Zhuge Liang got straight to the point: "It's the beginning of the new year, and it's rare for everyone to come back to Chengdu. Nanzhong has been in rebellion for a long time. Most of the gentlemen here have served in Nanzhong or have dealt with southerners. They must have some knowledge of the Nanzhong issue.

I hope to hear more of your opinions."

He added: "Let me tell you my thoughts first. I have wanted to march south for a long time, but after the defeat of Yiling, the country's soldiers are few and there are few generals, unable to do anything. Now more than a year has passed, the country has slightly recovered its vitality, and is with the army again.

Soochow became an ally. Soochow also stated that it had given up controlling Nanzhong to rebel against the barbarians through Shixie, the governor of Jiaozhi. Therefore, our army no longer has any worries about its southern expedition."

"After the spring plowing, it will be a great time for the southern expedition. I want to lead the army there myself. I wonder what you think?"

Ma Su, who joined the army in the Prime Minister's Office, said: "I support the Prime Minister's opinion. I am ashamed to say that although I once served as the governor of Yueqi, I never went to Qiongdu to take up the post because of the barbarians' rebellion, killing Han officials and blocking roads.

It’s really in name only.”

"From what I understand, the southerners have been disobedient to the Han people for a long time. The southern land is vast, with many mountains and dense forests, and is full of miasma. If you want to conquer it by force, it will be really difficult, unless you go on a killing spree, but this is not the behavior of a benevolent person. My suggestion

Yes, we should adopt a strategy of attacking the heart. War with soldiers is the next best thing, and war with the heart is the top priority. Only by trying to conquer their hearts is the best strategy."

"Humph, conquering people's hearts? Easier said than done. It's really just a scholar's opinion." After hearing Ma Di's words, Wang Lian sneered, shook his head and said, "In my opinion, this battle is impossible to win."

Ma Su asked: "Why can't we fight?"

Wang Liandao: "I have served as the captain of the Yantie School for many years, and I know that everything in the world is all about profit. In my opinion, if you want to fight a war, you must first settle the accounts and do it only if it is profitable."

"Even if we win, what's the point of benefiting from the barren land in the south, which is remote and difficult to navigate? The southerners are barbaric and don't engage in farming, so how can taxes be paid?"

"If we are to pacify today and revolt tomorrow, we will still need to send officials, station troops and horses, and the cost will be huge and difficult to estimate. If the country is rich, it might as well give it a try. Now our country is recovering from a serious illness and has just started to improve. In fact,

I don’t have the capital to do this loss-making business.”

"What's more, Prime Minister, the importance of the Netherlands is really not suitable for taking risks with the hope of one country. I hope Prime Minister will think again!"

Wang Lian's words touch the root of the problem, and Zhuge Liang nods frequently. Now he wants to break every penny in half and spend it. If the victory of the Southern Expedition can only gain the false name of great unification, but it will also increase the burden on the national treasury, he really should think twice.

OK.

Zhao Yundao said: "The view of literature and ritual is as clear as watching fire, and I admire you very much. I am a martial artist and have no knowledge of the benefits of salt and iron. I will only give you my opinion from the perspective of using soldiers."

"The land in Nanzhong is vast and the terrain is complex. The rebels are divided into different factions and the troops are scattered. If you want to complete the victory in one battle, you need to attack several groups at the same time and fight on multiple fronts. However, our army currently has a limited force and is able to defend but not attack.

It is obviously insufficient. Therefore, we do not have the conditions for the southern expedition now, and we still need time to raise our troops."

"But if we don't attack today, it doesn't mean we won't attack tomorrow. It won't be beneficial in the short term, but it doesn't mean it won't be beneficial in the long term. Otherwise, in the future, when the army goes out for the Northern Expedition, the center of Shu will be empty, and the southerners will be ready to plunder our rear. Then we will have to send elite troops and strong generals to garrison it.

In the south, the Northern Expedition will only increase worries. The hidden dangers here cannot be calculated clearly with just one word of advantage."

Having said this, Zhao Yun nodded slightly to Wang Lian and expressed his apology for the offensive words. Wang Lian also responded with a smile.

Zhao Yun continued: "Therefore, in my opinion, we should postpone the time and recuperate for now. After a year, when the army is trained, we can attack again."

After Zhao Yun finished speaking, the surrender commander Li Hui immediately said: "I am a southerner, and I agree with General Zhao's opinion. In the short term, the southern expedition is indeed unprofitable, but if you take a long-term view, southern China is also rich in minerals, and the southerners are also rich in minerals.

He is brave and good at fighting. If he can be used properly, he will be a force that cannot be ignored in our Northern Expedition."

Zhang Yi, who joined the army, and Yang Yi also expressed that they agreed with Zhao Yun's opinion.

If there was no Zhou Mo in this time and space, this meeting would probably be over soon.

The speeches of Ma Su, Wang Lian, Zhao Yun, and Li Hui, except for Ma Su's speeches, the other three have their own insights and have analyzed the problem more thoroughly.

Zhuge Liang finally followed their advice, engaged in farming and planting crops, and stayed in seclusion for a whole year, until the following spring, when he personally led his army to the south.

This decision, judging from the historical circumstances at that time, is not incorrect.

After Zhou Mo listened to everyone's discussion, to be fair, he felt it was correct.

But he did not express his approval.

On the contrary, I am very anxious, but I don’t know where to start.

Because he knows something that no one else knows.

That is, everyone present today, whether it is the old Wang Lian or the young Ma Su, will pass away one after another in the next ten years.

Wang Lian died of illness a year later.

Zhao Yun died of illness five years later.

Zhang Yi died of illness six years later.

Li Hui died of illness seven years later.

Ma Su was defeated and beheaded four years later.

Zhuge Liang died of illness ten years later.

Yang Yi had internal strife with Wei Yan after Zhuge Liang's death, was exiled by Liu Chan, and committed suicide.

And with the death of Zhuge Liang, the Shu Han will no longer have the slightest chance to make a comeback, and the rest of the time will just linger.

Zhou Mo really wanted to stand up and say, gentlemen, time waits for no one, your life span is running out, we must hurry up!

But if you say this directly, it would be strange if others don’t treat you as a lunatic.

Zhou Mo touched his chin and thought hard.

Zhuge Liang was quite surprised when he saw that Zhou Mo was the only one present who did not speak. He was always the most active in the past, so why didn't he say a word today?

Then he asked: "Si Qian, why are you silent today? If you have any other ideas, you might as well tell everyone."

Zhou Mo thought for a long time and then said: "I just thought about the problem of insufficient troops mentioned by General Zhao just now. However, Li Zhengfang has troops, why not bring Li Zhengfang back? Wu and Shu have already formed an alliance, and there is no need for so many garrison in the east.

The army?"

Hearing Zhou Mo talk about Li Yan, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh and shook his head helplessly.

Wang Lian saw that Zhuge Liang did not want to talk about it, so he took over and said: "Everyone here knows that the late emperor ordered Li Zhengfang to supervise Yong'an and control the internal and external military affairs. At that time, there was a fierce battle between Wu and Wei in Jingzhou, and the situation was chaotic, so the late emperor transferred Shu

Most of the remaining troops went there, a total of more than 30,000 troops, all under his command."

"Not long ago, our country and the State of Wu reached an alliance and agreed to jointly abolish the border garrison. The Prime Minister wrote to Li Zhengfang, wanting to transfer him back to Chengdu to prepare for the southern expedition, leaving only a small number of troops to guard Yong'an."

"Unexpectedly, Li Zhengfang said that Soochow was double-dealing and had to guard against it. He also used the late emperor's edict as a shield and refused the prime minister's proposal. Not even a single soldier would be transferred back to Chengdu. But since Wu and Shu need to abolish the border garrison at the same time

, he had no reason to stay in Yongan any longer, so he proposed to lead a large army to Jiangzhou to garrison."

"But in the inland area of ​​Jiangzhou, there are no enemy countries or barbarian rebellions. Why do we need so many troops to garrison?"

"The Prime Minister is grateful for the kindness of the late emperor and does not want to conflict with him to hurt the late emperor's wisdom. Therefore, his army, Li Zhengfang, can only be his army, and we can only find another way."<
Chapter completed!