Liu Biao's old face was calm and waveless, and after listening to Kuai Liang's words, he stroked his beard lightly and asked lightly, "What does Zirou mean by this?"

"Lord!"

Kuai Liang bowed and saluted, and then slowly explained: "If it was in the past, for the thieves who dared to invade the lord's territory, they should be suppressed by thunderous means. It's just that the southeast direction of Jingzhou is unstable now, but the lord is not suitable for two sides of the war. Sun Jian's son Sun Ce, first gathered his father's old department, and even borrowed thousands of soldiers and horses from Yuan Shu with the jade seal of the country, a total of five or six thousand soldiers and horses, crossed the river from Liyang to fight, and defeated Liu Xuan. Liu Miao gave up Dantu and fled west. So Sun Ce ordered Zhu Zhi to attack Wu County from Qiantang, Wu County Taishou Xu Gong resisted Zhu Zhi in Youquan, Zhu Zhi defeated Xu Gong, Xu Gong fled and attached himself to the bandit Yan Baihu, Zhu Zhi then acted as the duty of Wu County Taishou; Wang Lang surrendered after his defeat, so he was pacified. After occupying the Huiji, Sun Ce replaced all the original chiefs, and concurrently served as the Huiji Taishou, and took Wu Jing as the Danyang Taishou, Sun Ben as the Yuzhang Taishou, and divided the Yuzhang into Luling County, with Sun Ben's younger brother Sun Fu as the Luling Taishou, and Zhu Zhi as the Wujun Taishou. Now Jiangdong is in the hands of Sun Ce, and his soldiers and horses are stationed in the area of Poyang Lake, and there is a great tendency to invade Jingzhou. Although Zhang Ji died, he had an old relationship with Li and Guo Yan, and if the lord persecuted him too much, he was afraid that Zhang Xiu would go to Li and Guo Yan to seek help. At that time, the lord was afraid that he would face the enemy in the north and south, although there were 100,000 soldiers in armor in Jingzhou, and the soldiers were willing to serve to the death, but the war between the two sides would eventually be disadvantageous to the lord. That being the case, why not recruit Zhang Xiu, or solve the northern threat. ”

"Zirou's words made my mouth stop!"

Liu Biao sighed, but he didn't make a decision immediately, but looked at Kuai Yue and Cai Mao and a few others, and asked, "What do you think of Zirou's words?"

Although Kuai Yue has the same surname as Kuai Liang, they are actually two families, not brothers as mentioned in the romance. Of course, it's not wrong to say that they are brothers, their ancestors are from the same clan, and later, perhaps because of the separation, they are now strictly speaking, they are now two families, and their bloodlines have long been very weak. However, the Jingzhou Duoshi clan has many connections with each other, or worship, or marriage, so that the family will not fall into the situation of fighting alone. And Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang have the same ancestors, so it is naturally easier to form an alliance.

Therefore, Kuai Yue stepped forward and said: "Lord, my subordinates think what Zirou said is very true. Sun Ce is brave and fierce, known as the little overlord, but he has a delicate mind, and he is not as brave and resourceless as the overlord. Now, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command, thousands of warships, although there is still a lot of difference between Jingzhou, once the lord and Zhang Xiu clash, then Sun Ce will inevitably take the opportunity to send troops, from Poyang Lake to Jiangxia, but the situation is not conducive to Jingzhou. Dare to ask General Cai, if Zhang Xiu and Sun Ce invade Jingzhou at the same time, can General Cai stop their soldiers and horses?"

Cai Mao is in charge of the military in Jingzhou, and the main reason is because Cai Mao's second sister is Liu Biao's stepwife. Of course, Liu Biao will not be stupid to hand over all the military power to Cai Mao, half of the talismans of Jingzhou soldiers and horses are in Cai Mao's hands, and when there is a war, Liu Biao will give the talisman to Cai Mao, and he will hand it over after the war. And the soldiers and horses of Jingzhou still recognize Liu Biao, even if Cai Mao rebels with the talisman, it is useless, unless Liu Biao dies and the heir is not recognized by the people of Jingzhou, maybe Cai Mao can still do this. Based on the fact that his wife is Cai Mao's sister, Liu Biao's trust in Cai Mao is more than that of Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. Therefore, Kuai Yue threw the problem to Cai Mao and asked him to solve it.

Although, Cai Mao wanted to say that there was no problem with a two-sided war. However, he knew his own ability, and it was impossible to fight on both sides. Of course, if other capable people in Jingzhou are activated, it may not be much of a problem. However, how could Cai Mao give those people a chance, Jingzhou is now considered to be the dominant Cai family, and several scholar families such as the Kuai family and the Huang family can compete with the Cai family. If people from other families are allowed to take the lead, maybe their Cai family's status will become weaker and weaker, so even if Cai Mao knows Kuai Yue's intentions, he can only follow his words.

At that moment, Cai Mao stepped forward and said: "Lord, Jingzhou has been peaceful for a long time, and the people in the territory have a sense of disgust for war, although there are 100,000 soldiers in armor, I am afraid that only half of the soldiers can fight hard. Once those soldiers who are reluctant to go to war are allowed to fight, it may affect the morale of our army. Therefore, if there is a war on both sides, I am afraid that some strength will be insufficient. Speaking of which, the subordinates are also to blame for this, and they are a little negligent. After today, my subordinates should do their best to train soldiers, and if such an incident happens again, I will be brave soldiers from all over Jingzhou. ”

At the beginning, Liu Biao rode into Jingzhou, relying on the support of the Cai family, the Kuai family and other scholars, and gathered strong men to pacify Jingzhou. Then, in recent years, there have been wars in all parts of the world, only Jingzhou is relatively peaceful, not to mention the rebels, not even a few thieves. As a result, the soldiers neglected to practice, and also developed a feeling of war weariness. Otherwise, if all the soldiers want to make meritorious contributions to the war, not to mention that Zhang Xiu and Sun Ce are enemies, they will not have the slightest fear if they are enemies of the world.

"Hmm!"

Regarding Cai Mao's plea, Liu Biao only responded lightly, and then said: "Since you all feel that it is not appropriate for me to start a war on both sides in Jingzhou now, then, according to your suggestions, recruit Zhang Xiu, and then go all out to deal with Jiangdong Sun Ce." Honshu Mu wants to see if Sun Jian's son is as powerful as his father. ”

"Yes, my lord!"

Several people present responded, and then left to arrange the matter. First of all, Liu Biao first made a statement in public, saying, "Zhang Ji came to Jingzhou to borrow grain from me because of the end of the road, but I, as the master, failed to fulfill the etiquette of the master, but let Zhang Ji die because of this, I was deeply saddened, and I should send a messenger to mourn", Liu Biao's words naturally came to the ears of Zhang Xiu and his soldiers, and they all sighed at Liu Biao's benevolence. Subsequently, in order to show his sincerity, Liu Biao sent Kuai Yue to Zhang Xiu's camp and invited them to be stationed in Wancheng, which was an apology for Zhang Ji's unfortunate death, and Wancheng was in charge of Zhang Xiu.

For Liu Biao's 'great kindness', Zhang Xiu wept bitterly with emotion, and assured Liu Biao that he would definitely defend the northern gateway of Jingzhou and would not let an enemy cross Wancheng.

In this way, Liu Biao appeased Zhang Xiu, and then, he was a strong soldier and prepared to face Jiangdong Sun Ce.

In Yangzhou, where Jingzhou is near, Yuan Shao also got the news in Shouchun.

"Smack!"

Yuan Shu, who was drinking fine wine at the time, heard from the spies that the Son of Heaven followed Yuan Chang's suggestion to move the capital to Youzhou, and immediately smashed the wine glass to the ground angrily, and scolded: "Yuan Chang's concubine gave birth to a son, how can He De let the Son of Heaven move the capital to Youzhou, it must be some kind of subordinate." Perhaps, like the Dong Zhuo thief, he coerced the Son of Heaven. Now that the court is in decline, any cat or dog can ride on the head of the court. ”

At this moment, all the people sitting around Yuan Shu were his cronies, and seeing that Yuan Shu was so angry, they all thought of a good way to please him.

Changshi Yang Hong has always been able to figure out Yuan Shu's thoughts, so he can get Yuan Shu's favor, as soon as his eyes rolled, he had an idea, leaned close to Yuan Shu's ear, and whispered: "Lord, now that the world of the Liu family has declined, even the safety of the Son of Heaven himself cannot be guaranteed, so it can be seen that his luck has come to an end." The lord can know that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once said: 'There will be disasters in the world of the Han family, and those who represent the Han Dynasty should be Tu Gao', Tu is the way, and the lord is the right word, and secondly, the lord also got the jade seal that symbolizes the fortune of the country from Sun Ce, which shows that the lord has already been fixed in heaven. Yuan Chang is just coercing the Son of Heaven, how can he be compared to the lord ascending the throne as emperor?"

"Huh!"

Ever since he got the jade seal, Yuan Shu has been itching, always feeling that he has something to do, but he doesn't know what it is. Today, after receiving Yang Hong's explanation, he suddenly became enlightened and understood that what he wanted to do was to be the emperor. At that moment, Yuan Shu's spirit was shocked, he looked at the cronies present, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Yang Changshi's words made me stunned. My Yuan family is from Chen, Chen Naishun's descendants, with soil to bear the fire, plus now the Liu family has declined, the sea is boiling, our Yuan family four generations are important ministers in the court, and the people are willing to belong to me. I want to uphold the will of heaven, conform to the will of the people, and ascend the throne as emperor now, I don't know what the will of the kings will be?"

Although the Han family is now declining and the power of the imperial court is falling, there are few who want to replace it. There is such a bold idea as Yuan Shu, so far there is only one Yuan Shu. It's just that Yuan Shu's ascension to the throne as emperor is not a bad thing for these henchmen. You must know that they are all Yuan Shu's henchmen, if Yuan Shu becomes the emperor, wouldn't they become the founding fathers? Thinking about their status in the future, and the inexhaustible glory and wealth, everyone here is a little nervous. However, there is still no one who dares to stand up in public to support it, after all, this kind of thing is not good to say, and if it does not succeed, who knows what the consequences will be.

And Yang Hong on the side also scolded Yuan Shu in his heart, and the labor and management of mmP secretly told you that he wanted you to think about it, and then discuss it and make a decision. Who knew that Yuan Shu, who had already been tempted by the jade seal of the country, was explained by Yang Hong, and immediately made a decision, without thinking about discussing it with others.

The matter has come to this point, Yuan Shu is the lord, what else can he Yang Hong do.

Just when everyone was silent, the anchor Yan Xiang came out and said: "Back then, the Zhou people from their ancestor Houji to King Wen accumulated merit, and it can be said that there are two points in the world, but they are still cautious to be the courtiers of the Yin Shang Dynasty. Although you have been a high-ranking official for many years, I am afraid that you are not as prosperous as the Ji family; although the Han family is in decline at present, it seems that it cannot be compared with the cruel and unscrupulous King Yin, right? Therefore, my subordinates think that it is not appropriate for Ming Gong to ascend the throne at this time. ”

In the romance, it is said that Yan Xiang persuaded Yuan Shu, and when many people saw this, they said that Yan Xiang was a rare loyal minister of the Han family. However, they didn't understand the meaning of Yan Xiang's words, Yan Xiang told Yuan Shu that it was too early for you to be the emperor, and when you were on standby, you should slowly figure it out. Of course, Yan Xiang's words are more tactful, after all, persuading people to seek to usurp the throne is never a bright deed, especially for literati;

Therefore, Yuan Shu failed to hear the meaning of Yan Xiang's words.

In fact, Yan Xiang's analysis is very reasonable, and the timing is indeed not very good now. Although it is said that the Han family is declining and the Son of Heaven has become a puppet, after all, the Son of Heaven has not done anything angry and resentful, and the people have not been forced to rebel. Especially in a rich place like Yangzhou, the richer people are, the more they hope for social stability, just like the people of Jingzhou. Of course, if Yuan Shu was able to dominate the world and establish a dynasty after becoming emperor, there would naturally be countless words of praise at that time, saying that Yuan Shu was so heroic and magnificent that he could establish an era, after all, history was written by the victors.

It's just that, with a person like Yuan Shu, it is obviously unrealistic to expect him to succeed.

Yuan Shu was silent, but the anger in his heart was extremely warm, and the banquet was so unhappy, and then everyone left, and Yuan Shu left Yang Hong.

"Yang Changshi, there are not a few people like Master Yan, do you have a good plan to help me?"

"This..."

When he was left behind by Yuan Shu, Yang Hong knew what would happen, so he had already thought about it. However, instead of replying immediately, he pretended to hesitate.

"What is Yang Changshi's clever plan, and if it is done, you will be the prime minister. ”

"The lord has an order, how dare his subordinates ask for credit!"

Yang Hongcheng bowed in fear, and after getting the result he wanted, he groaned again, as if he was thinking about countermeasures, and after a while, he opened his mouth and said the method in his heart: "Lord, in the past, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang delayed the military order, and in the end, I am afraid that it will be difficult to escape death." Therefore, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang came up with a plan, writing on silk and stuffing it into the belly of the fish, and then made people disguise the voice of the white fox, saying that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had the life of a prince. In this way, the two of them started up naturally, and they won the support of the people. In this case, why don't the lord follow Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, so that the people of Yangzhou can believe that the lord is destined to return. ”

"Haha, this plan is very good, so I will do it according to this plan. Yang Changshi rest assured, after I become emperor, the position of prime minister is indispensable. ”

"Thank you for the grace of the lord, my subordinates dare not serve their lives!"

Subsequently, Yuan Shu followed Yang Hong's suggestion and asked his cronies to start the execution. The people of Yangzhou eat more river fresh, but a day's work, the fish belly took out Yuan Shu when the news of conforming to the mandate of heaven to be the emperor was widely spread; and, in addition to camouflaging the cry of the white fox, Yuan Shu also made up children's songs, so that young children sang all over the street, and there were more diviners everywhere to spread that Yuan Shu had the mandate of heaven, and he should follow the trend.

As a result, the people of Yangzhou seem to be convinced that Yuan Shu's claim to be the emperor is the destiny of heaven. Under these circumstances, Yuan Shu openly preached to the Quartet and chose a day to ascend the throne and become emperor.

The Fourth of the Three Kingdoms and the Third Duke