He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 74 Liu Biao is dumbfounded

Liu Biao of Xiangyang in Jingzhou was in high spirits, overjoyed by the good news. Although no news had arrived from Xuzhou, this proved that Liu Bei and his allies were indeed seriously considering the matter. If they disagreed, they could have simply refused. Now, he was ready to join hands with Xuzhou to move towards a new tomorrow.

Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, who were standing to the side, didn't know what Liu Biao had done either, so they honestly reported their work and, incidentally, spoke ill of Liu Qi.

Clearly, some people found this routine too monotonous and insisted on giving Liu Biao something new. A close attendant, carrying bamboo slips, quickly approached Liu Biao: "My lord! News has arrived from Xuzhou!"

"Let me see." Liu Biao smiled and took the bamboo slip from the attendant's hand, slowly unfolding it to read it carefully.

Then he was shocked to see that Yi Ji had written "Liu Bei has made preparations to attack Huainan a few days ago". Each character was written neatly, but he couldn't recognize it when they were put together.

Liu Biao had lost interest in continuing to read. At this moment, he suddenly had a strange feeling in his heart, which he could not explain.

From a later perspective, it's like traveling back to the Republic of China era and finding yourself in a government building. You might be contemplating following the Founding Father to realize his ideal of "the world belongs to all," or feigning allegiance to the bald man to strengthen your own power, preparing for another mountain climbing competition, or trying to make the spark burn even brighter. Finally, you've planned everything and are ready to make your grand plans, but then you look up and see a portrait of Wang Jingwei hanging on the wall.

All my ambitions have been wasted!

Unlike some people who would complain or fly into a rage at the slightest setback, Liu Biao had seriously considered the possibility of Liu Bei turning against him. Now, upon learning of Liu Bei's military expedition, he was at most a little unhappy.

Since Liu Bei was no longer willing to cooperate, Liu Biao needed to consider how to conquer the three commanderies of Jiangdong using the resources of Jingzhou alone. His primary objective was to win over Hua Xin of Yuzhang Commandery and strive to take Yuzhang without bloodshed. Liu Xun and Huang Zu had no choice but to let them continue to act as a shield for Jingzhou against Sun Ce.

Having mentally prepared a contingency plan, Liu Biao smiled apologetically at the two men: "I was a bit out of line. I didn't expect Liu Bei to disagree with my invitation to form an alliance. He doesn't seem like a short-sighted person, so why is he in such a hurry to march into Huainan? Could it be that he's realized I also have designs on Xuzhou?"

Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, Liu Biao explained in detail to the two his plan to unite Xu and Yang, divide Jiangdong, and gradually make Liu Bei a puppet.

After listening, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue felt that their lord's plan was not bad at all, a fairly standard and conventional plan. Well, there was nothing they could do about it; they could just consider it a move they made when they were bored.

"It seems my lord needs to revise the plan. I think—" Kuai Yue picked up the bamboo slip, his gaze falling on the last few lines of text: "—.?"

"Yidu, what do you think?" Liu Biao was puzzled as to why his chief strategist stopped halfway through his sentence, so he asked.

"I think you can read all of Yijibo's letters, my lord." Kuai Yue stared straight ahead and handed the bamboo slips in his hand to Liu Biao.

Hearing this, Liu Biao composed himself, took the bamboo slip, and began to read it again. Cai Mao, who was standing nearby, was also intrigued and craned his neck to watch from behind Liu Biao.

If you ask yourself honestly, Liu Biao was quite surprised when he saw Liu Bei recommending Liu Qi to be the governor of Yangzhou. In the world today, it is not uncommon for fathers and sons or brothers to turn against each other. It was truly unbelievable that Liu Bei, a complete stranger with no relation to him, would be willing to give his son a helping hand.

Therefore, upon seeing this news, Liu Biao felt not joy, but a sense of impending crisis. To those unaware of the internal situation in Jingzhou, this was indeed excellent news; Liu Biao, one of the "Eight Steeds," had a son who was also a formidable figure, becoming a governor of a region at a young age.

It's one thing for others to think that way, but how could Liu Biao not know what kind of mess they were in?

The two largest families in Jingzhou both supported Liu Cong. Aside from a few die-hards and those hoping to advance their own careers through Liu Qi, very few people favored Liu Qi. Given this overwhelming advantage, it was difficult for Liu Biao to support his eldest son. If things continued this way, Liu Biao would have no choice but to go with the flow and install Liu Cong as emperor, ensuring a smooth power transition in Jingzhou.

However, if Liu Qi really becomes the governor of Yangzhou, a large number of aristocratic families who have been suppressed by the Cai and Kuai families will naturally join Liu Qi's ranks and challenge Liu Cong in order to advance their own careers.

To put it more vividly, Liu Cong had the support of both Cai and Kuai, so his approval rating was 80%; Liu Qi, on the other hand, lacked powerful backers, sufficient supporters, and his own influence, so his approval rating was only 10%; and 10% of people in the middle did not vote and declared themselves neutral.

Now that Liu Bei has directly bestowed upon Liu Qi the title of Governor of Yangzhou, he has nominally become a regional warlord. Moreover, Liu Bei is likely to endorse and support him. Others seeking advancement will see Liu Qi's potential rise and join his ranks, striving to emulate Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, and also to claim credit for their role in the rise of Liu Qi. Liu Qi's approval rating will naturally increase.

If Liu Qi's approval rating suddenly rose above 60%, surpassing Liu Cong, Liu Biao wouldn't think much of it. The key question is whether Liu Bei would allow him to have his way. For Liu Bei, the best outcome would be for the two to be evenly matched, with neither able to achieve a decisive victory on their own. The powerful families of Jingzhou would only become more ruthless and cruel in their power struggles.

While Liu Biao is still alive, these people still need to be taken into consideration. But if Liu Biao were to pass away one day, the division of Jingzhou would be brought into the open.

Liu Cong was promoted by the Cai and Kuai families. This kid will most likely not be able to control Cai Mao and Kuai Yue in the future and will become their puppet.

Liu Qi has no base of support, so if he wants to win this succession battle, he can only bring in outside help. And the only outside help he can bring in is Liu Biao, who is obviously Liu Bei, and he will also become a puppet.

Then Liu Biao's territory split into two: one side claimed the other was a representative of the vested interest group, a puppet of the West! The other side claimed the other was a lackey of foreign forces, a puppet of the East!

No matter how Liu Biao looked at this future, he felt utterly hopeless and his vision went black.

Cai Mao had no idea what Liu Biao was thinking. He appeared to be jumping up and down in a panic, but secretly he was overjoyed: "Oh dear! Is Liu Bei really that wicked? It's so dangerous to send the eldest son to Yangzhou to take up his post now."

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