Chapter 81: Nature is hard to change

Heading west along the Wuguan Chidao Road, we passed Li County soon.

The black bear discovered that the Chrysanthemum Water sourced from the north had completely dried up. After he used his white magic power to cleanse and absorb the hot spring water, the pool had dried up.

He destroyed a magnificent cultural landscape, but he was not upset at all.

Although he did not understand the deep principles behind the absorption and utilization of the hot spring water veins, if he used this water vein well, Guanzhong could increase grain production by at least 2 million shi.

The benefits of water vapor accumulation and circulation are endless.

After passing Li County, we arrived in Xi County in the evening of the same day.

Liu Qi's troops were only temporarily stationed in Xi County while escorting the prisoners. Tomorrow they would set out down the Xishui River to station in Nanxiang.

Liu Qi and Jingzhou trusted Yi Ji more than himself.

Liu Qi and the escorted prisoners numbered more than 7,000 people in total. Only by going to Nanxiang County could they easily obtain the grain transported by the Dan Shui Canal.

During the dry season, the water level of the Xishui River drops too rapidly.

That night, there were bonfires burning brightly in Xi County.

After more than half a month, the ruins in the city had been almost cleared.

More than 700 people captured in Duyang were detained together. The physical labor during this period made these people physically and mentally exhausted.

Even though they knew the defenders might get drunk, few dared to resist.

There are Liu Qi's 3,000 troops outside the city. What's the point of resisting and escaping from the city?
Jingzhou had sufficient grain reserves, and Liu Ye started brewing wine as soon as the news of the great victory at Bowangpo came.

They also borrowed many ceramic wine jars from the nearby Baiyu City. This kind of emergency brewed "business wine" was generally turbid.

If there is no problem with the brewing process and materials, the result will be a sweet rice wine soup with a strong wine flavor; if there is a problem with the process, the result will be a turbid rice soup with a wine flavor that can make people drunk, but the taste is not very refreshing.

The wine that can be fed to black bears is naturally the best quality wine brewed during the same period.

Carefully sift out the rice grains and fermented glutinous rice, removing the grains as intact as possible. The remaining rice wine is sweet and clear.

In the light of the campfire, the black bear lay on his side on a tiger skin, drinking from a bamboo tube, releasing all the stress from the inside out.

Despite this, he still wore leather armor, but without a helmet, and his head was wrapped in a red scarf as usual.

In front of the bonfire, Liu Qi tied up his sleeves and danced, accompanied by a dozen followers.

Seeing that Liu Qi's unrestrained dancing had attracted cheers from the surrounding men and women, Gan Ning took off his shirt to reveal his bare chest, and jumped up holding a lacquered tiger-patterned shield in one hand and a short spear in the other.

Dozens of Gan Ning's old brothers bared their arms and backs, dancing with swords and shields in hand. Their dancing moves were extremely powerful.

Under their deliberate pressure and collision, Liu Qi and his gang had no choice but to give in.

"This is the dance of the Ba people."

Liu Qi returned to the black bear panting, reached out to grab the bamboo tube and drank the wine gulply.

Liu Qi then unbuttoned his shirt and stretched out his arms. He rubbed the sweat on his chest with his hands and asked Black Bear who had stood up, "Is Duyang's defender Lu Chang in the city?"

"How come someone in the city asked you to save him?"

"Yes, the people of Nanyang have sought help from Cai Mao. Cai Mao's letter has just been delivered. This puts me in a difficult position."

Liu Qi felt that Black Bear was staring at him with ill intentions, and immediately said, "My dilemma is that I don't know how to refuse him."

Liu Qi sat cross-legged, put down the bamboo tube, rubbed his face hard with both hands, and was very distressed: "My brother's marriage with Cai Zan's daughter has been decided. Perhaps what happened in Hebei will happen again in Jingzhou."

Black Bear raised his eyebrows when he heard this. If Liu Bian was sick now... it would be a good thing for Liu Qi, as he would be able to take over Jingzhou smoothly.

The Battle of Bowangpo is having a strong impact, and the people of Jingzhou will not surrender easily.

Even if we surrender, it depends on the progress of the war in Liyang and Hebei.

Black Bear was even more puzzled after hearing this: "Since you can't get the support of the Cai family, why did you send 3,000 Qingzhou soldiers to Huang Zu? A man like Huang Zu cannot be bribed by 3,000 Qingzhou soldiers. For him, this is a trade between him and me for supplies and young men. And you are just an intermediary."

"This is not for Huang Zu, but for his son Huang She. Huang She and I have a close relationship."

Liu Qi still argued: "I am not in charge of military affairs, so they will not be suspicious of me."

"What if, I mean, your father can live another ten years?"

Black Bear raised his hand and pointed to the north: "Yuan Shao died too hastily. If he had died three or four years later, why would I have risked going to Hebei? As the saying goes, fate plays tricks on us. We should always think of the worst. If ten years later, your brother and the Cai girl have three or five children, and he is still in his prime. What should I do then?"

Liu Qi is already over 30 years old, and now he still has the opportunity to seize military power, hone his command skills, and cultivate his own followers.

When one reaches the age of forty, his potential actually decreases. Without natural talent, it is difficult to master the art of military operations.

At that age, the elite soldiers in the army may not be willing to follow.

Liu Qi's performance has been mediocre in the past twelve years, and it seems that he is not a person with military talent.

Under the illumination of the raging flames, Liu Qi's expression changed back and forth.

No one dared to discuss this hypothesis with him. What changes would happen if Liu Biao could really live another ten years?
You can't just be stubborn and insist that his father can only live for two or three years?

Seeing that Liu Qi did not refute, Black Bear continued: "If the people of Jingzhou decided to offer the people of Jingzhou to Cao Cao, how could such a good thing as taking the lead fall on your head?"

"Uh……"

For a moment, Liu Qi couldn't even utter a harsh word, and Black Bear could only sigh secretly.

This person has been bound by the ethics of the famous scholars. Even though he knows how to break the impasse, he dare not take the first step.

The moral conduct of the famous scholars that Liu Qi learned was nothing more than an imitation of his father's youth.

I've been studying so much that I've made myself stupid.

Being a celebrity is just a status, a ladder and a stepping stone to climb up.

When Liu Biao was sent as the governor of Jingzhou, the famous scholar Liu Biao died in an instant.

Seeing Liu Qi gradually come back to his senses, Black Bear said, "If you want to fight, then fight with all your might. If you don't want to fight, then withdraw early, so as not to embarrass your father and preserve the friendship between you brothers. In ancient times, the wise men and women fought to give up their positions to each other. Isn't this the spirit of giving up one's position that you great scholars and celebrities pursue?"

Liu Qi smiled awkwardly: "How can I be willing to give up my position?"

"With a knife at your neck and poison in your stomach, can you be content?"

Black Bear took a sip of the clear rice wine and said, "If I were you, I would stay in Nanxiang and take care of the three thousand Qingzhou soldiers. In the winter, I would attack the Cai states and seize their property and troops. I would have at least ten thousand soldiers. No matter how cruel your father is, he would not attack you. If your father doesn't say anything, who can provoke you?"

Who will help Zhu Cai to take revenge?
Huang Zu or Kuai family?

We can't expect the people of Nanyang or the big families in the four counties of southern Jing to avenge the Cai family, right?

Cai Mao's three sisters married Huang Chengyan and Liu Biao respectively, and there was a younger sister who was yet to be married.

With the Cai family's status, this sister will definitely marry a man from a prominent family in Jingzhou.

Cai Mao's aunt married the Grand Commandant Zhang Wen of Nanyang, and Cai Mao's niece is now engaged to Liu Cong.

Zhuge Liang married the daughter of Huang Chengyan and Cai two years ago, so the influence of the Cai family spread throughout Jingzhou, and even the Lumenshan School had penetrated into it.

In order to win over the Lumenshan School, Liu Cong personally went to Yuliangzhou to pay a visit to Sima Hui last year.

As a result, Sima Hui was weeding in a farmer's short clothes. Liu Cong's entourage saw that Sima Hui was ugly and wearing rough short clothes to do farm work. They did not believe that the short and ugly old man in front of them was Mr. Shuijing, and they scolded and humiliated him on the spot.

When Sima Hui put on his brocade robe and hat, Liu Cong was dumbfounded and kowtowed decisively to apologize.

Liu Cong was able to humble himself and kowtow to apologize on the spot, which was both an apology to Sima Hui and a way to protect his entourage.

Otherwise, if the matter were to reach Liu Biao's ears, he would definitely be severely punished.

But Sima Hui didn't buy it, and Liu Cong returned empty-handed.

Sima Hui himself was a dissolute person. When the world was not in chaos, Pang Tong traveled to the Central Plains and paid a visit to Sima Hui in Yangdi, Yingchuan.

At that time, Sima Hui was riding on a mulberry tree and eating mulberries, and Pang Tong was under the tree. The two of them chatted about worldly affairs.

Does Liu Qi really not know the importance of the army?
Black Bear believed that this man knew, very well that the army was everything.

After all, Liu Qi was unwilling to face the cruel side of the world.

Perhaps this person would only move when his butt is on fire.

I was too lazy to persuade him anymore, so I just said, "Liu Jingsheng is your biological father. Confucianism teaches relatives to protect each other. If he were an ordinary person, he would help you dispose of the body if you killed someone. If you have more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, you can kill anyone you want in Jingzhou until you create a Jingzhou that satisfies you. Even if you are defeated and captured, your father will do his best to save your life, and at worst, he will make sure your wife and children are safe."

"Compared to all the heroes in the world, you are the one who has the least worries when starting your own business. Since you are so afraid of things, I don't expect anything from you. When I have established myself in Guanzhong, you can send someone to run an industry. You will be a rich man in the field in the future."

"Live well and carry on the family business, and you will be worthy of your ancestors and descendants."

After hearing this, Liu Qi gasped and stared at the black bear, his anger and resentment overflowing without any concealment.

Black Bear took another sip of wine from the bamboo tube and looked at Liu Qi calmly: "If you are not convinced, you can leave the city right now and take Wang Wei's 200 men away. I have 300 men and you have 3,000 men. Let's fight to the death!"

Liu Qi just gasped, his eyes gradually becoming dull as he stared at the black bear, and he became completely confused.

The whole Jingzhou is so big, but he has few friends with whom he can interact on an equal footing.

There were only a few people who did not take his status as the eldest son of Marquis Chengwu seriously, so he cherished the brothers Wang Can and Wang Kai, and also cherished people like Pei Qian who did not flatter or fawn on him.

The same thing happened to Black Bear, who didn't take his identity seriously.

In the final analysis, Liu Qi always aims to become a celebrity. A celebrity should have friends from all walks of life and be the freest person in the world.

As a result, celebrities nowadays don’t look like celebrities, and the sons of warlords don’t look like the sons of warlords.

Seeing Liu Qi's eyes misty, Black Bear was speechless. He raised the bamboo tube and slowed down his tone: "Let's stop here. You and I should rest early."

Liu Qi held the bamboo tube in both hands, raised it to signal, and then tilted his head back and drank it down.

When it comes to drinking, Liu Qi is not afraid of anyone and is very powerful.

After drinking all the wine in the bamboo tube, Liu Qi took out a handkerchief to wipe the wine from the corners of his mouth and even his eye sockets.

He didn't say anything else, and immediately poured himself some wine, and took the initiative to toast Black Bear: "Mr. Black, drink it up!"

"Drink full!"

Black Bear also raised his head and drank up the remaining half of the sweet wine, and Liu Qi took the initiative to filter the wine for him.

Liu Qi drank five large cups of wine and was very drunk, but he didn't show any temper at all.

The black bear looked at it and couldn't help but marvel at it.

It’s okay to have a friend like this who is not cruel and has money.

(End of this chapter)