The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 269 Liu Bei knew, Li Yi knew, so they waited for Yuan Long here early.

Meanwhile, the three families of Cao, Sun, and Liu each harbored their own ambitions, all hoping to take advantage of Liu Biao's serious illness and the infighting among the people of Jingzhou to claim a share of the spoils.

The general situation in Jingzhou at present is that powerful clans such as Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, and Kuai Yue, who hold military and real power, support the second son Liu Cong.

Liu Qi, who fled alone to Jiangxia and was outnumbered and outmatched, sought refuge with Liu Bei.

Although Cai Mao seized most of the power in Jingzhou while Liu Biao was seriously ill.

But he understood that it would be too difficult to fight against Liu Bei with the strength of Jingzhou alone.

Not to mention that Liu Qi also took Jiangxia, and then Sun Wu stationed himself at Xiakou, always eyeing it covetously.

The Cai family has absolutely no way of dealing with both of them at the same time.

Therefore, Cai Mao thought of an old friend of his—Cao Cao.

Cao Cao and Cai Mao were actually old friends, which is why Cai Mao in history dared to offer all nine commanderies of Jingzhou to Cao Cao.

Because he knew that Cao Cao would definitely not treat him unfairly.

As for the story in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms where Cao Cao mistakenly fell for Zhou Yu's divisive scheme and killed Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, that is of course fiction.

Historically, Cai Mao not only died peacefully, but also lived a very luxurious and carefree life.

Historical records state, "At that time, Cai Mao's family lived on Caizhou Island. Their house was very magnificent, with all four walls made of bluestone corners."

"He had hundreds of maids and concubines in his household, and forty or fifty villas."

Although Cao Cao treated Cai Mao as an old friend, this was ultimately based on his betrayal of Liu Cong and framing of Liu Qi.

Their actions are despicable.

However, in this world, Cai Mao did not have to be as humble as he was in history when interacting with Cao Cao.

After all, Cao Cao is only slightly stronger than Jingzhou after its division.

Jingzhou itself was not weak, but the power could not be centralized, which caused its external wars to always end in failure.

Even so, Jingzhou was still beset by internal and external troubles at this time.

Externally, Liu Bei's 50,000-strong army was stationed in Jiangxia, while internally, Zhou Yu's 20,000-strong navy was eyeing Xiakou.

Cai Mao was filled with anxiety day and night when he suddenly heard that an envoy from Wei had arrived.

He was urgently summoned to the inner room, his attendants dismissed, and he personally served him a cup of wine.

After exchanging pleasantries, both sides took their seats as host and guest.

The envoy from Wei was Gaotang Long. Gaotang was a compound surname, and his given name was Long.

Gao Tanglong served as an inspector in his early years and later as prime minister. He was a seasoned politician and adept at reading people.

Seeing Cai Mao's anxious expression, yet his forced composure, he couldn't help but find it amusing, and raised his cup, saying:
"General Cai's prestige is renowned throughout Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Today, Duke Wei has specially dispatched me to seek an alliance."

Cai Mao feigned composure, stroked his beard, and said:
"Why would the Duke of Wei, who is far away in Yedu, suddenly send an envoy here?"

Gao Tanglong laughed loudly:
"Why ask a question you already know the answer to, General?"

"Currently, Liu Qi, the eldest son of Liu Bei, has led Liu Bei into Jiangxia, and Zhou Yu is eyeing Xiakou with hostility. Jingzhou is in grave danger!"

"Lord Wei cannot bear to see Liu Jing's legacy fall into the hands of others, therefore he is willing to lend the general a helping hand!"

After he finished speaking, Gao Tanglong reported the conditions offered by Cao Cao.

This indicates that deposing the eldest son in favor of the younger son is a path to chaos, and even if you are a noble family from Jingzhou and Xiangyang, you will have to bear enormous pressure.

However, Wei Gong was willing to submit a memorial to the court recommending Liu Cong as the governor of Jingzhou, in order to show his support.

When that time comes, Cai Mao will become the governor of Nan Commandery and share power with Duke Wei in Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Cai Mao swallowed hard. In truth, his ambitions weren't so great as to want to dominate Jingzhou.

These powerful clans, from beginning to end, only wanted to protect their vested interests.

Supporting Liu Cong to the throne would consolidate their own position, a decision made unanimously by their family.

The night was deep, and the sound of the clappers on the city wall of Xiangyang rang out past midnight.

Inside the secret room, only the flickering candlelight reflected the ever-changing mood on Gao Tanglong's face.

Gao Tanglong suddenly began toying with the wine cup in his hand, and asked Cai Mao meaningfully:
"How has Lord Chu been feeling lately?"

Cai Mao raised an eyebrow. Now, Liu Biao's diet and daily life were all controlled by his sister.

This kind of thing shouldn't be publicized, even to allies.

He could only make excuses, saying:

"My brother-in-law is seriously ill and I fear he doesn't have much time left."

"The doctor examined my pulse the other day and said... said I would live no more than ten days or a month."

Before he could finish speaking, the wine cup slammed onto the table with a "click".

"If that's the case, why not resolve it quickly?"

Gao Tanglong stood up, leaned forward, and looked into Cai Mao's eyes:
"In the past, Dong Zhuo deposed and installed emperors in a single night."

"Now that the general holds considerable military power, when will you wait any longer?"

"It should be known that Zhuge Liang's army has already marched to Jiangxia, waiting for the Qi army to arrive."

"It will be difficult for Liu Cong to rise to power!"

boom! !

A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside the window, and the cup in Cai Mao's hand clattered to the ground, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"...This...this matter can be discussed later..."

"Discuss? Ha!"

Gao Tanglong suddenly appeared, stood up with his hands behind his back.

When you were blocking Liu Jingsheng's eyes and ears, did you show any mercy? Did you never think that this day would come?

"Now the arrow is on the bowstring, and there is no choice but to release it."

As he spoke, Gao Tanglong leaned down and suddenly lowered his voice, saying:
"They only said it was an acute carbuncle, and that it was incurable."

"Countless heroes throughout history have perished here!"

Cai Mao's face turned pale, and he remained hesitant and undecided.

The person who imprisoned Liu Biao and shut him out was his sister.

He was merely working with Zhang Yun to control the military power in Xiangyang, never imagining things would turn out this way.

It's gotten to this point!
Takashi Takado continued speaking:
"...General Cai is a man of outstanding talent, so how could he be so unable to prioritize such an important matter?"

"At present, Wei Gong's army is still on its way, and Liu Bei's army has not yet arrived in Jingzhou."

"The decision regarding Xiangyang now rests not with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, but with General Cai alone."

"If the armies of Wei and Liu Bei were to arrive in Jingzhou, do you think the Cai family would still have the final say in the affairs of Xiangyang?"

Gao Tanglong analyzed it methodically.

As long as Cao Cao and Liu Bei don't come, your Cai family will be the absolute rulers of Jingzhou.

When Cao Cao and Liu Bei arrive, Liu Bei will support Liu Qi to the throne, and Cao Cao will support Liu Cong to the throne.

How will your Cai family deal with this?

"...This...this..."

Cai Mao's lips trembled, and he spread his hands, looking somewhat helpless.

"Killing the king is a grave crime, how can this be allowed!"

Upon seeing this, Gao Tanglong abruptly stood up.

Pretending to leave, he said in a cold voice:
"Liu Bei's army is approaching, and Zhou Yu's Xiakou navy is eyeing them covetously."

"General Cai is still hesitant to act rashly, which shows that Lord Wei has misjudged people."

"These people are not worth discussing strategy with!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Cai Mao quickly pulled him back, lowered his head, and pondered for a moment.

He then said to Gao Tanglong:

"...Very well, I'll follow your advice."

"However, matters within the inner chambers are all under the control of my elder sister. I will discuss this with her first before proceeding with this matter."

good!
Gao Tanglong nodded in satisfaction, secretly finding it amusing.

Cai Mao was indeed a fool with no sense of strategy.

This man has long enjoyed the salary of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and today he murdered the king, which is tantamount to giving Cao Cao a handle to use against him.

When it comes to sanctioning you, Cai Mao, in the future, won't it be a piece of cake?

"This matter is of great importance. General Cai, please discuss it carefully to avoid any oversights that could give others cause for criticism."

Cai Mao agreed with his words and went to find his sister, Madam Cai, feeling rather disgruntled.

On the way, they encountered Zhang Yun, who also commanded the Jingxiang navy.
Zhang Yun then asked Cai Mao what the Wei envoy had told him.

The two had a fairly close relationship, and now they were in the same boat again.

Cai Mao immediately told him the truth.

Zhang Yun was greatly surprised upon hearing this and said:
"Does Gao Tanglong intend for us to murder the emperor?!"

Cai Mao, feigning composure and decisiveness, said to Zhang Yun:
"Now that Liu Qi has brought Liu Bei as an ally, if we do not receive Cao Cao's assistance, Jingzhou will be difficult to defend."

"Moreover, my elder sister once told me that my lord is already seriously ill and does not have much time left."

“Even if we don’t do this, I’m afraid our lord will not live past next year.”

This...sigh...

Zhang Yun sighed, his hands behind his back.

He never imagined things would turn out this way.

He and Cai Mao only wanted to support Liu Cong to take the throne so that they could seize more benefits from Jingzhou in the future.

Moreover, Zhang Yun was actually Liu Biao's nephew.

With such a kinship relationship involved, this matter becomes even more difficult.

Seeing Zhang Yun's hesitant expression, Cai Mao drew his sword and shouted:
"I have made up my mind!"

"Once the matter is settled, we will share the wealth of Jingzhou and Xiangyang."

"If things don't go well, surrendering to Duke Wei will still make me a wealthy old man!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yun had no choice but to comply.

He then asked with concern:
"I heard that Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang with 50,000 troops to Jiangxia, and Zhou Yu also stationed 20,000 troops at Xiakou."

"The troops that Jingzhou can mobilize are only 40,000. How can we possibly fight them?"

Jingzhou had over 100,000 armored soldiers, of whom 40,000 were under the control of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun.

Cai Mao immediately comforted Zhang Yun, saying:
"Do not worry, Lord Cao has personally led an army of 50,000 south."

"At that time, the combined forces of Chu and Wei will number at least 100,000."

"100,000 versus 70,000, the advantage is in my hands."

Zhang Yun was relieved, fearing that Cao Cao had tricked them into murdering Liu Biao but then refused to participate in the battle.

Upon hearing the news that he had led an army of 50,000 south, they felt reassured.

Subsequently, Cai Mao found his sister, Madam Cai, and told her about the matter.

To Cai Mao's surprise, Madam Cai appeared quite calm and composed, unlike his own hesitation.

"The doctor had examined the old man before and found that his illness had reached a critical stage."

"If it were announced at this time that he died of carbuncle, no one would doubt it."

Lady Cai's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent as she spoke to Cai Mao:
"If Liu Qi gains power, my Cai family will also be unable to protect its clan."

"This matter should be handled as soon as possible."

Cai Mao nodded and sighed:

"Then it's entirely up to you, sister..."

The days passed, and spring rain fell softly.

After arranging for her trusted men to stand guard outside the door, Madam Cai personally took the medicine into the bedroom.

At that time, Liu Biao was bedridden, and he looked haggard and withered.

My physical condition and energy are far from what they used to be.

Upon seeing the lady arrive, he struggled to his feet and said to her:
"While I am seriously ill, has anything major happened outside of Jingzhou?"

At this time, Liu Biao was unaware that the servants who served him had all been replaced by trusted confidants of the Cai clan.

Madam Cai responded softly:
"There is nothing else, my husband, please drink this medicine."

Liu Biao sat up, brought the medicine to his lips, and gave further instructions:

"Have Liu Bei and Cao Cao made any moves in the north?"

Madam Cai supported his back and said:
"Nothing else has happened; Jingzhou and Xiangyang are at peace."

"My husband, please don't be suspicious."

Liu Biao sensed that Lady Cai was acting strangely today, and immediately replied:
"When the ruler is ill and needs medicine, his minister will taste it first."

"When a parent is ill and needs medicine, the child should taste it first."

"Now that you are my lady, you should test the medicine on me first."

Lady Cai immediately became impatient, grabbed Liu Biao's hair ornament, and personally helped him drink the liquid.

Before Liu Biao had finished drinking, his eyes suddenly widened in horror, and he pointed at his wife, unable to speak.

He died with blood gushing from all seven orifices.

The great hero Liu Biao thus exited the stage of history.

He died at the age of sixty-five.

He has experienced both highs and lows in his life.

Whether in this world or in history, he left in a daze.

However, it cannot be denied that Liu Biao was a benevolent ruler in a chaotic era who loved his people like his own children.

Everything he did was always based on the core interests of Jingzhou.

He observed the changing times from the sidelines for his entire life.

But on the eve of the match, he forcibly quit the game.

And he died at the hands of his wife, how tragic and lamentable...

After Lady Cai murdered Liu Biao, she calmly wiped his face and feigned weeping, saying:

"My lord's carbuncle has flared up!"

"My lord's carbuncle has flared up!"

"..."

For a moment, the cries and screams shook the heavens.

Upon hearing the commotion, the servants rushed into the house. Seeing that Liu Biao was dead, they all prostrated themselves and wept bitterly.

The following day, Cai Mao met with Kuai Yue, Zhang Yun, and others, and said:

"Our lord left a will to establish his second son, Liu Cong, as his heir."

Although Liu Biao died under mysterious circumstances and the cause of his death was very strange.

But now the top three forces in the world are about to enter the final round.

The scholars and powerful clans had no time to investigate the cause of Liu Biao's death; what they really needed to consider now was:

How can we protect Jingzhou? How can we safeguard the vested interests of the people?

After arranging Liu Biao's funeral, Cai Mao took out the imperial edict brought by Cao Cao.

The public reads:

"A decree issued by the Emperor!"

"Now I appoint my adopted son Liu Cong as Governor of Jingzhou, Cai Mao as Prefect of Nanjun, and Zhang Yun as Prefect of Nanyang."

Now, even a fool could see that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun had already packaged the Jingzhou Group and handed it over to Cao Cao.

However, people don't care about these things anymore.

Whether Jingzhou is in chaos or not is ultimately up to the gentry.

The Liu family was only the nominal leader; the real decision-making power lay with the powerful clans.

For these gentry families in Jingzhou, being subordinate to Cao Cao was a matter of great importance.

It was the group's own acquisition. As middle managers, what difference did they make which company they worked for?
Within large companies, employee badges tend to look better.

As for why everyone didn't choose Liu Bei?
It wasn't that they didn't want to choose, but rather that the board of directors had always supported the young master, Liu Cong.

As a result, Liu Bei turned around and expressed his support for Liu Qi's succession, which naturally made him their adversary.
Furthermore, although Cao Cao lost Hebei in his struggle against Liu Bei.

However, Cao Cao's main focus was always in Henan, and his overall national strength was no match for Liu Bei's.

However, in terms of military strength, it is not far behind.

Facing the powerful and influential Liu Bei, and Cao Cao, who desperately needed assistance.

The investment by the powerful families of Jingzhou is very easy to calculate.

The Liu Bei group has now taken shape.

The board of directors has several major shareholders, including Li Yi, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Deng, and Mi Jia.

These people hold the most shares.

Even if they surrendered Jingzhou to Liu Bei, it would be difficult for them to compete with the major shareholders mentioned above.

That's not all. Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang south because he wanted to promote some rising talents.

The group was already extremely competitive, and Liu Bei still planned to use his juniors.

Although they were treated well after surrendering to Liu Bei in Jingzhou, they certainly could not become the largest shareholder.

This was unacceptable to the aristocratic families who were used to a comfortable life.

But what about Cao Cao?

Losing Hebei was like losing an arm of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao desperately wanted a powerful ally.

If we could offer timely assistance and hand over Jingzhou to Wei for acquisition, it would be in a very difficult situation.

Cao Cao gained a province for free, so how could he treat us unfairly?

Never underestimate these gentry families of Jingzhou.

Throughout the late Han Dynasty, the gentry of Jingzhou remained steadfast on major issues of right and wrong, displaying remarkable shrewdness.

If Jingchu were to unite with Wei, it would be entirely capable of challenging Qi and Wu.

After all, although the State of Qi was becoming increasingly powerful, its strategic depth was also growing.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Liu Bei to commit more troops to the south.

Although Li Yi has managed the north very well, it is impossible to leave not a single soldier behind.

Even a powerful figure like Yuan Shen only dared to move south because he left a large number of troops in Hebei.

Furthermore, from a strategic perspective, Cao Wei's territory was perfectly adjacent to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, allowing them to support each other.

On the contrary, Liu Bei's army could only enter from Jiangxia, which put Jingzhou in a very passive position strategically.

They depended entirely on the whims of the Qi state for their livelihood.

Therefore, Liu Biao's death did not cause much of a stir.

Conversely, Jingzhou, which originally lacked centralized power, became increasingly divided at this time.

Because when Liu Biao was alive, he could suppress the powerful families.

Now that Liu Biao is gone, the power of Jingzhou has completely fallen into the hands of the gentry and powerful clans.

Although Liu Cong was the governor of Jingzhou, at this moment he was nothing more than a clay figure in a temple.

The crowd hurriedly helped Liu Cong to take the throne, and then officially announced the matter to the public.

When Liu Qi, who was in Jiangxia at the time, received the news, he was greatly alarmed.

When I arrived, my father was still in good health.

"I have only been gone for a few weeks, why must I die!"

Liu Qi collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed with grief.

Those around him helped him up and offered words of advice:
"Young Master, today is not the time to be sad."

"Liu Cong has succeeded to the position of ruler of Jingzhou and Xiangyang. We should make plans as soon as possible to avoid trouble."

Liu Qi wiped away his tears, nodded, and said to everyone:
“I have already asked my uncle for help, and he will arrive in Jiangxia soon.”

"We'll discuss it then!"

There was nothing Liu Qi could do; he simply didn't have enough cards to play.

To turn the tide, they can only rely on Liu Bei.

In the following days,

Everyone was on tenterhooks, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Liu Bei's army.

Not to be discussed.

……

On this day, Zhuge Liang's 50,000-strong army had arrived at Xincheng.

This was the city that Guan Yu had besieged Cao Ren in before, a city he had been unable to capture for a long time.

After the peace talks, he ultimately returned to Liu Bei.

Once you leave the new city, you'll be in Jiangxia territory.

Zhuge Liang ordered everyone to rest temporarily in this place, while he himself began to review the local household registers and measure the land.

Li Yi used to do all these things.

Wherever Li Yi went, he would look through the local records.

Zhuge Liang always followed suit and respected Li Yi as his teacher.

This move was both to demonstrate his diligence to the public and to send a political signal.

In other words, Liu Bei sent Li Yi here specifically to flatter me.

You had better cooperate with the work. If you cause any trouble, don't blame the military for being ruthless.

Li Yi retired to the background and was quite happy to have some peace and quiet.

He stood by the Huai River, waiting quietly.

Suddenly, on the south bank of the Huai River, war drums sounded loudly, and boats, like ants, sailed in with the wind.

Li Yi remained calm and waited quietly for the boat to approach.

The first ship in the fleet was flying a large banner with the character "Chen" on it.

Before long, Chen Deng, dressed in a green robe, came riding on the waves, the jade pendant at his waist jingling.

Upon reaching the shore, Chen Deng rushed up and gave Li Yi a big hug.

"Brother Ziyu!" Chen Deng bowed deeply, sighing, "It has been ten years since we parted in Guangling!"

Li Yi helped his old friend up, and saw that his face was rosy and healthy, showing no signs of his previous illness.
He couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Yuanlong, you are so heroic and dashing today. Do you still remember how miserable you were when you were curled up on your sickbed in the early years of Jian'an, unable to eat?"

Chen Deng was overjoyed when Li Yi brought up the old story.

The two met and burst into laughter.

It turns out that although Chen Deng had already achieved great success, he was still far inferior to Li Yi.

Considering Li Yi's current status in Qi, Chen Deng immediately tried to rekindle their old friendship.

They only emphasized friendship, remaining silent about their professional positions.

When they were young, Li Yi held a banquet in the military tent and invited Chen Deng to have some wine.

Inside the tent, the charcoal fire crackled, and on the table lay fresh fish and fine wine, all reminiscent of the old Guangling flavors.

After several rounds of drinks, Chen Deng suddenly put down his chopsticks and sighed:

"...Brother Ziyu, I have been preparing for this trip to Jiangnan for a long time."

What is supposed to come will still come.

Since Liu Bei entrusted all affairs in Jiangnan to Zhuge Liang, he certainly needed someone to appease Chen Deng and other generals in Huainan.

Liu Bei knew this, so he sent Li Yi over.

Li Yi knew this, so he left Zhuge Liang behind and waited by the river early in the morning.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi calmly poured Chen Deng a full glass of chrysanthemum wine.
"...Although Kongming was young, he possessed extraordinary talent."

"The King of Qi arranged for him to go to the south of the Yangtze River, and he had his own reasons for doing so."

As he spoke, Li Yi glanced at Chen Deng's expression, but then changed the subject.

"However, without Yuanlong's Huainan navy, how could our army have crossed the Yangtze River?"

As he spoke, he pushed the sashimi in front of Chen Deng.

"Just like this sea bream, it would lack flavor if it were without Huai River mustard sauce."

Chen Deng remained silent, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"How could one person possibly conquer the nine prefectures of Jingzhou?"

Li Yi suddenly lowered his voice and continued:

"Cai Mao is entrenched in Nanjun, while Huang Zu's remnants are scattered throughout Jiangxia."

As he spoke, he dipped his finger in wine and drew three lines on the table:

"The brave warriors of Huainan captured Jiangling, Zhuge Liang took Xiangyang, and then moved on to the Jiangxia area..."

Her fingers brushed past the wine stains, and she chuckled softly.

Jiangxia is a strategic location connecting Huainan.

However, at this time, Lujiang belonged to the Sun family.

The implication is that things will go smoothly in the future when pacifying Jiangnan.

Not to mention Jiangxia, even Yangzhou should offer you, Yuanlong, the opportunity to make a name for yourself.

Yangzhou is also considered part of Jiangnan, which aligns with your lifelong ambition, Chen Yuanlong!
Faced with Li Yi's grand promises, even the astute Chen Deng was shrewd.

If it were someone else, Chen Deng might not believe it.

But if it were Li Yi, Chen Deng would definitely believe it.

Not to mention the life-saving grace he received back then, it was he who persuaded him to go to Guangling and develop the Huainan area.

He has already made a name for himself in Huainan, all thanks to Li Yi.

Therefore, Li Yi's kindness to Chen Deng was not only saving his life, but also recognizing his talent and potential!
“…Good, brother’s words will be remembered by Chen Deng.”

Chen Deng felt relieved and thanked Li Yi.

"But brother, what are your chances of success in this trip to Jiangnan?"

"……Um."

Li Yi pondered for a long time, then stroked his beard and analyzed:

“The powerful and influential families in Jingzhou are deeply entrenched and intertwined.”

Even Liu Jingsheng was overwhelmed.

"In my opinion, we must use both kindness and severity, and take a two-pronged approach!"

Different hands require different playing styles.

When Li Yi first entered Xuzhou, he had no power or influence.

They could only borrow Liu Bei's power and try their best to win over the various factions in Xuzhou.

But now Qi is strong and Jingzhou is weak.

This southward expedition involved an army of over 50,000 men.

Given Li Yi's temperament, how could he possibly compromise with the gentry and powerful families as he did when he entered Xuzhou?
"Brother, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Chen Deng then asked.

"Now Liu Qi has fled to Jiangxia, and Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and others have taken control of Xiangyang."

"Knowing that our army is marching south, they will surely establish Liu Cong as the ruler of Jingzhou as soon as possible."

Li Yi analyzed it calmly.

"Brother, you mean Cai Mao and Zhang Yun might have murdered the emperor!"

Chen Deng asked, his mouth agape.

"...It is uncertain."

"Only when we arrived in Jiangxia and met Young Master Liu Qi did we realize what the current situation in Jingzhou was like."

Chen Deng agreed to this and led the Huainan navy to join forces with Li Yi and others.

After passing the new city, we headed straight for Jiangxia.

Two days later,
Upon receiving the news, Liu Qi led his troops to stand by the river early, waiting for the army to arrive.

Upon reaching the shore, one could see a group of great figures, including Zhuge Liang, Li Yi, Chen Deng, Huang Zhong, and Zhao Yun, gradually coming ashore.

Liu Qi hurriedly led his men to greet them, and walked to Zhuge Liang and Li Yi.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to bow and pay his respects to Li Yi first.

"Liu Qi pays his respects to the Prime Minister!"

After speaking, he immediately bowed to Zhuge Liang, Chen Deng, and the others.

……

(End of this chapter)