Chapter 495: Make friends with those far away and attack those nearby, but you have to have the mean

Chapter 495: Make friends with those far away and attack those nearby, but you have to have the mean

"Okay, the truth of this matter has been decided! The time will fluctuate between about half a year and a year. During this period, all matters of the southern territory, big or small, will be discussed and decided by you several people together. Do you understand?"

Gao Yao said in a firm tone. He had made up his mind, and no one could change it. Hearing this, Xiao He and others looked at each other, not knowing how to persuade him. It was because they knew Gao Yao's temper very well. Once he made a decision, there was almost no room for maneuver and he would carry it out without compromise.

"Yes!" Faced with this situation, everyone had no choice but to agree to this matter respectfully.

At this moment, Xiao He suddenly asked, "Prime Minister, what should we do with Tiandu?"

The current situation is extremely unfavorable to Tian Du, who has been surrounded on three sides in Cangwu County. Tian Du, who has been under siege for a long time, saw that he was doomed to defeat and gradually showed his intention to surrender. After all, there are only two choices before him, one is to surrender to the various princes, and the other is to surrender to Gao Yao. What's more important is that the morale of Tian Du's soldiers has long been dispersed. Compared with the powerful Southern Border Army, the mere 50,000 troops are like an egg hitting a stone. The huge disparity in strength between the two sides is self-evident.

But there was a problem. Gao Yao wanted to use Tian Du and Wang Ben and others who were still in Hanzhong to become a buffer between himself and the princes. The reason for not attacking directly was because he might face the troops of the princes directly. How could he allow others to sleep on his bed? Both sides had this idea.

"If you have any ideas, you might as well speak out." Gao Yao knew that this thorny problem had to be solved sooner or later, so he decisively kicked the ball to the people present.

After scanning the area, his eyes finally stopped on Zhang Liang, because he noticed that Zhang Liang seemed to want to say something but hesitated, so he simply asked directly: "Zhang Liang, do you have any ideas?" While speaking, Gao Yao raised his foot and walked towards the village.

Zhang Liang hesitated for a moment, then followed Gao Yao's steps and said, "Prime Minister, in my humble opinion, we can consider adopting a strategy of supporting Tian Du and General Lu who was persuaded to withdraw before."

"Support?" Gao Yao was slightly startled when he heard this, with a hint of doubt on his face. He really couldn't understand why they didn't just attack the other party, but supported them instead. How was this different from cultivating enemies for themselves?

Thinking of this, Gao Yao stopped, turned to look at Zhang Liang, and asked, "Zhang Liang, there must be a prerequisite for supporting the other party, that is, they must be able to be used by our army. But who can guarantee that these people will not betray their true identity in the future? If they really turn against us one day, wouldn't it cause a disaster?"

"Prime Minister, think about it, how could the so-called support be without reason and without asking for anything in return? Among them, food and grass are undoubtedly the most critical factors! After all, for Tian Du and Jiang Lu, food and grass are their most scarce things at the moment. Because of this, we can make a big fuss about this and seek control of the food in the entire Hanzhong and Cangwu County!"

"Exchange food for food?" At this moment, even Xiao He, who was always resourceful, was unable to understand the deep meaning behind Zhang Liang's words.

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "That's not the case. We want to use food and grass to exchange for the right to operate those lands. However, when these lands really fall into our hands, no one stipulates that they must be used to grow food!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone present was slightly startled. Only Gao Yao seemed to understand Zhang Liang's intention instantly. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly asked: "Could it be that you mean to give up some of the grain resources in exchange for the dominant right to operate these lands, and then firmly control the production and distribution of grain?"

"Haha, that's true. Just as the Prime Minister said, this is a great plan! When Hanzhong, Cangwu and other regions become highly dependent on our food, whether they are willing or not, they will fall into our hands like controlled chess pieces. In this way, on the one hand, we can control the situation without deploying a single soldier; on the other hand, we can build a solid buffer zone. It is really the best of both worlds!" Zhang Liang said this with a smug look on his face, as if he had already secured victory.

Han Xin on the side frowned and said in confusion: "Prime Minister, please forgive my stupidity. I really cannot fully understand the deep meaning of your words." As everyone knows, Han Xin's talents are mainly reflected in marching, fighting and military planning. As for this kind of intrigue and scheming, he is really not good at dealing with it.

Hearing Han Xin's words, Gao Yao couldn't help but chuckle, then turned to look at Zhang Liang beside him and said, "Zhang Liang, you should explain it in detail to our great general."

"Well, General, please listen to me in detail. In fact, this matter is not complicated. Now both General Lu and Tian Du are facing the dilemma of food shortage. If we can cleverly use food as a breakthrough, we can successfully achieve the goal of occupying Hanzhong and Cangwu counties. Do you think that in the face of such tempting conditions, these two forces will flatly refuse?" Zhang Liang talked eloquently, with confidence flashing in his eyes.

Han Xin frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said: "Well... judging from the situation, it is indeed unlikely that they will refuse. Isn't this equivalent to giving the other party a large amount of food and grass for free? Not only do we have to send food to the other party, but we also have to help them grow food. This is really... too unbelievable!" At this point, Han Xin couldn't help but get a little excited, and his voice rose slightly.

After all, even if it was him, he would find it hard to resist the temptation of offering to help others solve their urgent needs. Moreover, those fertile fields were ultimately in the hands of others, and they could not be taken away anyway! Thinking of this, Han Xin felt somewhat unwilling and helpless.

"General, we have the fertile land, but we don't have to grow food. We can grow cotton, and when there is a harvest, we can buy it at a high price. But the food is always in our hands. In other words, you can either buy food from us or from other princes. But in today's world, except for my southern border, no prince may have extra food to sell."