Volume 5: Overlord of the Sea Chapter 582 Xiangping
The State of Wei was ruthless throughout the entire winter.
They lived in a freezing cold place like Liaodong and mobilized troops in winter, taking advantage of the fact that most of the ports were frozen and the southern soldiers were not good at fighting in winter, making it impossible for the Chu State to intervene too much, and completely overthrow the Gongsun clan!
As the twelfth lunar month was approaching, the Wei army had already approached Xiangping. Gongsun Kang saw that the isolated city was difficult to defend and the situation was hopeless...
Gongsun Kang's temper has been particularly bad these days, and messenger scouts have become high-risk occupations. Moreover... it is the most dangerous when you meet Gongsun Kang!
The several new generals trained by Gongsun Kang were no match for the powerful generals and army of Wei, but they were extremely confident. Now they are either dead or defeated, which accelerates the defeat of the Yan army.
Even Liu Yi, who wanted to meet Gongsun Kang to advise him these two days, was kicked out in a bad mood and almost got beaten.
Liu Yi had no choice but to "seek" Liang Mao again for advice...
In terms of status in Yan State, Liang Mao is actually not as good as Liu Yi, and has no real power. However, Liang Mao has now become a life-saving straw.
In recent months, Liang Mao has become a hot commodity in Yan State, and many important officials have contacted him privately.
Of course, Liu Yi is different from them.
Others were trying to find a way out for themselves, but Liu Yi... was trying to find a way out for Gongsun Kang!
Liu Yi always remembered Gongsun Du's kindness in recognizing his talent.
"Lord Liu is in a good mood today and even came to have tea with a leisurely person like me." Liang Mao was very leisurely as he warmed up the house and made some tea.
"Unlike Bo Fang Xiaoyao, today... I actually came here to ask for help!" Liu Yi said helplessly.
Now Liu Yi no longer has the capital to bargain or keep things in suspense.
Think about last year's New Year's Day. When facing Liang Mao, Liu Yi still looked down on him. Although he was afraid of Liang Mao's reputation and suspected his knowledge, he had a psychological advantage over him.
But now I no longer have that confidence...
"Don't worry, Lord Liu. Even if the Wei army attacks , I think the King of Wei will not do anything to you given his magnanimity and his desire to seek talents." Liang Mao was very frank and acted as if he was considering Liu Yi.
"Why is Bofang laughing at me? If Wei really occupies Liaodong... No, if Wei attacks, it won't be as simple as occupying Liaodong, right? The entire Liaodong Peninsula will be unable to escape its attack. Will the King of Chu be happy then?" Liu Yi was somewhat dissatisfied with Liang Mao for still keeping him in suspense.
"How could Mao know what the King of Chu is thinking? But it is true that the Chu army cannot come to help now. " Liang Mao said, calmly taking the teapot off the stove.
Liu Yi's expression darkened when he heard this - he actually hoped that the State of Chu could create another miracle, like the divine troops descending from the sky like in Hanzhong!
After all, Gongsun Kang is still in Liaodong. If the State of Chu can help, even if it is easier to invite the gods than to send them away, it will still be a way out than now.
However, not to mention that Yan State was "tricked" and turned against Chu State at the beginning, and attacked Chu State's ports for a while, but did not cause much damage. Instead, it was immediately declared war by Wei State.
Morally speaking, it is good for Chu not to add insult to injury now...
Moreover, given the current climate and situation, the State of Chu really has no basis for coming to the rescue!
"It was Bofang 's advice that made the king determined to drive the State of Chu out of Bohai, right?" Liu Yi became a little annoyed.
"No, I don't have any suggestions. I'm just helping you analyze... and my analysis is not wrong, right?" Liang Mao continued to pour water and make tea steadily.
Indeed, it was Liang Mao who analyzed that there was a secret alliance between Wei and the Duke of Qi, and that the alliance between Wei and Yan was made behind the Duke of Qi's back...
This made Gongsun Kang determined to move between Wei and Qi to seize the interests of Bohai. However, he didn't expect that... the King of Wei and the Marquis of Qi sold him out at the same time!
At first Liu Yi wanted to walk away in anger, but he finally held back.
After patiently drinking a cup of Liang Mao's tea, Liang Mao finally spoke again...
"It is impossible for Lord Liu to keep the throne of King Yan, but if he wants to ensure King Yan's wealth and prosperity for the rest of his life, he can still try his best."
"I'd like to hear the details." Liu Yi bowed.
"First... is to think of a way to make the Wei army outside suffer a small loss, or hold out for a month or so, until Wei can no longer withstand the consumption of winter military operations, and then immediately bring the King of Yan to surrender the city." Liang Mao said as he poured himself a glass.
However, this is obviously unlikely. If there really was such a method, Liu Yi would not come to find Liang Mao.
As for surrendering directly?
Liu Yi did not mention this possibility!
After all, Wei State was not a charity. Yan State's most difficult plate cavalry had been defeated. How could it possibly give any surrender treatment to the King of Yan at this time?
"The second one is naturally to be Zhang Lu." Liang Mao said directly.
Surrender to Chu!
Although it is impossible to escape by land, it is not impossible to create an opportunity to break out and speed up the journey south to Liaodong Port...
Once they arrived at Liaodong Port, as long as the State of Chu accepted the surrender of the King of Yan, they would naturally be able to send him back to Jinling by sea.
"Why did Bofang lie to me? Your Majesty does not have the support of the people in Hanzhong like Zhang Lu!" Liu Yi frowned.
Zhang Lu was because Tianshi Dao was deeply rooted in Hanzhong, so after Bai Tu, he only used his name but not his person, and was willing to give him a high position and generous salary...
If Gongsun Kang had surrendered to Chu a year ago, it would definitely have been more grand than Zhang Lu's.
However, now... Gongsun Kang, who lost Liaodong and went to Chu alone, is much less useful than Zhang Lu.
"Lord Liu is too modest. The Gongsun family has dominated Liaodong for two generations and thirty years. Moreover, even if the people are not supportive... there will always be other alternatives, right?" Liang Mao said and winked at Liu Yi.
Then, no matter how much Liu Yi tried to trick him, Liang Mao refused to say another word, and had no intention of inviting him to stay for dinner.
What can be used to replace the lack of popular support so that Gongsun Kang has "surrender value"?
On the way home, Liu Yi also understood Liang Mao's meaning, and for a moment he looked a little dazed...
What else can replace it? Nothing more than "official heart", including Liu Yi himself!
If Gongsun Kang could have a group of "loyal ministers" staying in Liaodong, then his support for Chu would be much greater.
However, Liu Yi alone is useless, as the Wei State itself will also doubt his intentions, so this kind of thinking must be universal.
Thinking further
No guarantee!
But there is a way to ensure that most Liaodong officials "miss" their former master who escaped, and that is... to use the brutality of Wei to make them remember the kindness of Gongsun family.
The purpose of Wei's attack on Liaodong was determined. It would definitely exploit the value of Liaodong. Don't expect it to be benevolent. However, it would not do anything to the extent of causing public outrage for no reason.
unless……
Someone did something that made Wei unable to help but become brutal!
One night later, Liu Yi, who looked a little haggard, asked to see the King of Yan again...
