In 196, the competitive pattern of the hegemons of the three countries initially appeared. Sun Ce relied on the strength of the three counties of Jiangdong to become the leader of Jiangdong; Cao Cao welcomed the emperor into the capital of Xu and began to grasp the first power; Although Liu Bei took Xuzhou, he was driven out of Xiapi by Lu Bu, lost his first move, and still needed time to accumulate strength.
Of the three, Sun Ce was the youngest and most aggressive, and his political skills were more tactful and mature than his father's. Although Sun Ce sat on the three counties, he always maintained a deferential attitude towards Yuan Shu, and in the face of Yuan Shu's many temptations, he chose to forbear.
For example, Yuan Shu sent his younger brother Yuan Yin to serve as the Taishou of Danyang, but the real power was in the hands of Sun Ce; Sun Ce recalled Zhou Shang and Zhou Yu, Yuan Shu saw Zhou Yu's talent and tried to entrap him, but Zhou Yu looked down on Yuan Shu, and only asked to be the magistrate of Juchao County, wanting to take the opportunity to return to the east, Yuan Shu agreed to his request.
Sun Ce's shrewdness lies in his strategic location. He chose to set up a stronghold by the river, which made it easy for him to either surrender to Sun Ce in the south or to receive the Jiangdong army to the north.
In order to further consolidate his power, Sun Ce also sent Wu Jing and Sun Ben back to Yuan Shu to help him conquer other forces. However, we may ask, why did Sun Ce be so friendly to Yuan Shu?
The answer is actually very simple, it is for himself. Let's take a closer look at the positional relationship between Sun Ce and Yuan Shu.
With the help of Yuan Shu's barrier in Jiangbei, Sun Ce was able to attack Yuzhang with peace of mind, and then fight Jingzhou with Liu Yuan. However, while Sun Ce was conquering Jiangdong, Liu Miao chose another path.
He led his troops from Dantu, went up the river, and finally landed in Pengze County, Yuzhang.
Yuzhang County has a long history and a large population, and is an important part of Yangzhou. Warlords from all walks of life competed for Yuzhang County, including Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Yuan Shu of Huainan, and the imperial court.
Yuan Shu chose Zhuge Liang's uncle Zhuge Xuan as his ** person.
Zhuge Xuan, an uncle who tried his best to protect his family in troubled times, asked Liu Biao to go to Mount Tai after completing his mission in order to take care of his cousin's widow and children. However, in the troubled times, in order to avoid the disaster of war, he took Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun and two nieces, separated from Zhuge Jin, and fled to the Lujiang area.
Such a good uncle is such a rare existence in troubled times. However, although he took good care of his family, in the eyes of the court, he was a "chaotic minister and thief".
For Wang Lang and Hua Xin in the later biographies, they were once loyal to the Han family, and Wang Lang staged a good show of fleeing thousands of miles in order to be unyielding to Sun Ce. However, when Cao Wei usurped the Han Dynasty, they were promoted to the rank of Three Dukes, and they held high and powerful positions.
Later, Yuan Shu admired Zhuge Xuan, and during his tenure as Yuzhang Taishou, he recommended him as Yuzhang Taishou and asked him to lead his troops into Nanchang City, the county of Yuzhang.
After learning the news, the imperial court sent a new Taishou Zhu Hao, whose father was Zhu Jun, a famous general who shocked the world to pacify the Yellow Turban. However, Nanchang had been seized by Zhuge Xuan, and Zhu Hao had to ask for help from the nearby Liu Xuan.
With the help of Liu Xuan, Zhu Hao successfully defeated Zhuge Xuan and settled in Nanchang.
Zhuge Xuan reconnected with the old leader Liu Biao and returned to Liu Biao's camp. Liu Biao recommended Zhuge Xuan as Yuzhang Taishou, and took the Zhuge Liang brothers to Jingzhou, which solved Zhuge Xuan's worries.
When Zhuge Xuan was actively preparing for the war, a fierce battle broke out in Nanchang City. Liu Miao sent reinforcements to Zhu Hao, while Xu Shao reminded Liu Miao to be on guard against the infamous Zhenrong.
Because Zhen Rong killed Zhao Yu, the Taishou who warmly received him, in Guangling and annexed his army, Liu Xuan needed to be especially careful. However, Liu Miao was overconfident, and as a result, Zhu Hao was victimized.
After receiving the news, Liu Miao was furious, regrouped his army, and attacked Zhenrong. Although he lost the first battle, Liu Miao finally defeated Zhenrong and recaptured Nanchang City.
In the end, Liu Miao gave him the head of Zhenrong. The Sun-Liu duel is about to start again!