Chapter 106 How can we convince the people if we don’t kill this thief? Destroy the Cai and Kuai families! There is only one way to survive!

Cai Mao still chose to kneel.

Not only did he kneel before Liu Bei, but he also disregarded his so-called dignity and grovelled to surrender to Liu Bei.

Faced with interests and integrity, he chose the former.

The Han River defense line had been lost, Liu Bei had already fought his way to the south bank, and the fall of Xiangyang was a foregone conclusion.

The Cai family’s roots are all in Xiangyang.

Although surrendering to Liu Bei was shameful, at least he could save his life and the Cai family.

Even if he is no longer valued, the Cai family will at most no longer hold sway over Jingzhou, and will live up to their former glory.

So what?

As long as the foundation of my Cai family is still there, the most we can do is lie dormant temporarily in order to rise again in the future.

After all, the Cai family is permanent, but the ruler of Jingzhou is ever-changing...

It was after weighing the pros and cons that Cai Mao chose to bow to Liu Bei.

"Liu Bei has always been kind and righteous. If he wants to secure his position in Jingzhou, he needs the support of my Cai family."

"Given my status, I have already surrendered and begged for mercy, giving him enough face. He should accept my submission..."

Cai Mao comforted himself in his heart.

He even fantasized that Liu Bei would be overjoyed and help him up with his own hands, treating him with courtesy as if he were a treasure and comforting him.

Liu Bei looked down at Cai Mao, seeing his ugly appearance, with only disgust in his eyes.

In today's world of great contention, not only does the ruler choose his ministers, but ministers also choose their ruler.

Finding another wise master is not a shameful act.

For example, those under his command, such as Wen Pin, Zhang Xiu and others, were all surrendered generals.

Not only did Liu Bei not despise them at all, on the contrary he admired and respected them very much.

But if you find a new master, you must do so with a clear conscience.

You, Cai Mao, are Liu Biao's brother-in-law. Liu Biao is so kind to you that he regards you as his right-hand man and makes you the chief military general in Jingzhou!

Treat the flatterers so well that even if you suffer repeated defeats, they will not affect your position.

But you, Cai Mao, just as you lost all of Liu Biao's navy, you betrayed Liu Biao the next moment. It was almost a seamless transition.

He betrayed his lord so decisively and with such a clear conscience, he is the best in the world.

Given Liu Bei's temperament, it would be strange if he did not feel disgusted with such a shameless and treacherous general.

However, no matter how disgusted he was, Cai Mao had after all knelt down and asked for surrender. Liu Bei was undecided about how to deal with him.

"My lord, have you forgotten that all of his brothers from the Cai family died under your sword?"

"Will this thief willingly surrender to the lord without any resentment or hatred?"

"My lord, you must not forget how much resentment the heroes of Jingxiang have towards this thief. How can you let these heroes down?"

"How can such a shameless person be worthy of following the lord!"

"I ask you, my lord, to kill this thief, calm the anger of the people of Jingxiang, and restore your reputation!"

Xiao Fang saw that Lao Liu was hesitant, and immediately listed Cai Mao's crimes and urged Lao Liu to kill him.

Liu Bei was startled and suddenly came to his senses.

Wei Yan, Wen Pin, Deng Ji...

Among these heroes of Jingxiang, which one has not been suppressed by the Cai family? Which one has not been bullied and bossed around by the Cai family?

Not to mention a small family like Wenpin, even the big families in Jingzhou like Huang and Feng have been suppressed by the Cai and Kuai families in recent years.

The powerful families of the scholars and nobles in Jingzhou have suffered from the Cai and Kuai families for a long time!

These people flocked to Liu Bei. One reason was that they valued his great talent and strategy, and believed that he had the potential to seize Jingzhou. The other reason was that they resented Liu Biao and his favorites, Cai and Kuai.

If you accept Cai Mao's surrender, you cannot touch the Cai family. If you don't touch the Cai family, what will these surrendered generals, Wen Pin, and the heroes of Jingzhou who are dissatisfied with the Cai family think?
Just as Xiao Fang said, it will chill people's hearts...

The slight hesitation in Liu Bei's eyes was instantly dispelled by Xiao Fang.

His gaze once again turned to Cai Mao, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

"Military advisor, what you said makes sense!"

"If I don't kill this villain, how can I be worthy of those heroes of Jingxiang who fought bloody battles for me, Liu Bei!"

Liu Bei waved his hand and shouted angrily:
"Come here, drag this thief Cai Mao away and cut off his head to comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers in heaven!"

The old generals from Jingzhou, such as Wen Pin, were all excited and cheered in their hearts.

Cai Mao, who was lying on the ground, suddenly raised his head and looked at Liu Bei with surprised and horrified eyes.

Is this script wrong?

Where has the promised courtesy and generosity gone?

Liu Bei, under the instigation of that country bumpkin, wanted to kill him regardless of his status as a famous scholar in Jingzhou and the background of his Cai family?
The guards rushed forward and dragged up Cai Mao, who had a look of shock and confusion on his face.

Cai Mao suddenly woke up, and struggled desperately, cursing loudly:

"Liu Bei! I am the chief military commander of Jingzhou, and I am a famous scholar of the time. How dare you kill me?"

"You don't have the support of my Cai family. Even if you conquer Jingzhou, you won't be able to keep your throne!"

"Xiao Fang, you are a country bumpkin, a poor man from a poor family. I have no grudge against you, why do you want to kill me?"

"Even if you take Xiangyang, we still have Jiangling, we still have Jingnan, and Chaisang still has Sun Ce eyeing Jingzhou. Sooner or later, you and your lord will—"

Cai Mao's grief-stricken and crazy howls suddenly stopped.

The head has fallen to the ground.

There were bursts of cheers in the water camp.

"My lord, I thought you had given the order. All the Cai and Kuai clans who are resisting stubbornly should be dealt with by the generals themselves. You don't need to make the decision for me."

"In addition, my lord should also announce that after taking Xiangyang, the Cai and Kuai surnames will be immediately confiscated."

"All the land seized from officials and civilians will be returned to the original owner, and the rest will be taken back by the government and used for farming!"

Xiao Fang's tone was as sharp as a knife, and he offered two more strategies to Lao Liu.

Old Liu and the Cai family have reached the point of a fight to the death. Killing Cai Mao alone is obviously not enough. As long as the Cai family still occupies Xiangyang, they will become a hidden danger sooner or later.

Xiao Fang is planning to take action against the Cai and Kuai families.

The first piece of advice, ordering the generals to deal with the two people named Cai and Kuai who resisted stubbornly, was a hint that they should kill them if they should, without asking Lao Liu for instructions on how to deal with them.

The Cai and Kuai clans had occupied Jingxiang for many years and had already occupied countless pieces of land. Later, with the protection of Liu Biao and the military and political power in Jingzhou in their hands, they seized countless more pieces of land.

In addition to ordinary people, these fields are naturally also owned by those of small and powerful families.

Xiao Fang's second suggestion was to dismantle the huge industries of the Cai and Kuai families.

Returning the occupied land to the common people and minorities could appease the people of Xiangyang in the shortest possible time. Using the remaining land for military cultivation could enrich Lao Liu's granary and feed the rapidly growing army.

"The two strategies proposed by the military advisor are good ways to calm the people's anger and appease the people."

"Just follow what the military advisor said and send the order to all the troops immediately."

Old Liu naturally listened to Xiao Fang's advice and accepted it without hesitation.

Xiao Fang turned his gaze to the south, pointing with a smile at the towering city that could be vaguely seen:

"The Jiangling navy has been destroyed. Now there is no one who can stop the lord from attacking Jingzhou."

"After all the troops have crossed the river, my lord, make a concerted effort to capture Xiangyang!"

...

The city of Xiangyang was already in a state of panic.

The defeated soldiers wiped out Liu Biao's navy, and the news of Liu Bei's crossing the river was brought back to the capital of Jingzhou.

The people in the whole city were shocked.

All kinds of rumors spread, such as Liu Biao had died in the water camp and Liu Bei's army was at the gates of the city...

The people were moved by Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness, and were full of expectations, hoping that Xiangyang would change hands as soon as possible.

Those high-ranking officials and wealthy families who were loyal to Liu Biao were in a panic.

Many people have begun to leave the city with their families and flee southward towards Jiangling.

Within the state capital.

Liu Biao held his forehead with his hand, his eyes closed, his face full of sorrow and bitterness.

The high-ranking officials and dignitaries below were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, arguing and talking endlessly.

"My dear husband, I heard that several of our naval forces were annihilated. Why couldn't Degui escape with you?"

Mrs. Cai, who was standing by, asked cautiously with an anxious look on her face.

"Don't mention your stupid and incompetent brother to me again!"

"If he hadn't been so arrogant and incompetent, and had looked down on that Jinfan thief, how could I have lost eight thousand naval forces, and how could the big-eared thief have crossed the Han River?"

"The current situation is all caused by your brother. Even if he is alive, do you have the nerve to escape back to Xiangyang to see me?"

Liu Biao finally exploded and scolded Cai Mao so harshly that Mrs. Cai was shocked and speechless.

at this time.

The guard hurried into the hall and said in a trembling voice:

"My lord, I sent a message back as a spy."

"General Cai was captured alive by the enemy general Gan Ning. General Cai begged for surrender from Liu Bei but was refused, so Liu Bei ordered him to be beheaded!"

Inside the palace, there was deathly silence at first, and then there was a loud explosion.

This news really shocked everyone.

As the brother-in-law of his lord and the top military official in Jingzhou, Cai Mao was extremely favored by Liu Biao.

He couldn't even die for Liu Biao and beg for surrender to Liu Bei?
This is too much of a coward and a betrayal of Liu Biao's trust in him.

Liu Bei had always been kind and magnanimous, but now he ignored Cai Mao's status and the influence of the Cai family in Jingzhou, and killed Cai Mao with an iron-fisted approach?

How could everyone not be shocked by Liu Bei's tyranny?

"This man is kind and righteous, but he also has such an iron fist. This is the kingly way and the hegemonic way. This is the foundation of a heroic lord!"

"I am as famous as Cai Mao. Since he can kill Cai Mao, if I fall into his hands one day, won't I also die?"

Kuai Yue was so shocked that he shuddered violently, and his eyes revealed deep fear.

Everyone was shocked, except Liu Biao, who reacted surprisingly calmly, as if the killing of Cai Mao had not affected him at all.

"Cai Mao, you are arrogant, conceited, stupid and incompetent, and you are even more disrespectful to me!"

"You have brought this upon yourself."

"I only regret that so many of my soldiers and the men of Jingzhou were buried with you because of your stupidity and incompetence!"

"How hateful! How hateful~~"

Instead of being angry, Liu Biao angrily scolded Cai Mao.

"My husband, Degui died for you. How can you still blame him like this?"

"You have to avenge him, for him—"

Mrs. Cai, however, failed to understand the situation. She fell to her knees and cried out for her brother.

Before he could finish his words, Liu Biao became furious and slapped Mrs. Cai hard in the face.

Mrs. Cai was slapped to the ground, her face filled with shock and horror, and she looked at Liu Biao in disbelief.

"Your brother is stupid and incompetent. Not only did he cost me 8,000 naval troops, but he was also afraid of death and begged for surrender from Liu Bei!"

"Such a shameless, disloyal and ungrateful fool, how dare you ask me to avenge him?"

Liu Biao completely broke off relations with the Cai family and pointed at Mrs. Cai and scolded her.

Mrs. Cai was stunned by the scolding. Looking at Liu Biao's furious expression, she was so scared that she dared not say a word.

Liu Biao cursed for a long time until he was exhausted and then he sat down.

Kuai Yue then dared to step forward and bowed, saying:
"My lord, now that things have come to this, it will be useless for you to blame Cai Mao."

"After Liu Bei's army crosses the river, they will soon rush to Xiangyang. There are less than 10,000 soldiers in the city now, and the people are panicking. They are completely unable to defend themselves."

"Kuai Yue believes that the Lord should immediately issue an order to withdraw the state capital to Jiangling overnight."

"Then mobilize the troops from the four counties in southern Jing and urge Huang Zu to lead his troops up the Yangtze River to provide assistance. Gather our remaining forces and defend Jiangling with all our strength."

Liu Biao gradually calmed down and listened to Kuai Yue's plan. Although he was extremely reluctant to leave Xiangyang, he knew he had no choice.

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Biao waved his hand weakly:

"Well, I'll follow your plan and abandon Xiangyang immediately and retreat to Jiang--"

"Retreating to Jiangling will only lead to death!"

A decisive voice interrupted Liu Biao.

Liu Qi dragged his sick body and staggered into the lobby with the support of Wang Wei.

Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Liu Qi took a deep breath and bowed, saying:

"Father, the situation is hopeless. Retreating to Jiangling is just a last-ditch effort."

"If my father and I want to survive, there is only one way to choose!"

(End of this chapter)