Xiaoqi

Liu Biao knew what Liu Qi wanted to say, but he didn't stop him. He nodded and said, "There are no outsiders in the hall at the moment, so it's okay to speak up." At this time, his eyes towards Liu Qi became softer, and there was a look of approval on his face. That remark was satisfying.

This scene fell in the eyes of everyone in the hall, but they had different expressions.The Kuai brothers nodded appreciatively to Liu Qi, as did the two generals Liu Pan and Huang Zu, and then the four of them turned their attention to Cai Mao and Zhang Yun in unison. Nod lightly.Seeing Cai Mao and Zhang Yun remain calm, the Kuai brothers looked at each other with seriousness in their eyes, but they looked at each other and shook their heads. It was obvious that they had no intention of interfering in Liu Biao's family affairs and wanted to stay out of it.

Seeing Liu Biao's encouraging eyes, Liu Qi became more confident, and said loudly: "Even my son suspects that Cao Cao is not sincere at all, and what is said in the letter is just a joke, to test whether my father has the heart to fight for hegemony, and whether he has the ambition to be an emperor. In addition, Hai'er remembered his father once said that Cao Cao is a traitor in troubled times. He has been repeatedly injured but saved himself from danger many times. His strength should not be underestimated.

It can be inferred from this that it is false that Cao Cao supported his father's succession this time, and I am afraid that it is true that he himself is eager to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.This is my child's conjecture and foolish opinion, I don't know if it is true? In the end, Liu Qi was deliberately modest, but the smile on his face revealed his inner pride. Obviously, the son tried his best to express himself in front of his father, just to get his father's affirmation. encouragement.

It's a pity that Liu Biao's expression didn't change after hearing the words, he was still indifferent, noncommittal, and turned his eyes away, no longer paying attention to Liu Qi.Immediately, Liu Qi was greatly disappointed, his confident smile disappeared, and he lowered his head in despair, as if he had done something shameful, not daring to turn his head to look around, for fear that everyone in the hall would laugh at him.This is the first time in his adult life that he has not shy away from expressing his opinions.In all previous discussions before this, he was a silent spectator. The only thing he could do was to follow the crowd and firmly support his father Liu Biao's decision.

"What does Zi Rou think?" Liu Biao asked Kuai Liang.

"What you said just now, son is right." Kuai Liang affirmed Liu Qi's deduction, which shocked the depressed Liu Qi, and gave him a grateful look.Kuai Liang nodded in understanding, and continued, "As the young master said, Cao Cao of Jizhou is a traitor in troubled times, and his desire to dominate has already been revealed."

Before Kuai Liang could finish speaking, Cai Mao interjected impatiently: "Cao Cao is not the only one who wants to be emperor today. I'm afraid Li Li in Xiliang has long wanted to become emperor!"

Chapter 197 The Emperor's Heart (continued)

After Liu Qi finished speaking, Liu Biao looked at him noncommittally, and asked Kuai Liang, "What does Zi Rou think?"

"What the eldest son said is very true." Kuai Liang first affirmed Liu Qi's deduction, which shocked the depressed Liu Qi, and then cast him a grateful look.Kuai Liang nodded in understanding, and then said: "As the young master said, Cao Cao of Jizhou is a traitor in troubled times, and his desire to dominate has already been revealed. The reason why he pretended to support the orthodox succession of the lord this time is nothing more than to express an attitude to the lord. That is, he has no intention of becoming an enemy of our Jingzhou, and does not want to turn against the lord. But no matter what the result is, it cannot stop his ambition to become the emperor. I think there will be a new emperor in the world soon, and it should be Cao Cao Cao Mengde of Jizhou."

Before Kuai Liang finished speaking, Cai Hao shouted impatiently: "There are only three vassals in the world today, Cao Cao is not the only one who wants to be emperor, and Li Li in Xiliang may have long wanted to become emperor. In this case, my lord He is a nobleman of the royal family, with the blood of the great ancestor, and he is of the orthodox lineage. At this time when there is no master in the world, the lord should be benevolent, inherit the ancestral business, inherit the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, and rule the world!"

Cai Mao's words expressed the aspirations of everyone in the hall.Before that, they had tried to persuade them many times, but Liu Biao ignored them, did not express his position positively, and did not leak a word.So the matter of support has been brought up again and again, delayed again and again, until now it is still unresolved.

"The ministers respectfully invite the lord to inherit the throne and rule the world!"

Cai Mao watched Liu Biao's expression carefully while talking, but he saw that there was no trace of displeasure on Liu Biao's face.Seeing this, Cai Mao immediately understood.He got up and walked to the center of the hall, bowed down and kowtowed.Cai Mao got up on the front foot, and Zhang Yun immediately followed.The Kuai brothers, Huang Zu, Liu Pan and others were not mediocre, and followed closely behind with advice and advice.

A moment of transformation.Liu Qi, who was immersed in worrying about gains and losses, was stunned and looked straight at everyone who persuaded Liu Biao to succeed to the throne with one voice, but he, Liu Qi, sat in his original position in a daze, motionless.At this moment, Liu Qi was in a trance, still trying to figure out what Kuai Liang, Cai Mao and the others wanted to do. They were still discussing the letter a moment ago, why they all agreed to proclaim themselves emperor at this moment.This must have become too fast, what is the situation?

Liu Qi, who was stunned, didn't notice it at all.While he was staring at Kuai Liang and the other six people in a daze, Liu Biao, who was sitting in the high-ranking chair, was looking at him scrutinizingly.But seeing Liu Biao's eyes like a deep pool filled with a strong cold air, Liu Qi didn't notice it, and was still looking straight at Cai Mao and the other six, completely unaware that he had become a loner at this moment. He was sitting alone in the hall; like a lone wild goose, too abrupt and conspicuous!

It is a pity that Liu Qi has no awareness of breaking away from the group at all.Little did they know that it was a moment of dullness that made the little praise that had just surfaced in his father Liu Biao's heart disappear in an instant.He thinks what he just said is purely a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse, purely clever, and his essence is still a prodigal son, a rotten wood that cannot be carved.Suddenly.Liu Biao was really disappointed in him and completely gave up the idea of ​​making him his son.Perhaps not long after, the son of the world will become the prince.It's a pity that these things have no chance with Liu Qi.

"Everyone, get up, this matter should not be rushed. It needs to be discussed in the long term." Looking away from Liu Qi, Liu Biao was talking in a pleasant manner.He raised his hand to signal them to sit down.

However, Cai Mao and the other six people looked at each other and knelt down in the hall tacitly. Their attitude was very clear. If Liu Biao did not agree, they would not be able to kneel for a long time.In order not to anger Liu Biao, Kuai Yue respectfully said: "What the general said is exactly what the ministers wanted to say but did not dare to say. Now that it has been made clear, the humble minister has the courage to speak out. Now that the situation is clear, the three princes Stand side by side in the world. Cao Cao in Yanzhou occupied Hebei after defeating Li Li in Xiliang. After two years of development and consolidation, his power has become established. Therefore, Cao Cao tried to get his hands on the Han Dynasty and become emperor.

Compared with Cao Cao in Hebei, Li Li in Xiliang is stronger. Whether it is governing Xiazhou and counties or soldiers, horses, money and food, they are all above Jingzhou and Cao Cao in Hebei.In addition, Li Li is the leader of the princes and alliances, the general of the world's soldiers and horses, and once coerced the emperor to order the princes, so he is not in a hurry to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. With his current power and strength, he is enough to command the world and dominate the world.

Since Emperor Han was murdered in the second year of Jian'an, there was no master in the world. The states and counties of the Han Dynasty fell apart, and the heroes fought against each other.If there is no lord who sits in Jingzhou and guards the last piece of territory for the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty may no longer exist.At present, after Liu Zhang of Yizhou surrendered to Li Li, the Lord is the only prince in the clan of the Han Dynasty who holds a powerful army. When the collapse of the Han Dynasty is imminent, only the Lord has the strength to turn the tide.Therefore, the lord will be the only orthodox emperor in the world after ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, I implore the lord to think twice! After saying that, Kuai Yue bowed his head and bowed again.

What Kuai Yue said caused Liu Biao's expression to change drastically, his brows twitched violently, a flush appeared between his brows, and his deep eyes flickered.Obviously, Liu Biao was tempted.

Only by striking while the iron is hot can we make persistent efforts to forge hundred-forged steel.Seeing that Liu Biao was quite moved, Kuai Liang followed up on what his elder brother said, and said loudly: "Last year, Jiangdong changed dramatically. Sun Jian's two most accomplished sons were assassinated and killed one after another. As a result, the five-year-old Huangkou Ruzi led Jiangdong And Sun Ce's son was able to rise to the throne, all thanks to the lord's support. In addition to the last year's extensive purges, the Jiangdong forces have completely surrendered to the lord. Since then, the lord has been in charge of Jingzhou and Jiangdong, dominating both sides of the Yangtze River, occupying half of the country, Originally there were 60 people, plus the newly recruited [-] troops, now the lord has a million troops under his command.

The lord possesses strong strength, enough to traverse the universe without fearing any princes.Looking at the whole world, only Li Li's forces in Xiliang are stronger than our Jingzhou army. Although Cao Cao in Hebei has hundreds of thousands of troops, he is not as good as the Jingzhou army.Therefore, it is God's will that the lord inherits the throne. I implore the lord without hesitation, follow God's will, follow the people's will, and rule the world! "

After these impassioned speeches, Liu Biao's old cheeks showed a blush, and his nose fluttered, showing that his heart was already rushing, and his chicken was moving! (Excited

Seeing the Kuai brothers taking turns to persuade them to advance, how can Cai Mao be willing to stay behind, and he can't just sit back and watch their brothers focus on being superior.

So Cai Hao decided to add fuel to the flames, and immediately followed Kuai Yue's words, and said loudly: "As the two fellows said, the lord is a big banner of Zhongxing Dahan. As long as the lord steps forward, inherits the orthodoxy and rules the world, Then you can recruit civil and military talents who are scattered in the states of the world and have a heart for the Han Dynasty, and then go to the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, wipe out the traitors, and clarify the world. Therefore, the lord's succession to the emperor is what the hearts of the people want and what everyone expects.

On the other hand, once Cao Cao in Hebei and Li Li in Xiliang ascend the throne one after another, even if the lord has no desire to fight for world hegemony, he will not be able to stand alone, and Jingzhou will fall into the hands of others sooner or later.At that time, the Han Dynasty that inherited the Eastern and Western Hans for more than [-] years will be completely destroyed, the Han Dynasty will no longer exist, and all the descendants of the royal family will be reduced to remnants of thieves. The fire was so intense that Liu Biao stood up with a "chuss", and was about to express his opinion, but for some reason he swallowed the words, and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

It wasn't until this time that Liu Qi, who was sitting blankly in the hall, saw the way clearly, and finally understood why his father Liu Biao had undergone such a big change in the past four years.

It turned out that Liu Biao realized that the Han Dynasty was in danger as early as after Liu Xie, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was poisoned. Sooner or later, the situation in the world would develop into what it is today. , sooner or later it will be destroyed and annexed by the great princes, and eventually the situation like today will be formed, with three parts of the world.

However, in order not to be annexed by other princes, Liu Biao had to give up his original intention, turned passive into active, took the initiative to expand his territory, joined the alliance against Yuan, and attempted to occupy Yuan Shu's territory in Huainan.Unexpectedly, man is not as good as heaven is. Although Yuan Shu has been cornered by the Yuan League, but the emaciated camel is bigger than the horse, and the [-] Jingzhou army can't eat him; Let go immediately if it is not cheap, and lead the army back to Jingzhou, which is tantamount to withdrawing from the Yuan Begging Alliance.

But in this way, he offended Xiliang Li Li inadvertently, and Li Li used this as an excuse to quickly send troops to occupy Nanyang County. Invisibly, Liu Biao stole chickens and lost money. Instead of expanding the territory, he finally took it back. The old Nanyang County changed hands and was lost again, allowing Li Li to pick up a big deal and easily seize the huge Nanyang County.

After losing Nanyang County, Liu Biao wanted to take it back and sent troops to fight for it, but he had many worries. He was worried about gains and losses. He was afraid that if he didn't take back Nanyang, he would recruit Li Li.In order to avoid accidents, Liu Biao gritted his teeth and gave up the idea of ​​taking back Nanyang. After learning from the pain, he easily stopped sending troops and planned to attack Jiangdong or Yizhou in order to adapt to all changes.

In fact, even Liu Qi knew that Yizhou was the prefecture that Liu Biao wanted most.If Yizhou can be captured, although it is still a land of two states, its territory is no less than that of the Central Plains, and it can advance by land and water, advance, attack, retreat, and defend. As long as it is steady and steady, it is very possible to regain the Central Plains in the future and reproduce The scene of Guangwu Zhongxing recreates a great Han Dynasty.It's a pity that Li Li took the first step to capture Hanzhong, and gathered heavy troops in Hanzhong, forcing Liu Biao to send troops to Yizhou several times, but he was worried that the Xiliang army would be on his side, and worried that the Jingzhou army would let the Xiliang army sneak in when the Jingzhou army was fighting with the Yizhou army. Take advantage of the loopholes and reap the benefits of the fisherman.

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Chapter 198

What Liu Biao never expected was that Li Li was extremely cunning, and just after suffering a big loss in Jizhou, he changed hands and wiped out Lu Bu in Xuzhou.

Xuzhou's Lu Bu was destroyed, so Liu Biao naturally had to be very energetic and always be on guard against Li Li's army going south to attack Jingzhou. For this reason, he missed another opportunity to rush to attack Yizhou with the Xiliang army.When the situation in the Central Plains calmed down and Liu Biao was about to mobilize troops to attack Yizhou, Li Li took the first step to quickly attack Chengdu and made Liu Biao busy again.

Fortunately, opportunities always favor those who are prepared.After learning that the Xiliang army was fighting in Yizhou, Liu Biao decisively decided to abandon Yizhou, avoid confronting the Xiliang army head-on, and instead set his target on Jiangdong.

In the end, hard work pays off.Jiangdong Sun Ce's methods were too fierce, and he made countless enemies. In the end, he was killed by the young man, leaving Liu Biao an opportunity to take advantage of.When the situation in Jiangdong was chaotic, Liu Biao dispatched a large number of spies and assassins to fish in troubled waters, which completely disrupted the situation in Jiangdong. He made profits from the chaos, secretly contacted Jiangdong's important officials, and mobilized the army to attack Jiangdong with all his strength. In the end, he forced the Sun family in Jiangdong He bowed his head, formed an alliance with Liu Biao, and became a vassal of Jingzhou.

Last year, Jiangdong's stubborn forces were unwilling to fail and tried to avenge the late Sun Ce and Sun Yi brothers, so they brazenly launched a frenzied revenge, assassinated Jingzhou officials and attacked the state capital several times.During repeated assassinations, Liu Biao injured his left arm. Because of being hit by a poisoned arrow, the arrow wound could not heal for a long time. My left arm hurts when I move it.Can't lift it up at all.

For this reason, Liu Biao was completely enraged, so he sent the dead men of the family who had been supporting him for many years to sneak into Jiangdong.Sun Ce's remaining two younger brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Lang, were killed together, and generals including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, who assisted the three generations of the Sun family in Jiangdong, were also assassinated one after another.Injured one after another, Huang Gai, who was strong and strong, almost died in the hands of the assassin.This unprecedented large-scale assassination operation lasted for nine months. Both Jingzhou and Jiangdong suffered casualties.Until two months ago, the male members of Jiangdong Sun's direct line were almost wiped out. In desperation, Jiangdong Young Master sent envoys to discuss peace and bowed his head to Liu Biao again.Finally, no more resistance, so far the two sides reached a settlement.

A month ago, Liu Biao dispatched General Cai Zhonglang and the Second General Cai Zhonglang to lead a navy of [-] troops to Jiangdong, and built a shipyard in Wu Jundu as the permanent port of the Jingzhou navy.In exchange, the waterways along the river, which have been closed for many years, are fully open, allowing business travelers from the two places to trade.To this.Both Liu Biao and Jiangdong Young Master had no objection.

Before that, although Liu Qi knew about these things, he knew them but didn't know why, and didn't understand the details at all.He has always been unable to understand that the Jingzhou army can capture Jiangdong.But why did he force Jiangdong to surrender by forcing a surrender instead of directly sending troops to attack.Until now, he found the answer from the words of the Kuai brothers and Cai Mao.The reason why his father Liu Biao took pains to force Jiangdong to attach himself was because the Jingzhou Army needed to preserve its strength.It is not possible to use all the troops in the fight with the Jiangdong Army.Otherwise, once Xiliang Li Li suddenly sent troops to attack.The Jingzhou army will face the dilemma of being attacked from the front and back, and it will definitely leave an opportunity for the Xiliang army to take advantage of.

The brave Xiliang Army is famous all over the world. If the Xiliang Army seizes the opportunity or finds a loophole, the consequences will be disastrous.If the Xiliang army captures Fancheng, then Liu Biao's plan to seize Jiangdong is bound to suffer heavy losses. At least it will be a waste of time, and at worst it will be a chicken and an egg. Even Jingzhou, his old nest, may be taken away by the Xiliang army.So Liu Biao didn't want to and didn't dare to send troops to Jiangdong with all his strength. He could only use extraordinary means to outsmart Jiangdong and achieve the purpose of taking it for his own use. Tiger wound.

Fortunately, after Jiangdong Sun Ce died, the once powerful Jiangdong army was no longer as strong as before.This makes it easy for Liu Biao to control the situation. Sitting in Jiangbei, he can remotely control Jiangdong, and drive Jiangdong's army as he pleases for his own use.

In view of this, although what the Kuai brothers, Cai Mao and others said may be exaggerated, they are generally in line with the status quo and are not groundless nonsense.

"As you all said, Liu Biao is the only clan member of the Han family who is qualified and powerful to inherit the imperial line." After walking around for a while, Liu Biao finally spoke.

"However, have you ever thought about where Li Li in Xiliang will be placed once I, Jingzhou, become an independent country and claim to be orthodox in the Han Dynasty? I think you will never forget that although Li Li is an ambitious man, But if he has not presumptuously proclaimed himself emperor for a day, then he is the general in charge of the world's military and political affairs appointed by the emperor. No one can change this. It should be noted that no matter whether it is Yuan Shu's conspiracy to proclaim himself emperor or Yuan Shao's conspiracy to usurp the throne, they dare not provoke Li Li As for the edicts issued by them, no one pays any attention to them, and the edicts issued by the rebels are all fake edicts and are worthless." Having said this, Liu Biao walked to the wide and soft prefectural throne and sat down slowly, held up the table and put it on the table Taking a sip of tea from the teacup, he stopped talking.He left half of the words on his lips, presumably he did it on purpose, and left the remaining half for everyone in the hall to think about.

This is a problem that has plagued Liu Biao for a long time, and it is also the main reason why he has been hesitant, and it is also the deepest concern that makes him daunted by the throne.

Before solving this intractable disease, Liu Biao would rather maintain the status quo than rashly ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.Because he was worried that one moment he would rule the world, and the next moment he would face Li Li's army of millions. Instead of doing this, what was the use of inheriting the orthodox throne? It would be easier to maintain the status quo.At least as far as the current situation is concerned, Li Li has no excuse to send troops to attack Jingzhou. Who makes Li Li still hold the title of General of the World's Soldiers and Horses? How can he attack the clan of the Han Dynasty for no reason?

Just like the just-concluded battle of Yizhou, Li Li secretly dispatched troops to Yizhou under the banner of helping Liu Zhang quell the civil strife, so as to conceal his facts and appease people's hearts.Until the dust of the battle of Yizhou settled, the news spread to the states in the Central Plains was: Liu Zhang thought that he was weak in morality and talents, that he could not govern the country with military power, and that he had no achievements in taking Yizhou for several years, and he had no kindness to give to the people. There was no performance to repay the emperor's grace, so he willingly abdicated to let the virtuous, and Li Liti led Yizhou as the shepherd of Yizhou.It is said that when Li Lili's army entered the city, Liu Zhang personally led Yizhou civil and military troops out of the city to meet him, but Li Li treated Liu Zhang generously with the gift of a prince.

Why did Li Li do this?The answer is four words: the name is justified.

No matter how the civil servants and military generals of other vassal forces understand it, they must know that Li Liyi is attacking Yizhou, and the so-called surrender of Liu Zhang is just fooling ordinary people.But even if the princes knew what to do, it was said by the common people that Liu Zhang took the initiative to abdicate, and it was not the general Li Li who forcibly snatched him.In this way, not only did Li Li's reputation not be damaged, but it added a bit of prestige, which further demonstrated Li Li's reputation for benevolence and righteousness, and then pushed Li Li's reputation to a height that other princes could not match, as if he was an existence that stood tall on a high mountain , Liu Biao and Cao Cao, the two princes envied and hated, sighed.

After a short silence, the Kuai brothers looked at each other speechlessly, and then turned their eyes to Cai Mao, signaling that he would persuade Liu Biao on behalf of everyone.Seeing the burning eyes on the left and right, Cai Mao's face rarely showed a look of distress, but he had to stiffen his neck and answer: "My lord's concern is nothing more than that after the lord succeeds to the throne, the general will use this as an excuse to send troops to attack I am in Jingzhou. The last general thinks that the lord should not worry. When the lord inherits the throne, Li Li will still be appointed as a general, and the official positions and titles of all the civil and military officers under his command will remain the same, and he will be rewarded with some money to appease him. In this way, presumably The general should not have any objections, and will not use weapons rashly.

In other words, even if the general is still dissatisfied and still insists on sending troops to attack Jingzhou, doesn't he have any worries?How could Cao Cao in Hebei sit idly by and miss the opportunity?You know, once my Jingzhou is destroyed by the Xiliang army, it will be in vain for him to control the sky. It is impossible to fight against Li Li's army of millions under Li Li's command alone, and sooner or later he will follow in our footsteps.In this section, how can someone as smart as Cao Cao not know the pros and cons?

At present, Li Li's family in Xiliang is the only one, and I, Jingzhou, and Cao Cao in Hebei are equally powerful, neither of which is able to fight against Li Li in Xiliang alone. Only the two can survive together in the world.It can be said that one is both prosperous and the other is damaged, and no one can do without the other. If the two are missing one, they will be destroyed by Li Li!Therefore, the lord does not need to worry, it is imperative to inherit the imperial lineage. "It has to be said that Cai Mao's insights are extremely incisive, and he has analyzed the relationship between Hebei and Jingzhou very thoroughly, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it hits the nail on the head.

It can be seen from this that it is by no means a fluke that Cai Mao can be ranked as the general of Jingzhou, and it is even more impossible for him to be an idiot who has not succeeded enough but failed.In history, if Cao Cao hadn't killed Cai Mao and Zhang Yun by mistake, would there have been half a century of melee among the Three Kingdoms?

"Forget it, now the arrow is on the string and has to be fired, so I don't care about so much." Cai Mao successfully persuaded Liu Biao with his words, and he finally let go.