Ji Han Liu Zhang

Xiangyang.

Liu Biao, the General Zhennan and the Governor of Jingzhou, was reading the news coming from Guanzhong. His expression was either happy or thoughtful. After a long time, he put down the silk document containing the news and handed it to the attendant beside him.

As Liu Biao's close attendant, this attendant did not need Liu Biao to give any verbal instructions. He understood Liu Biao's meaning with just a look and a gesture. He took the document, took a few steps back, turned around, and handed the document to Liu Xian, the deputy driver, and Kuai Yue, the attendant, who were sitting below.

Liu Xian, the deputy driver, took the silk cloth from the attendant and began to read it at a glance. Kuai Yue, the attendant, sat down and waited for Liu Xian to finish reading. His expression was very calm, like a calm lake without wind.

Not long after, Deputy Driver Liu Xian finished reading the document in his hand, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. He did not indulge himself too much in joy, but quickly handed the document in his hand to his clerk Kuai Yue.

When Kuai Yue saw the expressions of Liu Biao and Liu Xian when they were reading the document, he was mentally prepared for the content of the intelligence about Guanzhong that he received from Liu Xian. In other words, he had already figured out the content of the document and only needed to verify it after taking a look at it.

Similarly, it didn't take Kuai Yue too long to imprint the contents of the document into his mind. He finished reading this not very long document.

Kuai Yue turned his head slightly, and after exchanging a glance with his deputy Liu Xian, the two of them knelt down in unison and said to Liu Biao, "Congratulations, sir. Li Jue and Guo Si have abandoned Chang'an and fled far away. Their defeat is imminent."

"The two thieves Li and Guo were the most tyrannical after Dong Zhuo. They bullied the emperor and oppressed the common people. Now they are defeated and on the run. It is time for the two thieves to receive retribution."

Listening to the congratulations from his deputy Liu Xian and his attendant Kuai Yue, Liu Biao smiled slightly. He nodded and said, "Liu Yizhou sent troops to Guanzhong, but within a few months, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si have shown signs of defeat... It can be seen that our Han family is blessed by the gods and protected by God. All the thieves of the Han family, even if they are rampant for a while, will be defeated sooner or later."

"Liu Yizhou has fought against the enemy for the country and his achievements are unparalleled. I should send an envoy to congratulate him." As an ally of Liu Zhang, when Liu Zhang conquered Guanzhong and was about to behead Li and Guo, Liu Biao thought that he should send an envoy to congratulate Liu Zhang, so as to live up to the alliance.

"That's right." Liu Xian, the deputy driver, responded. He fully agreed with Liu Biao's plan to send an envoy. After all, allies should give each other face.

When Kuai Yue, who was at the helm, listened to the remarks of Liu Biao's envoy, he sensed a hint of sourness in Liu Biao's voice when he spoke of 'fighting for the country and making contributions to the world'. Although Liu Biao hid it very well, he was certain that Liu Biao felt somewhat sour about the fact that his fellow clan member Liu Zhang had made contributions to the country.

Kuai Yue's guess was correct. Liu Biao, who was sitting at the top, was indeed a little jealous of Liu Zhang's quick control of Guanzhong. After all, he was older than Liu Zhang and was of the same generation as Liu Zhang's father Liu Yan. Moreover, he was more famous in the world than Liu Zhang and was well-known throughout the world.

However, today, Liu Biao can be sure that when people in the world talk about the talented people among the royal family, they will definitely recommend Liu Zhang first. He will fall behind others, which makes Liu Biao feel somewhat unhappy.

It is obvious that he started earlier and faster than Liu Zhang, but now he is lagging behind Liu Zhang.

"Liu Junlang (Yan) gave birth to a good son. If Liu Junlang knew in his afterlife that Liu Yizhou had conquered Guanzhong and was about to kill Li Jue and Guo Si, he would surely be able to rest in peace." Liu Biao sighed softly. He thought of Liu Yan, with whom he had a dispute, but he was happy that Liu Yan had such an outstanding son like Liu Zhang. However, his tone was somewhat complicated. He was not only happy, but also a little disappointed.

Deputy Driver Liu Xian nodded, and he took over Liu Biao's words: "In the past, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si killed Liu Junlang's eldest and second sons, Liu Fan and Liu Dan. Liu Junlang also fell ill and died of illness after hearing that his eldest and second sons were killed. He died with regret."

"Now that the two thieves Li and Guo are about to be defeated, they will sooner or later be beheaded by Liu Yizhou and displayed to the public. Liu Junlang will have no regrets and can rest in peace in his grave."

After sighing for a few times at the news from Guanzhong, Liu Biao complained about Li Jue and Guo Si: "Li and Guo are two cowards. Facing a powerful enemy, they not only cannot make peace and alliance, but instead lead their troops to attack the generals of Guanzhong in Chang'an. Such fools are only lucky to have seen the decline of the Han Dynasty, otherwise how could they have dominated Guanzhong for so long."

Liu Biao was very dissatisfied with the performance of Li Jue and Guo Si in the Battle of Guanzhong. He originally thought that although Li Jue and Guo Si had fewer troops than Liu Zhang's Shu army, the soldiers in Liang Province were not comparable to the soldiers in Shu. Li Jue and Guo Si had fewer but elite soldiers, while Liu Zhang had more but mediocre soldiers. Unexpectedly, Li Jue and Guo Si created a rebellion within the army and were defeated and fled before they even faced the enemy.

Fortunately, he had heard of the deeds of Li and Guo in the past. Although they were thieves of the Han Dynasty, they had been active in Guanzhong for a long time and should be considered heroes to some extent. But now it seems that they are just two pigs and dogs, mediocre people.

"Li and Guo are just ordinary people from Liangzhou." The attendant Kuai Yue replied, "The two thieves were able to control Guanzhong and the government in the past because of the current situation, not because they had such ability... Take the two thieves occupying Guanzhong for several years. The two thieves were not good at comforting the people, but only cruelly harmed the people, causing the scholars and common people in Guanzhong to be scattered and displaced, leaving Guanzhong empty."

"Moreover, the two bandits were at odds last year and attacked each other in Chang'an. This shows that the bandits in Liangzhou are all cowards who have no ambition to dominate the world and are only content with the present... It is natural for these bandits to be defeated when they encounter a strong enemy."

Kuai Yue had a very contemptuous attitude towards the Liangzhou bandits. After all, what the Liangzhou bandits did and said were too human. They occupied counties, plundered people, forced the emperor, killed ministers, and all kinds of evil things. There was nothing the Liangzhou bandits could not do. What's worse, the Liangzhou bandits had no faith and loyalty. When it came to killing and robbing their own family members, they showed no mercy. They were nothing but disloyal, unrighteous, and unkind people.

Although the Battle of Guanzhong was shocking and was discussed in detail by Liu Biao, Liu Xian, Kuai Yue and others, Guanzhong was too far away. As the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao was more concerned about things happening nearby.

"In the land of Jiangdong, Sun Ce defeated Liu Yao and later attacked Kuaiji. The governor of Kuaiji, Wang Lang, was defeated in successive battles and was unable to contend with Sun Ce. Now, most of the land of Jiangdong is taken by Sun Ce... I am very worried about the east." Liu Biao stroked his beard and sighed deeply.

Although the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Jian, is dead, the young tiger Sun Ce is now as good as his father. Since crossing the river from Liyang in the second year of Xingping, he has defeated all his enemies. The governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, the prefect of Kuaiji, Wang Lang, and the clan bandits in Jiangdong are no match for Sun Ce. It seems that Sun Ce is about to take over the entire Jiangdong area.

As for the fact that Sun Ce would take over Jiangdong, Liu Biao was very worried as he said. After all, Sun Ce's father, Sun Jian, died at his hands. After Sun Ce took over Jiangdong, he would definitely ask Yuan Shu for permission to send troops to attack Jingxiang in order to avenge his father's death.

Moreover, even if there was no revenge for his father's murder, Liu Biao could be sure that the fierce ghost Yuan Gonglu would definitely be eyeing Jingzhou. After all, when Yuan Shu was in Nanyang, he had been ready to attack Jingzhou and even sent Sun Jian, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, to attack him. If it weren't for Huang Zu under his command who set up an ambush and killed Sun Jian, it would be hard to say who would be the current owner of Jingzhou. Regarding Liu Biao's concerns about Jiangdong, Kuai Yue first chuckled, and then he said, "Your Excellency, don't worry. According to my estimation, in the next two or three years, the people of Jiangdong will not be able to invade Jingzhou. It is possible that they will create chaos and we will take advantage of it."

"Why is this?" Liu Biao asked in confusion after listening to Kuai Yue's words.

Kuai Yue smiled calmly and said loudly, "I expect that in the next two to three years, the Jiangdong area will not be able to invade Jingzhou. This is because although Sun Ce has gained all of Jiangdong's territory, there are many clan bandits in the counties of Jiangdong, such as Danyang, Xuancheng, Jingxian, Lingyang, Shi'an, Yixian, and Shexian, and none of them will submit. Although Sun Ce has gained Jiangdong, it is only a temporary victory. It will take two to three years at the fastest and three to five years at the slowest to completely defeat the clan bandits in various parts of Jiangdong."

Liu Biao's eyes flickered when he heard this, and after a moment he nodded and said, "You are right."

After receiving Liu Biao's affirmation, Kuai Yue did not show any pride. He just said calmly: "As for what I said about him causing the rebellion, I heard that after Sun Ce took over Kuaiji, he replaced all the original officials and took on the role of governor of Kuaiji. He appointed his uncle Wu Jing as governor of Danyang and Sun Ben as governor of Yuzhang. He also divided Yuzhang and established Luling County, and appointed Sun Ben's brother Sun Fu as governor of Luling and Zhu Zhi as governor of Wu County."

Following what Sun Ce did, Kuai Yue analyzed: "Sun Ce appointed relatives, guests, and friends as governors of Jiangdong counties instead of asking Yuan Shu in Shouchun for orders. Although it can be said that it was because Jiangdong had just been settled and there was no time to ask for orders, this matter shows that Sun Ce did not have the intention to submit to Yuan Shu, but was treacherous and had the intention of being disloyal."

"Mr. Kuai is right. Yuan Shu is a fickle person who often goes back on his words. I remember that Yuan Shu once promised to appoint Sun Ce as the prefect of Jiujiang, but later he appointed Chen Ji from Danyang as the prefect of Jiujiang..." Deputy Driver Liu Xian picked out past events to support Kuai Yue's point of view.

"In addition, Yuan Shu had a feud with Lujiang governor Lu Kang. When he sent Sun Ce to attack Lujiang, he promised to appoint Sun Ce as governor after he captured Lujiang. However, after Lujiang was captured by Sun Ce, Yuan Shu appointed his old official Liu Xun as governor. Given Sun Ce's young age, he may not be loyal to Yuan Shu."

Kuai Yue saluted Liu Xian slightly, and after Liu Xian finished speaking, he continued, "So in my shallow opinion, although Sun Ce has not yet rebelled against Yuan and become independent, now that Sun Ce has gained all the territory of Jiangdong and has grown strong, he will certainly not want to submit to a trustless person like Yuan Shu. As long as there is an excuse, Sun Ce will break off with Yuan Shu and establish his own Jiangdong, and no longer be a vassal of the Yuan family."

"In this case, Yuan Shu and Sun Ce will turn against each other. Yuan Shu will certainly not want to sit back and watch Jiangdong slip away from his control, and he will certainly not like Sun Ce betraying him. When the time comes, Yuan Shu and Sun Ce will attack each other, and they will not be able to care about invading Jingzhou."

"Great." Liu Biao, who was at the top, clapped his hands and sighed. He said with emotion: "Hearing Mr. Kuai's words, it is like seeing the blue sky after the clouds have been cleared."

"But having said that, we still need to send spies to investigate the situation in Jiangdong and respond accordingly based on changes in the situation. This way we will be prepared and there will be no danger." Kuai Yue's last sentence was a prudent suggestion.

"Of course." Liu Biao nodded. Kuai Yue's inference about the situation in Jiangdong was just an inference after all. From a practical point of view, he still needed to be on guard against Jiangdong so as not to be attacked by Jiangdong.

At this point, when the meeting was almost over, Liu Biao asked about the war situation in Shangyong: "Cai Mao and Zhang Yun have been leading their troops to attack Shangyong for several months. How is the situation recently?"

"According to the military intelligence documents handed over by General Cai, although the two generals have won consecutive victories over the rice thief Zhang Lu, Shangyong is an area with high mountains, dense forests, and crisscrossing rivers. It is not easy to take it down all at once, and it will take some time." Deputy Driver Liu Xian said based on the current military situation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao's face showed annoyance. He was very unhappy with the progress of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. You know, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun led a force twice as large as that of the rice thief Zhang Lu, but they had not yet taken over the three counties of Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling for such a long time. It was really mediocre.

At this time, Liu Biao really wanted to blurt out what he wanted, so he asked his deputy Liu Xian to send a letter to Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, stating the situation in Guanzhong and letting Cai Mao and Zhang Yun know that in the same period of time, the Shu army had already captured several large counties in Guanzhong, while Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were still attacking Shangyong. It was unknown when they could capture it. Isn't it ridiculous?

But Liu Biao still held back. Considering the relationship between him and Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, he held back and did not let Liu Xian send a sarcastic letter.

“If we haven’t taken Shangyong by the end of September, and Cai Mao and Zhang Yun lead their troops back, and keep the troops in a fortified city for such a long time, it is not a good sign, and it will be easy for the rice thief Zhang Lu to take advantage of it.” Liu Biao sighed.

"Yes." Liu Xian, the deputy driver, bowed and agreed.

……

The news from Guanzhong spread quickly. Du Ji, a native of Duling, Jingzhao, who was living in Jingzhou, heard the news that Guanzhong was about to be conquered. He hurried to his stepmother and told her the good news.

"Mother, recently Liu Yizhou has sent troops to Guanzhong to fight against the rebels for the country. The Liangzhou rebels Li Jue, Guo Si and others who are currently entrenched in Guanzhong have been defeated by Liu Yizhou. I think they will be captured and executed soon."

"This is a good thing!" Du Ji's stepmother said happily. She was so happy that she couldn't help crying.

After wiping away the tears from her eyes, Du Ji's stepmother said with emotion: "I have been feeling unwell recently. I am afraid that I will become a ghost in a foreign land... If Guanzhong is stable now, we can return to Guanzhong and I will be buried in my hometown."

Du Ji quickly comforted her, "Mother, the doctor said that you just need to take good care of your body, and there's nothing serious to worry about... Regarding returning home, I will discuss it with my fellow villagers who have drifted to Jingzhou with me, and we will set a date and leave as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay, my son, go quickly." Du Ji's stepmother urged. She was exiled to a foreign land and was looking forward to returning to her homeland. (End of this chapter)