Tiger Owl

Chapter 183 Emergency Interception

"Ah! Why do you think that?" Liu Qi exclaimed in surprise.

Yi Ji sighed and said, "The reason is simple. Cai Mao and Liu Cong will never let you see the governor one last time. They are worried that the governor will eventually hand over power to you. So the news that you received about seeing your father one last time must be fake. The strategist said that if you don't believe it, you can arrest the messenger and interrogate him to find out. The messenger should be the governor's confidant!"

“The messenger was indeed one of my father’s personal guards, but he left yesterday.”

Yi Ji smiled and said, "The strategist said that this person definitely hasn't left. He needs to confirm that you have returned to Xiangyang before he will send a message to Xiangyang. This person must be nearby!"

Liu Qi quickly opened the car window and peered out onto the city wall. Sure enough, he saw someone on the city wall staring at him. When he peered out, the person on the city wall quickly stepped aside.

Liu Qi immediately understood and shouted, "Seize the messenger on the city wall!"

Hundreds of guards rushed forward, and soon they caught the spy. To be precise, the man was caught by the patrolling soldiers on the city wall. He was running for his life when the patrolling soldiers became suspicious and intercepted and arrested him.

Liu Qi recognized him at a glance; he was the messenger, Li Ze, his father's trusted bodyguard.

"Li Ze, I trusted you so much, I almost fell for your trick!"

Li Ze knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, "Young Master, I really have no choice. The Second Young Master has taken my wife and children away. If I don't come to deliver this message, they will die. I have no choice but to come!"

"Fine! I can let it go, but you have to tell me the truth: what happened to my father?"

Li Ze lowered his head and wept, "My lord... my lord is gone!"

Upon hearing that his father had passed away, Liu Qi swayed and nearly fainted. Yi Ji quickly caught him, "Young Master!"

Liu Qi buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly. Everyone else wept silently beside him. After a while, Liu Qi wiped away his tears and asked, "When did Father die? How many people know?"

"The governor passed away on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, half a month ago. At that time, only Zhao Hui and I were by his side. Then Cai Mao and the second young master blocked the news, and only the news that the lord was critically ill was spread."

"How did my father die?" Liu Qi pressed on.

“I saw it clearly: the governor was very excited that night and drank three large glasses of wine before he suddenly collapsed.”

Liu Qi sighed deeply. Yi Ji whispered a few words to him. Liu Qi nodded and said to the messenger, Li Ze, "I understand. I won't make things difficult for you. Go back and tell Cai Mao that I've fallen ill. Of course, if you tell the truth, you won't survive either."

"I dare not!"

Liu Qi waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave.

He then asked Yi Ji, "What does the strategist want me to do next?"

"The strategist said that the eldest son has fallen ill in his residence. Cai Mao will not be able to hold out for long. Once he announces the death of the governor, the young master can raise the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials' and attack the traitor Cai Mao. The imperial uncle will also send troops at the same time."

Liu Qi hesitated for a moment, "I'm afraid my forces are too small and no match for Liu Cong."

Yi Ji smiled slightly and said, "Strategist Zhuge will arrive soon. We have already made preparations and are confident in everything!"

The Xiao Yang Tavern in Fancheng was empty. Old Yang stood absentmindedly behind the counter, constantly looking out at the situation.

Liu Bei's army arrived at the city gates, and the entire army went up the city walls, including the commander-in-chief Liu Hu.

Old Yang had already prepared the carrier pigeon; he was just waiting for the final message to send it out immediately. Just then, a commotion of shouts suddenly arose in the distance, as if something major had happened.

Old Yang rushed to the gate. Just then, countless soldiers fled towards the camp. One soldier recognized Old Yang and shouted, "Old Yang, hurry up and get out of here! The city has fallen!"

"Ah! What's going on?"

"Huo Jun has surrendered the city, and Liu Bei's army has already entered!"

Old Yang quickly closed the tavern and rushed home.

At this moment, Liu Bei's army had already entered Fancheng. At the same time, two carrier pigeons took off and flew towards Chaisang.

Pang Tong once again hurried to Gan Ning's official residence. This time it was a high-level meeting, which included Lu Su, Jiang Wan, and Xu Shu.

"Reporting to the general, we have just received intelligence that Huo Jun has surrendered the city gates, and Liu Bei's army has already captured Fancheng."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Huo Jun seems to be Liu Hu's subordinate!"

Pang Tong nodded. "That's absolutely right. Huo Jun is a captain under Liu Hu, and Liu Hu is the commander of Fancheng. Huo Jun will definitely be able to stand alone in a region, and he will have the opportunity to surrender the city."

Lu Su laughed and said, "I wonder how many people this Liu Huangshu has secretly won over. It is said that Liao Hua, the garrison commander of Luyang Pass, has also been won over by him long ago."

Jiang Wan also laughed and said, "It's not surprising. Liu Bei is very good at winning people's hearts. Moreover, there is a group of royalists in Jingzhou who secretly support Liu Bei. So, people like Zhuge Liang, Yi Ji, Pang Shanmin, Wen Pin, Huo Jun, and Liao Hua who joined Liu Bei are actually directly related to this group of royalists."

Seeing that Gan Ning remained silent, Lu Su asked, "What is the general worried about?"

Gan Ning sighed and said, "What I'm worried about is Cao Cao. Cao Cao will never give up this opportunity; he will definitely send a large army south."

Xu Shu also said, "My lord is right. Cao Cao has hundreds of thousands of troops, and the northern campaign is coming to an end. He can easily send 100,000 troops to invade Jingzhou. We must make a choice and be prepared."

Gan Ning nodded. "That's why I've gathered everyone here for this meeting. We need to make a choice."

"What are your thoughts, General?"

Gan Ning slowly said, "Actually, I have considered three options, which can be described as the best, middle and worst. The best option is to send a large number of troops to participate in the struggle for Nanjun. Everyone understands this without me having to say it. If we are lucky, we can occupy the entire Nanjun. The middle option is to wait for an opportunity, occupy Jiangling County, and drive a wedge into Nanjun. The worst option is not to participate in the struggle for Nanjun, but to send the navy to block the Han River and protect Jiangxia County."

The group exchanged glances, and Lu Su said, "General, the biggest variable here is Cao Cao. If Cao Cao's army marches south, with our current strength, we cannot stop his powerful cavalry. Therefore, I suggest abandoning the first option. The third option is too conservative. If Cao Cao's army does not march south, we will miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I choose the second option."

Jiang Wan also said, "I also agree with the second plan, but I suggest we don't rush. We should wait until they are both exhausted, or until it is clear that Cao Cao's army will not march south, before we take action to capture Jiangling."

"What are your thoughts?" Gan Ning then asked Pang Tong and Xu Shu.

Both of them expressed their support for the second option.

Gan Ning nodded, "Then let's go with the second option!"

Gan Ning glanced at Pang Tong again and said, "The plan is just a direction, but how to implement it will be the responsibility of Military Advisor Pang."

This was Pang Tong's first time in charge of military affairs, and Gan Ning gave him the opportunity.

(End of this chapter)