Liu Xian's determination played a role, and Empress Dowager Wu made the final decision. Although Sun Quan was extremely reluctant, he could only do so.

He picked out two thousand strong men from the nearly 10,000 infantry soldiers recruited. One thousand were the regular soldiers, and the five hundred tribes given by Empress Dowager Wu, a total of 1,500 people were followed. Another thousand reserves were left in Changsha for training in preparation for replenishing the vacancies due to casualties at any time.

After hearing Sun Quan's plan, Sun Ce did not say much, but just allocated ten ships from the newly built warships to Sun Quan.

Since it is a water battle, warships are indispensable. Although the new warship is not as powerful as sea ships, it is more suitable for the water conditions of the Yangtze River. Unless it encounters a special rapid flow, it can go upstream without traction by a boatman.

Of course, this is just the most ideal state. When two armies are fighting, the other party will not sit idly by and watch you go downstream, the warships collided, arrow shooting, or other tactics are expected. New warships can only make up for some disadvantages, and the advantages are not yet discussed, and the risks are still very high.

After receiving the warship, Sun Quan immediately handed it over to his subordinates to practice, asking them to be familiar with this warship in a short period of time and to exert their maximum ability as much as possible. These thousand soldiers are the elite selected from the best, both water and land, and most of them grow up by the river and lake. Boat training is a necessary skill, and there is also a temptation to reward. Naturally, they will spare no effort and practice hard every day, which is also a scene on Dongting Lake.

According to the custom of the Wu army, exercises were performed once every half month in the battalion, and inter-battalion exercises were conducted once every month. Thousands of people under Sun Quan performed excellently in two consecutive exercises, and were appointed as the lieutenant of the Zhechong School and were organized into the front army, which was controlled by the former general Zhu Huan.

The former general directly under the Central Army was 5,000 infantrymen, and 5,000 infantrymen in the prefectures and counties, totaling 10,000. There were three main battalions, in addition to the Zhechong camp led by Sun Quan, there were also Hengjiang camp led by Jia Kui and Xuanwei camp led by Sun Guan. The Hengjiang camp was mainly Hedong soldiers, while the Xuanwei camp was mainly Taishan soldiers, with more than a thousand people each. Jia Kui and Sun Guan entered the camp early, but Zhu Huan still left the name of Zhechong camp to Sun Quan, and most of them were carrying Sun Quan when they attended the meeting at the Central Army.

Jia Kui had no reaction. He neither rejected nor deliberately approached him, so he did his own thing with peace of mind. However, Sun Guan felt a little aggrieved and complained in private, saying that if he had known this, it would be better to stay under the command of the Right General Ji Ling. These words came to Zhu Huan's ears. Zhu Huan did not give Sun Guan face and directly asked him to return to the Central Army to report to His Majesty. As for whether His Majesty would arrange for you to be under the command of the Right General, I don't care.

Sun Guan was very annoyed, but he did not dare to return to the central army. Not to mention anything else, he competed for the first place with Changsha King Sun Quan. Even if His Majesty did not care about it and asked him to return to the command of the right general Ji Ling, Ji Ling would not dare to accept him. Besides, Zhu Huan was a confidant of the emperor, and the front army was the well-known pioneer camp, and he had the most opportunities to make contributions. He had put a lot of effort into rushing in, so how could he just withdraw like this?

As a last resort, Sun Guan admitted his mistake and apologized to Zhu Huan, but his resentment became stronger.

Sun Ce knew everything about the front army, but said nothing.

The emperor personally led the army to Dongting, the empress dowager and the queen accompanied him. Almost half of the court was in Dongting Mountain, so the expenses were naturally quite large.

Dongting Lake is in Changsha, but the imperial court's expenses are not paid by Changsha. They are not even provided by the four counties of Chuzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, but also by the four counties of Jingzhou in the north of the Yangtze River, Yuzhang, Lujiang, Danyang and even further away Jiujiang in the north of the Yangtze River all have to provide some supplies to reduce the burden on the eight counties of Jingzhou. The Yangtze River waterways are particularly busy, and a large number of ships enter and exit Dongting Lake every day, transporting materials from all over the country.

But the burden of the eight counties of Jingchu is undoubtedly the heaviest. The camp and the 50,000 army are like a huge monster, entrenched on Jingchu's waist, greedily swallowing Jingchu's blood and fertility. Although the rebellion of Shen Dan and Shen Yi brothers was quickly quelled, it still aroused the alertness of many people.

The consumption of war exceeded their imagination. Due to the terrain, even if the Wu army is well-trained and Huang Zhong, Deng Zhan and others have rich combat experience, they cannot guarantee victory in every battle. Some accidents or mistakes are inevitable, and each accident must be compensated with countless money and food.

Because the number is too large, there are many people who have doubts about the accounts. The Nanyang tribe, which has the greatest burden, has sent representatives to clear the relationship with the opportunity of the New Year's Eve, hoping to see the relevant accounts and prevent anyone from making profits from it.

After all, there are long-term cases of such incidents. Not long ago, a group of lureless merchants were seized in Nanyang, and Guan Yu, who acted as the governor of Xiangyang, even killed several unscrupulous people who reselled military rations in public.

It is never easy to check the emperor's account. Even if Nanyang first implemented the new policy and the Nanyang clan had the strongest background, no one dared to speak up easily, and no one dared to make a request in person. They could only clear the situation through various relationships and achieve their goals without disturbing the emperor as much as possible.

The plan at the end of the twelfth lunar month and the New Year's greetings on the first lunar month have become the best opportunity.

In addition to Prime Minister Zhang Hong and Prime Minister Yu Fan, the battalion commander Yang Xiu and the Shaofuqing Yang Yi became the busiest people, and there were a large group of people waiting to visit every day. Of course, no one would have left empty-handed. All kinds of rare things filled the house. If you pick them out, you might be the annual income of an ordinary person. If you have a little higher level, you might be a middle-class family.

This made Sun Ce feel a little moved. If he calculated the Gini coefficient of this era, he would not know what it would be.

However, one thing is certain that his contribution is definitely not small. Although he is generous and frugal than Emperor Ling of Han who built Wanjin Hall, the wealth he controls is not something that Emperor Ling of Han could imagine.

Compared to him, Emperor Ling of Han, who only knew that he had collected acres of land from the people, was a rich man.

Despite this, even if the bravest and most radically thoughtful literature would not accuse Sun Ce. Not to mention anything else, the number of emperors in the harem was limited to twelve, which even Emperor Guangwu, who was known for his frugality, would be inferior to that. Perhaps only the legendary saint king could do it.

For example, Emperor Shun, who married Ehuang and Nuying.

Among the praises, there are also some undercurrents that are not very pleasant and even make people feel ulterior motives.

When Sun Ce pacified the south of the Yangtze River, there was a saying that "Shun avoided Danzhu". Now that Sun Ce is heading to Junshan, someone mentioned Emperor Shun, but it was not praise, but a hint of viciousness.

In addition to Dongting Mountain, Junshan is also known as Xiangshan. It is said that Emperor Shun stayed here during his southern tour, and later died in Jiuyi Mountain. Ehuang and Nvying went south to find their husbands, and finally buried them in Junshan. To this day, Sun Ce can still see the place where Ehuang and Nvying buried their bones, and there are also tears in Xiangfei bamboos everywhere on the mountain.

Some people say that Sun Ce was stationed in Junshan and should be traveling elsewhere, such as going to Changsha, the east bank of Dongting Lake.

This proposal has rich meanings and great room for interpretation, making it impractical to trace the source.

After Guo Jia, who was in charge of military affairs, reported the news to Sun Ce, Sun Ce quickly made a decision.

What to check? Is it necessary to check? This is Cao Cao and Fa Zheng's conspiracy, and people called Xin Ping and Qin Mi to scold him.

Guo Jia understood it and asked, "Who is better to let him go? Qin Mi is very eloquent, and ordinary people may not be his opponent?"

When Sun Ce saw Guo Jia's sinister smile, he knew that he was prepared. "Do you have the right person?"

Guo Jia smiled brightly. "Kong Rong. But Kong Rong is now a writer from the Hanlin Academy and his identity is not suitable."

Sun Ce understood what Guo Jia meant. As a famous scholar, a great scholar and a descendant of Confucius, he cooperated with the new Wu, and it was indeed a bit inappropriate for Kong Rong to be a writer. People in their fifties and a group of young men in their twenties and thirties were also a little out of place.

"How many gifts did he give you?" Sun Ce said with a smile.

"He promised to accept Guo Yi as his disciple and teach Guo Zi's literature and poetry, and not to accept money from the ministers."

Sun Ce couldn't help laughing, but sighed again. It was really hard to recite scriptures in every family. Guo Jia was proud of his youth. The only person who was not satisfied was his son Guo Yi. As Sun Shangxiang's childhood friend, Guo Yi had a huge psychological shadow and refused to join the army. He refused to take a step even in the military advisor and the gate of the Military Intelligence Department, which made Guo Jia, the former military advisor, feel helpless, and made Mrs. Zhong grit her teeth and want to have another son and inherit Guo Jia's career, but she has never been able to do it.

It's just a hard work for Guo Jia.

It is also a solution to let Guo Yi become a disciple of Kong Rong. Although Kong Rong has a bad temper, his knowledge is excellent and his reputation is great. With such a powerful teacher, Guo Yi will definitely be able to make a fortune among scholars in the future and can also improve the level of the Guo family.

The Guo family in Yangdi passed down the family through the law and order, and had a strong reputation. Their cultural cultivation was slightly inferior to first-class families such as Xun and Chen.

Sun Ce suddenly said, "Kong Rong's son-in-law is Yang Yao, a stakeholder from Taishan County last year?"

"Yes, he is from the Taishan Goat family. His father is Yang Xu, the prefect of Xuanyu, and his brother is Yang Xu. He was recommended to the Censor's Mansion by Bo Yan the previous year. He was the most awarded Yang Xu for two consecutive years. In general, the Yang Xu family is not only the Cai family in Chenliu, but also the Kong family in Lu State. He has a good relationship with the Zhong family in Yangdi and Guo family."

Sun Ce turned his head to look at Guo Jia in surprise. He was having this question, but he never thought that Guo Jia would admit it on his own initiative.

Guo Jia smiled bitterly and shrugged. "It's better to explain to others."

Sun Ce raised his lips and smiled twice. "You are real, but you left the problem to me. Do you say, did I agree or not? This is a complicated one, and it is hard for people not to associate it. If people think that I want to change my course and follow the story of Emperor Guangwu, wouldn't it be a waste of the matter?"

Sweat beads oozing from Guo Jia's forehead, and he looked embarrassed.

Sun Ce turned around and looked at the west side. "Those who travel a hundred miles apart are half ninety. Is it too early to celebrate the merits now?"

Guo Jia was stunned for a moment and hurriedly followed. "Your Majesty, I understand."

Sun Ce turned to look at Guo Jia, smiling. "Tell me, listen."

"My?" Guo Jia blinked, suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed. He raised his hand and pointed at Sun Ce. Then he realized that something was wrong and quickly took his hand back. "Your Majesty, I accidentally listened to the woman's words and almost ruined Your Majesty's major affairs. I understand. I will send the dog to the military advisory office tomorrow to be my companion."

Sun Ce snorted without comment and snorted. "Learning some poetry and essays is not a bad thing, but good poetry is not something that comes out, but something that comes out. If there are no hills and valleys in your heart, writing poetry is just a whine without any illness. Just like those strange flowers and plants that are regarded as treasures, they seem to compete for beauty and pleasing to the eye, but in fact they are very weak. When the wind blows and rain blows, they fall into mud."

Guo Jia held back his laughter and nodded repeatedly.

Sun Ce suddenly stopped and turned to look at Guo Jia. "Fengxiao, you have a long time ago. You just want to ask me for an oral order, so that you can go home and pay the job?"

Guo Jia laughed and bowed. "Your Majesty is wise."

Sun Ce was both angry and funny, pointing at Guo Jia, wanting to speak but stopping. Guo Jia laughed. "Your Majesty, I have no choice. Thanks to Your Majesty's new policy, although the inner person is not an official, he has the financial power in the family. Although I am given a generous gift from Your Majesty, my fief is at the top of my ministers, and my salary and fief income are not enough to compete with my fief. This husband's strategy is really unrestrained."

Sun Ce nodded. "Okay, I will just say it to the queen after looking back."

"Your Majesty, this joke is not enough." Guo Jia bowed his hands repeatedly to beg for mercy.

Sun Ce laughed. Mrs. Zhong is not a fool, how could she not know that her wealth is all based on Guo Jia's nobleness. What is the lack of husband's strength? It's just the interest between husband and wife. Even if you make a little bit of a little character for a while, how could you not know the general? To put it bluntly, it is still caused by human greed. After the wealth and honor in the world, she still wants to be superior in spirit and make the Guo Jia and the Zhong family the first-class family.

The Guo family of Yangdi was not successful in history, but the Zhong family was half successful. Zhong Hui was a famous metaphysicist scholar and was unconventional to rely on the Sima family. If it weren't for the excessive force in the end, the Zhong family of Yangdi would have been the first-class family in the Western Jin Dynasty.

Of course, whether you can survive the troubled times that followed is another matter.

After all, the Western Jin Dynasty had not had a few years of peace.

The king and his ministers joked for a few words, walked slowly along the lakeside path, exchanging some latest information. Dian Wei followed behind with a few tiger soldiers, keeping Sun Ce in sight. The island was very vigilant, and whenever the assassin might be inhabited, he would send people to investigate one by one. Unless the other party could fly to the sky and escape, it would never be possible to suddenly appear in front of Sun Ce.

It has been nearly a year since the decision to personally seek the expedition. During this year, Guo Jia strengthened the deployment of the intelligence network in Yizhou, and took over the intelligence networks of Zhou Yu and Huang Zhong under his command. Any move in Yizhou cannot escape Guo Jia's eyes and ears. The only problem that cannot be solved is the lag.

Guo Jia has found some talented people who are good at domesticating animals and are systematically studying the application of animals in wars. Using carrier pigeons to deliver messages is also one of them. However, this method seems simple, but it is somewhat difficult to operate in practice. It is not as large-scale application as the research progress of military dogs.

The most important news is naturally the comprehensive alliance between Cao Cao and the Yizhou tribes.

Cao Ang came out of Phoenix Ridge, but Cao Cao's predicament was not truly solved, and he still could not escape from the Dangqu. However, there is also good news, Cao Ang proved that he had the ability to stand alone, but his troops were insufficient.

Cao Cao cooperated deeply with the Yizhou tribes to solve this problem, at least on the surface.

Huang Zhong failed to make any contribution in Dangqu for a long time and did not make substantial progress. Instead, he withdrew the front line to the Xuanhan area. The attitudes of the Brazilian tribes changed subtly. Many people weakened and even gave up their cooperation with Huang Zhong, instead cooperated with Cao Cao, gathering a large amount of money and grain and sending troops to the front line. According to the information currently obtained, it is expected that Cao Cao will eventually collect more than 100,000 troops.

This is almost the greatest potential of the Bashu counties. It covers more than 70% of the Bashu clans. In addition to providing money, grain and military strength, many of the big clans also sent their children to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was very generous and offered rewards. It is said that the miscellaneous generals were granted nearly a hundred. As long as they had hundreds of subordinates, they could get the seal of a miscellaneous general. Strong tyrants such as Yong Kai and Gao Ding were even given the title of a marquis and ruled the side.

For a time, Yizhou was surrounded by generals, with many generals and commanders as numerous as dogs.

With troops, money and food, Cao Cao adjusted his defense line.

Cao Ang was stationed in Langzhong, Basin, responsible for the war in Hanzhong. Cao Ren stationed in Yueli County and established a southwest defense line to prevent Zhou Yu and Taishici's troops from breaking into the plains. Cao Cao moved to Jiangzhou and prepared to fight the main force of the Wu army who was walking up the river.

"Can the Yizhou tribe gather so many people?" After hearing Guo Jia's report, Sun Ce was skeptical.

"Fakes and exaggerations are inevitable, but there are still 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers. With the existing troops, it is no problem to have a total force of more than 100,000."

"Did these recruits start training?"

"The ones who arrived early have started training." Guo Jia shook his feather fan and said with a smile: "Speaking of this, Your Majesty and Cao Cao are really soulmates. His Majesty issued the "Sun Tzu's Art of War" written by Cao Cao, Cao Cao used His Majesty's war discipline as a teaching material to teach the generals. Even if it is just a broken note, it can be sold at a high price now."

Sun Ce smiled. "How long will it take for them to be trained?"

"If Your Majesty said that he would become a true elite like my Wu army, it would be impossible for this life. He had a little bit of appearance and could pretend to behave, and it would probably be completed in two or three months." Guo Jia paused, and the smile on his face faded. "From the news I received, Cao Cao was well prepared, water battles, land battles, field battles, and city defenses were all in the training. Not only that, he also bought a lot of war horses and formed several cavalry."

"Caval?" Sun Ce frowned inadvertently. "How many more?"

"From the name, in addition to the existing tiger and leopard cavalry, there are several new names such as Qiang cavalry, Sanqi, and Tuqi."

Sun Ce's face turned gloomy. "How many Liangzhou Malaysia are there?"

"There are many, and the highest price is Liangzhou horses. It is said that one million per horse is used to buy horses. The price of Shu brocade has increased several times, and even the Shu royal palace has been replaced with cloth. The wealth is moving, and it is expected that some people will take advantage of the enemy."

Sun Ce snorted. "I'm afraid they will make a fortune and will lose it."

"Your Majesty, it seems that field battles in the plains are inevitable. The central cavalry must also participate in the war, at least be prepared to participate in the war."

Sun Ce sighed softly. "Yes, but if this happens, this war will probably be delayed for another year or two."
Chapter completed!