Chapter 98: All the land north of the Han River belongs to me! Xiao Fang solves the case! Vicious woman, I will kill you!

In Fancheng, the people were in panic and the military morale was low.

From the city walls to the military camps, complaints from the Jingzhou soldiers could be heard everywhere.

The remaining food and grass in the city have been basically exhausted, and the soldiers' rations have had to be reduced again and again, and are now less than 30% of the normal amount.

The few dozen war horses were all slaughtered to satisfy their hunger, but it was still a drop in the bucket and could not fill the soldiers' increasingly empty stomachs.

The entire Fancheng city is shrouded in the shadow of despair.

In the mansion.

Liu Qi sat in the upper seat. His physical discomfort and tremendous mental pressure made him look even weaker.

"My Lord promises that as long as the eldest son is willing to open the city and surrender, my Lord will never embarrass the eldest son because of our common clan."

"From these 10,000 surrendered soldiers, you can select 3,000 men and cross the river back to Xiangyang."

The envoy Deng Zhi in front of the hall loudly stated the conditions for surrender and presented Liu Bei's handwritten letter.

Liu Qi opened the letter, stared at it silently, and fell into deep thought.

"My Lord knows that the food and grass in your city have run out, and the morale of the army has hit rock bottom. The soldiers have no intention of fighting to the death."

"Huang Zu hid in Jiangxia, fearing that Sun Ce would take advantage of his situation, so he could not send troops to rescue him."

"Although Cai Mao has gone to mobilize the Jiangling navy to the north, distant water cannot quench the thirst nearby. As long as my lord gives the order, we will definitely be able to flatten Fancheng before the Jiangling navy arrives."

"Young Master should be able to see that the change of hands of Fancheng is a foregone conclusion."

"If the eldest son died in the battle of Fancheng, I'm afraid that Cai Mao and his ilk would celebrate and finally be able to persuade your father to make Liu Cong the heir."

"The eldest master probably doesn't want to see this scene."

Deng Zhi pointed out the desperate situation of Fancheng in a calm tone, and his last sentence, without any expression, hit Liu Qi's sore spot.

Liu Qi's body shook, his fists suddenly clenched, and a look of unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

"He's right. Defending Fancheng will only lead to death!"

"I have been suppressed and targeted by that evil woman of the Cai family and her brothers for so many years, and I have suffered a lot of injustice."

"Isn't their purpose to destroy me so that they can support my second brother as the heir?"

"If I really die here, wouldn't that be exactly what they want? They'll wake up laughing in their dreams!"

"I can't die. I can't die in Fancheng..."

Liu Qi's fists were clenched until they crackled, the veins on his forehead twitched slightly, and his eyes gradually became bloodshot.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time.

Liu Qi let out a long breath and sighed helplessly:
"I know Liu Xuande is a gentleman and will keep his promise. You reply to Liu Xuande and I will give him Fancheng."

Deng Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately left the city with Liu Qi's reply.

He just walked off with his front foot.

Wang Wei jumped up and asked anxiously:
"My Lord, do you really want to surrender to Liu Bei?"

Liu Qi sighed and asked with a bitter face:

"General Wang, you are a veteran general of Jingzhou. When it comes to the ability to defend a city, you are far better than me."

"In your opinion, can Fancheng still be defended in such a desperate situation?"

Wang Wei was startled, his face full of anxiety, and he instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.

The food and supplies inside are approaching, but the reinforcements outside have not arrived yet. Not to mention him, even if Han Xin was here, he would be powerless to turn the situation around.

After a moment of silence, a gleam of light flashed in Wang Wei's eyes, and he lowered his voice and said:
"Master, there is another way. Although it is a bit cruel, it can help us hold on for a few more days."

Liu Qi was shocked and looked up at Wang Wei.

"There are still thousands of people in Fancheng, and they must have stored food at home."

"If we collect these stored grains, we may be able to hold out for another ten days until Cai Mao leads the Jiangling navy to arrive."

Wang Wei gave a plan, but then sighed:

"But this plan is somewhat cruel to the people. The soldiers can barely fill their stomachs, but the people may starve—"

He didn't say the word "death" and let out another helpless sigh.

After Liu Qi weighed the options, he shook his head:
"Even if we forcibly requisition these grains and fodder, we can barely hold out for a few more days, but who can guarantee that we can hold out until Cai Mao arrives to help?"

"By then, Fancheng will still be in danger. Not only will I have killed 10,000 soldiers, but I will also have caused thousands of civilians in the city to be buried with me!"

"Forget it, stop struggling in vain."

Liu Qi denied what Wang Wei said.

Wang Wei exhaled and sighed:

"I also know that the eldest son will most likely not use this strategy."

"But the eldest son is the eldest son of the lord. If he surrenders to Liu Bei, it will be equivalent to carrying a huge stain."

"Even if we return to Xiangyang, how will the Lord view the eldest son?"

"How will Cai Mao and his people take advantage of the situation to attack the eldest son and support the second son as the heir?"

“Have these young masters never thought about this?”

Liu Qi's mouth was bitter, and he said helplessly:

"I have never thought about what you said."

"But I have to stay alive first, so I have a chance to face these things."

"Otherwise, I will die with hatred in my heart, and watch Cai Mao and his men celebrating in my grave!"

"I would rather endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens than let them get what they want so easily!"

Liu Qi clenched his fists again, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

Wang Wei's body shuddered, he shook his head and sighed, and finally stopped persuading her.

...

A day later, at dusk.

On the north gate tower of Fancheng, the flag was hoisted high.

The city gate opened, the drawbridge dropped, and nearly 10,000 hungry Jingzhou soldiers walked out of the north gate dejectedly, took off their armor and weapons, waiting for reorganization.

Liu Qi, accompanied by a few generals including Wang Wei, waited silently in front of the city gate.

The gate of the northern camp was wide open.

Liu Bei personally led the army and marched towards Fancheng in a mighty manner.

"Liu Qi surrendered as promised, saving countless lives and injuries."

"The military advisor's strategy of defeating the enemy without fighting is truly the best strategy!"

Looking at the soldiers of Jingzhou lining up to surrender, Liu Bei was both delighted and moved, and looked back at Xiao Fang with admiration. Xiao Fang smiled faintly and raised his hand to point:
"My lord, that Young Master Liu is here."

Liu Bei put away his emotion, looked up and saw several riders riding towards him.

First, a frail-looking nobleman dismounted from his horse with the help of his deputy general. He took a deep breath and bowed to him.

"Liu Qi pays respect to Lord Xuande."

Liu Bei raised his whip slightly and said:

"Nephew, please excuse me. Since you are trustworthy, I, Liu Bei, will keep my promise."

"I have prepared the boat for you. You can now take three thousand soldiers and cross the river to reunite with your father."

Liu Qi breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.

"Xuan De is a man of his word, and he is truly a gentleman."

"Although Qi and you are enemies, to be honest, Qi really admires Lord Xuande..."

Before he could finish his heartfelt words, Wang Wei beside him coughed dryly a few times.

Liu Qi suddenly came back to his senses.

The Liu Bei in front of him was his father’s mortal enemy.

If he openly expressed his admiration for Liu Bei in front of so many people and this got back to Liu Biao's ears, wouldn't it be another stain on his face?
Liu Qi had no choice but to swallow his words and bowed his hands and said:

"In that case, Qi will say goodbye."

"We'll meet again on the battlefield someday, and we'll fight to the death!"

After saying this, Liu Qi jumped on his horse and was about to leave.

Just as he climbed onto the horse's back, the blood in his chest began to churn and he suddenly started coughing violently.

"Woo~~"

A stream of black spurted out of his mouth.

Wang Wei and others on his left and right hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Xiao Fang looked at Liu Qi like this and suddenly realized something was wrong, so he dismounted and walked forward.

Xu Chu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed.

"I know a little bit about medicine, Mr. Liu, why don't you let me take a look at you."

Liu Qi was coughing uncomfortably and didn't care about much else. He could only let Xiao Fang take his pulse and examine him.

After a while.

Xiao Fang frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:

"Based on Mr. Liu's symptoms, you should be poisoned."

"Moreover, the poison has already penetrated deeply into the lungs. Even if a god were here, there would be nothing he could do to save him."

Wang Wei and others were shocked.

Liu Qi was also horrified and said with a look of doubt:

"I'm fine, how could I be poisoned?"

Xiao Fang looked him up and down and said slowly:
"Looking at your complexion, the color of the blood you vomited, and your pulse, you must have been poisoned."

"If my guess is correct, someone must have poisoned your food, and the amount was just right, so that you wouldn't notice it, and yet it would poison your body like a frog in boiling water."

"Master Liu, go back and check the people around you. Most likely someone has bribed them and wants to kill you without making a sound."

Xiao Fang did not point it out directly, but he had already guessed who it was.

The only people who could poison Liu Qi without showing any emotion and profit from the poisoning were none other than the Cai siblings.

The person with the greatest suspicion and the strongest operational potential is Liu Qi's stepmother, Mrs. Cai.

He suddenly thought of Liu Qi in history, who was in his prime, but died of illness not long after the Battle of Chibi.

Could it be that Madam Cai also secretly poisoned him and he was poisoned silently?
Xiao Fang's words were like thunder, hitting Liu Qi's head.

His head was buzzing, he was gasping for breath, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

"Could it be that evil woman..."

Liu Qi's body shook violently and he shuddered.

After forcing himself to calm down, Liu Qi struggled to bow and said:
"Thank you for reminding me. I will go back and check if someone wants to murder me."

After saying this, Liu Qi said nothing more. He forced himself to get on his horse and headed towards the water camp south of the city.

"Military Advisor, Liu Qi is the eldest son of Liu Jingsheng. Who could be so bold and vicious as to poison him?"

After seeing Liu Qi off, Liu Bei asked with a look of suspicion on his face.

Xiao Fang smiled coldly and said slowly:
"Once Liu Qi dies, Liu Cong will become Liu Biao's only legitimate son and will be undisputedly appointed as the heir apparent."

"And Liu Cong's wife is the niece of Mrs. Cai, the legitimate daughter of the Cai family."

"The one who poisoned her must be Madam Cai!"

Liu Bei suddenly realized.

"I didn't expect that this Cai is such a vicious woman."

"It's a pity that Liu Jingsheng, the ruler of a state and a famous scholar of the time, married such a vicious woman."

Xiao Fang smiled coldly and said disapprovingly:
"In order to gain the support of the Cai family, Liu Biao did not hesitate to allow the Cai brothers to bully his own son. I think Liu Biao and the Cai family are really like-minded."

"My lord, there is no need to feel sorry for Liu Biao. We just need to enter our Fancheng!"

Liu Bei seemed to have realized something, so he put away his feelings, rode his horse and rushed into the city.

Fancheng.

The last important town on the north bank of the Han River thus changed its owner.

On the Han River, bamboo rafts carrying 3,000 Jingzhou soldiers were heading towards the south bank.

On a big ship.

Liu Qi's eyes were wide open and his fists were clenched. He was staring at the servant who was kneeling on the deck, covered with bruises.

"Please spare my life, sir. I was forced to do this."

"It was Madam Cai's trusted servant who threatened my wife and children and forced me to drug the eldest son."

"I have no choice but to do this. Please spare my life, young master~~"

The servant didn't care about his torn body and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Liu Qi suddenly drew his sword and roared with a ferocious look:
"Cai, you vicious woman, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you~~"

(End of this chapter)