Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 182 Xuande receives the will

"Cough cough!"

Liu Biao covered his mouth with one hand and coughed, and with the other hand he was beckoning Liu Bei to sit down.

In the side hall, all the maids and attendants retreated, only Liu Bei and Liu Biao were present.Liu Bei stepped forward and patted Liu Biao's back with his hands.

After taking a few breaths, his trachea became clear, and Liu Biao's breathing became normal.

"Xuande has a heart."

Liu Biao wiped the stains on the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief and sighed: "Since I was over sixty years old, my brother's health has been getting worse and worse. I have been plagued by diseases and it is difficult to recover. Now I see that Xuande is strong and can mount a horse to fight. I am very envious of him."

Liu Bei sat opposite Liu Biao and said worriedly: "Now that Yuan Benchu ​​is dead, the only person in the world who can stand up to Cao Cao is brother Jing Sheng! Brother has a great responsibility for the country, so you should take care of yourself."

Liu Bei laughed at himself and said: "Bei is getting older, and his skills are not as strong as before. From now on, Bei has no children to follow, but seeing his brothers and grandchildren in the house, I feel very envious!"

Liu Biao smiled and said: "Xuande is more than forty years old. It is feasible to have several beautiful concubines and have children in old age."

As he spoke, Liu Biao sighed and said, "Although my brother has three children, they are all useless. So far, only Bo Wei and Zhong Huang are available, but their two sons also have shortcomings. Now Cao Cao is in the Central Plains and is about to go south to Wu and Chu. From the overall situation, if you can take on big things, Bo Wei can be your heir."

"However, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue did not like Bo Wei, and wanted to help Zhong Huang succeed to the throne. Although Zhong Huang was courteous and virtuous, he was not good at military strategy and had little experience, so he might not be able to take on big responsibilities. Therefore, he was worried about the matter of being an heir. .”

If we follow the historical route, Liu Qi did not go to Jiangdong. Due to the rejection of Xiangyang scholars such as Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, Liu Biao thought deeply. In order to resist Cao Cao, he had to choose Liu Cong as his successor.

In this dimension, Liu Qi went down to Jiangzuo, and with the support of powerful warriors from Jingzhou such as Huo Jun and Wenpin, he was able to compete with the Xiangyang gentry represented by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others in terms of power.With the balance of power between the two sides, Liu Biao had difficulties in establishing an heir.

Liu Bei wanted to persuade Liu Biao to make Liu Qi his heir, but thinking about Huo Jun's words at the time, he hesitated a little and said: "Now Zhang Liao invades Jiangxia, and Cao Cao intends to go south. Why don't my brother take advantage of watching the war to weigh Bo Wei and Zhong Huang. After all, My brother is very old, and if we don't decide on an heir, there may be civil strife."

Liu Biao raised his head, slightly surprised, and said, "I thought Xuande would persuade my brother to make Bo Wei his heir, but I never thought he would say such a thing."

Liu Bei's heart raced slightly and he said: "Bo Wei, Bei's nephew; Zhong Huang is also Bei's nephew. Although my heart goes to Bo Wei now, Bei dare not forget the grace of taking my brother in. Now I am thinking about my brother's great cause. , hence this statement.”

"Xuande, you are a kind person!"

Liu Biao said with emotion: "When my brother accepted Xuande, some people thought that Xuande had been in the Central Plains for a long time and had experienced hundreds of battles. It was difficult for the heroes of the world to defeat him. After thinking about it for many years, Xuande is my brother who is kind and honest! "

Liu Bei's good reputation is not just a boast, but a real one.As the top thug in the Central Plains, Liu Bei worked hard whether he was working for Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian or Yuan Shao.As for betraying Cao Cao, killing his chariots, and separatizing Xuzhou, Liu Bei also had great righteousness at hand.

Since entering Jingzhou, Liu Bei has also been working diligently. Putting aside behaviors such as making friends with guests and being powerful, Liu Bei is undoubtedly a qualified thug when attacking Jiangzuoshang.After years of friendship and trust, Liu Biao also trusted Liu Bei more and more.

After a pause, Liu Biao held Liu Bei's calloused hand and said sincerely: "Xuande, if brother unfortunately dies, my son will not be talented, and the generals will gradually wither. After brother's death, Xuande should assist my son in governing. Wu Chu, to control Cao's army."

"Brother!"

Liu Bei looked sad and said: "Brother, why did you say this? The first thing you should do now is to worry about your illness and recuperate. How can you talk about death lightly?"

Liu Biao leaned on the couch, coughed a few times, and said, "How can I not know about my body? Life and death are in the hands of the commander, which is not what we want."

As he spoke, Liu Biao patted Liu Bei's hand and said warmly: "Zhang Liao invaded Jiangxia, but Yun Changruo forced him back. You Xuande stationed troops in Xiakou to support Jingyang and Yangzhou."

Liu Bei was moved, but he declined and said: "Jiangxia already has the prefect Huang Bozhong, and it is okay to help him retreat. Now it is inappropriate to station troops in Xiakou. Moreover, the entrance of Jingkou is dangerous, and the preparations must also take care of the left side of the river. If my brother is worried about Jiangxia, We have few soldiers, so we can order Zilong Yi's troops to support Jiangxia."

Liu Biao frowned slightly and said: "Since Huang Zu was defeated in battle and the navy was destroyed, Jiangxia's military strength has been empty. Huang She's talents are far inferior to his father's, so he was appointed to lead the governor of Jiangxia. He wanted to appease Huang Zu's death in battle, but also thought that Jiangxia had no war. We are worried. Now that Cao's army is moving south, it is no longer possible for Huang She to defeat him."

Then, Liu Biao lowered his voice and said: "Xuande is stationed in Xiakou. If I get my brother's order, I can send my troops to Xiangyang by boat, go up the Han River, obey my order, assist my brother and his heirs, and sit in Fancheng to resist the Central Plains." A powerful enemy. Xuande can still take command of Danyang County; Jingkou can be guarded by his trusted generals." Liu Bei knew clearly that Liu Biao was planning for the situation after his death.Most of Xiangyang City is dominated by the forces of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao. No matter who comes to power, the situation will be out of control.

He stationed troops in Xiakou, nominally to coordinate the war situation in Jingyang and Yangzhou, but in fact he served as Liu Biao's back-up man.Once he dies, he will lead his troops into Xiangyang, which will serve as an important weight to balance the two sides and consolidate the chaos at that time.

Whether it is this plane or the original history.Liu Biao not only used Liu Bei, but also checked Liu Bei.In the original history, a few years before Liu Biao's death, Liu Bei was ordered to move to Fancheng to balance the political situation in Xiangyang City.

Liu Biao, who now lives across two states, still chose Liu Bei to move to Xiakou.It can not only prevent Liu Bei from annexing Jiangzuo after his death, but also allow Liu Bei to serve as an important chess piece to balance the political balance in Xiangyang City.

Although Liu Biao was indecisive and had difficulty making up his mind, he still used his political methods to try to check and balance the forces on both sides under his rule.The Xiangyang gentry had been in Xiangyang for a long time, and Kuai Yue's political skills were superb. If a brave man like Liu Pan entered Xiangyang, they would probably eat him and his bones, and not even the dregs would be left.Only by introducing the fierce tiger Liu Bei into Xiangyang can we check and balance local snakes such as Kuai Yue and Cai Mao.

Understanding Liu Biao's intentions, Liu Bei was unambiguous and said: "Please rest assured, brother, prepare to garrison troops in Xiakou, follow brother's military orders, rush to Jingyang, and rescue the war."

Before Liu Bei finished speaking, Cai's scolding came from outside the hall door, saying: "Don't you two know who I am? Let me in quickly!"

Immediately afterwards, Cai broke through the guards and forced the door open.

Liu Biao stood up to greet her and said with a smile, "Why is Madam so angry?"

Cai glanced at Liu Bei and said, "My husband is ill and has forgotten to take medicine. I am worried about it, so I came to take a look."

Liu Biao smiled helplessly and said, "Cao's army is about to go south. He was deeply discussing military affairs with Xuande and almost forgot to take his medicine on time."

With that said, Liu Biao looked at Liu Bei and asked: "Xuande, Yun Chang is still some distance away from Jiangxia. Zhang Liao's troops are currently strong, and others may be needed to temporarily rescue him."

Liu Bei ignored Cai, raised his hands and said: "Brother, Bei and Bo Wei are going north to Xiangyang, and they have a thousand men to accompany them. The military situation is in crisis, so Bei can order Uncle Chen to personally guard a thousand men, and temporarily support Xiakou, which can slow down the advance of Zhang Liao's army. .”

Liu Biao nodded slightly and asked, "When will Xuande be returning? Do you need to hold a farewell banquet for your brother?"

"Brother is ill and should take a lot of rest. The military situation is urgent and Bei does not dare to stay. He will return by boat immediately." Liu Bei said.

"Xuande go slowly!"

Under Cai's watch, Liu Bei left the side hall and left the house.

Outside the mansion, Lu Su had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw Liu Bei's figure, he went up to meet him and asked, "My lord, how is the situation?"

Liu Bei boarded the carriage and replied: "As Zijing expected, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others wanted to let Zhongmiao resist Zhang Liao's army. Now I have rejected it and asked Yunchang to send troops north to support Xiakou. We will wait immediately On the way back, we will prevent Cao Cao from sending troops to Jiangzuo."

Lu Su looked around, lowered his voice, and asked, "I wonder what the General Chariot and the Lord were talking about?"

Liu Bei said in a low voice: "Brother Jing Sheng is planning for what will happen after his death. Now he is forcing Zhang Liao to retreat and letting someone station troops in Xiakou to cope with the war between Wu and Chu."

Hearing this, Lu Su looked surprised and asked, "Is it true that General Chariot and Cavalry is dying?"

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Brother Jing Sheng's mind is still sharp, but his body is old and his expression is haggard, which can be seen with the naked eye."

"Have you revealed the candidate for the position of heir, General Chariot and Cavalry?" Lu Su asked.

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "Brother Jing Sheng said frankly that it was difficult to decide, and he did not specify the specific candidate!"

Lu Su stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I see that General Chariot and Cavalry has chosen his heir. I am not saying it clearly just because Cao's army is about to go south and I don't dare to cause more trouble!"

(End of this chapter)