Tiger Owl

Chapter 163 Liu Qi's Plea for Help
Gan Ning walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and then asked, "How many soldiers want to go home?"

"About half!"

Gan Ning did some mental calculations and then laughed, "Half of that is 15,000 people. At 20 shi of grain per person, that's exactly 300,000 shi. It seems the other side is aware of this as well!"

"Reporting to the general, it was I who told him that more than 15,000 people want to go home."

"I see. No wonder the other party's calculations were so accurate."

Gan Ning smiled and said, "This price is acceptable, but I'll add one more condition: the families of the surrendered soldiers must not be obstructed from coming to Jiangling County!"

"This is standard practice. I have already explained it to them, and they have expressed their complete agreement."

"Then so be it! One soldier for twenty shi of grain. This grain can be used to settle the families of the surrendered soldiers. Settle them in the area east of the Han River and west of the Yu River, with Yundu County as the center, and establish hundreds of villages. This matter is entrusted to Zhuge Jin, and Huang Zhong's army is asked to provide him with full assistance."

"Understood, sir. Shall we add two more captains?"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "I've been considering dividing the captains into three ranks: captain, lieutenant, and second lieutenant. The same applies to the lieutenant commanders."

This time, Fu Tong and Chen Mu were appointed as lieutenants, half a rank lower than the other captains. Lou Fa, Zhang Xi, Wang Xiaoman, and Kan Huang were promoted to second lieutenants.

“I understand what you mean, General. I will come up with a new military system plan, and the appointments will be made after it is approved.”

The Yuzhang Army and the Jingzhou Army eventually reached a prisoner-of-war agreement, which consisted of three points: First, the soldiers could choose to stay or return voluntarily; second, for each returning prisoner of war, Jingzhou would compensate the Yuzhang Army with twenty shi of grain, and the soldiers would return to Jingzhou after the grain arrived; third, if the families of the prisoners of war who stayed behind wished to come to Jiangxia, Jingzhou would not obstruct them.

The prisoner exchange lasted for a month, while the families of soldiers continued to come to Jiangxia until after the autumn harvest. Nearly 10,000 soldiers' families chose to cross the river to settle in Jiangxia County. They were incorporated into the military households and settled around Yundu County. Each household was given 20 mu of farmland and 2 mu of residential land. At the same time, each household received a monthly subsidy of one shi of grain as a transitional allowance, which continued until the summer harvest of the following year.

After the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Jiangxia in Jingzhou, it meant that Liu Biao was no longer able to provoke Jiangxia County, and the Yuzhang Army stabilized Jiangxia County.

This also allowed the high command of the Yuzhang Army to taste the benefits of intelligence, and as a result, they increased their intelligence investment. By the end of the year, the number of intelligence spies sent out had more than doubled, covering all important counties.

After the height of summer, autumn arrived quickly. In early September, continuous autumn rains began to sweep across the Yangtze River, bringing a distinct chill to the air.

In the afternoon, a scholar arrived in Wan County, Liu Bei's stronghold, where 30,000 of Liu Bei's 40,000 troops were currently gathered.

The scholar arrived at the Left General's residence, which was Liu Bei's official office. He bowed to the soldiers at the gate and said, "Please inform Uncle Liu that I am here to deliver a message for Liu Qi, the young master of Jingzhou. I have his token here!"

The scribe took out a plaque and handed it to the soldier, who then turned and went inside.

Before long, a civil official came out, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Jian Yong, the chief clerk under Liu Bei. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Deng Zhi, and I am a staff member of Young Master Liu Qi. I have come here to deliver a message for you!"

"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Deng. Please come with me!"

Jian Yong led Deng Zhi to Liu Bei's official residence, where Liu Bei was already waiting with a smile at the door.

"Is the visitor Deng Bomiao?"

Deng Zhi was surprised, "Uncle, you know me?" Liu Bei smiled and nodded, "I've been in Xinye for over a year and have frequent dealings with the Deng family. How could I not know my virtuous brother Bo Miao!"

Deng Zhi was deeply moved and quickly took out Liu Qi's letter and presented it, saying, "This is Young Master Qi's letter. Please take a look, Imperial Uncle!"

Liu Bei took the letter but did not rush to read it. Instead, he asked Jian Yong to invite the strategist Zhuge Liang.

Previously, Zhuge Liang predicted that the Jingzhou army would suffer a defeat of 30,000 men in its attack on Jiangxia, and that the entire army would be captured. As it turned out, Zhuge Liang's prediction was absolutely correct, which made Liu Bei even more respectful.

Before long, Zhuge Liang strolled in and, seeing Deng Zhi, smiled and said, "Isn't this Bo Miao?"

Deng Zhi was also a student of Sima Hui, having studied in Longzhong for ten years and met Zhuge Liang many times. Deng Zhi quickly bowed and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen my virtuous brother Zhuge!"

Liu Bei handed the letter to Zhuge Liang, who read it once and asked with a smile, "Young Master Qi seems to lack confidence!"

Deng Zhi sighed and said, "The entire military and political leadership of Jingzhou supports the second son, Liu Cong. The only one who supports the eldest son, Kuai Liang, is still in a sinecure. In the past, the governor of the prefecture was inclined to establish the eldest son over the youngest, but this time, after the governor fell ill, his health completely collapsed, and he can only lie on his bed and prolong his life. They say that the governor can last for two or three years, but in my opinion, he won't last even a year. Now the governor is not mentioning the arrangement of the successor. This is actually to ensure a smooth transition and to tacitly approve the succession of the second son, Liu Cong."

Zhuge Liang nodded, "So the eldest son has a strong sense of crisis, which can be seen from his letter."

Deng Zhi said with great concern, "The eldest son is very anxious and doesn't know what to do. He begs the Imperial Uncle and Military Advisor Zhuge to give him some advice on how to avoid the impending disaster."

Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei exchanged a glance, a very secretive look between them. In fact, they had already discussed this issue and determined a solution, but they had been waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Liu Qi to take the initiative to ask them for help.

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Liu Qi is my nephew. I can't just stand by and watch him die. Strategist, please think of a way to help him!"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Shen Sheng died while staying in the capital, and Chong Er lived while being exiled. Why doesn't Young Master Qi follow Chong Er's example and be exiled? Even if Cai Mao wants to harm him, he won't have a chance."

Deng Zhi understood somewhat, "Sir, you mean—"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and said, "Jiangling is an important town and needs a high-ranking official to guard it. Why doesn't Young Master Qi apply to guard Jiangling? With 30,000 troops under his command, I believe Cai Mao wouldn't dare to act rashly even if he wanted to kill him!"

Deng Zhi hesitated for a moment, "I'm afraid the governor won't agree!"

Zhuge Liang said calmly, "Don't worry! Cai Mao and Kuai Yue will definitely persuade the governor. It is against etiquette to abolish the eldest son and establish the youngest son. Cai Mao and the others are also very guilty. Now that Young Master Qi has taken the initiative to request to be sent to a post outside the capital, they couldn't be happier."

Zhuge Liang then wrote a letter, instructing Liu Qi on how to apply for a posting outside the capital and obtain military power. Deng Zhi was overjoyed, took the letter, and left.

Liu Bei asked with some concern, "Will Liu Jing really send Liu Qi to guard Jiangling?"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and said, "No father wants his sons to fight each other after his death. He will agree. Even if he doesn't think of it, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others will persuade Liu Biao. However, Cai Mao and others may not agree to hand over military power to Prince Qi, so we have to find another way."

I told Liu Qi to give all his family wealth to his stepmother, Lady Cai. That way, Lady Cai would agree to let Liu Qi's wife and children come with him, and she would also give him military power.

"Therefore, Madam Cai is the key!"

"Yes! She is the key to whether Liu Qi and his family can safely reach Jiangling."

(End of this chapter)