I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 218: Seduce and Subdue Again?
When Liu Miao met Zhang Xiu's envoy and heard that he had captured Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue and others, he immediately led his army across the Han River and approached Nanyang.

Zhang Xiu had already prepared himself to surrender to Liu Miao, but when he saw Liu Miao leading a large army, he became somewhat afraid. Instead of greeting Liu Miao directly, he went to Jia Xu's side and asked him questions.

Jia Xu asked, "What is the general worried about?"

"I heard that Liu Miao previously sent an envoy to meet the Emperor, and when the Emperor ordered the campaign against Yuan Shu, Liu Miao was also at the forefront. Such a person should be extremely loyal to the Emperor and the court, while I, after all..."

Zhang Xiu was, after all, from Xiliang. Although his uncle Zhang Ji was not as extreme as Li Jue and Guo Si, he was still a Xiliang warlord who held the emperor hostage and controlled the officials.

Zhang Xiu was now afraid that Liu Miao would refuse to accept his surrender because of this matter.

"General, do not worry."

Jia Xu smiled and said, "According to what you're saying, General, Xu Huang, the Lieutenant General under Liu Miao, was merely a member of the White Wave bandits, yet he was still highly valued by Liu Miao, wasn't he?"

"Moreover, you previously gifted Liu Miao warhorses, and now you have helped Liu Miao capture Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. These are undoubtedly great achievements that will delight Liu Miao. Liu Miao will certainly treat you with the utmost kindness and righteousness."

"Most importantly, by offering Nanyang to Liu Miao instead of Cao Cao, General, Liu Miao has given Cao Cao a firm grip on his weakness, cutting off the route between the Central Plains and Guanzhong. Cao Cao will inevitably pay a heavy price to appease Liu Miao for this, and Liu Miao will hold a grudge against you for it."

Although Zhang Xiu was still uneasy, after listening to Jia Xu's words, he finally stopped hesitating and chose to let Liu Miao enter Nanyang.

Just as Jia Xu had predicted, when Liu Miao met Zhang Xiu, he was indeed very enthusiastic about him!
"If the general can arrest the assassin who killed Liu Jingzhou, then Liu Jingzhou's spirit in heaven will be at peace!"

Zhang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Liu Miao hadn't mentioned his Xiliang warlord status at all.

"Liu Jingzhou has done me a great favor, and I should naturally repay him!"

Liu Miao had indeed searched the entire city of Xiangyang, but he couldn't find any trace of Kuai Liang and the others.

Now that they heard that Zhang Xiu had stopped and captured him, they naturally looked at Zhang Xiu in a different light: "General, your actions are truly righteous!"

Grasping Zhang Xiu's hand, he said, "Nanyang is now in ruins, and Liu Jingzhou has met with misfortune. I cannot bear to see you, General, without protection in such a place. Would you be willing to take your troops and come back to Xiangyang with me?"

This is exactly what Zhang Xiu is asking for; how could he refuse?

Especially when he heard Liu Miao tell him to return with his troops, he knew that Liu Miao did not intend to confiscate his military power, and he was no longer panicked.

"If General Liu doesn't mind, I am willing to join him in suppressing the traitors and restoring the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Miao laughed loudly: "Seeing you, General, is like seeing Zhijian!"

Zhihu was a fierce general from the western border of the Shang Dynasty who served as a garrison commander for the Shang king. He led King Wu Ding in conquering the Tu Fang, Ba Fang, and Zhao Fang states, bringing these western territories under the control of the Shang Dynasty.

Zhang Xiu was extremely pleased to hear Liu Miao refer to him as Zhihu.

When Zhihu went on a military campaign, King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty bestowed upon him a "black axe," symbolizing "acting on behalf of Heaven." This demonstrates the depth of Wu Ding's trust in Zhihu and the immense power he wielded.

Since Liu Miao was able to say such things in public today, it means that Zhang Xiu will definitely be a high-ranking and powerful figure among Liu Miao's generals in the future.

Liu Miao was indeed pleased with Zhang Xiu's surrender.

Cao Cao had been fighting for months without success in conquering Nanyang, but as soon as Liu Miao arrived, Zhang Xiu offered it up voluntarily.

Liu Miao naturally knew just how important Nanyang was to Cao Cao.

The thought of Cao Cao being able to take whatever he wanted from him in the future made Liu Miao smile.

However, the most urgent task at present is to deal with Kuai Liang and others.

Liu Miao entered the main hall and sat down at the head of the table, as if he were riding a horse with his sword drawn.

Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and others were all taken away, and even Liu Cong and Lady Cai were forced to come out and stand at a distance, waiting for Liu Miao's judgment.

Liu Miao looked down: "Who are Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue?"

Many people turned their attention to Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue.

Actually, he didn't need these people to guide him, because just after Liu Miao finished asking the question, he saw a person who, even while kneeling on the ground, still raised his head and looked him up.

Are you Kuai Liang or Kuai Yue?

"General Liu! He is Kuai Liang! The one next to him is Kuai Yue! General Liu! I know nothing! I beg General Liu to spare my life!"

"..."

The Jingzhou scholars, who had originally fled together, immediately betrayed the two brothers without hesitation, all for their own survival.

Kuai Liang glanced back and sighed, "That's why Jingzhou, which is far more powerful than Jiangdong, has fallen to this state."

Kuai Liang shook his head, then looked at Liu Miao again: "I don't see anything special about you. Is Liu Jingzhou really someone who would entrust the world to someone like you?"

Liu Miao raised an eyebrow: "What does this mean?"

Seeing that Liu Miao was unaware, Kuai Liang's expression also darkened: "It seems that Liu Jingzhou is already dead."

He died and was buried in Xian Mountain.

Kuai Liang then told Liu Miao everything Liu Biao had said to them that night.

Liu Miao stroked the stubble on his chin: "My uncle has been elegant and graceful his whole life, and he even had time to talk to you about these things at a time like that."

"Alright, I'm not familiar with you all, so I don't have much to say."

Liu Miao looked everyone over: "Among you, who killed Liu Jingzhou?"

Although the tone was calm, many people stiffened up and didn't dare to utter a sound.

Kuai Yue, the murderer, felt his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest!
Before anyone else could expose him, Kuai Liang directly asked Liu Miao, "Does it matter who killed him?"

"Given what Liu Biaoqi has done in Jiangdong, he should be planning to kill us all, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao smiled and said, "That's indeed the case."

Wuwuwu——

Four words caused the scholars of Jingzhou in the main hall to weep for Liu Miao!

Cai Mao was also greatly shocked upon hearing this!

He hurriedly begged Liu Miao for mercy: "I didn't kill Liu Biao! I really didn't kill Liu Biao!"

Seeing that Liu Miao remained unmoved, Cai Mao turned and shouted into the crowd—

"Sister! Please! Beg for your brother's life!"

"Cong'er! Cong'er! Do you remember your uncle? Go and plead with General Liu!"

If Liu Cong hadn't been so far away, Cai Mao would have even knelt down before his nephew, begging him to plead with Liu Miao, a fellow clansman, for mercy.

When Lady Cai saw Cai Mao's disgraceful behavior, she sighed softly and asked Lady Zou to lead Liu Cong elsewhere. Then, Lady Cai swayed her hips and approached Liu Miao.

"I have met General Liu. I have something I wish to discuss with you privately."

Upon seeing Madam Cai, Liu Miao's eyes lit up.

However, after hearing what she said, he scoffed, "I'm dealing with official business now, how can I have private conversations with you?"

"Is it not even permissible for me, as the widow of Liu Biaoqi, to make this request?"

"..."

Liu Miao hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to Lady Cai's request.

"it is good."

Liu Miao got up and went into the inner hall with Madam Cai.

As soon as she entered the house, Madam Cai knelt down on the ground.

Her two thighs were pressed into round flesh, and her neckline was slightly open, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Her foxy face bit her red lips slightly, revealing her pearly teeth.

"He requested an audience with General Liu in the hope that General Liu would spare Cai Mao's life."

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao lost interest and got up to leave.

"But this is not for my sake, but for General Liu."

"for me?"

Liu Miao turned around: "Why do you say that?"

Madam Cai pursed her lips slightly with her delicate tongue, leaving even more moisture on her already alluring red lips.

“I have heard of your reputation before. It is said that you intend to take the wealth and land accumulated by the powerful clans over generations and distribute it to the common people. Therefore, many scholars in Jingzhou are secretly cursing you.”

Liu Miao immediately became interested: "How did you curse?"

"Just vulgar words."

"It's because of vulgar language that I'm asking you to curse."

Lady Cai did not expect Liu Miao to suddenly pay attention to these things, but in order to please Liu Miao, she could only scold him: "They all say that General Liu is like a jackal, and he wants to take away all the money and grain accumulated by their ancestors."

Liu Miao shook his head in dissatisfaction: "How could you scold me so lightly? Scold me again!"

Lady Cai was somewhat at a loss, not understanding why Liu Miao would do this...

"They, they called you a brat, a bastard, a scoundrel."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Miao nodded in satisfaction: "You should scold them more harshly!"

"If each of them is too weak and concerned about saving face when they curse me, doesn't that mean my knife hasn't hit their bones yet? Hahaha!!"

The enemy's insults are the highest praise you can receive!
Especially when the scolding came from Madam Cai's sweet and coquettish mouth, Liu Miao felt even more delighted!
At this moment, Madam Cai also said, "It is not all the powerful clans and scholars in Jingzhou who are cursing you."

“Sometimes I would meet with the wives of some officials in Jingzhou. Not all of these wives came from wealthy and powerful families. Some even had to mend their own clothes and bring food home for their husbands and children after the banquet. Although these women came from wealthy and powerful families, they could only support their families with their own salaries, so they did not actually dislike Liu Biaoqi.”

"But there are always powerful families spreading rumors that after you come to Jingzhou, you will kill all the powerful families, regardless of their wealth. That's why they are afraid of you."

"As you saw earlier, when you questioned Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, someone immediately implicated them. This shows that these people are not of one mind with them either."

"If you were to kill them all now, it would not only terrify some ordinary wealthy families in Jingzhou, but also make the people of Jingzhou think that anyone with a bit of money would be killed by you... In the long run, Jingzhou would probably not be stable, would it?"

Liu Miao had already taken his pants off...

He had assumed that there was only one way for Madam Cai to persuade him: to seduce him.

But he never expected that Madam Cai would have such insight!
Should aristocratic families die?

Damn!

Should all those from aristocratic families be killed?
This is absolutely wrong.

Although Liu Miao did not engage in indiscriminate killing, there is no doubt that he has now been completely demonized by some people.

When Liu Miao arrived, he intended to plunder wealthy households.

When Liu Miao arrived, he intended to kill the scholars.

The saying "three men can make a tiger" applies here, especially since the "three men" who say this are almost all in high positions of power, controlling almost the only discourse, and are able to turn falsehoods into truth.

If this continues, even scholars from humble backgrounds might not like Liu Miao.
Moreover, Lady Cai's next sentence made Liu Miao secretly alarmed.

If all the powerful and wealthy families were killed, wouldn't that be telling the people that having money, land, and knowledge is a sin? It's wrong?
If someone becomes wealthy in the future, will the surrounding neighbors be envious and try to break into their homes, divide their land, and plunder their wealth?
Liu Miao pondered, then recalled Liu Biao's dying words of advice to him—

"Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law!!"

Liu Miao immediately changed his mind.

"You're right, it's rare to find someone with such insight."

"Instead of killing them, it would be better to treat them as ordinary people and let them work in the fields as a warning."

Liu Miao re-entered the main hall, and then Madam Cai also came out from behind, somewhat awkwardly straightening her clothes.

Liu Miao noticed this little action but didn't pay it any mind.

Everyone else was waiting for Liu Miao to make a decision—

"Only the two ringleaders, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, were executed. The rest of the people had their property and land confiscated and were demoted to commoners, but their land was no different from that of ordinary people."

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Zhang Xiu, began to look at Liu Miao differently!
Clearly, everyone assumed that Lady Cai had seduced Liu Miao!
"Grandma's!"

Seeing the looks in everyone's eyes, Liu Miao immediately realized that he had been misunderstood by these bastards!

"I'm doing all this for the Han Dynasty! For the people! Don't you understand?"

Zhou Tai nodded hurriedly beside him, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Then, my lord, will Lady Cai not be attending to you tonight?"

"Get lost! This is one thing, this isn't!"

Liu Miao scolded Zhou Tai: "Reorganize the troops and return to Xiangyang tomorrow. I have important matters to discuss with the elders of Jingzhou!"

(End of this chapter)