Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Liu Biao suddenly stood up, and the overturned teacup splashed dark water marks on the sandalwood table: "Mr. Zigang, are you serious?!" Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were also stunned. The three of them stared at Zhang Hong with sharp eyes.

Zhang Hong unhurriedly unfolded the yellowed secret letter. The imperial seal was etched in vermilion ink at the end. His fingertips traced the ink-stained words, his voice steady and profound. "Ever since Sun Ce and Ma Chao seized Jiangdong, the lands of the aristocratic families have been seized, and trade routes have been blocked. We have endured humiliation for a long time." He suddenly sneered, a cold glint in his eyes. "Fortunately, the emperor is wise. He first planned to kill Ma Chao, and now he hopes we will eliminate Sun Ce!"

Cai Mao laughed so hard that the dust on the beams fell down. "So that kid from Jiangdong has already become a rat! Lord Liu, this is a godsend!"

Kuai Yue narrowed his eyes and tapped the secret letter with his folding fan: "Mr. Zhang, since you have the emperor's secret decree, why do you want to cooperate with my Jingzhou?"

"Mr. Kuai is indeed a meticulous thinker." Zhang Hong bowed and slipped a yellowed map from his sleeve. "Sun Ce's western expedition this time, although claiming to avenge Ma Chao, actually intends to annex Jingxiang via the route. Although we have internal support, we are wary of his 100,000 elite troops. Only if you station troops in Jiangxia and control the natural barrier of the Yangtze River..." His fingertip pressed heavily on the Chibi Fortress on the map. "Then, with the combined efforts of internal and external forces, we will surely trap Sun Ce in Jingxiang!"

Liu Biao's hand trembled slightly as he stroked his beard, and greed grew in his eyes: "If I can get rid of Sun Ce, the land of Jiangdong..."

"Your Excellency, please take the fertile land. We, the noble families, only seek to regain control of Jiangdong's commerce." Zhang Hong presented the secret letter again. "The Emperor has already issued a decree, and we are acting in accordance with it. If Your Excellency can take some territory, I believe the Emperor will not mind, and we will also get what we want. Isn't this wonderful?"

The study was silent, the only sound wafting from the incense burner. Liu Biao stared at the imperial seal on the secret letter, his Adam's apple rolling up and down. Cai Mao's palms were throbbing with veins. Kuai Yue stared at the red dot on the map, lost in thought. After a long pause, Liu Biao suddenly slammed the table and said, "Okay! As you say, sir!"

Kuai Yue tapped the scroll lightly, creating a rhythmic rhythm in his palm: "Since Mr. Zigang has such a brilliant plan, he must have made some arrangements. Why not tell us about it so that we can discuss it together?" A cold light flashed in his half-closed eyes, and the bamboo slips on the table cast eerie shadows in the candlelight.

Zhang Hong straightened his robe and ran his fingertips over the map of Jingzhou on the table: "My lord, just generously lend us the road and lure Sun Ce into the trap." He dug his nails hard at the junction of Jiangxia and Fancheng. "Wait for him to land at Xiakou, and then let him go deep into the hinterland. Just let General Huang Zu speak disparagingly and insultingly about General Ma Chao's reputation in front of the two armies." A sinister smile curled up the corner of his mouth. "Sun Ce values ​​friendship the most. How could he allow others to insult his benefactor?"

Cai Mao clapped his hands and laughed: "Great! Huang Zu has a hot temper. If he starts scolding people, he will definitely make Sun Ce furious!"

"Exactly!" A fierce look flashed in Zhang Hong's eyes. "Huang Zu feigned provocation and then fled in defeat. Sun Ce's character will definitely lead his army in pursuit. By then..." He suddenly lowered his voice. "Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and Xue Zong are all descendants of my noble families. They have already made an agreement with us—" His skinny fingers drew a deadly arc in the air. "When Sun Ce's army advances alone, you only need to set up an ambush in a dangerous place..."

Kuai Yue flicked his folding fan and suddenly interrupted: "What if Sun Ce noticed something was wrong and turned back to Xiakou?"

"He won't." Zhang Hong sneered, "Sun Ce is just trying to gain the reputation of revenge for Ma Chao. Moreover, he boasts of his bravery, and Huang Zu was defeated by him. He was also disrespectful to Ma Chao in his words. How could Sun Ce tolerate this? He will definitely pursue him relentlessly." He slammed his hand on the table. "Once he steps into the ambush, that will be the moment when the tiger of Jiangdong breaks its claws!"

Liu Biao stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes gleaming with greed: "Okay! I'll follow your plan!"

Zhang Hong suddenly frowned, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the secret letter on the table: "Ming Gong, there is one thing that needs to be planned early."

Liu Biao paused while stroking his beard and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Sun Ce is incredibly brave. If he's ambushed and fights his way out..." Zhang Hong glanced at the Nine-Ring Knife on Cai Mao's waist. "Generals like me, deployed by our noble families, can only try to delay his personal soldiers, but it's not convenient for us to openly attack Sun Ce in front of everyone." He lowered his voice, "The key person to take his life still needs your decision."

Cai Mao suddenly slammed the table and stood up, shaking the teacup and saying, "My lord! I remember someone!" He strode forward, stabbing the location of Changsha on the map with his rough fingers. "Back then, Sun Ce wanted to recapture his father's old troops, but Han Xuan took Changsha first! Huang Zhong led his troops to defeat Sun Ce and made him flee in disgrace!"

Kuai Yue's folding fan snapped open, his eyes gleaming with a gleam of light: "Brilliant! Huang Zhong and Huang Zu are from the same clan. If they saw Huang Zu being hunted by Sun Ce, how could they sit idly by?" He drew a line across the route from Jiangxia to Changsha with his folding fan, "We only need to move Huang Zhong's troops into the ambush circle, using Huang Zu as bait. The more Sun Ce pursues, the closer he will be to his death!"

Liu Biao stroked his beard and laughed, causing the bamboo slips on the table to rustle. "Good! Immediately send a message to Huang Zhong to lead his troops to rush to Jiangxia!" He turned and stared at Zhang Hong, a sinister look in his eyes. "Don't worry, Mr. Zigang. With a powerful general like Huang Zhong, Sun Ce will never return!"

Inside the study, the candlelight cast eerie shadows on everyone's faces. Zhang Hong gazed at the ambush point marked on the map, a sneer curling his lips. The four figures whispering among themselves resembled twisted ghosts on the wall.

When the moon reached its zenith, Zhang Hong sewed the secret letter back into the lining of his brocade robe, clasped his fists, and bowed to Liu Biao: "There is no time to lose. I will set off immediately. If Sun Ce attacks Xiakou by force, all our previous plans will be ruined." As he turned, the jade pendant at his waist jingled, startling shivers in the silent study.

When Zhang Hong's footsteps faded at the end of the corridor, Liu Biao nodded slightly to Kuai Yue. Kuai Yue understood and tapped his folding fan lightly on his palm: "I will go see Huang Zu right away." A calculating glint flashed in his eyes. "Just a few provocative words and a slight misinterpretation of the lord's 'military order'..." Before he finished speaking, Cai Mao laughed and clapped his hands: "Huang Zu has a temper like a powder keg. He will ignite at the slightest touch!"

As the flames from Jiangxia City's beacon towers lit up the sky, Kuai Yue's carriage rolled over the gravel road. He lifted the curtain and gazed at the Jing flag fluttering above the city walls, a sneer curling his lips. Huang Zu's roar echoed from afar: "What a bullshit! Sun Ce, that bastard, destroyed my army back then, and we still haven't settled the score!"

Kuai Yue straightened his clothes and walked into the general's residence at a leisurely pace. When he saw the portrait of Ma Chao on Huang Zu's desk slashed to pieces by a sharp blade, the smile in his eyes became even more intense - this drama of borrowing a knife to kill someone had already begun.

When Kuai Yue entered the Jiangxia General's Mansion, Huang Zu was smashing his wine bowl onto the ground, the splattered wine soaking his scarlet cloak. The hall was thick with the stench of alcohol. The Jiangdong defense map spread out on the table was covered in knife marks, and Sun Ce's portrait was punctured with bloody holes.

"General Huang is in a good mood." Kuai Yue stepped over the threshold, fanning himself with a folding fan. The knocking of bamboo bones startled Huang Zu, who suddenly looked up.

"Kuai Yidu!" Huang Zu wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, his big, copper-bell-like eyes bloodshot. "Has Liu Jingzhou changed his mind? I said long ago that Sun Ce, that little bastard, cannot be allowed into Jiangxia!"

Kuai Yue unhurriedly unfolded a scroll of bamboo slips and spoke in a rhythmic voice: "My lord's order - Sun Ce borrowed our passage to march west, and did not harm anyone along the way. Our army should treat him with courtesy and not lightly start a war." He emphasized the words "treat him with courtesy" and caught a glimpse of the veins bulging on Huang Zu's neck from the corner of his eye.

"Bullshit!" Huang Zu kicked over a low stool, causing dust to fall from the beams. "During the previous battle of Yuzhang, that bastard Sun Ce beheaded my deputy general and humiliated me too much. Now he wants me to greet him with a smile?!"

&34;将军息怒。&34;蒯越折扇轻点画像上马超的脸，&34;不过是做个样子罢了。倒是这马超...&34;他突然冷笑一声，&34;听闻此人在西凉时，最瞧不起咱们荆襄将士，说什么&39;荆州武人皆酒囊饭袋&39;。&34;

Huang Zu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the sword at his waist clanged. Kuai Yue continued slowly, "Now that he's dead, Sun Ce is parading around under the banner of revenge. I'm afraid..." He stopped talking abruptly, and just shook his head and sighed.

"What are you afraid of?!" Huang Zu suddenly grabbed Kuai Yue by the collar, and the smell of alcohol sprayed on his face.

"I'm afraid everyone in the world will laugh at me—" Kuai Yue leaned close to Huang Zu's ear and lowered his voice, "A dignified governor of Jiangxia was actually trampled on by two outsiders, and he didn't even dare to say a harsh word!"

These words were like a steel knife, piercing Huang Zu's heart. He loosened his grip, grabbed the wine jar on the table, and drank it down, his Adam's apple rolling violently. When the wine jar slammed to the ground, a mad fire had already ignited in his eyes: "Pass the order! At noon tomorrow, the entire army will assemble! I want to see if Sun Ce's head is harder than when he was in Yuzhang!"

Seeing this, Kuai Yue took a leisurely half step forward and tapped his palm with his folding fan: "General Huang, are you going to openly disobey the lord's military orders?"

Huang Zu's face instantly darkened, and the sword on his waist made a clanging sound. "Kuai Yidu! Stop using military orders to pressure me! Even if Liu Jingsheng came in person today, I would..."

"Don't worry, General!" Kuai Yue suddenly lowered his voice, a cunning look in his eyes. "Sun Ce's army of 100,000 is approaching. Relying solely on the defenses of Jiangxia City is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot." He swiped his folding fan across the Xiakou Fortress on the map, paving it heavily at the junction of Jiangxia and Fancheng. "But if the general holds his troops for the time being and lets Sun Ce's army enter the heart of Jiangxia..."

Huang Zu narrowed his eyes, a mixture of murderous intent and doubt: "You mean..."

"When they reach a narrow area, their guard will surely drop." Kuai Yue's voice was as cold as a venomous snake's venom. "Then the general will lead his elite troops in a surprise attack, catching them unawares! This will not only comply with the lord's order to 'borrow the road', but will also allow us to avenge the loss of Wancheng. Isn't this a hundred times better than a head-on fight here?"

Huang Zu's hand, which had been stroking the hilt of the sword, gradually loosened its grip and tapped the map with his rough knuckles: "Okay! Just as you say!" He suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "When that little bastard Sun Ce sets foot in Jiangxia, I'll make sure he never returns!"

Huang Zu stiffened his neck and yelled deliberately at the top of his voice: "Humph! Why would I be afraid of Sun Ce? I just don't want to be humiliated!" Although he spoke toughly, there was a hint of uneasiness in his eyes, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the patterns on the scabbard.

Seeing this, Kuai Yue took a half step forward and lowered his voice: "General, don't worry. The lord is borrowing your way this time, pretending to repair the plank road, but secretly passing through Chencang!" He unfolded the secret map in his sleeve and pointed his finger at the valley outside Jiangxia City. "This place is dangerous and an ambush has been set long ago. General, all you need to do is pretend to fight with Sun Ce and lure him into the valley..."

Huang Zu's eyes lit up instantly, and he leaned forward: "What do you mean?"

"Exactly!" Kuai Yue raised his lips with a sinister smile, "When Sun Ce reaches the ambush circle, our army will unleash thousands of arrows on him, making it impossible for him to escape even if he has wings! By then, the general will have avenged the loss of Wancheng and made great contributions. The lord will surely reward you handsomely!"

Huang Zu slapped his thigh, shaking the dust in the room. "Okay! Let's do it!" He grabbed the wine bowl on the table and took a gulp, the wine dripping down his beard. "If Sun Ce dares to set foot in Jiangxia, I will make him pay with blood!"

Kuai Yue looked at Huang Zu's red eyes and sneered inwardly. As the candlelight flickered, the shadows of the two whispering were reflected on the wall, like a dance of evil spirits.