an alliance with them is like seeking the skin of a tiger. We in Jiangdong must be careful and must not be used by them." Gu Yong reminded.
However, some local civil officials in Jiangdong under Sun Ce held different opinions.
"My lord, what does Tian Ze's might have to do with us? If he attacks the Central Plains, the princes of the Central Plains will surely resist with all their might. Then we can just take the opportunity to reap the benefits, seize the Central Plains, and achieve hegemony. Isn't this better?"
"If we form an alliance with Liu Bei and other Central Plains princes, we will no longer have the opportunity to expand abroad. Even if we defeat Tian Ze, what will happen? We won't get any land or money, and it will just be a waste of manpower."
"How can you do such a stupid thing?"
Listening to these righteous words, Sun Ce couldn't help but have a headache.
He knew that these people all had certain selfish motives. What they cared about most was the interests of their own families, and only secondarily was him, Sun Bofu.
But what they said made sense.
Is it possible to do something that will lose money but gain publicity?
Even if Tian Ze fell, the rising princes in the Central Plains would still be formidable enemies to him.
The best option is to not help either side and wait for the opportunity.
But now Tianze has occupied four states and dominated the north. If we wait any longer, is there really still a chance?
(End of this chapter)
