Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 208 Going North and Usurping the Order

Xiakou, Liu Bei's army camp.

Liu Bei was writing a letter to Liu Qi and Huo Jun in his tent, telling them that there was no news from Xiangyang and that everything was normal at the moment, so that they could wait for the news in Jiangzuo with peace of mind.

Just when Liu Bei's letter was coming to an end, Guan Yu led the white-browed scholars into the account in a hurry, and said in a nervous tone: "Brother, there has been a change in Xiangyang. Ji Chang came from Xiangyang, and he must report in detail."

Liu Bei put down his pen and said, "Ji Chang, what happened in Xiangyang?"

Ma Liang handed over Wang Kai's letter and said, "Your Majesty, there is a sudden incident in Xiangyang about the successor. Brother Zixuan has written all the contents in the letter."

After browsing the content, Liu Bei became furious, lashed out, and angrily said: "Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are serving as ministers in vain. They abandon the overall situation for their own selfish desires. Brother Jing Sheng has always treated Cai and Kuai well, but now they are doing the same. Do you have the heart to be loyal and righteous if you shield yourself from internal and external affairs and isolate yourself from your superiors?"

Guan Yu looked at the contents of the letter and felt depressed in his heart. He said: "Brother, Cai and Kuai have rebelled against the Lord. They should lead their troops into Xiangyang to show their power for the generals of chariots and cavalry. They should eradicate these two thieves and help the eldest son to ascend the throne." .”

Guan Yu and Liu Qi are now related to each other, and then he and Liu Biao also have a close relationship.Today, if you are not working for Liu Bei, you must also work for Liu Qi.

Liu Bei put his hands behind his waist, frowned and said, "I'm afraid that Brother Jingsheng's move will force Cai and Kuai to do dirty things, such as tampering with the will and putting Liu Cong on the throne, which will put his life in danger."

As he spoke, Liu Bei said in a deep voice: "Yunchang is stationed in Xiakou. Following the orders of Brother Jingsheng, I led my soldiers to Xiangyang to eradicate the two thieves Cai and Kuai. Cao Cao must not be aware of it, otherwise he will lead his army southward and destroy Jingchu. It will be in danger."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Su interrupted and said, "Wait a minute, my lord, Su thinks there is more to this matter that needs to be discussed."

"Zijing, please speak up!"

Lu Su grabbed his beard and analyzed and said: "My lord, the actions of General Chariot and Cavalry should be like thunder, telling everyone to name the eldest son as his heir. If the Jingnan County Sheriff learns about it, he will be careful to appoint the eldest son as his heir. If two If a thief does something dirty and the eldest son raises an army to fight against the thief, his followers will be like clouds."

"I guess Cai and Kuai must be frightened. Forcing Liu Cong to take over now is not enough to resolve the crisis. Su thought that Cao Cao had the Central Plains in his hands and had a strong army, and Cai Mao had an old relationship with him. In the crisis, he might welcome him Cao Cao went south to Xiangyang, either to protect himself or to gain wealth."

"When Cao Cao's army goes south, the world is often afraid of its strength, and few dare to stop it. Therefore, Liu Cong can secure his position as governor of the state, and Cai and Kuai can also save their lives. Now that my lord is going north, he may encounter Cao Cao's southward army. , when the tit-for-tat confrontation happens, the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered, the odds are stacked against us. I hope my lord will be cautious as we head north!"

Liu Bei stopped and said in a deep voice: "Brother Jingsheng treats me well. He gave me an order in the past, saying that in times of crisis, he could lead his troops into Xiangyang to assist the heir. It is already a crisis now. If we don't enter Xiangyang, wouldn't we be wrong? It goes against what I said in the past. And I promised Bo Wei to help him succeed as the pastor of Jingzhou. This is a good opportunity and I must go."

"Even if Cao Cao gets the news, it will take time to reorganize his troops and march south. If I can enter Xiangyang during this period and stabilize the situation. With the city of Xiangfan and the power of Wu and Chu, I may not be able to force Cao Cao back."

There are too many reasons for Liu Bei to go north to Xiangyang, and the temptation is also great!
He once had an agreement with Liu Qi that if he helped Liu Qi get Jingzhou, Liu Qi would give Yangzhou to him.For various reasons, Liu Bei had to make a trip north.Of course, Liu Bei was not a simple gambler. He took a boat to the north and could quickly withdraw his troops if something bad happened.

After pondering for a while, Liu Bei said: "Ji Chang, I have appointed you as a subordinate of General Zuo to send an envoy to the four counties of Jingzhou to inform the governors of Xiangyang."

"Yun Chang, Jiangling is actually an important place in Jingchu and the old place of the Cai family. If my brother enters Xiangyang, the Cai family will rebel. You can go to Jiangling and use weapons. If Jiangling is difficult to conquer, Yun Chang cannot be reluctant to fight. It is better to lead the troops quickly. retreat."

"And pass this news to Zhongmiao and ask him to lead his troops to support our army." Liu Bei ordered.

"No!" Everyone responded.

……

Let’s not talk about Liu Bei’s marching arrangements, but let’s talk about Jia Xu’s words.

Jia Xu's accurate observation of people and appropriate comments were rare in the late Han Dynasty.He said that Liu Biao only had the talents of the three princes in the prosperous age, and it was difficult to see things change and he was suspicious and undecided.It is very accurate to think that Liu Biao broke his face and made Liu Qi his heir in public, which was a last resort when he was at the end of his rope.

After that day, Liu Biao's physical condition declined sharply.He regretted that when he was able to take control of the situation, he was concerned about the thoughts of Jingzhou Xiangyang and other noble families, worried that Jingchu would split and be taken advantage of by Cao Cao, and he did not dare to force Liu Qi to succeed him.

After realizing that he had lost control of the situation that day, Liu Biao regretted it even more.He thought he could control the situation, but suddenly he discovered that he had been isolated from the inside and outside by Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, Cai Shi, Liu Cong and others, and the news could not be conveyed.

When he was seriously ill and in a coma, he seemed to see the two sons fighting with each other like Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, and finally gained the advantage of Cao Cao.

"Madam?" Liu Biao called out to Cai in pain, but the only response he received was from the maid, who wiped his body and served him some decoction.The decoction was difficult to swallow, so Liu Biao sipped some water and passed out again.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Biao felt the loss of strength in his body, his limbs were weak and his breathing was short of breath.Vaguely, he seemed to see Mr. Cai crying and calling for him, as well as his heirs such as Liu Cong, Liu Xiu, and Liu Jiao.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.In a daze, he seemed to see Cai Mao taking his own finger and stamping his seal on the scarf. Then he picked up the Seal of the General of Chariots and Cavalry and stamped a seal on the scarf...

Cai Mao took the forged will and said in a deep voice: "Before Ming Gong passed away, he changed his will and appointed Mr. Cong as the shepherd of Jingzhou and succeeded him as the general of chariots and cavalry."

There was silence in the hall for a while. Cai Zan and Zhang Yun took the lead and shouted to Liu Cong who was sitting on the couch wiping his tears: "Greetings to the Ming Gong!"

Kuai Yue, Pang Ji and others responded with their hands, but there were a few people in the hall who did not call Liu Cong Ming Gong.

Zhang Cun, the officer in charge, stood up and asked loudly: "Ten days ago, Duke Ming wanted to appoint the eldest son as his heir. Why did he suddenly change the second son to be the heir after he died of illness today? I dare to ask Cai's military advisor what happened, and I am convinced by Duke Ming. Why did he suddenly have a heart attack and die in the house?"

Zhang Cun, courtesy name Churen, was born in Nanyang.He was a man of good character and often disliked what Cai Mao did, and Zhang Cun had always looked down upon Liu Cong, a man with a bad temper and no benevolence.

Due to Zhang Cun's reputation and the people present, Cai Mao suppressed his anger and explained: "The eldest son and the second son each have their own strengths. It is difficult for Ming Gong to decide. He and our close associates often talked with each other, and it is also true that he changed his will before his death." Normal things.”

"As for Cheng Qi's sudden heart attack, how could Mao know about it? Cheng Qi has followed Ming Gong for many years. He was old and drank too much. Now he died of illness in his sleep. Is it any wonder?"

Cai Mao did not want to kill Cheng Qi, but Cheng Qi went to many banquets while being guarded by the Cai clan.Once in front of everyone, Cheng Qi said drunkenly that Liu Biao had made Liu Qi his heir, but Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Kuai Yue and others persuaded him to make Liu Cong his heir.Cai Mao even tried to force the palace and persuaded Liu Cong to establish him, but he finally had to leave.

Cheng Qi's words directly shocked all the scholars at the banquet, and as the scholars spread the word, the entire Xiangyang people knew that Liu Biao wanted to make Liu Qi his heir.Cai Mao was so furious that he asked his retainers to kill Cheng Qi and pretended that he died of a sudden heart attack.

Kuai Yue was speechless for Cai Mao's increasingly outrageous operation. Considering that Liu Biao was about to die and Cao Cao was about to go south, he was unwilling to personally get involved in Cai Mao's forgery of his will. Advise him.

Zhang Cun was not afraid and said with a sneer: "If it is true as the military advisor said, that would be the best. Do not do anything treacherous to avoid tarnishing Cai's reputation."

Cai Mao squinted his eyes, showing murderous intent, then disappeared, looked at Song Zhong, and said with a smile: "Zhongzi Gong is famous all over the world. He is a great scholar in Confucian classics and has a high reputation. At that time, he was also on the bedside of Duke Ming. Can I ask? Mr. Zhong Zigong, what happened that day? Mr. Ming is having a hard time deciding on the heir."

Song Zhong glanced at Cai Mao, then at Kuai Yue, lowered his head and said, "It's just as Cai's military advisor said, that day Duke Ming couldn't decide who of the two sons would succeed him, so he was hesitant!"

After saying that, Song Zhong sighed inwardly, feeling ashamed of his behavior, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kuai Yue's method of dealing with Song Zhong was to order people to sneak into Song Zhong's home, threaten the lives of his heirs, wife and children, and tell Song Zhong to do what he wanted.

Song Zhong was worried that he and his family would not be safe, so he had to succumb to Kuai Yue's coercion and endorse Cai Mao's actions.

Seeing Song Zhong's behavior, Zhang Cun mocked and said: "Song Gong is familiar with Confucianism, but does not know the questions of Mencius. What a pity!"

With that said, Zhang Cun raised his hands to Cai Mao and Liu Cong and said, "Cun has few talents and little knowledge, and it is difficult to assist the young master and military advisor."

After Zhang Cun finished speaking, he strode out of the hall in front of everyone, very cool!
"Everyone has his or her own ambition, so don't force it!" Cai Mao held his sword and said in a deep voice, "There are people who can imitate Zhang Cun, and it can be done."

Among the crowd, Xi Zhen and Han Ran were both Jingzhou officials. Looking at Zhang Cun's back, their hearts moved, but they were afraid of Cai Mao's power and did not dare to speak immediately.

"The matter is discussed in the hall, and I respectfully invite the young master to succeed to the throne."

"Congratulations to the young master on your succession to the throne!"

Liu Cong wiped away his tears, raised his hand and said with a smile, "Excuse me!"

(End of this chapter)