In mid-March, the situation in Jingzhou became very serious.
The main force of the imperial court began to move south one after another. First, Zhao Yun led 30,000 troops, then Lieutenant General Xu Huang, and Lieutenant General Zhang Yan led 20,000 troops each.
Zhang Xiu originally had 20,000 troops, so the entire Nanyang court's troops were close to 100,000.
Then in the direction of Jiangdong, there were also the naval forces of Huang Zhong and Tai Shici.
There are all kinds of things, totaling 120,000 to 30,000.
Even this is just the vanguard.
Because Liu Bei plans to personally conquer Liu Biao with his chariot, he will also bring 50,000 people with him, and the total force will be close to 200,000.
In a sense, the 200,000-strong army against Liu Biao was like a lion fighting a rabbit.
After all, in history, although Liu Biao had more than 100,000 men with armor, he had several consecutive battles and almost emptied half of his family fortune.
In the Battle of Nanyang, more than 10,000 were lost, in the Battle of Fugou, more than 20,000 were lost, including the loss of Wenpin, and in the Battle of Zhuyi, the loss was 30,000, and another loss was Zhang Yun.
The army was nearly wiped out, and Liu Biao now only had about 40,000 to 50,000 naval troops, which was not enough to defend the entire Jingzhou.
This is also the reason why Jingzhou is experiencing turmoil and powerful families want to join the imperial court.
Now the imperial court is in full swing digging canals in Henan, Huaibei, Jiangdong and other places.
Jingzhou, on the other hand, was like a dead silence, without any ripples.
However, on the surface it is calm and the ancient well has no waves, but behind the scenes there are undercurrents and turbulent waves.
In February, news spread that Liu Biao fell ill, and the whole Jingzhou suddenly became lively.
Powerful people from various aristocratic families have joined forces one after another. On the surface, they interact with each other and comment on current affairs, but in fact they are discussing how long Jingzhou can last.
Under such intense exchanges, the powerful families in Jingzhou soon came to a very pessimistic conclusion - after the war started, Xiangyang would not be able to survive for a year.
Although Xiangyang is surrounded by water on three sides and a mountain on one side, it can be said that it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
However, the imperial army did not only attack from land. The Qingzhou Navy went all the way north from the Yangtze River to capture Queyue City in Shaxian County. Do you want to defend it or not?
This Queyue City was the Hankou area of Wuhan in later generations. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty built a city named Xiakou on the opposite side of Snake Mountain.
This place guards the throat of the Yangtze River heading north to Xiangyang. If this place can be broken, Xiangyang can be attacked from behind.
If Liu Biao sent Huang Zu to defend Queyue City, then the number of troops he sent could not be less than 30,000.
Because the total strength of the Qingzhou Navy is no less than 30,000.
Moreover, their ships and weapons and equipment are very good. After a year, they have already adapted to the hydrological climate of the Yangtze River, and their combat effectiveness is no worse than that of the Jingzhou Navy.
The Yangtze River is vast and there is no danger to defend.
There is no way to win except for a head-to-head confrontation in a water battle.
But if Huang Zu is transferred there, then Xiangyang will only have less than 20,000 troops stationed there. Moreover, in the vast land south of Jingzhou, there will be almost no troops to defend it.
If the imperial army ignores Xiangyang and marches directly south from Sui County to capture Jiangxia, and then circle behind Xiangyang from Jiangxia, then not only the entire Jiangxia and Nanjun will fall, but the four southern counties of Jingnan will also fall soon.
This is an indisputable fact.
That is, there is also a land route to attack Jingzhou. Go south from Suixian County, and the route will be Suizhou City, Anlu City, and Xiaogan City in later generations. Then attack west to Jingshan City, cross the Han River, and reach Jingmen City behind Xiangyang City.
And if you follow this route south and pass Xiaogan City, you will reach Wuhan City.
During the Han Dynasty, most of the Hanyang District, Hanchuan City, and Xiantao City to the west of Wuhan were still soaked in the Yunmengze Lake.
So after passing Xiaogan, we arrived in Wuhan, which had no city at that time and only had a fortress called Queyue City for military defense. We could attack the city directly from the land.
In this case, Jingzhou will be lost!
There are many famous people in Jingzhou, how could these noble people not think of this?
Therefore, after much calculation, they all believed that no matter how Liu Biao arranged his troops, it would be impossible to stop the imperial army.
The imperial court could have sent tens of thousands of people to surround Xiangyang, and at the same time sent tens of thousands of people to attack Queyue City from the land. At the same time, it could have sent naval forces to attack from the water, advancing both by water and land. Neither Xiangyang nor Queyue City in Hankou could stop it.
Under such circumstances, how could Jingzhou resist?
Therefore, the major aristocratic families naturally had to prepare for the worst, that is, after Jingzhou fell and the imperial army moved south, how would they, the nobles who were once under Liu Biao's rule, strive for their own political interests.
In fact, to some extent, they have been a lot slower.
When Chen Mu came, they could not be as decisive as Pang Degong, Liao Hua and others. Now, the middle and lower-level officials of the imperial court are basically occupied by students from Qingzhou Taishan Academy.
Except for the earlier group of officials who followed Liu Bei, most of the middle-level and upper-level officials were bureaucrats from aristocratic families who were left behind by the original Liu Yu court.
Even if the Jingzhou faction surrenders, it will not be able to quickly gain a foothold in the court.
Therefore, they must consider a problem, that is, how to quickly open up the situation and integrate the Jingzhou faction into the imperial bureaucracy.
The answer is obvious: betray Liu Biao in exchange for family interests.
So after hearing that Liu Biao was seriously ill, all the powerful families in Jingzhou began to make their own plans.
Just as the Ma Liang family originally planned, some people immediately wrote to the court and expressed their willingness to surrender; some people tried to persuade Liu Biao to join, hoping that he would surrender; and some people contacted other aristocratic families, and everyone jointly surrendered.
For a time, countless letters flew north like snowflakes.
Because these aristocratic families know very well that surrender is a skill, and if you can achieve great success while surrendering, that is the key.
If they succeeded in persuading Liu Biao to surrender, and the imperial troops captured the entire Jingzhou without bloodshed, wouldn't those who persuaded Liu Biao to surrender have made a huge contribution?
It was with this idea in mind that all the wealthy families wrote generously in their letters to Liu Biao, describing the pros and cons in strict terms, trying to take the credit for themselves.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! However, these wealthy families have no idea that these letters are not the ladder to their success at all, but are life-threatening talismans!
Luoyang, Yuntai Palace Cabinet, it is already three o'clock in the evening.
From February to March, in just one month, letters and official documents from Jingzhou piled up and filled the entire room.
Jia Xu, who serves as the minister of law and also serves as the first-class minister of cabinet records, is currently reviewing documents sent from other places.
Xun Yu, the junior minister of the cabinet, who was only 42 years old this year, was holding a cup of tea, like an old man in his seventies, walking slowly into Yuntai Hall. When he saw Jia Xu immersed in business, he rolled his eyes and planned to
Go to the side hall first.
The clinker Jia Xu seemed to have grown four ears and heard his light footsteps. Before he even raised his head, he said, "Wen Ruo, since you came in, why didn't you say hello?"
"oh."
Xun Yu thought for a moment and said, "Seeing that Mr. Xun is handling official business seriously, I don't dare to disturb him."
Jia Xu raised his head, his face twitching slightly and said: "According to the time, Wen Ruo should take over. If Wen Ruo comes over, I can finally rest. How can it be considered an interruption?"
Seeing that he couldn't escape, Xun Yu glanced at the mountains of official documents next to him and complained: "It's true, Prime Minister, there are so many big things in Jingzhou, but he went to Hebei alone, saying that he wanted to survey the Hebei Canal channel, and handed over so many official tasks.
Give it to us, isn't this how to avoid the tedious work and go and be at ease by yourself?"
"The Prime Minister has his own considerations."
Jia Xu didn't dare to complain about Chen Mu like Xun Yu did. It was normal for several bad friends to complain about each other. But he didn't have a close relationship with Chen Mu, and he was used to being cautious, so naturally he didn't dare to talk to Xun Yu.
Let’s complain about Chen Mu’s laziness.
Xun Yu had no choice but to bite the bullet and come to Jia Xu's side. He watched him packing his personal belongings and preparing to leave. He frowned when he thought that he would have to sit in jail for three hours.
The cabinet must have a cabinet minister on duty 24 hours a day, but now there are relatively few cabinet members, only Chen Mu, Ju Sue, Tian Feng, Xun Yu, Xun You and Jia Xu.
Among them, Jushou and Tian Feng are not here, and Chen Mu went to Hebei for inspection some time ago, so now there are only three people taking turns on duty.
It was originally supposed to be eight hours per person, but Liu Bei considered that Jia Xu was already 58 years old and might not be able to endure working on government affairs for a long time, so he cut the time so that each person worked for six hours, leaving the remaining six hours.
I would put the official documents that had arrived within an hour and process them the next day.
It was fine before, but recently because of the incident in Jingzhou, thousands of official documents were sent from Jingzhou every day. Originally, the national government affairs had been much easier after being transferred to Jiuqing. But as soon as the incident in Jingzhou came out, the official documents piled up in huge quantities.
.
There is no way, it will indeed be much easier after government affairs are handed over to Jiu Qing. For example, agricultural issues are handed over to Da Sinong, and criminal cases and official corruption issues are handed over to Wei Wei, Ting Wei, Guang Luxun and Tai Wei.
But the details of the battle and the internal surrender of the enemy must naturally be handed over to the cabinet. There are so many official documents now, and it is really exhausting for these three people to handle them.
After Xun Yu sat down, he picked up a few official documents from Jingzhou and looked at them. He shook his head and said, "These Jingzhou nobles are really..."
"What is it really?"
Jia Xu responded casually.
"Wall grass."
Xun Yu said: "Wherever the wind blows, it will fall."
Jia Xu smiled and said: "Everyone seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages. This is human nature."
Xun Yu thought for a while and said: "The Prime Minister is suppressing the nobles now. I guess he won't accept these people."
Jia Xu said: "The Prime Minister has long said that the powerful gentry occupy a lot of land and infringe on the interests of the people. Jingzhou is the place where he plans to develop agriculture. These gentry have occupied so much land, what does he want to use it for?"
"Does that mean we ignore these letters altogether?"
Xun Yu suddenly became excited.
There are so many problems in Jingzhou now because a large number of nobles want to surrender to the imperial court. Not only do they say that they want to surrender with their families, but they also express in their letters that they will report Liu Biao's army distribution and city situation to the imperial court.
Because of this, they have to read each letter one by one. Some people have to be comforted, some people have to negotiate terms, and some people can make promises to them.
This has undoubtedly greatly increased the workload of the cabinet to some extent, and is a huge burden for the cabinet that is currently short of manpower.
If Chen Mu intends to cut it across the board and has no plans to resettle these Jingzhou nobles, then naturally there is no need to review their letters.
However, Jia Xu shook his head and said: "You still have to read the letter. There are many good things in it, such as the sincerity of the major families when they are willing to surrender to the court. The property of their own manors, the layout of Liu Biao's army, and the current interior of Jingzhou.
In such a situation, superficial skills must still be done properly.”
"Well, that's true."
Xun Yu actually regretted what he said before. He couldn't have thought of these things. It's just that he was almost unconscious after being tortured by these official documents and letters for a month, and his thinking was not as sharp as before. Being in jail every day was boring, which was really frustrating.
He feels uncomfortable.
Seeing that his face was rather ugly, Jia Xu thought about it and suddenly said with a smile: "Actually, I just need to browse briefly and write down the important ones. As for the reply, I can let the people below deal with it as they please."
"oh?"
Xun Yu asked in surprise: "Isn't this matter important?"
"important."
Jia Xu said: "It doesn't matter, because soon the Jingzhou family will lose most of its power, so there is no need to argue with them about some things."
Will most of the powerful Jingzhou families be reduced?
Xun Yu thought for a moment, nodded slightly and said: "Yes, since the beginning of the year, we have sent your majesty's edict to Liu Biao, asking him to surrender. But he still resisted, which means that he still raised troops to fight against the imperial court. Now these people
If they jump out to express their loyalty to the court, Liu Biao will indeed kill them."
Jia Xu smiled and said nothing. After taking his tea cup, notepad and his usual writing brush, he stood up and left.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Looking at his leaving back, Xun Yu frowned slightly.
For some reason, Jia Xu's attitude made him feel that this matter was not as simple as he thought.
Are you overthinking it?
...
...
Jingzhou, Xiangyang.
Kuai Yue and Cai Mao came out of Liu Biao's mansion, both of them had serious expressions on their faces.
In fact, one thing is true, that is, Liu Biao is really ill.
Historically, Liu Biao became seriously ill in the 12th year of Jian'an, that is, 207 AD, and finally died of illness in the beginning of the 13th year of Jian'an.
But because he died of illness at that time in history, it does not mean that he did not have some normal ailments of the elderly before.
As a person born in the first year of Han'an, Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty, Liu Biao is sixty-three years old this year.
At this age, age-related diseases, large and small, will naturally appear.
It's just that I take good care of myself and don't get sick on weekdays.
But as the situation became increasingly unfavorable to him, Liu Biao's mental condition and physical fitness also deteriorated, and he was eventually bedridden at the beginning of the year.
The doctor has diagnosed that if you take proper treatment, you will not die of the disease, but you should not be emotionally excited, and you should not be overjoyed, sad, or angry.
The pillars of Jingzhou are now lying on the bed, and the faces of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao naturally don't look good.
After they came out of the mansion, they went to Cai Mao's mansion. In addition to Kuai Yue, there were several other cronies, but they were not famous historical figures.
Now most of Liu Biao's subordinates are urging Liu Biao to adhere to Liu Bei. Han Song, Liu Xian, Yi Ji, Fu Xun and other people who are engaged in Liu Biao's affairs are all coming to Biao one after another. There are not many loyal to Liu Biao anymore.
Kuai Yue's brother Kuai Liang died of illness last year, Wenpin was captured, Zhang Yun was killed, Huang Zu is currently guarding Jiangxia, and only Kuai Yue and Cai Mao are left in the core circle of Jingzhou's top leaders.
After arriving at Cai Mao's mansion, Kuai Yue dismissed his cronies and asked them to wait outside, while he and Cai Mao discussed important matters in a small building in the hall.
It is the third month of the lunar calendar and the fourth month of the solar calendar, when the rainy season in the south begins. It rains day and night in Xiangyang. The spring breeze blows on the curtains of the small building, and the raindrops fall on the eaves, in the courtyard, and by the pond.
Cai Mao and Kuai Yue sat down and listened to the sound of rain outside. Cai Mao said rather irritably: "Ming Gong is ill now. People in Jingzhou are panicked. We are in danger."
Kuai Yue said calmly: "Ming Gong has his own plans. Even if he doesn't think about himself, he still has to think about the two young masters. What do you think?"
"Um."
Cai Mao said: "We have already advised you on this matter, and Duke Ming has now relented. Maybe it won't be long before he makes up his mind."
"That's good."
Kuai Yue nodded, the strength of the imperial court was like a big mountain weighing on their hearts.
The two were silent for a moment, and Cai Hao suddenly said: "There should be a lot of people popping up these days. Have you sorted out the list?"
"about there."
Kuai Yue said: "We are investigating the details. Some people can be killed and some people cannot be killed. They have all been listed."
Cai Hao had a ferocious look on his face and said: "In a few days, prepare to take action. Although we are all Jingzhou nobles and have had many friendships in the past, this time, there is nothing we can do. It is better to kill them than to die."
We are strong!"
"well."
Kuai Yue looked at the raindrops falling outside and sighed: "If it wasn't for the family and myself, who would be willing to do this?"
Cai Mao's eyes showed murderous intent: "They are just a bunch of weeds, so what's the pity to kill them? It's because there are too many such rats in Jingzhou that we have fallen into this situation today."
Kuai Yue shook his head: "That's all we can do, let's act as planned."
His deep gaze looked into the distance.
The rain outside is getting heavier and heavier.
The sky and the earth were shrouded in dark clouds, as if they were about to swallow the whole world.