My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 123 With Jingzhou in hand, there is hope for the restoration of Han! Sun Quan: Xiao He, how dare you insult me ​​like this!

Kuai Yue finally gave in.

These words meant that he had accepted the reality and acknowledged Liu Bei as the lord of Jingzhou.

Although it was not said explicitly, these words clearly implied submission to Liu Bei.

Obviously, he still held on to a glimmer of hope, wanting to find a way out for himself and the Kuai family.

This situation is exactly the same as when Cai Mao was captured alive.

This time, without Xiao He's reminder, Liu Bei couldn't help but recall what Xiao He said that day and recalled his promise to Liu Qi.

"Before you die, what else can you say?"

Liu Bei announced his verdict on Kuai Yue without any hesitation.

kill!

If Kuai Yue is not killed, wouldn't that discourage those heroes of Jingzhou who are angry at the oppression of the Kuai family and have joined his army?
If Kuai Yue was not killed, wouldn't that be a breach of trust and a violation of the promise made to Liu Qi in Xiakou that day?

If Kuai Yue is not killed, how can we give an explanation to the loyal and righteous people in the world who are loyal to the Han Dynasty?
Putting aside all other considerations, the fact that Kuai Yue betrayed Liu Biao's trust and took Liu Biao's son to surrender to Cao before Liu Biao's body was even cold warrants his death.

Kuai Yue could naturally hear Liu Bei's murderous intent. His body suddenly stiffened and he froze in place in a trance for a moment.

The last glimmer of hope was shattered.

After being in a trance for a long time, Kuai Yue finally came to his senses and let out a long, helpless sigh.

"I should have known that the Liu Xuande of today is no longer the Liu Xuande of the past. How could you possibly spare my life?"

"Whatever, whatever, dying at your hands, Liu Bei, is not a grievance for me, Kuai Yue..."

Kuai Yue laughed at himself, a wry smile on his lips, he had already accepted the reality.

Compared with Cai Mao's ugly kneeling and begging for mercy, this famous scholar from Jingzhou, the head of the Kuai family, was obviously much more dignified.

Liu Bei respected his courage to face death calmly, so he did not bother to humiliate him with words and ordered Kuai Yue to be pushed down and beheaded.

Just as Kuai Yue turned around, he suddenly remembered something, turned around again abruptly, and glanced at the group of counselors behind Liu Bei.

"Lord Xuande, could you please let me know who this extraordinary person is, rumored to be a disciple of an immortal, possessing the ability to predict the future and helping you defeat Cao Cao and Sun Quan, and now plotting to send me, Kuai Yue, to the guillotine?"

Although he was going to die, Kuai Yue wanted to die with an understanding. He wanted to know before he died who was behind his death.

Liu Bei naturally couldn't fail to fulfill his dying wish, so he turned and pointed at Xiao He:
"This is my right military advisor, Xiao Bowen, the extraordinary man you spoke of."

Kuai Yue's eyes widened and he looked at Xiao He with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to carve this face into his heart and take it to the afterlife.

Zhuge Liang had seen it, and Xu Shu had also seen it.

The former wore a feather fan and a long scarf, and had a carefree and elegant demeanor, like a Taoist immortal.

Xu Shu is elegant, yet also exudes a chivalrous spirit.

The young strategist in front of him was handsome, but he exuded a lazy and casual air. There was still a hint of fatigue between his brows, and he looked like he had not had enough sleep.

Is this a disciple from the immortal family?
How could such a person be so resourceful and clever that he could use all kinds of ingenious strategies to trick Cao Cao into defeating Sun Quan, play them at his fingertips, and help Liu Bei swallow up the entire Jingzhou with just a corner of Xiangyang?

The more Kuai Yue read, the more surprised he became. His heart, which had originally been ready to face death, began to surge again.

After a while.

The surprise on Kuai Yue's face turned into regret, and he sighed:

"I never thought that in the mountains of Jingxiang, there was actually a remarkable person like you, Xiao Bowen, lurking. I only regret that I couldn't meet you sooner. If I had, I would have recommended you to the state government for an important position, and I wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

Before his death, Kuai Yue regretted not recommending talented people.

To others, it sounded like the words of a dying man, but Xiao He found his self-blame ridiculous.

"Kuai Yue, I advise you to just go on your journey with peace of mind and stop flattering yourself."

"There are many talented people lurking in the wilds of Jingzhou, not just me. They are countless."

"Zhuge Kongming, Wei Wenchang, Ma Jichang, Huang Hansheng, and the rest, in terms of intelligence, talent, and military strategy, which one of them isn't a hundred times better than you and Cai Mao?"

"Do you dare to recommend it?"

Xiao He exposed his hypocrisy in one sentence.

There are many hidden talents in Jingzhou, and there are naturally countless people who are smarter and more skilled than him and Cai Mao. Of course, he couldn't be unaware of this.

But with so many real talents, how could he dare to recommend them to Liu Biao and his son?

What should he do if his and Cai Mao’s power is threatened?
What should we do if it threatens the Cai and Kuai families’ monopoly on power?
Kuai Yue's body trembled and his face instantly became embarrassed.

Huang Zhong and other heroes were also aroused by Xiao He's words to feel resentment towards Kuai Yue. They gritted their teeth and wished they could execute Kuai Yue with their own hands immediately.

Liu Bei had originally had some respect for Kuai Yue, but now he was filled with only disgust. He waved his hand and shouted:
"This unrighteous and disloyal Han traitor will be immediately dragged away and beheaded. His head will be offered as a tribute to the souls of those who died fighting against Cao!"

Without waiting for the personal guards to take action, the generals on both sides who hated both Cai and Kuai rushed forward and personally dragged Kuai Yue down.

Kuai Yue, who had originally planned to die calmly, was not calm at this moment. After his hypocrisy was exposed by Xiao He, he became angry and embarrassed.

"Liu Bei, do you think I'm truly willing to surrender Jingzhou to Cao Cao? Do you think I'm truly willing to bear the infamy?"

"Because I know myself, because I know that no one in the world can rival Cao Gong. Cao Gong will replace the Han Dynasty and unify the world. This is the destiny!"

"Yuan Shao was so powerful, but he died at the hands of Cao Gong. If I don't surrender to Cao Gong, I will die!"

"Do you think that if you kill me and take Jingzhou, you can compete with Cao Gong and revive your Han Dynasty?"

"Go ahead and daydream. Whether it's you or Sun Quan, you ignorant clowns will all die under Cao Gong's sword sooner or later!"

"I, Kuai Yue, will go first. From the depths of my netherworld, I will watch with a smile as you are driven to a dead end by Cao Gong and follow in my footsteps!"

"Hahaha--"

Kuai Yue, who was greatly stimulated, screamed like a madman and cursed incoherently.

Feng Xi, who was dragging him aside, saw that Kuai Yue was still speaking rudely even when he was about to die, so he became furious and punched him.

"boom!"

Kuai Yue was punched hard in the face, his wild laughter stopped abruptly, and he was immediately knocked dizzy.

Everyone dragged Kuai Yue away and scrambled to execute him.

In a moment, a head fell to the ground.

This former Jingzhou's foremost strategist was now beheaded. Cheers and applause rang out from the city walls.

The solemn expression on Liu Bei's face gradually disappeared. He stood on the top of the city wall with his sword in hand, looking down at the towering Jiangling City below, his heart filled with emotion.

Looking back to a year ago, I was still hiding in a corner of Fancheng, with less than 10,000 soldiers and only the generals of Guan, Zhang and Zhao.

At that time, Cao Cao's 800,000-strong army marched south, and he had already prepared to flee again, facing an uncertain fate.

At that time, I never dreamed that a year later, the situation would be so drastically changed.

Xiangyang, Xiakou, Jiangling...

Nanjun, Jiangxia, Changsha, Guiyang...

In just one year, Jingzhou was completely under their control.

The soldiers are strong and the horses are powerful. Although the number of armored soldiers is not as high as the 100,000 during the reign of Liu Biao, there are at least 60,000 to 70,000.

He has many talented people under his command, and his wise counselors and generals are as numerous as clouds and rain.

In his entire life, his confidence in restoring the Han Dynasty had never been stronger than at this moment!
At this moment, he felt a sense of unreality, as if in a dream.

And the first person to make this dream come true is none other than the person next to you.

Liu Bei looked back at Xiao He, his eyes filled with gratitude. He said nothing, but bowed deeply to Xiao He solemnly.

"My lord, what are you doing? How dare I accept such a great gift from you?"

Of course Xiao He knew what Liu Bei meant, but he had to pretend to be confused and hurriedly bowed to Liu Bei in surprise.

Liu Bei hurriedly helped Xiao He up, patted his shoulder and laughed:

"Forget it, forget it. We are master and subject, and we know each other well. There is nothing more to say."

"Today's celebration banquet, the military advisor and I will not stop until we are drunk!"

Xiao He also laughed.

On the top of the city wall, all the generals burst into laughter.

...

Chaisang City, the county seat.

"You mean to say that the big-eared thief was ignorant of the current situation and actually rejected my offer?"

Sun Quan stood up suddenly and stared at Lu Su who had just returned with surprise.

Lu Su nodded and said:

"To be precise, it wasn't Liu Bei who refused, but Xiao He."

"However, Liu Bei obeyed this man's orders, and his meaning must have been Liu Bei's. Therefore, Su did not meet Liu Bei again to avoid humiliation."

Sun Quan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his narrowed eyes revealing deep confusion.

"The Shu army is unstoppable and has already reached Yidao, only a hundred miles from Jiangling City."

"Our allied forces, numbering nearly 50,000, are now attacking Wuchang day and night. Guan Yu is gradually becoming overwhelmed."

"Where does the big-eared thief get the confidence to single-handedly withstand the siege of our three families?"

"If you agree to my terms, you can at least keep the three counties and take over the two largest cities in Jingzhou, Xiangyang and Jiangling. Otherwise, you will be in danger of being annihilated by the three of us!"

"Based on Xiao He's wisdom, he should be able to see that this is the option that will benefit Liu Bei the most. Why would he refuse it?"

Sun Quan muttered to himself, unable to figure it out. The more he thought about it, the more headache he got.

The fear in Lu Su's eyes grew stronger, but he said:
"Listening to Xiao He's tone, it seems he's not afraid of our three families joining forces at all, and he's still determined to capture Jiangling."

"This Xiao He is known for his ingenious strategies, and Su is quite worried. Could he have some brilliant plan that could help Liu Bei capture Jiangling before the Shu army arrives?"

Sun Quan's figure shuddered.

That familiar feeling suddenly came to my mind.

That was the painful lesson of the third attack on Xiakou, where we were defeated by Xiao He's clever plan and suffered heavy casualties.

"Liu Bei has been besieging Jiangling for over four months. If that country bumpkin really had a brilliant plan, he should have captured Jiangling long ago, and it wouldn't have dragged on until now..."

Sun Quan pretended to be calm and looked at Lu Su, hoping to get his approval.

Lu Su shook his head, still looking solemn:
"We cannot use common sense to judge Xiao Bowen. I believe we must not underestimate him. We must learn from past mistakes."

Sun Quan shuddered.

After a moment's silence, Sun Quan said in a deep voice:
"You are right. Xiao and this thief must not be underestimated."

"I will go to Wuchang in person and supervise Zhong Ziming and Cao Hong to capture Wuchang as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble."

Sun Quan was about to set off immediately.

Just as he mentioned the sword, he suddenly thought of something and asked:
"Couple, I ordered Zijing to find out the whereabouts of Bu Zishan's brothers and sisters. Did you find any results?"

Lu Su's face changed slightly, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Sun Quan's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted hurriedly:
"What happened to the Bu brothers and sisters? Have they been killed by the big-eared thief?"

Lu Su coughed dryly a few times and mumbled:

"That's not the case. Bu Zishan and the young lady of the Bu family are both still alive, but the young lady of the Bu family, she..."

The more he hesitated, the more anxious Sun Quan became, and he shouted again:

"What happened to Miss Bu? Tell me quickly!"

Lu Su sighed. The truth cannot be hidden. Sun Quan will find out sooner or later. He could only tell the truth.

So, Lu Su silently told him about how Bu Lianshi became Xiao He's maid in Jiangling, how he scolded Sun Quan to his face for being shameless and refusing to return to Jiangdong, and how Xiao He had explicitly stated that he wanted to take Bu Lianshi as his wife.

Sun Quan's face turned greener and greener, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes widened.

"Xiao He——"

Sun Quan suddenly drew his sword, cut off a corner of the table, and cursed:
"How dare you, a country bumpkin, insult me ​​like this—"

(End of this chapter)