Cai Xi's plan was very successful. He left neither excuse nor direct evidence for Liu Biao. Even if Wenpin had doubts about Cai Xi, he could only doubt him. There was no direct evidence, and the food and grass were burned. Later supplies will also need Cai's support.
Even if the food and grass were burned, Wenpin didn't want to admit defeat. Zhang Xiu's two-front battle gave them an excellent opportunity. If they failed in this battle, there would be no possibility of moving north to capture Jingzhou in the future.
He retreated to Huishui Bay and ordered his soldiers to stick to the water stronghold. He immediately sent people to Xiangyang to ask for food.
Xiangyang.
The fire last night soared into the sky, and he could see it very clearly from the top of the city in Xiangyang. Liu Biao's heart dropped to freezing point.
"Cai Xi personally escorted the grain and grass to your hands?" Liu Biao confirmed this matter again and again.
The soldier replied: "Yes, we handed over the grain and fodder last night. It was indeed Mr. Cai who personally escorted the grain and fodder. He also spoke to General Wen."
"This old fox!"
Liu Biao guessed that it was Cai Xi's plan without even thinking about it, but there was no direct evidence. Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do against Cai Xi.
"Your Majesty, the army is in urgent need of food and fodder. Please allocate food as soon as possible." The soldier mustered up a lot of courage to say this.
Liu Biao's eyes widened in anger, "Are you a small soldier here to rush me?" But then I thought about it, food and grass are very important to the soldiers, and it is natural to urge them. So I waved my hand: "Go back and report to the general. The food and grass will arrive tomorrow."
"Here!" The soldiers retreated.
Liu Biao was so angry that he coughed violently. There was a burning pain in his chest. He felt phlegm in his throat. He immediately took out a handkerchief and covered it with his mouth and coughed it out.
Then he unfolded the handkerchief in front of his eyes and saw a scarlet blood stain on the handkerchief.
"well!"
With a somewhat helpless sigh, Liu Biao stood up and quickly thought about how to deal with the current situation.
The start of this battle was a complete break with Zhang Xiu. Now Zhang Xiu's two-front battle is not over yet. I heard that the battle in Xiliang went smoothly and it is expected to be completed in another month. However, Zhang Lu in Hanzhong surrendered, and the war had already begun. After that, he joined forces with Liu Zhang to send troops, which allowed the war in Hanzhong to continue.
But Liu Zhang's ability was too weak.
A Yang'an Pass blocked their way forward, and Gan Ning blocked the pass without making any progress. The Hanzhong Navy led by Pang Tong was not far from Xiangyang.
If Pang Tong's army came to attack and there were not enough troops on his side to stop it, Wenpin's army would have to come back to protect Xiangyang. But once Wenpin withdrew, it would mean a complete failure of the battle.
The consequences of failure...
Liu Biao didn't know what consequences he would face if he failed, but what was certain was that Zhang Xiu would not give up easily.
"Come here, go and invite the alien."
After sitting and thinking for a long time, the idea of seeking peace with Zhang Xiu actually came up in his mind. He smiled bitterly and ordered Kuai Yue to come to discuss it.
Cai Mao left him and went to help Zhang Xiu run the business, which made him very angry. The Cai family had already wanted to join Zhang Xiu, but he could not touch the Cai family. After all, the Cai family had great influence in Jingzhou, and besides, the Cai family had great influence in Jingzhou. The current external station is unstable, and there must be no internal changes.
Let Cai survive for a while. After this battle is over, Cai cannot be allowed to stay in Jingzhou no matter what.
While Liu Biao was thinking, Kuai Yue walked in wearing sunshine.
The weather was extremely hot today, and there was nowhere to hide under the scorching sun. Kuai Yue wore very thin clothes and was still sweating profusely from walking.
"Your Majesty!"
After wiping his sweat, Kuai Yue walked into the hall. The refreshing breeze blew through the hall, making him feel much more comfortable.
"Ah~ The alien is here, hurry up, here are the ice cubes just taken out from the cellar, come and enjoy the coolness." Liu Biao looked a little pale and pointed to the seat opposite.
Kuai Yue sat over, and the coolness emanating from the refrigerator was refreshing. The heat on his body dissipated a lot, and his voice became cheerful, "Your Majesty, I have heard about the burning of food and grass last night."
He didn't need to think about Kuai Yue to know the purpose of Liu Biao calling him here. He said directly: "Now the Cai family is probably bent on helping Zhang Xiu. It is no longer possible to get food from them. We can only start from other noble families."
"Then who do you think is suitable?" Liu Biao asked.
"Pang family."
"Pang family?"
Liu Biao was shocked. Who didn't know that the Pang family was one of the four major families in Jingzhou? How could they dare to take advantage of the Pang family easily?
"Yes," Kuai Yue said, "Now the Pang family has betrayed Jingzhou and become Zhang Xiu's minions. They betrayed first, so why don't they allow us to confiscate their homes? The Pang family, Pang Degong, Pang Tong, and the people of Pangshan all work for Zhang Xiu, and even Pang Tong leads The army came to attack Xiangyang, and Pang Shanmin was the governor of Nanyang, so it would be righteous not to kill the entire Pang clan."
"Um!"
Liu Biao's eyes narrowed, "The Pang family betrayed me, so don't blame me for being ruthless. I confiscated all the Pang family's assets and took all the Pang family members to Xiangyang. When Commander Pang led his army to kill them, he took the Pang family members to Xiangyang." On top of the city, I want to see how he dares to attack the city."
Kuai Yue's heart skipped a beat.
He only wanted to confiscate Pang's family assets to use for military expenses. He did not expect that Liu Biao would use the Pang clan to threaten Pang Tong and Pang Shan people. This method was considered sophisticated.
As one of the four major families in Jingzhou, Kuai Yue does not want to see such a situation. Moreover, the Pang family has marriage relationships with his own family, the Huang family, and the Cai family. How can he sit back and watch?
So he advised: "You can't do it. The Pang family has been entrenched in Jingzhou for many years, and its power is not small. We can confiscate their assets. If it harms people's lives, I am afraid it will cause opposition from the people of Jingzhou. Besides, Pang De has a high reputation for his public morality, thousands of disciples, and strong strength." It’s not small, I hope it will make you think twice.”
This is the current situation in Jingzhou.
The families are intertwined. If you want to touch that family, you will definitely encounter opposition from other families. Because the Pang family has gone too far, it is okay to suppress them. If they really kill, they will definitely encounter resistance from the Jingzhou nobles.
Nowadays, foreign troubles are very serious, and there must be no internal worries. After thinking again and again, Liu Biao said: "Then all the assets of the Pang family will be confiscated, and members of the Pang family will be taken back to Xiangyang and will not be allowed to enter or exit. What do you think of this?"
"Very good."
Liu Biao had already given in, so he couldn't push too hard.
"The military situation is like a raging fire. General Wenpin must achieve results. The food and grass must be delivered to the military camp at noon tomorrow without any mistakes." Liu Biao ordered.
"Here."
Kuai Yue stood up and Yun walked towards the door.
Looking at Kuai Yue's leaving back, I suddenly felt my throat felt itchy and started coughing violently. When a man is over fifty, he is already aware of his destiny. He knows that his time is limited, but he does not have a good choice for his successor. Once he falls, Jingzhou will be divided by Zhang Xiu and Sun Ce. This is his The last thing you want to see.
Thinking of his two unfulfilled sons, I felt a burst of pain again, and the pain in my chest became even more unbearable.
Back then, I rode alone into Xiangyang, defeated the gangsters in the south of the Yangtze River, and wiped out the bandits from eight counties in Jingzhou. How free and heroic I was. I didn't expect that none of my sons would live up to the expectations, and none of them were like me back then.
He even doubted whether he was his biological child.
