"Your Highness the King Of Shu, Your Highness the King Of Shu!" The meeting in Jingzhou was finally over. Liu Mang also left happily. His goal had been achieved. Now, Liu Bei had someone to pay for his trip to Yuzhou, and he even had an extra group of coolies. Why not? Just as Liu Mang was about to board the carriage, a person wearing a military uniform rushed out and bowed to Liu Mang in gratitude.
Liu Mang took a closer look. Wasn't this General Zhang Gui, who was in a miserable state in the meeting hall? After that, Liu Mang and Liu Biao talked about the old days. During this time, Zhang Gui had changed into a new set of clothes. His face was covered in dust and his body was covered in blood. Now, he looked much more spirited.
"General Zhang Gui!" Liu Mang saw the person clearly and smiled at him.
"Your Highness the King Of Shu, Your Highness the King Of Shu! Thank you, thank you very much! Gui, Gui, I have nothing to repay you with! " Zhang Gui bowed to Liu Mang. This Liu Mang had helped the Zhang family a lot. Originally, the Zhang family had lost Fan City. If they couldn't take Fan City, then the Zhang family would be completely finished. If Fan City was taken, then it would depend on Lord Liu Biao's mood. If Liu Biao was in a good mood, then the Zhang family would be in a good mood and might even give Fan City back to the Zhang family. However, if Liu Biao was in a bad mood, then the Zhang family would still be finished. Although they had the protection of their big brother, the Zhang family, it was still not good to live under someone else's roof! On the other hand, Liu Mang had given the Zhang family hope. This was a chance for the Zhang family. If it was done well, then the Zhang family would definitely be able to make a comeback. If they took Fan City, then the Zhang family would be considered to have redeemed themselves. As for money, Liu Biao wouldn't be stingy with his rewards. At first, Zhang Gui didn't think that he would be able to become the general this time.
When Liu Biao asked, Zhang Gui's face was gloomy. This was because he knew that even if his big brother and his big brother's boss, Liu Biao wouldn't be able to move Lord Liu Biao. After all, how could a defeated general speak of bravery? However, Liu Mang insisted on recommending him. Zhang Gui felt that he and the King Of Shu were just strangers who met by chance.
"There's no need to say so much! We're all on the same side! "Liu Mang smiled vaguely at Zhang Gui.
"On the same side?" Zhang Gui's big brother, Zhang Yun, followed closely behind Zhang Gui.
"General Zhang Yun!" Liu Mang greeted Zhang Yun when he saw him.
"His Highness the King Of Shu!" Zhang Yun also bowed in return. When did the Zhang family and Yangzhou become on the same side? Zhang Yun couldn't figure it out, so he naturally thought about it. Since the Zhang family and Liu Mang didn't become on the same side, then one level higher would mean that his boss, the Cai family, and Liu Mang had become on the same side. That was why they were on the same side!
Zhang Yun immediately nodded his head and accepted Liu Mang's words. Liu Mang's eyes lit up. Zhang Yun nodded his head and accepted Liu Mang's words.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first!" Liu Mang said to the Zhang brothers with a smile.
"I wonder if His Highness the King Of Shu can do me the honor of attending?" Zhang Gui was very grateful to Liu Mang. Since ancient times, the Chinese tradition was to talk about relationships over wine.
"I'm afraid I don't have time today!" Liu Mang rejected without even thinking.
"This, this, why?" Zhang Gui didn't understand. They had just said that they were on the same side, but they weren't even willing to do him the honor of attending.
"It's not that I don't want to give the two of you face, but there's already a banquet tonight!" Liu Mang smiled and pointed at the two people behind the Zhang family brothers. One of them was Kuai Yue, and the other was Cai Mao. The two of them had already discussed with their lord, Liu Biao, about the delivery of the first batch of provisions.
That was why they were late.
"The military advisor's family?" The Zhang family brothers understood. They had to give face to their boss. However, the Zhang family brothers laughed because they could also attend their boss's banquet.
"If that's the case, we won't disturb His Highness the King Of Shu!" The two brothers were very tactful and quickly left.
Liu Mang didn't wait for Kuai Yue and Cai Mao and asked the coachman to take him away. There was a banquet tonight, so it was better to go back and rest early. Liu Mang still had many things to plan.
Just as Liu Mang got off the carriage and walked into the mansion, Jia Xu and the old fox ran out.
"My Lord, my Lord, Sir Wen Hou's troops have arrived in Xinye!" Jia Xu walked out and reported to Liu Mang.
"Father-in-law's troops have arrived?!" Liu Mang was stunned for a moment. This speed was really fast.
"Who's the commander?" Liu Mang wanted to know who the commander of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was because this involved Liu Mang's selection of commanders. Even if the attack on Fancheng was in Jingzhou, Liu Mang believed that Liu Biao wouldn't let him leave. Jingzhou had allied with him because he was a hostage in Jingzhou.
Therefore, Liu Mang had to choose a commander from his vanguard. Liu Mang originally planned to choose Zhang Liao, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. Zhang Liao was the only one who could build a good relationship with the Xiliang Cavalry. Now, the Xiliang Cavalry only obeyed Zhang Liao's orders. If he changed the commander, the Xiliang Cavalry would have objections. Moreover, with a commander like Zhang Liao in Yangzhou, Liu Mang would be more assured.
After this, Wei Yan's name also circled around Liu Mang's mind, but Liu Mang rejected it without hesitation because Wei Yan was still not mature. Moreover, Liu Mang only knew that Wei Yan was unruly and had good martial arts, but he didn't see the slightest ability to be a commander. If Wei Yan was defeated in a battle, it would be over. Losing in the battle of Fancheng was not an option.
Next was Zhao Yun. Liu Mang also saw Zhao Yun's ability. This time, Zhao Yun was sent to Fancheng to carry out the mission perfectly. The current Zhao Yun was no longer the previous Zhao Yun. Now, Zhao Yun was not only learning how to be a commander, but also how to be a commander. Liu Mang already had a general idea of this battle. As long as there were no accidents, they would definitely win. Therefore, Zhao Yun was prepared to be the commander of this battle by Liu Mang.
"Milord, this time, Wen Hou came in person!" Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe stepped forward and said to Liu Mang.
"What!" Liu Mang was stunned. Lü Bu came in person? Why did he come here instead of overseeing Lujiang? This battle of Fancheng couldn't eliminate Liu Bei, it could only exhaust Liu Bei and Liu Xuande. At most, half of his Xiliang Cavalry would be left here. If Liu Bei really wanted to escape, it would be very difficult to catch up.
"Lord Wen Hou said that he came to kill Liu Bei and Liu Xuande!" Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe told Lü Bu's words to Liu Mang.
"Kill Liu Bei and Liu Xuande?" Liu Mang smiled bitterly. This cheap father-in-law of his was really playful. Instead of going to Lujiang and Yangzhou, he came to Xinye to kill Liu Big-eared Liu.
It seems that this resentment is very deep. The aftereffects of having Liu Bei as my father-in-law are still present. That's right! Although it was said that Lü Bu had taken over Nestle's Nest, he still spared Liu Bei's life. He even sent his wives away and gave Liu Bei a peaceful life. It could be said that he had done everything he could. However, Liu Bei was still unwilling to give up. He cooperated with Lao Cao and set up a trap for Lü Bu. If it were not for Liu Mang, his son-in-law, the extra knife on the White Gate Tower would have been his father-in-law's.
This was not the end of it. If you said that I snatched your Xuzhou, you can just snatch it back. This Liu Bei was haunting me again. After being chased out of Xuzhou by Lao Cao, he came to Yuzhou. In any case, they were brothers in the same boat. You can go and find trouble with Lao Cao. However, this Liu Bei seemed to have taken a fancy to Yangzhou's Lü Bu. He wanted to find trouble with Lü Bu. He even joined forces with Zhang Xiu and Sun Ce to form a three-party alliance. With Lü Bu's bad temper, once he heard that he wanted to find trouble with Liu Bei, who would do it if not him?
"Okay, okay! If I am serious, I will lose! " Liu Mang raised his hand helplessly to show that he had lost. Now that there was no need to fight for the position of the commander-in-chief, it really belonged to his cheap father-in-law. Even if Liu Mang went to order, he still had to listen to his father-in-law's words.
In fact, Liu Mang did not know that when Liu Mang came to Jingzhou, Lü Bu was already angry. It was obvious that he was going to be a hostage.
"Then, my lord, what about our plan?" Jia Xu's plan required someone to listen to it. This was obviously Liu Mang listening to Lü Bu.
"Send it to father-in-law! As for whether he listens to it or not, it is up to him! " Liu Mang also had no other choice. In his opinion, this time, they only needed to fight a battle of attrition. After all, the final battle with Liu Bei had to be in Yuzhou. Nanyang County was nothing to Liu Bei. However, if the Army of Liu Mang fought with Liu Bei in Nanyang County, only Liu Biao in Jingzhou would be worth it. After all, compared to Nanyang County, Yangzhou either had to pass through Yuzhou's land or Jingzhou's Yangtze River. A divided territory was like chicken ribs, it was a pity to abandon it. Liu Mang's attitude was that he did not want Liu Biao to be a hindrance.
If this cheap father-in-law really fought to the death, then the fun would be really big.
"We must inform father-in-law of our plan!" Liu Mang said to Jia Xu. However, he was depressed and shook his head. "Forget it, forget it!" Liu Mang really regretted it now. If he had known, he would not have let the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry come. He would have let Zhang Liao bring the Xiliang Cavalry. However, there was no medicine for regret in this world. Liu Mang could only swallow this bitter fruit.
"Bathe and change clothes with me. We still have things to do tonight!" Liu Mang also remembered the banquet tonight and let the maid help him bathe.
… …
"Come, come, come! Your Highness King Of Shu, although Zhang Gui is my subordinate, he is actually my younger brother. Your Highness King Of Shu, you have helped me to recommend Zhang Gui to the Lord. I am very happy. Come, come, come, let your Highness King Of Shu give you another toast! "
During the banquet, Cai Mao's impression of Liu Mang had changed a lot. Originally, Cai Mao disliked Liu Mang. Although Liu Mang had the title of King Of Shu, Cai Mao did not like Liu Mang. This was because Cai Mao thought that Liu Mang was a reckless man. When did it start? Cai Mao knew that those nobles were enemies of Jingzhou and Jiangdong. However, nobles were nobles. Killing one or two nobles was one thing, but slaughtering all of the nobles in Hei City was not a big deal. Cai Mao also knew that those nobles were enemies of Jingzhou and Jiangdong. However, nobles were still nobles.
Wasn't this going against the nobles? Cai Mao was also a noble, a big noble. Naturally, he would grieve for the death of the rabbit.
After that, Liu Mang even played some sort of recruitment order, okay?! Killing nobles had already angered Cai Mao. This was not following the unspoken rules of this chaotic world. One must know that many noble families would bet on several people at the same time to ensure the prosperity of the noble family. Even if the investment failed, they would only kill one person. But Liu Mang was directly cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots.
This was not the end of it. The recruitment card was simply a challenge to the noble family's thousands of years of tradition. Why were the nobles always noble? It was because they had a system of inspection and filial piety. Now, Liu Mang's recruitment card completely broke this unspoken rule. Allowing the children of poor families to become officials by virtue of their ability, the nobles' superiority would be gone. Therefore, Cai Mao had an inexplicable hostility towards Liu Mang when Liu Mang entered Jingzhou.
Later on, the cooperation with Liu Mang was a message from his sister. Plus, Cai Mao didn't know how to contact Liu Mang. Otherwise, Cai Mao and Liu Mang would definitely not have any contact. This King Of Shu was considered a good person. This time, the Zhang family lost Fancheng. It could be said that he had no right to speak in front of Liu Biao. Originally, Cai Mao planned to use this opportunity to make Liu Biao feel better before pleading for the Zhang family. After all, the Zhang family and the Cai family were related by marriage. As the eldest brother, he couldn't watch his younger brother fall.
Who knew that before Cai Mao made a move, the King Of Shu, Liu Mang would help the Zhang family. He pulled the Zhang family from hell to heaven. No matter what, the main commander of this expedition would not be wrong. This was because the main force was the Yangzhou Army. With the Yangzhou Army's combat power, they had never lost to the Yuzhou Army before! Even if they lost, it had nothing to do with him. After all, the main commander was the Yangzhou Army!
"Military Advisor Cai is too polite!" Liu Mang didn't refuse and directly drank it in one gulp.
"Good, good, good! His Highness the King Of Shu is a magnanimous person! " Zhang Gui on the side shouted at Liu Mang. Liu Mang had already drunk no less than a few rounds, but he wasn't drunk at all.
Wasn't this nonsense? Liu Mang came from the modern world. In any case, he had experienced the invasion of the modern world's 40 to 50% liquor. This rice wine, especially this kind of undistilled rice wine, was naturally not a problem.
"Your Highness the King Of Shu, I want to ask, what are the three armies of Jingzhou?" Cai Mao continued the banquet.
"The three armies of Jingzhou!" Liu Mang drank the wine. Liu Mang wasn't interested in the wine of the Three Kingdoms, but he was very interested in the dance music in the banquet.
"Your Highness the King Of Shu likes it? Why don't you bring it back tonight? If Your Highness the King Of Shu likes any of them, tell me Cai Mao, and I'll let them accompany Your Highness the King Of Shu tonight! " Cai Mao was very generous. In these big aristocratic families, these female servants were trained from a young age. When the guests came, they would be served as dishes.
"No, no! Only from afar, only from afar! "Liu Mang refused without thinking. There was already a shadow in his heart.
"Your Highness the King Of Shu, do you dislike it?" Cai Mao was stunned for a moment. This was Cai Pa, the best dancer in the Cai Family. Cai Mao originally planned to use her to bribe Cao Cao when he came later. This King Of Shu beat him to it. This was also because of the friendship between his younger brother and Cao Cao.
"Your Highness the King Of Shu, rest assured. These maidservants are all virgins!" Cai Mao said to Liu Mang with a smile on his face. Some people liked those who had been developed, such as our Prime Minister Cao. Some people were obsessed with cleanliness and only liked those who hadn't been developed.
"No, that's not the reason!" Liu Mang shook his head. What a joke. Asking him to bring two maidservants back was courting death. Originally, Liu Mang had already rejected a barbarian princess. If a few more maidservants came, Liu Mang didn't want to live anymore.
"I appreciate the kindness of Military Advisor Cai!" Liu Mang didn't know how to explain to Cai Mao. Could it be that there was a fierce tiger in the family?
Seeing Liu Mang refuse again and again, Cai Mao didn't insist.
"Jingzhou's three armies!" Liu Mang thought for a moment. With the Xiangyang Guards' strength, they couldn't be counted on to attack the city. "It would be good if they didn't retreat. As for the remaining Xiangyang Guards and Jiangling Guards, they should be similar. Liu Mang drank a little too much and directly said," What can those uncles do? Let them be coolies! "
"What!" Upon hearing Liu Mang's words, Cai Mao directly slammed the table and stood up. When Liu Mang said this, he realized that he seemed to have said something wrong. Even if the Xiangyang Guards were trash, you shouldn't speak in front of a general.
"Military Advisor Cai, this king said something wrong after drinking. I will punish myself with three cups of wine!" Liu Mang didn't want to offend Cai Mao now. After all, he still needed the Cai Family's help. Therefore, he didn't argue and directly tried to cover it up.
"No, no, no!" Cai Mao shook his head. "Your Highness King Of Shu, you didn't say something wrong after drinking. You were speaking the truth after drinking!"
"It was a slip of the tongue after drinking!"
"It was the truth after drinking!"
"Slip of the tongue! “
"The truth!" The two of them glared at each other stubbornly.
"Alright, alright. Let's speak the truth after drinking!" Liu Mang was afraid of Cai Mao and Cai Degui. Originally, he thought that Cai Mao's alcohol tolerance wasn't that good. In any case, Cai Mao was of a higher class. It turned out that Cai Mao was this kind of person.
"That's more like it!" Liu Mang thought that Cai Mao would be furious. Even if it was Liu Mang, Liu Mang wouldn't be able to hold it in. If someone ran to Liu Mang and said that the City Guard was trash and the Black Flag Army was trash, Liu Mang would definitely use the sword in his hand to argue with him.
However, Cai Mao's actions caused Liu Mang to be stunned. "Brother, your words are enough!" Cai Mao was drunk and started calling Liu Mang 'brother'.
Liu Mang really didn't understand what Cai Mao was thinking. What did he mean by 'brother's words are enough'?
After a long time, Liu Mang finally reacted. It seemed that Cai Mao wanted his words. It turned out that the Jingzhou Xiangyang Guard was known to be an army of nobles. It could be said that the Jingzhou Xiangyang Guard was a group of nobles. It could be said that it was a foul atmosphere. If you asked them to gamble and visit brothels, they would be completely at a loss if you asked them to go to war.
Therefore, when the Jingzhou Lord Liu Biao sent the Xiangyang Guard to war, the parents of these nobles were anxious. People would die in war. Listening to Liu Biao's words, they were originally prepared to be cannon fodder for the Yangzhou Army. Attacking a city was piled up with human lives. Cai Mao had been the Jingzhou Military Advisor for many years, so he couldn't not understand.
Therefore, those uncles definitely could not be sent to the battlefield. If something were to happen to them, Cai Mao would be annoyed to death. Those Jingzhou nobles were not people who were easy to talk to. Furthermore, the Xiangyang Guard was going to be mobilized in full force. If another cannon fodder were to be sacrificed, then Cai Mao's position as the Jingzhou Military Advisor would probably come to an end.
Therefore, Cai Mao wanted to let these nobles and nobles all take sick leave and hide back. In this way, they could wait until the war was over and then run out.
However, Cai Mao suddenly discovered a serious problem. That was, once these nobles were all sent back, the Xiangyang Guard wouldn't even be able to gather a thousand people. How could they fight then?
Among the nine thousand people, more than three thousand had been taken up. The remaining two thousand were either from the relatives or the landowning households. The rest were the servants who accompanied the young master in his studies. These servants entered the army to serve their young master. Since the young master was no longer around, these servants would naturally not be around. It could be said that the Xiangyang Guard had been abolished.
You can't take the original ten thousand people and use a thousand to make up for it!
Cai Mao initially wanted to use the Xiangyang Navy to replace the Xiangyang Guard, but he couldn't bear to do so. That was why he asked before.
Liu Mang's distrust of the Xiangyang Guard was what Cai Mao wanted. The Xiangyang Guard was useless and dregs. Now, Cai Mao couldn't wait for Liu Mang to dislike this group of nobles. That way, he wouldn't send them to attack the city.
"Don't worry! Military Advisor Cai! I will bring the Xiangyang Guard out for you and bring them back for you. As for those who died of illness, you can't blame me! " Liu Mang patted Cai Mao's shoulder. It can be said that he and Cai Mao were half allies. In any case, Liu Mang did not expect these Jing Province soldiers to be of much help in this war. He only wanted these young masters to be able to do some hard work.
"Of course, of course! Your Highness King Of Shu, don't worry. I will definitely tame those bastards before they leave. If they dare to disobey orders, they will be executed immediately! " Cai Mao also gave Liu Mang a promise. The two of them had a deal. Liu Mang didn't want these nobles to be cannon fodder, and Cai Mao gave Liu Mang the power to kill. If anyone disobeyed, they would be executed! Cai Mao could still bear the loss of one or two people. Furthermore, they could also gain merit if they followed them out. Why not?
"Then, there's no problem!" She felt at home having dinner with Zhang Xiuying.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
