Han Ji

Late March of the sixteenth year of Xingping. Xiangyang.

In the main hall of the governor's mansion, Liu Cong sat in the main seat. He was only a teenager, his body sinking into the wide chair, his hands on the armrests, his fingers unable to reach the end of the armrests.

He was wearing the governor's robe left to him by his father. The robe was too big, drooping at the shoulders, and the cuffs, rolled up twice, were still dragging on the table. On the table in front of him was a military report, which read: Liu Bei's army has passed Xinye, and the vanguard is less than a hundred li from Fancheng.

Two rows of people stood below the hall. On the left were Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, who commanded the Xiangyang navy. On the right were Kuai Yue, Fu Xun, and Han Song, prominent figures from the Jingzhou gentry.

Cai Mao's armor was polished to a gleaming shine, a sword hung at his waist, and he stood ramrod straight. Kuai Yue wore a dark Confucian robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his head bowed, seemingly engrossed in something.

No one answered immediately. The hall was so quiet that the footsteps of the servants walking in the corridor could be heard. Cai Mao glanced at Kuai Yue, but Kuai Yue didn't look at him. Fu Xun coughed and covered his mouth with his sleeve.

Cai Mao spoke first. "Liu Bei's army of 80,000, with Guan Yu's vanguard already reaching the north of Fancheng. The Xiangyang navy has two or three hundred ships, but less than 20,000 infantry. Prefect Kuai also has troops from Nan Commandery, but even combined, they have less than 30,000. We cannot hold out by force."

Zhang Yun added, "Although we have many naval warships, the large ships are old and in disrepair, and some of their hulls are rotten. Last summer, the Han River flooded and damaged the docks, and we still haven't had enough timber to repair them."

Liu Cong tightened his grip on the armrest. "What should we do?"

Cai Mao didn't speak. He glanced at Kuai Yue. Kuai Yue still didn't look up.

Kuai Yue finally spoke. He first pulled his hands out of his sleeves, crossed them in front of him, and then slowly and deliberately explained his meaning.

Liu Bei was a member of the Han imperial family, the Chancellor of the court, and held immense military power. Yuan Shao was no match for him, the Wuhuan were wiped out by him, and even Cao Cao dared not confront him directly. Liu Cong was the son of Liu Biao and also a member of the Han imperial family.

By surrendering Jingzhou to Liu Bei, it was a matter of right and proper: members of the imperial clan returning to the imperial clan, and Han officials returning to Han officials. However, if they surrendered to Cao Cao, a man of a different surname and a powerful minister who held the emperor hostage, surrendering to Cao Cao would be surrendering to a traitor.

Fu Xun picked up the conversation. He was much older than Liu Cong, speaking to him like an elder to a younger man, and directly posed several rhetorical questions. Did Liu Cong think he was stronger than Yuan Shao? Stronger than Tadun? He couldn't win, he couldn't hold his ground, so surrendering was the better option.

Liu Bei, while in Hebei, gathered up all of Yuan Shao's former subordinates, killing none of them and even granting them official positions. Kuai Yue also reminded Liu Cong that his elder brother Liu Qi was in Jiangxia and still held troops. If Liu Bei supported Liu Qi, Liu Cong's situation would become even more difficult. It would be better for him to take advantage of the fact that he still held Jingzhou, proactively surrendering to Liu Bei, thus preserving his title as governor and the Liu family's foothold in Jingzhou.

Liu Cong's face paled. His lips moved. "Then...surrender?"

Cai Mao immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Your judgment is wise and decisive."

Liu Cong glanced at Cai Mao, then at Kuai Yue. Kuai Yue nodded slightly. Fu Xun cupped his hands in greeting. Han Song remained silent, standing at the very edge, his expression unreadable.

"Then we'll surrender." Liu Cong said these two words in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

After they dispersed, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue walked out of the main hall together. The two stood under the corridor for a moment, the spring breeze blowing from the direction of the Han River, carrying the smell of fish.

Cai Mao lowered his voice. "Will Liu Bei take action against us?"

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Kuai Yue said, "No. He took Jingzhou in order to march south to Jiangdong. If he touches us, the gentry of Jingzhou will fight him to the death. He needs us to stabilize Jingzhou."

Cai Mao nodded and left.

The south gate of Xiangyang City.

Before dawn, the city gate quietly opened a crack. A horse slipped out through the crack, carrying a man dressed in a gray cloth robe and wearing a straw hat, his face covered in dust. Behind him followed two attendants, also on horseback.

This man was Song Zhong, an official in the Jingzhou governor's office. He carried a bamboo slip in his bosom, stamped with the seal of the Jingzhou governor, the ink still damp. The words on the slip were written by Kuai Yue on his behalf, roughly stating that Jingzhou was willing to submit to the imperial court and requesting the prime minister to enter the city to oversee the matter.

After leaving the city, Song Zhong headed north. The official road was full of refugees, pushing carts and carrying bundles, heading north, east, and west, but no one was going south. Someone saw Song Zhong heading north and called out to him, "Liu Bei's army is to the north, why are you going north?" Song Zhong ignored him, spurred his horse, and continued on.

After passing Fancheng, scouts from Liu Bei's army began to appear on both sides of the official road. The scouts spotted Song Zhong and surrounded him, questioning him. Song Zhong gave his name and said he was an envoy from Jingzhou, requesting to see the Chancellor. One of the scouts led him north.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Xinye, Song Zhong spotted Liu Bei's main camp. The camp was situated along the Yu River, with tents clustered together and smoke rising from the hearths. Two rows of sentries stood at the camp gate, their spears gleaming. The scout leading the way exchanged a few words with the sentries, who then went inside to report.

After a while, a personal guard came out and led Song Zhong into the camp. Song Zhong walked past rows of tents and saw soldiers sharpening their swords between them, the blades rubbing back and forth on the whetstones. Some were drying armor, the armor plates clanging and jingling. Others were whittling arrow shafts, the wood shavings piling up on the ground.

The central command tent was located in the very center of the camp, with a large banner standing in front of it, the character "Liu" on the banner fluttering in the wind. The tent flap was open, revealing several people standing inside.

Liu Bei sat in the main seat of the tent. He wore no armor, only a blue cloth robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing scars from old wounds on his forearms. To his left stood Jia Xu, holding a chess piece in his hand. To his right stood Jian Yong, carrying account books in his arms. Zhang Fei stood at the tent entrance, his broad shoulders and thick waist blocking half of the entrance.

Song Zhong entered the tent and knelt to pay his respects. "Song Zhong, an official of Jingzhou, has come to pay his respects to the Prime Minister on the orders of Governor Liu Cong."

Liu Bei took the bamboo slip, opened it, and read it. The handwriting was neat, and the wording was humble. The gist of the letter was that Jingzhou was willing to submit to the imperial court and invited Liu Bei to come to Xiangyang to take charge of military and political affairs.

Liu Cong referred to himself as "Cong" instead of "Governor," and addressed Liu Bei as "Prime Minister" instead of "Lord Xuande." This was the tone of a subject.

Liu Bei placed the bamboo slips on the table and asked, "Is Liu Cong's surrender genuine?"

Song Zhong knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head. "I sincerely surrender. The entire Jingzhou region is willing to submit to the imperial court."

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment. He glanced at Jia Xu, who nodded. Jian Yong also nodded beside him.

Liu Bei stood up and walked to Song Zhong. "Go back and tell Liu Cong that the Chancellor will not kill those who surrender, will not harm the gentry of Jingzhou, and will not take a single grain of rice from the people of Jingzhou. Tell him to wait for me in Xiangyang."

Song Zhong kowtowed and withdrew. When he came out of the tent, his forehead was covered in sweat, and the back of his clothes was soaked and stuck to his spine.

After Song Zhong left, Jia Xu placed the chess pieces on the table. "Liu Cong's surrender is better than our attack. We can pacify the entire Jingzhou region with a single proclamation, without losing any soldiers or generals."

But we must be wary of Cai Mao. Cai Mao is the commander of the Jingzhou navy; he surrendered to us because we are nearby. If Cao Cao were nearby, he would have surrendered to Cao Cao as well.

"After we arrive in Xiangyang, we need to change the commander of the navy. We'll give Cai Mao a nominal title and keep him in check, while the navy will be handed over to Gan Ning," Liu Bei said.

Jian Yong made a note of it.