Who was Yan Liang? He was a famous general in Hebei who could not even defeat Guan Yu. Compared with Yan Liang, Liu Biao was just a scholar who had no power to restrain a chicken.
Yan Liang wanted to make an alliance with Liu Biao alone. If murderous intent suddenly occurred during the alliance, he would crush Liu Biao to death as easily as crushing a chicken.
Yi Ji had a doubtful look on his face, guessing what Yan Liang's intentions were.
Of course Yan Liang did not want to kill Liu Biao, and he also knew that Liu Biao was not that stupid and would wash his neck and come to die on his own initiative.
Seeing the embarrassment on Yi Ji's face, Yan Liang snorted coldly, "Why, could it be that Liu Shijun doesn't have the sincerity to form an alliance, or that he doesn't have the guts to come see me in person?"
"Well..."
Yi Ji was speechless for a moment. Although he was an outstanding eloquent person, he didn't know how to answer Yan Liang's question.
"After all, Shijun Liu is a man of letters, so I can understand his timidity. Well, our two families will only bring 500 troops each. When we meet, the two armies will retreat about a hundred steps, and Shijun Liu and I will be ten steps apart.
During the meeting, he can bring a few followers with him, and Yan comes forward alone, so Liu Shijun should not be afraid."
Yan Liang's words were full of arrogance and contempt for Liu Biao.
Speaking of which, if Liu Biao still doesn't dare to come, then he is openly tacitly afraid of Yan Liang, and the entire Jingzhou people will be disappointed with his cowardice.
This is exactly Yan Liang's purpose.
Yiji hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The alliance is of great importance. Yi is just a messenger, so how dare you make an independent decision? I have to go back to Xiangyang to ask your lord for instructions before I can get an answer to the general's proposal."
Yan Liang waved his hand and said: "Sir, please excuse me. If Liu Shijun does not dare to come to meet with the alliance, then I will lead my troops to Xiangyang to meet with him."
In the last sentence, Yan Liang emphasized his tone, and there was a hint of murderous intent hidden in it.
Yiji's body trembled slightly, and Yan Liang's threatening words made him feel deeply afraid.
At that moment, Yi Ji did not dare to stay for a long time, so he laughed with her for a few words, then said goodbye and hurried back to Xiangyang.
Yan Liang personally sent him out of the camp. When he returned to the tent, Xu You was already sitting there leisurely tasting the wine that Yi Ji brought with him as a reward for the army.
"Sure enough, the wine from my hometown is still mellow..." Xu You clicked his tongue in admiration.
"If you bear with me for a while longer, I will one day let you go to Xiangyang to taste Liu Jingsheng's fine wines," Yan Liang said boldly.
Xu You was inspired when he heard this, and said curiously: "Of course I firmly believe in the general's ambition. However, Mr. Shicai insisted on Liu Biao riding alone to join the alliance. I am a little confused about what purpose he had.
.”
There were many unexpected things that happened to Yan Liang, and it wasn't just the first time that made him confused.
He drank the unfinished wine and said calmly: "If I want to establish a reputation in Jingzhou, how can I make a difference between me and Liu Biao if I don't show off and let Jingzhou civil and military officials see my style?"
What’s the comparison?”
Only then did Xu You suddenly realize.
If Liu Biao did not dare to come to join the alliance, his subordinates, as well as the people of Jingzhou, would think Liu Biao was cowardly and afraid of Yan Liang.
In this case, their prestige in Jingzhou will wax and wane.
It would be the same if Liu Biao came reluctantly.
Yan Liang was superb in martial arts and was not afraid of meeting alone. Liu Biao was afraid of Yan Liang's force, so he would naturally bring his own soldiers and generals to protect him. In the eyes of the world, Liu Biao still looked like he was afraid of Yan Liang.
Regardless of whether Liu Biao dares to form an alliance or not, Yan Liang will be the only one who benefits from it.
"The general's strategy is really clever. This really makes things difficult for our Liuzhou Mu." Xu You, who figured it out, couldn't help but praise Yan Liang.
Yan Liang smiled and said nothing.
######
Three days later, Yiji brought back Liu Biao's reply: He was willing to come to join the alliance.
Liu Biao had no choice. The fall of Xinye and being forced to form an alliance with Yan Liang was already humiliating. If he did not dare to accept Yan Liang's invitation to meet now, his reputation would be even more ruined.
One day later, Yan Liang led 500 cavalrymen southward along the Huoshui River and arrived at the agreed meeting place.
Yan Liang was not too trusting. When he set out, scouts and agents were already spread over a hundred miles around, keeping an eye on the movements of the Jingzhou army to prevent Liu Biao from cheating and killing him unexpectedly during the alliance meeting.
The scouts sent back the latest information from time to time. Liu Biao had left Fancheng and was on his way to the alliance. There was no movement from the Jingzhou army.
When the sun was high in the sky, a group of people appeared due south. The scouts reported that it was Liu Biao's group.
When the two sides were about a hundred paces apart, the 500-man brigade stopped advancing.
Several envoys passed oral inquiries back and forth and confirmed the identities of both parties.
After a while, Yan Liang held his sword in his hand and drove his horse slowly out of the army.
On the opposite side, Liu Biao, protected by five knights, slowly walked towards Yan Liang.
The two parties were ten steps away from each other and reined in their mounts in a tacit understanding.
Among the people surrounding him, the old man with white beard and hair must be Liu Biao.
Yan Liang's razor-like gaze swept over Liu Biao's body. On the surface, Liu Biao was calm, but the hidden fear could not escape Yan Liang's eyes.
The guards around Liu Biao were all nervous and stared nervously at Yan Liang, as if they were afraid that Yan Liang would suddenly change and rush forward to kill them.
"The lord of a state is so afraid of a lone general like me. No wonder in history, when I heard that Cao Cao's army was marching south, I was frightened to death. The so-called eight heroes are indeed in vain..."
Yan Liang was disdainful, but he cupped his hands and said, "I have long admired Mr. Liu's name. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yan Liang's voice was as loud as a bell, and even his casual polite words seemed to contain hidden intimidation.
Liu Biao, who was opposite him, trembled slightly, forced out a smile, and said with a smile, "I have heard for a long time that General Yan is a general from Hebei Province. When I saw him today, he is indeed an extraordinary warrior."
Yan Liang laughed and suddenly turned his horse and walked up a few steps.
It didn't matter that he moved like this, the expressions of everyone on the opposite side, including Liu Biao, suddenly changed.
Liu Biao thought that Yan Liang had evil intentions, so he subconsciously tightened the reins and planned to turn the horse and run away.
Cai Hao, who was accompanying him next to him, was also startled and quickly held down his sword.
Only Yi Ji, who came a little later, looked calm and unafraid.
Yan Liang sneered and said lightly: "Don't be afraid, Mr. Liu, I just want to get closer so that I can talk to Mr. Liu more easily."
While talking, Yan Liang had already reined in his mount.
Liu Biao's tense nerves were relieved a little. When he saw that Yan Liang was only wearing a sword and not even any armor, he breathed a sigh of relief, but a layer of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.
But Cai Mao still held the sword tightly and did not dare to slack off.
The panic of everyone in Jingzhou formed a sharp contrast with Yan Liang's calm demeanor as he strolled leisurely.
"General Yan dares to come here alone. He is indeed very courageous. My lord, he is protected by everyone, but he is still so nervous. However, he loses to General Yan in terms of courage."
When Yi Ji sighed secretly in his heart, when he looked at Yan Liang again, he couldn't help but add a little more respect.
