Chapter 100: The vital point is being grasped, we have to hold our noses and bear it! If the lord has this man, it will be easy to cross the Han River!

Liu Biao came to his senses, clenched his fists, and anger gradually grew on his face, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"You targeted Qi'er in every way in order to support Cong'er, and I just turned a blind eye."

"Now you have actually poisoned and murdered my eldest son, committing such an evil and inhumane act!"

"How can I forgive you, a woman with a heart as vicious as a snake and scorpion..."

Liu Biao was so angry that his face turned red and he was about to have a fit.

Kuai Yue, who was standing by, rolled his eyes a few times, but hurriedly bowed and advised:

"My Lord, please calm down. How can you wrongly accuse Madam based on this servant's one-sided statement?"

"Madam is from a famous family, and everyone in Jingzhou knows that she is virtuous and kind. How could she do such a vicious thing as poisoning the eldest son?"

"The more I guess, the more I think about it. Someone must have instructed this servant to frame the lady in order to provoke the eldest son and the lady to kill each other!"

"My lord is wise and resolute, how could he fall for the evil schemes of the villains?"

"If Degui knew that the master had executed his wife because of the words of a servant, he would be so disappointed that he would not be able to fight to the death for the master!"

Kuai Yue was eloquent and immediately made excuses for Mrs. Cai.

The last few words were clearly a reminder to Liu Biao to face reality and not turn against the Cai family or Cai Mao for the sake of a son.

Liu Biao shuddered, and his anger was instantly chilled to the bone by Kuai Yue.

Cai Mao's navy is his only lifeline now.

If he killed Cai here, would Cai Mao still be willing to fight to the death for him?

Without Cai Mao blocking the Han River, who would stop Liu Bei from crossing the river, and who would help him defend Xiangyang?

In an instant, Liu Biao had weighed the pros and cons.

After a moment's silence, he could only cough dryly and said:

"Qi'er, what Yidu said makes sense. This slave must have been instructed by a villain to alienate the relationship between you and your son."

"Your mother is a virtuous woman, she would never do such a heartless thing!"

"Qi'er, you have to put the overall situation first!"

Liu Biao held Liu Qi's shoulders and spoke to him earnestly.

Especially the last sentence "put the overall situation first", he deliberately emphasized the tone and kept hinting with his eyes.

Naturally, he wanted to tell his son that now, father and son, we still have to rely on Cai Mao to defend the Han River defense line for us, and we must not fall out with the Cai family at this critical juncture.

My son, no matter how wronged you are, you have to endure it for the sake of our foundation.

Liu Qi raised his head and looked at Liu Biao in disbelief, the anger on his face gradually turning into sadness.

"Father, that vicious woman wants to kill our son?"

"I am your own flesh and blood. Would you rather trust that vicious woman than your son?"

“Father——”

Liu Qi knelt down again, tears streaming down his face as he made his accusation.

Liu Biao frowned, and the kindness on his face gradually turned into disappointment.

"Qi'er, Qi'er, how could you not consider the overall situation and be so incomprehensible as your father's intentions?"

"Why do you still force your father like this? You really disappoint your father!"

Liu Biao secretly resented himself, and his face became increasingly angry.

Unable to bear it any longer, he suddenly turned around and said:

"Qi'er, you are tired. Someone, come and help the young master go back to the mansion to rest!"

Kuai Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly winked at his guards.

The guards on both sides rushed forward, helped Liu Qi up, and forcibly carried him away.

"Father, father, why don't you believe your son!"

"You are so doting on that vicious woman, sooner or later you will be killed by her, father——"

Liu Qi's cries of grief gradually faded away.

Liu Biao let out a long sigh of relief, then staggered back a few steps as if he had fainted.

Kuai Yue hurried forward to support Liu Biao and comforted him:
"My lord, please calm down and don't get yourself hurt by being angry."

"The lives and deaths of millions of people in Jingzhou still depend on your protection. Your life is closely tied to the lives of the people. You must not be angered by the eldest son's recklessness."

Liu Biao took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down.

"Let's not talk about Qi'er's matter."

"Yi Du, do you think Cai Degui can really defend the Han River defense line?"

Liu Biao turned his gaze to the north towards the surging Han River, his eyes still revealing a hint of worry.

After all, he was really traumatized by Liu Bei's previous defeats. Even though he knew that Liu Bei's navy was no match for him, he couldn't help but feel insecure.

"Naval warfare is different from land warfare. Any conspiracy or trickery is useless. Only strength can speak."

"Even though Xiao Fang is very cunning, he can do nothing when he reaches the Han River. He can only sigh at the river."

Kuai Yue comforted softly, with a hint of sarcasm across his brows.

Liu Biao felt relieved and snorted coldly:

"What I fear most is the cunningness of the country folk."

"After hearing what Yidu said, this thief is no longer useful. I can rest easy now."

After hesitating for a moment, Kuai Yue's eyes suddenly moved and he thought of something.

"Although Liu Bei has no generals who are good at naval warfare, there are many people in Jingxiang who are good at naval warfare."

"Yue knows a man who is extremely skilled in martial arts and naval warfare. He has 800 troops under his command, all of whom are elites who are proficient in naval warfare."

"If Liu Bei recruits this man and trains him to lead the navy, I'm afraid it will pose a great threat to our Jiangling navy."

"Yue thinks that the lord should quickly send someone to recruit this person, so that he will not be used by Liu Bei."

Liu Biao became alert, with a strange look in his eyes:

"There are such people in Jingzhou. I wonder who this person you are talking about is?"

Kuai Yue came forward and whispered the name.

The alertness on Liu Biao's face faded, but he said disapprovingly:

"I have heard of this man, but he is just a poor scholar and a frivolous knight. Is he really as great as you say?" Kuai Yue coughed a few times and said reluctantly:
"I have to admit that there are indeed no extraordinary people among the poor families in Jingzhou."

"People like Xiao Fang and Wei Yan under Liu Bei are ready-made examples."

"Although this person comes from a humble background and has a bit of a rough and tumble air, his strength should not be underestimated."

Liu Biao's expression changed slightly and he fell silent.

After a while, he waved his hand reluctantly:

"Well, just in case, let's do as Yidu said and send Cai Xun to recruit this man to come to Xiangyang to serve."

...

Fancheng Water Camp, on the pier.

Xiao Fang was sitting and fishing. Not far behind him, Xu Chu was pinching his nose and fanning the fire to roast fish.

"Military Advisor Xiao, I want to change the quiver into this, what do you think?"

Huang Yueying was holding the blueprint and leaning next to him, asking for his opinion.

"Well, with this change, it looks more like the original. You can decide."

Xiao Fang nodded slightly, but his eyes suddenly turned to the fishing rod.

“There’s great stuff!”

His eyes lit up, he jumped up quickly, and happily began to collect his fishing rod.

But this fish seemed to be very big, and Xiao Fang couldn’t pull it down by himself.

"Help me, what are you standing there for?"

Xiao Fang used force while shouting at Huang Yueying.

Huang Yueying was stunned for a moment, then quickly put down the drawings, rolled up her sleeves and went forward to help.

It took the two of them working together to pull up the fish.

"Wow, it must be at least ten pounds. I'm in for a treat..."

Xiao Fang swallowed his saliva, then asked his guards to wash and peel the meat, and then give it to Xu Chu to roast.

Huang Yueying couldn't help but feel secretly curious when she saw that this military advisor Xiao, who was resourceful and could kill thousands of people with just a flick of his finger, had such a greedy side.

Xiao Fang sat down again and continued to prepare to hook.

Just as the fishing hook was dropped, a huge fleet arrived in the waters of Xiangfan on the downstream river.

Flags with the word "Cai" on them can be vaguely seen.

"The Jiangling navy led by Cai Mao has arrived. Lord Xuande wants to cross the Han River, but I'm afraid it won't be easy..."

Huang Yueying murmured to herself, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"Cai Mao is here, so what? Does Miss Huang think he can stop the Lord?"

Xiao Fang glanced at her sideways and asked back disapprovingly.

Huang Yueying hesitated for a moment and then said slowly:
"Naval warfare is different from ground warfare. To win a naval battle, you need not only warships, but also an elite navy and a general who is proficient in naval warfare."

"In the battle of Fancheng, Lord Xuande certainly captured hundreds of warships, and the navy soldiers can also be recruited from the local area who are good at sailing."

"But as for the water general, forgive Yueying for being blunt. Although General Xu knows about water warfare, he is not necessarily stronger than Cai Mao."

"In other words, even if he is stronger than Cai Mao, he is not necessarily much stronger."

"That's why Yue Ying said that it might not be easy for Lord Xuande to cross the Han River."

Xiao Fang looked back at the daughter of the Huang family with admiration.

The fact that she has such insights into naval battles shows that she is truly knowledgeable and resourceful.

"She is the most talented woman in Jingzhou. Her reputation is well-deserved."

Xiao Fangbian nodded and praised with a smile.

Huang Yueying felt a little embarrassed to receive Xiao Fang's praise, so she wanted to say a few words to be modest.

at this time.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard on the shore; it was Liu Bei riding over with a group of generals.

Xiao Fang quickly put down his fishing rod, stood up and walked forward to greet him with a smile.

"My lord, you have come at the right time. We just caught a big fish and Zhongkang is grilling it. My lord, you are in for a treat."

"Jinglue is quite relaxed and at ease."

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled, but pointed his finger at Han:
"Jing Lue should have seen the navy on the river. It's the Jiangling navy led by Cai Mao that has arrived."

"This must be Liu Biao, who wants to use his naval superiority to block the river and prevent our army from crossing the river."

"Jinglue, you said before that if you want to win a naval battle, you first need a general who is proficient in naval warfare."

"It's hard for Xu Wenxiang to handle this important task alone!"

Liu Bei's tone was quite solemn. It was obvious that he had learned about the arrival of the Jiangling navy and had come to find Xiao Fang specifically for the naval battle.

"My lord, please don't be anxious. Let's try Zhongkang's cooking first."

Xiao Fang was not in a hurry. He first invited Liu Bei to sit down, and then put a skewer of grilled fish in his hand.

Then he took a bunch of them himself, tasted them and asked back:

"My lord, do you still remember that Fang said at that time that he had already selected a great naval commander for you?"

"Now is the time to use this person."

At this time, Huang Yueying was still speculating on what good ideas Xiao Fang would come up with to help Liu Bei solve the naval problem.

Hearing Xiao Fang's words, her bright eyes suddenly moved, and she looked at Xiao Fang with curiosity.

Liu Bei also thought of this and said with a look of delight:
"I wonder who is this person you recommended, Jinglue?"

Xiao Fang held up the grilled fish and pointed upstream, saying slowly:
"This man was originally a subordinate of Liu Biao, but because of his proud character and humble origins, he was not valued by Liu Biao."

"So this man left his post in anger, gathered 800 men, and started a business of robbing government ships on the Han River."

"Liu Biao sent his navy to suppress him several times, but he was unsuccessful, so he could only turn a blind eye."

"If you can recruit this man to lead your navy and take care of Cai Mao, it will be easy to cross the Han River!"

After hearing Xiao Fang's description, Liu Bei was overjoyed and asked:
"I never thought there would be such an amazing person on the Han River!"

"May I know the name of this warrior?"

(End of this chapter)