"My lord, the Kuai brothers have left Xinye. Cai Deju's army is approaching, and we need to make preparations in advance. ”

Zhuge Liang's face was flat, and after watching the majestic army of 20,000 soldiers and horses gradually move away, he whispered to Liu Bei beside him. Liu Bei bowed slightly, his expression was also indifferent, as if he was not afraid of Cai Mao's army, and replied calmly.

"What the military advisor said is very true. If Cai Dejun can be captured in one fell swoop in this battle, everything will be fine! ”

After Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang talked with each other outside the city gate for a while, they rushed back to the city together. The backs of the two gradually blended and merged together, as if a dragon shadow appeared, which was very strange.

About ten days later, Cai Mao was in the realm of Wuling, leading a group of henchmen and soldiers, looking from afar. A few days ago, Cai Mao had learned from the return soldiers that Liu Bei had received the order and handed over 20,000 soldiers and horses to the hands of the Kuai brothers. After Cai Mao learned about it, although he was happy, he wanted Zhuge Liang to be resourceful, and he would never dare to act rashly before he saw the return of these 20,000 soldiers and horses to Wuling. And in terms of time, if there is no accident in the Kuai brothers, they should lead the army to the realm of Wuling at this time.

Cai Mao waited for a long time, but still didn't see any movement in the distance, and couldn't help but feel a little anxious. At this moment, suddenly several soldiers called around.

"It's coming!! Ten miles ahead, there is a lot of wind and dust, and most of the soldiers and horses must be coming!! ”

Cai Mao's face froze when she heard this, and she quickly looked at it. I saw that the wind and dust were raging ten miles away, and gradually the sound of horses' hooves, footsteps, and the vibration of soldiers rose together. Cai Mao hurriedly prepared the surroundings to guard against attacks.

Soon after, a group of fast riders came at a gallop. Cai Mao recognized the general who led the troops, and he was one of the Jingzhou generals who were stationed in Xinye with the army the year before last. The general rushed to Cai Mao, dismounted and reported, telling Cai Mao that the soldiers and horses in front of Cai Mao were the 20,000 troops that the Kuai brothers took over from Liu Bei.

When it is young, the wind and sand are dashing, and the flag is fluttering. The Kuai brothers dismounted and rushed to Cai Mao to make a confession. After finishing the farewell, Cai Mao laughed loudly, as if he saw Xinye City being swallowed up by his army, Liu Bei being executed, and Zhuge Liang being captured by him.

At this time, Deng Yi looked around for a long time, and suddenly his face changed, and he whispered a few words in Cai Mao's ear. After hearing this, Cai Mao frowned, and asked the Kuai brothers.

"Two dukes, why don't you see the eldest prince in the army?"

As soon as Kuai Yue heard this, he immediately said to Cai Mao the words he had prepared.

"Returning to General Cai. After my brother arrived in Xinye, he asked the big-eared thief where the eldest son was. The big-eared thief said that the eldest prince had never been to Xinye. The two brothers and I sent people to investigate in Xinye City, but we didn't get any information about the eldest son. Maybe the eldest prince really didn't go to Xinye. Or maybe the big-eared thief deliberately concealed it and hid the eldest prince in private. ”

Cai Mao sneered when he heard this, and secretly thought in his heart that even if Liu Bei had the intention to hide that Liu Qi, when he attacked Xinye City, Liu Qi would not be able to escape death.

For Cai Mao, Liu Bei is the biggest threat, as long as Liu Bei is solved, Liu Qi, who is weak by nature, is lonely and difficult to speak, and he will not be able to turn over any wind and rain.

After Cai Mao thought about it, he no longer paid attention to this matter, and ordered his henchmen to take over the deployment of the 20,000 soldiers and horses brought by the Kuai brothers, and after the rectification was completed, he led a group of soldiers and horses back to Wuling.

Liu Bei returned 20,000 soldiers and horses to Jingzhou, and now Xinye's troops are empty, and the so-called Qiao woman is difficult to cook without rice, even if Zhuge Liang has great ability, there are no soldiers under him, just like a tiger that has been removed from his minions, and he is slaughtered.

A few days later, Cai Mao wrote a fake will, announcing that the officials of Jingzhou and Liu Biao had passed away, and ordered the second son Liu Cong to be the lord of Jingzhou according to the will. At present, in the Hanshou County Governance Hall, all the officials in Jingzhou are in an uproar, and everyone has a complicated face. The curtain official Li Qi suddenly walked out and shouted loudly.

"Since ancient times, the waste grows and the young grow, and there will be disaster. In the past, because of this, the Yuan family was exterminated by Cao Cao and the foundation was destroyed. Today, you can urgently send a letter of mourning to Jiangxia, ask the eldest prince to be the lord of Jingzhou, and order Uncle Liu Huang to serve together. The north can be the enemy of Cao Cao, and the south can reject Sun Ce. This is the best way to go. I also hope that the second son will not be greedy for a while, so that the foundation of the first monarch will be destroyed! ”

As soon as Li Qi said this, the faces of the officials in the hall suddenly changed again. A few people wanted to stop talking, and they also wanted to echo, but when they saw Cai Mao next to Liu Cong, who had a cold sneer, they immediately stopped thinking and didn't dare to look at each other.

Cai Mao's eyes widened, secretly observing the expressions of everyone in the hall, and then stepped out, pointing at Li Qi and shouting angrily.

"Who are you, dare to speak nonsense to disobey the lord's will! Now that the second son has first ascended to the throne, you will immediately speak out against it. Li Qi, you want to rebel!!? ”

Li Jue listened to Cai Mao, a traitor and rebel, and dared to say that he was rebellious, and he was so angry that he scolded angrily.

"Cai Deqi!! You are conspiring with friends inside and outside, pretending to be a widow, abolishing the long and young, what you want, everyone in Jingzhou knows! In the past, you have plotted to kill Uncle Liu Huang many times, and you are afraid that it will become a big trouble for you. Now that the ancestor has just passed away, you have made a false decree on the other side to recapture Uncle Liu's soldiers and horses, which is really punishable! Seeing the nine counties of Jingxiang, it was sent to the hands of the Cai family! Therefore the Lord has a spirit, and he will kill you!

Colleagues, you and others are deeply affected by the kindness of the ancestors, seeing that the Cai family covers the sky with one hand, like the violent Qin Zhao Gao, how can you sit idly by and protect your whole body! Under the nine springs of his day, what face do you have to face the spirit of the ancestors!! ”

Li Qi shouted angrily, word by word, like a sharp knife stabbing in the hearts of all Jingzhou civil and military personnel. Cai Mao was furious, and immediately ordered the left and right to be cut off. Li Jue scolded endlessly. Until the knife fell on his neck, he was still scolding Cai Mao for being disobedient and not going to die.

There was a knife falling, followed by the sound of a skull falling to the ground. There was a dead silence in the hall, and no one dared to speak. Liu Cong's face was gloomy, looking at His Royal Highness's ministers who were so afraid of Cai Mao, and suddenly he felt a trace of indescribable pathos in his heart.

So Cai Mao then established Liu Cong as the main one. The Cai clan led the soldiers of Jingzhou, and ordered Deng Yi to govern Zhongzhong and not drive Liu Xian to guard Jingzhou. Liu Biao's coffin was buried in the plain of Hanyang in the east of Xiangyang City.

The Cai family was rampant, as if the entire Jingzhou was already under his control. On the same day, Cai Mao ordered Liu Cong to issue a leading decree, announcing Liu Bei's various crimes, and informing all counties in Jingzhou. Under the accusation of these various crimes, Liu Bei, who was incomparable in benevolence and righteousness, immediately became a traitor and traitor who did many evils and heinous crimes. Most of the people in Jingzhou don't believe it, and many people cry out for Liu Bei, but Jingzhou is full of Cai's eyeliner, and those who shout for Liu Bei are all arrested by the Cai clansmen, imposed the crime of traitor, and dealt with secretly. So the people of Jingzhou dared to be angry but did not dare to speak, and the people of Jingzhou were panicked.

At this time, Cai Mao raised his troops and horses, making Deng Yi the first team and Liu Xian the second team. Dong Cao Peng Fu Xun was the third team, and Cai Mao led the generals to the fourth team, each team led 20,000 troops. Feng General Song Zhong was a partial general, and led 3,000 troops as the vanguard. Cai Mao ordered the generals to reorganize their troops and horses, and they were about to send troops to Xinye in the near future.

When Wang Cang, the waiter of the Yellow Gate, heard this, he hurriedly came to see Liu Cong and Cai Mao, and admonished him.

"Liu Bei is a relative of the Han family, and benevolence and righteousness are spread all over the world, and he is deeply loved by the people of Jingzhou. I hope the lord will think twice! ”

Liu Cong's face changed when he heard this, and he looked at Cai Mao. Cai Mao had a cold face, to stabilize Jingzhou, Liu Bei had to be removed, and because Liu Bei won the hearts of the people in Jingzhou, Cai Mao was extremely jealous, and it was imperative to send troops to Xinye. How can Cai Mao care whether there is righteousness or no righteousness!

It is said that although this Wang Cang is thin and short, he is a famous celebrity in Jingzhou. Legend has it that when Wang Cang was young, he went to see Zhonglang Cai Yong, when Cai Yong was full of friends, and when he heard that Wang Cangzhi was there, he greeted him. The guests were all shocked and asked, why does Cai Zhonglang respect this kid alone? Cai Yong smiled and said, this son has a talent, and the old man is not as good as it.

Even the literary predator Cai Yong attaches so much importance to Wang Cang, which shows how talented Wang Cang is. Wang Cang is well-read and strong, and no one is as good as him. There are many celebrities in Jingzhou who don't believe it, there was one, and Wang Cang tasted the inscription next to the road, the bachelor suddenly asked about the inscription just now, Wang Cang only looked at it, and he was able to recite it backwards. Once, Wang Cang watched people play chess, so the two of them messed up the chess game, and then asked Wang Cang if he could put it out. At the same time, Wang Cang is also good at arithmetic, and his words are wonderful. In the past, Liu Biao valued his talents and regarded Wang Cang as a guest.

Wang Mao is a famous person who is very prosperous, and Cai Mao usually respects him by three points, even though Wang Cang has repeatedly accused Liu Biao of him, Cai Mao still treats him with courtesy. However, at this time, Wang Cang hindered his great cause of unifying Jingzhou, where could Cai Mao tolerate it, and immediately pointed at Wang Cang and shouted angrily.

"Liu Bei is a minister who rebels against his fate, and when the ancestor was alive in the past, he was already confused by evil words, secretly profiting, and wanted to plot against Jingzhou. Nowadays, its Zhuge Liang complements each other, and its momentum is getting bigger, how can it not be in a hurry! ”

"General Cai's words are wrong, Uncle Liu Huang is benevolent, righteous and loves the people, and puts the interests of Jingzhou first in everything. If it hadn't been for his sacrifice to defend Xinye and defeat 50,000 Cao troops before, Jingzhou would have fallen into the hands of Cao Cao at this time! Jingzhou is deeply favored by Uncle Liu Huang, and if he goes out to ask for it, it will be unjust! ”

Wang Cang immediately replied sharply. Cai Mao snorted coldly, and then said again.

"Don't you hear that in the past, Liu Bei was under Tao Qian and Yuan Shao, and the two treated each other with the courtesy of a countryman. Liu Bei secretly plotted to seize Xuzhou, and Yuan Shao's two generals died because of it! It can be seen that Liu Bei is really a hero in the world, and the surface benevolence and righteousness are all hypocrisy! ”

Wang Cang's face changed, and he was just about to admonish again, but he was scolded by Cai Mao. Cai Mao ordered left and right.

"In the matter of Xinye, if there is a repetition, it will be !!"

Wang Cang was driven out of the house by the soldiers, and sighed in the sky.

"The evil ministers are in power, and the lords are still few. Cai Deqi, so that he is not benevolent and benevolent, and he is undefeated! ”

When Cai Mao's family heard this, the guest had been humiliated by Wang Cang, and he had always held a grudge, so he immediately reported to Cai Mao in private, and said that Wang Cang insulted the general every time on weekdays, and secretly said to the Jingzhou bureaucrats that the general was a thief who messed up Jingzhou.

Cai Mao was furious and ordered the court lieutenant to capture Wang Cang. At present, there are two friends in Wang Cang's mansion, who are sitting opposite each other and playing chess. Left and right urgent reports.

"Wang Cang was taken by the court lieutenant and will be beheaded! The two Ming Princes are just friends of Wang Cang, why not avoid them in a hurry? ”

The two friends glanced at each other, but smiled indifferently.

"Under the broken nest, Ann has finished eggs? We are good friends with Wang Cang, Cai Deqi is narrow-minded, how can he tolerate it. ”

Before he could say anything, Ting Wei arrived again, collected all Wang Cang's family and his two friends, and beheaded them, and ordered Wang Cang's corpse to be placed in the city. Wang Cang made friends on weekdays, but when they heard the news, they all rushed to cry when they heard the news. When Cai Mao heard this, he was furious and wanted to kill him. Kuai Yue couldn't bear it and hurriedly advised. "Wang Cang's uprightness is too much, which is the way to take trouble. Now his friend Wang Cang died and wept, but he is a righteous man, and he must not be killed. Otherwise, the general will lose his reputation because of this! ”

Cai Mao didn't listen, but still insisted on doing it. Wang Cang's friends, dozens of people, were all beheaded by Cai Mao. At this point, Cai Mao's reputation was bad, and the officials and people in Jingzhou were tyrannical and resentful of him.

Later, Liu Cong heard that his uncle Cai Mao was so rampant, and it was only then that he woke up, Cai Mao set him as the master, but regarded him as a puppet to better manipulate the power of Jingzhou. Liu Cong's parents had just died, and he was betrayed by his closest relatives, and all his thoughts were discouraged, and he was addicted to alcohol all day long, ignoring political affairs.

Cai Mao was also happy to do this, and when the soldiers and horses from all walks of life were ready, they would set out to Xinye on the same day. The vanguard Song Zhong led 3,000 cavalry to advance and came to Xinye.

At the same time, in Xinye City, there was already a detailed report that Cai Mao had gathered 80,000 troops and was about to kill. Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei glanced at each other, and there was no urgency in their eyes, but rather a bit of urgency.

It turned out that Zhuge Liang had already made arrangements. A few days ago, Zhuge Liang sent people to post a list at four gates and told the residents. Regardless of the old ** girl, those who are willing to follow, that is, they will follow me to Fancheng for temporary refuge today, and they must not make mistakes. On the other hand, he sent Sun Qian to the river to transfer boats to meet the people, and sent Mi Zhu to escort the officials and their families to Fancheng. On the one hand, all the generals listened to the order and made their own arrangements.

In the first team, Chen Shi led a thousand troops to the upper reaches of the Baihe River to ambush. Among them, the soldiers of each department, each with a cloth bag, more sand, to curb the water of the White River, to the next day after the third watch, only to hear the lower head of the people shouting horses, then know that Cai Maojun arrived, immediately quickly pick up the cloth bag, let the water flood.

In the second team, Liu Feng led a thousand troops to the Boling ferry to ambush. The water here is the slowest, and Cai Mao's soldiers and horses are flooded, so they will flee from here, so they can take advantage of the situation to kill. You don't have to fight, you can fight for a while, and you can take a detour.