Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 177 Xiangyang Water Depth
Huo Jun was engaged in large-scale production in Wancheng, and the waterway was more than one thousand and hundreds miles long. Liu Bei and Liu Qi stopped and walked on the road. It took a month for the two of them to lead their troops and finally reach the north gate of Xiangyang.

To their surprise, it was not Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, who led the civil and military forces of Jingzhou to meet them, but Liu Cong, the second young master.

More than fifty steps away from Jingzhou Civil and Military, Liu Bei took Liu Qi's arm and said with a stern expression: "This is not an appropriate courtesy. Bo Wei cannot move forward."

"Ok?"

Liu Qi looked puzzled and said, "Why did uncle say this?"

Liu Bei pointed to the left and right flags, then motioned Liu Qi to look forward, and said, "Bo Wei, please observe carefully. The last time I returned to Xiangyang, Brother Jing Sheng came out to greet me, and the momentum was not so great!"

Liu Qi took a closer look, suddenly realized, and said: "The chariot is driven by five horses, there are eight flags, and six hundred dancers. This ceremony is the same as that of my father when traveling, or even worse. What does Liu Cong mean?"

Since the Zhou dynasty, the emperor has six horses, the princes and kings have five horses, and the officials have four horses. The emperor has eight dancers (64 people), the princes and kings have six dancers, and the officials have four dancers.

Liu Yan of Yizhou traveled with imperial ceremonials in the early years, but was criticized by Liu Biao, saying that he was treasonous.Although Liu Biao did not dare to perform the courtesy of the emperor, he always performed the courtesy of princes and kings instead of the courtesy of high officials.The last time he greeted Liu Bei and Liu Qi with the courtesy of the ministers of etiquette, he was the only one to use the courtesy of the princes and kings alone.

Lu Su watched for a while and then explained: "The eldest son is not an heir now, and the chariot and cavalry generals have always attached great importance to etiquette. Now they are seriously ill and cannot go out to greet them. If the eldest son and the lord enter the city with the courtesy of a prince, and if any traitor makes a comment, I'm afraid It will make the cavalry general suspicious of the eldest son."

As Lu Su, who accompanied the second Liu Xiangyang this time, he had already learned from Zhuge Liang on the way here, and also learned about the inside story of Jingzhou from the people's mouths.

"What should we do?" Liu Qi asked at a loss.

Lu Su took the initiative to ask for the tassel and said: "Second Master, stop here. Su Xianxian asked Mr. Cong to remove the illegal ceremony."

"Join the army if you are willing to do so!"

Lu Suchu walked dozens of steps and came to the front of Jingzhou civil and military officials such as Liu Cong, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and Zhang Yun.

When Liu Cong saw that Liu Qi and Liu Bei did not come forward, he frowned and asked, "Where are you, brother? Where is Liu Yuzhou, and who are you?"

Liu Cong is neither like his father nor his brother.He has regular facial features, a slightly elongated face, no flesh on his cheeks, a short distance between his eyes, and an air of arrogance.He doesn't look like Liu Qi or Liu Biao, but he has the appearance of a noble prince.

Lu Su was neither humble nor arrogant. He raised his hands in salute and said: "Lu Zijing, a scholar from the Jianghuai River, met Mr. Cong and all the sages in Jingzhou. The eldest son said that the congratulatory ceremony was not in accordance with the rules and he did not dare to come forward to meet you. I bothered Mr. Cong to perform the rituals in compliance with the rules. "

Seeing that Liu Qi had seen through it, Kuai Yue smiled and said, "The eldest son, Mu Shou, claims to be an official and a general. He is already a Mu Shou, so how can he say that this etiquette is not in compliance with the regulations?"

Lu Su lowered his eyes and said: "The Chariot and Cavalry General controls the military affairs of Jing, Yang and Yi. Although the eldest son is the governor of Yangzhou, he is under the jurisdiction of the Chariot and Cavalry General. Moreover, the eldest son is the son of the Chariot and Cavalry General. If I am performing the courtesy of a prince, but I don’t know what etiquette is appropriate for a chariot and cavalry general?”

As soon as these words came out, Jingzhou Wenwu's expression changed slightly.

Kuai Yue also looked at Lu Su a few times, and was deeply impressed by Lu Su's agility, and then smiled and said: "We have forgotten about this matter, Mr. Sachiko Kei reminds me!"

"Master Cong!" Kuai Yue reminded.

Liu Cong glared at Lu Su and said unwillingly: "Change the four-horse carriage, remove the two-horse dancers, and under the two flags."

"promise!"

"Thank you, Mr. Cong!"

After a while, Liu Qi and Liu Bei came with their entourage and saluted Liu Cong, Kuai Yue and others.

Liu Cong put on a smile, waved and said: "Brother, Yuzhou's expedition to Jiangdong is very hard. I will prepare a small amount of wine to reward my brother and Yuzhou."

Liu Qi was a good drinker. He had been running around on the boat for many days and his mouth was already full of saliva.Just when he was about to accept it, Lu Su secretly tugged on Liu Qi's sleeve to signal him not to drink too much.

When Liu Qi was pulled by Lu Su's sleeve and confused, Liu Bei stepped forward appropriately, politely declined and said with a smile: "Thank you Mr. Cong for your concern. Bei is ill. The doctor said you are not allowed to drink alcohol today. I wonder how the General Chariot and Cavalry is doing. We are very worried about him?"

Although Liu Qi didn't know the depth, when he saw Liu Bei's proofing, he refused and said, "My father is ill. My brother is very sad and has no intention of drinking."

Liu Cong's face gradually calmed down, and he seemed to be dissatisfied with the two people's statements. He said coldly: "Brother, please don't use words of concern and forget about benevolence and righteousness."

Kuai Yue looked deeply at Lu Su, asked the attendant to remove the wine bottle, calmed the atmosphere, and said: "Ming Gong's condition has improved recently, but he is still not feeling well. He is thinking about the victory of Jiangzuo, so he sent the two princes Call Xiangyang."

After chatting for a while, Liu Qi thought about his father's condition and said, "Thank you for coming out of the city to greet me. My father is sick now and needs to go to visit him."

After saying that, Liu Qi and Liu Bei led their personal entourage, said goodbye to Liu Cong, Kuai Yue and others, and entered the city alone.

While driving in the car, Liu Qi asked in confusion: "Why did Zijing pull Qi's sleeve just now?"

Lu Su stroked his beard and explained: "Master Cong persuades the eldest son to drink. It is not a simple matter. Ruo Su expected it to be true. This wine is very strong. If the son drinks it, it will smell of alcohol. When the time comes, the eldest son will visit the car. Riding the general, when the general sees him, he will not like the young master, and if he adds bad words to others, he may have a quarrel with the young master."

Hearing this, Liu Qi took a breath and said, "How could Zhong Huang have such a delicate heart to do this to harm me?"

Liu Bei supported the chariot and said, "Master Cong is not as resourceful as Cai Mao, but he is brave and resourceful. It is probably the strategy proposed by Kuai Yue."

"Kuai Yue?"

Liu Qi muttered it a few times, feeling fearful, and said: "Kuai Yue is very resourceful, and today's strategy must be his. In the past, he helped my father, wiped out the bandits in Xiangyang, and conquered Jiangxia. It can be said that he made a lot of strategies."

As he spoke, Liu Qi sighed and said, "Fortunately, Zijing reminded me, otherwise Qi would have fallen into their trap." "It is easy for outsiders to know the difference in such subtle things." Lu Su said modestly.

"Yu~"

The driver pulled the reins and said, "Sir, the envoy has arrived!"

Liu Qi and Liu Bei got out of the car and informed Liu Biao's residence to ask for an audience. ,

In the mansion, the attendants came in a hurry and reported to Mr. Cai.

"Madam, the eldest son, Liu Xuande has to see Duke Ming."

Cai straightened her bun and said, "How is the general's spirit?"

"Ming Gong is in good spirits and has ordered people to welcome the two of them into the hall." the attendant said.

Mrs. Cai pondered for a while and said, "Have someone bring me a bowl of medicinal soup."

"No!" the maid responded.

Ms. Cai walked out of the house and entered the side and rear of the lobby from the path.The guarding soldiers turned a blind eye and allowed Cai to enter the house. They then sat behind the rice trap and listened to the conversation between the three people in the hall. However, the three people in the hall had no idea of ​​Cai's whereabouts.

Liu Biao's figure on the couch was already rickety, and his face was covered with wrinkles. The high-spirited appearance of two or three years ago had long since faded from his face, and his whole person had become much older. Only his eyes were still bright.When talking to Er Liu, the smile on his face was thick and the wrinkles became more obvious.

"Today Jiangzuo can be defeated only with the help of Xuande, otherwise how could Bo Wei defeat Sun Quan." Liu Biao said with a smile.

Liu Bei stood up slightly, cupped his hands and said: "I am too embarrassed to be worthy of it. The Jingzhou soldiers under Bo Wei's tent are brave and capable of fighting, and their soldiers are superior to others. For example, Huo Zhongmiao had a strategy in his chest, defeated the Marquis of Xia at his back, captured Jingkou thousands of miles away, and burned the enemy in Li. Ze, the capture of Jiangzuo depends on him; or General Guoan, who fights bravely and defeats powerful enemies."

Liu Biao pulled the blanket over his lower body and said with a smile: "Xuande is humble. I have seen Sun Quan before. He has a majestic appearance, can move forward and retreat freely, and has a city in mind. He is not an ordinary person. He should be defeated by his ability." Brothers Bo Wei and Zhong Huang."

When Sun Quan and his family entered Xiangyang, Liu Biao naturally needed to meet him and learn about Jiangdong through Sun Quan's words.After all, no matter what, Liu Biao will always be the major shareholder of the Jiangdong plan, and Jiangzuo clearly belongs to Liu Biao.

As he spoke, Liu Biao looked at Liu Qi and asked, "I heard that you have arranged a marriage for Pu'er, right?"

"Exactly!"

Liu Qi was quite well-behaved. He raised his hands and said, "The eldest daughter of Marquis Guan is smart, virtuous, and good at scriptures and poems, so I thought she could be Pu'er's wife."

Liu Biao looked at Liu Bei who looked calm and said: "Although Yunchang was born as a warrior, he was good at governing the Spring and Autumn Period and was known for his loyalty. It is also a good thing for Puer to marry Yunchang's daughter."

Liu Biao fully recognized Liu Qi's efforts to consolidate the Liu family's rule in Jiangdong.After all, Guan Yu and Liu Bei are brothers, and marrying Guan Yu can further bind Liu Qi and Liu Bei together.In the future, if Liu Bei wants to fall out with Liu Qi, he must also take into account the relationship between Guan Yu and Liu Qi.

"Then do we need to hold a wedding in Xiangyang to make my father happy?" Liu Qi said with a smile.

Liu Biao didn't have much interest. He shook his head and said, "You can have the wedding in Jiangzuo. It's too far to hold it in Xiangyang."

Liu Biao didn't like his eldest grandson Liu Pu very much, perhaps because of his weak character and lack of literacy.On the contrary, Liu Biao was very fond of the young grandson born to Liu Cong and Cai, who was plump, fleshy and very cute.

After hearing what Liu Biao meant, Liu Qi fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Liu Bei intervened appropriately and said: "Now that Cao Cao has pacified Hebei and the Central Plains has been initially settled, he may have the intention of going south to attack us. When we pacify Jiangzuo, do we want to let..."

Before he finished speaking, Mrs. Cai walked out of the side hall with the medicinal soup and smiled at Er Liu: "Zhou Mu is ill and it's time to take the soup."

As he spoke, Mrs. Cai pretended to be angry and said: "Zhou Mu ignored the doctor's advice and forgot to drink the decoction. How could it be like this!"

Being interrupted, Liu Bei closed his mouth knowingly.

Seeing his wife's anger, Liu Biao smiled and said: "It's not easy to meet Xuande and Bowei. During the chat, I forgot about the time."

Cai glanced at Liu Qi and seemed to be complaining, and said, "I think Zhong Huang is better. You have been busy with me since you fell ill. You have given me decoctions and medicines, and you haven't slept for several days."

"Both sons are fine!" Liu Biao said with a smile.

Seeing that Liu Biao's mind was not on him, Liu Bei took the initiative to leave and said, "Brother, please recover first, while Bo Wei and I will leave first."

"it is good!"

Liu Biao didn't try to persuade him to stay, so he let Er Liu go out.

"Humph~"

Cai glanced at Er Liu's back and snorted in her heart.

　one more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)