Liu Bei finally felt the importance of strategists once again.
The last time he had felt it so clearly was when a single remark from Jia Xu had shown him the grand trend for the next several years.
Now, a single remark from Liu Ye instantly made him feel he had grasped a new grand trend. He looked at Liu Ye, his eyes shining and glistening. "Ziyang, I understand.
What do you think we should do now?"
Hearing Liu Bei say "we," Liu Ye understood that Liu Bei had accepted him. He asked, "Lord Xuande, that brings us to the question: which parts of Qingzhou can you accept losing?"
Liu Bei said decisively, "Mount Tai Commandery and Marquis Ying's Marquisate must not be lost, of course. If we lose those two places, even if we enter Xuzhou, it will be difficult to defend."
Liu Ye nodded in firm agreement and said solemnly, "Since you see that, Lord Xuande, I will speak plainly.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are both heroes of all under heaven, but who poses the greater threat?
Yuan Shao!
Now that Yuan Shao has defeated Gongsun Zan and has Lü Bu as an ally, could Gongsun Zan still defeat Yuan Shao later?"
He could not fight on two fronts, so Cao Cao, as the greatest feudal lord in the east, would certainly send an envoy to seek an alliance.
After all, his surname was Liu, and he was not bound by the White Horse Covenant. This was Liu Ye's natural advantage.
Having discussed the future grand trend, Liu Bei knew a meal had to be eaten one mouthful at a time. He asked again, "Ziyang, I now understand the future grand trend. It is time to discuss what we should do next."
"Then yield northern Qingzhou to