Chapter 97: Northern Envoy

Xiangyang City, the headquarters of General Zhennan.

When the news of Cai Mao's death came, it was like the end of the world for Mrs. Cai.

Over the years, she and Liu Biao have accumulated feelings for each other.

But Liu Biao was sixty years old after all, and they had no children, so although their relationship was there, it was not that strong.

Just as Mrs. Cai was shocked and angry, Zhuge Liang came into the city to see her with documents.

Mrs. Cai, who was only 29 years old, applied white powder on her face and read the document carefully. She felt that the words of the document of more than 200 words were filled with blood.

The document also came with a page of signatures, all of which were written by captured members of the Cai family. The densely packed names made Mrs. Cai dizzy and uneasy.

The rough ransom amount was already written on the document, and Mrs. Cai didn't think it was excessive.

I just feel panicked. Now the Cai family is on the brink of extinction.

Black Bear just grabbed Cai's throat, and there were too many people around who wanted to hand over a knife.

She put down the documents. Her brother Cai Mao had died, her cousin Cai Zan also died of illness, and her other brother Cai Yan was still in Caizhou. Now she was the only one who made decisions in Xiangyang City.

Things cannot be delayed, Cai Zhou is very weak now.

At this moment, he felt resentful again. Cai Mao had accumulated hundreds of concubines over the years, which had angered too many people.

Beautiful women of marriageable age are a precious resource. Unlike gold and silver, which have eternal value, they will age.

A little scraping here, a little searching there, every woman is involved in a bunch of mess.

There is no point in having a smaller number, but with hundreds of concubines accumulated, there are many people who want to kill Cai Mao and take revenge on the Cai family.

If it weren't for Liu Biao's protection, Cai Mao would have become notorious long ago.

Suppressing her complicated emotions towards Cai Mao, Mrs. Cai said to Zhuge Liang who was waiting, "I will trouble you to run around for this matter. I can represent the Cai family to agree to what Captain Hei has proposed. In addition, I will personally pay another 500 gold, 300 pieces of brocade and silk, and ask Captain Hei to send troops to protect Cai Zhou."

Liu Cong, who was sitting next to Zhuge Liang, widened his eyes and said, "Mother, if this person has evil intentions, isn't it like a hungry tiger jumping into a sheepfold?"

"What he wants is money, food, and strong men. My Cai family can give him that, and even more."

Mrs. Cai figured out the key points and her tone became firm: "The families in Jingzhou can't do anything to my family. We have hired Captain Black with a large sum of money. Who else dares to stand up?"

Cai Mao is dead, so what? Do you really think those hundreds of concubines were used by Cai Mao alone?

In order to curry favor with Liu Biao, she married him, who was nearly fifty years old, at her prime; in order to better serve Liu Biao over the years, Cai Mao almost offered a few more women from the Cai family.

Seeing that Liu Cong couldn't figure out the key point for a while, she went to see Zhuge Liang and said, "Write a letter for me. Kong Ming must deliver it to Captain Hei. My Cai family has always been lawless, and my brother is not a virtuous person. The trouble he suffered now is his own fault. I have no intention of taking my anger out on you."

"Yes, don't worry, auntie."

Zhuge Liang solemnly agreed. He was able to maintain his transcendent position thanks to the help of the Huang and Cai families.

He came to Jingzhou following his uncle Zhuge Xuan, who was a follower of Liu Biao and was recommended by Liu Biao as the governor of Yuzhang County. After their defeat, they had no choice but to settle in Jingzhou.

In other words, Zhuge Liang was similar to Yi Ji and was a member of Liu Biao's original party.

According to Zhuge Liang's age, he should have been exiled by Liu Biao long ago; according to Liu Biao's ruthless behavior of exiling someone, he should not have been killed at all, so if Zhuge Liang did not want to die, he had to be busy with paperwork.

It was precisely because he married Huang Yueying that he was able to be a leisurely scholar, concentrate on studying classics, improve himself, and enhance his talents.

Zhuge Liang could naturally see clearly that the concubine was no longer on guard against the black bear, but Liu Biao and Liu Qi.

Even if Liu Biao wanted to take action, he would not show up in person. It is very likely that he would drive Liu Qi to do something, and use Liu Qi to severely damage the Cai family.

After all, so many people are watching here, and we have to consider the feelings of the Kuai and Huang families.

But if Black Bear could be persuaded to send a few hundred men to defend Caizhou, it would be difficult for Liu Qi to pursue him relentlessly; naturally, Liu Biao would not tear his hostility away and take action himself.

Only by preserving the Cai family can Liu Cong's marriage and foundation be preserved; if Liu Cong's marriage is stable, Mrs. Cai will not lack people to take care of her in the future.

With her niece becoming Liu Cong's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Cai's position was naturally consolidated.

She was unable to give birth to a child for Liu Biao, and Liu Biao was so old, so she had to consider her future plans for the rest of her life.

She never counted on Cai Mao. In the eyes of this brother, she was just a tool like his niece.

Soon, she picked up a pen and wrote a letter and handed it to Zhuge Liang.

I wrote two letters in total, one to Black Bear.

The other letter was to the captured members of the Cai clan, assuring them that they would do their best to redeem them, and warning them that if anything unexpected happened, they should join forces with Black Bear!
Just like the words of advice Black Bear gave her in the letter, she felt it made sense.

If this peaceful and happy Jingzhou cannot accommodate the Cai family, then we will destroy this Jingzhou!
Zhuge Liang was also afraid that other incidents might arise, so he immediately left the city to meet Black Bear.

Liu Cong led Zhuge Liang out of the back door of the Zhennan Shogunate, while at the front door of the Zhennan Shogunate, military advisor Kuai Yue slowly walked out and got on the carriage, closing his eyes to rest in the carriage.

If it was said that Cai Mao had correspondence with Xiahou Dun, he believed it; if it was said that these letters were seized by Black Bear, he also believed it.

But if he was told that Cai Mao was plotting a rebellion and raising an army to respond to Xiahou Dun, he would never believe it.

So what happened at the moment was that Liu Qi and Hei Xiong took the opportunity to launch a mutiny, and the target of the mutiny was not Liu Biao, but Cai Mao.

Liu Qi took the opportunity to seize the power that should have belonged to him. If you understand this, many things will not matter.

To put it more simply, the eldest son killed a manager who was playing tricks.

The cause of death of this steward was simple: he refused to get close to the eldest son and wanted to marry his niece to the second son, plotting to interfere with the future inheritance of the old and new.

Cai Mao had already violated the taboo of a minister. Even if he was suddenly assassinated by Liu Qi during a banquet, or on the road by a warrior sent by Liu Qi, he deserved to die.

Yes, even if Liu Qi used brutal means to kill Cai Mao, Liu Biao would not be truly angry.

Liu Biao's age has determined too many things, and no one will allow Liu Biao to severely punish Liu Qi.

Especially when Liu Qi found a powerful thug, if there was a real breakup between father and son, everyone would naturally try to help Liu Biao save face.

Liu Biao is just one person after all. The sound of his shouting cannot be heard more than twenty feet away. Without everyone's cooperation, he is just an old man who is about to die.

Therefore, to the common people in Jingzhou, Liu Zhennan was very powerful, and any disobedience would lead to death.

But when he really went into battle with his eldest son Liu Qi, Liu Biao was just an old man.

Compared with the stability and prosperity of Jingzhou, what is Liu Biao?
Liu Qi had no idea that he was Liu Biao's real Achilles' heel.

This is the reason why the old emperor killed the prince. If he didn't kill the prince, the old emperor might die of illness at any time. This is also true for many ordinary people. Not only in terms of emotions, but in all aspects, children are the Achilles' heel of their parents.

Therefore, there was nothing much to discuss for the huge Zhennan Shogunate. It all depended on how Liu Qi would clean up the mess outside the city. If he didn't do it cleanly, the Zhennan Shogunate would take action again.

Kuai Yue's carriage stopped in front of the door. He got off and looked up at the sky, feeling that too many things had happened that day.

I also feel that it is not a bad thing for this kind of thing to happen earlier. A stable Jingzhou is the prerequisite for everyone to live a stable life.

Cai Mao's death was even a good thing.

This directly eliminated the possibility of future fratricide between Liu Qi and Liu Cong, which was a great favor to countless people in Jingzhou.

Kuai Yue thought about entering the house, and when he stepped over the threshold, the housekeeper handed him a business card: "Master, there is a group of scholars from the north, who claim to be descendants of an old friend of yours."

"Old friend?"

Kuai Yue was once an official in the Dongcao section of General He Jin's government, responsible for selecting candidates for the rank of two thousand stone officials in the counties and prefectures. He advised He Jin to kill the eunuchs as soon as possible.

Seeing that He Jin refused to listen, he decisively requested to be sent to other places and became the magistrate of Ruyang County.

After Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, Kuai Yue abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown. He did not come out until his former colleague Liu Biao was appointed to Jingzhou.

Kuai Yue was only slightly confused, but he guessed who the other person was.

He picked up the business card and saw the words "Yang Di Guo Jia" written on it. He grinned and said, "This man is still so bold."

Before the world was in chaos, Guo Jia changed his name and traveled around, making friends with heroes.

If it weren't for his poor physical condition, based on Guo Jia's personality, he would be able to wield a sword and ride a horse and fight in battles.

The impression Guo Jia gave him was very simple, that is, a person who liked to use parallel sentences to progress layer by layer when speaking, and his voice was loud and powerful.

While Kuai Yue was thinking and recalling, the housekeeper handed over two more tokens and said, "Master, these are documents issued by Jiangxia and Zhangling counties."

"A businessman from Runan?"

Kuai Yue looked at the words on the bamboo joints and didn't find it strange at all.

Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia County, did business with the powerful people in Runan County... This is normal. Cao Sikong advocated simplicity and liked to fight, but there were too many people who liked to wear gorgeous Shu brocade and wear pearls from the South China Sea.

Trade routes have always existed. It was with the help of water and land trade routes that Huang Zu was able to quickly restore his strength. It was also because of the trade routes that the envoys of Jingzhou were able to penetrate deep into the Central Plains.

Man Chong, the governor of Runan County, had no problem in getting the powerful people under his rule to cooperate and put together a civilian merchant caravan.

"Take me to the side hall. I'll come and see you after I change my clothes."

After making the arrangements, Kuai Yue walked in briskly.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and I don’t really like the drastic changes today.

A heavyweight figure like Guo Jia came to Jingzhou in person, but he didn't show up earlier or later, so why did he come to see me now? It must be related to this incident.

Soon, Guo Jia was led to a side hall, accompanied by more than ten people, most of whom were strong and brave warriors.

Song Wu and Hei Yun also mingled among them, with ring-handled swords hanging from their waists, dressed as bodyguards.

In the side hall, Guo Jia was tall and thin, with a sharp gaze.

After a short wait, Kuai Yue came over quickly and laughed, "Sorry for keeping Feng Xiao waiting."

Guo Jia stood up and looked at Kuai Yue with a smile: "I thought I could see Mr. Yidu at night, why did you return so early?"

"Feng Xiao, why do you have to ask when you already know the answer? It's just that my master Liu Zhennan's family affairs are about to be settled, and we have nothing to do, so we are returning home."

Kuai Yue pulled Guo Jia to sit down. At this time, the servants brought wine and food. After the servants left, Kuai Yue asked, "Why did Feng Xiao come to my Jingzhou?"

"I came here because of the Hebei issue."

Guo Jia picked up the wine glass and accepted Kuai Yue's invitation to drink it all.

Kuai Yue poured wine for each other and asked, "What happened in Hebei?"

"Hebei has suffered from a severe drought this year. The soldiers of Jizhou are hard to mobilize due to lack of food, let alone the soldiers of Youzhou and Bingzhou. Now the imperial court is using the manpower and material resources of the four states to attack Yuan Shang, who is isolated and trapped in a corner. The situation is very good. If Yuan Shang is defeated, the world can be at peace."

Guo Jia rolled up his right sleeve and pointed to the north: "The court is worried that Liu Zhennan will send troops to Wankou, so I asked for permission to come to Jingxiang."

As he spoke, Guo Jia smiled and said, "I didn't expect such a change to happen today. I don't know whether it is good or bad, so I came to ask Mr. Yidu for advice."

The drought in Hebei and Central Plains is no secret, and Kuai Yue looked serious as he listened.

He asked, "What does Fengxiao want to ask? If it is related to my host's confidential information, I am sorry that I cannot answer it."

"It's not a secret. I just don't understand why Cai Degui, a veteran general of Jingzhou, was defeated so suddenly."

Seeing Kuai Yue's gloomy expression, Guo Jia explained: "It is not my intention to look down on the soldiers of Jingzhou. There must be some secrets in this battle. If I find out, I will report it to the court to avoid the court's misjudgment."

The outcome of the battle outside the city was very unfavorable to Jingzhou.

Black Bear took the captured Qingzhou soldiers and defeated Cai Mao's 5,000 men with only 4,000 men.

This battle report was sent back to the Central Plains. If the Central Plains failed to advance into Hebei, they would most likely turn around and attack Jingzhou, attempting to make up for their losses by cutting into Jingzhou's flesh.

After thinking about it, Kuai Yue decided to strengthen the command capabilities of Taishi Wengong and Gan Ning on the battlefield.

During the battle, Kuai Yue stayed on the top of the city wall and watched the battle.

He was absolutely sure that this battle was not commanded by Black Bear at all. At that time, Black Bear was in Wanshan. How could he command from a distance of four miles?

Therefore, it could only have been the joint efforts of Taishi Wengong and Gan Ning that brought this about.

So, Kuai Yue gave a detailed account and used the dishes on the table to play a war game to review the battle process for Guo Jia.

"This white goose thief general is indeed brave!"

Guo Jia was more and more certain that the 'black bear' standing in front of him was just a puppet, so he said, "To be honest, I came here to recruit this Grand Historian Wen Gong. Cao Gong prepared a small gift and asked me to hand it over to the Grand Historian General."

Kuai Yue frowned and said awkwardly: "They are foreign troops and have little contact with the great families in Jingxiang. I am afraid it will be difficult for Fengxiao to introduce them in this matter."

"Don't worry, Mr. Yidu can tell me the battle situation, which will be of great use to me!"

(End of this chapter)