My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 635: Liu Biao changes his mind, Cai Mao plots assassination

After all, Liu Biao was seriously ill and dying, his body and energy were weakened to the extreme, so his brain's reaction was obviously much slower.

Faced with Liu Qi's crying and self-blame, Liu Biao took a long time to calm down before he roughly understood the current situation and realized that his wife did not want his eldest son to see him.

"Alas, the Cai family has been afraid of Xuande for more than one or two years. I didn't expect it to turn out like this." Liu Biao sighed, revealing his dissatisfaction with the Cai family and Cai Mao, but he did not ultimately punish the Cai family.

After all, Cai and Liu Cong were by his side every day, and his eldest son Liu Qi had been sent out for several years. Even parents and children cannot escape this common practice, as time goes by, and they become more distant and closer.

Liu Biao's sigh revealed at most a trace of pity and guilt for his eldest son's experience.

Liu Qi also knew his father's temper, so he didn't dare to threaten him with the loss he had suffered. He just wanted to explain the truth to his father calmly.

Moreover, when Liu Biao was seriously ill, even when Liu Qi came to see him, there were still many maids surrounding him to serve him. Who knows how many of these maids were the confidants of his stepmother Cai.

Even if Liu Qi usually didn't pay attention to the fact that there were ears behind the walls, this time Xu Shu came with him secretly and gave him advice along the way. Liu Qi learned and applied what he learned, and he also knew that he had to find an opportunity to dismiss his attendants.

So, Liu Qi first talked about some topics related to family to ease the atmosphere.

It was time for Liu Biao to take medicine and porridge. Liu Qi seized the opportunity, snatched the bowl and spoon from the maid, and personally fed his father porridge, and then the medicine after he finished the porridge.

When Liu Biao was drinking porridge, he stopped three times, gasped for breath, and the soup flowed all over his collar. It was even more miserable than Sima Yi who drank porridge in front of Li Sheng in history.

Liu Qi used his sleeve to wipe the porridge that had flowed down from his father's throat. After finishing the porridge, he took off his outer robe, threw it to the leading maid, and told them to wash it.

Liu Qi picked up another linen towel from the tray and continued to feed his father medicine.

Because Liu Qi was wearing more than one piece of clothing outside the wire locket soft armor, even if he took off his robe, the armor would not be exposed.

Huang Zhong was also wearing soft armor at this time, guarding the courtyard outside, and did not dare to come in. There was another general blocking the door, and it was Wang Wei, Liu Biao's confidant. Neither Wang Wei nor Huang Zhong carried long weapons, but only a saber.

The leading maid wanted to follow the lady's order and eavesdrop for a while longer, but she had to take her robe after receiving the order from the eldest son. She was neither able to leave nor stay. She hesitated for a long time until Liu Biao got angry, and she had to leave with everyone.

"These servants are really getting more and more outrageous. My son needs to personally serve the medicine, but they are still here to get in the way."

When Liu Biao saw that the maids had left, he gave them a way out and said this to himself to prevent Liu Qi from causing trouble.

Then, Liu Biao took the initiative to bring up Liu Bei's matter: "My son, will Xuande be afraid of you when you return to Hanyang to be on guard? Today, let's be honest. Did you inform Xuande in advance when you returned to Hanyang?"

Seeing that his father was still clear-headed, Liu Qi told the truth: "I dare not lie. I did inform my uncle Xuande... that I was going back to defend Hanyang. However, Uncle Xuande has not returned to Wuchang yet. It was Master Zhuge who told me not to worry after hearing about it."

Liu Biao nodded helplessly and waited for the medicine to flow down his body a little before leaning back on the pillow.

Seeing this, Liu Qi hurriedly adjusted the height of the backrest for his father and used three pillows and quilts to create a slope for Liu Biao to lean on.

Liu Biao lay down more comfortably, and then asked a seemingly jumpy question: "Xuan De hasn't returned to Wuchang yet... Is it possible to know where Brother Ji Yu is now?"

Liu Qi knew the answer to this question, so he answered immediately: "A few days ago, he said he was on his way to Lujiang. He should be almost in Wancheng now. Even if he hasn't arrived yet, it will only take a few days."

All this information was just revealed to him by Xu Shu when he was on a secret mission to Liu Qi.

"Brother Ji Yu has arrived in Wancheng? Xuande actually appointed him as the governor of Lujiang? This means he is going to return to his hometown."

After hearing this, Liu Biao was indeed slightly moved.

His previous worsening illness and excessive worry were partly due to the fact that he "did not know about Liu Zhang's current situation and did not know whether Liu Bei treated those who surrendered well."

In order to maintain military secrecy and ensure a smooth transition, Liu Bei kept the news of Liu Zhang's surrender secret until the end of April. Now it is only the end of May, and the subsequent details after Liu Zhang's surrender have not been officially announced.

During a month, the mountains and rivers separated Jing and Yi, and Liu Biao could not get any first-hand and reliable information. It was easy for him to become suspicious and have bad associations about Liu Zhang's fate.

Now it seems that we can at least be sure that Liu Bei actually granted Liu Zhang, who had "reformed himself", a new title and demoted him to the position of governor of a county.

Liu Biao's fear of Liu Bei's "inconsistency" was also slightly reduced.

But he still had some concerns, so he took the opportunity to ask his son, "What exactly happened to the war between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei? How many of the reasons Liu Bei cited in his manifesto are valid and how many are fabricated? Have you found out?"

Liu Qi did not dare to answer too straightforwardly this time. He pretended to recall carefully and organized his words before slowly saying:

"From what I know, it was indeed Liu Zhang who was unwilling to contribute to the cause of suppressing the rebellion. They withheld the money and food that had been promised, causing the troops sent by the Grand Commandant to garrison Hanzhong and Zitong to be short of food, and they also killed people."

Liu Biao was not very satisfied with this answer. He just shook his head helplessly and desperately:

"If that's all, we will be attacked by Xuande. Are we safe? Over the years, I have nominally supported my brother Xuande and fought against Cao.

But Jingbei is a small place with few people. How much money, food and military strength can it have? It is necessary to pretend to be friendly with Cao Cao and reach a tacit agreement not to offend each other.

Otherwise, after the Battle of Guandu, when I took back Nanyang, would Cao Cao accept this? This matter could have been a big deal or a small one, but according to Xuande's method of settling old scores with Liu Zhang, if it is attributed to me in the future, I am afraid it will not be settled peacefully. "

Liu Qi was silent. It was only at this moment that he realized what his father was worried about.

After all, Liu Bei's liquidation of Liu Zhang did have a very negative impact on Liu Biao's suspicious character.

Liu Biao had been sitting on the fence and pretending to be submissive for many years, which was nothing. However, Liu Zhang's small matter was dealt with, which inevitably made Liu Biao fall into a chain of suspicion, and he was afraid that he would find a pretext to accuse him in the future.

Liu Qi had no choice but to recall some of the rhetoric Zhuge Jin had taught him through Xu Shu before he came, and then he tried to remedy the situation:
"Father, although the right and wrong of the matter between Uncle Xuande and Liu Zhang is hard to explain, before the two armies stopped fighting, Uncle Xuande went to Chengdu to make three agreements.

They also made an oath that "if he fails to launch a full-scale northern expedition within three years, the people of the world will blame him for his false words of integrating Yizhou and suppressing the rebellion."

From this we can see that Uncle Xuande is trustworthy. If you are worried that he will settle old scores, just settle the old scores and then make a new oath to let bygones be bygones. Isn't that better than worrying about it every day?
Let's take a step back. Now there are two powerful nations in the world. If we can't completely clear up the misunderstanding with Uncle Xuande, will Cao Cao treat us well in the end?"

Liu Qi's words were not very clever, but they were sincere and heartfelt. Liu Biao could tell that his son was thinking about the family wholeheartedly.

The point Liu Qi pointed out did make Liu Biao suddenly see the light.

Yes, aren’t you afraid of the uncertainty of “others holding the handle and not knowing how to settle the accounts in the future”?

Wouldn't it be better to take the initiative to negotiate and eliminate this uncertainty? Even if you offer a small price, in exchange for the other party's clear statement of "let bygones be bygones, this is the end of it, and we only want to go this far"?

It is like Liu Zhang, who broke the agreement in advance because he was guilty of possessing a treasure, because he wanted to keep a backup plan, and because he was worried that Liu Bei would slowly drain away his money, food and manpower like a frog in boiling water.

However, how much would the cost of breaking the agreement be? How would it be dealt with in the end? This was completely revealed after Liu Bei personally went to Chengdu and made the promise in person.

From now on, Liu Bei will not bring this up again. Liu Bei still has some credibility.

In comparison, Cao Cao's credibility in this regard is even worse! Before the Battle of Guandu, Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao, but now? Zhang Xiu is already dead!

In this case, Liu Biao, considering his own health condition, decided to test the attitude of his brother Xuande through informal channels to see what he would do in the future and to re-sign an oath.

Thinking of this, Liu Biao closed his eyes and sighed bitterly: "I don't know how much benefit Xuande is willing to leave to this family after my death. You should go to Hanyang and talk to Zhuge Jin. Don't go to Wuchang City, just attend the meeting on the river. It would be better if you can wait until Xuande returns to Wuchang in person."

Seeing that his father finally gave in, Liu Qi dared to reveal more inside information: "Since father is willing to talk, actually... I have brought Mr. Xu Yuanzhi to Xiangyang. Would you be willing to take the time to meet him?"

Liu Biao thought for a moment and said, "Just ask for me and then report back so I can have a better idea. But he can't represent Xuande after all, so I won't meet him in person to avoid leaving any room for him."

For this kind of thing, private promises are useless. You must make a public oath outside Chengdu as you said, and make a promise in front of the soldiers of both armies at Yingwu Island in the future, so that you can be guaranteed long-term wealth and honor."

Liu Biao knew that Liu Bei still wanted to maintain his reputation, especially for something he promised in front of everyone, he would not go back on his word. So he had to have this sense of ceremony so that he could leave with peace of mind.

Liu Biao didn't want to meet Xu Shu right now, naturally in order to leave more room for negotiation and negotiation.

If Xu Shu put forward the conditions in person and he listened to them in person, Liu Biao must immediately express his opinion "whether he is satisfied with these conditions".

If Liu Biao is satisfied and Liu Bei agrees, the matter will be settled.

If Liu Biao disagreed, he was afraid that the talks would fail. In that case, it would be better to keep it vague for now.

In this way, Xu Shu made an offer, and Liu Qi could say, "My father is seriously ill and it is not convenient for me to take part in government affairs, and I cannot promise the conditions set by you."

After Xu Shu returned, Liu Bei would definitely not offer a lower price than Xu Shu. Liu Bei was in a high position and was also very graceful, so he would definitely raise the price.

Of course, Liu Biao had another consideration for not wanting to meet Xu Shu now, which was that he did not want to immediately provoke Cai Mao and the Cai family.

He knew very well that the Cai family could even prevent their eldest son from visiting the emperor for so long, so if an outsider came to see him, they would definitely know what was going on. If they knew Xu Shu was coming, it would definitely irritate them and intensify the conflict in advance, so it would be better to make sufficient preparations in advance. …

Liu Qi didn't understand all these twists and turns at once, but since his father asked him to do so, he did it immediately.

After serving his father medicine and porridge that day, Liu Qi hurriedly said goodbye and returned to his residence, where he first talked privately with Xu Shu.

When Xu Shu heard that Liu Biao's attitude had softened, he was quite delighted and quickly put forward some conditions that were definitely within his authority.

“If the eldest son can lead the four counties of northern Jing to fight against Cao Cao in the future, then the position of governor of Jingzhou will naturally belong to the eldest son.

Even if there are other changes during the handover in the future, as long as the eldest son can serve the Grand Commandant with his direct territory, he will at least be the governor of Nanjun, and the title can be passed down to his descendants for several generations. The eldest son can also smoothly inherit the title of Chengwu Marquis and actually increase his fiefdom by 10,000 households. "

While making an offer, Xu Shu explained that these conditions had been discussed before by the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Justice, and that they had a relatively complete plan and would never go back on their word.

In the end, the conditions that the general personally promised based on the latest actual situation will only be higher than this, not lower.

Then, Xu Shu also elaborated on some other details, mainly about the titles, fiefs and official positions of other officials in Jingbei.

Liu Biao's current title is that of a county marquis, named Chengwu Marquis. This title was bestowed upon him fifteen years ago when Li Jue and Guo Si held the emperor hostage, and he has held it ever since.

If Liu Qi could take over Liu Biao's position, the title of county marquis would naturally not change, but he could be given other nearby counties as fiefdoms. After all, a county could not possibly gather 10,000 households.

Since Xu Shu described it in such detail, the credibility of his conditions seems more real.

After Liu Qi fully understood the situation, he found an opportunity to feed medicine to Liu Biao the next day and told him the whole story.

Liu Biao considered that the price might go up further, and Xu Shu must have mentioned a "bottom price", so he tacitly allowed his son to contact him first. If his son felt that the conditions were satisfactory, he could swear an oath with Liu Bei.

After Liu Qi obtained authorization, he returned home to find Huang Zhong and Xu Shu to explain the situation.

Xu Shu reminded him again: "Since Lord Jingsheng has already expressed his intention, why don't you help your father pass on the position of governor as soon as possible... I have no ill intentions, but I am afraid that the longer the night, the more trouble there will be."

Liu Qi still firmly opposed this: "Since my father has already intended to discuss it in detail, why do you have to do such an unfilial thing? It will ruin your reputation in vain and make my father uneasy at the end of his life."

Xu Shu advised again: "Then you should also ask for a secret letter from your father, stating that your father has given you full authority to contact the princes and find a way out for the future of Jingzhou."

Liu Qi thought this suggestion made sense, so he agreed. Before leaving, he asked Liu Biao for a document.

However, Liu Biao was too weak to write by himself, so he asked Yi Ji to write for him. Then Liu Biao signed the letter himself and stamped it with the seal of the Governor of Jingzhou.

After the construction was completed, Liu Biao also took the opportunity to instruct Yi Ji: "My dear brother Ji Bo has always been on good terms with Xuande. This time Qi Er went to discuss the matter, and it was all thanks to Ji Bo's planning. Please ask for more preferential treatment for my clan."

Upon hearing this, Yi Ji burst into tears and said, "How dare I not try my best to argue with you!"

After making up his mind, Liu Qi took Yi Ji, Xu Shu and Huang Zhong and set sail again from Xiangyang, heading downstream to Hanyang.

From Xiangyang to Hanyang, the voyage along the Han River is about seven or eight hundred miles, and it takes five or six days.

Liu Qi and his entourage sailed on the road for four days before arriving at Jingling, when they received news from a messenger heading upstream from Hanyang.

Liu Qi met the messenger at the dock and found out that it was Uncle Xuande who had returned from Chengdu and had just arrived in Wuchang.

This time when he went to Hanyang, he would be able to make new conditions with Uncle Xuande in person, thus saving the step of discussing it with Zhuge Jin first.

Liu Qi felt that everything was going smoothly and became more and more confident about the handover of Jingzhou. He firmly believed that he would be able to smoothly take over his father's business and cooperate with his uncle to continue to fight against the rebellion.

……

The words are divided into two parts.

During the two days when Liu Qi personally served medicine to Liu Biao, Cai Mao, who was also in Xiangyang, was as anxious as an ant on hot pan.

"Brother-in-law won't be persuaded by Liu Qi, will he? If the throne is really passed to Liu Qi and he becomes dependent on Liu Bei, what will we have to do in the future? Liu Bei has been at odds with my Cai, Kuai and other clans for more than a year or two. No, we must find a way to protect ourselves!"

Cai Mao was thinking about this matter every day. He became so worried that he ordered Zhang Yun to draw out the Cai family's trusted troops from all over the place and secretly move them towards Xiangyang.

Thanks to the fact that Liu Biao had been seriously ill and bedridden for a long time, the military mobilization had actually fallen into the hands of Cai Mao.

Even without Liu Biao's order, Cai Mao could dispatch troops to station without launching a war - of course, if Cai Mao wanted to start a war with the Jingzhou army, he still had to get Liu Biao's approval.

Just as Cai Mao was sharpening his knife to protect himself, on the eighth day of May, two days after Liu Qi had just bid farewell to Liu Biao and left Xiangyang, a secret envoy sent by Jia Xu suddenly contacted Cai Mao from the direction of Xudu.

The envoy's name was Gao Tanglong, and he was currently a military officer in Cao Cao's Prime Minister's Office. He was not a high-ranking official, but he was also a confidential person. Jia Xu had contacted Cai Mao once before, and it was this person who was the envoy.

Therefore, Cai Mao was quite familiar with him, and he got straight to the point when they met: "I wonder if Mr. Gaotang brought any instructions from the Prime Minister with him this time?"

(Note: Gaotang is a compound surname. Gaotanglong’s surname is Gaotang, not Gao)

Gao Tanglong didn't play any tricks with him. After completing the ceremony, he took out an imperial edict from his sleeve.

Cao Cao followed the formal procedures to use the seal, but it was an internal secret discussion and was not open to the court, so ordinary court officials in Xudu didn't even know about it.

Gao Tanglong handed over the imperial edict and relayed, "The Prime Minister has asked Your Majesty for permission: Liu Biao is old and weak, unable to manage the affairs of Jingzhou. I have heard that all the officials and generals in Jingzhou praised Liu Biao's youngest son Liu Cong for his intelligence, wisdom, filial piety and loyalty. Therefore, Liu Biao is allowed to retire and recuperate, and Liu Cong is appointed as the governor of Jingzhou!"
Cai Mao, the governor of Zhangling, has been stationed in Xiangyang for a long time and has been a pillar of support for the country. He is to be promoted to General of Annan and continue to lead the military and civil affairs of Zhangling County.

Afterwards, Gao Tanglong briefly outlined the rewards given to Zhang Yun, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue and others. Everything was reflected in this edict that had not yet been made public.

Zhangling County is the county where Xiangyang County is located. During the years that Cai Mao served under Liu Biao, he served as governor of several places, including Nanjun.

However, in the last few years before Liu Biao's death, Cai Mao was indeed the prefect of Zhangling County, which is consistent with historical facts.

When Cai Mao heard Cao Cao's order, his eyes immediately lit up.

Duke Cao finally couldn't help it and directly issued an edict to appoint officials. Did he decide to officially use Liu Cong to control Jingzhou?
Originally in history, Cao Cao was completely arrogant after killing all of Yuan Shao's sons and clearing the northern expedition to Wuhuan. He had no intention of taking advantage of the internal conflicts in Jingzhou, and he didn't know that Liu Biao was seriously ill and dying, so he was completely planning to solve the Jingzhou problem by force.

In this life, reality forced Cao Cao to take advantage of Liu Biao's serious illness, appointing officials in advance and making promises to win over people and support a puppet.

After Cao Cao put his heart into it, he played the card of the imperial court to the extreme, and of course there was some effect.

After all, this was Liu Xie's edict, saying that Liu Biao was too old and sick to take care of things, and that Liu Biao should take care of his old age. This wording seemed too justified. The person who was allowed to take over Liu Biao's power in the edict was one of Liu Biao's sons. In this way, even the local civil and military officials in Jingzhou who were loyal to Liu Biao would not openly disobey the edict.

After Cai Mao calmed down a little after his ecstasy, he immediately confided in Gao Tanglong: "I will naturally find a way to let my brother-in-law accept the order.

However, just two days before you came to Xiangyang, Liu Qi had just left and went to Hanyang, saying that he was going to inspect the defense and be on guard against Liu Bei. But in fact... my brother-in-law was very secretive about Liu Qi's mission, and he also sent Yi Ji to assist him, fearing that there would be changes..."

Gao Tanglong was also quite worried when he heard this. Fortunately, he had been fully trained by Jia Xu before he came, and he had plans for several possible situations.

After calming down, he immediately made plans according to Jia Xu's instructions: "I wonder how long Jing Shenggong has left? Can he get out of bed and summon his staff to disobey the order? Can he live until Liu Qi returns?"

Cai Mao couldn't help but shudder when he heard this: "That's my brother-in-law...my sister won't agree!"

This is patriarch murder! Moreover, he has to face the anger and hatred of his own sister. Maybe the whole family will never be able to resolve this knot in their lifetime.

Gao Tanglong: "At this time, whether to die or to save the people from the pain is up to the general. I heard that patients with back carbuncle are in great pain at the end of their lives. General Cai watched your brother-in-law suffer from the pain and torture, and suffered so much?
Regardless of what General Cai decides, I will immediately ride back to Yingchuan to report the latest situation here. Doctor Jia will certainly persuade the Prime Minister to immediately prepare the imperial army to support them. General Cai, you can rest assured that as long as you are willing to let them go and prepare a ferry in Fancheng, within five days, the imperial cavalry will be able to rush to Xiangyang day and night! "

Cai Mao struggled for a long time, and finally confirmed: "This matter... we still have to let my brother-in-law accept the order first, at least in name only, and then he can die, right?"

Gao Tanglong: "If General Cai can control it well, that would be the best. In that case, then it will not only be General Annan, but the Prime Minister will also give him a lot of promotion and reward."

Cai Mao thought about it, gritted his teeth, and decided to do it.

An action plan gradually took shape in his mind:

First, let my seriously ill and dying brother-in-law's condition get worse. It would be best if he falls into a coma, or at least becomes unable to speak.

Then he found a few trusted civil and military officials from afar to witness, and when they saw his brother-in-law receiving the imperial edict on his sickbed, he drove everyone out and let Liu Cong take over the post of Governor of Jingzhou first.

In a day or two, we can announce that my brother-in-law has passed away.

(End of this chapter)