At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 196: The monarch and his ministers are alienated and disappointed

Yiyang, county government.

As soon as Zhou Cheng asked people to make announcements to pacify the people, he saw Zhou Tai escorting Huang Zhong and rushed in happily.

"General, look who I caught!"

Zhou Cheng looked at Huang Zhong who was tied up, and hurriedly stepped forward and scolded Zhou Tai: "General Huang is a famous general in Jingzhou, how can he be treated like this?"

After saying that, he stepped forward and untied Huang Zhong. When he saw that the other man's clothes were all wet, he immediately took off his cloak and put it on Huang Zhong.

"The general has suffered. I am here to apologize to the general for Youping."

After speaking, Zhou Cheng bowed deeply to Huang Zhong.

Zhou Cheng's move was not entirely for show.

He was born into a poor family and was a loyal man, especially respecting people with real abilities.

Huang Zhong was brave, good at fighting, and proficient in the art of war. He was a fierce general in Jingzhou, so he naturally gained the respect of Zhou Cheng.

Huang Zhong was originally unconvinced, but when he saw that Zhou Cheng's posture did not seem to be hypocritical, he sighed deeply and smiled bitterly at Zhou Cheng: "How can a defeated general afford to be treated like this by the general?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head and said: "In a head-to-head confrontation, how can I be the general's opponent?"

"I'm slightly better, but it's just through trickery."

Huang Zhong said: "Victory is victory, defeat is defeat, the general does not need to give me a step."

Zhou Cheng asked people to fetch hot water for Huang Zhong to bathe and change clothes, and then prepared a sumptuous banquet to warmly entertain the famous Jingzhou general.

Huang Zhong did not refuse Zhou Cheng's kindness. Although he did not talk much during the banquet, he ate large pieces of meat and drank heavily.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

When everyone was a little drunk, Zhou Cheng suddenly said: "My Lord is determined to help the country, has the heart to bring peace to the world, and has always been thirsty for talents."

"As the saying goes: A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses his master to serve."

"The general is as brave as any man, and Liu Biao is nothing but a mediocre person. Why not abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side and serve my lord?"

When Huang Zhong heard this, he did not hesitate at all and refused directly: "A loyal minister has no business with the two masters."

"Liu Shijun was kind to a certain person. Huang Zhong was defeated and captured. He has already betrayed the envoy's great trust. How can he betray his master because of his greed for life?"

"The so-called victor and defeated bandit. When someone falls into such a situation, he doesn't think about going back alive. I thanked the general for his hospitality today and just wants to die quickly!"

Seeing this, Zhou Cheng couldn't help but secretly praise Huang Zhong as a loyal man, and continued to persuade: "The general's family members are all staying in Linxiang, and they have been captured at this time. Even if the general does not think about himself, he must also think about his family members."

Huang Zhong looked at Zhou Cheng and said seriously: "Although I don't have much contact with the general, I can feel that the general is not indiscriminately killing people who involve his family members."

"If someone died for righteousness, how could the general embarrass someone's family?"

Zhou Cheng was silent for a long time and suddenly asked: "On that day when we were fighting under the city, we knew that the general had unparalleled arrows. But when I was defeated and fled, why didn't the general directly aim at me and shoot my mount to death instead?"

Huang Zhong said: "Although the general scolded me harshly in order to provoke me to leave the city, he refused to fight me together. He is a true man."

"Although Huang Zhong is not talented, he does not want to stab others in the back."

When Zhou Cheng heard this, he couldn't help but sigh: "The general is really a righteous man."

He couldn't bear it and continued to ask: "The general is really unwilling to surrender?"

Huang Zhong closed his eyes and said no more.

When Li Wen saw the tangled look on Zhou Cheng's face, he immediately had an idea and said: "Such generals should be handed over to the lord for mercy. How can a general kill without permission?"

Zhou Cheng came to his senses and said hurriedly: "It should be so."

He then had Huang Zhong escorted away and waited for Zhou Qi's arrival in Yiyang City.

A few days later, Zhou Qi led a mighty army to Yiyang.

When he learned that Zhou Cheng defeated the Jingzhou army and captured Huang Zhong alive, he was extremely surprised. After learning the details of the incident, he asked, "Where is Li Wen?"

Zhou Cheng looked embarrassed and said, "This man's appearance and voice are ruined. He doesn't want to reveal his true identity, doesn't want to take credit, and he doesn't want to see the master."

Zhou Qi frowned and thought for a long time, then asked about Li Wen's deeds carefully, and then his heart moved and said: "If what I expected is correct, this person is the former chief adviser of Dong Zhuo, Li Ru and Li Wenyou."

Zhou Cheng lost his voice and said, "Wasn't this person killed by Li Su?"

Zhou Qi smiled and said: "If a person like this wants to survive, he will naturally find a way."

This is indeed the case. The person Li Su killed was just Li Ru's substitute.

However, there are too many people who know Li Ru. It will not be easy for him to escape Chang'an if he continues to wear his original appearance.

It was through disfigurement and silence that he escaped the interrogation of Lu Bu's subordinates and was able to escape safely from Chang'an to Jiangxia.

Zhou Cheng looked at Zhou Qi's face and asked cautiously: "My lord, you won't do anything to Li Ru, right?"

Li Ru's reputation has been ruined for a long time. Almost everyone who opposes Dong Zhuo wants to eat his flesh. Zhou Cheng is also worried that Zhou Qi will be detrimental to Li Ru.

After all, after such a long time, Zhou Cheng also had a great impression of Li Ru.

Zhou Qi seemed to have guessed Zhou Cheng's thoughts, and couldn't help but smile and said: "Brother, there is no need to worry. I have written a letter to Li Ru before, hoping that he can come to Yangzhou to take up a post."

"But I didn't expect that he would actually stay here with you."

After Zhou Cheng heard this, he let out a long sigh of relief, and then said with some worry: "Since Li Ru came to Jiangxia, he has been taciturn every day and does not want to have too much contact with outsiders."

"I'm very worried about his condition."

Zhou Qi pondered for a long time, and finally sighed: "Being disfigured and silenced is a huge blow to anyone. What's more, his whole family was killed by Li Su, so it is naturally difficult to get out."

"If possible, you can find him a woman who doesn't care about her appearance so that he can marry and have children again. This may help Li Ru get out of the shadows."

"As for his true identity, just pretend not to know and let him stay in Jiangxia as Li Wen."

"Brother, there is indeed a lack of counselors like Li Ru."

Zhou Cheng nodded heavily and looked very happy. Fortunately, Zhou Qi did not send Li Ru away.

Zhou Qi continued to ask: "After Huang Zhong was captured, he was not tortured, right?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head hurriedly and told everything he had done, making Zhou Qi nod secretly.

Zhou Qi said without any doubt: "Huang Zhong is a general's talent and must be used by me."

Zhou Cheng smiled bitterly and said: "My lord has some shortcomings. Huang Zhong would rather die than surrender. It may not be easy to get him to change his family."

Huang Zhong's situation at this time was very different from when he surrendered to Liu Bei in history.

Historically, Huang Zhong surrendered to Liu Bei because Liu Biao was dead, the eldest son Liu Qi also surrendered to Liu Bei, and the second son Liu Cong surrendered to Cao Cao.

At that time, Huang Zhong had no psychological burden for surrendering to Liu Bei.

Now Liu Biao treats Huang Zhong very kindly, and he is also worshiped as Zhonglang General. Naturally, he will repay his kindness with death.

Zhou Qi pondered for a long time, and finally stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, you prepare the food and wine, and I will meet Huang Zhong in person!"

It didn't take long for Zhou Cheng to have sumptuous food and wine prepared.

At this time, Huang Zhong was being imprisoned with his generals, but suddenly he saw Dian Wei walking in with a pair of iron halberds, shouting at a loud voice: "Huang Hansheng, General Chariot and Cavalry invites you to talk!" "

Huang Zhong frowned slightly, intending to refuse, but he also wanted to see Zhou Qi himself, and finally left with Dian Wei.

The other generals who were imprisoned in the prison whispered after seeing the two people leaving: "Zhou Cheng has repeatedly persuaded General Huang to surrender before, which shows that he values ​​General Huang very much."

"General Chariot and Cavalry personally summoned General Huang when he first arrived in Yiyang. Could it be that he also wanted to recruit General Huang to surrender?"

Another person said: "General Huang is a loyal man and will never commit himself to thieves!"

In the house, the banquet was very sumptuous, and the table next to it was filled with fine wine.

When Zhou Qi saw Dian Wei and Huang Zhong coming in, he stretched out his hand to signal Huang Zhong to sit down.

Huang Zhong already had the heart to die and was not afraid at all. He sat down carelessly. Before Zhou Qi could say anything, he picked up the meat and wine on the table and ate and drank. He looked very bold.

Dian Wei stood behind Zhou Qi without saying a word.

Until Huang Zhong had eaten and drank enough, Zhou Qi still sat there, smiling and saying nothing.

Huang Zhong threw the bones in his hand on the ground, burped, looked at Zhou Qi, and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it."

Zhou Qi said with a smile: "I came here today just to admire the general's heroic appearance, nothing else."

Huang Zhong frowned slightly, wondering what kind of medicine Zhou Qi was selling in his gourd, so he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Now that you've finished reading, you can go."

Zhou Qi shook his head and said: "Don't worry, I heard that the general is good at drinking. If you can drink all the wine on the table, I will let you go."

When Huang Zhong heard this, his eyes widened and he asked, "Is this true?"

Zhou Qi smiled and said: "A gentleman's words are hard to catch up with!"

Huang Zhong didn't waste any time. He walked directly to several wine jars, opened the seals and started drinking heavily.

Unexpectedly, these wines were very different from the ones he usually drank. They were very strong and burned in his throat. Huang Zhong felt dizzy without drinking much, and then fell to the ground.

Looking at Huang Zhong who fell to the ground unconscious, Zhou Qi turned to look at Dian Wei and said: "Let Huang Zhong stay here for an hour first, and then trouble Dianjun to send him back to the cell. After he wakes up, put him back to the cell." Return the weapons, armor, and war horses, give him some money and food, and let him go."

Dian Wei looked shocked and asked, "But he didn't finish the wine."

Zhou Qi smiled mysteriously and said, "Dianjun, there is no need to say anything, just let Huang Zhong go."

But it was said that after Huang Zhong was sent back to the cell, the generals under his command looked at the unconscious Huang Zhong and at first thought that something bad had happened to him.

But when they smelled the strong smell of alcohol on Huang Zhong's body and the faint sound of snoring, they realized that Huang Zhong was drunk.

It wasn't until the next morning that Huang Zhong woke up from his drunken state, but still felt a splitting headache.

All the generals were very curious and wanted to know what Huang Zhong had talked about when he went out and talked with Zhou Qi for more than an hour.

Huang Zhong said a little confused: "The two of us didn't talk about anything at all, we just drank and ate meat."

"Huang Hansheng, my lord asked me to return all the weapons, armor, and horses to you. I also prepared money and food. You can leave."

When the generals heard this, they all looked confused and looked at Huang Zhong with suspicion.

Huang Zhong and Monk Zhang Er were also confused.

However, out of the desire for freedom, Huang Zhong still shook his confused head and walked out doubtfully.

It wasn't until he led the war horse out of Yiyang City that he suddenly realized that he had indeed been released.

"Didn't General Chariot and Cavalry say that as long as I drink all the wine, he would let me go?"

"But the wine yesterday was too strong, and I didn't seem to finish it!"

Huang Zhong thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Finally, he turned around and looked at Yiyang City, where the flags covered the sky and the sun. He finally put aside his doubts and galloped towards Hanshou.

Not long after Huang Zhong left, envoys from the northern princes also arrived one after another.

As expected, they all came to persuade Zhou Qi to stop his troops.

Zhou Qi, while responding to the envoy from Hou, ordered his generals to march day and night to seize the entire territory of Changsha.

Now that Liu Biao's defeat in Jingzhou was certain, the counties in Changsha were also very empty. Almost as soon as the army arrived, the county magistrate opened the city and surrendered without spending much effort at all.

Just when the envoys from the princes were getting impatient, Zhou Qi summoned everyone and said, "It is not impossible to let Gu retreat."

"Ran Gu's trip was based on the emperor's edict, and he used the road in Jingzhou to attack Liu Yan, who had disobedient intentions."

"I never thought that Li Yan, the general of Lankou Ju, deliberately burned down the water village and put the blame on Gu, hoping to provoke a war between Yangzhou and Jingzhou."

"If it weren't for this person, I would have led an army to conquer Yizhou by now."

"I have no intention of being an enemy of Liu Jingzhou, and I don't want to get involved in the land of Jingzhou, but Li Yan must be handed over, otherwise I will not be able to explain to the Yangzhou generals!"

When the envoys heard this, they all looked at each other, but they were no longer aggressive.

As long as Zhou Qi gives up annexing Jingzhou, everything else is easy to talk about. As for how Zhou Qi confuses right and wrong, these people don't care.

At the same time, Huang Zhong had returned to Hanshou alone.

He met Xu Huang's soldiers on the way, and after taking out the customs clearance document signed by Zhou Qi himself, no one deliberately made things difficult for him.

In this way, Huang Zhong returned to Hanshou very smoothly.

At this time, after continuously mobilizing troops from various places during this period, there were already more than [-] soldiers and horses in Hanshou City, enough to be able to defend the city.

"I am Huang Zhong and Huang Hansheng, please open the city gate quickly!"

Huang Zhong came to the city gate and shouted loudly to the garrison waiting on the city.

The defenders did not dare to neglect after hearing this and hurried to the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion to report.

After Liu Biao heard the news of Huang Zhong's return, he was overjoyed and hurriedly boarded the city gate himself. Only after he saw clearly that it was Huang Zhong himself and that there were no pursuers outside the city, did he have the city gate opened.

Huang Zhong entered the city and was given a grand reception by Liu Biao.

Regardless of Huang Zhong's background, it was just a battle between Jingzhou and Yangzhou. Only Huang Zhong in Jingzhou was remarkable.

Huang Zhong's previous consecutive victories also greatly boosted the morale of Jingzhou's soldiers and horses.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.But suddenly someone asked: "I heard that the general was defeated and captured. Why didn't all the generals come back, and only the general returned safely?"

When Huang Zhong heard this, the wine glass he originally picked up was placed heavily on the table, his face became terrifyingly gloomy.

The so-called exposing people does not expose their shortcomings, and hitting people does not slap them in the face.

Huang Zhong was defeated and captured, which was not a glorious thing in the first place, but it was said in public at this time, how could one not feel angry.

Moreover, in addition to revealing Huang Zhong's scars, the person who spoke had obvious doubts behind his words.

Seeing Huang Zhong's gloomy face, Liu Biao hurriedly scolded the person who spoke: "General Huang finally escaped death, how can you talk like this?"

The man first confessed to Liu Biao, and then said: "The pure will be pure by themselves, and the turbid will be turbid by themselves. If General Huang has a clear conscience, he will naturally not be afraid of being questioned."

Another person also asked: "That's true. General Huang has defeated Yangzhou soldiers and horses several times. The opponent must hate the general to the core, how can he let the general back so easily?"

"If the general doesn't explain clearly, it will inevitably lead to suspicion."

When Liu Biao saw this, he turned to look at Huang Zhong and said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Han Sheng might as well tell you how to escape from Yiyang, so as to silence everyone."

"Crack!"

When Huang Zhong heard this, he suddenly used his right hand to crush the wine glass.

Although Huang Zhong was angry when others questioned him, he didn't think much about it, but Liu Biao's words made Huang Zhong feel chilled.

He fought tooth and nail to defend Jingzhou from foreign enemies. Even though the enemy repeatedly tried to surrender, he chose to keep his integrity and never wavered.

Even if he did have a lot of doubts when he came back this time, Huang Zhong would explain it to Liu Biao in private.

He didn't expect that the person he was loyal to to the death would actually question him in public without saving any face for him.

He took a few deep breaths, tried to calm down the anger in his heart, and then said calmly: "I don't know why General Chariot and Cavalry let me come back."

Seeing that Huang Zhong was already angry and unwilling to say anything, Liu Biao immediately smoothed things over and said: "The loyalty of a general can be seen from the sun and the moon, so you don't have to say anything!"

However, Huang Zhong stood up and bowed to Liu Biao: "I have traveled a long distance and I am too drunk. I am exhausted. Please leave for now!"

After speaking, Huang Zhong strode away from the banquet, but Liu Biao's face looked a little ugly.

But when envoys from the princes arrived at Hanshou and told Zhou Qi's request, Liu Biao couldn't help frowning.

He said to many envoys: "This is obviously Zhou Qi's confusion of right and wrong. How can I leave my subordinates to him?"

The envoys saw that Liu Biao was so ignorant, but they did not say anything more and said: "The conditions for the general Chariot and Cavalry have been set. If Liu Jingzhou cannot meet it, please forgive us and it will be difficult for us to mediate."

After saying this, the envoys planned to leave.

"Wait everyone!"

"Everyone, wait a minute, let me think about it!"

After appeasing the envoys, Liu Biao summoned his subordinates to discuss countermeasures.

Immediately, someone shouted sternly: "What's Li Zhengfang's crime? How could he hand him over just to please Zhou Qi? Wouldn't this be a huge loss of support!"

"There are [-] soldiers and horses in the city today. If we continue to recruit soldiers and horses from other places, we can gather [-] soldiers and horses within a few months. With me leading the army to defend the city, why be afraid of Zhou Qi's army?"

"The war in the north has ceased. The princes are ready to make a move. If Zhou Qi fails to attack Jingzhou for a long time, there will be chaos in Yangzhou. Please think twice!"

Everyone looked around and saw that the person speaking was none other than Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong has a strong character, not to mention that he and Li Yan are from the same hometown, so he naturally does not want to see Li Yan suffer unreasonable disasters.

Liu Biao frowned slightly when he heard this.

Someone saw Liu Biao frowning and immediately said: "The general's words are wrong. Even if he can gather [-] troops and horses in a short time, he lacks training. How can he defeat the tiger and wolf troops under Zhou Qi's command?"

"The envoys from the princes have arrived. If the princes do not agree to this condition, it will be difficult for the princes to continue the mediation."

"If one person, Li Yan, can be sacrificed to protect millions of people in Jingzhou, which one is more important, how can the general not know?"

When Huang Zhong heard this, he became furious and argued with those who supported him.

However, now that Zhou Qi was powerful, many Jingzhou scholars were afraid and unwilling to continue the war with Yangzhou, and planned to hand over Li Yan to calm the war.

Seeing that everyone had been arguing for a long time and could not reach a consensus, Liu Biao could only helplessly rub his brows and stop the debate.

He said: "Let me write a letter and ask Zhengfang himself for his opinion."

Li Yan, who was in Xiangyang, couldn't help but look ashen after receiving Liu Biao's letter.

Liu Biao was able to write a letter to inquire about the person involved, and his attitude was actually very clear, that is, he hoped that Li Yan would agree and take the initiative to go to Zhou Qi's military camp.

If Li Yan did not go, he would be greedy for life and afraid of death, cherishing one life and disregarding millions of Jingzhou people.

He sighed deeply and immediately said goodbye to Cai Mao and Wenpin, preparing to tie his hands and go to Zhou Qi to collect his guilt.

After Wenpin heard the news, he couldn't help but turn pale with shock. He couldn't help but paused and said, "How could you do this?"

While he was persuading Li Yan not to do stupid things, he also wrote to Liu Biao, hoping that he would not fall into Zhou Qi's scheme.

However, Li Yanxin was dead. No matter how hard Wenpin tried to persuade him, he did not stay in Xiangyang, but went straight to Yicheng.

When Wenpin saw this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Hand over Li Yan, you will lose the hearts of Jingzhou!"

When Liu Biao learned that Li Yan had gone to the Yangzhou army, he breathed a sigh of relief despite his sadness. He informed the princes' envoys of the news, but also made a request, that is, he hoped that Zhou Qi could return Changsha County and Yicheng.

When the envoys from the princes heard this, they all looked at Liu Biao without saying a word.

Obviously, all fools know that Zhou Qi will never agree to this condition.

Seeing this, Liu Biao had no choice but to retreat and do the next best thing, saying: "If we cannot return Changsha County, I hope General Chaoqi can release the captured Jingzhou soldiers. I am willing to exchange money and food."

The envoys from the princes agreed to help and rushed to Yiyang one after another.

Zhou Qi refused to release the captured Jingzhou soldiers, but was willing to return the captured generals, but Liu Biao needed to spend a lot of money and food to redeem them.

Most of these military lieutenant generals came from big families in Jingzhou. Even if Liu Biao couldn't provide money and food, those big families would do it themselves.

After the captured generals in Yiyang returned to Hanshou, Liu Biao secretly summoned them and asked, "Why did Zhou Qi only release Huang Hansheng back?"

When the generals heard this, they looked at each other, and finally said: "We don't know the specific situation."

"However, the day before General Huang was released, Zhou Qi called him out for more than an hour. When he came back in the evening, he was already drunk. The next day, he returned General Huang's weapons, horses, armor, presented him with money and food, and sent him away. .”

Liu Biao's heart sank slightly and he asked, "Are you saying that Zhou Qi has been interviewing Huang Zhong for more than an hour?"

"Yes."

Liu Biao's face was gloomy, and he finally called Huang Zhong and asked directly: "Zhou Qi called the general out for more than an hour. What on earth did they talk about?"

Huang Zhong shook his head and said, "We didn't talk about anything."

Liu Biao asked again: "Really not?"

Huang Zhong frowned and said after a long time: "He pointed at the spirits on the table and promised that as long as I could drink all the wine on the table, he would let me go."

When Liu Biao heard this, his expression softened slightly, and he thought to himself: "I have heard about it a long time ago. Zhou Qi is also a man of faith. Perhaps he did not expect Huang Hansheng to be so powerful, so he had no choice but to release him." Bar."

Thinking of this, Liu Biao looked at Huang Zhong and said with a smile: "The general's drinking capacity is really amazing. Maybe he told me how much he drank before he finished all the wine?"

However, Huang Zhong looked ashamed and said, "If it were just ordinary drinks, I would certainly be able to drink them all."

"Unexpectedly, the wine brought out by the cavalry general was very strong. It felt like fire when it entered the throat, and it was also very high. I only drank three jars of wine and felt dizzy. Then I fell to the ground and fell unconscious."

Liu Biao's smile froze on his face, and then he asked, "Didn't the general drink all the wine?"

Huang Zhong licked his lips and said with some lingering thoughts: "Yes, those wines are really unforgettable."

After finishing speaking, Huang Zhong looked at Liu Biao's increasingly pale face and suddenly woke up. He seemed to have said the wrong thing.

However, as a military commander with a strong personality, he couldn't lie in front of Liu Biao.

Liu Biao's face gradually became calmer and asked: "Since the general did not finish the drink as promised, why did Zhou Qi let the general back?"

Huang Zhong smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either."

Liu Biao looked at Huang Zhong for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said: "I'm just asking, general, don't worry."

"You have worked hard at the front. Take advantage of the peace talks between the two sides to take a good rest."

When Liu Biao returned to his mansion, he immediately became furious and shouted: "How could Zhou Qi let Huang Zhong go so easily and talk with him in secret for more than an hour for no reason?"

At this time, Liu Biao was already suspicious of Huang Zhong.

The people on the left and right added fuel to the fire, saying: "Huang Zhong and his wife have always been in love. At this time, his wife is still in the hands of Zhou Qi. Perhaps he was coerced, so he secretly surrendered and was released later."

Another person also said: "Previously, envoys from the princes came to talk about peace. It was clear that peace in Jingzhou could be preserved by handing over Li Yan, but Huang Zhong strongly opposed it. I am afraid he also deliberately wanted to sabotage the peace talks so as to give Zhou Qi an excuse to continue. Let’s attack Jingzhou.”

After listening to this, Liu Biao felt extremely irritable, but he still had some illusions after all.

He summoned Kuai Liang and Kuai Che, told them all his guesses, and then asked: "Do you two gentlemen think that Huang Hansheng really defected to Zhou Qi privately?"

Kuai Liang was about to speak, but Kuai Yue secretly pulled down his sleeve.

Kuai Che stepped forward and said: "According to the envoy's description, Huang Zhong must have turned traitor in all likelihood."

Liu Biao was furious when he heard this, and then gritted his teeth and said: "I treat Huang Zhong so well, but he surrenders to Zhou Qi, it is simply too much!"

Kuai Yue advised: "Huang Zhong is quite famous, so you can just hide him in the snow. Don't go to war to capture him, otherwise you will lose people's hearts."

Kuai Liang looked at Kuai Yue in surprise, and saw that the other party wanted to wink at him, so he remained silent.

Although Liu Biao was angry, he also felt that Kuai Yue's words were reasonable, so he immediately gave Huang Zhong a sinecure and would not let him have any more contact with military power.

After the two brothers left the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion, Kuai Liang saw that there was no one around, and then whispered: "This is most likely Zhou Qi's plan to alienate each other. Can't Yidu see it?"

Kuai Yue stopped, looked at Kuai Liang, and said, "Since the envoy has become suspicious, so what if I find out?"

Kuai Liang said: "That can't add fuel to the fire!"

Kuai Yue sighed: "Previously Liu Jingsheng rode into Jingzhou alone and met my two brothers in Yicheng to ask for advice on how to pacify Jingzhou. I also admire his courage and broadmindedness."

"It seems today that Liu Jingsheng is not good enough."

Kuai Liang couldn't help but look shocked when he saw his younger brother calling Liu Biao by his first name.

Kuai Yue said calmly: "Jingzhou lost Jiangxia first, then Nanyang, and now it has lost Changsha. The situation is over. Liu Jingsheng handed Li Yan over to the generals of chariots and cavalry this time. He has greatly lost the hearts of the people and has no way to recover."

"Given time, Jingzhou will be captured by the cavalry generals. You and I, brothers, should make plans early!"

Kuai Liang was shocked in his heart, and said: "Your Majesty treats my Kuai family well, how can Yidu treat me like this?"

Kuai Yue said seriously: "Today is in troubled times. The princes are rising together. Many families will rise as a result, and many families will decline or even perish."

"I believe that the General of Chariots and Cavalry has the qualities of a powerful leader, and his methods are quite clever. He also entrusts the families who have come under his command with great importance."

"On the other hand, Liu Jingsheng, although he has the talents of the Three Masters, has not seen anything happen. He is suspicious and undecided. He just sits and chats with guests."

"In a time of peace, he can be a minister, but in a time of chaos, he cannot be a master."

"If we don't plan a retreat early, when the generals of chariots and cavalry capture Jingzhou, the Kuai family will be implicated. I hope my brother will think about it."

When Kuai Liang heard this, he sighed and said no more.

But it was said that Li Yan bound his hands and went to Yicheng. After Jiang Qin received the news, he did not dare to neglect and sent troops to escort him to Yiyang.

When Li Yan arrived in Yiyang, Xu Huang just withdrew.

Li Yan walked up to Zhou Qi with his head held high and said loudly: "If you want to kill or behead me, please do as you please. I won't say anything!"

When the generals saw Li Yan being so arrogant, they all looked at him angrily.

Especially Zhou Tai, when he remembered that he was being teased by Li Yan in Lankouju, and then blocked in Yicheng for three whole months, he immediately became angry, jumped out with a knife, and shouted: "Since you want to die, so-and-so You wish!"

Li Yan, however, held his head high, closed his eyes tightly, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi scolded: "Youping, you are so rude!"

To be honest, because of his past life memories, Zhou Qi felt that Li Yan had cheated Zhuge Liang in order to fight for power and gain, regardless of the overall situation, and he didn't like this person very much.

However, at this time, Li Yan was quite capable and indeed talented.

Otherwise, Liu Bei would not have entrusted all his domestic troops to the other party before he died.

Zhou Qi came to Li Yan not because he wanted to kill him, but because he wanted to use this method to make Liu Biao lose his support and pave the way for the next attack on Jingzhou.

As for Li Yan, Zhou Qi not only did not plan to kill him, but also planned to entrust him with a more important role.

In this way, Liu Biao will be slapped in the face, and the scholars in Jingzhou will be able to see who is the master of the Ming Dynasty.

He looked at Li Yan and said: "Sir, before the two states were at war, he still voluntarily came to die despite knowing that he was wronged. It is really admirable."

"Yangzhou is still short of a government official. I wonder if you, sir, would be willing to give in?"

Du Ji originally held this position concurrently, but since the other party became the governor of Lujiang County, a position in governance became vacant.

When Li Yan heard this, he suddenly opened his eyes, showing a look of surprise for the rest of his life.

Without any hesitation, he prostrated directly: "Thank you for your great love, I am willing to die in return!"

Zhou Qi laughed loudly, stepped forward to support Li Yan, and said, "I have found the right way, so why worry about not succeeding?"

　This chapter has [-] words. The battle against Jingzhou is over. The next chapter should be a fight with Cao Cao.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)