With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 238, The Young and Handsome Zhuge Liang

Kuai Yue quickly turned around and glanced at Cai Mao, giving him a wink to signal him to be more polite and stop threatening Gan Ning.

But Cai Mao refused to listen. He couldn't bear being tortured in public in court.

Seeing that Cai Mao was unconvinced, Gan Ning continued, "To prevent anyone from causing trouble, I must inform His Majesty as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Gan Ning urged the soldiers, "Go quickly and return quickly. Do not be negligent on the way. Be sure to inform His Majesty as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir!" the group replied and ran off.

Gan Ning turned around and looked at Cai Mao, his eyes revealing a frighteningly fierce light.

Cai family, I'll beat you up! In this world, only the emperor is the greatest!

Kuai Yue sighed inwardly. It seemed that Cai Mao was definitely going to get a beating today!

Because he kept talking nonsense and constantly threatened Gan Ning, he might be suspected of causing trouble.

"Hit! Hit him hard!"

Gan Ning showed no mercy and ordered his men to attack right in front of Kuai Yue, Pang Ji, and all the onlookers.

With each blow Cai Mao struck, he would utter a curse; the harder he struck, the fiercer his curses became.

"Gan Ning, you just wait, I won't let you get away with this! Ah—"

"Gan Ning, how dare you hit me! I'll never forgive you, ah—"

Chen Gong also felt that it was time to give them a warning, otherwise Cai Mao and his ilk would not take the emperor seriously at all.

They had long since regarded Jingzhou as their own, forgetting that "all under heaven are subjects of the king, and all land belongs to the king."

Every place in the world should be ruled by the emperor!
The onlookers were truly amazed by what they saw. Sticks were swung around and mercilessly struck Cai Mao, drawing blood in no time.

People stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned.

Those who had been bullied by the Cai family before were overjoyed, feeling that they should be beaten up and their anger vented.

Cai Mao kept cursing, and the more fiercely he cursed, the harder he was beaten.

The executioners were not tolerant of his behavior and used all their strength in every blow, striking Cai Mao with all their might, much more fiercely than Cai Zhong and Cai He.

They thought to themselves: If you dare to curse, then we'll beat you up badly and see how long you can stay arrogant.

The sticks fell like the wind, striking Cai Mao repeatedly. After fifty strokes, Cai Mao could only scream in agony; he dared not curse anymore.

Gan Ning felt a surge of pride. Back when he was in Jingzhou, Cai Mao had often spoken ill of him to Liu Biao.

Gan Ning had been holding this grudge in for a long time, and today was the perfect opportunity to vent it.

When Cai Mao had been given eighty lashes, he could no longer take it. He groaned and began to weakly beg for mercy, "Don't... don't hit me anymore."

Both Lü Bu and Cao Ren could endure one hundred lashes, but Cai Mao could not.

Because the fight was indeed too fierce and forceful. On the other hand, Cai Mao's physique was not as strong as Cao Ren's and Lü Bu's, and he lacked backbone.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Kuai Yue hurriedly advised, "Stop fighting. General Cai can't take it anymore. I think we should stop here."

Gan Ning snorted coldly, "There is no joking in the courtroom. If it is said to be one hundred strokes of the military rod, then it is one hundred strokes of the military rod, not a single stroke less."

Cai Mao was unable to move, lying on the ground groaning and begging for mercy, "Don't hit me anymore..."

Gan Ning remained unmoved and said expressionlessly, "Fight until it's over."

The soldiers continued to beat him, and soon Cai Mao screamed in agony as he was beaten unconscious.

Even so, the beatings did not stop until all one hundred strokes of the military rod were finished.

After the fight, Kuai Yue hurriedly had Cai Mao carried back.

Someone told Madam Cai about this, but she refused to believe it at first. However, when she saw Cai Mao with her own eyes, she was so angry that her eyebrows stood on end and she almost fainted on the spot.

Lady Cai immediately went to find Liu Biao. Upon seeing him, she burst into tears and cried, “Is Gan Ning trying to wipe out our Cai family? He first beat Cai Zhong and Cai He, and then beat my brother unconscious in court. Husband, you must stand up for us!”

Liu Biao was also very angry, but as much as he was angry, he was worried and even a little scared.

"Madam, this matter is extraordinary. Please allow me to think it over carefully. We need to consider it thoroughly."

"They're already riding roughshod over you. You're the lord of Jingzhou, can't you even control Gan Ning?"

Lady Cai was aggressive, staring coldly at Liu Biao.

From her gaze, Liu Biao could clearly sense her anger and disappointment in himself.

Lady Cai wanted to avenge her brother, but Liu Biao felt helpless and sighed heavily, "Alas—this is not as simple as just Gan Ning."

Soon, Wen Ping, Pang Ji, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang and others were summoned by Liu Biao.

This news spread very quickly; without Liu Biao's introduction, everyone already knew about it.

Even without being there in person, one knows just how serious the situation is.

Liu Biao looked at everyone and said, "Gentlemen, Cai Mao was beaten. Gan Ning acted too arrogantly. He didn't even send anyone to inform me of such a big matter."

Liu Biao was furious, and his words revealed the authority of a superior.

The title "Old Man" can be used by people who are very old, or by people who, although not very old, hold a high position and want to show off their unique and imposing presence.

Among the feudal lords, Cao Cao used this self-designation the most.

Cao Cao began referring to himself as "this old man" when he was in his forties, because he was second only to the emperor and held an extremely prestigious position.

Liu Biao, who was about to turn 60 and was the ruler of Jingzhou, could refer to himself as "this old man" in terms of both age and status.

Kuai Yue shook his head and said worriedly, "My lord, now is not the time to pursue Gan Ning. We must apologize to the court as soon as possible. Today in court, Gan Ning sent someone to contact His Majesty and Liu Bei. If we are not careful, the court will seize the excuse to take over Jingzhou."

"what?"

Liu Biao's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't taken the suggestion to confess to the court too seriously, but the events that unfolded far exceeded his expectations.

Pang Ji suddenly said, "I always feel that Gan Ning is very likely deliberately provoking us, deliberately looking for an excuse. Once we take any action against him, the imperial court can take the opportunity to send troops and take over Jingzhou in a legitimate way."

Kuai Yue stroked his beard and nodded. "Very likely. That's why Gan Ning is so fearless. He wants to provoke us. If we dare to touch him, Liu Bei from Runan can arrive in Fancheng in a day and coordinate with Gan Ning from the inside. Even if we can stop Liu Bei, there are still Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and others behind us. Moreover, the imperial court's military intervention is based on righteousness. Once it is determined that someone in Jingzhou is causing trouble, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Furthermore, the situation in Xuchang is probably no longer under Cao Cao's control. In my opinion, my lord should go to Xuchang in person, partly to apologize to the emperor, and partly to take the opportunity to investigate the situation."

Pang Ji nodded. "That's right, that's what I think too. The reason the court appointed Gan Ning as the governor of Xiangyang is because we failed to follow His Majesty's orders and provide timely support during the Battle of Guandu."

Pang Ji spoke cautiously and in a low voice, while observing the changes in Liu Biao's facial expressions.

He noticed that Liu looked displeased, his eyebrows twitching a few times in displeasure.

As expected, Liu Biao shook his head after hearing this, "I am getting old and busy with the affairs of Jingzhou, so it is really difficult for me to go to Xudu. Why don't you ask Yidu to go to Xudu to see His Majesty instead?"

Liu Biao had finally secured his position as Governor of Jingzhou, and now that he had left the court, he had no intention of returning. He didn't want to see either Cao Cao or the emperor.

He only wanted to peacefully guard Jingzhou and continue to be its ruler.

In Jingzhou, he was in charge of everything. Once he went to Xuchang, Liu Biao had no idea what would happen.

If the emperor is dissatisfied with him and wants to keep him in Xudu, wouldn't that be troublesome?

The position of governor was first proposed by Liu Yan, who was Liu Zhang's father.

From that time onward, the various lords began to expand their ambitions, amassed their own armies, and expanded their power, treating their territories and cities as their own kingdoms.

Although Liu Biao was a member of the Han imperial family, he was also quite ambitious.

He lived a very comfortable life in Jingzhou, surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines, and also enjoyed the support of the Jingxiang clan.

Whether it was Yuan Shu declaring himself emperor or Cao Cao and Yuan Shao vying for supremacy, he remained the master of Jingzhou for many years, ruling very steadily.

He feared that if he went to Xudu, he would lose everything he had.

Kuai Yue was very disappointed by Liu Biao's attitude and couldn't help but advise, "My lord, you are a member of the Han imperial family. Your presence will show more sincerity. His Majesty will surely cherish the bond of the imperial family and turn a big problem into a small one. Xiangyang is only a few days' journey from Xuchang to the capital, so it won't take much time."

Pang Ji also advised, "My lord, His Majesty has always been benevolent and magnanimous. If you go, His Majesty will certainly not hold it against you. But if you don't go, it will seem that we are not sincere enough."

Liu Biao shook his head, his attitude resolute. "No need for further words. My mind is made up. Let Yidu go in my place."

Kuai Yue and Pang Ji exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of disappointment in each other's eyes.

Kuai Yue had no choice but to set off immediately for Xudu.

Gan Ning had just taken office when he beat Cai Mao, and the news reached Longzhong in just one day.

At noon that day, two young men in white robes sat facing each other in a thatched hut, playing chess and chatting idly.

One of them had a square face, deep eyes that revealed a resolute temperament, dark skin, strong and powerful arms, and a long sword hanging at his waist.

He plays chess quickly and fiercely, like the sword in his hand, sharp as the wind, incredibly fast, each move making a loud clattering sound, full of force.

The other man was refined and elegant, with a fair complexion and a slightly younger age, just over twenty. He walked slowly and steadily, exuding a composure that was clearly beyond his years.

"Yuanzhi, you've lost this round again."

After a while, the younger one laughed heartily, gently placed a piece, and stood up.

The other person quickly realized where he had gone wrong, stomped his foot hard, and said somewhat unwillingly, "Kongming, are you sure you've never played chess before?"

"Yes, didn't you just teach me that?"

"This is really weird. I lost eight out of ten games against you. It makes me suspect that you played against me before."

The young man shook his head. “I’ve played Go with other people before. I’ve never played Chinese chess before, but I’ve heard of it before. I heard that it’s something the current emperor does in his spare time and it’s very popular in Xudu.”

The older one is named Xu Shu, courtesy name Yuanzhi. He likes to travel around and worked as a wandering knight for several years. He even went to jail for standing up for a friend. He learned chess during his travels.

"I'm not playing anymore. You're simply a monster. I've been playing chess for so long, and this is the first time I've lost by so much, and in such a humiliating way."

Xu Shu chuckled self-deprecatingly, not taking it to heart. Soon, he changed the subject to a major event that had recently occurred in Xiangyang.

"Kongming, have you heard? Yesterday, the newly appointed governor of Xiangyang beat Cai Mao."

The man named Kongming, whose full name was Zhuge Liang, was from Langya in Xuzhou.

Because of the war in Xuzhou, his whole family fled to Xiangyang to escape the disaster.

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly. "I have already heard about it."

"How did you hear that? I haven't seen you leave Longzhong." Xu Shu was very surprised and stared at Zhuge Liang with wide eyes.

Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Longzhong is a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. People come and go every day. Some chop wood, some gather herbs, and some come to enjoy the scenery. Even without going down the mountain, we can hear news about what is happening down there from them."

Zhuge Liang was very talkative. Although he lived in Longzhong, he did not shut himself in and only read books. Instead, he often chatted with passersby in the mountains and learned useful information from them.

Every so often, Zhuge Liang would leave Longzhong to travel and broaden his horizons.

Whether boating with friends, chatting with eminent monks in the mountains, or strolling through bustling cities, he was extremely interested in everything from astronomy and geography to military strategy and even the myriad aspects of life. He also had unique insights into the medical skills of treating and saving lives.

He has a strong desire to learn, desperately absorbing everything useful, constantly enriching and strengthening himself.

Xu Shu then asked, "Now that you know, what is your opinion on this?"

Zhuge Liang replied, "As far as I know, the emperor's greatest skill is to achieve great things with small means and to overcome strength with gentleness. Gan Ning is like a small chess piece, yet he has disrupted the entire situation in Jingzhou. I'm afraid it won't be long before Jingzhou changes hands."

"You mean Liu Biao is going to give up Jingzhou?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head and corrected him, "It's not that we're giving it away, it's that we'll lose it."

Xu Shu asked doubtfully, "Is it that serious? Liu Biao has been building up his power in Jingzhou for many years and is deeply respected. Is it really possible that he will lose Jingzhou?"

Zhuge Liang said, “In the past, everyone supported him because he was mature and prudent, and could defend Jingzhou. As long as Jingzhou was stable, everyone would continue to support him. But now, just Gan Ning alone has made Liu Biao unable to deal with him. He can’t fight him, he dares not kill him, and he can’t drive him away. Gan Ning is like a mirror. He has made many people understand that Liu Biao cannot keep Jingzhou stable forever. If Liu Biao cannot handle this matter well, then is it still necessary for everyone to continue to support him?”

(End of this chapter)