Chapter 12: Backup plan, trick Lao Liu to Jingzhou first!

"Liu Xuande?"

Zhuge Liang, who was studying the "Xiao Fang Quotations" on the bamboo slips, was the first to recognize Liu Bei. His eyes suddenly focused and he looked back at his brother-in-law.

Just as he expected, this Envoy Liu really came to Haixi!
This means that Liu Bei was indeed defeated by Lu Bu and then by Yuan Shu as Xiao Fang speculated, and had no other choice but to rely on the support of the Mi family.

"Brother-in-law is really amazing..."

Zhuge Liang sighed in his heart.

Xiao Fang, who was sipping his tea, looked up and saw Liu Bei stumble, so he quickly stood up and went forward to support him.

"Why did Envoy Liu come to Haixi?"

Xiao Fang pretended to be surprised and asked the question even though he knew the answer.

Liu Bei calmed down a little, looked ashamed, smiled bitterly and said to himself:
"Master Jinglue, please stop mocking me."

"You have clearly calculated that Bei would defeat Lu Bu first and then Yuan Shu, and then come to Haixi to rely on Mi Zizhong."

Xiao Fang looked up and saw Sun Qian was also behind Liu Bei, so he understood what was going on.

So he laughed, helped Liu Bei to sit down, and asked his attendants to serve soup and tea to calm Liu down and quench his thirst.

Liu Bei raised his tea bowl and said with gratitude:

"I have heard from Gongyou that if it weren't for you, Master Xiao, my wife would have died."

"I have no way to repay you for saving these two lives. I can only offer tea instead of wine to Master Xiao!"

Xiao Fang also hurriedly picked up the tea bowl and said some polite words that were not worth mentioning and were just a small favor.

The two drank together.

Liu Bei put down the tea bowl, then stood up and bowed solemnly to Xiao Fang:
"Mr. Xiao's ingenious foresight is something I have never seen before in my life. I really admire him to the core!"

"I was too smart to try to persuade Master Xiao. I suffered two disastrous defeats and brought shame upon myself. I really made Master Xiao laugh!"

Lao Liu's respect for others and his ability to correct his mistakes are truly precious.

But it's a bit too much to bear to see people bowing all the time and clasping their hands without saying a word.

Xiao Fang had no choice but to stand up again, and supported Lao Liu again, comforting him:

"You are too kind, Envoy Liu. This is not called being clever, but rather facing difficulties head-on."

"If you really give up easily because of my words, you will not be the indomitable Liu Xuande who becomes more courageous with every setback."

After hearing this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but nod secretly, thinking that his brother-in-law's words were beautiful.

It not only gave Liu Bei a way out, but also complimented Liu Bei in a subtle way.

This is the art of speaking...

Liu Bei was really pleased after hearing this. He couldn't help but laugh and came out of his shameful self-reproach.

"Master Xiao, we have completely lost Xuzhou, and there are less than a thousand remnants under our command."

"Mr. Xiao, can you give me some advice and show me a clear path?"

Liu Bei personally filled Xiao Fang's cup of tea and humbly asked for advice.

"I have already told you the so-called bright path."

"I still say the same thing. If you want to support the Han Dynasty, you have no choice but to seize Jingzhou!"

Xiao Fang answered without hesitation.

Liu Bei's expression was slightly shocked, and he remained silent for a while.

In fact, he had already expected Xiao Fang to answer like this.

Knowing that the answer is the same, you still ask, just because you are holding on to a little bit of luck.

"Master Xiao, is there really no other way out except to seize Jingzhou?"

"Liu Jingsheng is my cousin, how can I bear to steal his foundation?"

Liu Bei looked bitter and expressed the same dilemma.

This statement came out.

Zhang Fei suddenly became anxious, jumped up and shouted:
"Liu Biao and my brother just share the same surname Liu, but they are not related at all. What is there for my brother to worry about?"

"In my opinion, just listen to this Master Xiao and rob his mother of Jingzhou!"

Guan Yu said nothing, but just stroked his beautiful beard and nodded slightly.

This is not stated explicitly, but this attitude actually agrees with Zhang Fei's statement.

Zhuge Liang looked at Xiao Fang.

This was also one of his concerns. He was full of curiosity and wanted to know how his brother-in-law could convince Liu Bei to seize the inheritance of Liu Biao, a fellow clan member.

"Envoy Liu values ​​trust and loyalty, and has a kind and righteous heart. It is indeed a bit unreasonable to ask you to seize the foundation of your own clan."

Xiao Fang sighed and changed the subject:
"In this case, why don't you settle for the next best thing and seize Nanyang?"

Nanyang?

This sudden change startled everyone.

Even Zhuge Liang was caught off guard.

Didn’t we agree to trick Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou?

How come it suddenly became a fight over Nanyang, shrinking from a state to a county?
"Although Nanyang County belongs to Jingzhou, it is currently occupied by the Xiliang soldiers led by uncle and nephew Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu."

"Back then, Wang Yun killed Dong and reorganized the Han Dynasty. There was hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty."

"As a result, the four generals Guo, Li, Fan and Zhang were instigated by Jia Xu to fight back and return to Chang'an, stealing power from the Han court again and completely shattering the emperor's hope of regaining power."

"Zhang Ji can be called a traitor and rebel."

"If you go to seize Nanyang, you can not only eliminate a Han thief, but also grab a place to settle down. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Xiao Fang patiently persuaded Liu Bei and planned a new way out.

This is also his backup plan.

As Zhuge Liang listened, his eyes suddenly lit up and he understood Xiao Fang's intention.

If he was asked to seize Jingzhou, Liu Bei would never obey.

So his brother-in-law had to settle for the next best thing and persuaded Liu Bei to seize Nanyang, using this as an opportunity to lure Liu Bei to Jingzhou first.

Nanyang belongs to Jingzhou and is the barrier of Xiangyang. Liu Biao would never allow it to be controlled by outsiders.

Zhang Ji, the uncle and nephew, are not suitable, and Liu Bei, their fellow clan, is not suitable either.

Isn't this the contradiction?

Where there is a contradiction there will be a conflict. Then we can act according to the situation and find ways to encourage Liu Bei to seize Jingzhou. Wouldn't that be a natural outcome and much easier?

"Brother-in-law's method is really brilliant..."

Zhuge Liang suddenly realized and nodded secretly in his heart.

Zhang Fei was overjoyed and shouted excitedly:

"Brother, Master Xiao is right. If you don't want to rob Liu Biao, why don't you rob Zhang Ji?"

"The people of Xiliang have brought such terrible harm to the Han people. Isn't it only natural that you should punish them?"

Guan Yu also nodded slightly and said in agreement:

"Brother, I think what Yide said makes sense."

"Although Nanyang was once harmed by Yuan Shu, it is still the largest county in the world. If we can take it, it will be a place to stay."

"Zhang Ji is a traitor to the Han Dynasty. It is only natural for you to attack him!"

For a moment, Sun Qian, Jian Yong and others all agreed and joined in.

The worries on Liu Bei's face gradually disappeared, and were replaced by a kind of sudden enlightenment and determination.

"In that case, let's follow Master Xiao's strategy, abandon Xuzhou, and march west to seize Nanyang!"

After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Bei finally made a painful decision.

Everyone was delighted and encouraged.

It seemed as if the shadow of the loss of Xuzhou and two disastrous defeats had been swept away at this moment.

Xiao Fang's "conspiracy" succeeded, and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Brother-in-law, Liang still has some concerns."

"The uncle and nephew Zhang Ji are brave and good at fighting. They have thousands of Xiliang troops under their command. Even Liu Biao is afraid of them."

"With the few remaining troops that General Liu has now, how can he seize Nanyang from the Zhang uncle and nephew?"

Zhuge Liang's sudden words broke the exciting atmosphere in the room.

The room suddenly fell silent.

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(End of this chapter)