Since the news of Yicheng's defeat came back, Xiangyang has been in panic every day. A large number of soldiers and civilians have fled, and those who stayed in the city have been in panic all day long. With the arrival of Liu Jingshui's army, the panic of Xiangyang's people also reached its peak.
If the bad news of Liu Biao's death broke out again at this time, Xiangyang would definitely be in chaos. Therefore, after private discussions with the civil and military officials in Jingzhou, Liu Cong decided to conceal the news of Liu Biao's death and not announce the funeral secretly.
However, there is no airtight wall in the world, especially in the current environment, it is even more difficult to keep secrets. Shortly after Liu Biao's death, the news was leaked and spread throughout the city. Even Liu Zong outside the city received the news.
Liu Zong led the navy to Xiangyang in the afternoon. On one side, he sent warships to blockade the Han Mian River, and on the other hand, he set up military camps south of Xiangyang, east of Xianshan, and on the north bank of Mian River.
However, Liu Zong himself did not garrison the military camp on the north bank, but chose to garrison Caizhou.
Caizhou is a sandbank located in the Mianshui River. Because the Cai family in Xiangyang has lived on the island for generations, it was named "Cai".
Caizhou is one of the largest continents in Mianshui. There are hundreds of houses on it, especially Cai Mao's mansion, which is the most luxurious. Even the four walls are made of bluestone. There are more than a hundred maids and concubines in the house.
The Cai family followed the patriarch Cai Mao and fought fiercely with Liu Jingjun for many years. Almost half of the younger generation died on the battlefield. The two sides had a deep hatred. Even if Cai Xun joined Liu Jing, it would not be enough to eliminate the hatred.
When they heard that Liu Jing's army was approaching, the Cai clan either fled to Xiangyang or fled to Xian Mountain. Only twenty-three out of ten people stayed in Caizhou.
As the commander-in-chief of Liu Jingshui's army, Liu Zong had many members of the Cai family die at his hands. According to his nature, he must eradicate the weeds to avoid future troubles.
However, because Cai Xun had contributed to Jiangling and Liu Jing had promised to let the Cai family go, Liu Zong naturally couldn't bear to kill the Cai family again.
Moreover, all the Cai family members who could escape fled, and most of the people left behind were old and weak people with limited mobility. Liu Zong regarded himself as a hero and did not bother to massacre the old and weak.
After Liu Zong landed in Caizhou, he comforted the Cai clan with kind words, and then moved into Cai Mao's mansion under the guidance of Cai Xun. Not long after, the people of Xiangyang came by boat to pay their respects.
Almost all the islands in Miangzhong are private properties with Xiangyang surnames. For example, Yuliangzhou in the northwest of Caizhou belongs to the Pang family in Xiangyang, while the Yang family, Xi family and other surnames in Xiangyang live in Weihu and Gaoyang to the west of Caizhou.
The pool area.
Liu Jingjun stationed in Caizhou and set his sights on Xiangyang. Can An, the neighboring Xiangyang surname, stay out of the matter?
In fact, Xi Zhen of the Xi family, Cai Xun of the Cai family, Pang Tong of the Pang family, and others have joined Liu Jing's army one after another. The two parties had exchanged letters before. After hearing the news, the surnames in Xiangyang immediately sent their children to Caizhou to welcome their righteous teachers.
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As the people of Xiangyang rushed to join him, Xiangyang no longer had any secrets about Liu Zong, which naturally included the news of Liu Biao's death.
At that time, Liu Zong was hosting a banquet at Cai Mao's residence and having a drink with the people of Xiangyang. Suddenly he heard that Liu Biao had died of illness. Liu Zong was overjoyed in his heart, but he was sighing on his face. He immediately put down his wine glass, stood up and left the banquet to express his condolences.
In addition to being the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Navy, Liu Zong also served as the prefect of Wuling. Liu Biao, the Jingzhou Mu, was his nominal superior. Now that Liu Biao has died, Liu Zong, as a subordinate, must be respected on the surface.
Everyone at the banquet, whether it was the civil and military officials of Jingnan or the people of Xiangyang, all stood up to mourn, and some Xiangyang people even shed tears silently.
Liu Biao may not be called a heroic leader in troubled times, but he has been in charge of Jingzhou for more than ten years. He has suppressed clan thieves internally, defended powerful enemies externally, practiced light corvee and paid little tax, and rested with the people, making Miannan a rare peaceful place in troubled times.
, many Xiangyang people benefited from it.
When Liu Zong saw this, he felt very happy in his heart. Everyone who came to surrender was extremely grateful to Liu Biao, not to mention the people in Xiangyang City. If Liu Biao had not died, it would have been very difficult to capture Xiangyang.
Well now, Liu Biao is dead, and his son Liu Cong is a mediocre person. No matter in prestige or ability, he is inferior to Liu Biao by a thousand miles. Xiangyang no longer has a solid foundation, so how difficult is it to break it?
"Zhonglang, Uncle Mu has passed away, we will have a banquet to mourn..." Pang Tong, who was led by Eguan Bo and had a natural demeanor, came out and said to Liu Zong.
As soon as Pang Tong joined Liu Jing's army not long ago, he proposed a plan to break Yicheng, destroy the enemy army, and achieved great success. However, he was not complacent because of this. Later, he volunteered to join Liu Zong's vanguard troops in order to build a new army. achievement.
Seeing Pang Tong wink at him, Liu Zong understood the idea, followed his words, stopped the banquet, and then called Pang Tong into the back room to discuss secretly.
Pang Tong and Liu Zong shared the couch and talked about it: "Zhonglang, you should know that I was born in Xiangyang and have a surname, and I have little reputation. I have interacted with Liu Cong many times in the past. To put it in perspective, Liu Cong is neither a hero nor a talent. He is a hero and a mediocre disciple, not to mention his father Liu Biao, even compared with his brother Liu Qi, he is not as good as him."
Liu Zong nodded lightly, quite convinced.
Pang Tong said again: "Now that Liu Biao is dead, people in Xiangyang must be panicked and their spirits are scattered. Liu Cong neither has the ability to unite people's hearts, nor is he an unyielding person in the face of difficulties. If he sends envoys to the city to persuade them to surrender, they should be 50 or 60% sure. Tong can't. Cai, I would like to go to Xiangyang and persuade Liu Cong to come out and surrender."
Liu Zong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. The task Liu Jing gave him was to lead the navy to blockade the Hanmian River and cut off the traffic in Xiangyang. If he could force Liu Cong to surrender before Liu Jing's army arrived, it would definitely be a feat that would surpass all other generals. great merit.
Liu Zongdao: "Since Shi Yuan thinks that he is 50 or 6 percent sure of persuading him to surrender, there is no harm in giving it a try, but Shi Yuan does not have to take the risk himself. Although Liu Biao died of illness, Liu Cong may not blame us. Shi Yuan is both talented and intelligent. As a man, I have the weapon of the king, and Zhongda regards it as a buttock. If something happens, how can I explain it to Zhongda?"
Liu Zong's worry is not unreasonable. No one can guarantee that Liu Cong will not go crazy and refuse to surrender. Then the envoys who enter the city to persuade them to surrender will be in danger. In all likelihood, they will be killed by Liu Cong and sacrificed to show it to the outside world. determination.
Of course, with Pang Tong's reputation, Liu Cong might not dare to kill him, but he would not let him back easily if he thought about it.
Liu Zong knew how much Liu Jing valued Pang Tong. Before sending troops, Liu Jing took his hand and repeatedly told him not to let Pang Tong take risks. Therefore, even if it was only a rare possibility, he did not want Pang Tong to take this risk.
Pang Tong laughed and said: "Zhonglang is overly worried. The old saying goes: 'When the two countries are at war, the envoys will not be killed.' Moreover, I came to Xiangyang this time, nominally to mourn Liu Mu. As Liu Cong's son, I would never dare to touch him." I have no idea that Xiangyang looks very dangerous, but in fact it is safe and worry-free."
Pang Tong was confident that with his sharp tongue, he could escape unscathed even if he could not convince Liu Cong. If he succeeded, it would be a huge achievement, and he would not give it to others.
Liu Zong was hesitant. Pang Tong's background, reputation, intelligence, and eloquence were all good. He also believed that Pang Tong was the best candidate. His only concern was the other party's safety.
In the end, Pang Tongyi persisted, and Liu Zong was finally convinced by him.