After hearing what the messenger said, Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen looked at each other and nodded slightly.
Liu Bei turned his head to look at the two of them, and then said without hesitation: "Stop sending troops for the time being. You go back and tell Yuan Zhi and Shi Yuan. I will wait until I pay tribute to Burui first."
"only!"
The messenger retreated without stopping.
After he left, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen and said, "Kong Ming, Xiaoqing, you won't blame me for not sending troops at this time, right?"
"Won't."
Shen Chen shook his head and said: "It is naturally the best time to send troops at this time, but it would be too sad to leave without dealing with the funeral of the company eldest son."
If Liu Bei chooses to send troops ruthlessly and unjustly now, he will not be Liu Xuande who values love and justice.
Unfortunately, Liu Qi died of illness just after the edict arrived in Jingzhou. Before his death, he had already petitioned the imperial court to make Liu Bei the shepherd of Jingzhou.
Liu Biao's Chu Palace was actually very large, covering an area of more than three hundred acres. There was a huge courtyard in front of the central main hall. There were nearly a hundred people densely packed in the courtyard at the moment.
The next day, Liu Xiu personally wrote an edict to the court, declaring that Liu Bei would be the shepherd of Jingzhou, and that Liu Bei would have full authority to manage Jingzhou. He only wanted to be an idle prince with no power.
The second and most important point is that it doesn't really make sense whether he agrees or disagrees.
The main reason is that after Cao Cao's defeat, his prestige plummeted, and the royalist faction in the rear became noisy and gained momentum in the court, which seemed to overwhelm Cao Cao's faction.
On the contrary, apart from Chen Dao, who was in charge of guarding the palace, only Zhuge Liang was present in Liu Bei's faction. The rest had now gone to Yizhou in great force, preparing to seize Bashu.
At this moment in Deng Hong's mansion, Deng Hong felt his nose felt uncomfortable for no reason and sneezed.
"General Zuo."
After Liu Bei sat down, he shook his head and said: "Cao Cao really said that although I didn't want to seize the same clan's inheritance, but now I have betrayed Bo Rui's expectations, and he allowed Liu Xiu to seize the title."
For example, Zhang Song, Fazheng and others.
Therefore, Liu Bei must handle such important matters of national affairs personally.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "He is concerned about the face of the court. Otherwise, if Liu Cong is allowed to attack the prince, after the general goes to Yizhou, Liu Cong's remaining party will take the opportunity to cause chaos. This should be what Cao Cao wants to see most. , it’s a pity that if he does this, it will only damage the majesty of the imperial court.”
There are more than a hundred people outside the hall, including the current list of officials in Jingzhou.
Liu Bei was startled, and quickly went up to support Liu Xiu and said, "Why is this, King Chu?"
It's just that because Liu Cong ascended the throne and served as a pseudo-emperor, he was not suitable to inherit the position of King of Chu. Otherwise, he would definitely let Liu Cong seize the title, so that Liu Bei would not be able to directly manage Jingzhou, which would resurrect Liu Cong's faction and trigger civil strife in Jingzhou.
For example, Huang She just handled the funeral for his father last month. He was supposed to be a mourner for Huang Zu, but now he has to attend Liu Qi's funeral.
In the north, Cao Cao was defeated at the beginning of the year. For three months, he had been sitting in the Chendu court, constantly weeding out heretics and excluding loyalists. Among them was Kong Rong, the Taizhong official, who was exterminated by Cao Cao.
In the side hall, several people were already waiting.
In addition, Liu Cong, Zhang Xiu, Liu Pan, Huang Zhong, Huang She, Wenpin, Lai Gong, Han Xi, Kuaijun, Kuaiqi, Zhang Cun, Xi Zhen, Yang Yi, Xiang Lang, Song Zhong, Qi Wukai, Wang Can, Fu Xun, Du Kui, Meng Yao, Xu Si, Hu Fu, Liu Rui, Cai Yan, Cai Zan, Cai Du and other generals, noble families and officials were almost all present.
Shen Chen was also among them.
Liu Xiu had been helped up by Liu Bei, but he lowered his head and said, "But I don't have the talent to lead Jingzhou. I only want to bury my head in the scriptures and write articles."
In addition, Xun Yu, Yang Xiu and others did not suppress the royalists at all, but secretly helped them, so that the royalists such as Kong Rong grew stronger and stronger, making Cao Cao afraid.
There was a crowd in the audience, and they all bent down and offered their hands.
Liu Bei let out a long sigh and said: "Although I can't bear to seize the inheritance of the same clan, I am moved by the sincerity of Ran Bo Rui, Ji Xu and everyone else. Forget it, let me follow you."
Soon everyone arrived and time was almost up.
Liu Bei thought for a while and said: "Then send someone to inform the second and third brothers Yuan Zhi and Shi Yuan, let them take the first step and station in Jiangzhou. After I take care of Burui's funeral, I will go to Xichuan."
"Thank you, General Zuo."
Messengers and letters were constantly exchanged between Jiangdong and Jingzhou, discussing the details of the alliance. Originally, Sun Quan wanted to marry Sun Shangxiang as soon as possible so that Liu Bei could relax his vigilance, but this was delayed by Liu Qi's death.
"Please agree, General Zuo!"
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said: "Although Cao Cao himself hijacked the emperor, killed the ministers, and damaged the majesty of the court, we still have to uphold the court's laws outside, because the north is now stable and needs the court's face to maintain it. Otherwise, no one in the world will defect to him. he?"
Liu Qi will be buried soon.
However, due to Cao Cao's defeat, he needed time to regain the north, so in order to appease Liu Qi and Liu Bei, he told the world that Liu Biao had been deceived, so he would not deprive him of his title as King of Chu, and Liu Qi would take the title.
"Lord."
Jia Xu looked at Shen Chen, rolled his eyes and said: "Xiaoqing was once the trusted general of His Royal Highness the King of Chu, and now he is also the God of War in Jingzhou. The eldest son entrusted most of Jingzhou's soldiers and horses to Xiaoqing's hands. This shows that he has great respect for Xiaoqing." Trust, how can we lag behind others now that we are urging people to advance?"
"well."
To capture Xichuan, Liu Bei had to be present in person.
Whether it was to save Liu Zhang so that he could successfully hand over Yizhou to himself, or to appease the people and calm the hearts of the Yizhou nobles, he had to do it.
"Thank you, General Zuo!"
At this time, Liu Bei was sitting on his knees beside the coffin in the main hall. Liu Qi did not have any family members, only his two younger brothers and a few concubines, all of whom were crying and crying beside him.
After this battle, the two sides had many contacts and exchanged letters.
The old man with a goatee is none other than Jia Xu.
Many state officials also said in unison.
This is a relatively helpless choice.
The simplest example is that many officials in Yizhou are already dealing with Liu Bei.
Liu Bei said: "It's just that now that the imperial court has made Liu Xiu the King of Chu and ordered him to handle affairs in Fuzhou as the King of Chu, I can no longer legitimately control Jingzhou."
On this day, it was close to early summer, the sun was shining brightly, and the spring flowers were blooming. After seeing off Zongzheng Liu Ai, who was on an envoy mission, Liu Bei returned to the Prince of Chu's Mansion.
There is also Lai Gong, the governor of Jiaozhou sent out by Liu Biao. He was driven away by Wu Ju, the prefect of Cangwu, and ran back on his own. Needless to say, the rest of the people were all well-known scholars in Jingzhou. They were scattered in various places, but they all came back.
Obviously he definitely didn't want Liu Bei to get Jingzhou legitimately.
In fact, it was settled in the Han Dynasty. The emperor usually only suspended the body for a month or two, and it was almost time to bury it.
As the backbone, he must be present in person.
After losing his confidant Wang Bi, Cao Cao sent another confidant, Xi Lu, to control Liu Xie.
Liu Bei's face suddenly darkened. He thought of the Edict on Clothes and Belts, which was a past event he had personally experienced. Cao Cao's murder of the imperial concubine, the prince's uncle, and the murder of more than ten ministers were still vivid in his mind.
Although Liu Qi died of illness before the King of Chu's edict was issued, the court did not take away Liu Qi's title of King of Chu, but let Liu Xiu inherit it, so he was still buried as King of Chu, and the standards were those of a prince.
Liu Bei stood up, Chen arrived at the door and led his guards to accompany him. He came to the outside of the hall, looked around at everyone, and said loudly: "Everyone, my dear brother Burui is mourning today. After I help him bid farewell to your dear brother, I will also lead the troops to go to war. Now
Jingzhou will be handed over to the King of Chu."
At that moment, under the leadership of Liu Bei, Liu Qi went to the funeral.
Throughout March, the world was undergoing changes.
Liu Xiu glanced around, a little confused, and suddenly saw Jia Xu winking at him, so he hurriedly stood up and said: "I also invite General Zuo to attend to Fuzhou!"
By the end of March, envoys from the imperial court and Jiangdong had come to express their condolences to Liu Qi.
Standing at the front is Liu Qi's third brother Liu Xiu, the current King of Chu, followed by Jia Xu, Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Liu Guan, Cheng Qi, Wang Wei and other former important officials of Liu Biao and Zhou.
The government is engaged in.
All the officials from Jingzhou, big and small, arrived in front of the hall.
After Liu Cong was defeated, he abandoned his official position and fled back to Zhangxiu in Rangcheng.
"well."
"Mr. Wenhe."
After saying that, he came to Liu Bei, bent down and bowed with his hands in hand. The etiquette standards were very high.
"Please General Zuo, for the sake of my brother, please agree."
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the death of the Emperor of Zhou was tragic. He had to wait for princes from all over the country to express their condolences before he could be buried. It would be as early as half a year, or as slow as one or two years. The embalming work was not in place, and he would be buried as bones.
Liu Xiu followed the words taught to him by Jia Xu and said: "Today in Jingzhou, people with both political integrity and talent are needed to rule. Before my brother died of illness, he repeatedly told us that only General Zuo can protect Jingzhou and revive the Han clan, so he is willing to
Give way to each other."
"A sneeze!"
Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen looked at each other, and they both stood up and said, "Yes, before the eldest son passed away from illness, he also gave the state to the state three times. The general is winning the hearts of the people, and the people of Jingzhou all hope that the general can control Jingzhou to assist the king."
The officials and close relatives who came to pay their respects outside the hall were arranged in this way.
"Hmm."
"Although I was granted a title by the imperial court and was granted the title of King of Chu, my talent is shallow and my virtue is weak, so I am not qualified for the job."
Various spices, cattails, and ice cubes were piled all over the hall. Although embalming work had been done, the body was still deformed.
Liu Bei asked in surprise: "What do you mean, sir?"
After that, he left the side hall and headed towards the main hall of the mourning hall.
His position is still very high, just behind Deng Hong, and he is considered to be the top five big shots in Jingzhou.
Liu Xiugui is a king, and his title is far above Liu Bei, the prince of the pavilion. Such a great gift is indeed something Liu Bei did not expect.
"Please also ask General Zuo to come to Fuzhou!"
If Liu Bei did not communicate with them in person, but sent someone else instead, it would appear that he did not respect them and did not take them seriously, which would make Zhang Song, Fazheng and others feel bad.
"Um."
Jia Xu put his hands in his sleeves and said softly: "The general has won the hearts of the people of Jingzhou. If the king of Chu leads the officials of Jingzhou, big and small, the people in the city will ask the general to come to Fuzhou, and it is natural for the general to agree."
For a time, the court was completely silent, and Liu Xie was even more tightly controlled. No one dared to oppose Cao Cao anymore.
When Liu Bei saw the old man, he returned the greeting and said, "Sir, please have a seat."
Zhuge Liang hesitated slightly and said: "This may delay the war. The eldest son is very virtuous. Not only officials from Jiangxia and Jingnan will come to express their condolences, but even Jiangdong, the imperial court, and Cao Cao will send people to come. Once the funeral is done, one or two people may come." Months, or even months, if Liu Zhang can't hold on, Yizhou will "
"Has he done enough damage?"
Shen Chen suggested: "You can order General Guan to go ahead and go north along the river, take Ba County first, wait for the subsequent supplies of food and grass to be replenished, and then go up the river. While watching the situation, you can camp step by step, waiting for General Zuo to arrive in person."
Otherwise, like Yuan Shao, who clearly had the most suitable time, but refused to go because of trivial matters such as his son's illness, and wasted his life doing important things. How could this be done?
At that moment, Liu Bei sent someone to notify Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, asking them to take the first step and station themselves in Jiangzhou to observe the situation.
However, in order to deal with Liu Bei, Cao Cao re-drafted the edict and continued to retain the lineage of the King of Chu, which was inherited by Liu Biao's third son Liu Xiu. The Jingzhou shepherd was no longer established, but was under the direct jurisdiction of the Chu King's Palace.
The next day.
The crowd shouted again.
Liu Bei sighed: "It's not that I'm afraid of hurting the hearts of the people of Jingzhou, but since I promised Burui to take good care of his wife, children and brothers, I don't dare to leave at this time. At least I have to deal with the funeral and settle down his relatives." Go after everything is ready."
Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang and another old man who was nearly sixty years old, with a goat's beard, and withered and thin.
But Xi Lu was not as ruthless as Wang Bi. Although he was responsible for helping Cao Cao handle dirty work like Wang Bi, he came from a famous family, so he still wanted to save face and did not dare to do many things secretly.
When Liu Bei came in, the three of them stood up and saluted.
Jia Xu smiled and said: "Although the general has not become the shepherd of Jingzhou, who knows about Cao Cao's kidnapping of the emperor? Why should the general pay attention to Cao Cao's edict? This big man is not Cao Cao's big man, but the Liu family and the people of the world. Big man."
Seeing that he couldn't stop it, Cao Cao finally agreed. By pushing the boat along, he could placate Liu Bei and buy him time to regain the north.
"this"
Secondly, it is difficult to stabilize people's hearts, and it will loosen those who have taken refuge in him, thus making them retreat.
This time Cao Cao returned to Chendu and acted ruthlessly. He immediately signaled Xi Lu to trap the royalists and killed Kong Rong and many other loyal courtiers of the royalists.
Now that Liu Qi passed away, Jia Xu and Zhang Xiu immediately came to formally defect to him in the name of condolences.
Therefore, the coffin should be put into the coffin early and buried as soon as possible.
After he left, Shen Chen looked at Jia Xu and said with a smile: "Mr. Wenhe was once the Tutor of His Royal Highness the King of Chu. He is highly respected in Jingzhou. He should be among the top three in this promotion."
Liu Bei hurriedly said: "I was invited by Bo Rui to help him quell the chaos. Although Bo Rui repeatedly asked me to lead Jingzhou by myself, I never thought about seizing the inheritance of the same clan. Now that Ji Xu is the king of Chu, it is my time to cheer up Jingzhou. That’s it.”
Liu Xiu added: "If the general doesn't want to do it, I will abandon the title and go away. I would rather escape into the mountains."
The entire courtyard is now covered with white silk hangings. A word "Dian" is hung on the main hall, and the coffin is placed in the center of the hall.
During the Battle of Pingting, Jia Xu persuaded Zhang Xiu to help Liu Bei.
Liu Bei nodded noncommittally, stood up and said, "Now all the people in Jingzhou and the imperial court in Jiangdong have expressed their condolences to Burui. Tomorrow Burui will be buried. I will go and accompany him."
Among them are some people who should not be here originally, but are here.
Only Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were not there. They were exempted from the death penalty but could not escape from the living penalty. They were imprisoned as criminals and were not eligible to participate. Originally Liu Cong was the same, but he was Liu Qi's biological brother. He could stand here in a corner. , which is considered extremely merciful.
Because of course their goal was not to defeat Zhang Lu or save Liu Zhang, but to seize Hanzhong and Yizhou.
Shen Chen rolled his eyes and said, "Forget it, I'd better sit back and let my grandfather take over if I have something to do."
For example, when Liu Bei became the Mu of Xuzhou in his early days, he was not the one conferred by the imperial court, but was elected by the officials of Xuzhou after Tao Qian's death.
So as long as all the officials in Jingzhou recognized Liu Bei, he actually had no control over them.
Since then.
Liu Bei is justified in taking control of Jingzhou!