Chapter 31 One wants to pick up heads, the other wants to give heads away! My wife and sister-in-law are here!
"Kill someone with a borrowed knife?"

Liu Biao's eyes lit up and he waved his hand to signal Kuai Yue to continue.

"My lord, you can agree to Liu Bei's request on the surface and join forces to attack Zhang Ji, but in reality you should station troops in Xinye and not go north to Rangcheng."

"In this way, the lord will not pose a threat to Zhang Ji."

"Zhang Ji's intention to attack Rangcheng in the south is simply because his army is short of food and he wants to plunder it."

"According to my spies, Liu Bei brought nearly 100,000 bushels of grain to Biyang this time, and grain carts were transporting grain to Biyang from Runan every day."

"Liu Bei has few soldiers and generals, but holding so much food and grass is like a child holding gold!"

"Will Zhang Ji leave Liu Bei alone and still attack Rangcheng? Will he have to confront his lord who has an entire state's worth of troops?"

Kuai Yue stroked his thin beard, and his slightly narrowed eyes revealed a sense of confidence that everything was under control.

Liu Biao was very cunning and immediately understood the mystery. He nodded slightly:
"I understand. Yidu, do you want to borrow Liu Bei's sword to deal with Zhang Ji?"

Kuai Yue smiled coldly and said:

"Liu Bei's sword is still a little blunt, how can he cut Zhang Ji?"

"Yue's plan is just to use Liu Bei to consume Zhang Ji."

"When the two of them are both defeated, my lord, you can take action at the right time and march north. There is no need to worry about not being able to take care of them all at once!"

Kuai Yue pointed out the real intention, and his seemingly calm tone revealed a chilling coldness.

Liu Biao stroked his half-white beard and weighed Kuai Yue's strategy.

"My Lord, this plan kills two birds with one stone."

"Let Zhang Ji and Liu Bei fight each other, and use this to consume their strength. Then we can reap the benefits."

"They are just ordinary people from Xiliang, a group of people who weave mats and sell shoes. Are they qualified to occupy Nanyang and covet Jingzhou?"

"My Lord, just get rid of them all at once!"

Cai Mao changed his stance and sided with Kuai Yue, with a sense of superiority in his tone.

Whether it was Zhang Ji or Liu Bei, he looked down on them all.

After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Biao sighed:

"You have supported me as the governor of Jingzhou, so I naturally have the responsibility to protect the land and the people and resist foreign enemies."

"Zhang Ji is fine, but Liu Xuande is from the same clan as me."

"I can't bear to use force on him."

Cai Mao and Kuai Yue looked at each other and immediately understood the hidden meaning behind Liu Biao's words.

Their lord was concerned about his reputation and was reluctant to use military force against Liu Bei, a fellow clan member.

Even though this fellow Liu clan member came from a grassroots background, there was a huge difference between him and Liu Biao, who was a member of the Liu royal family with a legitimate family background and a well-known clan record.

Kuai Yue's eyes turned slightly, and he bowed and said:

"My lord is kindhearted and considerate of the friendship between us. I really admire you."

"Yue thinks that when the lord defeats Zhang Ji in the future, he might as well recruit Liu Xuande to surrender and make him a vassal of the lord, and lead an army to station in Wancheng."

"My lord, you can firmly grasp the lifeline of food and grass supply in your hands, so that Liu Bei will not dare to have any other intentions and will only guard the northern gate of Jingzhou for my lord."

"Liu Xuande is also a man who knows the current situation. He can naturally see that this is the only way for him to save himself. He will certainly gladly surrender to the lord."

"In this way, my lord does not have to use troops against his own clan, and he can also find a general to guard the northern border for him. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"

Kuai Yue analyzed the pros and cons and then offered a plan in a very eloquent manner.

Liu Biao's spirits lifted, and the worry in his eyes gradually disappeared.

"Okay, this plan kills two birds with one stone, which is exactly what I want."

Liu Biao stood up and slammed the table, waving his hand happily:

"Let's follow Yidu's plan and reply to Liu Xuande quickly."

"Pass the order down, the army will temporarily stay in Xinye and stop heading north to Rang County."

"I will stay here and watch them fight each other until both are hurt!"

...

Wancheng, the county seat.

"Arrogant, extremely arrogant!"

"Liu Bei, who do you think you are? How dare you threaten me and treat me like a nobody!"

Inside the government hall, Zhang Ji slammed Liu Bei's "ultimatum" on the table.

The Xiliang general, who was about thirty years old, stepped forward with a suspicious look on his face and picked up the silk book.

He was full of curiosity, wanting to see what Liu Bei, who suddenly showed up, had written to make his uncle so angry.

"They actually gave us ten days to withdraw from Nanyang, otherwise they would lead their army to destroy Wancheng?"

"How dare this Liu Bei be so arrogant and look down on his uncle?"

Zhang Xiu frowned and was immediately angered.

Zhang Jiteng sat up, with an angry look on his face, and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

"Wenjin, how many troops did Liu Bei bring with him?"

Zhang Ji suddenly asked as he paced.

"According to my spies, when Liu Bei fled from Xuzhou, he only had 3,000 troops, but he recruited several thousand Yellow Turbans in Runan."

"Now that the troops have joined together, the strength should be around 10,000."

After hearing Zhang Xiu's report, Zhang Ji stopped and there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

He occupied Nanyang, and the food and fodder he collected from the land was barely enough to feed his ten thousand soldiers.

Liu Bei came all the way from Xuzhou and only occupied one county, Biyang. Where did he get the money and food to feed 10,000 soldiers?
Did Liu Bei's soldiers only eat dirt?

"It is said that after Liu Bei entered Biyang, grain carts were transported from Runan every day."

"I heard that Liu Bei had the support of the Mi family in Xuzhou, who spent all their money to support him, and he also robbed Yuan Shu of tens of thousands of bushels of grain in Xutai."

"It is said that he currently has 100,000 bushels of grain in his hands, which is enough to feed more than 10,000 soldiers for a year. Naturally, he is not short of food."

Zhang Xiu saw Zhang Ji's suspicion and took the initiative to clear it up for him.

Zhang Ji's doubts were all resolved, his eyes suddenly became excited, and he asked again:
"What is Liu Biao's movement? Has he led his army to station in Rang County?" Zhang Xiu shook his head and replied:
"According to the report from the scouts in the south, Liu Biao had already led his army across the Han River, but stopped at Xinye. There was no sign of him continuing north to Rang County."

Hear this.

Zhang Ji suddenly stopped and bent over the desk to examine the map for a long time.

"God help me, God help me!"

"Hahaha--"

Zhang Ji suddenly slammed the table and burst into laughter.

Zhang Xiu frowned slightly, not understanding why his uncle suddenly burst into laughter.

"We went south to attack Rangcheng simply because we were short of food and had no choice but to go to war with Liu Biao."

"Now that the food shortage has been resolved, why bother to bite the hard bone of Liu Biao?"

Zhang Ji stopped laughing, but a hint of amusement appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhang Xiu was startled at first, then suddenly realized:

"Uncle, do you mean to attack Biyang and seize the grain from Liu Bei?"

Zhang Ji stroked his thin beard and sneered:

"Liu Bei has only over 10,000 troops, and most of them are the Yellow Turbans of Runan. It will be easier to deal with him than Liu Bei."

"Now he has more than ten hu of food and fodder, but he has few soldiers and generals. He is like a child carrying gold through the market!"

"He is overestimating his own abilities and wants to seize my Nanyang!"

"I don't need him to attack me. I will lead my army to flatten Biyang and take his head along with 100,000 bushels of grain!"

Zhang Xiu suddenly understood.

My own uncle is going to take the initiative to deal with Liu Bei!

"Wenjin, quickly mobilize the troops. Your uncle will personally crush Biyang!"

"I want to show Liu Bei how we Xiliang people fight!"

Zhang Ji's face was burning with pride, as if defeating Liu Bei was as easy as taking candy from a sack.

After hearing this, Zhang Xiu also showed arrogance on his face, but he bowed:

"Uncle, have you forgotten that the wedding date with Zou is approaching? In a few days, Zou will send my new aunt to Wancheng to get married."

"This marriage is related to my uncle's marriage with the Nanyang Shi family. It is related to whether we can gain a firm foothold in Nanyang. It should not be postponed."

"Let my nephew lead the army to attack Liu Bei!"

Zhang Ji's heart trembled, and he suddenly remembered this matter.

Although the Zou family is not a top-notch family, it still has some influence in Nanyang County.

Originally, Zou looked down on his background as a warrior from Xiliang and was unwilling to marry him. It was only after he threatened with force that Zou was forced to agree to marry her daughter.

The auspicious wedding date is set for ten days later.

"Wen Jin is right. The auspicious date has been set and it really shouldn't be postponed."

Zhang Ji nodded slightly, but then said:

"But in this battle against Liu Bei, Wenjin, are you really confident?"

From his words, he still seemed a little worried about Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu was aroused with pride and said proudly:
"When I followed my uncle and rode with Master Dong to defeat the Qiang and Hu people, Liu Bei was still weaving mats and selling shoes!"

"Uncle, if you think that your nephew can't even beat Liu Bei, then you are underestimating your nephew!"

Zhang Ji laughed and patted him on the shoulder:

"I'm sorry for asking this question. Wen Jin, you are in charge of the army, how can I not be at ease?"

"Lead your army and set off immediately. When you return with food and fodder, your uncle and your new aunt will give you a wedding feast!"

Zhang Xiu accepted the order generously.

On the day.

Zhang Xiu led 8,000 Xiliang troops, marched out of Wancheng to the east, and marched towards Biyang in a mighty force.

...

In Biyang City, inside a certain house.

"Military Advisor, this is the fine wine from Nanyang that the Lord's attendant sent over."

"Military Advisor, the Lord said that the weather has turned cold, so the Lord specially asked the best tailor in the city to make winter clothes for you."

"Military Advisor, these maids were selected by the Lord and the Mistress, and they are here to serve you in your daily life."

"Military Advisor, this is the Lord..."

Xiao Fang sat idly in the hall, watching Old Liu send a group of people from time to time to deliver fine wine, gold, silver, brocade, and maids to his house.

Even this house is the best one in Biyang City. Old Liu bought it from the original owner at a large sum of money, but he didn't live in it himself and gave it to him.

Xiao Fang had to admit that Liu Bei was really kind to him. Under the existing conditions, he picked the best things for him.

"I haven't had my Nanyang wine for a long time. I really miss the taste..."

Xiao Fang poured himself a glass of wine and wanted to taste it.

"Brother-in-law!"

A familiar voice sounded outside the hall.

Xiao Fang raised his head and looked outside the hall, his eyes brightened.

It was after my brother-in-law Zhuge Liang came back.

Behind them were two women holding hands.

The beautiful young woman in plain clothes, graceful and elegant, with a dignified manner, is his first wife Zhuge Lan.

The young girl holding her arm was in a light pink skirt, and was pretty and graceful. She was Zhuge Lan's younger sister, Zhuge Rong, Zhuge Liang's second sister.

That is his sister-in-law.

(End of this chapter)