The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 323 Liu Biao Returns the Seal
No one knew what Man Chong talked about with Zhuge Liang. He soon left Cai's mansion and went to the General Zhennan's mansion to meet Liu Biao.

"Bo Ning came to Xiangyang and went to see Xuande first, but didn't come to see me. I am very unhappy!"

Liu Biao pointed at Man Chong and chuckled.

Man Chong saw this and quickly apologized, "I just arrived in Xiangyang and heard that Liu Huangshu and Cai Shi were getting married. I was afraid of missing the time, so I bought some gifts and sent them over. Now I have come to see you, envoy. Please forgive me."

"Please take a seat."

Neither of them continued the topic. They were all smart people and naturally understood the meaning of each other's words.

Liu Biao revealed Man Chong's whereabouts to tell him that he, Liu Biao, still had the final say in Jingzhou. And Man Chong also told Liu Biao that he just happened to meet him by chance, and they didn't talk about anything, and left in a hurry.

"Sun Quan, my boy, has stationed his troops in Jian'an and intends to take Jiaozhou. Does Meng De have any arrangements?" Liu Biao asked.

He and Sun Quan had a grudge against each other for murdering their fathers. Once Sun Quan occupied Jiaozhou, he would have a chance to rise and even invade southern Jing. This was a situation he did not want to see. He even thought that once Sun Quan entered Jiaozhou, he would also send troops to Jiaozhou.

"Sun Quan is just a kid. Although he has Zhou Yu's help, he has lost the support of the people of Yangzhou. He will never rise again." Man Chong said indifferently. He rejected Liu Biao's possibility of sending troops to help Cao Cao.

Liu Biao nodded, and understood Cao Cao's idea. Sun Quan, who had lost most of his foundation in Jiangdong, was already in danger. The aristocratic families in Jiangdong abandoned him and turned to support Cao Cao.

From this we can see that Sun Quan’s defeat was only a matter of time.

Liu Biao sighed. He was old and had no brave generals under his command. He had been troubled by clan disputes and rebellions in southern Jing. He was unable to deal with the situation in Jiangdong. By the time he had the chance, Sun Ce, Sun Quan and Cao Cao were fighting for Jiangdong, and he had already lost the best opportunity.

"Meng De asked Bo Ning to come here for the Cavalry?" Liu Biao nodded and asked directly about Cao Cao's intention.

"You are right, my lord. My lord asked Chong to come here because he wanted to form an alliance with you to fight against the Cavalry Army. Qin Shou is ambitious and has defeated Ma Chao. Yuan Shao, who was defeated at Guandu, may lose Hebei. This man is powerful and cannot be stopped by one family."

Man Chong said solemnly.

Whether it is Liu Biao or Liu Bei, as long as they can resist Qin Shou's attack, they can be regarded as allies of Cao Cao. It is impossible for them to plot against Jingzhou. The only thing they can do is to form an alliance.

"The Prime Minister's might is unmatched. After defeating Yuan Shao, the next step will be either Jingzhou or Jiangdong. It is imperative that our two families form an alliance. I will let Degui follow up on this matter." Liu Biao did not refuse. Instead, he said, "If our two families join forces, it may work. In addition, I will write to Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu. It is time to put aside our prejudices."

Man Chong was overjoyed when he heard this and said quickly: "Your Excellency is indeed a noble of the royal family. You are truly a wise ruler. With your Excellency here, why should we fear Qin Shou?"

He did not go east, but came to see Liu Biao on his own and gained such a thing.

If Liu Biao could convince Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu, the anti-Qin alliance would be even stronger, and it would not be impossible to contain Qin Shou.

"It's all for the Han Dynasty. Meng De is also a loyal and righteous man. When Bo Ning goes back, please say hello to him for me." Liu Biao nodded.

"Please take care of yourself, my lord. I will take my leave now."

When Man Chong saw that Liu Biao looked a little tired, the thoughts in his mind disappeared instantly and he quickly stood up and said goodbye.

Man Chong left the Zhennan General's Mansion, looked back at the mansion in front of him, and sighed deeply. The former overlord has grown old, and he looked tired after talking to him for only half an hour.

"It seems that Jingzhou will still belong to Liu Bei in the future!" Man Chong got on the carriage and said, "Let's go to Hanshui."

He needed to meet Zhuge Liang at the Han River.

In the General Zhennan's mansion, Liu Biao took out a memorial and started writing on it. Then he put the seal of the governor, the seal of the General Zhennan, the seal of the Marquis Chengwu, and the memorial into a box, and then put the box into a chest and asked the servants to carry it away.

In the evening, Liu Biao summoned his two sons, and also called Lady Cai and several concubines to have dinner together.

On the third day, Cong Zi Liu Pan rushed over.

"Uncle, the eldest son." Liu Pan did not like studying but liked martial arts. He once worked with Huang Zhong.

"Ju Jian, do you still remember Huang Hansheng?"

Liu Biao summoned Liu Pan to the study and asked him.

"Remember, Huang Zhong is very brave." Liu Pan said quickly.

"Huang Hansheng is a great general. He was in Jingzhou before, but I delayed him. Now he is following the Prime Minister and leading an army on his own. He can give full play to his abilities and make good use of his martial arts. This time you will accompany Qi'er to Chang'an to meet the emperor. If you can meet Huang Hansheng, please give him my regards."

Liu Biao sighed.

It was not until now that he realized that Jingzhou was not without brave generals, but he just did not know how to use them. Huang Zhong and Wei Yan were both from Jingzhou, and were unknown under his command. Although Huang Zhong was known as the General of the Central Army, he only did the work of a deputy general, let alone Wei Yan.

Look at the two of them in the Cavalry Corps, commanding the army and fighting on the battlefield. They are generals.

If I had been able to use these two people at the beginning, the space would not be in its current state.

"Yes, nephew understands."

Liu Pan was a little curious.

"Come on, I'll show you the tribute."

Liu Biao stood up and called his sons and nephews, and Liu Qi helped Liu Biao out of the study.

There were dozens of boxes placed in the courtyard.

"Liu Qi, these are for His Majesty, but when you go to the capital, you must go to the Prime Minister. This box is for the Prime Minister. General Liu Pan, remember, you can throw away other boxes, but you can't throw away this box. You must hand it over to the Prime Minister in person."

Liu Biao patted the box, unable to hide the reluctance on his face.

"Yes, General, rest assured, I understand."

After hearing this, Liu Pan did not dare to neglect and quickly agreed.

The next day, Liu Biao appointed Liu Qi as the chief and Liu Qi as the deputy, and led the tribute from Jingzhou to Chang'an.

After sending his eldest son and his younger son off, Liu Biao fell ill again, and his condition was quite critical. He recuperated for several days before he could barely get out of bed.

At the Zhennan General's Mansion, Yi Ji walked into the hall with documents in his hands.

"What? The lord hasn't approved it yet? There was a heavy rain in Jiangxia, and several counties were flooded. The lord's seal was needed. Why hasn't the lord used it yet?" Kuai Liang asked.

"The Lord has already issued an order, ordering Huang Zu to provide disaster relief. As for whether to use the seal or not, it shouldn't be important!"

Yi Ji was a little confused.

Kuai Liang opened his mouth when he heard this, then smiled bitterly and said, "Not only that, all the documents reviewed by the lord in the past few days have not been stamped."

It was only at this time that Kuai Liang expressed his concerns.

"I gonna go see."

Yi Ji suddenly thought of something and spoke quickly.

(End of this chapter)