Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 678: A Plan Takes Shape

Liu Biao asked in confusion, "Why does the emperor's uncle think so?"

Liu Yu smiled and said, "One of the assassins spoke up. Although he didn't say who sent him, he said that he came to kill me because I was meddling in other people's business in Jingzhou."

Liu Biao was even more puzzled: "Doesn't this further prove that it was Cai Mao who did it?"

Cai Mao was filled with hatred when he heard this: "What the hell are you talking to this old man about? You're killing me!"

Liu Yu shook his head, "No. Jing Sheng, think carefully, I have always been visiting friends in Jingzhou, how could I care about other people's business? If someone in Xiangyang City knows this very well, how could they say such a thing? So I think the assassin must be an outsider who doesn't know the truth, and is worried that I have done something secretly that would ruin their business, so he took such a ruthless action."

Liu Biao still didn't believe it: "This is still not right. Cai Mao has always been in front of me, making slanderous remarks, saying that the emperor's uncle is plotting something bad."

Liu Yu sighed and said, "Why is Jingsheng so foolish? The Cai family has deep roots in Jingzhou. If Jingzhou is lost, how can their entire family survive? Although he has many complaints about me, how could he not know the great power of the court? If I die in the city like this, how could His Majesty not be angry, and how could Jingzhou not be implicated? By then, I am afraid that the entire Cai family will also face the disaster of extermination. How could he, Cai Mao, be so stupid?"

"This..." Liu Biao fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Liu Yu continued, "If I had left Jingzhou, or even been ambushed somewhere in the countryside outside Xiangyang, it might have been General Cai's doing. But now the assassination happened in the city, so it definitely could not have been done by him."

Although Cai Mao was very dissatisfied with Liu Yu, since his life and property were at stake, he immediately knelt down and cried.

"Yes, lord. I would never dare to do such a treasonous thing. Please understand!"

Liu Biao's anger subsided a little, and he waved his hand, asking the guards to let Cai Mao go.

Liu Yu and he walked into the main hall and sat down respectively. Liu Biao still had a confused look on his face.

"But... apart from him, who else could do such a thing?"

Liu Yu pondered for a moment and said, "General Cai may have misunderstood the purpose of my coming to Jingzhou. Do others have the same idea?"

"What the emperor's uncle means is..."

Liu Yu pointed to the west and said, "At this moment, who else could I be most worried about regarding the people in Jingzhou and the court in Luoyang..."

Liu Biao suddenly realized: "It's Liu Yan from Yizhou!"

He patted his thigh, as if he had finally figured it out.

"Yes, that's right. To attack Yizhou, the easiest way is to march from Jingzhou. Now that he has openly proclaimed himself emperor and is rebelling against the court, he will naturally worry that the court's army will march from Shangyong and Jiangling to attack Yizhou, so he will definitely plant spies in various places in Jingzhou. When he learned that the emperor's uncle was here, he must have thought that the emperor's uncle was here on behalf of the court, so he sent assassins to kill the emperor's uncle."

"That's right." Liu Yu also confirmed: "In this way, not only will my so-called diplomatic mission be abandoned, but it may also provoke a war between the court and Jingzhou. Naturally, Yizhou can reap the benefits."

The more Liu Biao thought about it, the more he felt that this must be the case, and he couldn't help but get furious.

"You old villain, how dare you plot against me like this? My Jingzhou and he have nothing to do with each other, and I have always respected him as an elder. For many years, I have served him as an uncle and sent him gifts every year without slacking off. How dare he do such a shameless thing!"

Liu Yu tried to comfort him at this time: "Jingsheng, don't be angry. I am safe now, right? Liu Yan dared to declare himself emperor. Even though it is hateful, the land of Yizhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even Your Majesty is deeply troubled by this. Why should Jingsheng be angry about this matter and hurt his body in vain?"

Cai Mao also quickly interrupted: "Uncle Liu is right. My lord, please calm down and take care of yourself."

Liu Biao glared at him and said, "Do you have the right to speak?"

Cai Mao was stunned and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Humph, if it weren't for the Emperor's uncle's plea today, I would never have spared you. Why don't you thank the Emperor's uncle for saving your life first?"

Cai Mao's eyelids twitched, and he had no choice but to kneel down in front of Liu Yu. "I thank Uncle Liu for his kindness."

Liu Yu smiled and said, "General Cai, there is no need to be polite. I came to Jingzhou just for fun. I am nearly sixty years old and still have a few years to live. While I can still walk, I will visit old friends and see the picturesque scenery of our Han Dynasty. When I meet our ancestors in the future, I will be able to say a few words to them."

"Hey, uncle, don't say such depressing words. I think you are in good health and it will be easy for you to live another 20 or 30 years."

Liu Yu waved his hand and said, "Haha, Jingsheng, don't say such words to comfort me. I know my body best. When I was in Youzhou, I had a lot of illnesses. If it weren't for your majesty's sympathy for my family and relatives, and letting the imperial physician and the genius doctor Hua Tuo often treat me, and using many precious medicinal herbs to nourish me and prolong my life, I'm afraid I would have turned into a handful of yellow earth now."

Liu Biao was somewhat surprised: "Oh? Your Majesty, you are so kind and gracious to my relatives?"

Liu Yu said with a matter-of-fact look: "Of course. Otherwise, do you think Liu Yao could succeed as the governor of Yangzhou so smoothly? Yangzhou is a beautiful place to raise people. With his achievements and reputation, if it weren't for the support of Your Majesty, how could he have such a good thing? Your Majesty often said that during the time of our predecessors Huan and Ling, the world was in chaos because of people of other surnames such as the Ten Attendants, He Jin, and Dong Zhuo, who were eyeing power and causing chaos beyond the scope of the law. The world of our Liu family must be guarded by the Liu family. It's a pity that Liu Yan..."

At this point, Liu Yu sighed, "Oh, forget it, let's not talk about him. How many more years can he still live? I am already this old, and I can't help Your Majesty in any way. Let's not talk about him, let's not talk about him."

Liu Biao's expression changed slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

Cai Mao became a little uneasy upon seeing this and quickly interrupted the two of them.

"My lord, Liu Yan has never had any conflicts with Jingzhou. Could there be a misunderstanding?"

When Liu Biao heard this, his face immediately darkened.

"What do you mean? Are you trying to excuse the old thief?"

Cai Mao was shocked and quickly denied: "I absolutely did not..."

"Okay, stop talking. You can be spared the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. I will demote you to the position of city gate captain and let you guard the South Gate."

"My lord, this..." Cai Mao thought that after he was cleared of the charges, everything would be fine. Unexpectedly, he was demoted to a city gate guard.

Liu Biao stared at him: "Why, are my words no longer effective?"

Cai Mao gritted his teeth and had to obey the order even though he was unwilling.

"Humph, you know what's good for you. Why don't you step back?"

After being scolded by Liu Biao, Cai Mao's face turned blue and purple. He originally wanted to plead for his second sister, but now he could only swallow all his words and retreat.

Liu Yu said, "I've heard for a long time that the Cai family is a big family in Jingzhou. Jingsheng wants to stay in Jingzhou for a long time. It's not appropriate to have such a bad relationship with them, right?"

Liu Biao was very angry. "Why not? Both Jingzhou and Yizhou belong to the Han Dynasty. My nephew was appointed by the court to guard this place. Although the Cai family is rampant in this place, they are just Han people. How dare they rebel? My nephew has been too kind to them over the years, making them arrogant. If this continues, I am afraid that there will be chaos. This is a good opportunity to suppress them. After their arrogance is eliminated, I will find an opportunity to promote them. Otherwise, after my nephew is gone for a hundred years, I am afraid that Liu Qi will not be able to suppress them even if he wants to."

Liu Yu's eyes flickered for a moment, and then he smiled and said, "How pitiful. But Cai Mao alone commanded nearly 30% of the troops in Jingzhou. Now that he has been demoted, these soldiers must be properly resettled. Ordinary generals may not be able to convince them."

"This is easy. Although Liu Qi is not good at marching and fighting, he is kind by nature and is very considerate to the people and soldiers. Therefore, he is quite popular among the people and the army. Letting him take over the military power should be fine. Moreover, now that this incident has happened, my nephew will let him lead the army to guard against Yizhou, and let another general lead 30,000 troops to reinforce Shangyong. Cai Mao and other soldiers can be transferred to the front line. Regardless of whether they have made contributions or not, my nephew will reward them after a year. This will win their hearts back to the governor's office, and prevent them from being like his personal troops of the Cai family now."

Liu Yu nodded slightly: "Well, Jingsheng is so thoughtful, I am worrying too much. Alas, I originally wanted to go to Yangzhou for a few days, but now these assassins have ruined my mood. His Majesty will definitely send someone to call me back to Luoyang. It's really disappointing."

"Haha, this is the favor of His Majesty to my uncle, and I should be happy. Since my uncle is leaving, you don't have to go back to the inn tonight. Just rest in the governor's mansion. I will accompany you to have a few drinks."

"Oh? That's the best. You don't know that when I was in Luoyang, it was not easy for me to drink a few glasses of wine. The great doctor Hua Tuo always advised me to avoid drinking. Oh, didn't this cost me my life..."

(End of this chapter)