Although Liu Biao's Duke of Chu was self-proclaimed, his King of Chu was conferred by the imperial court, so Liu Bei had no reason to oppose Liu Biao.
Even if he knew that Cao Cao was trying to appease Liu Biao and used Liu Xie's name, he could only say that he was helpless.
By mid-May, an official document from Jingzhou was delivered to Wancheng.
Liu Biao hoped that Liu Bei could help him attack Bajun.
Liu Bei didn't want to go, but after Xu Shu's persuasion, he finally agreed to the matter.
So he organized his troops and horses and prepared to go south to Xiangyang.
And Shen Chen had gone there a few days ago.
On the seventh day of May, after bidding farewell to the disciples, the motorcade entered Xiangyang City in a mighty manner.
At the gate of the city, Deng Hong, Liu Xian, Zhou Buyi and others were already waiting for him.
Zhou Buyi also studied with Shen Chen, but in his early years he was too young, Longzhong Township was too far away, and he had no place to live, so he could only study day-to-day.
Someone would pick him up after class every day, and he would have to walk for a long time on his way back to and from school.
The situation has improved slightly in the past two years, because Shen Chen would go to the great Confucian scholar at the end of each month to study scriptures, and often took him with him. He lived in the house of Zhuge Liang or Pang De, so he could teach privately.
So he simply studied at home when Zhou Buyi was studying in the school in the first ten days of each month, and then followed Shen Chen to live in Zhuge's house or Yuliangzhou in the second half of each month.
At this moment, Liu Biao asked Deng Hong and Liu Xian to pick him up, and Zhou Buyi naturally followed.
"Brother!"
Zhou Buyi and Shen Chen worshiped Song Zhong in their early years, so they never called him master, but elder brother.
Seeing Shen Chen coming over now, the twelve-year-old boy greeted him repeatedly.
The carriage slowly stopped at the gate of Xiangyang West City. Shen Chen got off the carriage and first bowed his hands to Deng Hong and Liu Xian and said, "Grandfather, the first ancestor."
Then he looked at Zhou Buyi with a smile and said, "Buyi."
"Achen."
Deng Hong nodded and said, "The king asked you to go see him."
"Well, I understand."
Shen Chen said: "I generally know why he wants to see me."
"Then let's go."
Deng Hong waved.
Everyone got on the carriage again and headed towards Prince Chu's Mansion.
After arriving at the Prince of Chu's Mansion, Liu Xian asked Zhou Buyi to go home first. He and Deng Hong took Shen Chen into the Prince's Mansion.
At this moment, Liu Biao, Jia Xu, Kuai Yue and others were waiting for him.
After entering the hall and looking around, Shen Chen noticed Jia Xu, who had an undetectable smile on her face and nodded to him.
"King!"
Shen Chen bowed his hands in salute to Liu Biao who was sitting on the main seat.
Liu Biao smiled and said: "Ah Chen, come and sit."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Shen Chen sat on the seat next to him.
Liu Biao looked around and suddenly said: "You can go out first."
"only."
Jia Xu, Kuai Yue, Deng Hong, Liu Xian and more than ten people who worked in the Chu palace, such as chief historian, Sima, and chief clerk, then retired.
Shen Chen was a little surprised, because Liu Biao seemed to have planned to discuss the matter with everyone at first, but he changed his plan temporarily, fearing that he might come to him if he had any problems in private.
After everyone left, only Cheng Qi, who was serving Liu Biao in a corner not far away, was left in the hall. Cheng Qi had always been Liu Biao's trusted confidant, and he was a bit like the general manager of the palace. It was unclear whether Liu Biao would become emperor in the future, so he had to take it. He should always serve.
At this moment, there was no one else in the hall, so Liu Biao said: "Ah Chen, how do I treat you?"
"Your Majesty treats me with great kindness!"
Shen Chen cupped his hands and said.
Liu Biao sighed and said, "The only regret I have in this life is that I don't have children and grandchildren like you. You have been in Xiangyang for ten years, and I have always treated you as my nephew. There are two reasons for calling you here today."
"Please tell me, your Majesty, if you are born in the morning, you should die, and if you die, you should be weeded!"
Shen Chen said again.
Liu Biao mused: "The first thing I want you to do is lead the troops to attack and defeat Liu Zhang's army."
"In the morning, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Shen Chen agreed wholeheartedly.
Liu Biao nodded and said, "The second thing I want to ask you is, who should I choose as my heir?"
Shen Chen's face changed slightly, and Liu Biao seemed to be very confused. He was looking to an outsider like himself to make the decision. He was probably thinking that he was old and would die of old age at any time, so he was considering who would be his successor.
Although he loves his second son Liu Cong and hates his eldest son Liu Qi because of Mrs. Cai, he still has to think clearly about who should give his inheritance.
"It's hard to talk about the king's family affairs this morning."
Shen Chen shook his head and said.
Liu Biao waved his hand: "It doesn't matter if you say so. You and Youshuo are my confidants, so I won't blame you."
Shen Chen said without hesitation: "I should be Young Master Liu Cong."
"oh?"
Liu Biao frowned and said, "I remember that you and Berry have always been friendly, so why did you recommend Zhong Lin?"
Qi and Cong are both jade, one is named Bo Rui, the other is named Zhong Lin.
Shen Chen said: "Although Chen is friendly with the eldest son, the prince should be virtuous. The eldest son has always been strong and strong, and is not as gentle as the second son."
"oh"
Liu Biao nodded slowly and said, "I want to use you to attack Liu Zhang. What do you think?"
At this time, Shen Chen said to Cheng Qi: "I would like to ask Mr. Cheng to help me get some paper and pen. I have been to Badong before and want to draw a map for the king."
"good."
Cheng Qi turned around and went out.
After he left, Shen Chen immediately seized the opportunity and said: "Please also ask the king to make the eldest son his heir."
Liu Biao asked in surprise: "Why does Ah Chen repeat himself?"
Shen Chen said: "The second young master is weak and deceived by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others. If he has an heir, Jingzhou will be ruled by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others. Now in Jingzhou, the eldest son is like Fusu, and the second sons are Hu Hai and Cai Mao. Kuai Yue is Zhao Gaolisi. Don't you forget, your Majesty, that they once persuaded your Majesty to surrender to Cao Cao?
Liu Biao glanced at the door and said puzzledly: "In that case, just now"
"Everyone in the house has my wife's eyes and ears, so I have no choice but to do this. If you know your son better than your father, doesn't your Majesty know the nature of your eldest son? Over the years, your Majesty has loved your second son more than your eldest son, and this has been slandered by your wife."
Shen Chen stepped up his persuasion.
Liu Biao suddenly woke up and broke into a cold sweat.
Of course he knows his son well.
Liu Qi had a benevolent and chivalrous personality, and his appearance was similar, so he should have been the most suitable successor.
But over the years, I actually grew to like my submissive second son more and more, and disliked my eldest son who was quite smart and energetic.
What causes this?
Naturally, it was because Mrs. Cai had been whispering bad things about Liu Qi in his ears all year round.
Liu Cong married Mrs. Cai's niece and had deep entanglements with Cai Kuai's family.
At the beginning, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue persuaded him to join Cao Cao.
There is no telling if there will be changes in the north in the future and Cao Cao unifies the north. After his death, the two of them will take their inheritance and join Cao Cao.
How can this be done?
He had asked Jia Xu about this matter in private before. At that time, Jia Xu just smiled and said nothing and asked him to ask Shen Chen.
Now it seems that I have been deceived by the authorities.
Thinking of this, Liu Biao relaxed his mood, took a long breath and said, "Well, I understand."
At this moment, Cheng Qi came in and put pen and paper on Shen Chen's desk.
Shen Chen changed the color on his face and roughly sketched the topography of Yiling with pen and paper: "Please see, Your Majesty, to attack Bashu from Jingzhou, the only way is to go straight to Bajun via the river, or to attack Hanzhong north of Mian River. There is a Zhang in Hanzhong. Lu, so we can only fight Liu Zhang head-on on the rivers and waterways."
"I know this, but it's even more difficult to break into it."
Liu Biao shook his head.
Shen Chen said: "There is no way, but it will take time."
"how long?"
"As short as half a year, as long as one or two years."
"It takes so long?"
Liu Biao frowned. He already wanted to proclaim himself emperor, but it took longer than expected.
Shen Chen smiled bitterly and said: "There is no way around this. My plan is to go north from Wuling County in Jingnan to Yishui, then go up the Shunyi River to Quren, and raid the rear of Liu Zhang's army, or go north from Shaqu to Yong'an. But no matter which way you go, this is the trail used by the Wuling barbarians. If you want the army to pass through, you must open a road through the mountains and build a bridge across the water."
The strategy he proposed was actually to go from Changde City in Hunan Province to Zhangjiajie, then go north to Enshi Autonomous Prefecture, then continue north to Jianshi County, then to Badong County, and attack behind Liu Zhang's army.
This route has been unobstructed in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty, there were countless mountains and forests, all of which were endless primitive jungles.
He knew this road because he had dealt with barbarians and occasionally went to Jingnan for study tours. If he had nothing to do, he would walk around Jingzhou, take a look, and draw topographic maps.
There is also this route in history. After Liu Bei arrived in Yiling, he opened a road from Wei Mountain and sent Ma Liang south to this area to recruit Wuling Man Samoko.
Therefore, it is possible to go around from Jingnan to the rear of Liu Zhang, but the road is too difficult, and it is estimated that it will take a year and a half.
After hearing this, Liu Biao nodded slightly and asked, "How sure are you?"
Shen Chen said: "As long as the road is successfully opened, Chen Chen is 100% sure of reaching the rear of Liu Zhang's army."
"good."
Liu Biao immediately said: "Ah Chen, I order you to be Zhonglang General and order the army to go to Jingnan to open this road!"
"only!"
Shen Chen handed over his hands.
Liu Biao then said again: "You have been in Longzhong for a long time and you don't often see Burui. You just happened to be here. Go and see him."
"only."
Shen Chen stood up and left.
Watching his leaving figure, Liu Biao glanced at Cheng Qi who was bending down to serve him obediently, and began to think in his heart.
He is old, and in the past two years, he has been thinking about his successor.
So I asked Jia Xu privately for his opinion.
But Jia Xu refused and asked him to ask Shen Chen.
Now it seems that Jia Xu probably discovered the problem, but did not want to offend Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others.
Now after Shen Chen reminded him, Liu Biao finally woke up.
Guys like Cai Mao and Kuai Yue do not firmly support him, but only care about family interests.
Once the throne is passed to Liu Cong, Jingzhou will inevitably be controlled by this group of surrenderers.
If Cao Cao gains power in the future and holds the emperor in his hands, and they want to surrender, wouldn't the thousands of miles of country they have built be destroyed in one day?
So he had to think of a countermeasure.
Liu Biao's eyes flashed.
Here, Shen Chen arrived at Liu Qi's yard. When he entered, he saw Liu Qi sighing.
"Eldest son, why are you so sad?"
Shen Chen said in surprise.
Liu Qi saw him coming and said with great joy: "Ah Chen, you are finally here."
"Come and see you."
Shen Chen smiled.
Liu Qi is actually only a few years younger than Liu Bei. After all, his father is already sixty-two and he is forty.
However, Liu Qi's personality is somewhat similar to Liu Bei's. He is a person with a bold personality, so he was relatively friendly with Shen Chen in the past, and occasionally asked him to go hunting in the city.
Seeing Shen Chen coming over at this moment, Liu Qi quickly pulled him into the room and said, "Ah Chen, come in and help me think of an idea."
"What's wrong?"
The two entered the house, and Shen Chen pretended to be surprised.
Liu Qi then said: "Since my father inherited the throne, the king's wife has been trying to harm me more and more. I would like to ask Ah Chen to teach me how to calm myself down."
Throughout history, Liu Qi has always been in a state of anxiety. Mrs. Cai wanted to kill him all the time, so she was very frightened every day.
But now the situation is even more critical, because Liu Biao has become the king, and the throne is much more powerful than Zhou Mu.
Mrs. Cai did not want to lose the glory and wealth of the king's wife, so she naturally hoped that her niece's husband Liu Cong would succeed to the throne. When the time comes, Liu Cong would also be at their mercy.
Therefore, the persecution against Liu Qi became increasingly severe, making him fearful all day long.
Now that I see Shen Chen coming, I naturally want to ask him for help.
Shen Chen shook his head and said: "I can't help with this matter. This is a family matter of the young master, and my sixth grandmother is..."
Liu Qi begged: "Are you going to die without saving me?"
"There's nothing I can do."
Shen Chen smiled bitterly and said, "Even my grandfather supports the second young master."
Liu Qi sighed: "Since Ah Chen doesn't want to help me, there's nothing you can do about it, but I want to drink. How about you accompany me to the high-rise building over there to have a drink?"
He pointed to a tall building not far from the mansion.
Good guy.
Take the stairs to the house?
Shen Chen scratched his head and looked around. There was no one around, so he gritted his teeth and said, "I just go up to the house and take out the ladder. Don't you see, Shen Sheng is in danger inside, but Chong Er is safe outside?"
Liu Qi thought for a while and said happily: "Thank you very much, Ah Chen."