My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 636 Liu Bei: Brother Jingsheng! I swear to kill Cai Mao to avenge you!

Just four days after Cai Mao secretly met with Jia Xu's secret envoy Gao Tanglong in Xiangyang, Liu Qi also arrived in Hanyang with his part of the Jingzhou army.

In fact, if Liu Qi could go ahead alone, he could arrive in Hanyang two or three days earlier.

But on the one hand, Liu Qi's health was not very good and he could not withstand continuous long-distance riding on horseback.

On the other hand, he used the excuse of "leading troops to defend Hanyang and visiting a patient in Xiangyang" to show that he did not leave his post without permission. In order to complete the play, he had to take the troops returning from Shangyong with him.

After all, Liu Qi didn't have the ability to see through the sky, so how could he know that this matter needed to be handled in such a hurry?

Especially when he was leaving, he found that after two days of visiting and feeding his father medicine, his father's heart knot seemed to have been slightly untied, and his fear of Uncle Xuande was not so strong. Maybe his condition could even get a little better.

Back carbuncle is a disease that is highly correlated with the degree of depression. Fan Zeng and Liu Yan both died when their illnesses suddenly worsened due to anger. If their moods could improve, they might have lived longer.

Anyway, that's what happened.

The day Liu Qi arrived in Hanyang was May 12th.

It was already late at night, so he sent someone across the river to deliver a letter to make an appointment with Zhuge Situ, and then rested for a night.

The next morning, Zhuge Jin wrote back to him, saying that he could wait for Liu Qi to visit him at Yingwuzhou Island outside Wuchang City and on the Yangtze River anytime in the next few days. The general had also arrived in Wuchang and was resting.

When Liu Qi received the letter, he asked people to prepare some symbolic gifts. At the same time, he asked Huang Zhong to mobilize dozens of escort warships and more than a thousand guards to cross the river to Wuchang in the afternoon.

Before crossing the river, of course, someone was sent in advance to inform the decision to keep the appointment, and the senior leaders of Liu Bei’s army on the opposite side were also very polite.

When Liu Qi went ashore, Liu Bei was already waiting in the pavilion at the head of Parrot Island, and Zhuge Jin was even more considerate and went to the dock in person to serve as a "guide" for Liu Qi.

Liu Qi naturally did not dare to be arrogant, and hurriedly got off the boat and saluted Zhuge Jin: "Greetings, Situ."

After all, Zhuge Jin was the "Si Tu" appointed by Liu Bei. Even if the emperor in Xudu did not approve his request, his status was not comparable to that of Liu Qi, the prefect of Jiangxia.

Zhuge Jin did not want to embarrass Liu Qi, so he did not go to greet him in person. Instead, he stood there, said some words of comfort and encouragement, and politely asked about Liu Biao's condition.

Liu Qi briefly summarized his father's recent situation, then changed the subject and mentioned, "My father's illness is half back carbuncle and half heart disease. After my comfort and persuasion, my father's fear of Uncle Xuande has eased a little, and his condition may have improved."

Liu Qi said this in order to avoid hitting someone who is smiling. Liu Qi said that Liu Biao's condition improved because he was no longer worried that Liu Bei would treat him the same way he treated Liu Zhang. Liu Bei had to give him better conditions to appease the people of the world.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin nodded secretly and said quickly: "Don't worry, sir. What happened to Liu Zhang will never happen again. What the Grand Commandant wants is for the royal family to unite and fight against the rebels. It is a blessing for the Han Dynasty that Lord Jingsheng no longer suspects the Grand Commandant's intentions."

Zhuge Jin has secretly decided that he must make his lord treat Liu Qi better, which will also have the effect of "completely eliminating the negative reputation brought about by the annexation of Liu Zhang."

After all, the deep alliance with Liu Biao and Liu Qi happened after Liu Bei annexed Liu Zhang. If it is done well this time, it can also show that "the Liu Zhang incident is just a special case, and it is indeed Liu Zhang who broke his promise first, and the Taiwei is not so harsh on other people of the same clan."

Moreover, Liu Biao and Liu Qi were, after all, the last royal family in the world that needed to be deeply integrated. According to the "Peak-End Law", if this ending was done well, it would have a significant impact on Liu Bei's lifelong credibility and righteousness.

No matter what twists and turns there are in the middle, at least the peak and the ending are perfect, and the entire user experience is perfect as well.

……

After some polite exchanges, Zhuge Jin brought Liu Qi to the pavilion at the head of Parrot Island.

Liu Bei had already set up a banquet in the pavilion to entertain Liu Qi. Because the pavilion was relatively small, only three seats for Liu Bei, Zhuge Jin and Liu Qi could be set up in the pavilion.

The other accompanying officials and guards and generals could only sit on the ground outside under the scorching sun in May.

Liu Qi performed the uncle-nephew ceremony to Liu Bei, then took out the secret letter given by his father to express his intention to make peace.

Liu Bei read the letter first, and found that it indeed had Liu Biao's autograph and two large seals of the Governor of Jingzhou and the General of Zhennan, which was very formal and complete.

After confirming that Liu Biao had let down his guard, Liu Bei naturally had to return the favor.

He didn't even ask what conditions Xu Shu had offered to Liu Qi before, and directly put forward his new conditions.

Among the new conditions mentioned by Liu Bei, the restrictions on Liu Qi's descendants inheriting the land of Nanjun were relaxed, but the words could not be made too clear after all -

The main reason was that Liu Bei himself was only a general and a general of chariots and cavalry, not even a king. How could he formally promise Liu Qi the throne? He could only say that he would promise to make such a request to His Majesty.

Moreover, Liu Bei is Liu Qi's elder, and even whether Liu Bei himself can pass on the throne cannot be guaranteed legally, and he cannot make a promise to Liu Qi openly.

But everyone knows the meaning, and that's enough.

Although the content of the promise was rather twisted, Liu Bei still hosted a banquet to entertain Liu Qi. The ceremony was very grand, and he also took the opportunity to make many promises in front of the soldiers of both armies.

……

Although the negotiations between Liu Bei and Liu Qi were simple and mainly for the purpose of building relationships, it still took two or three days.

Of course, Liu Qi also knew that his father was anxiously waiting for a report, so he wanted to return as soon as possible, but he did not dare to urge his uncle Xuande.

Liu Qi's mentality was seen by Zhuge Jin who was accompanying him, so Zhuge Jin gave him a suggestion:

"You are in poor health and cannot withstand continuous travel. Why don't you let Ji Bo go back to Xiangyang to report the news first?"

Liu Qi was stunned and agreed subconsciously.

How could he dare to oppose Zhuge Jin's advice? So even though he was puzzled, he agreed first and then asked, "What Situ taught me must have a deep meaning?"

Seeing that he was asking earnestly, Zhuge Jin did not mind revealing more of his concerns: "Although you have successfully convinced your father, based on my understanding of Cai Mao and others, I think they will definitely not sit idly by and wait for death.

When you came, you were able to raise the banner of "bringing troops back to defend Hanyang and clearing the river defenses", and brought 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers and horses, and General Huang Lao with you. Now that you are returning to Xiangyang, how can you bring so many soldiers and horses with you?

Therefore, you should let Ji Bo return to Xiangyang first to report and find out the situation, and let your father order Wang Wei, who is in charge of the guards, to obey you. Then return safely, which is the best strategy to prevent Cai Mao from jumping off the wall in desperation. "

Zhuge Jin didn't have the slightest trust in scum like Cai Mao.

His intuition told him that even if Liu Qi returned to Xiangyang alone and even if he saw Liu Biao for the last time, if he failed to seize control of the guards in Xiangyang City in time, the possibility of him being harmed by Cai Mao would still be very high.

Liu Qi had never wanted to think about such a heavy topic, but Zhuge Situ was so confident in his prediction. After thinking about it carefully, he had to accept this deduction.

Cai Mao's hostility towards him was too obvious.

"Thank you Situ for your teachings! Qi has benefited a lot!"

After listening to the advice, Liu Qi immediately wrote a letter to his father, as well as Liu Bei's reply to Liu Biao, and then gave it to Yi Ji to take back to Xiangyang first.

After receiving the order, Yi Ji said that he would not delay the mission. He rode a fast horse back and arrived in three or four days. To return to Xiangyang from Hanyang, one had to go upstream along the Han River. Taking a boat was too slow, so he had to ride a horse.

Liu Qi also expressed his politeness to Yi Ji, asking Mr. Ji Bo to take care of his health and to rest as much as possible along the way. One or two days won't make a difference.

……

After Yi Ji left, Liu Qi stayed in Hanyang for just three or four days, continuing to take over the local military and political work and familiarizing himself with the situation. He also took care of his health, waiting for Yi Ji's reply and the control of the guards in Xiangyang, and then he could go back.

After all, he had been sent by his father to the Shangyong front to gain merit and garrison in the north. He didn't know much about the current situation in Hanyang, and now he needed to familiarize himself with it again.

In the city of Wuchang, across the river, Liu Bei also rested for a few days to get rid of the fatigue from the journey back to Jingzhou from Chengdu.

By the way, I also took advantage of these few days of free time to look forward to the future of Jingzhou with Zhuge Jin, whom I haven't seen for half a year.

Liu Bei seemed to be in high spirits, and said to Zhuge Jin proudly, "Brother Jingsheng finally figured it out. It is great that the counties in northern Jing can be smoothly integrated into the cause of suppressing the rebellion.

At that time, in Nanjun, Xiangyang and other places, how to eliminate bad policies, promote construction, and rectify defenses will all require your concern. Kong Ming is in Shuzhong and cannot get away for the time being. The states in Guandong all rely on you and Yunchang to support them. "Zhuge Jin still did not dare to relax. He could not help but remind him: "Until the counties in Jingbei are successfully taken over, the lord must not be careless.

I don't think Cai Mao would just sit there and wait for death. He had an old grudge against his lord and was also an old friend of Cao Cao.

Even if Liu Biao gave in, Cai Mao might still rebel against Jingzhou, occupy the land and surrender to Cao Cao in order to protect himself.”

Liu Bei had always trusted Zhuge Jin's judgment, and he couldn't help but frown when he heard this. After thinking it over again and again, Liu Bei ordered the generals who stayed in Jingnan to be prepared at any time, and also asked Guan Yu in Hefei to prepare his troops in case of any unexpected events.

And the accident really happened - on the fifth day after Yi Ji left, he suddenly came back.

Liu Qi, who was in Hanyang, had already packed up and was about to set off, but when he heard that Yi Ji had returned in a hurry, he was also horrified and hurried to meet him.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

There was certainly a reason why Yi Ji failed to reach Xiangyang and turned back halfway and rushed back to Hanyang.

If we want to find out the specific reason, we can only turn our attention back to Xiangyang City.

On the second day after Yi Ji returned from Hanyang, a major event occurred in Xiangyang.

Early that morning, a group of messengers suddenly arrived at the Han River wharf north of Xiangyang City, escorted by warships sent by Zhang Yun, the defender of Fancheng, who crossed the Han River from the north bank.

As soon as they landed in Xiangyang, the envoys made a big fuss and revealed their identities. The escort guards sent by Zhang Yun also protected them very closely.

Soon, all the civil and military officials in Xiangyang City knew what had happened.

"Have you heard? Cao Cao has sent someone from Xudu to announce the decree!"

"Cao Cao? Didn't Cao Cao hold the emperor hostage and forge imperial edicts? His forged edicts have not been respected in Jingzhou for several years."

"Could it be that they want to take advantage of the lord's serious illness to come in and cause trouble?"

The knowledgeable people and numerous civil servants in Xiangyang City were all confused and worried.

However, Cao Cao's men did not give them much time to react.

While everyone was discussing the matter, Cai Mao, the governor of Zhangling County and the garrison commander of Xiangyang, had personally mobilized his own troops, opened the north gate of Xiangyang, and welcomed the envoy into the city.

The civil servants in Xiangyang City had no access to military power, and were completely unable to resist Cai Mao's move to open the gate.

What’s even more terrible is that among the main civil servants in charge of foreign affairs under Liu Biao, there were also some who supported Cai Mao. Liu Xian, who once served as Beijia, also followed Cai Mao to greet him.

When Liu Biao was sitting on the fence a few years ago, he always appointed several personal guards at the same time. When negotiating with Liu Bei's camp, he sent Yi Ji. When negotiating with Cao Cao's camp, he sent Liu Xian. So Liu Xian has always been pro-Cao, and it is not surprising that he firmly stands on Cai Mao's side at this moment.

In order to avoid suspicion, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue pretended to be unaware of the situation and kept their distance, and did not leave the city to welcome the envoys from the Xudu court. It was not until Cai Mao brought the envoys to the Jingzhou governor's mansion that Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue pretended to be late to the party and rushed to discuss the matter.

Moreover, the Kuai brothers arrived even later than other civil servants in Xiangyang, which further showed their innocence and "neutrality".

When the Kuai brothers arrived, Fu Xun, Han Song, Song Zhong and others were already waiting in the lobby of the Jingzhou Mu's Mansion for the meeting.

Fu Xun and Han Song remained silent, just wanting to wait and see what would happen. On the contrary, Song Zhong, who had remained aloof from the matter, asked the Kuai brothers out of fairness:
"My lord, you haven't received any imperial edicts from Xudu for many years. In previous years, when envoys came, you regarded them as forged edicts. Now that my lord is seriously ill and can't get up, why do you want to receive the envoys from Xudu?"

Kuai Yue was afraid that his elder brother was not thick-skinned enough, so he quickly took over the question: "Zhongzi's question is indeed to the point, but unfortunately we just found out about it and it is really hard to understand - perhaps the lord's condition has improved?"

Since Kuai Yue said so, the others had to pretend that they didn't know that they had always been close to Cai Mao.

Everyone was discussing, and soon, Cai Mao, wearing armor, came out from the inner courtyard. Cai Mao waved his hand at everyone and ordered:

"The lord has woken up, and the doctor said it might be a last gasp. The dying man's words are good. The lord is willing to obey the order, please come in and be a witness behind the curtain!"

Surrounded by Cai Mao's guards and led by the Kuai brothers, several civil servants could only come to the inner courtyard. They did not enter the house, but only saluted Liu Biao on the sickbed through the door curtain.

The ward was so small that it couldn't accommodate too many people. Besides, Mrs. Cai was in the inner room, so it was not convenient for outsiders to go in and see the female family member.

Gao Tanglong, the imperial envoy, had also arrived. Apparently out of consideration for Liu Biao's serious illness and out of sympathy for his old minister, he went to the ward to announce the imperial decree to Liu Biao.

After some operations, Liu Biao, who was in a daze, nodded with the help of Cai, and muttered a few words in his throat, which could not be heard by people outside.

Afterwards, Cai Mao took charge of the situation: "The imperial court has issued an order to show sympathy to the old ministers! The second son will take over the post of governor of Jingzhou! There must be no mistakes!"

Fu Xun, Han Song, and Song Zhong could only look at each other and follow the Kuai brothers' orders. Of course, some of them were careful enough to notice something: Wang Wei, Liu Biao's trusted guard general, did not seem to be in the courtyard.

This was extremely abnormal, but the civil servants didn't dare to ask the reason, as that would be seeking death, so they just let everything go in a muddle.

Cai Mao was very anxious, so he held a seal-receiving ceremony that same day and forced Liu Cong to take the throne.

The first order Liu Cong gave after taking office was to instruct the doctor to continue treating his father well, so that his father could be relieved of his heavy burden and stop worrying about worldly affairs so that he could recuperate well.

The second order was to send Cai Mao's direct subordinates to control the defense of each county and convey the news of the handover of the position of governor.

At this time, Yi Ji was halfway back to Xiangyang and was in Yicheng County when he heard the news that Liu Biao had received the imperial edict.

Yi Ji, who had always known his lord well, of course knew that there must be something fishy going on here.

For fear of being killed, he did not dare to return to Xiangyang easily, but tried to find out more details of the situation.

He had only stayed in Yicheng for a day or two when he heard an even more devastating piece of bad news: Liu Biao, who had just stepped down for two days to enjoy his retirement, eventually died of a serious illness.

Yi Ji knew that he could not change anything anymore, so he could only collect as much information as possible and then ride his horse back to Hanyang as fast as possible.

……

"My Lord, this is bad! This is what happened. Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue presided over the reception of the forged imperial edict sent by Cao Cao from Xudu! The forged edict also hypocritically appointed the Second Lord as the governor of Jingzhou, saying that it would allow the Lord to live out his days in peace.

But less than two days after the lord was deprived of power, he fell seriously ill and died!"

As soon as Yi Ji saw Liu Qi, he told him the bad news with tears in his eyes.

Although Liu Qi was mentally prepared and knew that his father did not live long, the news of his father's death came so quickly that he still felt it was a surprise.

Liu Qi's eyes went dark and he fainted for a while. Yi Ji ordered his attendants to pour cold water on him and wake him up. Liu Qi took a few breaths and then burst into tears:
"When I left Xiangyang, my father's heart knot had obviously been relieved a little. Even if he was still seriously ill, he should have been able to hold on for a few more months. Why did he die so soon? There must be a conspiracy!"

Yi Ji also echoed in sorrow, "My Lord... No, the envoy is right! The Lord clearly told you to find a way out for Jingzhou's future, how could you just accept Cao's forged edict?
Although I didn't see it in person, according to rumors, it was the thief Cao's envoy who went to the inner hall of the governor's mansion to announce the decree. It is very likely that the lord was bedridden and was being manipulated by others!
"Sir, the best plan for now is to contact the Grand Commandant as soon as possible, and notify the troops in Jiangling, Shangyong and other places. Don't let the Second Lord... or Cai Mao's people deceive you into taking away your military power!"

Liu Qi also came to his senses and realized that the situation was urgent and he could not afford to be indecisive. He quickly asked Yi Ji to help him deal with it and write a few warning documents, and he only had to sign and seal the final step.

That night, the news of Liu Biao's death and the suspicion that he was held hostage before his death spread across the river and reached the ears of Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin.

When Liu Bei heard the news, he was also shocked.

After being stunned for a long time, Liu Bei cursed loudly: "Cai Mao, you bastard! How dare you kill your master! How different from an animal! You are worse than pigs and dogs!"

After cursing, Liu Bei casually pulled out a feather arrow from the weapon rack inside the house, broke it, and inserted it into the incense burner. He then bowed to the northwest:

"Brother Jingsheng's heroic spirit is not far away! I swear today that I will kill Cai Mao and all his children to avenge my brother!"

(End of this chapter)