Three Kingdoms: Take care of Lady Gan on behalf of Liu Bei at the beginning

Chapter 72 Liu Wu seizes Jingzhou, shocking the world.

In the hall, Ma Liang heard Liu Wu talking to him, so he could only force a smile and bowed to Liu Wu, saying:
"Kong Ming is a good friend, but it's a pity that he is not in Wancheng, otherwise, I would definitely have a good drink with him."

At this time, Ma Liang was also very confused. Liu Wu's identity really dealt a heavy blow to the Ma family.

However, when Ma Liang saw that the Cai family had made their choice, he felt that the Ma family had almost no way out.

"If Kong Ming were still alive someday, he would definitely let you have a good reunion."

Liu Wu did not say much to Ma Liang. His main efforts to win over the Jingxiang families were still focused on the Cai and Huang families.

The Cai family has already decided to side with him.

In fact, it is not difficult for the Huang family.

In this case, the Ma family had to make a choice.

Cai Mao finished the banquet in a state of uneasiness.

Then he met his daughter, and Cai Mao felt relieved to see that she was very satisfied with Liu Wu.

"Zihao, take me to see His Majesty, otherwise something bad may happen."

Cai Mao said to Liu Wu with gritted teeth.

"Father-in-law, have you thought it through?" Liu Wu said after hearing Cai Mao's words.

"I've figured it out. I just ask Zihao to take better care of the Cai family in the future." Cai Mao said to Liu Wu.

"Father-in-law, look at what you said. You are Wu's father-in-law. No matter how close the relatives are, they are not as close as this one. If I am not close to the Cai family, who can I be close to?"

Liu Wu's words strengthened Cai Mao's determination.

Liu Wu and Cai Mao went to the Wancheng Palace to meet Emperor Liu Xie in person.

……

After returning from Wancheng, Cai Mao, Huang She and Ma Liang went back home.

The situation in Wancheng was simply too serious and they had no choice but to be cautious.

After Cai Mao returned to the Cai Mansion, he immediately asked the housekeeper to call Mrs. Cai back.

Mrs. Cai arrived very quickly.

Cai's house, in the hall.

Mrs. Cai, who still had her charm, looked at Cai Mao, who was running around, and said with a smile:

"How was it, was the trip going well?"

Cai Mao did not have the relaxed smile on Mrs. Cai's face. Instead, he looked tired and anxious, and said:

"Something terrible has happened. If we are not careful, my Cai family will be wiped out."

Mrs. Cai was stunned. She didn't expect that Mr. Cai would say this to her first.

Seeing Cai Mao's expression, Mrs. Cai's delicate and charming face showed a trace of caution, frowned and asked:

"What happened? Didn't this trip go well?"

Cai Mao did not explain first but took out the imperial edict from his pocket and threw it to Mrs. Cai.

Mrs. Cai's face was full of confusion. When she opened the imperial edict, her beautiful eyes widened in an instant and she looked at it in disbelief.

What did she see?
Liu Biao was too old to serve as the governor of Jingzhou. He was appointed General Zhennan and was granted the title of Marquis of Dingtao County and went to Dingtao to retire.

Recommended by the Cai family, a prominent family in Jingzhou, General Liu Wu of the Cavalry concurrently served as the governor of Jingzhou.

"What...what does this mean?" Mrs. Cai couldn't believe what she saw.

Could the imperial court be so stupid that it actually stripped Liu Biao of his official position, gave him the title of a county marquis, and let him live out his retirement?
Is Liu Bei going to go to war with Liu Biao?
Mrs. Cai looked at the imperial edict and felt it was incredible.

Upon hearing this, Cai Mao gave a bitter smile and explained:
"The General of Cavalry is not Liu Bei, but my son-in-law Liu Wu. In fact, Wancheng does not belong to Liu Bei, but to Liu Wu. Liu Bei has been disabled for a long time. Starting from Xinye, it was Liu Wu who did this under Liu Bei's name..."

Cai Mao explained the affairs of Xinye and Wancheng to Mrs. Cai.

When Mrs. Cai heard that Liu Wu had replaced Liu Bei and was the real lord of Wancheng, her beautiful eyes widened.

Obviously, Mrs. Cai was also shocked.

"So, our Cai family has been plotted against by Liu Wu?" Mrs. Cai said in shock.

"Who said it wasn't true? It's not just our Cai family. The Ma family and the Huang family have all been schemed against by Liu Wu. If the governor knew that Liu Wu was the real master of Wancheng, I'm afraid our Cai family would be in trouble."

"So, I had no choice but to ask His Majesty for an imperial edict for the sake of the Cai family."

Mr. Cai explained to Mrs. Cai.

Mrs. Cai listened to what Cai Mao said, then looked at the imperial edict, her beautiful eyes filled with thought.

Soon, Mrs. Cai's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she looked at Cai Mao and said:

"You did nothing wrong. Liu Biao is old and no longer has any ambitions. Even if Jingzhou has nearly 200,000 to 300,000 infantry and naval forces, Liu Biao dare not attack other princes easily. He can only consolidate his own title."

"In comparison, Liu Wu is ambitious. In just a few years, he snatched two states and one county from Cao Cao. He is extremely talented and a young hero of the Han Dynasty. If the Cai family can work with Liu Wu, they may be able to expand their power beyond Jingzhou!"

Mrs. Cai's words resounded through, and Cai Mao immediately became energetic and said to Mrs. Cai excitedly:
"Do you support me too?"

"Haha, what else can I do if I don't support you? You are the head of the Cai family now." Mrs. Cai glanced at Cai Mao and said.

Cai Mao was very happy and excited to get the support of Mrs. Cai.

"However, we still need to unite with other noble families. Among them, we must win over Huang Zu. If Huang Zu sides with us, it will be easier to win over the Kuai family."

Mrs. Cai gave Cai Mao some advice.

Mrs. Cai was ambitious and had long been fed up with the old man Liu Biao.

Even when choosing between Liu Wu and Liu Biao, Mrs. Cai keenly realized that this was an opportunity for the Cai family.

Liu Wu is the son-in-law of the Cai family.

Besides, the Cai family is a prominent family in Jingzhou. If Liu Wu wants to control Jingzhou, he can’t get around the Cai family.

So, with these considerations, Mrs. Cai felt that this was also an opportunity for the Cai family.

"Okay, what should we do now!"

"You should go to the Zhennan General's Mansion first, report to Liu Biao, and then go to Jiangxia in person to meet Huang Zu."

"well."

Cai Mao went to the General Zhennan's Mansion without stopping to meet Liu Biao. Liu Biao only asked about the situation in Wancheng, and Cai Mao handled it easily.

Liu Biao was old and in worse health, so he quickly asked Cai Mao to leave.

After Cai Mao went back to explain everything, he headed south to Jiangxia.

……

Jiangxia County, Xiling City.

Huang She arrived earlier than Cai Mao.

When Huang Zu heard Huang She say that Liu Wu was the lord of Wancheng and Liu Bei was already abolished, Huang Zu was directly frightened and became very anxious. Although Huang Zu was a warrior, he also understood this simple interest relationship.

Just when Huang Zu was feeling annoyed, the waiter reported that Cai Mao wanted to see him.

Huang Zu reacted immediately and realized that Cai Mao's intention was to ask him to side with Liu Wu, which Huang She had already told him when he came back.

After some hesitation, Huang Zu finally met Cai Mao.

There is no way now.

The Huang family already has a relationship with Liu Wu like the Cai family.

And there are still a large number of aristocratic families in Jingzhou who can replace them.

They didn't dare to gamble with their families that Liu Biao would let bygones be bygones.

Xiling City, the main hall of the county governor's mansion.

"Brother Degui, you have brought great harm to my Huang family. I shouldn't have gotten involved with you and married Liu Wu in the first place." Huang Zu said to Cai Mao with some dissatisfaction.

"Haha, this matter cannot be blamed on my Cai family. Think about the millions of dollars worth of snow salt, rice paper, and white sugar. Huang Zu, would you still say this?" Cai Mao said to Huang Zu bluntly.

"This..." Huang Zu was speechless when he thought about the money.

When it came to the marriage alliance with Liu Wu, Huang Zu was the one who advocated it the most to Liu Biao.

Because Jiangxia County was important, Liu Biao agreed to let Huang Zu marry Wancheng even though he was reluctant.

"I'm not going to talk about this with Brother Degui today. Brother Degui, what do you think we should do now? Are you really not going to collude with Wancheng?"

Huang Zu changed the subject to Cai Mao.

"Humph, you're colluding with Wancheng? Huang Zu, if your daughter heard what you said, she would be heartbroken!"

"Do you know who Liu Wu is to you now? Liu Wu is your son-in-law, a member of your family. He is your son-in-law who owns two states and one county!" Cai Mao said bluntly, and then threw the imperial edict to Huang Zu:
"No, now it's not two states and one county. Liu Wu is now your son-in-law of three states and one county. You decide whether you want him or not."

Huang Zu was shocked when he heard Cai Mao's words. He hurriedly took the imperial edict and saw that Liu Biao was too old to be the governor of Jingzhou. He was appointed as the General Zhennan, and was granted the title of Marquis of Dingtao County. He was to go to Dingtao to retire, and General Huoqi Liu Wu would concurrently serve as the governor of Jingzhou.

Huang Zu's pupils suddenly contracted and his expression changed from gloomy to bright.

It has to be said that he was shocked by Cai Mao's words, "Liu Wu is now the son-in-law of your three states and one county. It's up to you whether you want him or not."

He, Huang Zu's son-in-law, owns three states and one county?

Is he Huang Zu’s relative?

It has to be said that he had subconsciously regarded Liu Wu as an enemy, but after being enlightened by Cai Mao, Huang Zu suddenly felt moved.

In fact, not only Huang Zu was moved, but Huang She beside him also had tears in his eyes.

His brother-in-law, the brother-in-law of three states and one county!
"Father, why don't we support my brother-in-law? Liu Biao is old. If we continue to work for him, he may not trust us. Even if Liu Biao still uses father to guard Jiangxia County, our Huang family will only be trapped in Jiangxia County. However, if we support my brother-in-law, we can even follow him to conquer the world. In the future, we may become a prominent family in the Han Dynasty."

Huang She couldn't help it and tried to persuade Huang Zu.

Huang Zu's heart beat violently, and he quickly glared at Huang She and said:
"What nonsense!"

Huang She became anxious when he saw that his father didn't seem to listen to him.

Huang Zu looked at Cai Mao, took a deep breath, and said, "Brother Degui, this matter is very serious. Has the Cai family made a decision?"

When Cai Mao heard what Huang Zu said, a big smile suddenly appeared on his face. He knew very well that Huang Zu had already made the decision.

Yes, at this moment, Huang Zu was also moved. Just as his son Huang She said, Liu Biao was old. If he continued to work for Liu Biao, Liu Biao might not trust the Huang family. And even if Liu Biao still used him to guard Jiangxia County, their Huang family would only be trapped in Jiangxia County until he died of old age.

However, if they support Liu Wu, the Huang family may become his loyal followers. In addition, he and Liu Wu are also father-in-law and son-in-law, so they can follow Liu Wu to conquer the world. In the future, they may become a prominent family in the Han Dynasty.

There seems to be nothing to say about how to choose.

Cai Mao stroked his beard and said with a smile:
"The Cai family and the Huang family have the same attitude, which means that most of the situation has been resolved. My Cai family can influence 60,000 soldiers and county troops. I wonder what about my brother Huang Zu?"

Huang Zu listened to Cai Mao's words, took a deep breath, and said: "My Huang family's power is mainly in Jiangxia County, and I can mobilize 60,000 naval forces and 10,000 infantry."

"In this way, we will have an army of more than 100,000, which is half of the military force in Jingzhou. This is enough. If we win over some noble families, we can force the governor to abdicate without bloodshed." Cai Mao said to Huang Zu excitedly.

Huang Zu was completely relieved when he heard what Cai Mao said. Since the two forces were enough to decide the situation, there was no risk.

Huang Zu bowed to Cai Mao and said:
"In this case, I, Huang Zu, will wait for Brother Degui's order here in Jiangxia. As soon as the order is given, I will immediately lead the navy ashore to support Brother Degui. She'er, you and your uncle Degui will meet with the major families and express our Huang family's attitude."

Cai Mao was overjoyed, and Huang She beside him was also quite excited.

"Goodbye!" Cai Mao resigned from Huang Zu and returned to Xiangyang with Huang She.

With Huang Zu's attitude, Cai Mao was completely relieved.

After returning to Xiangyang, he immediately invited the heads of the Kuai, Pang, and Ma families to discuss matters.

Cai family, in the meeting hall.

Cai Mao's main goal was to persuade the Kuai family.

The Ma family was also married to Liu Wu, which was almost a natural result, and there was no room for them to say anything.

As for the Pang family, with Pang Tong personally lobbying, it would not be a problem.

Therefore, the Kuai family was the bone that Cai Mao wanted to gnaw on.

In fact, Cai Mao didn't want to drag the Kuai family into the game anymore. After all, the overall situation had been decided.

However, Liu Wu's intention was to make all the Jingxiang families surrender, so as to preserve Jingzhou's strength to the greatest extent.

"This...Have both the Cai family and the Huang family decided?"

In the hall, the two brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue looked pale and had a tingling sensation on their scalps.

"Of course. After all, His Majesty has issued an imperial decree, and we cannot disobey it. The governor has worked diligently for decades, and I believe he is satisfied to be awarded the title of a county marquis. After all, when His Majesty was imprisoned in Xudu by Cao and in Luoyang by Dong, the governor did not express any opinion."

What Cai Mao said made Kuai Yue feel a little ironic.

At the beginning, Cai Mao repeatedly did not want Liu Biao to participate in the campaign to support the king for the sake of his family's interests.

However, looking at Madam Cai, Huang Zu's son Huang She, as well as the heads of the Ma and Pang families, remained silent.

Kuai Yue understood that Jingzhou was really going to change its owner.

Kuai Yue took a deep breath and said, "Brother Degui, this makes sense. The governor is old. Since the emperor has issued an imperial decree to invite the general of the cavalry to serve as the governor of Jingzhou, our Jingxiang family must obey the order and invite the general of the cavalry to take charge of Jingzhou!"

As Kuai Yue finished speaking, Cai Mao and Huang She in the hall both showed broad smiles on their faces.

The Jingxiang families quickly reached a consensus.

In compliance with the emperor's decree, Liu Biao abdicated and Liu Wu was invited to rule Jingzhou!
The tenth year of Jian'an, August, fifteenth day.

Led by Cai Mao, the eight major families of Jingxiang gathered outside the General Zhennan's Mansion.

Please ask Liu Biao to give up the position of Governor of Jingzhou and go to Dingtao, Yanzhou to take the position of County Marquis.

General Liu Wu of the Cavalry entered Jingzhou.

Liu Wu's identity was fully exposed.

The common people and noble families in Jingxiang were all in an uproar, and then the news spread throughout the world.

(End of this chapter)