It was not that Liu Qi had calculated everything. There were always some coincidences on the battlefield, and Liu Qi had only grasped one of them.
The fundamental reason was that the nobles in Xiangyang City were really divided. At such a special juncture when Liu Biao was seriously ill and the King of Donghai and Liu Qi were attacking from both the north and the south, Xiangyang City was besieged from both inside and outside.
The nobles not only communicated with Yang Rui, but when they received no response, some of them could only settle for the next best thing, which was to contact Liu Qi.
This result was definitely not something that Liu Qi could achieve alone. Liu Qi's role in it was very limited. Most importantly, the nobles were not optimistic about Xiangyang City's final outcome, so they had to make plans early.
The reason why the nobles in Xiangyang City had a bad prognosis was mainly related to Yang Rui's participation. Therefore, the final result was that Yang Rui did not kill Liu Biao, but Liu Biao died because of him.
After a long time, Yang Rui had to admit that there was no room for reconciliation when the vassals and even the courtiers fought each other. The result was often naked.
Of course, Yang Rui didn't think of this at the moment. When the imperial guards reported that the north gate of Xiangyang City had been taken down by Liu Qi, they were very surprised. Even the people from the "General Staff" were a little surprised.
Originally, Yang Rui had planned to let Liu Qi's army fight to the death with the defenders of Xiangyang City, so that the situation would be easier to clean up. No matter who had the last laugh, the situation would be easier to control and clean up.
However, the current situation was probably a little different from what he had expected.
"The King of Donghai's army is here!"
"The King of Donghai's army is attacking the city!"
“.....”
The opening of the north gate, coupled with the news that the King of Donghai's army was attacking, threw Xiangyang City into chaos. The importance of momentum and the situation was highlighted again. Xiangyang City, whose defense was second only to Luoyang City, was like a buffalo bitten by a lion, suddenly losing most of its ability to resist.
The troops that Liu Qi had arranged to be the "fake King of Donghai's army" forcibly occupied the north gate tower and quickly gained a foothold in the defense of Xiangyang City.
It was as if the defenders of Xiangyang City had just woken up from a dream. They gradually began to counterattack and were not swallowed by Liu Qi's troops. A battle on the city wall thus began.
This was all thanks to Liu Cong. As Liu Biao's successor, Liu Cong was able to relax after being reprimanded by Cai Mao.
Later on, Liu Cong first sought out Cai Mao's niece to vent his anger. Since he couldn't gain any face from his uncle, then he would let the other party's niece bear the brunt of his anger.
After that, Liu Cong gathered all the imperial guards and generals under his direct command, drinking and chatting merrily with them, and gave them some encouragement while he was at it.
Cai Mao said that he could not compare to Liu Qi, which directly stimulated Liu Cong's heart. Between life and death, he chose to risk it all. Communicating with his subordinates was not as simple as that. He also used the resources under his control to discover great rewards for his subordinates.
The most obvious manifestation of Liu Cong's insanity was that he used the excuse of inviting a group of generals to a banquet to control all the descendants of the generals through coaxing and seizing them as hostages.
When he did this, Liu Cong knew very well that he would have to face the defense of Xiangyang City. He did not have the opportunity to send a group of generals out of the city to counterattack at this time. If he had them defend the city to the death, then there was a very high chance of success.
Xiangyang City was famous for its high walls and deep depths. As long as they did not face attacks from the sky like the King of Donghai's troops, and as long as the defenders worked together, it would not be difficult to defend the city.
After Xiangyang City was defended, Liu Cong, who had thought things through, seemed to have seen his brother Liu Qi suffer a great loss and quickly lose his trump card and momentum, becoming a prisoner.
This once again proved a wise saying in the real world — people were all forced! At critical times, people's potential was limitless.
It was also because of Liu Congqi's strange move that the north gate of Xiangyang City didn't collapse immediately even though there was a mole and they had lost control of the city. Instead, they entered into a fierce battle.
Faced with the choice of dying or covering the retreat, the "Imperial Guards" and the troops under Liu Cong's command chose to fight with their lives on the line.
Originally, even if they fell into Liu Qi's hands, they might not be able to survive. Now, for the sake of their descendants, they had to give it their all.
As for the mole who opened the north gate for Liu Qi, it was a private soldier raised by a landowning household's general and his family. They made use of the connections they had accumulated over the years and skillfully changed the guard that night. They arranged for the troops loyal to them to be stationed at the north gate, and at the same time, arranged for the private soldiers to be stationed at the north gate to assist in the defense.
This person had also participated in Liu Cong's "Feast at Hongmen", but because his family was outside, only his concubine's children were taken away by Liu Cong. Therefore, he made the decision.
The most important thing was that this person's family had a good relationship with Liu Qi. Therefore, this kind of result was determined by the person's daily life and interpersonal relationships.
Liu Qi's troops had won many battles and their morale was at its peak. Now, thanks to their general's "miraculous" plan to open the north gate, their strength was maximized.
On the other hand, Liu Cong's side was fighting for the continuation of the family line. It was a battle to the death. Especially after some of their comrades were killed, the elite side of the imperial guards and the troops under Liu Cong's command stood out.
It could only be said that Liu Qi's "early bird catches the worm" had won him the opportunity to fight head-on. The next battle would depend on manpower, material resources, combat strength, and willpower.
If the soldiers in Xiangyang City were weak in terms of willpower, then Liu Biao's arrival in the city despite his illness gave them a boost of morale.
Since Liu Biao took over Jingzhou, he had done a lot of things. At first, he was kind and authoritative. He was good at recruiting and purging. Later on, he established a school of thought and could be said to love the people and raise them.
It was because of this kind of support and prestige that Liu Biao's appearance greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers in Xiangyang City. At the same time, it also made them angry. Many people's perception of Liu Biao had quietly changed. The old man was still fine, so why was Liu Biao causing trouble?
Because of this, Liu Biao's appearance caused the North Gate's defense line to gradually shrink. He even almost took back the North Gate Tower.
However, Liu Biao's perseverance was limited. After a series of coughs, his entourage quietly helped him cough up blood. Liu Biao had no choice but to leave.
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