Chapter 49 The child class has its father
East of Xiangyang City, north of Xian Mountain.

As May approaches, the grass and trees become lush and green.

Since Liu Biao came to power in Jingzhou, he has been fond of literature, collected and compiled popular prose books, and established many schools. Thousands of scholars from other states took refuge in Jingzhou and studied there, making it the place where the Imperial Academy's legacy was passed down.

At the same time, Liu Biao was fond of hawk hunting, and built the Eagle Calling Tower at the foot of the northern side of Mount Xian.

He often led the children of officials out of the east gate of Xiangyang for hunting, which was considered a leisure activity and also demonstrated the martial spirit.

Huyingtai, located on the bank of the Han River, 20 miles away from the east gate of Xiangyang, is a majestic three-story pavilion.

There are falconers who raise hawks here, so dozens of goshawks are circling around all year round.

This was also the place where Liu Biao offered sacrifices to heaven in the suburbs... Historically, only the emperor could offer sacrifices to heaven and earth; in the past, King Chen Liu Chong was almost deposed by Emperor Ling because of his private sacrifices.

However, Liu Biao held a grand sacrifice, but the court in Xudu pretended nothing happened and neither criticized nor discussed it.

On that day, there were drums and music on the Eagle Tower. Liu Biao used chopsticks to hit a specially made large wine cup, shaking his head to the rhythm.

On the stage, a group of dancers in sleeveless leather armor danced with swords and shields, and from time to time, eagles circled around them.

At the side of Liu Biao were his three sons and son-in-law Wang Kai. Also at the table were Liu Xian, the deputy governor of Jingzhou, Wang Can, the secretary of the shogunate of General Zhennan, and other officials from the state and the shogunate.

When Li Jue and Guo Si were in power, they sent Zhong Yao to confer titles on Liu Biao, including Governor of Jingzhou, General Zhennan, Marquis Wu, and to establish a government with the same status as the Three Officials.

Although the six words "Kaifu Yitong Sansi" did not appear in the imperial edict at that time, the treatment was explained one by one and was consistent with the three dukes of Kaifu.

Over the years, the two institutions, the provincial government and the shogun's office, have repeatedly worked together, and finally formed a structure in which the Zhennan shogun's office is the main body and the provincial government is the auxiliary.

After all, the Jingzhou Muzhou Prefecture can only manage the affairs of the province in name, while the Zhennan Shogun's Office has greater authority.

In this respect, Liu Biao was much more comfortable than Sun Quan.

In principle, only local people from Jingzhou could be selected as officials in the prefecture; however, the Zhennan General's Office, which was in charge of the three divisions, was not subject to this limitation and could appoint outstanding people from other states.

In this respect, Jingzhou is similar to Hebei, with fierce struggles between locals and people from other states.

During the period when thousands of scholars from other places fled to Jingzhou to avoid the chaos and study, Liu Biao's ruling power was greatly enhanced; but after the Battle of Guandu, the situation in the Central Plains gradually became clear, and the scholars from Yingchuan took the lead in returning to their hometown to serve the court in Xudu.

This indirectly weakened the talent pool of the Chinnan Shogunate, but at present the Chinnan Shogunate is still able to suppress the provincial capitals which are mainly populated by local people.

During these years, first the deputy governor of Nanyang, Deng Yi, resigned and stayed at home, and then his successor, Han Song, who was also from Nanyang, was ordered to pay homage to the emperor, but was summoned by the court to be a minister and then served as the governor of Lingling County.

Liu Biao suspected that Han Song was in collusion with Cao Cao, so he tortured Han Song's followers and beat several of them to death without them confessing.

He was originally going to be killed, but his wife, Mrs. Cai, came out to mediate and he was dismissed from office and imprisoned.

After Deng Yi and Han Song, the people of Nanyang basically withdrew from the fight and watched the struggle between the provincial government and the shogunate.

Now the struggle began to expand and was about to spread to the relationship between Liu Biao and his son.

While people were singing and dancing on the Eagle Terrace, Liu Qi, the eldest son of Liu Biao, noticed a clerk with an embarrassed look on his face at the stairs.

Just as he was about to stand up and ask, Cai Mao on the other side signaled to Liu Cong with his eyes. Seeing this, Liu Cong stood up and took a few steps back, walked around the edge of the pavilion, and took the document handed to him by the clerk at the stairs.

Liu Cong returned to his original position with light steps and handed the document to Liu Qi with both hands: "Brother, this is an urgent delivery from Jiangxia."

Liu Qi's face and figure are very similar to Liu Biao, and he has a beard, just like Liu Biao in his youth.

Therefore, many old people in Shanyang supported and liked Liu Qi, and many people from other states in the Zhennan Shogunate also liked to deal with the adult Liu Qi.

Liu Biao himself also liked his eldest son who looked very similar to him. He had also heard about what happened in Hebei and was already on guard against such things.

Of course, the second son Liu Cong was handsome and intelligent, and Liu Biao loved him very much. His stepwife Cai also liked Liu Cong very much.

As for the plain-looking third son, Liu Xiu, even though Liu Xiu studied literature diligently, Liu Biao still looked down on him.

It’s not that the third child is incompetent, but that the eldest and second child are much stronger.

Even his son-in-law Wang Kai and his cousin Wang Can were both more valued than Liu Xiu.

Only during banquets could Liu Xiu find some sense of his own existence.

The three brothers of the Liu family loved drinking just like Liu Biao. The eldest brother, Liu Qi, used a large wine cup, known as Boya, which could hold seven liters of wine; the second brother, Liu Cong, used a smaller Zhongya, which could hold six liters of wine; and the third brother, Liu Xiu, used an even smaller Jiya wine cup, which could hold five liters of wine.

Anyone who can drink one of three cups of wine is a man of high magnanimity.

But Liu Xiu is only fifteen or sixteen years old now, so his drinking capacity must be forced.

He was unwilling to fall behind his two brothers, so he tapped the wine cup with chopsticks as accompaniment, but glanced at his eldest brother.

Liu Qi was already drunk. He first checked whether the ink was intact, then he opened the seal in public and read the urgent letter sent by Huang Zu with lowered brows.

After reading it, he folded it up and said to Liu Cong who was concerned and curious: "This is a good thing. I think I should wait until after the banquet to tell my father about it."

Liu Cong looked around and saw that many people were paying attention to this place, so he said: "Since it is a happy event, brother should tell father about it to increase the joy of the banquet."

"You have a point."

Liu Qi stood up, holding the bamboo slips and official documents, and came to Liu Biao's side, offering them with both hands: "Father, there is an urgent message from Jiangxia saying that the general sent a fleet across the Yangtze River and Huai River and suddenly arrived in Jiangxia."

"My son hasn't even had a full drink yet, why are you talking drunkenly?"

Liu Biao smiled and joked, common sense told him that this was a difficult thing to do.

When he communicated with Hebei, he took the mountain paths to Luoyang, and then went to Yecheng via Hanoi. Before the Battle of Guandu, he could go through Wankou to the Central Plains and go directly to Hebei.

Seeing that Liu Qi was serious, Liu Biao lowered his head to read the document. The smile on his face gradually faded, and he asked seriously, "Has your brother seen the handwriting on the document?"

"No, I haven't discussed it with him in detail, so I don't know the inside story."

"You go to Hanjin Water Fort immediately and select 500 naval forces to welcome them."

Liu Biao blinked his eyes and thought seriously about the situation. Now the front battlefield is on both sides of the Yellow River.

In addition, any war that broke out in any direction was intended to affect the decisive battle on both sides of the Yellow River. At this moment, Hebei took great risks to send a batch of war horses and heavy armor, obviously placing high hopes on Liu Bei.

In other words, if Liu Bei fought well here, it would not only attract Cao Cao's attention, but also make Cao Cao urge Sun Quan to launch a more fierce war against Jiangxia.

Last year, Cao Cao almost invaded Jingzhou; fortunately, he was persuaded by Xun Yu when he was hesitant, otherwise it would be difficult to withdraw the army without determining the outcome.

Let Hebei fight with Cao Cao, while he recuperates in Jingzhou and trains scholars.

When all parties are exhausted in the future, won’t the opportunity come?
After thinking for a few breaths, Liu Biao added: "The Han River rises in May, which is just right for sailing. You escort them to Shandu or Yinxian and choose a place to settle them. When they pass Xiangyang, bring them to see me, but don't make it public."

Liu Qi pondered the contents of the document and asked again: "What should we do with Gan Xingba's troops mentioned in the letter?"

"His troops already know the strength of the fleet, so it is not appropriate for them to stay in Jiangxia. Just listen to Jiangxia's arrangements and let Gan Ning be the county magistrate. It will be enough for him to support his troops."

The specific county depends on which county is suitable for hiding the fleet from Hebei.

It’s so amazing that the Hebei fleet can actually cross the Central Plains water system.

This also shows that the desolation and decline of the Central Plains had long exceeded expectations and imagination.

Cao Cao's control over the Central Plains was far less solid than what people had heard and heard in legends.

Involuntarily, fueled by the alcohol, Liu Biao's ambition also grew.

This made him think of Gan Ning.

Liu Biao did not like Gan Ning very much. It was not that he was unaware of Gan Ning's talent. He even understood that if Gan Ning was given the same stage, he could defeat Wen Pin, the best general in Jingzhou.

But Gan Ning cannot be used because he is too ambitious in his career and is not suitable for recuperating in Jingzhou.

Whenever he got the chance, Gan Ning would jump out and yell impatiently, making him very annoyed.

If we listen to Gan Ning, we will either fight Cao Cao or Yizhou. Both are large-scale opponents and it will be difficult to stop them once they start.

If you don't listen to Gan Ning, Gan Ning will get angry and make a fuss everywhere to ruin your reputation.

Finally, he found an opportunity to pass it on to Huang Zu. Gan Ning was a good person and did not seek his own death like Ni Heng did.

Thinking of Gan Ning, Liu Biao's good mood became even worse.

Gan Ning knows his own business and is really ambitious.

Compared with Gan Ning, it is just like how Cao Cao evaluated himself during the Battle of Guandu.

He's just a thief who protects himself.

He lost all interest and watched Liu Qi leave.

Now Liu Qi does not need any official documents or key personnel to accompany him. He can just go to Hanjin Water Fort and mobilize troops with just a facial recognition.

With five hundred naval forces, Liu Qi still has this influence.

Yingtai was built on the west bank of the Han River. Not far to the north is the mouth where the Xiangshui River and Tanxi River merge into the Han River. A small water fort and ferry were built nearby.

The ferry is facing a sandbar formed at the bend of the Han River. The Han River turns here, and its flow is like a '7'.

This sandbar is called Yuliangzhou, where Pang Degong lived. Behind Yuliangzhou are the mountains on the east bank of the Han River, among which is Lumen Mountain, where the private school of Xiangyang is located.

Liu Qi led several guards on a donkey cart to the water fort, selected a slender speedboat and sailed down the Han River.

The terrain in the upper reaches of the Han River is steep and the water flows rapidly.

It is difficult to build large-scale water conservancy projects for flood control and water storage with current manpower.

All they could do was build a few dams and weirs on both sides of Xiangfan, which would provide some resistance during floods, but they did not dare to hope to store flood water for their own use.

This results in a huge variation in the flow of the Han River. During the rainy seasons of a year, mountain torrents overflow the Han River and the river rises, capable of flowing back and overtopping the embankments on the north and south banks. During the dry season, large ships will be stranded and only small boats can travel.

May ushered in a short flood season, and the Han River's carrying capacity increased significantly.

Merchant ships and fishing boats traveled frequently, the southeast wind gradually became the mainstream in summer, and rice from southern Jing also began to be transported to Xiangyang.

When Liu Qi went south, he encountered a transport team.

Now, after pacifying Zhang Xian's four southern counties, Jingzhou is basically not short of food.

Xiangyang has gathered too many unemployed people, and it is necessary to store enough civilian rations and military rations.

But for the people in southern Jing, there is more dissatisfaction towards Xiangyang.

Liu Qi was blowing the gentle southeast wind at the bow, and he could clearly see the emotions of the sailors of the northbound transport team.

It could be that the transportation work was hard and the sailors were resentful; it could also be that they were not satisfied with the food being provided to the people of Jingbei.

As long as the grain was transported to the granary in Xiangyang, a little resentment or unpleasant looks would be a small matter for the provincial government and the shogunate.

Liu Qi saw it, but didn't think it was strange.

What worried him was not the resentful Jingnan Transport Team in front of him, but his own younger brother.

As Liu Cong grew older, he had reached the age of coming of age and was about to get married.

There were a number of women of suitable family background and age in various places in Jingzhou, but his younger brother's marriage was going further and further away from his wishes.

Unfortunately, he was powerless to stop it.

Strengthening the ties between the family and the great families in Jingzhou through marriage will benefit everyone.

The only thing is that it is not very good for him and there are hidden dangers.

(End of this chapter)