Chapter 88: Is Liu Bei destined to be with you? The coward gives it his all! Ask the military advisor to give him a name!
Xinye fell, Deng Ji rebelled, Cai Zhong was killed by Wen Pin, and Kuai Qi was killed by Xiao Fang's guards...

The amount of information was so huge that it flooded into Liu Biao's brain like a torrent, making it difficult for him to breathe.

The Lord of Jingzhou just sat there with a stiff body and a dull look in his eyes.

There was dead silence in the hall.

Everyone's face was frozen in a distorted and stunned moment.

Even Liu Qi, who was drinking alone, had his glass suspended in the air and was unaware that the wine had spilled all over him.

The next moment, the banquet exploded.

"Deshi, Deshi~~"

Mrs. Cai fell headfirst on the table and burst into tears, her face soon covered in tears.

All the dignitaries and celebrities from Xiangyang, as well as important civil and military officials present, were talking about it in fear.

"Degui, you said that my nephew Ziyu was killed by Xiao Fang's guards?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Kuai Yue came back to his senses, suddenly jumped up, and questioned Cai Mao angrily.

Kuai Qi was his nephew, and also the most outstanding member of the Kuai family, one of the few who had some talent in commanding troops.

Originally, he sent Kuai Ji to Xinye to serve as Cai Mao's deputy general in order to gain experience under Cai Mao, and then be promoted by Liu Biao with justification, so that his Kuai family could have a place in the army.

Who would have thought that such a precious treasure would die in battle?

And he died under Xiao Fang's protection!
This naturally made Kuai Yue more angry than the loss of Xinye.

Cai Mao sighed and recounted the story of how they were chased by Liu's army when they retreated southward, and how their two thousand men were defeated by more than three hundred of the enemy's men.

"That fellow's name is Xu Chu. He claims to be Xiao Fang's bodyguard. I didn't expect him to be so brave that he could defeat ten thousand men!"

"Not only did he brutally kill Ziyu, he also ordered the captives to bring back crazy words, asking the lord to cross the river and ask for surrender from the big-eared thief!"

"Otherwise, he will charge into Xiangyang and kill the lord with his own hands!"

The more Cai Mao spoke, the angrier he became, until he gnashed his teeth and was extremely indignant.

After hearing what happened, Kuai Yue's face was distorted and his eyes were burning with anger.

At this moment, he finally felt the same pain of losing a loved one as Cai Mao!

"Xiao Fang, you cruel country bumpkin!"

"You are a traitor, helping the tyrant to commit atrocities, and helping Liu Bei to invade my state!"

"Now you are allowing your guards to kill my nephew!"

"I, Kuai Yue, swear here that if I don't kill you to avenge my nephew, I, Kuai Yue, will not die a good death~~"

Kuai Yue gritted his teeth and swore a poisonous oath with a ferocious face.

This famous scholar of the time, the wisest man in Jingzhou, was so angry that his mind was in a state of confusion, and he completely lost his elegant and calm demeanor.

The wailing and roaring finally awakened the unconscious Liu Biao.

"Kuai Yidu!"

Liu Biao struggled to jump up, his face full of anger, and asked angrily:
"Didn't you assert that Cao Cao would definitely lead his troops south, and Liu Bei would be forced to return to resist and would be unable to attack Xinye again?"

"What's going on now? Why did Liu Bei's army suddenly march south and capture Xinye?"

"You have to give me a reasonable explanation!"

It was rare for Liu Biao to get angry with Kuai Yue.

Kuai Yue trembled all over, and the grief and anger on his face turned into shame and confusion in an instant.

"I really can't understand why the big-eared thief dared to mobilize his entire army to seize Xinye."

"According to reason, Cao Cao should have sent troops to attack Ye County long ago. Liu Bei has no reason to attack Xinye without paying attention to Cao Cao's army approaching."

"This doesn't make sense. It really doesn't make sense~~"

Kuai Yue's voice was hoarse, and he was puzzled.

Just then.

The personal guard rushed into the hall holding a silk book high in the air.

"My lord, the Nanyang spies have made a secret report."

"Liu Bei's general Zhang Fei defeated Cao Ren in Ye County a few days ago!"

There was an uproar in the hall again.

The anger on Liu Biao's face immediately turned into surprise.

Kuai Yue's face turned even more shocked. He took a few steps forward, snatched the secret report on silk, and hurriedly opened it to read it.

"Zhang Fei led 5,000 elite soldiers to secretly enter Ye County, using Xiao Fang's strategy to lure Cao Ren into a trap with the empty city plan, and beheaded his deputy general Niu Jin..."

The details of the battle in Ye County were written in black and white.

"Liu Bei actually sent Zhang Fei to the north secretly to reinforce the defense of Ye County?"

"Could it be that the country bumpkin foresaw that Cao Cao would intervene in the battle in Nanyang, and so he sent Zhang Fei from far away in Yuyang to defeat the invading Cao's army in Ye County?"

"This country bumpkin is so far-sighted?"

Kuai Yue’s eyes widened, his voice became more and more trembling, and a creepy feeling of fear gradually enveloped his whole body.

At this moment, the name "Xiao Fang" finally made him feel a deep sense of fear.

Liu Biao, however, collapsed slowly like a deflated ball.

"Liu Bei has such a god-like assistant. Is it destiny that my Jingzhou is destined to be taken by him..."

Liu Biao muttered to himself, in a trance, his self-confidence rapidly eroding.

"Even if Liu Bei takes Xinye, what does it matter? We still have the natural barrier of Han River!"

Kuai Yue crumpled the secret report in his hand and regained his spirits:
"Besides, even if Liu Bei defeated Cao Ren in Ye County, Cao Cao would only lose a few thousand soldiers and horses. It is expected that he would mobilize all his troops and march southward afterwards."

"Liu Bei can only lead his main force north to resist Cao Cao at this time. We can take advantage of the situation to gather troops and cross the river to the north. We may be able to recapture Xinye!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a gleam of light suddenly flashed in Liu Biao's dazed eyes.

"Xudu secret report!"

The shouting sounded again, and another guard rushed in hurriedly.

"My lord, the spies from Xudu have sent back a secret report."

"Yuan Shu usurped the throne in Huainan. Cao Cao, in compliance with the Emperor's order, has led his army to Xuhuai!"

There was an uproar in the lobby again.

This explosive piece of news immediately overshadowed the tragic news of the fall of Xinye, causing all the famous and powerful people in Xiangyang to fall into an uproar and discussion.

"How could Yuan Shu be so foolish as to dare to usurp the throne and proclaim himself emperor?"

"Why choose this time?"

Kuai Yue's face, which had just regained some confidence, was instantly replaced by an expression of disbelief and surprise.

Liu Biao was also shocked and couldn't believe it.

After being in a trance for a long time.

Liu Biao looked at Kuai Yue with a complicated look and sighed helplessly:
"Yidu, Yidu, you miscalculated again. This time, even the sky is helping Liu Bei."

Kuai Yue's body shuddered, and a look of shame suddenly flashed across his face.

Yuan Shu's declaration of emperorship meant that Cao Cao had to move his troops to Xu Huai and no longer had time to look south to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei no longer had any worries and could concentrate all his efforts on crossing the Han River and capturing Xiangyang.

His prediction was once again ruthlessly slapped in the face by cruel facts.

"Husband, you have to avenge my second brother!"

"Liu Bei killed my two younger brothers. You must kill him to avenge me."

Mrs. Cai threw herself at Liu Biao's feet and cried out in grief and anger.

Liu Biao pushed her away in disgust and said angrily:

"I have entrusted all my troops to your brothers, but they have repeatedly lost soldiers and generals, not only their own lives, but also tens of thousands of my elite soldiers." "It has come to this point. It is hard to say whether I can defend the Han River, let alone how can I have troops to avenge your brothers!"

Mrs. Cai was stunned. She didn't expect that Liu Biao would openly express his dissatisfaction with the Cai family in front of so many people, even in front of Cai Mao.

Mrs. Cai's face changed and she looked at Cai Mao anxiously.

Cai Mao lowered his head and shook his head helplessly at Mrs. Cai.

There's nothing you can do, he's in the wrong.

In the battle of Rang County, Cai He lost 10,000 troops of Liu Biao.

In the battle of Yuyang, Cai Zhong lost another 10,000 troops of Liu Biao.

In the battle of Xinye, he and the Cai Zhong brothers destroyed another 10,000 elite soldiers of Liu Biao.

After several battles, Liu Biao had more than 30,000 soldiers and horses, all of whom were killed by his three brothers.

Even though Liu Biao had a large family and great wealth, the loss of so many elite troops in a short period of time must have been a serious blow to his health.

There are only 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers available in Xiangyang now. How can we avenge Cai Zhong and Cai He with such a small force?

Seeing that Cai Mao remained silent, Mrs. Cai could only sob quietly and dared not cry or make a fuss anymore.

"Right now, I don't have many soldiers in Xiangyang, so I really can't go north to fight Liu Bei again right away."

"Since Liu Bei is not pursuing us, I think we should quickly send more troops to Fancheng to prevent Liu Bei from coming to the Han River and threatening Xiangyang."

At this critical moment, Kuai Yue had no choice but to suppress his shame and shamelessly give advice to Liu Biao.

Liu Biao took a few deep breaths and finally regained some composure.

Then he looked at everyone and asked:
"For now, we can only do as Yidu said."

"Who among you is willing to lead the troops to guard Fancheng?"

No one said anything, all the generals lowered their heads, and no one dared to volunteer.

The successive disastrous defeats caused these Jingzhou generals to develop a deep fear of Liu Bei.

They couldn’t even defend such an important town like Xinye, let alone Fancheng?

If things go wrong, he will become the second Cai Zhong. He will not only fail to defend the city, but also lose his life...

"Father, I am willing to lead the army to defend Fancheng!"

In the silence, Liu Qi jumped up and unexpectedly asked for a fight.

Everyone was surprised. No one expected that Liu Qi, who had always been cowardly, would take the initiative to volunteer to defend a dangerous place like Fancheng.

Cai Mao was surprised, but immediately saw through Liu Qi's motives.

The eldest son of the Liu family was unwilling to let Liu Cong take away his throne, so he wanted to burn his boats and take a gamble!
If you go to garrison Fancheng, you will be able to gain military power.

If we can hold on to Fancheng, it would be equivalent to saving Jingzhou from danger, and our reputation would surely soar.

All these benefits will undoubtedly increase Liu Qi's bargaining chips in the fight for the throne.

Cai Mao knew Liu Qi's intention very well, but after gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to let it go.

There is no way. It's your fault that you don't have the courage to defend Fancheng. Then what right do you have to stop Liu Qi from defending it?
Cai Mao could see through Liu Qi's motives, and Liu Biao, as his father, could naturally see through them as well.

"Qi'er is so brave, it's really rare. I can take this opportunity to support Qi'er to take charge of the military power."

"Then I will marry him a girl from the Huang family. With the help of the Huang family's power, he will be able to balance the Cai and Kuai families."

"Brothers fight together to fight tigers, fathers and sons fight together in battle, and in the end, sons are the only reliable ones..."

After Liu Biao weighed the pros and cons, he said happily:
"As expected, a tiger father will have a dog son. Qi'er, you are worthy of being my eldest son!"

"Okay, I will give you 8,000 elite soldiers, order Wang Wei to be your deputy general, and order Huang Zu to transfer several thousand elite soldiers from Jiangxia to your command."

"You must cross the river immediately and go to defend Fancheng for your father!"

Liu Qi was secretly delighted, and hurriedly bowed and said:

"Don't worry, father. I will defend Fancheng as solid as a rock and will never let Liu Bei's troops reach the Han River!"

Looking at his ambitious son, Liu Biao finally showed a gratified smile on his face.

...

On the main street of Xinye.

Liu Bei and Xiao Fang rode in the same car on the way to Deng's house.

Today is the Deng family's ancestral sacrifice day, and all members of the Deng family will be present. Liu Bei wants to take this opportunity to come in person to show his respect and courtesy to the Deng family.

"As the military advisor predicted, after I took Xinye, the heroes of Jingxiang came to join me."

"Military Advisor, take a look at these people. Which ones can be of great use?"

Liu Bei's face was full of relief as he handed the list in his hand to Xiao Fang.

"Ma Liang is a man of great talent and can be put to great use."

"Fu Zhun is loyal and brave, and can be of great use."

"My lord, you can train Deng Zhi as an envoy to help Sun Gongyou share some of the responsibilities."

"And this Chen Zhen..."

Xiao Fang commented on the abilities and qualifications of these heroes and celebrities one by one, as if they were his own treasures, and even helped Lao Liu think of what positions they should take.

"The military advisor's ability to judge people is truly like a great talent scout in the world..."

Liu Bei was amazed.

So he didn't ask any more questions and just used him in the way Xiao Fang recommended him and followed Xiao Fang's arrangements.

When the carriage arrived at the Deng family's ancestral home, Deng Ji and other members of the Deng family were naturally flattered by Liu Bei's visit.

What an honor it is that my lord has condescended to come in person to attend the ancestral sacrifice for a surrendered general like me!

The entire Deng family was naturally moved, and they all came to welcome Liu Bei into the mansion.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Bei and Xiao Fang were already sitting in the hall, drinking and chatting with Deng Ji.

After several rounds of drinking, Deng Ji winked at his servant, and soon the servant brought in a baby several months old.

"My Lord, this is my son, he is just three months old. I originally wanted to name him Deng Fan, but my wife didn't like it."

"It is a rare occasion for the Lord to come today. I would like to ask the Lord to give my son a name."

Deng Ji smiled and held his son in his arms.

Old Liu held him in his arms, teased him and praised him, but then he laughed at himself and said:
"My literary talent is shallow, how can I come up with a good name? The military advisor is knowledgeable, why not let the military advisor come up with it."

It was also a great honor to be given the title of military advisor by Xiao Fang, so Deng Ji immediately asked Xiao Fang for help again.

Xiao Fang couldn't refuse, so he looked at the young master of the Deng family and began to ponder.

Suddenly, his eyes moved and he suddenly thought of something.

"Deng Fan, he said he originally wanted to name the child Deng Fan."

"If I remember correctly, the most powerful person in the Deng family was originally named Deng Fan, and he seemed to be born at this time."

"Could it be that the man is Deng Ji's son?"

Xiao Fang's thoughts raced as he connected all the clues together and soon became certain of his judgment.

The fat boy in front of him is the most powerful one among the Deng family in Nanyang.

However, in history, it would take decades for this child to step onto the historical stage and shine.

At this time, he was just a newborn baby.

"Please, military advisor, give my son a name."

Seeing that Xiao Fang was in a trance, Deng Ji asked again in a low voice.

Xiao Fang's thoughts returned to the present. He poked his forehead with his fingertips and pretended to think about it.

"Have it!"

After thinking for a while, Xiao Fang pretended that his eyes lit up and then he said the name.

(End of this chapter)