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

Chapter 77 Father and Son Turn Against Each Other (Revised Version)

After the initial panic, Liu Biao and the other two began to reorganize their counterattack.

Although Liu Biao had seemed on the verge of death, he recovered after a few days of rest. The main reason was that Liu Biao felt his continued despondency would only benefit that bastard Liu Bei. With the mindset that if he couldn't live well, no one else could either, Liu Biao resumed his collaboration with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue to address the various crises facing Jingzhou.

Kuai Yue spoke first, this time truly serious and no longer underestimating the enemy as before: "Things have come to this point, and I also bear responsibility. My lord, please immediately strengthen security for the eldest son and replace all his staff and servants. As long as the eldest son remains in Jingzhou, the claim to Yangzhou will always be in our hands!"

Liu Biao did not respond to him immediately. No matter what, Liu Qi was still his own son. Besides, the child had not done anything wrong. He was just unlucky to be born into his family.

Sending soldiers to place him under house arrest was already the bottom line that Liu Biao could accept; he was really unwilling to take any more extreme actions.

Seeing Liu Biao's conflicted expression, Kuai Yue was furious. "Now you know he's your biological son, and the fatherly love that disappeared has reappeared. What were you doing before?"

"My lord! Now is not the time to indulge in sentimental thoughts! Liu Bei has already set his sights on us. The most urgent task at hand is to immediately control the eldest son!"

Liu Biao took a deep breath, pretending to be serious. The hesitation in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the decisiveness of the Governor of Jingzhou: "I know. As soon as the imperial envoy leaves, I will have him move to another place."

In truth, Liu Biao hadn't completely given up on his eldest son. After the previous house arrest, Liu Qi had shown considerable promise, so upon hearing that he had been recruiting advisors and building up his strength, Liu Biao refrained from further restrictions. However, with Cai and Kuai both acting somewhat erratically due to the imperial edict, Liu Biao could only secretly offer his son small acts of assistance.

Kuai Yue looked at Liu Biao's resolute eyes and nodded in satisfaction. This was the Liu Jing Sheng he knew. He then began his next plan: "Next, we must turn public opinion in Jingzhou towards our lord. We must declare that this is because our lord is a man of great principle, actively recommending worthy men without regard to kinship, and recommending his son to the court! Liu Bei merely happened to be there and submitted the memorial on his behalf. The people of Jingzhou will only praise our lord's impartiality, not Liu Bei's recommendation."

By seizing the narrative and the right to interpret the matter, they can portray a political attack against themselves as a proactive maneuver, salvaging as much face as possible. In other words, this is the philosophy of winning: as long as I don't admit it, I'm always winning.

Seeing his ally say so much in one breath, Cai Mao racked his brains and came up with a plan: "Not only that, our army should also demonstrate its strength to Liu Bei. We will deploy the Jingzhou troops to Lujiang County to cooperate with Liu Xun of Lujiang in conducting strategic deterrence against Liu Bei."

Liu Biao shook his head, feeling that Cai Mao's plan was not very good. When he had talked with the angel before, the angel had revealed that the court had already appointed Liu Bei as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of Xu and Yang provinces. Legally speaking, Liu Xun should leave Lujiang County immediately and give up the territory.

Moreover, Liu Xun only came to join Sun Ce to defend against his attacks. In essence, Liu Xun and Sun Ce had a relationship of vassal and vassal. It would be strange if Sun Ce agreed to send troops into someone else's core territory under such circumstances.

After learning of Liu Biao's opinion, Cai Mao felt that Liu Biao had suffered a great shock and his mind was not quite right.

Liu Bei was the military governor of Xu and Yang provinces, and Liu Qi was the governor of Yang province! As long as Liu Biao's army was operating under Liu Qi's banner, they had a reason to remain in Huainan. Furthermore, since Liu Bei had already attacked, even if Liu Xun was dissatisfied with Liu Biao, he would need reinforcements to hold onto the remaining territory.

Liu Biao thought it made sense and agreed with his idea. However, the three men had different opinions on which part of the army to send and who should lead it.

Liu Biao wanted the Cai and Kuai families to go with their private armies, Cai Mao wanted Liu Biao's direct subordinates to go, while Kuai Yue refused to go at all, wanting Liu Xun to be severely beaten. After the beating, Liu Xun would inevitably rely more on the support of Jingzhou.

The initial atmosphere of unity and cooperation among the three vanished instantly, and they reverted to bickering. After some haggling, they unanimously decided to first write a letter to Liu Xun to discuss the matter. They would provide support if possible, and if not, that was fine; he could do whatever he wanted.

However, this wasn't the end of it. Kuai Yue had one last plan: "My lord, please immediately write a letter to Sun Ce. The letter should say something like this: Liu Bei is cunning. He has used the court's name to recommend my son Qi as the governor of Yangzhou, his intention to annex Jiangdong is obvious to everyone. Although I have obtained this empty title, I know full well that Jiangdong was won by General Sun through bloodshed; how can I allow others to covet it? Our Jingzhou is willing to set aside past grievances with you and join forces against this powerful enemy. The Jingzhou navy can serve as your shield!"

Kuai Yue's plan was to completely portray Liu Bei as Sun Ce's greatest enemy, drawing Sun Ce's attention to Liu Bei. This way, even if Sun Ce didn't send troops, just his presence near Liu Bei would be enough to affect Liu Bei's future development.

This world is not static, but constantly evolving and interacting. Meanwhile, while Liu Biao and others were plotting, Liu Qi was also having talks with his newly recruited advisors.

Now, Liu Qi's life has actually improved. He not only has a small army but has also attracted many talented people to join him. Originally, he only wanted to live a peaceful life, but seeing the gathering of distinguished guests, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride: "I never thought that I, Liu Qi, could have such a day. Indeed, there's always a way out."

Originally, Liu Qi was just expressing his relief at escaping his misery, but one of his newly recruited advisors immediately mocked him, saying, "As expected of a mediocre fellow. Has your lord already forgotten what it feels like to have the power of life and death in someone else's hands after only a few days?"

Such blatant criticism did not offend Liu Qi. Instead, he respectfully said to the man, "Shiyuan, you are right. I was too complacent."

It turned out that the strategist who spoke was none other than Pang Tong, the outstanding talent of the Pang family. He had just turned seventeen this year, but he was already ready to venture out into the world. He advised Liu Qi, "My lord, you are not out of danger yet. As long as you are still in Jingzhou, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue will not be satisfied."

"So what should I do now?"

"My lord's most urgent task now is to leave Jingzhou. Cai and the other two have become deeply entrenched here, and to confront them head-on would be tantamount to suicide. Only by relocating immediately and finding support from other warlords can my lord truly secure his position as Governor of Yangzhou."

Liu Qi thought for a moment and replied, "But they're not going to just watch us leave, are they?"

"Of course not, but don't forget, my lord, there are powerful figures in Xiangyang who are completely unafraid of Cai and Kuai."

At the farewell banquet, Liu Biao repeatedly toasted the angels, while Cai and Kuai smiled gently. When they saw Liu Qi sitting opposite them, they even gave him a friendly smile.

Liu Qi also raised his glass with a smile, while his eyes kept looking at the angel.

All good things must come to an end. Soon the angel stood up, preparing to lead the mission away. Just then, Liu Qi suddenly rushed to the angel, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and I am deeply grateful. I fear I am unworthy of this responsibility and must express my gratitude in person and receive Your Majesty's instructions."

The sudden change surprised everyone. What was going on?

Among the crowd, only Kuai Yue clenched his knuckles, which were hidden in his sleeves, until they turned white. He immediately saw through Liu Qi's plan. This bastard wanted to sneak out of Jingzhou under the guise of the emperor's envoy!

This is Pang Tong's sudden and seemingly inexplicable act of using a public setting to kidnap the entire imperial court with an extremely correct political reason, making them act as Liu Qi's shield.

The emperor's envoy represented imperial power. Once Liu Qi joined the envoy's procession, attacking or intercepting the procession would be tantamount to attacking the court and openly rebelling. Even if Liu Biao and Kuai Yue were bold, they wouldn't dare to attack the imperial envoy in broad daylight. This was equivalent to providing Liu Qi with the highest level of protection.

Moreover, the timing was impeccable. By joining the emperor's ranks earlier, Liu Biao could find excuses to delay the envoys and then devise extreme measures to take Liu Qi away. If he had joined later, before Liu Qi could even make a move, Liu Biao would have placed him under house arrest again, making it difficult for him to even leave his room, let alone leave the city.

Liu Biao quickly realized what was happening and said to Liu Qi, "My son, why must you travel so far? I am reluctant to part with you! The journey to Xuchang is long and arduous; let me write a letter of thanks on your behalf."

As he spoke, tears welled up in Liu Biao's eyes: "My son, have pity on your father! I am already fifty-five years old, and my days are numbered. If you go to Xuchang, how much longer will we, father and son, have to meet again?"

If Liu Biao hadn't ordered Liu Qi to be placed under house arrest, Liu Qi would definitely have hugged him right now, and the father and son would have put on a heartwarming and tearful scene, ending with a happy ending with Bao Laowan.

Liu Qi now knows that his father is no longer the kind father who would carry him around on his shoulders and bring him unexpected little gifts every time he went out. Instead, the position of Governor of Jingzhou has turned him into a ruthless and cruel nobleman, a political animal that will do everything in its power to disguise itself so that its power will not be compromised.

He won't fall for it again.

"If I cannot personally thank Your Majesty for your grace, I will have no face to assume the post of Governor of Yangzhou. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!" This was Liu Qi's reply, relying on his refusal to use the position to coerce the envoy and Liu Biao.

Anyway, this edict was issued by the imperial court. If I don't accept it, it's like telling the whole world that I don't agree with the court. So, the messenger who failed to complete his mission will definitely be punished, and Liu Biao, as Liu Qi's father, will also suffer a bad reputation because of it.

The envoy scratched his head, thinking that compared to the rules, his own head was indeed more important, so he readily agreed: "I did not expect that the son of Duke Jingsheng would be so loyal to the emperor and love his country. This matter is certainly not impossible. Please, Governor of Yangzhou, make preparations quickly and return to Xuchang with me."

Seeing that he could no longer change the outcome, Liu Biao could only reach out and pat Liu Qi on the shoulder, saying, "Since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you. Do what you want to do."

Liu Qi responded to his father with the brightest smile he had ever given in his life.

Originally, they were just struggling to survive, but now they have finally escaped this sea of ​​suffering.

To make the situation completely unstoppable, Cao Cao not only spread the news throughout Jingzhou, but also made the rewards bestowed upon Liu Qi and Liu Bei known to the entire world. In modern terms, this was equivalent to sending a nationwide telegram.

Liu Xun was unaware of the memorial at first. He just felt that Liu Bei's expedition was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was just to take over some cities, why make such a big fuss?

Sending out troops in three directions at once, anyone who didn't know better would think you were planning a war.

Liu Xun didn't see anything wrong with it. After all, the stronger Liu Bei appeared, the more Liu Biao needed him to counterbalance Liu Bei. Liu Hua did notice something was amiss, but he was too lazy to tell Liu Xun. It wasn't like he had to work here forever. He had already accomplished so much, and his resume was already very impressive. Changing allegiances wouldn't make him look down on.

However, Liu Xun's ignorance at the time did not mean he would never know. In addition, Lujiang was not far from Yingchuan County, so on March 17th, Liu Xun still received news that Liu Bei had submitted a memorial to Liu Qi.

Damn it, I've been tricked! Liu Biao and Liu Bei are in cahoots!

Just a few days later, Liu Biao's letter informing Liu Xun that he would send reinforcements to support him also arrived, further intensifying the humiliation of being fooled. In truth, Liu Biao really had no other intentions, but the information gap was unavoidable.

Liu Biao knew about the succession issue in Jingzhou, but where would Liu Xun find out?

Therefore, in Liu Xun's view, Liu Bei and Liu Biao had already formed an alliance and surrounded Jiangxia and Lujiang. Now, Liu Biao has sent an envoy to say, "Liu Xun, don't worry, I am actually against Liu Bei. I will send reinforcements to help you soon. Don't stop them, make sure they enter the city."

This was more than just looking down on Liu Xun; it was an insult to his intelligence! Who knows if Liu Biao was planning to usurp his place?

Liu Xun immediately wrote a reply: "This humble general thanks Lord Jingsheng for his kindness! However, Lujiang is strategically important, with ample supplies and our soldiers fighting bravely. Liu Bei's army has been firmly blocked outside our borders, unable to advance an inch! The current situation is entirely under our control, and I dare not trouble Lord Jingsheng's army with their long journey. Moreover, any movement of the army would consume countless resources, and I am truly uneasy about it. Please rest assured, Lord Jingsheng, I will certainly defend Lujiang for you; as long as I am here, the city will stand!"

You don't need to read all that nonsense. The main point is simple: don't come. I can't guarantee what will happen if you do.

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