"Wenxiu..." Cai Sheng patted Liu Zhu on the shoulder with a heavy face and said, "I have some bad news for you. Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu... died in Linxiang in battle."
When Liu Zhu got off the boat, he heard the bad news. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He was stunned on the spot, and tears poured out of his eyes like a dam bursting.
Liu Zhu was originally from Nanyang County. When he was young, he followed his parents to escape the war and lived in Changsha. However, not long after, both his parents died of illness and he became a helpless orphan.
Because he was still young and had no ability to support himself, he could only make a living by begging in the city, living a life without enough food every day.
If Zhu A hadn't taken him in, given his age at the time, he wouldn't have been able to survive in the market for a long time. He might have died of starvation, illness, or being beaten to death one day...
Zhu A was not only kind to him in raising him, but also kind in keeping him alive. Liu Zhu had already regarded him as a father and brother. When he suddenly received the news that he had died in battle, he couldn't control his grief for a moment.
For a long time, Liu Zhu suppressed the grief in his heart and shed tears to ask Cai Sheng. When he learned that Zhu Anai was killed by a general of the Jingzhou Army, he immediately vowed to avenge Zhu A's death.
Liu Zong also felt sorry for Zhu A's death. The two had cooperated in opening Changle Ju in the past and had money exchanges. However, due to the large gap in their identities, their relationship was not close and they would only see each other during New Years and holidays.
Wang Qiang, on the other hand, was not touched by Zhu A's death. You must know that when he lived in Changle, he almost lost all his money and was forced to borrow money from loan sharks and almost lost his life.
"That's Chu Ziping, right?" Liu Zong's eyes fell on Chu Fang beside Cai Sheng. Among the crowd, he was the only one who had never met Chu Fang. Chu Fang was about seven feet three inches tall, which was actually not short.
After all, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was only 7 feet 3 inches tall. However, compared with his reputation for bravery, he was a little inconsistent, and his appearance was a little ordinary. There was nothing surprising about him, except that he was physically strong and different from ordinary people.
"Exactly." Chu Fang nodded.
Liu Zongdao said: "You are one of the top heroes in Changsha. I have already heard about your name when I was still in charge. You are extremely filial to your mother and have almost never left Ling County for many years. I often feel that I have not had the opportunity to get to know him."
It’s a pity that I finally got what I wanted today.”
Chu Fang said: "I have heard of Shishu's name for a long time. He was alone when he was young and spent his wealth to avenge his father. Everyone in the country respects him."
Liu Zong added: "Not only is my filial piety and bravery unparalleled, my loyalty is also unparalleled. In order to repay Lord Zhang's kindness, he went north alone, broke through the enemy siege and entered Linxiang. Everyone in Changsha is paying attention."
Chu Fang said with emotion: "This is nothing. A man should avenge his enemies and repay his favors. That's all."
"Good." Liu Zong clapped his hands and praised, "This is what a man should be like."
Then, Liu Zong turned his attention back to Cai Sheng and asked, "Brother Cai, I wonder how your preparations are going here?"
Cai Sheng replied: "Everything is ready and ready to go."
Liu Zong asked again: "Brother Cai, have you found any traces of the Northern Army in the past few days?"
"Yes." Cai Sheng nodded, "But they were just a small group of scouts, and no trace of the large group was found."
"This is best." Liu Zong said: "Without further delay, Brother Cai will go back to mobilize the people and prepare to set off. This time Zhongda sent all the ships that could be mobilized. According to the previously planned plan, the women and children
The old and the weak take boats, the young and the strong walk on foot.”
"Okay." Cai Sheng also had a resolute and resolute character, so he immediately turned back to Liling.
Liu Zong ordered Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang to stay and transport the people, while he led the fleet to continue northward to monitor the Northern Army.
Within an hour, countless people from Liling arrived, dragging their families and families.
As the saying goes, "A year's plan begins with spring." March was the time for spring plowing, but the people of Liling had no intention of plowing. They fled with their families, and less than half of them chose to stay.
Just when Liu Jing was migrating the people of Liling, Liu Biao, who was far away in Xiangyang, received the news of the fall of Linxiang.
"Congratulations, general, congratulations, general..." Farewell to Liu Xian, Zhizhong Pang Ji, Chief Secretary Kuai Liang and other officials all congratulated Liu Biao.
Liu Biao couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Although it was still early to completely pacify Jingnan, because there was still a very troublesome Liu Jing in the south. But conquering Linxiang, the governor of Changsha, was undoubtedly a big step forward. As long as Liu Jing was solved, The scenery and Jingnan can be determined by sending a message.
To deal with Liu Jing, it is not necessary to use force. Surrendering is also an option. As long as Liu Jing agrees to surrender, he is even willing to let him serve as the prefect of a county. Of course, doing this will definitely make Cai Mao dissatisfied, but this will This is the fastest way to pacify Jingnan. At that time, Liu Biao can only temporarily let his wife and brother suffer some injustice.
Thinking of this, Liu Biao spoke to the officials: "A few years ago, Changsha was unruly and dared to rebel. He had no choice but to raise troops to fight against the rebellion and eliminate the violence. Now that Zhang Xian is dead and Linxiang has gone down, only Liu Zhongda of Ling County has not yet surrendered. I can't bear it." The people of Changsha continue to suffer from military disasters and rebellion, so we plan to send people to recruit Liu Jing to surrender, what do you think?"
All the officials in the hall couldn't help but look at each other. It would be a good idea to recruit Liu Jing to surrender. Liu Biao once recommended Liu Jing as a talented person. Although the latter did not accept it, it was considered old. Now Zhang Xian is dead and Liu Jing has already There is no reason to fight again, so it might be possible to surrender.
Liu Xian said: "Liu Zhongda once lived in Lai Bojing's mansion when he was young. The two families were even close to each other by marriage. Now Lai Bojing happens to be in Linxiang, so he can test his heart." Liu Xian was from Lingling County and he admired Liu Jing very much. , naturally strongly agree with this proposal.
Pang Ji frowned and said: "Before Zhang Xian died of illness, in order to stabilize the internal situation, he was appointed as the prefect of Lingling. If we can't come up with equal conditions, I'm afraid Liu Zhongda will not surrender easily."
Liu Biao said calmly: "Zhang Xian still has such courage, how can he be inferior to him?"
Kuai Liang said: "It is not impossible to recruit and surrender, but Liu Zhongda is a hero and has a great influence in Jingnan. After the recruitment is successful, we must not allow him to continue to stay in Jingnan."
"Of course." Liu Biao nodded lightly. Leaving Liu Jing in Jingnan was like raising a tiger's head. I'm afraid that in a few years, he would become the second Zhang Xian, even more difficult to deal with than Zhang Xian. .The position Liu Biao prepared for Liu Jing was Zhangling Prefect.
Since Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao, Zhangling County has become Liu Biao's northern gateway. Liu Jing has literary and military talents, so Liu Biao asked him to defend himself against Cao Cao. Moreover, Zhangling is located near Xiangyang, making it convenient for supervision. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone.
However, during the reign of Emperor Huan of this dynasty, the imperial court established the "Three Mutual Laws" based on the prefectures and counties, and the relationship between the parties, and the "Three Mutual Laws" were implemented. Not only the place of birth was avoided, but the family of marriage was also avoided. Liu Jing's wife Deng Yuan was Zhang Ling According to regulations, Liu Jing cannot serve as the prefect of Zhangling.
Nowadays, the world is in chaos, and the princes are in charge of their own affairs, but they still implement the principle of avoidance of three mutual laws. However, Liu Biao is an exception. He appointed Cai Mao from Nanjun as the prefect of Nanjun, and Huang Zu from Jiangxia as the prefect of Jiangxia. Liu Jing is only a marriage house, so naturally more Don't care anymore.
After Liu Biao expressed his thoughts, all the officials fell into silence. Previously, Kuai Yue was the governor of Zhangling, but he led the army all the time and could not manage affairs. Liu Biao made Huang She, the son of Huang Zu, the governor of Zhangling. The Huang family and his son
For a time, he was the governor of Jingzhou, and his power was the highest in Jingzhou.
At the end of last year, Huang She followed his father Huang Zu to fight with Sun Ce in Shaxian, and was defeated but only escaped with his own life. Now Liu Biao wants to replace Huang She with Liu Jing, which is not wrong. But it is enough for Liu Biao to make the decision in this matter.
It’s inconvenient to say more.
Since all the officials in the hall had no objections, Liu Biao made his decision immediately.
To celebrate the capture of Linxiang, Liu Biao held a banquet in the main hall for all the ministers, and the whole day was full of joy.
However, for Liu Biao, the recent good news did not stop there. In mid-April, news of Sun Ce's assassination spread back to Xiangyang.
Everyone in Jingzhou was shocked and confused from top to bottom, but Liu Biao did not even verify it and directly asserted that the news was true.
His father, Sun Jian, was driven by Yuan Shu to fight for Jingzhou with him. Sun Jian was very good at using troops and once forced him to be trapped in Xiangyang. However, in such a good situation, Sun Jian actually went alone and was shot by the ambushed sergeant Huang Zu.
He killed him and changed the situation of the war in one fell swoop. After that, Yuan Shu could no longer resist him and was soon driven out of Nanyang.
Now, Sun Ce was assassinated by an assassin while hunting. The father and son are so similar.
Although Sun Jian, Sun Ce and his son were brave and good at fighting, they were both frivolous and impetuous people, and without exception they all died at the hands of villains.
Now that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are fighting a decisive battle on the Yellow River in the north, Linxiang has descended in the south, and Sun Ce has been assassinated in the east, there is no worries for the time being. It can be said that Liu Biao has changed the situation that was unfavorable in all three directions last year, and there has been a turning point in all three directions.
In this way, Liu Biao became more confident in recruiting Liu Jing to surrender. Unless the latter wanted to die, he would definitely lead his troops to surrender.
In April, Yuan Shao's general Yan Liang was very anxious to besiege Baima. Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun, informed Cao Cao. Cao Cao personally led the army north. He adopted the strategy of counselor Xun You to attack the east and attack the west. He led his troops to Yanjin and pretended to cross the river to attack Yuan Shao's rear. Yuan Shao actually divided his troops to Yanjin.
Cao Cao took advantage of the opportunity and led his light cavalry, sending Zhang Liao and Guan Yu as the vanguard to rush towards the white horse.
Guan Yu took the lead and rushed into the army to kill Yan Liang and beheaded him before returning. Cao's army then attacked with all his troops and defeated Yuan's army.
After Cao Cao lifted the siege of Baima, he moved his people to retreat westward. Yuan Shao was unwilling to fail and sent generals Wen Chou and Liu Bei to pursue Cao's army.
At that time, Cao Cao's army had few soldiers, and Cao Cao ordered his soldiers to unload their saddles and horses, and deliberately threw the baggage beside the road. Yuan's army fell into the trap, and they scrambled for property. Cao Cao suddenly ordered a counterattack, defeated Yuan's army again, and killed General Wen Chou.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou were both famous generals in Hebei, but they were defeated in a battle, and the morale of Yuan's army was greatly reduced.
However, although Yuan Shao started the war unfavorably, he still had a considerable advantage in terms of military strength compared to Cao Cao, and he also achieved his strategic goal of crossing the Yellow River. The two sides once again entered a stalemate stage.
Henan Yin, Zhongmou.
Cao Cao is now using the emperor to command the princes, and his reputation has spread all over the world. The world has never heard of his face, and most people think that he is a handsome and majestic man. However, the reality is exactly the opposite. Cao Cao is only seven feet tall, with slightly dark skin and long, thin eyes.
Beard, no appearance.
As soon as Cao Cao retreated from the frontline battlefield, Henan Yinxia Houdun told him two pieces of news, one good and one bad.
The good news is that Sun Ce was assassinated and died. Guo Jia had previously asserted that Sun Ce was "ignorant and unprepared, has a quick temper and lacks strategy. He is the brave man of an ordinary man, and he will die by a villain one day." However, even if Cao Cao knew Guo Jia's plan, it would be like this.
He didn't really believe this "prophecy", but he didn't expect it to be predicted by Guo Jiayi.
Sun Ce followed his father Sun Jian's bravery and swept Jiangdong in just a few years. Cao Cao once lamented that "it's hard to compete with a raccoon." His son Cao Zhang married the daughter of Sun Ce's elder brother Sun Ben, and at the same time married his niece to Sun Ce's younger brother Sun.
Kuang.
However, Sun Ce had ambitions that could not be stopped by the so-called marriage. When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were confronting the Yellow River, he heard that Sun Ce was building troops in the east of the Yangtze River and had the intention of attacking Xudu. Cao Cao was worried about this. Now he heard that he had been assassinated.
Death, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The bad news is that after two years of conquest, Liu Biao finally captured Linxiang, the county seat of Changsha. Although Cao Cao had heard of Liu Jing's name, he didn't know him well. He was just a small county magistrate and couldn't catch his eye. He couldn't
He would think that Liu Jing could stop Liu Biao's army. In his opinion, Zhang Xian was dead, Linxiang had fallen, and Liu Biao's unification of Jingnan was unstoppable.
Liu Biaosu and Yuan Shao were of the same mind. Once Liu Biao pacified Jingnan, he transferred his troops back to the north and cooperated with Yuan Shao to attack Xudu. The consequences would be unimaginable. Yuan Shao and Liu Biao were both the most powerful princes in the world. Cao Cao was already quite impressed with how to deal with one of them.
It's difficult, and if he faces two people at the same time, he will definitely lose.
Xiahou Dun said: "Meng De, Nanyang Zhang Ziyun used to work side by side with Meng De when he was in the capital. Now, although Zhang Ziyun is in a deserted area, he cannot come to the court. He is also a vassal town of the country, and he can provide foreign aid."
Xiahou Dun is in his forties this year. He is tall and strong, wearing a beam crown and official robes. He has good appearance, but his left eye is wrapped with thick silk cloth. His left eye was shot during the battle with Lu Bu.
He was lucky to be able to save his life after being hit by a stray arrow.
However, he was a man with outstanding appearance, and suddenly he lost one eye. This made him get so angry every time he looked in the mirror that he dropped the mirror to the ground. The officers in the army secretly called him "Blind Xiahou", and he was angry in his heart.
It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing you can do about it.
Hearing Xiahou Dun's words, Cao Cao's heart moved. To be honest, when it comes to friendship, the relationship between Yuan Shao and Zhang Jin is even closer.
Fortunately, the relationship between Zhang Jin and Liu Biao is normal, and Cao Cao is no longer what he used to be. He is not a minister under the orders of the emperor, and holds the power of worship. As long as he cedes some of his interests with the emperor's edict, there is no need to worry about Zhang Jin not being able to do so.
Just give in. To put it another way, even if Zhang Jin ignores him, he will have nothing to lose.
Xiahou Dun added: "In addition, we can also order Sun Ben to send troops." Sun Ben's daughter married Cao Cao's son Cao Zhang, and the two were related by marriage. Now Sun Ben serves as the prefect of Yuzhang, which is on the side of Changsha.
Cao Cao immediately decided to issue an edict: "Grant Sun Bi the title of Changsha, and the title of Zhangjin, Ling, and Guangxi." Liu Biao must not be allowed to unify Jingnan.