Chapter 340 The three counselors reached a consensus to kill him while he was ill! Do you still want to avenge your shame? You want to destroy the country!

Xiao Fang smiled slightly.

He knew that Zhuge Liang would definitely have a different opinion.

In terms of tactics, Pang Tong may be more outstanding, but in terms of strategy, his brother-in-law Wulong is still better.

"Kong Ming, tell me why I was the first to attack the false Qin."

Liu Bei turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang and waved his hand slightly.

Zhuge Liang pointed at the sand table and said slowly:
"On the surface, the Pseudo-Wei occupies the four states of Hebei and is stronger on paper than the Pseudo-Qin. However, I believe that the real strength of the Pseudo-Qin is stronger than that of the Pseudo-Wei."

"Since Cao Cao retreated into Guanzhong, he has won every battle. The number of his troops and their morale have been on the rise."

"In the Battle of Hanzhong, he gained a rich and almost undamaged Hanzhong at a small price, and his strength was further greatly increased."

"More importantly, although Cao Cao did not appoint a crown prince, his sons were not old enough. The Qin Dynasty had not yet seen the situation of many sons fighting for the throne and officials fighting for factions like the Wei Dynasty did."

"In other words, the Pseudo-Qin can barely be said to be united from top to bottom and can face the outside world in unison."

"Such a fake Qin, its real strength is far greater than its apparent strength."

"On the other hand, the pseudo-Wei..."

Zhuge Liang pointed to the north of the sand table:
"We lost 100,000 elite troops in the Central Plains battle, and lost the provinces of Henan. The people of Wei are worried and the morale of the army is low."

"As for Yuan Shao's so-called passing of the throne to Yuan Shang, based on the existing intelligence, I believe that Shen Pei and other Hebei factions took advantage of Yuan Shao's coma and forged an imperial edict to force Yuan Shang to ascend the throne."

"In this case, his brother Yuan Tan will certainly be dissatisfied, and Guo Tu, Chunyu Qiong and other Ruying factions will naturally be dissatisfied with Yuan Shang in their hearts."

"What's more, Yuan Tan, as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, led tens of thousands of elite troops to guard the important town of Liyang, and also held the position of Governor of Qingzhou. Although he had enough troops and territory to overthrow Yuan Shang, he had enough strength to command his own troops."

"So the pseudo-Wei is stronger than the pseudo-Qin on the surface, but the two brothers have their own agendas, and their five fingers cannot make a fist, so they cannot face the enemy with all their strength."

"So in this comparison, the strength of the Pseudo-Wei is actually weaker than that of the Pseudo-Qin."

After hearing Zhuge Liang's analysis, Liu Bei couldn't help but nod slightly in agreement.

Even Pang Tong stroked his short beard and fell into deep thought.

"As for cavalry, although it is important, it is not the key to victory or defeat."

"When we fought with Yuan Shao for the Central Plains, Yuan Shao had 10,000 cavalrymen, which was an advantage for cavalrymen. But he was still defeated by you, Your Majesty."

"So I think that even without a strong cavalry, we can still destroy the pseudo-Wei!"

"After destroying Wei, Youyan will fall into our hands. We can still build a powerful Youyan cavalry. When we attack Qin in the future, can't we use it to restrain the pseudo-Qin Xiliang cavalry?"

Zhuge Liang added something else, then bowed to Liu Bei:

"So after comprehensive consideration, I think we should take advantage of the internal divisions of the pseudo-Wei and the quarrels between the brothers to first attack Wei and then destroy Qin!"

Zhuge Liang once again expressed his views:
Destroy Wei first.

Pang Tong did not make any statement. Given his personality, not making any statement actually meant he agreed.

"Jinglue, what do you think of what Kongming and Shiyuan said?"

Old Liu also did not express his opinion and turned his gaze to Xiao Fang.

This concerns the strategic direction of unifying the world, so how can we not listen to Xiao Fang's opinion?

"Whether to attack Qin or Wei, the pros and cons have been clearly explained by Shi Yuan and Kong Ming. I will say something else."

Xiao Fang also did not express his opinion, but pointed his feather fan at the sand table:
"The campaign against the Pseudo-Qin was different from the previous campaign to recover the Central Plains. After all, the Central Plains is flat and there are no dangerous passes. All the decisive battles were basically fought on the plains."

"Attacking Qin is different. There are only two ways: either attack Tongguan or Wuguan."

"This means that Cao Cao doesn't need to mobilize all his troops. He only needs about 30,000 elite soldiers to stop our army, which is ten times larger than ours, at the gate."

After saying this, Xiao Fang moved his feather fan toward the north of the sand table:
"It's different with the Pseudo-Wei. Hebei and Henan are actually one, but they are separated by the Yellow River."

“Although the Yellow River is known as a natural barrier, it is not as wide or as turbulent as the Yangtze River. There are countless crossings along the riverbank that stretches for thousands of miles.”

"Cao Cao only needs tens of thousands of elite soldiers to defend the two passes of Wuguan and Tongguan. How many soldiers and horses does Yuan Shang need to defend the Yellow River, which can be crossed anywhere?"

"I'm afraid there are more than ten times as many soldiers?"

"The difficulty of attacking Qin and Wei is actually obvious."

The strategic considerations had already been discussed by Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang, so Xiao Fang simply analyzed it from a tactical perspective.

Although he did not directly state his position, how could Old Liu not hear the implied meaning?

Obviously, his prime minister shared the same strategic direction as Zhuge Liang, which was to attack the pseudo Wei first.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Prime Minister and Kong Ming have considered things more deeply and thoroughly."

"I withdraw my previous proposal. I also think that we should attack the pseudo-Wei first!"

Pang Tong expressed his opinion again and changed his position without hesitation.

Seeing that the three counselors had reached a consensus, Lao Liu's face also showed a determined look.

He then waved his hand and pointed to the north of the sand table, and said proudly:
"In that case, I have nothing to worry about."

"Just as you said, tell all states to prepare, cross the river when the time is right, and go north to destroy Wei!"

...

Yecheng, the main hall of Wei Palace.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, we bow to you!"

The sound of the mountains echoed in the hall.

Shen Pei, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Yan Liang, Wen Chou and other civil and military officials of Wei State bowed in unison to the new king on the throne.

Yuan Shang, wearing royal robes and sitting high on the throne, looked down at the ministers kneeling below the steps, listened to the cheers of the people, and raised a smug smile. After so many years of fighting, today he finally sat on the throne he had always dreamed of.

Looking up, it seemed as if the whole world was crawling at my feet.

"So this is what it feels like to be on the throne and have all beings bow down to you."

"If one day I could ascend the throne and become emperor, the feeling of ruling the world would be even more wonderful..."

Yuan Shang stroked the throne beneath him, his thoughts surging as he fantasized about a beautiful future, and for a moment he was in a trance.

Shen Pei saw that Yuan Shang looked out of control and had to cough dryly a few times as a reminder.

Yuan Shang was slightly shocked, then he came to his senses, coughed a few times, and sat up straight.

"My lords, in the battle of Central Plains, our army suffered heavy casualties and lost the land of Henan. This is truly a shame for the Wei Dynasty!"

"I want to mobilize all the troops in Hebei to cross the river to Henan, recapture Henan, and wash away the humiliation. What do you think?"

Yuan Shang's face was replaced with a domineering and angry look.

When the ministers heard this, they were all shocked.

We have just been severely damaged and have not yet recovered. You have just ascended the throne, and you are in a hurry to march south again to lead the troops?

Isn't this a joke!
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible!"

"In the battle of Henan, our army lost 100,000 soldiers and lost many prefectures in Henan. The strength of our great Wei and the false Chu has reversed!"

"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and your prestige is not yet established. The people of Hebei are not convinced, and the morale of the soldiers is not restored. How can you easily start a war again?"

"I dare to say that if Your Majesty were to lead his troops across the river and head south, he would be defeated miserably by Liu Bei!"

"Then my Great Wei will not only lose Henan, but will be destroyed!"

A counselor with half white hair and beard came out of the office with a cane, pounding the ground with the cane, and loudly objected in a stern voice.

The person who spoke out against it was Tian Feng.

Yuan Shang curled his lips, a hint of displeasure flashing across his brows.

Of course, he would not be so stupid as to raise an army to attack Chu, so he proposed to march south to retake Henan, just to show his determination to recover the lost territory and let the people of Wei know that he was a pioneering and enterprising leader.

According to his idea, Shen Pei and other ministers would flatter him first, praising his bravery and strategy, etc.

Then he would find an excuse, such as the soldiers being tired, to let him take advantage of the situation and temporarily delay his march south.

Unexpectedly, Tian Feng spoke first, and not only did he not give him a way out, he also gave a stern and alarmist speech.

In the end, he even said that the Wei Dynasty was going to be destroyed!
After Tian Feng finished speaking these profound truths, he seemed to have become a tyrant who was obsessed with show and fame.

Yuan Shang was naturally unhappy.

However, due to the influence of the Tian family in Hebei and Tian Feng's reputation, he could not do anything.

"Your Majesty did not sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor, and was content to defend a corner of Hebei. Instead, he had the ambition to recover Henan and unify the whole country. This is truly a blessing for our Great Wei!"

"I believe that it is natural to lead the army south to destroy the pseudo-Chu and recover the lost territory."

"But now that the king has just ascended the throne, it will take time for my soldiers to regain their morale. It will also take time to recruit and train new troops."

"So I think that Your Majesty can be patient for the time being. When the might of the Wei army is restored, it will not be too late to cross the river to the south and fight Liu Bei!"

Shen Pei understood Yuan Shang's thoughts. He stood up and praised Yuan Shang first, and then paved the way for him.

Yuan Shang's brows relaxed, and he was secretly satisfied. He nodded slightly and said:
"Well, let's follow Zhengnan's advice and let the soldiers rest and rebuild their morale first."

"When my army recovers, I will cross the river to the south and fight that big-eared thief to the death!"

The ministers then breathed a sigh of relief.

"We want to rest our soldiers and reorganize our army, but I'm afraid Liu Bei won't give us the chance!"

"According to my spies, Liu Bei is currently gathering food and fodder from various states to the Baima Yanjin line, and his troops are also being mobilized to Qingzhou and Yanzhou."

"All signs indicate that Liu Bei may launch a large-scale attack on Hebei around the end of spring plowing."

"The current military strength of the Pseudo-Chu is nearly twice that of our army, and its national strength is also greater than ours. If Liu Bei really launches a large-scale invasion to the north, I think the situation is not optimistic!"

Ju Shou finally spoke up and expressed his opinion, and immediately poured cold water on Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang's body trembled, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

Before he had even warmed up to the throne of King of Wei, before he had recruited all the new troops, and before morale had recovered, Liu Bei was about to launch a massive attack.

This is to take advantage of his weakness and kill him!

"My lords, if the big-eared thieves really want to attack Hebei in a big way, do you have any good strategies to deal with them?"

Yuan Shang's voice became weak and he hurriedly asked his ministers for help.

All the counselors offered their own suggestions, but they just argued back and forth. The general idea was to concentrate the troops, defend Puyang as the center, guard the Yellow River defense line, and keep Liu Bei's army south of the Yellow River.

However, the Yellow River can be crossed at any place, and the Wei State’s military strength is stretched thin. None of the counselors dared to guarantee whether they could hold the Yellow River defense line.

Yuan Shang's frown deepened, and a shadow gradually covered his face.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that may stop Liu Bei from attacking the Wei Kingdom!"

A young scholar suddenly shouted loudly, interrupting everyone's discussion.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the young strategist.

Yuan Shang's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly:
"Zhongda, what brilliant plan do you have? Tell us quickly!"

(End of this chapter)