Tiger Guards

Chapter 346 Trying to Brake
In Xiangyang, Liu Biao began mobilization after the spring plowing season.

He wore a tunic and armor, rode in a chariot to patrol the northern dock and water fortress, and escorted the envoys northward.

It is evident that Fancheng on the opposite bank has been besieged by Zhang Liao, and the generals defending Fancheng are Han Xi, a prominent figure from Nanyang, and his nephew Liu Hu.

The city was defended by more than 10,000 troops, including a 5,000-strong spearmen unit composed of young men from the three counties.

Among the refugees from the Three Auxiliary Regions who ended up in Nanyang were many veterans who had served under Gai Xun, Huangfu Song, and Dong Zhuo, and were skilled in spear fighting.

Liu Biao valued these elite troops from Xizhou and sent people to the southern end of Wuguan Pass to receive the disaster victims, attempting to control the entire population of Xizhou.

Lou Gui was one of the officials sent by Liu Biao. As a result, Wang Zhong and his gang of disaster victims took the opportunity to rebel, kidnapping young men and Lou Gui, and robbing supplies to defect to Cao Cao.

Even so, Liu Biao continued to incorporate the elite troops of Xizhou, intending to rely on them as a pillar of support.

All forces are the same; relatively neutral external forces are actually easier to exploit.

Liu Biao was no exception. The elite troops he recruited from the disaster victims in the Three Auxiliary Regions were naturally more loyal to him and would not easily ally with the powerful families of Jingzhou.

The only good news is that Zhang Liao has arrived with his troops, but they are only setting up camp normally and have no intention of engaging in battle with Han Xi and Liu Hu.

Lu Bu's other vanguard, Gao Shun, had already broken through the counties in the southern countryside. The prominent families of the southern countryside fled to Xiangyang by boat down the Dan River.

Once Gao Shun's side finishes fighting, whether or not the two sides will fight will need to reach a consensus in Fancheng.

At this moment, Liu Biao didn't want to fight Lü Bu emotionally, because he would be the one who suffered the most if he lost.

The powerful families of Jingchu have no way out, but he can enter the court as the Minister of the Imperial Clan. He has a way out, but if he loses the battle, he will have no way out at all.

If he wins, he will have to rely more on the power of the powerful families in Jingchu. After the war, these people will have a greater say, which will not be conducive to his control of Jingzhou.

Another piece of good news is that the major families in Nanyang are suffering so badly that it has strengthened Huang Zu's will to resist. Huang Zu has already led his troops to Sui County to observe the battle up close and is ready to intervene in the war at any time.

Zhang Xian and Han Song from Jingnan also needed to be persuaded, and there was a delay in communication. Only after they understood the situation could they truly cooperate.

However, if the people of Jingnan are determined to follow the imperial court and are willing to be devoured by it, they will drag the people of Jingbei and Nanyang down with them. In that case, the attitudes of Zhang Xian and Han Song will not be so important.

Zhao Ji's envoy, Guanqiu Xing, followed on horseback. He stopped his horse and looked out at the military camp on the north bank, but he did not feel any fear.

Compared to the scholars from Jingzhou and Shanyang, Guanqiu Xing, who was only twenty years old, had a calm and composed demeanor and seemed completely capable of being entrusted with important matters.

There was really no other way. Guanqiu Xing ran over and shouted that he was a close friend and partner of the Grand Marshal, and Zhang Liao dared to lay a finger on him?
Unless absolutely necessary, the scholars of Jianghan did not want to fight Lü Bu to the death... It was not that they lacked courage, but rather that they lacked confidence.

This made Guanqiu Xing not only a guest of Liu Biao, but also a distinguished guest of the prominent families and scholars of Jingzhou.

Guanqiu Xing has seen all sorts of big scenes while following Zhao Ji.
During the banquet, dozens of people listened, and Guanqiu Xing occasionally revealed some of the Grand Marshal's heroic deeds and famous sayings after he accepted the Tiger Warrior recruitment, which inadvertently cultivated many young scholars who admired Zhao Ji.

Before Grand Marshal accepted the Tiger Warrior recruitment, he was a rare filial son.

During a great famine in Hedong, the Grand Marshal ventured alone into the depths of Jishan to hunt birds and beasts to supplement his family's income. The bandits in the mountains, moved by the Grand Marshal's filial piety and knowing his bravery and integrity, did not persecute him.

So, at the dock, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a team of young scholars, including Guanqiu Xing, Wang Can, Pei Qian, Huan Yi, Sima Zhi, and Xi Zhu, crossed the Han River by boat.

Zhang Liao, who was on the north bank, had the initiative, and upon seeing this, knights immediately came to greet him.

Tian Yu's troops had been dismantled by Lü Bu, and Zhang Liao had been reinforced with over two hundred cavalry.

Zhang Liao wouldn't assign any important tasks to the knights acquired in this way.

These people are sons of powerful families in Youzhou. You can force them to submit temporarily, but it is difficult to make them loyal.

Unless we find their family members or weaknesses.

Therefore, those currently serving in Zhang Liao's army are only responsible for routine patrols; they are not assigned tasks such as scouts or vanguards.

We are currently in a period of adjustment. Only when we can get along well with each other will there be opportunities for further cooperation in the future.

The sons of powerful families generally have their own will, and they cannot be easily assimilated simply by being broken up.

If two people disagree and are forced together, it's already a miracle if they can coexist peacefully.

An excellent general must understand politics, mediate conflicts among his subordinates, and balance relationships between colleagues.

During foreign wars, it is also important to be adept at identifying internal contradictions within the enemy.

If you don't understand politics, even if the other side has contradictions in front of you, or even if someone from the other side comes to you to pledge allegiance, you can't determine the truth or falsehood of their claims.

Zhang Liao was clearly an excellent general with his own views on war.

Regarding Jingzhou, he shared the same opinion as Gao Shun: they should simply take the other side's grain.

Even Nanyang was only a temporary place to stay.

If the emperor and his ministers reside in Nanyang for too long, they will lose the support of the people.

After overcoming the current food shortage, they will definitely need to march out of Wankou, either returning to Luodu or remaining in Xudu. Nanyang is advantageous for defense but not for offense.

If the imperial court loses its offensive capabilities, its prestige will collapse rapidly.

The reason why the court's authority rose rapidly when the emperor was in Zhao Ji's hands was that Zhao Ji swiftly eliminated the generals of Baibo; the ministers at that time were causing chaos and also wiped out the two major families of Wei and Fan, and Zhao Ji also eliminated many disobedient powerful families in Hedong.

Later, the bloodshed and tears of powerful clans in Taiyuan and Shangdang further fueled the imperial court's power.

The complete annihilation of Gao Gan and Yuan Xi's armies further amplified this power to its peak, making Yuan Shao hesitant to engage in a decisive battle with Zhao Ji.

The fundamental logic behind the submission of various regions to the imperial court lies in violence!
It doesn't matter how much Lü Bu messes with the powerful families in Nanyang, the only thing he can't afford to lose is his ability to deter others.

If we attack Jingzhou, and get bogged down in a war and unable to advance smoothly, then our external deterrent will vanish, and the barely existing internal cohesion will also disappear quickly.

Cohesion is something that you either believe in or you don't. You might fear it and be hesitant to act based on it.

When a shared understanding of negative cohesion emerges, it's as if a ship is sinking, and everyone has to save themselves, dismantling as much timber as possible from the ship to survive.

Since military means are not suitable for the current situation, we should use political means.

The two sides could not reach a consensus during the negotiations, so they had no choice but to bring Zhao Ji in as a guarantor.

If peace talks can be reached, it will benefit all parties.

However, Liu Biao, a native of Jingzhou, feared that Lü Bu lacked ambition and, after establishing a foothold in Nanyang, would turn around and attack Jingzhou instead of marching out of Wankou to once again contend for the Central Plains.

If you want to negotiate peace, you have to sacrifice something, such as the white horse that the people regard as a dragon, or Zhang Xian.

Even Zhang Jin, the governor of Jiaozhou, could be sacrificed.

After Zhang Jin was promoted from governor to prefect, he also had designs on Jingzhou.

Jiaozhou is a place that seems remote and difficult to govern.

However, Zhang Jin's foundation was weaker, and a single imperial edict could remove Zhang Jin and replace him with someone else.

Of course, this person's reputation cannot be too low; they must be a well-known figure both domestically and internationally, otherwise even people in the South China Sea will not recognize them.

Zhang Liao dared not delay and sent his trusted knights to escort the negotiating team to Wandu.

At the same time, a messenger was dispatched to Wandu, requesting that Lü Bu send someone to meet them.

To prevent the envoy team from being accidentally injured by the refugee army or the resisting and exiled Nanyang bandits.

Thus, after three days, the envoy team arrived in Wandu, and was ordered to pay homage to the emperor and present local products from various counties of Jingzhou.

All peace talks are contingent on the emperor's safety.

Liu Xie also wanted to resolve the current dispute as quickly as possible.

Among the dozen or so young and middle-aged scholars in the envoy's party, Liu Xie recognized two: Guanqiu Xing and Wang Can.

Wang Can's father, Wang Qian, was the chief secretary of General He Jin's staff; later, he became Dong Zhuo's right-hand man and had an excellent relationship with Cai Yong.

Cai Yong's only son died young, and seeing Wang Can's intelligence, he intended to inherit his mantle.

After Dong Zhuo's death, during the period of purging Cai Yong, Wang Qian also mysteriously disappeared.

Since Lü Bu and Wang Qian were not in competition, the events in Taiyuan not only pleased Jia Xu, but also Wang Can.

Therefore, Liu Xie offered seats to Wang Can and Guanqiu Xing separately and asked, "The court is currently short of grain and urgently needs to provide relief to the disaster victims. I have heard that Marquis Chengwu has blocked the Han River. What is the reason for this?"

Guanqiu Xing, showing no fear, knelt upright and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the people and soldiers of Jingzhou were busy with spring plowing and lacked manpower. Therefore, the grain from southern Jingzhou was stored in Xiangyang, and it was only after sufficient manpower was available that it would be transported to Wan via the Yu River. Later, something happened in Xuchang, and rumors spread, causing confusion. Marquis Chengwu was worried about Your Majesty's safety and dared not send anyone to transport the grain. Now that Your Majesty's countenance has been seen and the misunderstanding has been cleared up, the grain stored in Xiangyang will surely be able to be transported in five to seven days."

Liu Xie nodded and looked at Wang Can: "Zhongxuan, is that so?"

"I dare not deceive the emperor."

Wang Can also answered in a deep voice, saying, "The people of Jingchu are only afraid that the disaster victims will migrate south."

"I will urge the Grand General to use strict laws to restrain the disaster victims and prevent them from causing chaos. After Zhongxuan and the other ministers return to Xiangyang, they should also clear up the misunderstandings among the people of Jingchu. Once the Grand General has restrained the disaster victims in various places, Nanyang will be able to be pacified and the peace of Jingchu will not be disturbed."

Liu Xie looked around at the people and said, "I have already sent an envoy to Jinyang. Soon, Minister Zhao will also send someone here to discuss the dispute and clear up the misunderstanding."

Wang Can cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands. I will certainly travel to various places to urge the grain and fodder to be sent north to relieve the suffering of the disaster victims."

It wasn't Lü Bu who killed the prominent families of Nanyang; it was starving refugees.

This matter must be made clear. We need to deliver the food first in order to control the disaster victims.

What ceasefire negotiations?
The only thing they wanted was for Zhao Ji's envoy to come so they could discuss how to provide relief to the disaster victims.

(End of this chapter)