Chapter 229 It's time for His Majesty to drink medicine
Chapter 229 Your Majesty, it’s time to drink medicine
"What?"
On September 17, the twelfth year of Jian'an, Huang Zu suffered a disastrous defeat at Ruxukou eleven days ago and was quickly sent to Xiangyang.
Liu Biao looked at the battle report with trembling hands, his face full of disbelief.
An army of more than 100,000 people, led by Huang Zu, who was always known for his stability and caution, was actually successfully attacked by Jiangdong at night?
Of the 50,000 Jiangxia navy, less than 30,000 fled back to Jiangxia.
And in that night attack, most of them died not from the Jiangdong attack, but from camp roars, fleeing stampedes, and missing after the war.
In other words, they just attacked them at night to scare them, and they didn't kill a few people at all. Most of the soldiers were killed by their own people or disappeared, which was extremely embarrassing.
Knowing this, Liu Biao's already pale complexion became even more exhausted mentally and physically. He slapped the table and said angrily: "Yuan Yang has always been cautious, why are you like this?"
Seeing this, Jia Xu quickly said: "Your Majesty, this must be because they recruited Mei Gan, Lei Xu, Chen Lan and other rabble-rousers. There are too many people, and General Huang has been unable to attack for a long time. He neglected to take precautions and was suddenly attacked at night. To.”
"well."
Liu Biao sighed: "It's true as Taifu expected. This battle was due to Yuanyang's lack of night defense for a long time. So when Mei Gan, Lei Xu, Chen Lan and others encountered the night attack of the camp, they immediately No defense."
Although the Huang Zu people were in Zheqi City at that time, half of the main force, about 20,000 people, were also in the city and were not affected, but the other part of the main force was outside the city.
Some of them set up camps in schools as units, while others lived on boats and guarded them.
After Jiang Dong triggered the roar of troops from Mei Gan, Lei Xu, Chen Lan and others, he immediately organized a fleet to storm the Zheqi City dockyard, hoping to wipe out the fleet of Huang Zu's army.
Fortunately, although Huang Zu was negligent in taking precautions, he was a veteran general who was alert almost as soon as the chaos broke out outside the city. He immediately summoned all the soldiers in the city to rush out and fight bloody battles at the pier, repelling Jiangdong's army and protecting a large number of ships. .
Therefore, most of his main force fled back by boat. Mei Gan, Lei Xu, Chen Lan and other troops stationed outside the city, as well as the Jiangxia navy, were killed by their own people due to the roar of the camp, or fell into the river, or were trampled to death. More than tens of thousands of them died, were chased by Jiangdong's army and were killed and captured, or disappeared.
Among them, Mei Gan and others have not yet been counted, but Huang Zu's Jiangxia Navy numbered about 20,000. Of course, it may be less, because most of them are missing. Some became defeated soldiers and fled towards Yuzhang on their own, and some stayed on the spot. They became bandits and bandits, and some were killed or captured.
But from a strategic point of view, Huang Zu was forced to withdraw to Jiangxia after this defeat. Even Yuzhang could not continue to occupy it. It turned from the original strategic attack to strategic defense. This battle was really not fought well. , causing the situation to be completely lost.
"Although Jiangdong and Jingzhou are connected by water, there are high mountains and rugged roads in both places. The only way to go is by water. As long as the cities on both sides of the river are defended, the battle will be protracted and it will be difficult to decide the winner in a short time."
Jia Xu pondered and said: "Back then, Sun Ce repeatedly attacked Jiangxia but failed, so we know that water battles are not easy. General Huang may have tried his best. Your Majesty should let General Huang defend Jiangxia first and stabilize the situation."
"Um."
Liu Biao let out a long sigh and said, "That's all we can do."
He couldn't blame Huang Zu.
Huang Zu was already the strongest water war general in Jingzhou. At least before this defeat, it was extremely difficult to defeat Jiangdong's naval forces. It seemed that it would not be that easy to annihilate the entire Jiangdong in a short time.
.
At that moment, Liu Biao sent people to appease Huang Zu and asked him to gather the defeated soldiers and defend Jiangxia. At the same time, he also mobilized a batch of supplies, and then sent people to issue another edict to Liu Qi.
By November, Huang Zu and Liu Qi finally maintained the situation. Although Jiangdong took advantage of the victory and pursued it, they attacked Jiangxia but were repelled by their troops.
So far, the situation between the two sides is just a return to the original situation where the Jingzhou Army took the initiative to attack Jiangdong.
The time has quickly come to the beginning of December.
It was the twelfth lunar month of winter, with heavy snowfall, and Liu Biao felt cold and became more and more serious. Every day he rested in a small building in the backyard that was warmed by a stove.
This afternoon, Liu Biao was reading official documents in the small building. Mrs. Cai, who was full of charm, came over with a bowl of medicine and served him to take it.
At this moment, someone outside the door suddenly came to report in a panic: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"When did you get so alarmed?"
Liu Biao looked slightly unhappy. After he became emperor, he actually did not recruit internal servants, nor did he engage in any regular servants, so the people serving in the back garden were all maids, that is, palace maids.
The palace maid, her face pale and covered with sweat, crawled in tremblingly and said: "Your Majesty, a messenger came from the palace to report that the Taiwei was defeated."
"What?"
Liu Biao suddenly felt short of breath, his heart couldn't bear it, and his whole body began to feel tight.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Madam Cai, who has now been established as queen, quickly stroked his chest, and then said to the palace maid: "Quickly pass on the imperial doctor's order!"
Liu Biao endured the discomfort, and after a while, a bright red color overflowed from the corner of his mouth. His health was not good to begin with, and when he suddenly heard the news, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning and was very painful.
Soon the imperial physician came over, diagnosed and treated him, and prescribed some medicine. He managed to sleep for the day and rested for three or four days before summoning Jia Xu to discuss matters.
In the small house in the back garden, Liu Biao's face was pale and almost bloodless. He was seriously ill. Although he was not dying, he had no energy or appearance.
Jia Xu walked into the small building with small steps, bowed and said: "Your Majesty."
"Wenhe."
Liu Biao looked at him blankly and said, "Cai Mao has been defeated and retreated to Jiangzhou."
Jia Xu sighed: "I also know about this. The Taiwei was so eager to attack Hanchang that the transportation of grain was too long. Zhang Lu sent people to unexpectedly attack the canal from Bashu Road, burned the grain and grass, and was defeated and retreated to Jiangzhou.
Zhang Lu took advantage of the situation and pursued him, losing tens of thousands of horses."
Liu Biao lamented sadly: "As long as I am alive, I will not be able to seize the entire south and leave a huge inheritance for my son to plan for the world."
Jia Xu quickly advised: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Although Jingzhou was defeated, its foundation has not been damaged. Your Majesty just needs to take good care of your body and work on it slowly, and maybe you can still gain something."
"Forget it, I know my body."
Liu Biao shook his head and said, "Maybe I won't be able to survive next year. Wen He, what do you think I should do now?"
Jia Xu asked: "Your Majesty, do you want to ask about the war in the south, or about the heirs?"
"How is the war going in the South?"
Liu Biao asked.
Jia Xu said: "Jiangdong cannot be captured in a short time, but Yizhou may be available. After Zhang Lu defeats the Taiwei, he will besiege Chengdu, and we can profit from it."
Liu Biao frowned and said, "Cai Mao is incompetent and both men and horses are lost. How can I get the troops and horses to go to Xichuan again?"
Although he has a strong foundation, he still needs to train soldiers.
Sending untrained soldiers to the battlefield would undoubtedly lead to death, so it would take at least a year to re-recruit troops and train again.
There are troops in other places. For example, Nanyang has 50,000 scattered, and Zhang Yun still has 30,000 in Xiangyang. But these troops are to defend Xiangyang and defend Cao Cao in the north. Once Nanyang is empty, this sacred land will be robbed by Cao Cao.
If he leaves, his losses will be really great.
So it seems that Liu Biao is strong, but in fact, before new soldiers are trained, whether facing Cao Cao, Sun Quan or Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang, he can only adopt a defensive posture and does not have the extra troops to take the initiative.
Jia Xu smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, please don't forget that Liu Bei still has troops. Taking advantage of Zhang Lu's attack on Liu Zhang, he ordered Liu Bei to go to Xichuan."
"Liu Bei has always been ambitious. What if he gets Xichuan?"
Liu Biao frowned.
Jia Xu said: "Liu Bei has few soldiers. It will be impossible to conquer Zhang, Lu and Liu Zhang in a short time even after entering Xichuan. We have stepped up training of the soldiers. After a year or two, they will be exhausted, and we will send out troops to annihilate them in one fell swoop. This is called
The strategy of driving away wolves and devouring tigers is also called the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole follows behind."
"I see."
Liu Biao nodded, feeling that this strategy was indeed a good one, so he said, "Then we will do as Wen He wants. What will happen to my descendants?"
"This matter can only be handled by Your Majesty. I believe Your Majesty already has the answer in his mind."
Jia Xu smiled.
"Hmm."
Liu Biao's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, and he said softly: "Well, I understand, please step back."
"I excuse myself."
Jia Xu walked backwards and left, turned around, and there was also a glint in his eyes.
Shen Xiaoqing, I can only help you so far.
The future depends on you!
He raised his head and looked at the sky in Jingzhou in December. It was already covered with clouds and snowflakes were flying.
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On the first day of mid-December, Mrs. Cai came to deliver medicine to Liu Biao as usual. By this time, Liu Biao, who had suffered from drowsiness in the afternoon due to his illness, had already fallen asleep.
Originally, Mrs. Cai just wanted to put the medicine on the desk and wait for Liu Biao to get up before drinking it. However, she suddenly noticed an official document on Liu Biao's desk with the name of her biological brother Cai Mao on it. She picked it up out of curiosity.
After a moment, her expression changed drastically. After the unpredictable change, she immediately picked up the decoction and left the room. At the same time, she told the maid waiting outside the door to conceal the news of her visit.
Everyone in the harem knew Mrs. Cai's methods, so all the maids were trembling. Even when Liu Biao woke up, no one told him about it.
After Mrs. Cai left, she immediately found people from the Cai Group, including Cai Zan and Cai Yan, as well as Kuai Yue and Zhang Yun.
What many people don't know is that Zhang Yun is also a member of the Cai family, or it cannot be said that he is a member of the Cai family, but should be said to be a member of the second son Liu Cong. He grew up with Liu Cong and is a die-hard supporter of Liu Cong's heir.
.
At this moment, everyone gathered, and after Mrs. Cai told them the situation, everyone looked very solemn.
Kuai Yue said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty has long wanted to get rid of me and the Taiwei to pave the way for the eldest prince. He originally wanted to destroy Jiangdong and Yizhou and dominate the south before taking action, but your Majesty doesn't have much time and is a little impatient.
, forcing Taiwei and Huang Zu to attack, resulting in a huge defeat, and now I am afraid that they are planning to let the eldest prince succeed to the throne."
Cai Zan nodded and said: "Yes, although Taiwei and Huang Zu were defeated, Jingzhou's strength is still there, and Zhang Lu and Sun Quan could have won if they slowly spent it. It's just that your majesty was too anxious. Now your majesty will have a deadline.
When you arrive, you will definitely want to arrange things after your death."
In fact, it's not that Liu Biao is weak in strength, but that he has too little time. With Jingzhou's current size, it is very easy to kill Jiang Dong and Zhang Lu.
Although Zhang Lu had about 50,000 troops, the actual population under his rule was less than 100,000 households. Counting the northern part of Ba County that he had previously occupied, the population was only 4 to 50,000. It can be described as a brutal military campaign.
Sun Quan was similar. The population under his rule seemed to be three to four million, but hundreds of thousands crossed the mountain, and at least half of them were controlled by aristocratic families.
Therefore, there are clearly historical records that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the population of Yangzhou increased from 3.2 million to 4.33 million, but by the time of the fall of Soochow, the population had increased to 520,000 households and more than 2 million people.
Liu Biaoguang's Nanyang Basin has a direct population of more than one million people, not to mention the combined population of Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, which is more than seven to eight million. Including the hundreds of thousands of farmers under his control, the food and grass provided to him is not counted.
The number and supply of troops are also endless, almost the same as Yuan Shao's on the eve of Guandu.
Therefore, if the consumption continues, the south will belong to Liu Biao sooner or later.
But it is a pity that he knew that he had no time, so he could only leave the task of recovering the world to the next generation.
Liu Cong can't.
Firstly, he is not the hero, and secondly, he is manipulated by others.
So it can only be left to Liu Qi.
When the time comes, it would be best if Liu Qi can give birth to a son. If he cannot, just adopt Liu Cong's son in the name of the emperor.
Liu Cong's son was born to the Cai family. In order to prevent the Cai family from continuing to control the government and affecting his grandson, Liu Biao finally decided to make up his mind to deal with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue to avoid future troubles.
But Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others naturally knew this. In Liu Biao's eyes, they were a thorn in Liu Biao's side that hindered his great cause, but didn't they just want to hold power and dominate the south?
Therefore, the initial closeness between the two sides after Liu Biao entered Jingzhou suddenly turned into opposing positions and became life-and-death enemies.
As the saying goes, if the king regards his ministers as nothing, then the ministers will regard him as their enemy and bandit. If Liu Biao wants them to die, they will never sit still and wait for death.
Kuai Yue looked around at everyone with cold eyes and said: "Everyone, your Majesty does not want the second prince to inherit the throne, but we are closely related to the second prince. Now your Majesty wants me and the Taiwei to die, but when the eldest prince succeeds to the throne, you will follow our lead.
Follow in the footsteps.”
Zhang Yun said quickly: "The eldest prince and I are brothers from the same mother-in-law, so we shouldn't be like this after all."
"One emperor and one courtier."
Kuai Yue looked at him and said coldly: "You are close to the second prince. Even if I don't kill you, do you think you can still have the power you have today?"
Zhang Yun stopped talking.
Mrs. Cai was also a ruthless character. She looked at everyone and said, "Situ is right. Now we are both prosperous and devastated. If we cannot let the second prince ascend the throne, we will all die."
"What do Situ think we should do?"
Cai Yan asked.
Mrs. Cai actually saw only two things in Liu Biao's official documents before.
The first is to recall Cai Mao, and the second is to recall Liu Qi.
Furthermore, Liu Qi was asked to secretly order Shen Chen to lead Huangmen soldiers and Ganning troops to personally escort Liu Qi back.
Mrs. Cai immediately realized something was wrong and then approached them to discuss the matter.
Kuai Yue and others analyzed the results of these two events.
1. Recall Liu Qi.
You don't need to think about this to know that Liu Biao knew that his time was running out, so he probably wanted to pass the throne to Liu Qi.
Second, to recall Cai Mao, it is natural to find an excuse to get rid of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue so that Liu Qi can smoothly take over.
So they are already at the point of life and death.
Kuai Yue pondered for a long time and said: "A message should be sent to the Taiwei immediately, asking him to find excuses to continue to stay in Bajun and delay time."
Cai Zan frowned and said: "After the defeat a few days ago, the Taiwei retreated to Jiangzhou. Jiangzhou goes down the river. It only takes a few days to reach Xiangyang. Even if it is delayed, how long can it be delayed?"
"Also, after the eldest prince received the edict, he sent someone to ask Shen Chen and Gan Ning to go to Jiangxiahu to send him back to Xiangyang. The round trip would only take twenty days at most. Once the eldest prince arrived in Xiangyang, His Majesty issued an edict to make him the crown prince. Then aren’t we at the end of the road?”
Zhang Yun also raised objections.
"this."
Kuai Yue rubbed his temples and said, "Let me think about it, let me think about it."
"If you ask me, it would be better to send someone to intercept the messenger and intercept the letter sent to Jiangxia. As long as it is delayed for another two months, maybe your Majesty will..."
"No, it is impossible for His Majesty to just send a messenger for such a big event, not to mention how long can such a matter be kept hidden? Not to mention two months, even half a month can't delay it, and it will make His Majesty furious and take action in advance."
"But shouldn't we do nothing? When the eldest prince returns to Xiangyang, Your Majesty will definitely kill the Taiwei and Situ. After the eldest prince gains power and ascends the throne, how can we people be better off?"
Several people discussed it, but they couldn't come up with any ideas.
After a while, Mrs. Cai said to Kuai Yue: "Situ, is there still no way?"
As soon as she said this, everyone turned their attention to Kuai Yue.
The people who make the decisions for the Cai family and the Kuai family are Cai Mao and Kuai Yue. Now that Cai Mao is away, they naturally can only hope that Kuai Yue will give them an idea.
Kuai Yue pondered for a long time, a flash of determination flashed in his eyes, and he said softly: "There is a way."
"What can I do?"
Everyone looked at him quickly.
Kuai Yue looked around and looked at Zhang Yun.
Cai Yan and Cai Zan are cousins and stakeholders of Cai Mao and Mrs. Cai.
If they overthrow the Cai family, they will fall as well, so naturally they will not betray Kuai Yue.
But Zhang Yun is not necessarily so.
After all, he is Liu Qi's cousin. If he reports meritoriously, he may still be reused by Liu Qi in the future, so he has to be on guard.
So Kuai Yue said: "This method is still a bit immature. Let me go back and consider it carefully. I will come here today, and you should go back as soon as possible to avoid your Majesty's suspicion."
"Well, Situ will come up with an idea as soon as possible."
"Then let's go back first."
"Walk."
Without thinking much, everyone got up and planned to leave.
But after a while, when Mrs. Cai came to the door, Cai Mao's wife said to her: "Queen, please stay. My sister has something to tell the Queen."
"You guys go ahead."
After Mrs. Cai gave her instructions, she and Cai Mao's wife went back to the back garden.
She thought it was Cai Mao's wife who was looking for her. When she returned to the back garden, she saw that Kuai Yue hadn't left yet. She asked curiously, "Didn't Situ leave?"
Kuai Yue looked at her and said word by word: "Queen, if you want the Cai family to not lose power, Your Majesty must die in advance!"
"ah?"
Mrs. Cai's eyes widened and her mouth grew into an "O" shape.
She immediately understood what Kuai Yue meant.
"You want to murder."
"Shh."
Kuai Yue said softly: "Your Majesty was seriously ill and died suddenly!"
"I see."
Mrs. Cai composed herself, and her eyes revealed a fierce look: "Only if your Majesty dies, can the Cai family survive. For the sake of the Cai family, this is the only way!"
"Leave everything to the Queen."
Kuai Yue cupped his hands and said: "When the second prince succeeds to the throne, the queen will become the queen mother. When she rules the world in the future, both the Cai family and the second prince will be grateful to the queen!"
"good."
Mrs. Cai turned around and left.
After leaving Cai Mao's mansion, she calmed down and returned to the palace.
About half an hour later, Liu Biao woke up from his sleep. He was still covered with a down blanket and slept on the chairperson's seat in Xiaozhu.
At this moment, he felt some pain in his head and could not breathe. At this moment, the charming Mrs. Cai outside the door walked in with a smile, holding a bowl of soup in her hand.