I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 915 Both Surrendered
Facing Su Yao's questioning, Chen Deng's forehead was covered with cold sweat.

There was no way, Su Yao's words directly hit their soft spot.

This is something that cannot be refuted at all.

The Prime Minister of Pengcheng was an official appointed by the imperial court. As the Governor of Xuzhou, he had the right to supervise and hold him accountable, but he had no right to handle the matter on his own.

However, when this was done, who could have imagined that the central government, which was on the verge of collapse, would be reborn from the ashes in just one or two years, with even greater prestige than before, and that there would be a man like the general who was tough and capable.

Now that Su Yao brought up the old matter again, it was clearly a warning to Xuzhou.

If they knew that today would be like this, they would not dare to be so presumptuous even if they had ten times the courage.

Chen Deng secretly complained in his heart, but on the surface he still maintained a respectful attitude and looked at Su Yao earnestly. He knew very well that if he was not careful at this moment, it might bring disaster to Xuzhou.

But obviously, weddings and funerals have this advantage. They are not formal political and diplomatic occasions, and there is no need to argue about right and wrong, or determine who is superior and who is inferior.

Therefore, Su Yao easily changed the subject, and temporarily dropped the subject on the grounds that it was General Guan's big day and political affairs should not be discussed. He asked the two of them to prepare a detailed report later, explaining the rebellion of the Jingzhou nobles, the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, and the problems of Xue Li, the Prime Minister of Pengcheng, and send it to the general's mansion.

Chen Deng and Kuai Liang bowed together as if they had been pardoned, and the cold sweat on their foreheads dripped down their jaw lines onto the hem of their clothes embroidered with dark patterns. "Thank you, General, for your magnanimity! We will report the truth and will not hide anything." Before Chen Deng finished speaking, the sound of ritual music suddenly rose, and the dancers' sleeves fluttered, covering this turbulent conversation with the sound of stringed instruments.

When the wedding banquet ended, it was already dark.

Chen Deng and Kuai Liang bowed to each other and said goodbye outside the inn. The moment their eyes met, they both read a hint of nervousness and anxiety in each other's eyes.

"Brother Yuanlong, I'm afraid we will have to work day and night when we return this time."

Kuai Liang stroked his beard and smiled bitterly while Chen Deng looked at the lights of Su Yao's residence in the distance and sighed:
"Not only the paperwork, but I'm afraid Envoy Tao also needs to reconsider his stance with the imperial court."

A few days later, in the Xuzhou governor's mansion, Tao Qian held the imperial order brought back by Chen Deng, his body trembling slightly:

"Su Yao is going to settle an old score with me!"

Tao Qian slammed the letter down on the table.
"Back then, Xue Li was incompetent and Pengcheng was plagued by bandits. I dismissed him from his post because I was asking for the people's help!"

Mi Zhu leaned over to pick up the letter, glanced at it, and advised: "Sir, the situation is different now. Since the general has asked for details, I'm afraid he already has evidence. In my opinion, why not..."

"Not as good as what?" Tao Qian's eyes widened.

Mi Zhu took a deep breath and said, "Why not take the initiative to submit a petition to plead guilty and give up the position of Prime Minister of Pengcheng to someone appointed by the court? Then, offer money and food to ask the court to pacify the Yellow Turbans in Qingxu, perhaps the general's anger can be calmed down."

"Ridiculous!" Tao Qian slammed the table and stood up, trembling all over. "I have been managing Xuzhou for many years. How can I bow down and surrender just because of a child's words?!"

The staff members in the hall looked at each other, and Chen Deng also coughed lightly:
"Sir, Su Yao has already pacified the four northern states, and now he has subdued Yuan Shao and wiped out Yuan Shu. His power is at its peak, if we confront him head-on."

Tao Qian suddenly started coughing violently, and the servant hurriedly handed him a handkerchief.

After catching his breath, Tao Qian looked at the bloodstain on the handkerchief and sat back at the table dejectedly: "Forget it. Yuanlong, please draft a petition. Just say that I am old and sick, and ask the court to send another capable person to take over as the governor of Xuzhou."

Almost at the same time, in Xiangyang City, Jingzhou, Liu Biao was also discussing with Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others. "Su Yao is really aggressive!"

Liu Biao placed the wine cup heavily on the table and asked:
"Do you think he will know what we did?"

What Liu Biao was talking about was naturally his reorganization of Jingzhou.

It has to be said that Liu Biao himself was very capable.

When the world was in chaos, he rode alone into Jingzhou. Except for Xiangyang, the county magistrates and powerful people in other places were dissatisfied with him.

However, Liu Biao relied on his outstanding personal abilities and, with the help of Jingzhou aristocratic families such as Kuai and Cai, held the Hongmen Banquet, lured and killed 55 leaders of the clan bandits, subdued their followers in one fell swoop, and shocked Jingzhou.

Afterwards, Liu Biao sent Kuai Yue and Pang Ji to various places in Jingzhou on horseback to recruit the various rebel armies and bandits, and then led them south to conquer the counties.

The prefects and county magistrates in various parts of Jingzhou who had previously been dissatisfied with Liu Biao heard of Liu Biao's reputation and dared not to resist him. They basically resigned and fled.

At this point, in just less than a year, Liu Biao controlled the seven counties of Jingzhou except Nanyang County, and stationed his troops in Xiangyang to observe how the situation changed.

Now, Su Yao blamed Tao Qian for the Pengcheng incident. How many prefects and county magistrates did Liu Biao expel?
If these people came back and knew that Su Yao stood up for Xue Li, would they make a fuss and rush to the capital to file a complaint against him, giving Su Yao a reason to punish him?

The more Liu Biao thought about it, the more frightened he became, and his expression changed from gloomy to bright.

Seeing this, Cai Mao cupped his hands and consoled him, "Don't worry, sir. Although Su Yao is powerful, Jingzhou is far away from Luoyang, and there is the danger of the Han River. Moreover, most of the county governors we expelled were appointed by Dong Zhuo, and he may not pursue them as he is busy with his affairs now."

"But what if he insists on pursuing the matter?" Liu Biao frowned.

He had not forgotten his previous conspiracy with Yuan Shu to resist the Soviet Union. Now that Yuan Shu was destroyed so quickly, he was really caught off guard.

Kuai Yue pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, in my opinion, instead of waiting for Su Yao to make trouble, we should take the initiative to show goodwill. We can send envoys to offer money and grain, pay the arrears of taxes, and report to the court, stating that the officials of the counties and prefectures in Jingzhou were replaced because of the war, and now they are willing to obey the court's orders."

Cai Mao frowned and objected: "Isn't this just tying our own hands? If the court really sends someone to take over Jingzhou, won't we..."

Kuai Yue interrupted Cai Mao and said, "Brother Degui, given the current situation, Su Yao is unstoppable and has already dominated half of the world."

"Jingzhou is surrounded by enemies and cannot be defended for long. It has never been the foundation of a king or a hegemon since ancient times. Now Su Yao has first conquered Huainan, sent Guan Yu to Jianghuai, trained the navy, and forced Yuan Shao of Nanyang to surrender. His army has already reached Jingbei, attacking us from both sides. The difference in power between the two sides is beyond discussion."

"Therefore, I think the best strategy is to welcome them. This will not only protect the people of Jingzhou from suffering, but also preserve the foundation for us to survive."

Liu Biao took a deep breath and looked around. No one was saying anything. He finally faced the reality.

His foundation here is still too shallow.

He had only been in office for less than two years, and it was nothing but a pipe dream to expect these newly dependent local nobles to fight with him against a powerful enemy like Su Yao at the risk of the annihilation of their entire families.

Liu Biao was silent for a moment, then he sighed and said, "Forget it, let's do as Yi Du said, prepare generous gifts, send an envoy to the capital, and express our intention to surrender to the general."

Liu Biao's voice was hoarse, and he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the Han River outside Xiangyang City for the whole day.
(End of this chapter)