Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, this pair of "Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix," were once rumored to be able to control the world by acquiring either one. Now that both were under his command, Lu Ming began to wonder if he was truly the chosen one.
"My lord, have you considered what would happen if Cao Cao went to Xiangyang to form an alliance with Liu Biao?"
Pang Tong interjected, seemingly unconcerned about the impoliteness of interrupting.
Xu Shu looked at his student, Pang Tong, who had already become his disciple. Although somewhat displeased, he wasn't angry, perhaps out of mutual respect, and thus didn't object.
"Abandoning the Central Plains is a very bold idea. Even if Cao Cao surrenders to Liu Biao, he can only gain Xinye and Wancheng, which are far from enough for his development.
'Can he afford to raise an army, provisions, and funds? To divide the world, he needs to occupy Jingzhou and then take Xichuan—that's the only way out. Does Cao Cao have the ability?'" "Occupying Jiangdong, as long as Shouchun isn't in their hands, Jiangdong is just a piece of meat for them to eat!"
Lu Ming, though somewhat surprised, smiled dismissively.
"The situation in the world is already clear. Want to divide the world equally? If they had that ability, would they need to be in such a sorry state?"
Lu Ming added, he didn't believe Cao Cao could turn the tide.
Besides, all he'd done for so long was recuperate and rebuild. He'd used harassment tactics against Cao Cao, keeping him constantly on the move, leaving him no time or opportunity to retaliate.
"What you say is absolutely right, my lord."
Pang Tong had somewhat anticipated this, so he just said it casually.
In fact, to get Cao Cao to abandon Chenliu, he would have to truly defeat him; otherwise, Cao Cao wouldn't leave.
Xu Shu then continued, "My lord, do you now agree to the Second Army's request?"
"Tell me your opinion."
Lu Ming sat down, beginning to consider his options.
"The Second Army's strategy is correct, but a direct assault won't win the battle for Xiangyang; a strategy is necessary."
Xu Shu nodded, initially affirming Guo Jia's plan, but acknowledging that its implementation required specific analysis.
"Liu Biao's wife is quite young!"
Lu Ming suddenly remarked, a sinister smile creeping across his face as Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang looked on in surprise. "Then tell Guo Jia and the others to contact the Cai family, saying that I can take Lady Cai and a Cai family daughter as my queen. After that, let them figure out how to contact and operate."
"While the war in the south is progressing, we also need to put some pressure on the north. Let Tian Feng go and give Cao Cao some amusement, show the people of Jingzhou that I will eventually march on Jingzhou." "
A marriage alliance!
Another marriage alliance!
Whether the promises will be kept after the marriage is up to fate.
Look at the four great families of the past; they've been reborn.
Although they enjoy wealth and status, they lack the real power and resources of their former nouveau riche nature. Without land, they are like water without roots.
Wealth and honor can be inherited, but the capital and power to resist are gone—this is Lu Ming's design.
You can enjoy wealth and status, but you cannot resist.
Xu Shu's expression remained unchanged, seemingly knowing what kind of person his lord was.
On the other hand, Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang listened with somewhat strange expressions.
And Zhuge Liang's expression was the strangest, because he had already been summoned by his uncle, who was asking for his opinion on his mother's remarriage.
Of course, Zhuge Liang disapproved, but when he learned that the remarriage was to Lu Ming, his lord, he wanted to curse, but didn't know how.
This was clearly a pledge of allegiance!
Yes, a pledge of allegiance! Offering one's mother or wife was a form of pledge of allegiance. If there were daughters, that would be acceptable too.
Looking at the ministers and generals, weren't they all intricately related to Lu Ming?
Ma Chao's sister and mother, Zhao Yun's widowed sister-in-law and mother, Jia Xu's daughter, Xu Shu's mother, and so on, were all Lu Ming's concubines.
And Wei Yan, Gan Ning and others like him all had female cousins serving in the palace, which could be considered a form of pledge of allegiance.
If you don't have any female relatives, then sorry, you should reflect on what kind of pledge of allegiance you'll use!
Xu Shu understood Lu Ming's strategy. In short, Lu Ming was the house, and the other lords were the gamblers.
A gambler going all-in isn't a sign of wisdom; it's just a desperate, life-or-death struggle when forced into a corner.
The house, however, doesn't need to go all-in. It only needs to consistently take a cut, ensuring its own acceptable losses, until the gambler's funds are completely drained.
Going all-in? The house doesn't need to go all-in; that's something only gamblers do. The house's manipulation and taking a cut are a hundred times more stable than going all-in.
And Lu Ming's current strategy is this: while developing peacefully, he harasses the enemy, preventing them from focusing on development and forcing them to fight tooth and nail.
Once he's mastered his skills, he launches a decisive attack, overwhelming the opponent. This approach is uninteresting, lacking in exciting strategic maneuvering.
However, its advantage lies in its stability and its uprightness, avoiding gambling and all-in play.
Lu Ming no longer needs to gamble or risk his life. Back then, with nothing, he could only lead his personal guards to take the enemy general's head amidst a sea of soldiers.
This extremely dangerous task transformed him from a pawn into a player. Now that he's stepped out of the game, why risk his life again?
"The task of harassing Cao Cao will be handled by Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang. One is known as the Crouching Dragon, the other as the Young Phoenix. I want to see your abilities; you've now learned and become quite familiar with the game." "I want to see your results in a year. If any of the generals are willing, you can seek their help. Xu Shu will oversee the overall planning."
Lu Ming quickly issued the orders, intentionally pitting Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang against each other. Weren't they both geniuses? Let's see.
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong felt a chill; it seemed the test was coming.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Geniuses are forged through real hardship.
If it's just hype, then sorry, they'll have to go back to where they came from.
In essence, Lu Ming meant giving them ten or twenty thousand men; their achievements would depend on how they managed it.
Moreover, a year was more than enough. A year was enough for him to handle the affairs of the north and build sufficient roads and ships.
Recruiting soldiers and procuring provisions could be done with ease.
His resources would be inexhaustible, while Cao Cao would only grow poorer with each passing year.
It means using force to intimidate people, throwing money at them, and refusing to reason with them.