Chapter 89 Liu Biao is not a concern, and Huang Zu is not a concern either! We have to race against time with that little tyrant!
"Deng Ai!"

Xiao Fang gave this name that will go down in history to the fat boy in front of him.

Or rather, this name originally belonged to him.

Deng Ai, originally the most famous general in the late Cao Wei period, sneaked across Yinping and destroyed Ji Han. While sending himself to the Temple of Martial Arts, he was also beheaded by Sima.

Speaking of which, Deng Ai can be considered an enemy of Ji Han.

However, there is an old saying that goes, "Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines."

The historical trajectory had changed at this time. Deng Ai would not lose his father at a young age, nor would he become a farmer of Cao Wei, nor would he become an enemy of Shu Han.

Of course, under the flapping of his butterfly wings, the Shu Han, which was isolated and weak in national strength, would most likely not appear.

On the contrary, Deng Ji became a general under Liu Bei, and when Deng Ai grew up, it would be natural for him to become Liu Bei's subject.

This child has great talent. In the future, he may be able to transform from a butcher's knife that destroys the Han Dynasty into a divine sword that defends the Han Dynasty.

"Ai means admiration for beauty."

"Military Advisor Xiao gave this name to my nephew. Zhi guessed that it should mean yearning for beauty."

Deng Zhi on the side speculated.

Xiao Fang thought that Deng Zhi was indeed suitable to be an envoy, as he was knowledgeable, talented and eloquent.

He had not studied the meaning of Deng Ai's name in detail, but after Deng Zhi's forced explanation, it seemed that this was indeed the meaning.

"I have long heard of Deng Bo Miao's reputation for being a learned man. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Xiao Fang took the opportunity to agree with Deng Zhi's guess and praised him.

Deng Zhi was flattered to receive Xiao Fang's praise, and a hint of pride flashed across the young man's face.

"Deng Ai Deng Ai, um, what a good name."

"Thank you, military advisor, for the name!"

Deng Ji happily accepted the name and thanked Xiao Fang repeatedly.

After a family dinner, Deng Ji led the Deng family to see Liu Bei and Xiao Fang off.

"My Lord, I am a spy from Fancheng and have just delivered a secret report."

As soon as the two men mounted their horses, Chen Dao handed them a secret message written on silk.

When Liu Bei heard the word "Fancheng", he immediately became alert and opened the silk book impatiently.

After looking at it for a few times, Liu Bei couldn't help but smile and looked at Xiao Fang with admiration.

"Liu Biao's every move is under the control of the military advisor."

"As the military advisor predicted, Liu Biao did not abandon Fancheng because we did not pursue the victory. Instead, he ordered his son Liu Qi to lead 8,000 soldiers to station in Fancheng."

"In addition, Liu Biao also transferred 5,000 soldiers and more than 100 warships from Huang Zu of Jiangxia, led by his son Huang She, to strengthen the defense of Fancheng."

"The number of warships in the Fancheng Water Camp has increased to more than 200, which is enough for us to cross the river."

There was a hint of excitement in Liu Bei's tone as he handed the secret report to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang took the silk book, examined it, and saw a different meaning in it.

"Xiangyang ordered Liu Qi to guard Fancheng. I guess he wanted to support his son and share Cai Mao's military power."

"According to the spies in Xiangyang, Liu Biao has been putting pressure on Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, to marry his son to the Huang family's daughter."

"Now we have Huang Zu's son. Send his son to lead the army to reinforce the defense of Fancheng and assist Liu Qi."

"All signs indicate that Liu Biao was already dissatisfied with the Cai and Kuai families, and intended to support his own son and marry into the Huang family, using the Huang family to check and balance the Cai and Kuai families."

Xiao Fang uncovered Liu Biao's thoughts thoroughly.

Liu Bei's eyes moved slightly, and he read the secret report carefully again, and then he suddenly understood.

"Military advisor, you are as clear-minded as a mirror. You can see this deep meaning."

After Liu Bei expressed his approval, a look of fear appeared on his face.

"I heard that Huang Chengyan is a noble man from Xiangyang. The Huang family's foundation is second only to the Cai and Kuai families, and there are many talented people in the family."

"Just like Huang Zu, who was known as the best general in Jingzhou and once killed Sun Jian, the Tiger of Changsha!"

“If Liu Biao transfers Huang Zu to Xiangfan to take charge of the overall situation, I am afraid that it will cause great trouble to our army crossing the Han River.”

"Military Advisor, in your opinion, should we take action in advance, capture Fancheng, seize their water camp warships, and cross the Han River as soon as possible?"

From what Liu Bei said, he was quite wary of Huang Zu.

This is no wonder. When the princes of the world were fighting against Dong Zhuo, no one was a match for him. Even Cao Cao was almost beaten and lost his life.

Only the tough man Sun Jian won victories all the way, frightened the Xiliang army, and finally forced Dong Zhuo to move the capital to avoid him.

Such a strong man was killed by Huang Zu.

With all this back and forth, doesn't Huang Zu have to be an unrivaled macho man?

It's no wonder that Old Liu is wary.

"Huang Zu did have some talent as a general, but his killing of Sun Jian was purely a fluke."

"If Sun Jian wasn't so arrogant and always led the troops in every battle, how could he have been injured by his stray arrows and lost his life?"

"So we really need to cross the Han River as soon as possible and seize Xiangyang. We need to race against time, but we are not racing against Huang Zu."

After Xiao Fang evaluated Huang Zu, he raised his hand and pointed to the east:
"We have to race against time with that little Jiangdong bully!"

The Little Overlord of Jiangdong?
Sun Ce?

Liu Bei's heart trembled and his eyes turned to the east.

"Now that Yuan Shu has usurped the throne, I expect Cao Cao to send an envoy to induce Sun Ce to abandon Yuan Shu."

"This little tyrant is quite ambitious and will not be content to be under Yuan Shu. I expect he will take the opportunity to break with Yuan Shu and establish himself as the lord of Jiangdong." "If the lord had not conquered Jingzhou, Liu Biao had a well-trained army and sufficient food, and Huang Zu was guarding Jiangxia, Sun Ce might not have marched west so early. He would most likely focus on digging into Yuan Shu's corners and managing Huainan."

"But now, the situation in Jingzhou is different."

"Liu Biao was defeated several times by the lord, and lost many soldiers and generals. His strength was greatly reduced, and he had to withdraw troops from Jiangxia to the north to support Fancheng, which reduced Huang Zu's military strength."

"This will give the little bully an opportunity to take advantage of it."

After some analysis, Xiao Fang asked Chen Dao to bring the map and unfold it in front of Liu Bei.

"There is a change in Jingzhou. This is a godsend opportunity for Sun Ce to swallow up Jingzhou and kill Huang Zu to avenge his father."

"Sun Ce has always been aggressive in his use of troops. I speculate that he will move his troops westward and seize Chaisang before Jiangdong is pacified and firmly established."

"Once he has taken control of Chaisang, the next step will be to charge into Jingzhou, capture Jiangxia, and then go west up the river to compete with us for the heartland of Jingzhou!"

Xiao Fang raised his head, his eyes were as firm as iron, and he slapped the map:
"So we have to race against time with Sun Ce. At least we have to seize Xiangyang, Jiangling and other key areas of Jingzhou before he attacks the hinterland of Jingzhou!"

"If not, my lord, we led our soldiers into countless bloody battles, but in the end, we were just helping Sun Ce."

Liu Bei's expression suddenly changed, his eyes fell on the location of Jiangdong on the map, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Jing Lue's words make sense. I heard that when Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong, he was invincible in every battle. His fierceness in using troops was very similar to that of his father Sun Wentai."

"This boy's threat is indeed far greater than Liu Jingsheng's!"

Liu Bei's nerves tensed up again, so he asked:

"Military Advisor Jinglue, just tell me, how can we compete with Sun Ce for time?"

Xiao Fang smiled, and his tone softened as he said:
"Even if we have to race against time, we still have to eat this meal bite by bite."

"What the lord needs to do now is to return to Wancheng first, invite the heroes of Nanyang to Wancheng, and hold a full-month banquet for the young master with great fanfare."

"In this way, we can make Liu Biao and his son believe that the Lord is immersed in the joy of family life and has no intention of going south to fight for the time being."

"As long as we wait for Liu Biao to let down his guard, we can use the young master's full moon banquet as a cover to launch a surprise attack and catch Liu Biao and his son off guard!"

Xiao Fang was quick and decisive in outlining the next steps for Lao Liu.

The vigilance on Liu Bei's face faded, and his confidence was rekindled. He said happily:
"Okay, let's follow the military advisor's plan. We will return to Wancheng tomorrow to make plans to capture Fancheng and seize the enemy's warships!"

...

a long distance away.

Jiangdong, Danyang County, Moling City.

In the backyard of the military mansion.

Two young warriors are competing in archery.

One of them was heroic and had an air of arrogance, while the other had a face as beautiful as jade and exuded an air of elegance.

"Bofu, Jingzhou just sent back a secret report. Have you read it?"

"Liu Xuande has defeated Liu Biao several times, even killing his nephew and two of his brothers-in-law. Now he has captured Xinye and is about to march to the Han River to seize Xiangyang!"

"Liu Biao lost many soldiers and generals, and his vitality was greatly damaged. He had no choice but to withdraw troops from Jiangxia to the north for assistance."

"Bo Ce, there are signs that Jingzhou has changed its owner. Our chance has come."

Zhou Yu bent his bow and drew his arrow but did not shoot, his tone slightly excited.

Sun Ce couldn't help but put down the bow and arrow that he had just raised.

"This Liu Bei, who was robbed of Xuzhou by Lu Bu and fled like a stray dog?"

"If I remember correctly, he fled with only a few thousand remnants."

"In just half a year, they were able to capture Xinye and reach Liu Biao's doorstep?"

"I'm actually very curious, is it that Liu Biao is too incompetent, or is it that Liu Bei has been reborn?"

Sun Ce's eyes and tone were filled with confusion and surprise.

Zhou Yu also put down the bow and arrow in his hand and took the tea handed to him by his personal guard.

"According to the current intelligence, the reason why Liu Bei was able to revive in Nanyang, defeat the strong with the weak, and even defeat Liu Biao was all thanks to a strategist named Xiao Fang."

"Xiao Fang?"

Sun Ce narrowed his eyes slightly, obviously unfamiliar with the name.

"This person is not from a scholar family, but a commoner from Jingzhou, born in a humble family."

"I heard that Xiao Fang, because Liu Biao did not value him, led Liu Bei to Jingzhou and used several ingenious strategies to help Liu Bei repeatedly inflict heavy damage on Liu Biao."

"Liu Bei's rise in Nanyang was all thanks to this man's advice and counsel behind the scenes."

Zhou Yu sipped his tea and told everyone all the information he knew.

"In Jingzhou, I have only heard that Kuai Yue is very intelligent and is known as the best counselor in Jingzhou."

"Is there such a powerful person hidden in this countryside? Even Kuai Yue is no match for him?"

A look of deep surprise welled up in Sun Ce's eyes.

"Jingzhou has many hidden talents, so it is reasonable that one or two extraordinary people can emerge."

"As for Kuai Yue, he is just a name in name only. Xiao Fang's wisdom and strategy are indeed remarkable, but it is not surprising that he is better than Kuai Yue."

Zhou Yu changed the subject, with a fierce look in his eyes:
"Whether it's Liu Bei or Xiao Fang, it doesn't matter."

"The key is Liu Bei's sudden rise to power, which helped us weaken Liu Biao and provided us with a golden opportunity to seize Jingzhou!"

"Bofu, do you remember the strategy I told you: first conquer Jiangdong, then take Jingzhou, occupy the entire Yangtze River, and then go north to compete with Yuan and Cao for the Central Plains?"

"Now that Jiangdong has been secured and Jingzhou has changed, we should take the second step and seize Jingzhou, completely controlling the Yangtze River."

After hearing Zhou Yu's words, Sun Ce's heart was shocked and excitement suddenly appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)