Chapter 497 Different Interests
The bright sunshine was shining everywhere in Jiangling City. On the sandbar in the middle of the river outside the city, Xu Sheng held his helmet in one hand and rubbed his sleepy eyes with the other hand, feeling very sleepy.

He followed other captains in line in front of the tent. The beat of the drum suddenly became rapid. Xu Sheng forced himself to stay alert and pinched his palms hard.

Despite the pain, he straightened his body and followed the others in, with him being the last one in line.

In the water fort's big tent, Lu Yi glanced at the people seated, and then said, "Pei Qian fled without a fight, but he also burned many government warehouses. The people of Jiangling were also scattered. What I want to discuss today is the construction of a new city in Jiangling."

Cheng Pu, who was sitting in the front row, was puzzled: "From what the governor said, it seems that he wants to mobilize soldiers to participate in building the city?"

"Only in this way can we build a strong city before the enemy counterattacks."

Lu Yi looked around at everyone and said, "Pei Qian had already prepared a plan. He gave Jiangling City to me so that I could build the city. I can build the city and he can attack it. Otherwise, our army will not build the city and will go north to join forces with Jiangxia Army in Xiangyang and then attack the city by force."

Cheng Pu immediately shut up. He didn't want to become a victim of the attack on Xiangyang.

Let’s build the city. Although it is hard and tiring, compared to attacking Xiangyang, being able to build a city in Jiangling is also a very happy thing.

Seeing that no one objected, Lu Yi smiled and said, "The Grand Marshal of Guanzhong has already laid a big net, and I just don't want him to be proud. Even if we want to advance to Xiangyang, it's not the right time. The enemy is full of energy and high-spirited at the moment, so we can't fight them. Wait until they are slack, and then we can fight again."

Pang Tong, who was in the military planning team, bowed and said, "If the commander-in-chief stops the troops, Pei Wenxing's ability will surely help him regain his strength. If we let him manage Dangyang and Yicheng, they will surely become strong cities. By then, let alone Xiangyang, Dangyang alone will make it difficult for our army to move."

Pang Tong said firmly, "In my humble opinion, we should pursue Pei Wenxing and not give him a chance to regroup. We should also divide our forces to plunder the land, so that we can use the manpower and material resources of Nanjun. Otherwise, Jiangling is an isolated city, and even if the city walls are strong, it will not be a barrier."

The military supervisor Lu Su also spoke up: "That's right. The governor talked about building a city right after he got to Jiangling, which may have weakened his morale. We might as well divide our troops to plunder the land, use our elite troops to force Pei Wenxing to retreat, and then choose the right time to act. If there is a real opportunity to fight, it won't be too late to besiege Xiangyang. This city was built with Liu Jingsheng's efforts, and I also know that this city is difficult to attack. But if you are not even willing to besiege the city, how can you convince the people of Jianghan?"

Seeing that Lu Yi was unmoved, Pang Tong could only reiterate his opinion: "We can collect corvée labor from Nanjun to build a new city. This way, the officers and soldiers will not have to endure the hardship of labor and can be more energetic and prepared to face the enemy."

Lu Yi turned his head and looked at Pang Tong seriously: "Can it be completed before August?"

"If you follow Pei Wenxing's plan...I really can't accept your order."

"Yes, once such a strong city is built, Jiangling will become an important town."

Lu Yi's expression became more serious. "I don't ask you to finish the project on time. I recruit you as the governor of Jingzhou to assist Lu Zijing in governing Nanjun. You must recruit 50,000 young men within this month. Otherwise, I can either take Jiangling or abandon it."

Lu Yi was not joking, he really had the courage to give up Jiang Ling.

The attack on Jiangling was certainly due to Pei Qian's initiative to retreat, but it also proved that he was able to command the army smoothly.

If he could command the army to go upstream and attack Jiangling, he could naturally do other things as well.

Facing Pang Tong, Lu Yi acted very strongly.

The purpose was to force Pang Tong and the people of Jingzhou, led by Pang Tong, to take the initiative to mobilize and recruit various forces to speed up the construction of the new city of Jiangling.

The construction of the new city of Jiangling was completed. This was the source of his courage to confront Guanzhong for a long time!
This was not just his courage alone, it was about the belief of the entire army, and it was also the source of courage that inspired the four counties in southern Jing to fight against Guanzhong.

In short, whether to attack Xiangyang depends on how the situation changes, but neither the army nor Lu Yi wants to attack.

But all this has a prerequisite, that is, to build a new city in Jiangling, which is their only bottom line for launching an attack.

The new city of Jiangling has been completed, so that even if the war situation is not good in the future, the main force can calmly retreat to Dongting Lake for rest.

As long as Jiangling New City is in our hands, it will be a common barrier for everyone.

This barrier is not easy to build. Pang Tong and the people of Jingzhou are unwilling to work hard and are unwilling to spend money on food. So Lu Yi had no choice but to give up all attempts to advance to Xiangyang and shrink back to concentrate on building the city.

If repairs can be made, then repair them. If not, then immediately board the ship and evacuate the entire army.

It's very simple. You provide money, food and manpower to build the city, and we fight the war. That's all.

From the beginning to the end, Lu Yi was always considering the fundamental interests of the army. His foundation was shallow, and even the foundation of the Jianghuai Emperor and the Jianghuai court was shallow.

Don't think of relying on your authority to force the army to fight a battle you are not sure of. You have to do things step by step. Only when your prestige is high and your influence reaches deep into the grassroots of each army can you force the military officers to die. If you force them too much, the army may mutiny and turn to Zhou Yu and Sun Quan.

As long as Lu Yi takes care of the interests of the army, the army will naturally support Lu Yi.

With the support of the army, many problems are actually not problems, unless you can't defeat the other side.

When Lu Yi saw that Pang Tong agreed, he was satisfied and immediately began to mobilize troops according to the plan.

Even the military order was written last night, but Pang Tong just kept a tight face and pretended not to read it.

Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Once this war started, the big families in the four counties of southern Jing and the Jianghuai area no longer had any room to maneuver.

By then everyone will be on the blacklist, so there’s no need to worry about you not being willing to do your best.

It cannot be said that one is scheming against another, but now that the war has begun, we need to divide the work and cooperate to maximize the use of all resources.

In fact, the purpose is the same, no one wants to fail.

If there is such a glimmer of hope, we must naturally go all out.

He even fought well on the battlefield and proved his own worth, which earned him favor and respect from the fiercely humorous Grand Marshal.

Anyway, after the war breaks out, they won't be needed to fight on the front line, nor will they be needed to transport food or treat the wounded.

Among the first few groups of people who fell, few were descendants of noble families. There were only a small number of powerful people and military officers from humble backgrounds.

As for other soldiers, if they die, we will continue to recruit and train them, just don't let too many die at one time.

Isn't it just for the purpose of dying today that you are kept well fed and well fed?
The military meeting was over. Xu Sheng, who was on night duty last night, had no orders to go out to fight. He sat in the small boat, yawning, and went to join his warship team.

Huang Gai also returned to his fleet by boat, and his face was gloomy in the cabin.

Sun Quan and Zhou Yu are in Nanyang, so this battle will be difficult to fight.

Huang Gai was the kind of person who was coerced. By the time he reacted, Cheng Pu and others had already mutinied, Sun Quan abandoned his army and fled, and Jiangdong was controlled by other members of the Sun family and other big families.

It really makes no sense for Huang Gai, a scholar from Jingzhou, to die for the Sun family.

Therefore, in Huang Gai's opinion, the most difficult part of this battle is the change in people's hearts. Didn't Lu Yi and Lu Su guard against these people?
The same is true in reverse. How could these people dare to easily engage in a war of attrition?

If your troops are damaged, who among Lu Yi and the court will replenish them for you?

Not to mention recruiting new staff, there’s not even any compensation!
Huang Gai was a man recruited by a government official. He started pursuing a formal official career when he was young. He had been around Luodu and had seen all kinds of scenes.

When it comes to the civil and military careers in Jiangdong, how many people could be recruited by the government to serve as an official like Huang Gai when they were young?
He joined the army out of necessity for life, so he knew very well that once the real soldiers understood all the military-first policies and customs in Guanzhong, they would very likely join forces and mutiny on a large scale!
Anyway, when he was young, a plague swept through Lingling, killing more than a hundred people in his family.

He had the least concerns, so he also suspected that he was under the heaviest surveillance.

At this moment he did not dare to discuss with his subordinates and could only sit quietly in the cabin and think alone.

He even dared not imagine how many people like himself there were.

Anyone who has experienced a few regular wars knows how difficult that Da Sima is.

Beating the Hu people is just like beating your son behind closed doors. Now turn around and beat them. With Lu Yi's physique, can you withstand it?

Even though we had successfully calculated and utilized Pang Tong and others today, it was difficult to predict the performance of the main land force that marched northward from Jiangling, advancing both by land and sea, along the Jingyu Chidao Road.

(End of this chapter)