"What do you think, sir, of this matter?" Yan Liang suppressed his smile.
Xu You said: "Cai Mao has been defeated, Jiangling is difficult to defend, and Liu Cong has nowhere to go. Naturally, he is desperate and wants to use the Lord's power to help him deal with his good brother."
Yan Liang nodded slightly to show his agreement.
He couldn't help but think of that period of history, when Yuan Shao died of illness, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang competed for the throne. When Yuan Tan lost to Yuan Shang, he had no choice but to surrender to Cao Cao, hoping to use Cao Cao's hand to get rid of his younger brother.
As a result, Cao Cao took advantage of Yuan Tan to successfully cross the Yellow River, and finally wiped out the two Yuans one after another.
Liu Cong's move is somewhat similar to Yuan Tan in history, but compared with Yuan Tan, Liu Cong is at the end of his rope.
"Then according to Sir's plan, I should accept it or not."
Yan Liang actually had a plan in mind, but he still wanted to listen to Xu You's opinion to support his judgment.
Xu You stroked his beard and said: "Although Liu Cong is at the end of his rope, he is the de jure lord of Jingzhou after all. If the lord can get his hands on him, then he can use this name to attack Liu Qi and take over Jingzhou.
The resistance encountered will inevitably be weakened somewhat."
Xu You's analysis is exactly what Yan Liangliang thinks.
Historically, the reason why Liu Bei quickly conquered most of Jingzhou after the Battle of Chibi was largely because of Liu Qi's name.
Although the idea of having a master's reputation seems to be relatively weak, if it can help him use his troops, Yan Liang will not disdain to use it.
Thinking of this, Yan Liangliang had an idea in mind.
At this time, Xu You said again: "It's just that Liu Cong's current intention is to unite with the lord, not to surrender. In this case, it seems that there will be more trouble."
Yan Liang snorted coldly, "What's the trouble? Liu Cong wants to borrow troops from me. He doesn't want to surrender, but he has a good idea. He quickly sends an order to Wen Chang, ordering him to send troops immediately. Go straight to Dangyang, and he must be surprised.
Let me capture Liu Cong alive."
Xu You couldn't help but trembled at Yan Liang's vigorous and resolute actions. Soon he understood Yan Liang's intention and immediately agreed to leave.
When Xu You left, Yan Liang called Gan Ning back.
Not long after, Gan Ning, who was inspecting the water village, arrived.
"My lord has urgently called for the future, but I don't know what to order." After entering the lobby, Gan Ning cupped his hands and said.
Yan Liangqi asked Gan Ning to sit down and said, "Xingba, I have just received intelligence that Jiangling has been captured."
"So fast!"
Gan Ning seemed a little surprised.
Yan Liang nodded, "Huang Zu's navy is indeed powerful. However, Cai Mao is too incompetent. In short, Jiangling has been destroyed. Huang Zu is very likely to lead his navy down the river to recapture Xiakou and establish his hegemony.
Next it’s time for you to show off your skills.”
Gan Ning's pride was quickly ignited with Yan Liang's words, and hunting murderous aura circulated in his heroic face.
"Don't worry, my lord, I am Gan Ning. Even if Huang Zu's entire army comes, I will protect Xiakou for your lord."
Gan Ning's confidence and pride gave Yan Liang some confidence.
At this time, Yan Liang couldn't help but find that Gan Ning's martial arts was not among the best in the world, but in Jingzhou, the place where the water battle took the lead, he was actually the number one general under Yan Liang's command.
And Yan Liang began to realize that it was not easy for him to gain a foothold on both sides of the Yangtze River with Gan Ning alone. He also needed more outstanding naval generals like Gan Ning under his command.
Returning from his thoughts, Yan Liang smiled boldly, "How can I not feel at ease with Xingba's words? Xingba, please tell me how you plan to deal with Huang Zu. All the soldiers and horses under my command are welcome."
Called by you."
Since he must rely on Gan Ning, Yan Liang must give him full support.
Gan Ning shook his head and said: "Although there are 20,000 soldiers and horses in Xiakou, most of them are dry troops. Fighting on the water, even if they are all brought to the battlefield, it will be of no use."
Yan Liang thought about it. He thought that when Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops went south, during the Battle of Chibi, he did not rely on the tens of thousands of returning naval troops from Jingzhou.
"What Xing Ba said is true, but I don't know how you plan to defend against the enemy, whether to fight or defend."
Gan Ning frowned and thought deeply for a long time, then uttered one word very simply:
"war!"
######
Gangneung City.
This new administrative seat in Jingzhou has now changed hands.
The big flag with the character "Liu" on top of the city was still flying, but the man sitting at the top in the lobby of the state capital had changed his face.
Liu Qi, who was wearing armor and stomach, was sitting there, looking down at the lobby. His usually gentle face was filled with a bit of pride at this time.
The position of Jingzhou Shepherd is finally in my hands.
After being suppressed for so many years and enduring for so many years, at this moment those long-simmering grievances were finally vented.
Liu Qi, who was in a high position, was really proud of himself at this time.
Liu Qi's proud eyes glanced at the disgraced officials below. Most of these people were old ministers who supported Liu Cong. Now that the situation had reversed and the country changed hands, they decisively chose to abandon Liu Cong and surrender to Jiangling City.
's owner.
Liu Qi hated these outsiders from the bottom of his heart, but he also knew very well that the foundation of his Liu family's dominance in Jingzhou lay in the powerful families in front of him.
At this moment, as the victor, he still had to restrain his desire for revenge and use his broad mind to forgive these surrendered losers.
Liu Qi's disdainful gaze rested on Kuai Yue.
A few days ago, desperate Liu Cong decided to flee north to Dangyang and asked Yan Liang for help. Except for Cai Mao, his subordinates had very few followers.
As the initiator of Liu Cong's support, Kuai Yue chose to stay and surrender, which surprised Liu Qi.
"Kuai Yidu, why don't you flee north with Liu Cong?" Liu Qi's tone did not hide his disdain.
Kuai Yue calmly said, "No matter what happened in the past, Yue was only loyal to the Liu family. Now that the second young master wants to betray his late father's legacy and join forces with Yan Liang's sworn enemy, Yue Yue would naturally rather stay and wait to be killed by the eldest young master."
I will never do anything disloyal and unjust such as betraying the Liu family."
What Kuai Yue said was extremely wise, even though he had been against him before. But people had a great sense of loyalty to the Liu family. If Liu Qi retaliated and punished Kuai Yue, it would seem that he was treating his loyal ministers poorly.
Liu Qi snorted coldly, inwardly mocking Kuai Yue for being cunning, but on his face he was helpless.
At that moment, Liu Qi had no choice but to comfort Kuai Yue and other surrendered ministers, and warned them not to have any more dissent and to support the new master. Only then did he withdraw from everyone.
After all the officials retreated, only Huang Zu and a few trusted ministers were left in the hall. At this time, Zhuge Liang, who had been listening in the ear room, came out with a feather fan.
"The eldest son's move not only showed his tolerance for people, but also appeased the people of the Jingxiang clan. He killed two birds with one stone and did a good job."
Zhuge Liang smiled and praised Liu Qi.
Liu Qi came down the stairs, cupped his hands and said, "Without Brother Kong Ming's plan, how could Qi be where he is today? Therefore, Qi wants to entrust Brother Kong Ming with the post of leaving the post to help Qi manage Jingzhou's government affairs. Please don't refuse, Brother Kong Ming."
Zhuge Liang had previously advised Liu Qi as a friend, but now Liu Qi wanted to conquer Zhuge Liang and formally asked him to serve as an official.
The former is a friend and the latter is a minister. Once the identity changes, the responsibilities will be very different.
"Liang is an idler in the mountains. He is used to being idle. Just make some small plans and let me handle the government affairs. Haha, I'm afraid I will miss the eldest son's business."
Zhuge Liang said with a smile and politely rejected Liu Qi's conquest.
Liu Qi had no choice but to give up temporarily and sighed a few times to express his regret.
However, Zhuge Liang turned a blind eye and only said: "If Liu Cong falls into the hands of Yan Liang, that man can use Liu Cong's name to disturb the people of Jingzhou. For this reason, the eldest son should quickly raise his troops and go north to capture Yan Liang before he can."
Then Liu Cong captured and killed him."
Liu Qi was convinced and immediately planned to give the order.
At this moment, a pro-soldier rushed in from outside and delivered urgent information from Xiakou:
Yan Liang suddenly moved to Jiangxia, and Xiakou City fell!
When everyone heard the shocking news, everyone was stunned. Even Zhuge Liang, who had always been calm, could not suppress the look of surprise on his face.
"I have dozens of beacon towers on the Han River, and there are still five thousand soldiers in Xiakou City. Even if Yan Liang's men attack by surprise, how can they attack Xiakou City so quickly?"
Huang Zu's face was full of surprise and he shouted and questioned.
The pro-army then truthfully told the story of how Xiakou fell.
At this time, everyone suddenly realized that even Zhuge Liang was so shocked that he murmured to himself: "I really didn't expect that Yan Liang could use this despicable method to defeat my Beacon Tower plan. This thief's scheming is indeed insidious...
"
At this time, Liu Qi, who had just been promoted to Prefectural Shepherd, also panicked and said hurriedly: "I don't want Xiakou to fall into the hands of Yan Liang. Brother Kong Ming, what should we do now?"
"There is no need to think about it. I will lead my army back to the division immediately, recapture Xiakou, and kill Yan Liang's husband on the way to vent his hatred."
Huang Zu was anxious about being taken away from his lair, so he shouted impatiently.
Zhuge Liang said calmly: "Since Yan Liang dares to raid Xiakou, he has obviously planned it for a long time. For the current plan, he must first pacify Jiangling, and then send detailed research to find out whether Xiakou is true or not, and then move eastward before it is too late.
."
Zhuge Liang said this, and Liu Qi also believed it and hurriedly said: "Kong Ming's words are reasonable. General Huang, please be patient for a moment and don't act rashly."
Although Huang Zu was eager to return to his army and recapture Xiakou, Liu Qi, the governor of the state, also spoke up, so he had to suppress his anxiety for the time being.
Just then, there was a report outside the door, saying that a servant of the Huang Mansion had come to seek refuge on Huang She's order.
Huang Zuzheng was worried about his son's life and death. When he heard that a servant was coming on Huang She's orders, he did not wait for Liu Qi to speak and took the initiative to bring him in.
Not long after, the servant stumbled in with a depressed look on his face. While crying, he complained about the fall of Xiakou and the capture of the young master, and at the same time, he presented Huang She's autographed letter.
It was a letter of persuasion to surrender, and every word was servile and showed no shame.
The son of the most dignified general in Jingzhou actually used such shameless words to persuade his father to surrender to people of humble origins like Yan Liang.
Shame, this is simply a great shame for Huang Zu.
When Huang Zu saw the blood stains on the letter, he immediately understood that this must be his son's forced submission under Yan Liang's coercion and torture.
"How can the thief Yan Liang be so humiliated? I, Huang Zu, will not be a human unless I take your head!"
Huang Zu, in a rage, shouted sternly: "Come here, send the order quickly. I will lead the entire army back to Jiangxia immediately."
Liu Qi was shocked and said hurriedly: "Old General Huang, you must not rush..."
"My lord, Yan Liang's dog and thief are so insulting to each other. It's hard for me to swallow this tone. My lord, please sit in Jiangling for a few days and I will sacrifice Yan Liang's dog head in the near future."
After that, Huang Zu didn't wait for Liu Qi's permission, turned around and strode away.
Seeing Huang Zu walking away in anger, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but feel a trace of disgust on his brows.
"Yan Liang, thief, you are really vicious. You actually came up with such a way to provoke the generals. Damn it..."