Chapter 56: Enemies Are Divided into Internal and External; If You Can't Rob the External Enemies, You Can Always Rob the Internal Ones

The plan to flood Cao Cao's camp was thus finalized.

Inside the grand tent, everyone was full of vigor and eager for battle. Liu Bei gathered with his commanders around the map to discuss the specific implementation details.

"My Lord, it will be at least a month before the seasonal crest arrives, yet the grain remaining in our granaries is only enough for two months."

"Even if we defeat Cao Cao's army and lift the crisis at Xiangyang and Fancheng, we still cannot resolve the predicament of insufficient grain."

"After all, once we beat back the Cao bandits, we must turn our attention southward to seize Jiangling, eliminate the rebel factions of Liu Cong and Cai Mao, and subsequently recover the entirety of Nan Commandery."

"However, by the time we repel Cao Cao, our grain reserves will be entirely depleted. Far from being able to sustain tens of thousands of troops marching south to Jiangling, the lack of provisions alone will cause both the people's hearts and the army's morale to collapse without a fight. In that case, would not Your Lordship turn victory into defeat?"

Amidst the general enthusiasm, Ma Liang, who was always steady and calm, poured a bucket of cold water over everyone's heads.

The discussions in the tent came to an abrupt halt.

A shadow fell over Liu Bei's face as he nodded and said, "Jichang's words are entirely reasonable. Holding only Xiangyang, Fancheng, and a few neighboring small towns, it is indeed difficult to sustain an army of over forty thousand."

"Once the grain runs out, even if we defeat Cao Cao's grand army, the situation will remain precarious."

Worried expressions swept across everyone's faces, and discussions flared up once again.

This time, the topic was how to solve the impending crisis of running out of grain.

Someone suggested levying additional grain taxes to supply the military needs. Liu Bei immediately rejected it on the spot.

Cao Cao could treat the agricultural colonists like slaves, mercilessly exploit the populace under his rule, and ignore the risk of inciting popular revolts, but Liu Bei could not bring himself to do so. If he were to act in such a manner, how would he be any different from Cao Cao? Therefore, the proposal for additional grain taxes was quickly brushed aside.

"My Lord, I have heard that after Military Advisor Kongming came out of seclusion, he oversaw the auditing of household registrations in Xinye, uncovering tens of thousands of hidden households and nearly a thousand mu of cultivated land within a few months, thereby raising several thousand elite troops for Your Lordship."

"Since this method is effective, why not also audit household registrations in Xiangyang, and compel those who ought to pay grain taxes but have not done so to settle all their arrears?"

"In this way, Your Lordship can obtain a batch of grain without imposing extra taxes, thus resolving our most urgent peril."

Ma Liang offered a strategy. In terms of domestic administration, he certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly. "Auditing household registrations is indeed a win-win strategy. Jichang's method is viable."

Before his voice had even faded, Jian Yong reminded them, "My Lord, do not forget that it took Military Advisor Kongming several months to complete the household audit in Xinye."

"The population of Xiangyang and its surrounding towns, villages, and settlements is more than tenfold that of Xinye, and there are numerous large and influential clans whose relationships are intricately tangled."

"Under such circumstances, wanting to thoroughly audit the household registrations would take at least half a year or so."

Ma Liang's brows furrowed, and he fell silent.

Liu Bei's eyes, which had just brightened, were once again veiled in shadow as he stood up and began to pace back and forth inside the tent.

Time!

The most crucial difficulty right now was time.

The grain reserves would hit rock bottom in two months, and the time left for him was truly running out. In a mere two months, to both defeat Cao Cao and audit household registrations to solve the impending grain shortage—how could it be easy?

Even if Zhuge Liang could not be spared for the moment, and even if Zhuge Liang were recalled to Xiangyang, the time available for him to work his magic would still fall far short.

Inside the grand tent, the atmosphere gradually grew silent once more.

"What a headache..."

Xiao He rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

He had just burned through a bunch of brain cells a moment ago to help Liu Bei resolve one crisis, only for another one to pop up right after. He had to admit that being Liu Bei was truly difficult. Being Liu Bei's strategist was also truly difficult...

"My Lord, facing such a predicament, why not ask Bowen if he has any brilliant strategies?"

Zhao Yun, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly brought this up.

Liu Bei gave a slight start and turned his gaze toward Xiao He.

The eyes of everyone else also converged upon him once again. But this time, the gazes of Liu Bei and the others were not filled with anticipation as they had been previously.

When it came to ingenious plans, brilliant stratagems, and military tactics, everyone had absolute faith in Xiao He. Yet the grain dilemma that needed to be resolved now strictly belonged to the realm of civil administration rather than military affairs.

Although Xiao He was a disciple of an otherworldly hermit, capable of divination and divine calculations, could matters of grain and household registration really be solved simply by divining the future?

This was the very reason Liu Bei had not turned to Xiao He for this. Nor had he consulted Xu Shu, because he knew that Xu Shu was also deficient in governance. After all, someone like Zhuge Liang—who excelled in military strategy, was adept at governance, and combined the qualities of a brilliant counselor with an able administrator—was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn's horn.

After a brief hesitation, Liu Bei hurriedly asked Xiao He, "Bowen, do you have any good methods to resolve our urgent crisis of insufficient grain?"

Since Zhao Yun had brought it up, Liu Bei naturally had to ask; otherwise, it would seem as though he distrusted Xiao He.

"Zilong, oh Zilong, I really must thank you. I just wrung my brains dry to come up with a plan to defeat Cao, and now you've saddled me with another chore. Even a donkey from the production team needs a moment to catch its breath..."

Xiao He cursed inwardly.

Complaining aside, since he was eating Liu Bei's rice, if Liu Bei asked, he had to fulfill his duties.

Xiao He knitted his brows slightly, massaging his temples with his fingertips as he rummaged through his mind.

Throughout history, when a household ran out of grain, there were ultimately only three ways out: grow it yourself, borrow from others, or go out and plunder.

Growing it yourself referred to the methods Ma Liang and the others mentioned—it took effect slowly and could not quench an immediate thirst with distant water.

As for borrowing from others—whom could they borrow from?

Liu Cong and Cao Cao certainly wouldn't lend them any. Liu Qi only had Jiangxia Commandery, which had previously been sacked by Sun Quan; he was nearly too poor to keep his own pot boiling, so how could he have surplus grain to spare?

Borrowing from their ally Sun Quan? Given Sun Quan's shrewdness, he would likely lend the grain, but it would inevitably come with strings attached. If that condition happened to be the deployment of Jiangdong troops into Xiakou, or even into Xiangyang and Fancheng, would they agree or not?

Since growing it and borrowing were both out of the question, the only option left was to go out and plunder.

Plundering Cao Cao was impossible, seeing as an army of one hundred and fifty thousand was still blocking their doorstep—how could one plunder when they couldn't even step out the door?

Liu Cong in the south might superficially look easier to handle, but he also had an army of thirty thousand blocking Yicheng. Wanting to plunder him would require dispatching a massive force southward, which was likewise entirely unrealistic.

"Cao Cao cannot be plundered, and Liu Cong cannot be plundered for the time being. Who else is there to plunder..."

Xiao He muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the map as his brows knitted tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, a brilliant flash appeared in his eyes.

"Enemies are divided into external and internal. If the external enemy cannot be plundered, one can always plunder the internal enemy..."

Xiao He murmured, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly.

Liu Bei did not catch it clearly and hurriedly asked, "Bowen, have you thought of a brilliant strategy?"

Xiao He coughed lightly, pointed his finger toward the location of Xiangyang, and smiled meaningfully:

"My Lord, do not forget that there are several fat sheep right here in Xiangyang. If we slaughter these fat sheep, it should be enough to feed our tens of thousands of troops for a year or a half."

Several fat sheep?

Liu Bei wore a blank expression.