Chapter 93 Braking in Time
Wang Can whipped his horse and tried to bypass the battle area to meet Liu Qi.

As his body was shaking and rising, his mind was thinking about the changing situation.

Although there are some places where the thread is unclear, he is very clear about one thing.

Liu Qi must be stopped from entering the city now!

Once Liu Qi enters the city, Liu Biao will take full initiative.

He even raised it high and then put it down gently, using this conflict to hit Cai Mao.

While he was thinking, he saw from the corner of his eye that the situation on the battlefield had changed drastically.

Cai Mao's side went from being defeated step by step to being completely routed in an instant!

Cai Mao's heavy battle flag, which was fixed on the chariot and could only be moved, also drew a line and fell to the ground.

Wang Can could not help but rein in his horse and look carefully. Three or four miles away, Gan Ning was covered in blood, holding Cai Mao's head high in his arm, holding a sword in his right hand and waving his arm, which drew cheers from the troops on both sides.

The cheers were like a death warrant, and the officers and soldiers under Cai Mao fled in panic.

Gan Ning's followers stopped chasing and killing them, but the Qingzhou troops continued to pursue and kill them at the risk of their lives.

Many Qingzhou soldiers abandoned their shields and ran quickly without any armor when chasing after them, knocking down Cai's followers and former private soldiers one by one.

When it comes to capturing and exploiting prisoners of war, Qingzhou soldiers have relatively better skills.

Each person would stop after capturing two or three prisoners at most, and then control these prisoners to clean up the battlefield.

Not to mention flags, armor, spears and halberds and the like, even broken arrows within sight must be picked up. Even if you sell them to Black Bear at a low price in exchange for some travel expenses, it is still a profit.

Wang Can turned his horse around and looked at the battlefield for a few times. He confirmed that Cai Mao had been killed in the battle. He immediately pointed his whip at his two followers and said, "Go and tell the lord that Cai Mao is dead!"

Then he raised the whip and whipped Wang Can again, and went to find Liu Qi.

Almost at the same time, Lou Guang, the Gongcao of Nanxiang County, who was watching the battle on the top of Wanshan Mountain, also drove his horse down the mountain and arrived at the temporary camp on the shore before Wang Can.

Driving his horse straight into the camp, Lou Guang dismounted swiftly, his face glowing red as he grinned at the waiting officials and scholars, saying, "Our army has won a great victory! Captain Hei has defeated the rebels and killed Cai Mao in battle!"

Yi Ji immediately looked at the Nanxiang County Governor's battle flag standing behind him, and deduced the time based on the shadow. He couldn't believe it: "But is it true?"

"When I arrived, Cai Mao's entire army was in retreat!"

Lou Guang took two deep breaths and said, "I saw Gan Xingba holding up a head again, and his people were delighted. Apart from Cai Mao's head, I can't think of anyone else who could make Gan Xingba so excited."

Liu Qi calmed down a little, turned around and looked at the governor Liu Xian, and said, "Please go into the city and tell father the details of our army's uprising."

"This is what a minister should have."

Liu Xian still sat beside Liu Qi without moving. He looked around again and saw that they were all old people from Jingzhou. Liu Xian said, "In this battle, the black bear used my abandoned generals as teeth and the captives from Bowangpo as claws. In the morning, it broke the ambush on Longzhong Hill and attacked Wanshan. After a fierce battle for half a day, it defeated Cai Mao's 5,000 elite troops."

Zhuge Liang watched silently on the sidelines, and Yi Ji asked: "Does Zhizhong mean to secretly control it?"

"Yes, Gan Ning will surely become famous in the prefectures after this battle, and many frustrated people will inevitably want to surrender. What I am worried about is that my five thousand elite troops will be defeated in a flash, and the black bear will want to devour them. Counting his age, how similar is he to Sun Bofu back then?"

Liu Xian raised his hand and stroked his beard, calmly telling his opinion: "I don't know what the young master promised him, I just hope to send him back to the north bank as soon as possible after this battle. Hannan is rich, I am afraid he will indulge in it and become a disaster."

Yi Ji also said: "As the governor said, after the war, he urgently needs to treat the wounded and comfort the officers and soldiers. When his injuries are healed, even if his original intention remains the same, what about his left and right?"

Seeing that Liu Qi did not express his opinion, Lou Guang, who had just returned, also spoke up: "Sir, Captain Hei is a master at using troops. From my rough judgment, the casualties of this great defeat of Cai Mao are less than 500. If we allow Captain Hei to annex Cai's troops, who in Jingxiang can check and balance him?"

Liu Qi had a gloomy face, and at this moment he was reluctant to let Black Bear go to Guanzhong.

Jingzhou had enough money and food to raise the black bear, and he also knew the general life of the black bear after arriving in Xi County.

The only woman around him was the girl in green whose origin was unknown. She lived in a thatched hut made of mud and ate the same food as the officers and soldiers under her command. She didn't even have a maid.

This kind of restraint is very abnormal. Liu Qi not only has maids, but also some personal male servants.

Liu Qi had some respect for people as restrained as Black Bear.

In today's position, people just dress like human beings when they go out into the world, but when they shut themselves in their own manors, they sometimes act like rabbits.

Even if the black bear was kept in Nanxiang, all the big families in Jingxiang would have to talk to him respectfully like they did today, and would have to repeatedly ask for his attitude at critical moments.

But these people’s concerns are somewhat reasonable. What if the black bear develops covetous intentions towards Jingxiang?

The black bear doesn't care and is determined to reach Guanzhong; but what about the people around him?
Guanzhong is far away and difficult to capture, while Jingxiang is right in front of us.

In particular, Cai Mao's rapid defeat burst the bubble of Jingzhou's elite troops.

If the black bear really swallows up Cai Mao's troops, who in Jingxiang would dare to fight the black bear to the death?
Should we support Liu Bei?
This idea only flashed through Liu Qi's mind before being dispelled. Liu Xian and Yi Ji, both wise men of the time, did not mention this idea, which shows that this choice had greater risks.

Liu Bei was well-known throughout the world, and even though he became the governor of Jingzhou himself, the people inside and outside Jingzhou were convinced of him.

This is dozens of times more terrifying than a black bear. The black bear lacks recognition from the people and has no connections within the court.

Liu Qi's silence actually represented his attitude.

Liu Xian couldn't stay for long, and without waiting for Liu Qi's reply, he took his men back to Jingzhou City.

His mission had been accomplished. As for the evidence of Cai Mao's collusion with the enemy and attempted rebellion, Liu Qi had already sent people to Xiangyang, but they were intercepted and killed on the way.

The evidence was indeed there, but it had been intercepted and killed. Only then did Liu Qi lead his troops to Xiangyang to protect Liu Biao.

The outline of the matter is so simple. Now it is Liu Biao's turn to make a choice.

Not long after Liu Xian left, Wang Can drove his horse into the camp.

He first glanced at Zhuge Liang, who was fanning himself in the cool air nearby. Zhuge Liang nodded and smiled at him, and Wang Can also smiled.

Zhuge Liang was more than eight feet tall, with a handsome and full face and a heroic demeanor.

Standing next to him, Wang Can felt like a hungry mouse.

Wang Can, who was proud of his talent, lost his only remaining strengths in front of Zhuge Liang. As his inferiority complex grew, he could only remain indifferent.

He was not afraid of others knowing it, but he was afraid of Zhuge Liang finding out about it.

Wang Can dismounted, stepped forward quickly and asked, "Cai Mao was defeated, why are you still here, sir?"

When Liu Qi saw Wang Can, the pressure in his heart was relieved: "I shouldn't act rashly before receiving the battle report." Now Liu Qi only recognized Black Bear's battle report and Cai Mao's head.

Wang Can smiled and extended his arms to invite Liu Qi. Liu Qi followed the two to the edge of the camp. Wang Can asked, "Sir, do you want to govern Jingzhou in a kingly way or a tyrannical way?"

Liu Qi waved his hand: "I don't care about the tyranny of the king, they don't want Black Bear to stay in Jingzhou, what do you think?"

"If we keep Black Bear, it will definitely offend everyone. Jingzhou is tolerant and relaxed. If we implement strict policies, it will inevitably alienate the people."

Wang Can continued, "Although I am not familiar with Black Bear, he has a clear purpose and is strict in his actions. Otherwise, it would be difficult to quickly integrate the mob and rush to Wankou, and it would be difficult to recruit captives for his use overnight. Such a radical person is really incompatible with the current Jingzhou."

Liu Qi nodded: "I am also dissatisfied with the slackness of Jingzhou. If we want to survive in troubled times, how can we expect Cao Cao to have no time to spare?"

Wang Can spread his hands and said, "But the problem is Liu Yuzhou. He is a great hero in the world. How can he be under someone else's command for long? If we use Black Bear, people will feel uneasy and will have to support Liu Yuzhou. As time goes by, the people of Jingxiang will know that he is a virtuous man, and they will not want to support Black Bear in vain."

"In terms of wisdom and perseverance, who in Jingxiang can compare to Liu Yuzhou?"

"By then, rebellion will arise from below, and you will be in danger. It would be better to follow the people's request and help Black Bear take Guanzhong. If he fails and loses his fighting spirit, you can make him your pawn."

Wang Can raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Guanzhong: "But if the matter is accomplished, with such a strong support, why should we fear Liu Yuzhou? Even if Jingzhou changes, you will have a place to stay."

Wang Can blinked his eyes and fell into reminiscence. After a moment, he said to Liu Qi who was in deep thought: "If there is a change in Jingxiang in the future, when you retreat to Guanzhong, I will follow you with a spear and halberd to protect your safety."

"You're going to Guanzhong?"

"Well, when I fled Guanzhong in the past, the ten thousand volumes of books given by my teacher were hastily buried. Perhaps they were burned by the ignorant soldiers to start a fire, but I have to go and take a look."

Wang Can smiled as he spoke: "I also heard that when Captain Hei kidnapped Yuan Huan of Chen State, he went to my teacher's house. If I enter Guanzhong next year and all the tens of thousands of books I have collected are there, I will study in Guanzhong and promote Cai's school of thought."

If the promotion is truly completed, Caixue will become Wangxue.

Liu Qi nodded slightly and said with a smile: "If I really return to Guanzhong, I will not be able to interfere in worldly affairs. Accompanying you in studying and copying books can also be a kind of entertainment in your later years."

Even though Black Bear acted rude and eager in front of Liu Qi, the politeness in his nature was definitely not fake.

Only the children of wealthy families have that kind of just right sense of marginality in getting along with others.

Therefore, even if Hei Xiong repeatedly said that he was from a good family, Liu Qi would not believe it, and Wang Can would not believe it either. They would only think that Hei Xiong was Liang Peiguan's surname.

He changed his name for fear of bringing trouble to his clan.

Therefore, in their eyes, black bears are always one of their own.

Especially for Wang Can, if Black Bear really returns to the Central Plains to snatch Cai Zhenji as agreed at the Cai family banquet, then their fate will be even stronger.

As for Liu Qi and his son... do you really think that Wang Can has no grudges about the engagement back then?
Regardless of whether he had any grudges or not, Liu Biao had some grudges in his heart and would never reuse Wang Can, the son of Wang Qian, the chief secretary of his old boss and General He Jin's staff.

Wang Can came from a noble family, but Liu Biao broke off his engagement with him just because of his ugly appearance.

As long as he stays in Jingzhou, this topic will always be there.

While the two were discussing, a messenger rode into the camp with a bloody head in his hand: "Sir! Here is the head of the rebel general Cai Mao beheaded by Gan Xingba!"

Liu Qi walked forward quickly, and Wang Wei beside him approached first and took it from the messenger.

Wang Wei took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face, recognized it as Cai Mao, and said to Liu Qi, "Sir, it's Cai Degui."

Liu Qi went to see the strange messenger: "How is the battle going?"

"Our army defeated the rebels. Wen Pin's troops watched the battle but did not intervene."

The messenger dismounted while speaking, took a bucket of water from the others, and gulped down the water until his stomach was swollen. “My captain has gone to interrogate the prisoners. I hope you can follow with your troops and discuss the matter in person.”

As the messenger spoke, he took off his helmet and pulled out the cloth bag hidden inside, which contained Black Bear's bronze seal of "Captain Henghai".

After confirming that the messenger was OK, Liu Qi looked at Wang Wei and said, "Send the head to different places, and then move camp!"

"Here!"

Wang Wei responded loudly that Cai Mao's head was very important.

Showing Cai Mao's head to Liu Qi's followers and the Nanxiang soldiers would boost the morale of these 5,000 men.

They were worried about being retaliated by Cai Mao if the plan failed, so they couldn't help but hesitate.

What he was afraid of was the living Cai Mao, not the dead Cai Mao.

Wang Can saw Liu Qi frowning and thinking, so he asked, "Sir, now that the important matter is about to be settled, why are you so worried?"

"I'm worried that my father will send someone else to confiscate Cai's property. If that happens, it will be difficult to explain to Hei Jun."

Liu Qi knew Black Bear's temperament to some extent, and whispered to Wang Can: "Cai Mao's troops are now in his hands, and he will not give them up easily. The Cai family's wealth will not be complete without these troops."

Wang Can understood immediately that the leaders, both big and small, among Cai Mao's 5,000 men were actually related to the managers of Cai's various estates and money dens.

There are even members of the Cai clan among them, who have a lot of wealth themselves.

If a person is controlled by Black Bear, even if he is redeemed by Cai, Black Bear can still make huge profits.

But if the Cai family’s property was confiscated by the Zhennan Shogunate, would Black Bear be willing to suffer losses after the conflict broke out?
If the Zhennan Shogunate confiscates Cai's property and leaves no chance of survival for Cai's clansmen and leaders, then the defeated and captured Cai Mao troops will most likely be quickly integrated by Black Bear!

Wang Can knew from the changes in the battle situation that Black Bear was good at integrating prisoners.

But Liu Qi saw with his own eyes how Black Bear reorganized the Qingzhou soldiers. If another battle broke out over property issues, this time it would be the turn of Liu Biao's direct descendants to suffer.

But, can I persuade my father?

Liu Qi was deeply insecure and expressed his concerns to Wang Can.

Wang Can didn't want any more military conflicts to happen. If Black Bear won another battle, the order in Jingzhou under the Zhennan Shogunate would tend to collapse.

Today's battle can also be explained by Liu Qi's eagerness to save his father.

What's more, the rebel general Cai Mao is already dead, so the matter has been settled.

If he lost the fight again, Wang Can really didn’t dare to imagine what would happen.

By that time, I'm afraid Black Bear will think of taking Jingzhou first and then Guanzhong.

　I will correct the typos in the evening.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)