The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 495 Heroes Cherish Heroes

Jiangling was Yingdu, the capital of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Its history is even longer than that of Jianye. It was the largest city south of the Han River. Guan Yu managed and expanded it several times over many years, and its prosperity was probably comparable to that of Ye, Yuan Shao's base.

But the result?

The Jiangling before him looked like a wheat field ravaged by wild boars. How could Zhuge Liang accept such a desolate scene?

After briefly recounting the disaster that had struck Jiangling, Liu Bei laughed and said, "It's alright. Out with the old, in with the new. Before long, Anguo will return a brand new Jiangling to us. We must have faith in Anguo."

Upon hearing this, the Jingzhou gentry, led by Huang Chengyan, were collectively on the verge of tears, inwardly cursing Yu Jin to the point of utter despair.

The new Jiangling city was built at the cost of the residential land of the Jingzhou gentry, whose residential land has been reduced in size.

All of this was caused by Yu Jin's demolition of the roof beams. If Yu Jin hadn't demolished the roof beams and destroyed the houses, Liu Bei, who was so poor he was practically urinating blood, wouldn't have invested money to rebuild Jiangling. If Liu Bei hadn't rebuilt Jiangling, the landholdings of the gentry wouldn't have shrunk.

Therefore, the loss of homesteads for the gentry in Jingzhou was ultimately caused by Yu Jin. Who else should we blame but Yu Jin?

However, it seems that Yu Jin was invited in by the gentry of Jingzhou, so he ended up getting himself into trouble.

For a leader, if a subordinate is useful, they should be used to the fullest extent; letting them rest for even a second is a huge loss for the leader.

Liu Bei treated Zhuge Liang the same way. Zhuge Liang was one of his own, so there was no need to hold a grand welcoming ceremony like he did for Sun Quan and Zhang Zhao.

So after showing Zhuge Liang around and briefly explaining the current situation, I took him back to the command tent and got straight to the point: "Strategist, was it a mistake for me to abandon the plan to intercept Cao Cao at Wuguan Pass?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Your Majesty is right. Wuguan Pass is a strategically important and dangerous place. Even if there are not many troops stationed inside, it will not be easy to take it in a short time. If we cannot take Wuguan Pass before Cao Cao arrives, Your Majesty will be in a passive position."

"Furthermore, Cao Cao must have sent someone to inform Xiahou Shang when he entered Wuguan Pass. Upon receiving the news, Xiahou Shang would certainly have sent troops to Wuguan Pass to welcome him, which would have increased the defense of Wuguan Pass without him even realizing it."

"Besides, Xiahou Shang isn't stupid. Given that he couldn't hold Fancheng and knew that Cao Cao was at Wuguan Pass, how could he not send troops to support Wuguan and ensure that Cao Cao's marching route was unobstructed?"

"From this perspective, although Your Majesty lost an opportunity to strike Cao Cao by abandoning Wuguan, you may have also avoided a defeat. So Your Majesty need not worry about it."

Liu Bei had been regretting abandoning Wuguan Pass these past few days, and hearing Zhuge Liang's words immediately made him feel much better. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Then let's divide the country with Cao Cao for now. The territory we've recovered this time is too large. If we don't digest it before continuing our campaigns, we'll easily overwhelm ourselves. Besides, the soldiers are tired of war after the repeated battles. It's time for them to rest for two years."

Zhuge Liang smiled wryly and said, "Indeed, we should rest and recuperate to alleviate the pressure from all sides, but the problem is that Cao Cao may not agree."

"In this battle, Cao Cao not only gained nothing but also lost Longxi. He must have been unwilling to accept this and would most likely have led his army to counterattack. Although Cao Cao did counterattack Hanzhong, he was limited by the complex terrain. Cao Cao's attack on Hanzhong was like scratching an itch through a boot. It not only failed to solve Cao Cao's needs but also aroused his anger."

"More importantly, Cao Cao is terminally ill and his days are numbered. He can only fight the king one more time in his lifetime. Given Cao Cao's temperament, he will definitely launch another major battle to give himself a glorious end. And this time the battlefield is in Nan Commandery."

"If I am not mistaken, Cao Cao will most likely cross the Han River and launch a general attack on Your Majesty once he arrives at Xiangfan. Therefore, Your Majesty cannot rest for the time being. You must once again mobilize troops and provisions and prepare for a decisive battle with Cao Cao."

Liu Bei had a toothache. After fighting for so many years, not only his soldiers but even he himself was starting to feel a bit weary of war and desperately wanted to rest. He could even postpone the campaign for three months, but that damned Cao Cao seemed unwilling to let him rest.

Liu Bei closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, and when he opened them again, his eyes revealed an unprecedented fighting spirit. He said firmly, "Since that's the case, let me send Brother Mengde off on his final journey. To be honest, I would regret it if I didn't have a real fight with him."

In this life, small achievements rely on friends, while great achievements rely on enemies. Even enemies can have mutual respect, like Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Back in Xuchang, when they discussed heroes over wine, Cao Cao told Liu Bei that the only heroes in the world were you and I.

As it turned out, Cao Cao was right; of the eighteen warlords who fought against Dong Zhuo, only the two of them remained.

Moreover, the two had fought several times over the years, becoming both sworn enemies and close friends. If they didn't have a final showdown after all these years of preparation, Cao Cao would die with regrets, and Liu Bei would have lifelong regrets.

Liu Bei continued, "Jiangling is currently in dire need of reconstruction. Officials in Jingzhou, Jiangdong, and even Longxi have not yet been appointed. I entrust these matters to the strategist. Please complete the promotion and reshuffling of officials as soon as possible and restore stability within the territory as quickly as possible."

The rear is in a mess. The surrendered former troops from Jiangdong have not been appeased, the vacant officials in various counties have not been appointed, and even the cities in Jingnan that were occupied by the Wu army have not been taken over. It is truly a case of everything needing to be rebuilt.

Liu Bei had to deal with Cao Cao, so he naturally didn't have the energy to handle these messy matters. He could only let Zhuge Liang act as prime minister and leave everything to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang rose, walked to Liu Bei, and solemnly bowed, saying, "Your subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

After making his promise, he sat back down and continued, "By the way, Your Majesty, there is one more thing. You should write a letter to Lady Sun (Sun Shangxiang) and bring her back to Jiangling as soon as possible. This will reassure the old troops in Jiangdong."

Although Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang had been separated for several years, they did not divorce, meaning they remained husband and wife in name only.

Liu Bei seized the Sun family's three-generation legacy in this battle. Theoretically, he should have humbled himself and gone to Jianye to bring Sun Shangxiang back. Even if he was too busy dealing with Cao Cao to go, he could have at least written a letter to Sun Shangxiang, giving the young lady a way out.

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Don't worry, the messenger is already on his way. He should be able to reach Jianye in the next couple of days and deliver the letter to Shangxiang. I also had Sun Quan write a letter, asking him to bring his family to reunite with Lord Wu."

Liu Bei harbored some resentment towards Sun Shangxiang, who, despite marrying into her husband's family, always thought of her own family and was obsessed with supporting her brother. However, when Guan Yu launched his attack on Jianye, Sun Shangxiang's decisive support for her husband's family and her actions in helping Guan Yu stabilize Jiangdong deeply moved Liu Bei, and the resentment he had accumulated in the past naturally dissipated.

Moreover, Liu Bei is now an emperor and a qualified politician. Naturally, he would not let such a trivial matter cause his former subordinates in Eastern Wu to become disloyal. Therefore, as soon as he arrived in Jianye, he wrote a letter to Sun Shangxiang with extremely sincere words.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang was immediately relieved and sincerely praised, "Your Majesty is wise."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhuge Liang rose to take his leave. Upon returning to the tent that Liu Bei had prepared for him, he immediately instructed his men, "Please invite Anguo to see me."

The reason Liu Bei was able to turn the tide after his defeat at Maicheng and recover the entire Jiangnan region was entirely due to Guan Xing. Now that the battle has entered a mid-game break, Zhuge Liang naturally wants to meet this student and hear his imaginative ideas, which might be useful for his future governance.

Upon receiving the news, Guan Xing and Jiang Wei rushed over. As for Zhang Bao, he ran away on the spot when he heard that he was to see the strategist. This kind of academic failure was most afraid of seeing the teacher. If the teacher did not call his name, would he take the initiative to approach him? Wouldn't that be crazy?

Guan Xing led Jiang Wei into the tent and bowed to Zhuge Liang, who was sitting at the desk, saying, "Guan Xing greets the military advisor."