Cai Mao stood up again at this time and said: "Lord, this time Zhang Xiu defected to Cao Cao, and we lost control of most of Nanyang County. He requested that the army be increased in Shinno and that the defenses should be built in case of the enemy. ”

Kuai Yue said again at this time: "My lord, that's right, the top priority is to increase Xinye's forces and expand our control in Nanyang. ”

Liu Biao nodded and said, "Then who do you think is more suitable to go to Xinye Town to guard?" ”

"Father, the child is willing to go." Liu Qi saw the time accurately, and stood up before Cai Mao recommended his people to go to Xinye to garrison.

Cai Mao looked at Liu Qi, was stunned for a moment, and then said, "According to the prince's daughter's body, it is still inconvenient to go." ”

Ma Hong stood up and saluted everyone: "Ten years ago, the lord rode into Jingzhou alone, and Gongzi, as the eldest son of the lord, was nurtured by his father, and he will definitely be able to stabilize the situation in Xinye and take the opportunity to seize control of Nanyang for the lord. ”

Cai Mao was not surprised when she saw Ma Hong suddenly ask, but said indifferently: "Xinye is a front-line important place, and Childe has no experience in leading troops to fight, I am just worried about Childe's safety." It's better to send a competent general in a place like Shinno. ”

Ma Hong smiled and said: "General Cai is too worried, now that Cao Cao is fighting fiercely with Yuan Shao, there is no time to look south, Xinye will not be attacked by Cao Cao at all, Zhang Xiu must have been transferred from Wancheng by Cao Cao." And now the turmoil around Xinye is mainly the bandits taking the opportunity to run rampant, what we have to do is to do a good job of law and order and appease the people at the same time, if such a task is handed over to the kind-hearted son to do, it will definitely be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort. ”

Liu Biao touched his beard and looked at Ma Hong, and secretly thought: This time Qi'er took the initiative to ask for his life, most of it was Ma Hong's idea, Xinye is the gateway to Jingzhou, Cai Mao and Cao Cao have an extraordinary friendship, I definitely can't hand over this task to Cai Mao. Although Ma Hong is immature, it is worth believing that from the letter Huang Zu gave him, Ma Hong can be resourceful, calm and changeable. If Xinye is handed over to Qi'er and him to guard, it is definitely more reassuring than handing it over to Cai Mao.

"Xeno, what do you think?" Liu Biao asked.

Seeing that Liu Biao didn't call him by name, Kuai Yue knew that Liu Biao wanted to let him say two words, so he said: "My lord, the more I once recommended Ma Hong to Huang Zu, and now the more I suggest that my lord send Gongzi and Ma Hong to Xinye." ”

Liu Biao nodded and said, "Okay, then it's decided, Cai Mao, you have no opinion!" ”

When Cai Mao saw Liu Biao looking at him, he understood Liu Biao's intentions, even if he Cai Mao was unwilling, he could only say: "It's all up to the lord's arrangement." ”

Seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Liu Qi took the opportunity to recommend someone to his father, and he said: "Father, the child wants to find another helper to go to Xinye with the child." ”

Liu Biao nodded and said, "Tell me, who is it?" ”

"Ganning." Liu Qi replied.

Liu Biao stroked his beard and didn't speak, he knew Gan Ning, a few years ago, Gan Ning raised troops to resist Liu Zhang and fled to Jingzhou after being defeated, but Liu Biao did not reuse him, Gan Ning went to Jiangxia to be Huang Zu's subordinate.

"This Gan Ning was originally a Jinfan thief, I'm afraid it's not suitable!" Cai Mao said.

Kuai Yue just smiled and didn't speak.

Ma Hong smiled and said: "Now the main turmoil in Xinye is caused by Zhang Xiu's defection to Cao Cao, Zhang Xiu must want to get some more food and materials on our territory after defecting to Cao Cao, but he does not dare to blatantly send troops, he can only incite bandits to rebel and let his soldiers pretend to be bandits to rob things." ”

"We all know this, but what does this have to do with Ganning." Cai Mao said.

"Since General Cai knows that all this is due to the bandits, it is even more necessary to let Gan Ning go with him. Because Gan Ning is a thief, and the thief knows the thief best, it is easier for the thief to communicate with the thief, which makes it easier to settle those thieves. Ma Hong said.

"There is a more important reason, if those troublemakers see that the former Jinfan thieves have become generals of the imperial court, and they are also highly valued. At that time, with a little lure, the bandits would be more likely to be recruited, am I right? Kuai Yue pulled out another beard and smiled at Ma Hong.

Ma Hong bent down and bowed to Kuai Yue and said, "What Mr. said is exactly. ”

Liu Biao smiled and said, "Yes." ”

Cai Mao looked at Ma Hong, he hadn't paid much attention to this young man before, and this time he had obviously become Liu Qi's main strategist, and Kuai Yue was slowly moving closer to Liu Qi.

Liu Biao is a cheerful person, if he puts it now, he must be a cheerful boss, and after the business is finished, he will disperse. After the meeting, Ma Hong went to Xi's house in Xiangyang. In two years, cousin Xi Zhen has become the commander of Xiangyang County, and has become Liu Qi's henchman, and cousin Xi Zhen is still white, this time Ma Hong wants to go to Xinye, he also wants to follow Ma Hong to Xinye, and let Ma Hong persuade his father to agree.

Xi Wei walked around the room, sighing as he walked, and Ma Hong sat calmly in his seat drinking hot tea.

"Cousin, did you say that my father would promise me to go to Xinye with you?" Xi Wei asked Ma Hong again.

"This is the seventh time you have asked me, in my opinion, the wine in Xiangyang is delicious, and there are many beauties in Xiangyang." Ma Hong took a sip of tea and slept again.

Xi Wei touched his nose and said, "Cousin, don't you want me to follow you to Xinye?" ”

Ma Hong glanced at Xi Wei and continued to drink his own tea, and said while drinking tea: "You idle wine, lustful and gambler, even my personal maid is worried about it, what use can I take with it?" ”

Xi Wei smiled and said, "Only by accompanying my cousin can I bring out my cousin's seriousness!" ”

Ma Hong glanced at Xi Bai and said, "What's the matter, am I not serious?" ”

Xi Wei touched his nose and said, "Yes, yes, you are a serious person, but my serious cousin has a lot of peeking at the second sister taking a bath!" ”

Ma Hong said: "You were also peeking at the time. ”

Xi Wei was speechless for a while, his cousin was shameless, he was still young at the time, and he was tricked by Ma Hong to go to see the second sister take a bath, and now he is ashamed to think about it.

Ma Hong saw that he choked Xi Wei with a word, so he laughed and walked outside the house, and said as he went: "I'm going to go to Kuai's house for a banquet tonight, so I'll go first." ”

When the words fell, Ma Hong had already walked outside the house, leaving only the gloomy and sad Xi Wei, who was silent for a long time before he came to his senses and said to Lian'er, who was standing on the side with a slightly red face: "My cousin has warned me many times not to beat your mind, has he already cooked you?" ”

Lian'er looked at Xi Yu, who looked like a hooligan, and lowered her head shyly, and said slowly: "The son said that he laughed, but the maid didn't dare." ”

When night fell, Ma Hong walked into Kuaifu alone. When Ma Hong informed the doorman, the doorman walked into the house. The foundation of the Kuai family is in Jiangling, and Kuai Yue has been an official in Xiangyang for a long time, so he naturally lives in Xiangyang. Ma Hong heard that Kuai Yue is a very particular person, a very particular person, and the house he lives in should also be very exquisite, Ma Hong thought so before stepping into this house. Ma Hong walked into this house, this house immediately gave Ma Hong a delicate feeling, the flowers and plants planted in the corner of the yard are not precious, just ordinary flowers and plants, but these ordinary flowers and plants are combined to give people a warm and delicate feeling, just like a gentleman's style, gentle and elegant. There are no stone slabs in the yard, the land in the yard has just been sprinkled with some water, the ground is in a semi-dry and half-wet state, and the air is still wafting with the fragrance of earth.