Disaster struck, Jiangxia County has fallen.

  It was none other than Liu Xuan himself, the spirited young man. Yesterday, at the inn, Liu Bei, Liu Xuan and Zhao Yun had a discussion, after which, in the evening, Liu Bei took Liu Xuan to see Liu Biao at his residence!

  That night, when Liu Biao first saw Liu Xuan, he was greatly surprised and admired. Liu Biao had long heard that Liu Bei had an eldest son, but had never seen him with his own eyes, and felt a little disappointed in his heart. As soon as he saw Liu Xuan's powdered face and sword-like eyebrows, he looked like a handsome young man, and his body was even more radiant with a kind of spirituality. Liu Biao nodded repeatedly and praised him, saying that "a tiger father has no inferior son".

  During Liu Biao's time, he repeatedly complained that Liu Bei did not bring out his nephew Liu Xuan to meet him earlier. Liu Bei could only smile wryly and reply that Liu Xuan was unwell, thus glossing over the matter. At dusk, Liu Biao subtly hinted to Liu Bei to leave Liu Xuan in Xiangyang. This hint from Liu Biao happened to be exactly what Liu Bei had in mind, so he immediately expressed his hope that Liu Biao would take good care of Liu Xuan.

  Liu Biao solemnly promised to take good care of Liu Xuan, and naturally had his own purpose. As the only heir of Liu Bei, keeping Liu Xuan by his side was equivalent to holding a hostage, which would not allow Liu Bei to disobey him.

  Liu Biao also wanted Liu Bei to go to Jiangxia to quell Zhang and Chen's rebellion without any worries.

  Liu Bei saw Liu Biao's affection for Liu Xuan and felt a slight relief in his heart. "As Xuan'er said, entrusting him to Liu Biao should be fine. It seems that Cai Mao wouldn't dare to openly bully Xuan'er!" With this thought, Liu Bei's worries slightly dissipated, and he gathered his spirits to prepare for the rebellion with Zhao Yun.

  Liu Xuan watched as his father led the 'three thousand' tiger wolf troops away, and his eyes twitched again. The city of Xiangyang had tens of thousands of soldiers, but yesterday evening Liu Bei had managed to persuade Liu Biao to lend him three thousand soldiers!

  This was still "lent" to Liu Bei, which also shows that Liu Biao was wary of Liu Bei.

  Liu Xuan stole a glance at Cai Mao beside him, only to see Cai Mao's face gloomy and his eyes flashing with endless coldness. Liu Xuan's heart skipped a beat as he realized that Cai Mao was plotting against him. At this moment, the greatest protection for himself was the old man Liu Biao in front of him!

  With this in mind, Liu Xuan hurriedly put on a smiling face and looked at the old man with a hint of white hair on his temples. He smiled sweetly and innocently: "Uncle, when can my father come back?"

  "Xuan'er, your father will be back soon. In the meantime, would you like Uncle to take care of you and have some fun?" Liu Bei looked at Liu Xuan with a loving expression, stroking his beard, and said: "Xuan'er, would you like Brother Zi De (Liu Qi) to accompany you and play together?"

  Liu Xuan felt relieved when he heard that it was Liu Qi, and thought to himself: "Luckily it's Liu Qi! If I were thrown into the mansion of the General of Southern Conquest and treated with good food and drink, this young master would still not be at ease!" As soon as he thought of this, his eyes swept over Cai Mao, and indeed saw Cai Mao stroking his chin, his gaze flickering uncertainly, seemingly thinking about something. Liu Xuan secretly thought: "Hmph, Cai Mao you turtle son, wait for me, I'll deal with you when I rise to greatness!"

  Cai Mao hurried forward, speaking in a low voice to Liu Biao: "My lord, it's not suitable to entrust Liu Xuan to the eldest son." Cai Mao said in a gloomy tone: "My lord, don't forget that the eldest son has been wandering among the flowers for many years. If he takes Liu Gongzi...". Although his words were not finished, the meaning was already clear. Cai Mao's words had an effect, and after listening, Liu Biao's face suddenly became gloomy and uncertain, with a flash of anger in his eyes. He quickly recovered, but all this fell under the watchful eyes of Cai Mao and Liu Xuan, who were paying attention to Liu Biao's every move!

  Cai Man saw this and felt very pleased in his heart, continuing to say: "The second young master is clever and quick-witted from a young age, why not get together and play, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

  Liu Biao's eyes flashed repeatedly after hearing this, as if his intention was stirred. Liu Xuan saw it and felt a great sense of urgency in his heart, secretly cursing Cai Mao for coming up with such a sinister plan, letting him and Liu Zong be together. He feared that even before Liu Bei returned, he would not die but would have to peel off a layer of skin. What grand vision? What great ambition?

  If it really ends up like this, I'm afraid I'll be the worst as a traverser.

  Cai Mao was quietly on the side, Cai Mao had been deeply calculating and specializing in the art of power for many years. He had long since figured out Liu Biao's temperament and weaknesses. In his mind, he was certain that Liu Biao would agree eight or nine times out of ten. Previously, Liu Qi had been greatly favored and delighted by Liu Biao, so it was natural that Liu Qi would inherit the position of Governor of Jingzhou. However, after Liu Biao married Cai Mao's younger sister, everything slowly turned upside down. First, Cai Mao's younger sister gave birth to a son with Liu Biao.

  As Liu Zong's uncle, Cai Mao, how could he let Liu Qi inherit the throne? He secretly arranged a series of events. Liu Bei naturally didn't know that his son was being plotted against by Cai Mao, who sent people to assassinate and slander him! Liu Qi almost died several times, but it seemed like heaven was protecting him, allowing him to escape each time. It could be said that it was revenge from an enemy.

  However, twice, thrice, four times, or even dozens of times. It is enough to illustrate the problem that one who is not afraid to kill oneself despite their noble status can directly benefit from it, and it is clear at a glance.

  However, facing the mighty Cai family, Liu Qi felt a sense of powerlessness from the bottom of his heart. Once or twice, he tried to resist, but it only led him into more danger, and over time, Liu Qi began to wander among the flowers, indulging in wine and pleasure with his friends. Everything was done to avoid the Cai family's attacks and assassinations!

  Cai Mao's series of measures was to make Liu Qi degenerate, and Cai Mao did not dare to directly kill Liu Qi. After all, if the son of the Jingzhou prefect disappeared out of thin air, Liu Biao would definitely order an investigation, even if he didn't like his eldest son. At that time, it would inevitably be traced back to himself. So Cai Mao took a secondary approach to intimidate Liu Qi, and then reported everything Liu Qi did to Liu Biao. Liu Biao, unaware of the truth, scolded Liu Qi severely, and Liu Qi could only silently endure, as refuting was useless.

  Liu Qi was assassinated by a killer, and Liu Biao, as the lord of Jingzhou, didn't even know about it. Isn't this clear enough? Thinking of his eldest son's actions, Liu Biao sighed heavily, his face filled with sorrow, his expression somewhat despondent and bleak. Cai Mao saw this and couldn't help but reveal a sly smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Liu Xuan furrowed his brow, looking at Liu Bei and Cai Mao with growing unease in his heart. "Rather than letting others decide one's life and death, it's better to fight for it oneself!" Liu Xuan pursed his lips, his eyes fixed firmly, he was not a obedient child, nor a puppet controlled by others!

  Liu Bei had not yet made up his mind when Liu Xuan looked at him with a gaze and said in a crisp tone, "Uncle, Father said that seeing more of the outside world can broaden one's horizons. I want to go out and travel with Brother Zi De."

  Having said that, he looked at Liu Bei with a face full of expectation and a hint of pleading. Liu Bei originally wanted to flatly refuse, but seeing Liu Xuan's pitiful appearance, his heart suddenly softened, and he said in a gentle tone: "Alright, alright, since you want to play with Zi De, Uncle will permit it!"

  "Thank you, Uncle, thank you, Uncle..."

  "Haha!"

  Liu Xuan's face lit up with joy, Liu Bei looked at Liu Xuan's innocent and romantic smile, feeling greatly relieved in his heart, and burst out laughing loudly!

  Cai Mao, who was standing on the side, felt a sudden chill in his heart after hearing Liu Biao's words. He secretly resented Liu Xuan for not knowing what was good for him and that this plan had turned out to be beyond his expectations. Cai Mao was both angry and depressed, but he quickly stepped forward a few steps and said in a low voice: "My lord, isn't this unwise? If the crown prince were to bring..."

  Liu Biao listened to Cai Mao's unyielding and unrelenting accusations against Liu Qi, his heart greatly displeased, his brow furrowed, and coldly said: "De Kui, have the defenses of Xiangyang been arranged? If there is any problem, I will hold you responsible."

  Cai Mao's heart skipped a beat as he hastily explained: "Your Excellency..."

  Liu Bei waved his hand impatiently and said in a low voice, "I'll instruct Qi'er myself, De Cai doesn't need to bother..." He paused for a moment, staring at Cai Mao before humming softly. Cai Mao felt uneasy and his heart skipped a beat, and the next sentence made his spirit shake greatly!

  "Are your hands growing longer? As the governor of this province, I also have to take care of family matters!" Liu Biao gave Cai Mao a cold glance and said in a chilly tone: "Dekui, just take care of yourself and your clansmen. Don't think that some things are unknown to me..."

  As his words fell, he quietly took Liu Xuan's hand and slowly walked towards the city of Xiangyang.

  Cai Mao's forehead was covered with beads of sweat the size of beans, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He couldn't shake off the feeling for a long time, watching Liu Bei's departing figure, Cai Mao knew that Liu Bei had just given him a warning!

  After a long time, Cai Man finally lifted her head again, and the expression in her eyes was completely concealed, as if nothing had happened before. If someone with a keen eye observed, they would discover that Cai Man's two hands were tightly clenched in her sleeves, which could reveal that she was not calm at all!

  Liu Bei's army has been marching urgently for nearly a day, and the speed of the march is still quite objective. After a day's effort, they have covered a distance of nearly tens of miles. Liu Bei is also slightly satisfied with this. What makes Liu Bei more worried is the situation of the soldiers on this expedition!

  Although Liu Biao said that the four counties of Jingnan would gather 20,000 troops to converge with him in Jiangxia, Liu Bei also knew that Liu Biao's control over Jingnan was not very strong. The governors of those counties were like local emperors, and they generally obeyed Liu Biao's orders only superficially while secretly disobeying them.

  "Zi Ling, Wu Ling, Changsha, Guiyang! These four counties are always under the blade of the barbarian army. Shouldn't their military strength be able to withstand a single blow?" Liu Bei furrowed his brow in contemplation.

  Jingzhou has been peaceful for a long time, and the 20,000-strong army in southern Jing has yet to be tested. Each unknown makes Liu Bei's head big as a bucket, let alone Zhang Wu being a surrendered general, who is familiar with some situations in Jingzhou. He dares to rebel openly in Jiangxia County, where Huang Zu is stationed, and must have some hidden tricks and confidence.

  Zhang Fei boasted that Chen Sun had gathered tens of thousands of troops, while he himself only had a mere three thousand by his side. Moreover, he didn't know how many men could be summoned from Lingling, Wuling, Changsha and Guiyang. Thinking about the tens of thousands versus three thousand, Liu Bei suddenly felt a severe headache and weakly rubbed his temples.

  At this time, Zhao Yun came galloping over with a serious expression. Liu Bei saw Zhao Yun arrive and couldn't help but ask in puzzlement: "Zilong, why weren't you at the front?"

  "Our lord, our vanguard scouts captured a defeated soldier from Jiangxia. The defeated soldier revealed some important information and also reported that Fu Shu, the governor of Jiangling, had sent someone to report." Zhao Yun said with a serious face. Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, thinking to himself: "It can't be that Zhang Wu and Chen Sun have broken through Jiangxia? But Huang Zu has 30,000 elite soldiers stationed in Jiangxia, it shouldn't be easy to break the city..."

  "Fú Xiū?" At this time, Liu Bei's mind was already filled with the defeated troops of Jiangxia, how could he care about Fú Xiū? Liu Bei quickly regained his spirit and asked: "Zi Long, what news do you have?"

  Liu Bei's eyes stared at Zhao Yun, and Zhao Yun said in a low voice: "My lord, Fu Shuo, the governor of Jiangling, sent someone to report that the four counties of Lingling, Wuling, Changsha, and Guiyang have a total of 20,000 troops stationed outside the military camp of Jiangling City!"

  "Oh? That's great news!" Liu Bei slightly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, his eyes glanced at Zhao Yun's face still looking serious, and his heart couldn't help but hang in suspense, asking continuously: "Right, what about Jiang Xia..."

  Zhao Yun nodded silently, his tone mixed with a thick, incredulous accent: "Jiangxia County has been breached by Zhang Wu and Chen Sun..."

  "Clang!" Like the sound of metal hitting iron, Liu Bei was stunned for a long time. After a moment, he suddenly grabbed Zhao Yun's big hand and asked in a loud voice: "What? Jiangxia County is broken? How could this be? Where's Huang Zu? That damned Huang Zu has gone to hell?"

  "My lord, these clouds are also unknown..." Zhao Yun shook his head, his eyes slightly worried as he looked at Liu Bei, and said in a low voice: "My lord, why don't we go forward to Jiangling and ask how it is?"

  Liu Bei suddenly woke up, looked ahead and found that he was already not far from Jiangling City. Liu Bei hastily nodded, led the 3,000-strong army, whipped his horse and rushed towards Jiangling.

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