Chapter 53 What's There to Fear
The three-party secret meeting ended. In order to reduce exposure, Black Bear put on the bronze mask again and followed Liu Qi away.

Driving towards the Xiangyang Wharf, Liu Qi had a detailed communication with Black Bear in the car.

Liu Biao would not intervene in this matter. He had entrusted Liu Qi with full responsibility. This seemed like a test.

Letting Liu Qi participate in foreign negotiations will make it easier to obtain external support in the future.

This kind of support is more important than the support within Jingzhou.

Inside the car, Liu Qi reported a list of more than a dozen people, all of whom were scholars from Sizhou who were living in seclusion and studying.

There were more scholars from Sizhou, but those who were known and remembered by Liu Qi must have been famous.

Black Bear only remembered two people, one was Sima Zhi from Henei, and the other was Pei Qian from Hedong.

Sima Zhi took care of his mother in Zhonglu County, a few dozen miles west of Xiangyang. He made a living by farming on weekdays, and did some copying and accounting work for others during the slack season.

Last year, Liu Biao officially established official schools. Many scholars who were stranded in Jingzhou relied on collating and copying classics to make a living. Sima Zhi was one of them.

Sima Zhi's talent was not obvious, but he was known by Liu Qi because Sima Zhi's good friend Pei Qian was friends with Wang Can, and Wang Can was a good friend of Liu Qi.

Hearing that there was such a relationship between them, Black Bear said, "My journey to Guanzhong is dangerous. I think Sima Zhi has an old mother to take care of, so he will not be willing to go. Pei Qian lives in seclusion in Changsha, and he wants to keep his name clean. I think he does not want to get involved in disputes. As for the rest of the people, please ask them. If they are willing to go with me, I will treat them as honored guests."

I just hope that these Guanzhong scholars can provide connections and intelligence, so there is no need for these people to take risks.

With the help of these people, I will go to Guanzhong to make a living; without these people, I will still have to make a living on my own.

It is difficult for the scholars to gain the support of the other side, so they can only start from the young and strong people in Guanzhong.

Seeing Liu Qi's guilty look, Black Bear said, "There is no need to force young men from Guanzhong. Two or three hundred will be enough. When I have established a firm foothold, I will send an envoy to send horses to repay you for your kindness. You can recruit young men from Guanzhong for me, and I will raise horses for you. War is the best way to sharpen a warrior. If you are willing, I can train an elite guard for you."

Liu Qi smiled and said, "Captain, you are worrying too much. We are in harmony with each other in Jingzhou. There is no need to form a secret alliance of loyal soldiers. If outsiders know about this, it will only make people laugh."

"You are the heir apparent of Marquis Chengwu, not the prince of the governor of Jingzhou or the general of Zhennan."

Black Bear said without a smile: "This is a chaotic world, we should prepare for it early. Although there is the example of Liu Jiyu and his son in Yizhou, their eldest and second brothers died in Chang'an, and the third brother was a tough man who led the military and was not liked by the people of Yizhou, so Liu Jiyu was made the emperor. Jingzhou is close to Xudu, and the king's orders are sent out in the morning and arrive in the evening. At the time of the transition from the old to the new, if an imperial edict arrives, what should we do?"

Seeing Liu Qi's smile fade, Black Bear continued, "My lord, you have not yet adapted to the chaotic world, so most of the scholars who have taken refuge in Jingxiang have retired and have not taken office. It's not that they lack the ambition to build a career, but that they don't want to damage their reputation and be feared by the court. If my lord has no ambition to compete, you should negotiate with Cao Cao early and not lose your position as a duke in the future."

Liu Qi's face didn't look very good. He felt that he had done a good job in the past few years.

He just felt that Black Bear's words were unpleasant, but his intuition told him that what Black Bear said made sense.

This is why many northern scholars would rather live in poverty than work for them.

He looked down on Liu Biao and his son, believing that they would not be able to achieve anything.

In order not to be tainted and to avoid suspicion when serving in the court in the future, these people chose to live in seclusion and lead a life of poverty and hardship.

After thinking for a while, Liu Qi said: "If Jingxiang falls in the future, it will not be my own strength that can change it, it must be the will of the masses. If the masses are willing to surrender, then I will surrender; if the masses are unwilling to surrender, then I cannot surrender."

"Sir, will Liu Yuzhou give up so easily?"

Black Bear asked back: "There are also brave men in Jingxiang. How could they be submissive to the northerners? My lord, you have no intention of fighting. In the future, brave men from Jingxiang will follow Liu Yuzhou and fight Cao's army to the death."

As he spoke, he looked Liu Qi up and down: "And you, my lord, are in danger."

Seeing Liu Qi was angry and silent, Black Bear smiled and said, "I am not as good as Ni Heng in many ways, so I can only say this much. It is just that I cannot bear to be rejected because of your hospitality and grace, so I tell you the truth. Besides, when I go to Guanzhong, I will also need friends outside of Guanzhong. It is also a way out for us to support each other from a distance."

Liu Qi's anger eased a little: "I regard you as a fellow countryman and friend, but you repeatedly threaten me with dangerous words. Is this the kind of friendship you want?"

"My lord, you don't know. As the saying goes, strong winds reveal strong grass, and adversity reveals true friendship. There must be many flatterers around you now. How dare such people tell you the truth or warn you?"

The black bear clenched his right fist and pointed his thumb backwards at himself, saying confidently: "I am different from them. I will not seek survival in Jingzhou. This is just one of my journeys. I heard that there is a kind of bird that carries a piece of wood in its mouth when crossing the sea. When it is tired, it drops the wood into the sea and rests on the driftwood. For me, Jingzhou is just a piece of driftwood and an island, but it is definitely not the end of the road."

He had the confidence to say this because he actually transported more than a hundred horses from Hebei.

Seeing that Liu Qi remained silent, Black Bear asked, "Sir, do you have more than a hundred brave warriors under your command? If not, I am really worried about you."

Does he have a team of a hundred death-defying warriors under his command?

Liu Qi was deeply puzzled. If it was to mobilize troops for battle, the military orders were as firm as a mountain and there would be no shortage of brave men to fight.

But what about outside of military orders?

He felt that there must be some Black Bear here. Only with more than a hundred brave warriors like this could they break through the Central Plains water system and cross the Yangtze River and Huai River.

After a long silence, the oxcart team arrived at the Xiangyang wharf.

Black Bear got off the carriage and said to Liu Qi, who had opened the curtain and looked at him, "It is better to have it yourself than to have it by your father or mother. You also have a trusted man, so let's talk about it in detail. If you trust me, you can send a trusted man to lead a hundred people and follow me out of Wankou and into Guanzhong. After a year, I will be under your command and serve you."

Liu Qi nodded slightly: "What you said makes some sense. I have lived in a comfortable place for a long time and ignored the danger."

Black Bear then bowed, and Liu Qi asked, "Do you want to return to Zhuyang?"

"I'm waiting for news from Gan Xingba. I plan to go to Lumen Mountain to see the hermits of Jingzhou first."

"That's fine. I have a manor in the western suburbs of Fancheng, which I often use for hunting. I'll lend it to you temporarily. You need young men from Guanzhong, and I'm responsible for recruiting them, so it's better for you and me to be strangers. It's best for us to live together."

Liu Qi raised his hand and pointed to the northwest of the north bank. "It's about ten miles north of Pinglu City. You can find out by asking around. I will be back tonight. There are many things we need to discuss in detail."

"Let me think about it. If there are no other matters, I will stay in this manor."

Black Bear did not agree directly, so Liu Qi lowered the door curtain. The head of the escort, Wang Wei, bowed solemnly to Black Bear before directing the driver to drive away.

Taoist soldier Lu Bu and three other white-robed soldiers also jumped off the cart at the back and followed Black Bear back to the transport ship.

The transport ship immediately put away the anchor, sailed downstream and headed straight for Lumen Mountain.

He drove the boat straight to Lumen Mountain, and Xu Shu, who was following behind, also turned his boat and headed straight to Yingtai, where there were water forts such as Tanxikou and Xiangshuikou, opposite to Lumen Mountain.

Xu Shu's horse arrived at the water fort first, and he led his horse on board a boat and arrived at the Dongjin Water Fort on the opposite bank.

After paying the boat fare, Xu Shu slowly rode his horse along the mountain road to Lumen Mountain.

There was an official school in Jingzhou, with more than 2,000 scholars studying there; and Lumen Mountain was Pang Degong's private school.

The official school is simple and wide-ranging, and Pang Degong's Lumen Mountain is more suitable for in-depth study.

When Xu Shu arrived, he saw many familiar faces there. More than a dozen scholars who had a close relationship with Xu Shu came to see him upon hearing the news.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground under the shade of the tree, Xu Shu said to his classmates and friends: "I heard recently that a strange man came to Jingxiang with extraordinary abilities. Do you know him?"

Pang Tong was sitting in front of him, and beside him were his younger brother Pang Lin, his childhood friend Xi Zhen, and Xi Zhen's fellow clansmen Xi Zhen and Xi Hong.

Lumen Mountain is well-informed, and people inside the mountain gate speak freely. They have already discussed the strange fleet that passed Xiangyang without stopping.

The shipping ships in the north are different from those in the south; there are also differences between the shipping ships in Jingzhou and Yangzhou.

Xu Shu's eyes fell on Pang Tong's face: "Shi Yuan, can you lead three hundred people to escort nine large ships and pass through the Central Plains, the Yangtze River and the Huai River to Xiangfan?"

"It's very difficult. If we go around the North Sea, go through the East Sea and enter the river mouth, then set sail against the current and reach Jingxiang, there is still a 20% to 30% chance."

Pang Tong had also traveled to the four provinces of the Central Plains, so he asked, "How could Yuan Zhi know such a person?"

"He's coming to Lumen Mountain soon, and I'll be one step ahead of him."

Xu Shu said as he glanced at Zhuge Liang and the other seven or eight people who came out of the school, and continued, "Shi Yuan, guess how old this person is."

Pang Tong frowned and looked at Xi Zhen beside him. Xi Zhen smiled and said, "It's not hard to guess. Yuan Zhi's question shows that he is not very old. I think this gentleman is in his prime, around 38 years old."

Zhuge Liang then led Ma Liang and Shi Tao to sit beside him, raised a narrow brown feather fan in his hand, his face glowing with rosy luster, and laughed loudly, saying: "To be able to surprise Yuan Zhi, you must be at most thirty-seven years old."

Xu Shu looked around and said, "Please guess again."

Pang Tong's younger brother Pang Lin raised his hand and said with a smile: "It can't be that he is still young, right?"

"Guess again."

For a moment, the twenty or so scholars surrounding them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Pang Tong looked at Xu Shu seriously and asked in a serious tone: "Is Yuan Zhi joking?"

"Don't dare."

Xu Shu raised his right hand to make an OK gesture: "This man is only thirty-five years old, and his courage is rare in the world!"

As he spoke, he took out a bamboo scroll and handed it to Meng Jian beside him: "He has already paid a visit to Liu Zhennan and General Zuo. He has heard of the name of Lumen Mountain and is about to come to visit. Such a bold lunatic should be treated with caution."

While everyone was still wondering how to be cautious, Meng Jian, who was reading the bamboo slips, changed his expression drastically.

Meng Jian immediately handed the bamboo slips with two or three hundred words to the people around him, and their faces turned very ugly after reading them.

The news soon reached Pang Tong. Killing the county commander was not a big deal. What was surprising was that this man actually drove a boat out of Cao's camp at night. In addition, kidnapping Yuan Huan, the leader of Chen's scholars and taking him to Hebei as a gift was more or less excessive.

Then, after failing to persuade Yuan Shang in Hebei, this guy actually kidnapped Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang brothers and escaped safely. Now he is pretending to be Yuan's envoy?
He entered and left the Central Plains and Hebei, turned into the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, and suddenly entered Jingxiang as if he was nothing.

Zhuge Liang was also curious, so he stood up, took the bamboo slips and read the contents.

Then Xu Shu said, "When this man passed through Huainan, he kidnapped the governor Jiang Ji and was able to pass through Hefei and out of Chaohu Lake. When he released Jiang Ji, he cut off his hair and shaved his beard."

Liu Bei had stable intelligence channels in the north, so what happened in Hebei was also reported to Liu Bei. Even what happened in Huainan was reported to Liu Bei through Xu Du as a springboard.

Twenty or so young scholars were not afraid of trouble. Xi Zhu stood up and laughed heartily: "So, Liu Jingsheng and his son are in danger?"

Xi Zhen glanced at his cousin, then looked at the other secretly excited classmates. It seemed that everyone hoped that Liu Jingsheng and his son would be kidnapped so that they could watch the fun together.

Xu Shu smiled and said, "He has over a hundred fine horses and hundreds of soldiers under his command. How could he risk his life? Moreover, Liu Jingsheng has made contributions to pacifying the people. If he kidnaps him, he will be ridiculed by the bandits."

Zhuge Liang, who advocated the rule of law, disliked such lawlessness and instability, so he said, "It seems that Jingzhou is not a place for him to live for a long time. Liu Yuzhou wants to recruit this man?"

Yuan Huan and Yuan Tan were both recommended by Liu Bei as filial and honest officials, and were Liu Bei's disciples.

Zhuge Liang asked the key question, and Xu Shu shook his head: "Who dares to treat such a person as a confidant? If you can't treat him as a confidant, he will definitely leave. Since Lü Wenhou, Liu Yuzhou has been held in high esteem, so how can he trust outsiders so easily?"

Xu Shu stood up and took the bamboo slips from Zhuge Liang's hand, rolled them up again, and said, "I want to use this to scare him and see what kind of person he is. If he is not someone like Qin Wuyang, it would be a good opportunity for me to make friends with him and discuss world affairs."

Immediately, several people's faces changed drastically, and for the sake of friendship and face, they forced themselves to sit there.

Pang Tong stood up and adjusted the sword at his waist, saying with a smile: "Yuan Zhi, feel free to test us. There are more than a hundred sword-carrying men in the mountain gate. What is there to be afraid of?"

(End of this chapter)