Scenes like the Cai Family's were happening in every corner of Jingzhou. The aristocratic families and nobles received invitations from Chen Shen's subordinates. Some of them frowned, wondering if this was Kuai Liang's handwriting. Kuai Liang was a famous bachelor in Jingzhou. Did he want to take a concubine?
There were two types of smiles. The first type was mockery. They were happy to see Kuai Liang make a fool of himself. The second type was to congratulate him. Kuai Liang had finally thought it through. He asked his servants to prepare gifts. After all, with Kuai Liang's status, the gifts couldn't be shabby.
"Zirou is going to marry a concubine?" In the inner city, Kuai Yue also received the invitation. His first thought was disbelief because Kuai Liang was his only younger brother. He knew his younger brother better than he did. What his younger brother could think of, Kuai Yue could also think of.
Kuai Yue wanted to be a good brother but he had a family. He could only be a good family head. It was precisely because he thought of his family first that he had a deep conflict with Kuai Liang. Kuai Liang wanted to help Liu Biao conquer the world so that their lord could become the overlord of the world.
However, Kuai Yue didn't think so. It was good to follow a dragon. People like Zhang Liang and Xiao He were recorded in the history books. However, most of them didn't have good endings. For example, Fan Zeng, Zhong Limei, and Ying Bu. None of them had good endings. If Liu Biao was an ambitious person, he might as well fight for it. However, Liu Biao was an indecisive person.
Not only that, how did their lord conquer Jingzhou? Kuai Yue knew that when Liu Biao entered Jingzhou, he was alone. The reason why he was able to conquer Jingzhou so quickly was because Liu Biao knew how to divide the nobles. He pulled in a group of nobles like the Kuai Clan and the Cai Clan. He also suppressed the Deng Clan and the Wang Clan. Liu Biao was using the nobles to deal with the nobles. Although this was good, it could pacify Jingzhou quickly. However, this was also a big drawback. The nobles were still the same, it was just that some nobles were demoted to nobles while some nobles were demoted to nobles.
Nobles were reduced to nobles. The biggest weakness of the nobles was that they were centered around themselves. Everything they did was for their own benefit. In order to obtain the limited resources in Jingzhou, they would naturally deal with each other. The Kuai Clan and the Cai Clan were one group while the Huang Clan was another. There was also the neutral Lumen Academy and the Pang Clan. Although Jingzhou was Liu Biao's Jingzhou in name, it was actually a nobles' Jingzhou. Liu Biao's Liu Family could only occupy a third of Jingzhou. How could such a Jingzhou conquer the world? Didn't you see the outcome of Yuan Shao? Jingzhou was just a smaller version of Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao had four provinces, but he still lost. From this, one could see the outcome of Jingzhou conquering the world.
Among the nobles who could win the world, such as Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and Sun Ce, all of them had great power in their own territories. Cao Cao held the Emperor's power to command his vassals. His power was not in the hands of nobles like the Fuwan Clan, but in the hands of generals like Cao Cao. As for Sun Ce, he relied on 3,000 troops to conquer Jiangdong. Therefore, the people of Jiangdong recognized the Little Overlord. Sun Ce also supported his relatives, such as the Wu Clan, the Sun Family, and the Zhou Family. Lü Bu had no scruples because Lü Bu only had two territories under his command. One was Lujiang. Lujiang's nobles had been completely wiped out by his son-in-law, the King Of Shu, Liu Mang. Yangzhou was originally desolate and uninhabited. Liu Mang was just a person who rebuilt it. Naturally, there were no nobles.
When a dynasty would be destroyed, that would be when the power of the landowning clans was greater than the imperial power. That would be the end of the dynasty.
Once the war started, it would be fine if they won. But if they lost, the Kuai Family would be the first to bear the brunt. After all, Kuai Liang was the one who proposed the war. When the time comes, it wouldn't just be Kuai Liang but the entire Kuai Family. Therefore, Kuai Yue couldn't afford to gamble.
This was the biggest reason why the two brothers were estranged. One was in favor of war while the other was in favor of peace. Even the Kuai Family and the Cai Family were contacting the next Lord. Kuai Liang moved out of the Kuai Manor and lived in the outer city.
Not long after Kuai Liang left, Kuai Liang's wife passed away. Kuai Liang was an old bachelor in Jing Province. Naturally, many nobles had their eyes on him.
Although Kuai Liang was old, many nobles wanted to marry their daughters or sisters to Kuai Liang. This way, they could get on the Kuai Family's boat. This was a chain of benefits. One could see how Liu Biao married Cai Mao's sister. The two were about thirty years apart. Madam Cai and Liu Biao were about the same age.
The other one with the surname Liu was even more shameless. He directly married his niece. Liu Bei was older than Sun Jian, but in the end, he married Sun Jian's younger daughter. These marriages were for the benefit of the nobles.
However, many nobles were disappointed. Kuai Liang didn't want anyone. He only wanted to live the rest of his life alone. Kuai Yue couldn't persuade him. After all, there was a gap between the two.
Now, it seemed that his younger brother was enlightened. He actually wanted to marry a concubine. However, he didn't know which family's daughter he was marrying. The invitation wasn't written on it. It only said that the Kuai Family was marrying a concubine.
"Did you find out which family's daughter it is?" Kuai Yue asked his housekeeper.
"Family Head! Not yet! The person who sent the letter is just a Ranger. He doesn't know anything! "The housekeeper replied.
"Okay!" Kuai Yue frowned. If he knew which family's daughter was from, Kuai Yue would be able to change his strategy. He would also be able to contact the nobles and help each other.
However, it was a little difficult now that he didn't know which family's daughter was from. "Forget it!" Kuai Liang's invitation was too perfunctory, and the matter was urgent. Normally, which family didn't have the matchmaker's words and parents' orders first before the matter was settled? Let's wait and see for now. Won't the outcome be clear by nightfall? It was the Kuai Family's fortune that Kuai Liang was marrying a concubine. After all, the Kuai Family didn't have many servants. It would be great if there was an additional person.
"Where's the Eldest Young Master?" Kuai Yue was preparing to attend his younger brother's wedding at night. He naturally had to bring his precious son along. After all, they were family. How could he not attend his uncle's wedding? Moreover, Kuai Ran was brought up by Kuai Liang. They had a good relationship. Right now, Kuai Ran was the bridge between Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue.
"The Eldest Young Master went to visit a friend and hasn't returned yet!" The housekeeper replied. How could the housekeeper not know that Kuai Ran went to the brothel? However, the housekeeper was covering for Kuai Ran. If Kuai Yue knew that his son went to the brothel, Kuai Ran would be in trouble when he returned.
"He hasn't returned yet?" Kuai Yue frowned and had the urge to fly into a rage. Although Kuai Yue was a good person and didn't offend anyone, he was very strict with his son. This was because he only had one son. In the future, the Kuai Family would belong to Kuai Ran. Naturally, Kuai Yue was very strict. He didn't want Kuai Ran to make progress. At the very least, he had to ensure that the Kuai Family didn't decline.
"Quickly send someone to call him back! Let him attend his uncle's wedding with me tonight! "Kuai Yue waved his hand and said to the housekeeper.
"Yes, yes!" The housekeeper had already sent someone to the brothel to look for Kuai Ran. However, Kuai Ran was nowhere to be found. The housekeeper even went to look for Manager Liu. Manager Liu said that Kuai Ran had left with Wang Shu from the Lumen Academy last night. When they left, there were six ladies with them! If it was just leaving, the housekeeper wouldn't be worried. However, there were six ladies! He was afraid that his Eldest Young Master would go to some group activity and lose his mind. Normally, it would be fine, but not today.
Just as the housekeeper was about to leave, Kuai Yue suddenly called out to him. "What's going on with the King Of Shu?" Kuai Yue didn't know why, but when he saw the familiar handwriting and invitation, he suddenly thought of someone.
"The King Of Shu?" The housekeeper was stunned for a moment before he reacted. This was the King Of Shu's son-in-law, Liu Mang, and Lü Bu's son-in-law. When the King Of Shu arrived in Jingzhou, the Family Head had ordered him to send someone to monitor the King's every move. However, the King Of Shu's residence had been too quiet for the past two days, so the housekeeper didn't report it immediately.
"The King Of Shu's residence is the same as a few days ago. He is eating, practicing his sword, fishing, and admiring the flowers!" The housekeeper told Kuai Yue everything that had happened in the King Of Shu's residence.
"So quiet?" Kuai Yue couldn't believe it. After all, Liu Biao had listened to Pang Tong's words. Not only did he not sell the provisions to Liu Bei, but he also didn't sell them to Liu Mang. Instead, he kept all the provisions in the treasury. At this time, Liu Mang should be running around anxiously trying to find connections. Kuai Yue was already thinking about what excuses he could use if Liu Mang sent someone to his residence. However, it seemed like all these excuses were in vain.
"Yes!" The housekeeper nodded. The housekeeper naturally wouldn't be careless with Kuai Yue's instructions. The housekeeper sent out nearly 20 people outside the King Of Shu's residence. It could be said that they had already monitored the entire residence.
"Could it be that Second Brother's marriage has something to do with the King Of Shu?" Kuai Yue thought of the closest answer, but he rejected it. When the King Of Shu came, he only brought a few guards and Jia Xu. They were all men and there was no woman. Therefore, Kuai Liang must have married a woman from Jingzhou. As long as she was from Jingzhou, she had nothing to do with Yangzhou. "Is he trying to gain the initiative after striking? Or is it something else? " Kuai Yue couldn't understand and simply stopped thinking about it. This matter had nothing to do with the Kuai Family. This was a battle between Pang Tong and the King Of Shu. This was also a feud between Liu Bei and Lujiang Lü Bu. It had nothing to do with the Kuai Family. It wouldn't take long.
"Continue to monitor the King Of Shu. When that unfilial son comes back, let him bathe and change his clothes immediately. He will go with me tonight!" Kuai Yue was a little tired. He wanted to rest for a while. He still had to attend the banquet at night. Naturally, he had to drink wine.
"Yes!" The housekeeper nodded and left.
…
"Kuai Liang's wedding?" Pang Tong naturally received the invitation. This invitation was specially written for Pang Tong by Liu Mang. He wanted Pang Tong to personally witness Liu Mang tying up the Kuai Family to Liu Mang's Yangzhou warship.
When Pang Tong saw Kuai Liang's name, he felt uncomfortable. This person was from the faction that supported Yangzhou. Before Liu Mang came to Jingzhou, Kuai Liang had given him a lot of face. After Pang Tong killed Liu Mang's envoy, Kuai Liang even said that Liu Biao killed him and used his corpse to obtain forgiveness from Liu Mang's army. Kuai Liang could be considered as Liu Bei's enemy.
"Military advisor, are we not going?" One of Pang Tong's subordinates asked carefully. They would only be asking for trouble if they went to the enemy's wedding.
"Go! Why not? "Pang Tong's expression was very calm. No one knew what he was thinking. "Since they invited us, we naturally have to respond!" Since the invitation had already been sent, if Pang Tong did not go, it would be rude. He could still talk to some people in the Kuai Residence.
"Oh right, has there been any movement in Liu Mang's residence recently?" Pang Tong asked his subordinates. If Kuai Yue was monitoring Liu Mang to remain neutral, then Pang Tong was monitoring Liu Mang because he wanted to know his enemy and win a hundred battles.
"Liu Mang's residence has been very quiet these few days. The fake Liu Mang is eating, drinking, and playing as usual!" The person in charge of monitoring Liu Mang's residence replied.
"It's very quiet?" Pang Tong was stunned. He had risked his life to persuade Liu Biao. If Liu Biao did not want to help, his lord, Liu Bei, would not be able to get the provisions. Liu Mang should be like a cat on a hot tin roof. How could he be so calm? There must be something fishy going on.
"Kuai Liang is marrying a concubine?" Pang Tong looked at the invitation in his hand. Liu Mang's residence was quiet. There must be a connection between these two things! "I see!" Pang Tong seemed to have thought of something and a smile appeared on his face.
"Military advisor?" The subordinate looked at Pang Tong in confusion. He seemed to want Pang Tong to explain.
"I understand what this fake king Liu Mang is thinking!" Pang Tong sneered. "He hasn't done anything these few days. It's not that he isn't anxious, but he is waiting for an opportunity. Today is the opportunity!" Pang Tong had investigated Kuai Liang. This person was very stubborn and had the nickname of Kuai Rash. He had been widowed for a long time and had never taken a concubine. But today, he suddenly wanted to take a concubine and even sent out invitations.
There must be something wrong. Pang Tong could not figure it out before, but now he understood. Kuai Liang did not take a concubine earlier or later. He wanted to create an opportunity for Liu Mang.
Liu Biao had stopped selling the provisions to Yangzhou. Liu Mang would definitely use his connections to find someone to talk to Liu Biao. If Liu Mang went to find them one by one, it would take a long time. Furthermore, it was unknown if Liu Mang would even meet him.
However, if Kuai Liang took a concubine, it would be different. Who was Kuai Liang? He was Kuai Yue's younger brother and was also a high-ranking official in Jingzhou. If Kuai Liang took a concubine, he would definitely send out invitations. Those aristocratic families would definitely show up to give the Kuai Family face. Liu Mang only needed to attend the banquet to get in touch with those people. He did not need to visit them one by one.
Kuai Liang had really put in a lot of effort. Even at this age, he still has to sacrifice his integrity to help Liu Mang.
"Then what should we do now?" Hearing Pang Tong's words, Liu Bei's subordinate started to panic. They had monitored Liu Mang to prevent him from using his connections to find people. But now, Liu Mang could meet so many people. Wouldn't their monitoring be a waste?
"Haha, if Liu Mang wants to meet them, I will not let him meet them!" Pang Tong narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly. If Kuai Liang had not given him an invitation, he might have been tricked by Liu Mang. However, now that he had given him an invitation, Liu Mang would not be able to succeed.
"What do you mean?"
"Kuai Liang is holding a banquet at night. The banquet will be held in the outer city of Xiangyang!" Pang Tong took out the invitation and showed it to his subordinates. "I need you to send people to prevent Liu Mang from destroying Kuai Liang's banquet!"
"Military Advisor, do you want us to kill Liu Mang?!" Pang Tong's subordinates were in a difficult position. "Ever since you killed Liu Mang's envoy, the entire Jingzhou has been paying attention to us! It is difficult to use swords in the city! " Pang Tong had killed Liu Mang's envoy in order to force Liu Biao to submit. However, he had underestimated Liu Biao's courage. He had also underestimated the people in Jingzhou. When Liu Biao knew that Pang Tong was behind this, he did not kill him. However, he was wary of Pang Tong. It was fine to use swords outside the city. However, in Xiangyang City, once he used swords, not only Liu Mang, but Liu Biao would also not let Pang Tong off. When the time came, it would definitely affect their plan to stop Liu Mang. If Liu Biao was angry, he might even sell food to the Yangzhou army.
"Idiot! Do we really have to use our weapons in this city to stop them? "Pang Tong did not mince his words as he reprimanded his subordinates.
Liu Mang lived in the inner city, so Pang Tong could not use swords. Similarly, Liu Mang could not use swords in public. Pang Tong had the upper hand. After all, Liu Mang was an outsider. How many people could he have? On the other hand, Pang Tong had lived in Jingzhou since he was young. He could be said to be the local tyrant of Jingzhou. The Pang Family was also a big family in Jingzhou. It was easy for them to find hundreds of people. When the time came, they could block Liu Mang in the inner city and prevent him from going out. In the end, they would not be able to reach Kuai Liang's mansion. Liu Mang's plan would fail. In the end, Kuai Liang would not be able to protect his reputation and Liu Mang would not be able to get food from Jingzhou. It was killing two birds with one stone.
"Military Advisor, you are a genius!" Pang Tong's subordinates' eyes lit up. Yes, they could not use swords in the inner city of Jingzhou. Liu Mang could not use swords either. All they needed to do was find a few hundred people to block the road.
"Go! I also need to bathe and change my clothes! " Pang Tong smiled and waved his hand. He needed to prepare himself. Liu Mang and Kuai Liang worked so hard to get all the nobles to gather at the Kuai Residence so that they could have a chance to negotiate. Pang Tong also went. This was also an opportunity for Pang Tong.
For example, Kuai Yue from Jingzhou was a neutral person. Pang Tong had gone to visit Kuai Yue several times, but he had always made excuses that he was not around. Other than the frontlines in Jiangxia, what else could Jingzhou have to do?
There were many things to do at the frontline, but the person who replaced Jingzhou in Jiang Xia was his good friend and lifelong enemy, Zhuge Liang. How could Pang Tong not know of Zhuge Liang's ability? Even if they couldn't pacify Jiangdong, at least they wouldn't lose Jiangxia as a barrier to Jingzhou. With Zhuge Liang around, Jingzhou would be safe for thirty years.
Kuai Yue's excuse could be summed up in one sentence. He did not want to see Pang Tong. But today, Kuai Yue had no choice but to see Pang Tong. How could Kuai Yue not attend the banquet? Although Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue had conflicts, they were still brothers. Pang Tong believed that Kuai Yue would attend the banquet.
Other than Kuai Yue, there would be other nobles at the banquet. This was a good opportunity to befriend them.
"Help me prepare a big gift!" Pang Tong would not go to Kuai Liang's banquet empty-handed. He wanted to give a big red packet that could move the Kuai Family. At that time, Kuai Yue would not be able to reject him.
"Big gift?" Pang Tong's subordinates didn't understand. If it was just gifts, then their mansion had prepared a lot of things for Pang Tong to visit some of the nobles. But what was a big gift? What was considered a big gift?
"Yes!" Pang Tong nodded.
"Military Advisor, what do you think of this?" Pang Tong's men brought over two Eastern Pearls. These pearls were worth hundreds of gold. Not only were they beautiful, but they were also from the former Eastern Capital, Luoyang. When Dong Zhuo ordered people to destroy Luoyang and move it to the west, Zhang Xiu and his uncle participated in the robbery feast. Luoyang was destroyed, so the gold, silver, and jewelry inside were naturally robbed. Among them, the two pearls in front of them fell into Zhang Ji's hands.
If Zhang Ji died, it would belong to Zhang Xiu. If Zhang Xiu died, it would belong to his lord, Liu Bei.
"Not enough, not enough!" Pang Tong shook his head. Although it was a lot, it was not worth mentioning in front of the Kuai Family.
"Then what about this pair of Jade Ruyi?"
"Still not enough!" This pair of Jade Ruyi was not as good as the two Eastern Pearls.
"Is this the only copy of The Analects of Confucius?" Another subordinate took out a yellowed book. Don't underestimate him. He was an ancient book with the words of a sage in it.
"No!" The only copy of The Analects of Confucius was very precious. There was probably no other copy in the world. However, this kind of ancient book was given to the famous scholars, not the Kuai Family.
"Military Advisor, what do you mean?" These subordinates could not think of a big gift.
"By the way, didn't the lord send a bolt of gold and silver?" A subordinate suddenly thought of something and said.
"You can't touch that. The lord sent us to Jingzhou to buy provisions!" Another subordinate hurriedly stopped him. The money was the money Liu Bei got from Zhang Xiu and Liu Bei emptied Yuzhou. There were five thousand gold, which was used to buy provisions.
"No! Use that money! "Pang Tong was also reminded. It was not that he did not have a big gift, but he did not realize that he did.
"But if we use that money, what about the provisions?" Someone questioned.
"Even if we have this money, we can't buy provisions!" Pang Tong had blocked his own path. This was why Liu Biao did not sell provisions to Yangzhou. It could be said that both sides suffered losses. This batch of money was useless. It could only be transported back.
Pang Tong had already used the power of the Kuai Family to help with the provisions. He was using up the Kuai Family's resources.
Now that he had taken out this gold and silver, he would be able to make friends with the Si Family and the nobles. Why would he not do it? Rather than saying that Jingzhou belonged to Liu Biao, it would be better to say that it belonged to the nobles.
"Let's do it! Men, load the gold and silver into the carriage! Leave one thousand gold and load the rest into the carriage! " Pang Tong gritted his teeth. If this money could make friends with the Kuai Family, it was definitely worth it. Pang Tong left one thousand gold to make friends with the nobles.
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