While the political undercurrents in Jingchu were surging, Liu Bei, thousands of miles away, also received the news from Huo Jun.
In the big tent, Liu Zhong was unshaven and looked haggard. He took a boat from the Han River into the Yangtze River, and then went downstream along the Yangtze River. He traveled day and night for five or six days, and finally arrived at Ruxukou.
Presenting the white whip, Liu Zhong cupped his hand and said, "I pay my respects to Liu Yangzhou. Now, under the order of my eunuch, I will go eastward with the whip to deliver a message. Your Majesty said that your Majesty is suddenly ill. I hope that Mr. Xuande will not be exposed." The war in the mouth has been delayed, so rush to Hanshou as soon as possible."
Liu Bei recognized at a glance that this was the white whip he had given to Huo Jun. The white whip had been used by Huo Jun for a long time and had gradually become damaged, and the whip hair was messy.
Putting away his white whip, Liu Bei said calmly, "Sir, please step down and rest first. I know what Huonan County means."
"No!" Liu Zhong saluted and stepped back.
After Liu Zhong left, Liu Bei's face changed slightly and he said: "Kong Ming, Zijing, and Zhong Miao ordered people to come with whips. Although they didn't say anything in detail, I already knew a little about Zhong Miao's meaning. Bo Wei must be suffering from illness. He is seriously ill and may be in danger of his life, so now we want to choose a successor."
Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said in a deep voice: "Liu Jingzhou has two sons. The second son is too young to inherit. Only the eldest son Liu Pu can inherit the position of state pastor. However, the eldest son is not capable and cannot control the great cause. Except for the second son, Liu Pu There are blood relatives on both sides of Jingzhou, and only my younger brother Liu Pan can inherit his great cause. Now that Zhongmiao has ordered his confidants to come with whips, he should ask the envoy to quickly go west to see if he can continue Liu's great cause in Jingzhou."
Liu Bei held the white whip, paced in the tent, and said hesitantly: "Gu is not a relative of Bo Wei, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control Jingchu."
Zhuge Liang pondered for a while and said: "With the bravery of my brother Liu Pan, how can I be able to defend Cao Cao in the north and care for Jingchu in the country? Although I am not as close to you as Liu Pan, my talent is far better than Liu Pan. Today in Jingchu, I want to ask for my lord. There are quite a few of them. And with Zhong Miao taking care of it, you can enter Hanshou, meet Liu Jingzhou, and maybe have the hope of succeeding Jingchu."
Lu Su also stood up, pulled Liu Bei's sleeve, and said anxiously: "My lord, don't hesitate. Jingchu governs ten counties, one hundred thousand soldiers, millions of men and women, and hundreds of civil servants and good generals. Today there is Jiangzuo With the four counties combined with the ten counties of Jingchu and Chu, the lord can control Wu and Chu and enter Bashu from the west, then the great cause will be accomplished!"
Lu Su cannot afford to be anxious about this kind of thing. Now that Liu Qi is seriously ill and Liu Bei enters the Han Dynasty, he has the opportunity to pick up Jingzhou for free. Regardless of whether you succeed or not, you must try to do this.
Liu Bei held Lu Su's hand and said: "I am hesitating now, not because I am worried about entering Hanshou, but because I want to retreat from Cao Cao's army. If I am going to Hanshou alone, if I can defeat Cao Cao, I will surely defeat Jing." The Chu scholars respect him, and this will help Gu rule Jingchu."
Liu Bei has been able to reach this day and has almost grasped most of the opportunities in his life. Now he is not hesitating whether to go to Hanshou, but he is thinking about how he can let Liu Qi hand over the foundation to him if he joins Hanshou.
As he said this, Liu Bei looked at Lu Su and Zhuge Liang and asked, "If I want to go to Hanshou, how will I deal with the battle at Ruxukou? Or who will be in charge?"
Cao Liu faced off at Ruxukou for more than a month. Except for Guan Yu's defeat of Zhang Liao at Tianzhu Mountain and about 200,000 people fleeing south to Jiangding, there was no specific progress in the war between the two sides in Ruxukou and Hefei.
Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and muttered, and said: "Liang has a plan to make Cao Cao's troops retreat, and Jiangbei will be peaceful, so that the lord can take advantage of Cao Cao's retreat and enter the Han Dynasty."
Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he said, "Please Kong Ming, please speak."
Zhuge Liang gently shook his feather fan and said: "Cao Cao defeated Jianghan and led his troops southward. He had no intention of crossing the river. Just because the Jianghuai tyrants wanted to rebel, Liu Fu died of illness in Hefei. The Jianghuai needed to be leveled, so he had no choice but to go south. However, the Jianghuai tyrants did not die. After the surrender, Cao Cao has already settled in Shouchun, Hefei and other places, and he has already planned to retreat."
"You can write a letter to Cao Cao, saying that the spring water will emerge, the northwest will become warmer, and the Han River has risen, so that he can return to the Central Plains as soon as possible. You can also attach a letter to Cao Cao, expressing disparagement and praise in secret, so that Cao Cao can return to the north with great ambition. ."
Liu Bei paced a few steps, stroking his palms and smiling: "Kong Ming has won Cao Cao's heart. Cao Cao defeated Jianghan. Now the southern expedition is not Jiangzuo, but Jianghuai. Give him some face, so that Cao Cao can return north with peace of mind."
Stopping, Liu Bei said: "A letter from an orphan is sent to Cao Cao. Regarding the matter of Han Shou, Zijing, Kong Ming, and Yun Chang will accompany me personally. Xingba will be stationed at Ruxukoujiao, and Yide will lead the army to station at Danyang Jingkou. , I thought it echoed.”
"What about filial piety?" Zhuge Liang asked.
Liu Bei thought about it for a while and said: "Xiaozhi has just arrived in Wu and Chu, and we don't know anything about Jingchu yet, so let him stay in Jiangzuo."
Liu Bei has many secrets, and he has many advisers and officials. Fa Zheng's status today is not as important as it was in history.
"promise!"
After the discussion was completed, Liu Bei wrote a letter himself and asked the captured soldiers of Cao Cao to return to camp with the letter and deliver it to Cao Cao.
At this time, Cao Cao was comforting the injured Zhang Liao. He held down Zhang Liao who was about to stand up and salute, and said: "Wen Yuan defeated the two thieves, and his achievement has been accomplished. It was only because Tianzhu Mountain was dangerous and deep into the mountains that he was unfortunately defeated by Guan Yu."
Zhang Liao looked ashamed and said: "Liao regrets that he did not listen to the warning and went to the nest. He must learn from it in the future and do not dare to go to the enemy's camp lightly."
When Chang Xi rebelled, Zhang Liao only went up the mountain to persuade Chang Xi to surrender. Although he succeeded, he was scolded by Cao Cao, who said that the general should not take risks easily. However, Zhang Liao, who succeeded, did not take it seriously. Now on Tianzhu Mountain, Guan Yu seized the opportunity to defeat him, and Zhang Liao learned this lesson.
Cao Cao patted Zhang Liao on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Wen Yuan should take care of himself and recover from his injuries. Hefei is a dangerous place in the Yangtze and Huaihe River, and no one except you can hold on to it."
"Thank you Minggong for your appreciation!"
When Cao Cao was visiting Zhang Liao, Yang Xiu put the letter into his account and said: "Prime Minister, Liu Bei's letter has arrived and he has made it clear that he will send it to the Prime Minister."
"Um?"
Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and said, "Bring Liu Bei's letter."
"promise!"
Cao Cao took the letter from Yang Xiu, opened it and read it. Liu Bei's letter said that the spring water is coming, the Han River will rise, your wish has come true, why not go quickly!
Cao Cao snorted coldly when he saw the content of the letter, quite dissatisfied.
"Prime Minister, Liu Bei has a note in the letter." Yang Xiu said.
Cao Cao picked up the note again and couldn't help laughing when he saw the content on the note. The note said: "If you don't die with one step, you will be lonely and uneasy; in the battle of Chrysostom, the fire of hatred is too small."
After raising the letter, Cao Cao sneered and said: "In the Battle of Chrysostom, the sky burned the ships, and Huo Jun attacked at night, what does it have to do with Liu Bei?"
"Bring me a pen and paper, and write a letter to Liu Bei." Cao Cao said with great interest.
"promise!"
The attendant brought paper and pen, and Cao Cao took up the pen and wrote, saying: "I went south to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River just to observe the situation in Chaohu Lake. I have gained something now. If we fight again next year, we will definitely break the emperor's formation."
After seeing the content of the letter, Xia Houyuan asked, "Prime Minister, do you want to withdraw your troops?"
Cao Cao nodded and said: "The spring water is coming this year. This is the time when the Jiangzuo Navy uses force. Our army cannot fight with it. Ruxukou is dangerous and cannot be broken by tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. We will retreat for the time being and wait for another battle next year. ."
With that said, Cao Cao ordered his surroundings and said: "Hefei, where the Jianghuai Gate is located, is garrisoned by two generals, Li Dian and Zhang Liao. Today Zhang Liao is injured, and Li Dian will be in charge. After he recovers, Wen Yuan will be in charge of the military."
"promise!"
"What if our army withdraws and Liu Bei pursues it?" Yang Xiu asked.
Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, and said: "Liu Bei has always been benevolent and trustworthy, and he will bully others. Now that Jiangzuo has begun to attack, Liu Bei will retreat back to pacify Jiangdong. And there is only Hefei City, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
As Zhuge Liang said, Cao Cao has achieved his goal of stabilizing Jianghuai. Lei Xu and Chen Lan led their tribes to the east of the Yangtze River, and Chen Ce and Meicheng's tribesmen were moved to the vicinity of Shouchun. Except for Hefei, Jiangbei is completely deserted for hundreds of miles.
Now Cao Cao ordered people to reinforce the city of Hefei and appointed Wen Hui as the governor of Yangzhou. Jiang Huai's work was completed. Even if there is no letter from Liu Bei, Cao Cao will return north in a few days, and now he is only being used by Liu Bei.
Seeing that Cao Cao had withdrawn his troops and returned to the Central Plains, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Lu Su and others took a boat and traveled day and night. On the road, he met two batches of messengers who were ordered to summon Liu Bei to Hanshou. Liu Bei had a legitimate reason to enter Jingzhou and was able to pass through Xiakou where Wenpin was stationed.
While Liu Bei was on his way, something new happened in Jingchu.
Hanshou, the State Council of the Mufu.
Liu Pu sat on the main seat, with Huo Jun, Liu Pan, Liu Xian and Wang Can on his left and right hands, and the other state officials sat on the left and right.
In the lobby, a strange man in his forties with a decent appearance and slightly dark skin, with an angry look on his face, confided to Liu Pu about Wu Ju's rudeness.
This person is Lai Gong, the governor of Jiaozhou, and a native of Quanling, Lingling. After Liu Biaodan rode into Jingzhou, he promoted a large number of Jingnan scholars, among whom Lai Gong and Liu Xian had the highest status.
Lai Gong was good at classics and had a good understanding of martial arts, so he was highly regarded by Liu Biao. After the death of Zhang Jin, the governor of Jiaozhou, Lai Gong was appointed as the governor of Jiaozhou and took charge of Cangwu. However, Lai Gong relied on his status and often looked down on the martial artist Wu Ju, so the two became enemies.
During the change of masters in Jingzhou, Wu Ju saw through the reality of Jingchu and the weakness of Liu Qi, so he joined forces and drove away Lai Gong. Although he did not break up with Liu Qi, Wu Ju had completely occupied Cangwu County and refused to obey orders.
Lai Gong was indignant and said: "My eldest son, Wu Ju is a weak and weak man. He has taken possession of Cangwu and refused to obey orders. If such a thief is not punished, how will he be able to subdue the unruly people in Jingchu?"
Liu Pu was very nervous and didn't know how to answer. He couldn't help but look at Huo Jun, Liu Pan, Liu Xian and others.
Liu Xian coughed and said: "Lai Jiaozhou has made you sick now. Wu Ju's matter will be discussed later. You can live in Hanshou to recuperate, and we will discuss this matter again after spring next year."
After saying that, Liu Xiang looked at Huo Jun and Liu Pan and asked, "What do you think?"
Liu Pan hesitated a little and tried to persuade Wu Ju based on his sexual desire, but he also knew the current situation and it was not appropriate to use troops.
Just when everyone thought that this matter would end like this, Huo Jun had a different idea.
Huo Jun looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice: "I made you sick on the bed, and Cang Wu deliberately wanted to stand on his own. If you don't challenge him now, won't you only increase Wu Ju's momentum?"
With that said, Huo Jun raised his hand to Liu Pu and said, "The eldest son can order Huang Zhong, the prefect of Guiyang, to conquer Cangwu and destroy the disobedient people in Jingchu."
Such iron-blooded words caught Liu Pu off guard.
Liu Pu did not dare to face Huo Jun's sharp gaze, and said cautiously: "Huo Jun, my father is ill on the bed. I'm afraid it won't be good to launch troops at this time, so we might as well postpone the discussion for now."
Liu Pan saw that Huo Jun wanted to use Huang Zhong to support him, so he also said: "Guiyang has just arrived, and Huang Prefect has few soldiers and horses. Cang Wu relies on his distance to defend, and Wu Ju has many soldiers and horses. It is better to discuss it next year."
Huo Jun looked at everyone's expressions and said helplessly: "It's better to report this to the envoy and let him know about this."
"That's also true!" Everyone agreed.
When the news reached the inner house, Liu Qi, who was lying on the bed due to illness, sighed and felt confused.
My eyes are sore today, no more updates, starting from 7.5k tomorrow.
(End of chapter)
