Chapter 308 Liu Yan's Thoughts
Sun Ce's trusted advisers represented by Zhou Yu and the Jiangdong literati each held their own opinions, but both sides had their reasons.
The former is based on the world situation, while the latter is a plan based on the current situation. It is difficult to say who is right or wrong.
At this moment, Sun Ce was hesitating between looking into the distance and focusing on the present.
Seeing this, Zhou Yu said softly: "My lord, do you want to conquer the world, or do you want to live in peace in the south?"
"If we want to seize the world, we must form an alliance with Liu Bei and other princes. Otherwise, once Tian Chengshou takes over Xiliang and Yizhou, we will have no chance."
"If he wants to stay in peace in the south, then we can sit back and watch Tian Chengshou and the princes of the Central Plains attack. We can even give him a push in secret to consume the power of Liu Bei and other princes, take the opportunity to capture Jingzhou and Yizhou, and fight against Tian Chengshou from north to south, dividing the world into two."
Zhou Yu understood Sun Ce's concerns. Although he had his own ideas, he was unwilling to force Sun Ce to make a decision. Instead, he showed Sun Ce the possible final results of the two options.
Although the alliance suffered a loss, it still had a chance to seize the world.
If we don't form an alliance, the best we can do is divide the world into two.
Upon hearing this, Sun Ce said without hesitation: "The cause of a king cannot be partial. A true man born in this world should sweep across the nine states and rule the world."
Sun Ce had always called himself the Overlord, so naturally he was unwilling to own only half of the world.
"Then we will form an alliance with Liu Xuande and others. But since they are begging us to form an alliance, we have to negotiate the terms," Zhou Yu said.
"We will form an alliance with them and send troops to assist them. All the money and food we spend will be borne by them. Moreover, if they conquer territory and population, we will get a share of the profits."
"Most of the land in Tianze is our enclave, but Liu Bei and other princes are connected to us, so ceding some of the land should be no problem."
Sun Ce nodded repeatedly after hearing Zhou Yu's words.
Tian Ze was too strong, so strong that it made him feel a little desperate.
These Jiangdong civil officials spoke sweet words and reaped the benefits.
But how could it be so easy to take advantage of Tianze?
The 200,000 naval forces under his command are not just for show; a little more manpower would be enough to make it difficult for them to move.
In this case, the right thing to do is to unite with the weak to fight the strong.
Just when Sun Ce decided to agree to Liu Bei's alliance, Liu Yan in Yizhou began to have doubts.
"Fan'er, do you think we should form an alliance with Liu Xuande?" Liu Yan asked worriedly.
After finally getting his fill of being an emperor, he didn't want to die so early. At least he would wait a hundred years. By then, he wouldn't care even if his foundation was gone.
With such a powerful enemy right next to him, he couldn't help but worry.
"Father, I think Tian Chengshou is powerful and has his eyes on the world. He will attack us sooner or later. We should agree to the alliance of Liu Xuande and others and fight the enemy together." Liu Fan said without hesitation.
In his opinion this was not a problem.
If they don't unite, it's only a matter of time before they are swallowed up by Tianze.
Moreover, they, Liu Bei and Liu Yu, all have the surname Liu. They can't let outsiders benefit even if it benefits their own people!
As the crown prince, his position was actually not exactly the same as Liu Yan's.
"But if we form an alliance with Liu Xuande, I'm afraid Tian Ze will get angry and use this as an opportunity to attack. If we just stand by and watch, perhaps Tian Chengshou will fight with Liu Bei and others first?" Liu Yan still said with hope at this time.
He had no intention of conquering the world, he just wanted to defend Yizhou.
Upon hearing this, Liu Fan looked at Liu Yan in disbelief: "How could my father still have such delusions?"
"Tian Chengshou has evil ambitions. Even if we are on good terms with him, he will definitely attack us. Besides, the Han and the traitors cannot coexist. As orthodox Han people, how can we just stand by and watch?"
When Liu Yan heard this, his face suddenly became a little ugly.
His son is still too young, and he only wants to restore the Han Dynasty. However, he does not know that the current situation cannot be reversed by you alone.
Trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm is an act without knowing one's own limitations and should not be accomplished.
How to protect Yizhou's foundation is what they should consider.
Liu Fan also realized that he had said something too harsh. Looking at the somewhat embarrassed Liu Yan, he quickly said, "Father, Yizhou is blocked by natural barriers. Even if Tian Ze came to invade, we can't do anything."
"As long as we block the plank road, Qishan Road and other roads and station troops in Hanzhong, we can rest assured."
"But if this happens, it will be difficult for us to intervene in the changes in the situation outside."
"Therefore, it is better to unite with Liu Bei and other Central Plains princes. After all, they are quite weak compared to Tian Ze. Only by forming an alliance with them to counter Tian Ze can we maintain the balance of the world and avoid a single power. This way, we can be sure of nothing going wrong."
After hearing Liu Fan's words, Liu Yan pondered for a moment.
This does make sense, but helping Liu Bei is too risky.
Moreover, Liu Bei and others were not easy to deal with. It would be terrible if they took advantage of his allies to stab him in the back and plot against his Yizhou.
"Jun Jiao, what do you think?" Liu Yan looked at Zhang Su standing beside him.
Zhang Su frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "My lord, what the Crown Prince said makes sense."
"We have the natural defenses of Yizhou, so we are not afraid of Tianze. By forming an alliance with Liu Bei and others, we can be prepared for any eventuality. If Tianze attacks, we can use his power to harass and contain him, thus ensuring the stability of Yizhou."
"But... we must also be on guard against Liu Xuande and others. We must be careful when we form an alliance to avoid being schemed against by them."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan nodded slightly.
Then he looked at Zhang Song beside Zhang Su.
Zhang Song quickly said, "My Lord, Song's idea is the same as yours, it is better to form an alliance."
Liu Yan was slightly stunned when he heard this: "It's rare. You two brothers can actually have the same opinion."
When the two heard this, their mouths twitched slightly.
You know, the brothers Zhang Su and Zhang Song have always been at odds with each other.
He wanted to hear Zhang Song's opinion, actually he just wanted to argue the opposite side of the matter and better weigh the pros and cons.
But I never thought that Zhang Song also supported this matter.
Seeing that the three people in front of him all agreed to the alliance, Liu Yan hesitated for a moment and agreed: "Then let's form an alliance."
"However, you must first make it clear with Liu Xuande. We are just an alliance. Once Tian Ze sends troops to attack them, we can provide financial support, but we will not send troops to help. At most, we can send troops to the north to contain them."
"If Tian Chengshou sends troops to attack, they don't have to send troops to Yizhou to rescue, but can just harass and contain Tian Ze nearby."
Liu Yan was still a little worried, so he added restrictions.
Brothers Liu Fan and Zhang Song were slightly stunned when they heard this.
Is this an alliance? It's a bit too hasty.
They saw through Liu Yan's thoughts at a glance. It was obvious that he was worried about the risks but wanted to take advantage.
Who doesn't know the natural dangers in the north of Yizhou? According to Liu Yan's statement, Liu Bei and other princes were equivalent to a one-sided alliance.
If Liu Yan was in trouble, they would send troops to help. If they were in trouble, Liu Yan would wave his flag and shout and then run away.
This plan is going to hit them in the face.
(End of this chapter)
