Chapter 111 I'm a commander without any troops, and you still dare to challenge Liu Bei? Start the war immediately, or I won't eat the leftovers!
The night is deep.

Within the Chinese army's tent.

Liu Biao, who had been unconscious for a long time, finally woke up.

Liu Pan and Kuai Yue were overjoyed and rushed over to support Liu Biao who was struggling to get up.

"Pan'er!"

"Did Liu Qi, that rebellious son, really set fire to the bridge and surrender to Liu Bei?"

"He is really worse than a beast, murdering your aunt?"

Liu Biao grabbed Liu Pan's hand and asked in a trembling voice. His eyes seemed to be still hoping for a lucky break, hoping that Liu Pan would give a negative answer.

Liu Pan sighed and said with a bitter face:

"Uncle, this is absolutely true. All my eight thousand soldiers have followed my brother to surrender to Liu Bei."

"Aunt was also killed by his brother, and countless people witnessed it."

"I heard from those who escaped that my brother also said that my aunt poisoned him. Uncle, what is going on?"

At this time, Liu Pan was still in the dark and had no idea about the secret that Cai had poisoned Liu Qi.

Liu Biao's last hope was shattered.

He was at a loss for words when faced with his nephew's questions.

What should I say? Should I tell Liu Pan that your aunt poisoned your brother and I blindly protected your aunt for the sake of the overall situation?
As a result, out of disappointment and resentment, your brother stabbed him, your father, in the back at Changbanpo, destroying your only remaining 8,000 direct descendants and killing your second wife?

I can't afford to lose this person...

At this moment, Liu Biao was filled with anger, hatred, sadness and guilt. His face turned red and he showed signs of vomiting blood.

"The eldest son was frightened by Liu Bei. He even persuaded the lord to surrender Jingzhou to Liu Bei, but was rejected by the lord and his wife."

"I guess the eldest son must have harbored resentment, and coupled with his long-term illness, he was frightened and mentally disturbed when the enemy cavalry attacked, and did such a beastly act of betraying his father and killing his mother!"

"My lord, the eldest son is probably crazy and has no idea what he is doing."

"My lord, you must put the overall situation first. Don't let the eldest son's crazy behavior make you lose your temper."

"Otherwise, who will protect the millions of people in Jingzhou?"

At the critical moment, Kuai Yue rushed forward to rescue Liu Biao. In a few words, he turned black into white and put all the blame on Liu Qi's madness.

Liu Biao had a way out, and he nodded heavily:

"Yi Du's words make sense. This rebellious son must have gone mad to do such a beastly thing!"

"It must be so, he must be crazy!"

Liu Pan was a common man with few ideas, so after hearing Kuai Yue's explanation, he believed it to be true.

So he clenched his fist and said angrily:
"If that big-eared thief hadn't invaded Jingzhou and caused us to lose soldiers and territory, my brother wouldn't have been frightened, let alone driven crazy and committed such a beastly act."

"All of this was forced by that big-eared thief!"

After saying this, Liu Pan's face was filled with anger, and he bowed to Liu Biao generously:

"Uncle, rest assured. My nephew and Huang Hansheng have brought 5,000 Changsha soldiers this time. Xing Daorong and other generals from southern Jing have also brought more than 5,000 soldiers."

"We have 10,000 soldiers and horses. I am willing to lead the army northward as the vanguard to recapture Xiangyang for my uncle and personally cut off Liu Bei's dog head!"

Liu Biao and Kuai Yue looked at each other, helpless in their eyes.

This child, relying on his bravery, does not know his own limitations.

Your uncle led 50,000 to 60,000 troops, but they were all wiped out by Liu Bei. In the end, I was left alone and fled from Xiangyang in disgrace.

Just with you and your 10,000 second-line troops in southern Jing, you think you can recapture Xiangyang?
Still want to kill Liu Bei?

You are going to deliver your head...

"Liu Bei has captured Xiangyang. His strength is far superior to what it was before, and he is at the peak of his power. We need to avoid him for the time being."

"Besides, the Lord is not feeling well and needs to recuperate at this time."

"The only solution now is to retreat to Jiangling first, and then make a long-term plan after the master recovers."

Kuai Yue didn't want to undermine Liu Pan's confidence, so he had to lay a reasonable foundation.

Liu Biao sighed and said weakly:
"Yi Du's words make sense. Pan'er, if you want to avenge me, it won't be today."

"Send me to Jiangling to recuperate first. We, uncle and nephew, will work together to fight to the death with that big-eared thief after we have regrouped."

Having said that, Liu Pan had to suppress his anger for the time being.

That night, Liu Biao dragged his sick body and hurriedly went to Jiangling.

...

Chaisang City, inside the military headquarters.

Sun Ce was standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the huge map of Jingzhou.

The eagle's eyes were fixed on Xiakou City.

"Huang Zu has learned his lesson. He has been reluctant to send troops to Xiangyang for reinforcements, forcing Liu Biao to transfer the navy from Jiangling to the north."

"Gongjin, I can't wait any longer. I want to attack Xiakou immediately."

"If we delay any longer, Liu Bei will cross the Han River and seize Xiangyang, and we will lose the initiative!"

Sun Ce punched the word "Xiakou" hard with his fist, and he was already losing his temper.

Zhou Yu came forward from behind and handed Sun Ce a glass of wine with a smile.

"Bofu, we need to be more patient."

"Although Liu Bei has a navy, he has no naval commanders. Although Cai Mao is a mediocre general, he can easily block the Han River."

"The confrontation between the two Lius across the river is a foregone conclusion. We have plenty of time to take Jiangxia. Why rush to attack and lose soldiers in vain?"

Zhou Yu analyzed the situation in a very confident manner, and his words and expression revealed a confidence that he was in control of everything.

Sun Ce's anxious mood calmed down a little, he lowered his head to take a sip of wine, nodded and said:

"Gongjin is right. It is true that I was anxious to take Jingzhou and I lost my patience."

"That old villain Liu Biao will never let Huang Zu hold on to his own troops. He will delay sending troops north to help. Sooner or later, he will have to use some means to force Huang Zu to send troops."

"As soon as Xiakou is exposed, our army will attack and capture Xiakou will be a piece of cake!"

Sun Ce's eyes turned to Xiangyang, and the corner of his mouth rose: "As for Liu Bei, let him stay in Xiangfan and continue to fight with the old villain Liu Biao."

"One day when I take over Jingzhou and lead my army north, I will personally thank him for making wedding clothes for me."

The young master and servant smiled knowingly at each other.

Just as the two were about to raise their glasses.

General Chen Wu hurried in with a serious look on his face.

"My lord, the Xiangyang spy just sent back an urgent report from eight hundred miles away."

"Liu Bei had already annihilated the Jiangling navy several days ago, killed Cai Mao, and successfully reached the south bank with 30,000 troops."

"Liu Biao has abandoned Xiangyang and fled south to Jiangling. Xiangyang is now where Liu Bei is!"

It was like a thunderclap, exploding in the mansion hall.

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's bodies shook at the same time, and the wine in their cups splashed out.

The two faces suddenly looked at each other, and their expressions changed from confident to shocked and astonished in an instant.

"How could the Jiangling navy be completely wiped out?"

"No matter how mediocre Cai Mao was, how could he lose to Liu Bei in a naval battle and even lose his life?"

After being "slapped in the face", Zhou Yu lost all his elegance and composure, and shouted at Chen Wu with a look of surprise and doubt.

Sun Ce also threw the wine glass and said sternly:
"It's fine that Liu Biao lost to Liu Bei in land battles, but how could he be no match for Liu Bei in naval battles? Liu Bei is not good at naval battles, so how could he destroy the Jiangling navy?"

Chen Wu hurriedly started a secret report, telling the details of the Battle of Xiangfan.

Gan Ning!

A strange name came into their sight.

The secret report claimed that Xiao Xiang recommended this pirate named Gan Ning to Liu Bei. It was this man who used the decapitation tactic to capture Cai Mao alive and defeated the Jiangling navy in one fell swoop!
"Gan Ning?"

"Who is this person? How can he be so good at naval warfare?"

Sun Ce looked back at Zhou Yu with a confused look in his eyes.

Zhou Yu also looked confused and shook his head:

“There are only a handful of famous people in Jingzhou who are familiar with naval warfare, but no one has ever heard of Gan Ning. He is most likely a nobody.

"But how did Xiao Fang find such an unknown person who is proficient in water warfare?"

"How dare Liu Bei have the guts to use such an unknown person to command his navy?"

Zhou Yu's eyes flickered, and his face showed a mixture of confusion and surprise.

He and his minister were both immersed in surprise and doubt for a moment.

After a while.

The suspicion and surprise on Sun Ce's face gradually faded, and murderous intent as cold as a blade burned in his eyes.

"I have to admit that Liu Bei and Xiao Fang, this pair of master and minister, have really impressed me again and again. If we were to fight them in the future, it would definitely be a fierce battle!"

Sun Ce's fist hit the word Xiakou:
"But now, we have to capture Xiakou first and kill Huang Zu."

"Gongjin, it looks like your wishful thinking is going to fail. Liu Bei has already captured Xiangyang. We don't have time to wait for Huang Zu to reveal a flaw."

"We must act immediately. No matter what the cost, we must capture Xiakou first!"

A trace of shame flashed across Zhou Yu's face.

Then he took a deep breath and regained confidence on his face:
"In that case, we have no choice but to storm Xiakou. No matter what, we must capture Jiangling before Liu Bei and take control of the Yangtze River!"

...

Xiangyang, the provincial capital.

Liu Bei has set up a celebration banquet to welcome Zhang Xiu's triumphant return.

"Although Wen Jin failed to capture Liu Biao during this interception, he was able to capture all of his 8,000 soldiers and rescue all of the Xiangyang heroes who were taken away by Liu Biao."

"As the military advisor predicted, this plan failed to stop Liu Biao, but it dealt him a heavy blow again, killing all of his elite troops."

"I will go south to capture Jiangling someday, which will increase my chances of victory."

Liu Bei was filled with admiration and looked at Xiao Fang with joy.

Xiao Fang smiled faintly, but sighed:
"But I didn't expect that Liu Qi would burn down the Dangyang Bridge, personally bury Liu Biao's last 8,000 elite troops from Xiangyang, and even kill Cai."

"If Liu Biao heard this news, even if he didn't vomit blood and die, I'm afraid he would be so angry that he would almost die."

When mentioning Liu Qi, Liu Bei suddenly sighed.

"I didn't expect that Cai was so vicious that she even murdered her own stepson. Not only did Liu Biao not seek justice, but he also blindly protected Cai."

"Although Liu Qi's action was to murder his mother, he was forced to do so out of anger, so it was understandable."

Xiao Fang also sighed softly, and then said:
"Liu Qi once persuaded Liu Biao to surrender to the lord, and now he has taken the initiative to lead 8,000 Jingzhou troops to turn against the enemy in Dangyang, which can be considered a merit."

"I think he has been poisoned deeply and will not live long. My lord, please treat him well and give him a good end."

Liu Bei nodded heavily and said:
"No need for the military advisor to remind me. I have already ordered him to be sent back to his original residence and treated generously with fine clothes and delicious food. Do not neglect him in the slightest."

The pursuit of Liu Biao came to an end.

Liu Bei then mentioned that he wanted to host a banquet for Pang Degong, Sima Hui and other famous scholars from Xiangyang who had been rescued, and take the opportunity to recruit talented people from among them to enrich the provincial and county government.

At the same time, he rested his soldiers, reorganized the surrendered soldiers, and continued to expand the navy in preparation for subsequently marching south to capture Jiangling and completely destroy Liu Biao.

"Of course, we have to do all the things that the lord mentioned, and we also have to capture Jiangling."

Xiao Fang nodded first, then changed the subject:
"However, before that, my lord, there is something more important that you must do first."

More important things?
Liu Bei immediately became alert and asked:

"I wonder what the military advisor is referring to?"

Xiao Fang turned his gaze towards the southeast.

"My lord has reached an agreement with Huang Zu that he will not participate in the battle of Xiangfan for two months, and then send his son Huang She back to Xiakou so that they can be reunited."

"Now that the two-month deadline is approaching, it is time for you to send Huang She away as promised."

"What my lord has to do is to use Huang She's mouth to give Huang Zu a strategy!"

(End of this chapter)