Banquet

  Jingzhou Xiangyang City, Mansion of the Grand General of Southern Expedition ( Provincial Governor's Mansion!)

  In the grand hall, Liu Biao sat in the host's seat, his eyes scanning to the left, where Liu Bei was sitting. In the depths of his eyes, there was a joy that was not easily detectable by others. Liu Biao smiled and said: "Xuande, I'll toast you with a cup!"

  Liu Bei hastily raised his wine cup to return the toast to Liu Biao, and while drinking, he glanced around at the movements of the officials and military officers in the hall.

  The two men sitting below were two middle-aged men in green robes, who were precisely the left and right arms of Liu Biao, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. The two brothers from the Kuai family did not hear anything outside and quietly drank their wine. Liu Bei had long heard of the great names of these two men and thought to himself how he could get close to them, but after a moment's thought, he realized it was not the right time and had to calm down the surging emotions in his heart!

  At a glance, he looked to his right and found Cai Mao sitting in the seat of honor, drinking wine with a gloomy face. Even Wen Ping and Wang Wei, the two great generals of Jingzhou, were seated below him!

  Liu Bei's gaze swept across Wen Ping and Wang Wei, only to see their faces set firmly, with a faint aura of majesty between their eyebrows, and an almost imperceptible murderous intent emanating from their bodies. Liu Bei couldn't help but secretly admire them, for they were indeed the talented generals that rumors had spoken of.

  Liu Bei swept his gaze over the general who was chatting with Cai Mao once again, furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before suddenly realizing that this general was none other than Zhang Yun, who had just taken over as the Grand Commander of the Navy.

  Liu Bei's mind was immersed, when suddenly he felt a sense of unease, raised his head to scan the surroundings, and found two generals dressed in military attire sitting together, their eyes filled with resentment and deep hatred. Liu Bei couldn't help but feel suspicious and chilled.

  Liu Bei lowered his head and thought to himself: "I have never seen these two before, how can they look at me with such eyes?"

  Liu Bei was still secretly guessing and wondering, when suddenly he felt a gaze staring at him. He looked up to see Cai Mao looking at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, holding a wine jug in his hand, facing him from afar. His tone was somewhat ambiguous and sarcastic as he said: "Liu Huangshu, previously Cai Mao was rude, here's a toast to Liu Huangshu, I hope you'll be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

  Liu Bei's eyes twitched involuntarily, a bitter smile flickered at the corner of his mouth, he uttered a few perfunctory words, then suddenly raised his head and drained the cup in one gulp.

  Cai Mao smiled brightly and no longer spoke, turning his head to one side to talk in a low voice with Zhang Yun. However, the occasional cold words made Liu Bei's heart feel a chill. Earlier, Cai Mao had been difficult with Zhao Yun outside the city gate, and afterwards, Zhao Yun also told Liu Bei about it. As a result, Liu Bei was extremely vigilant towards Cai Mao!

  At this time, Liu Biao suddenly stood up, holding a golden cup and gazing at the crowd of civil and military officials in the hall. He said softly: "Everyone, this time my brother Xuande has come to Jingzhou, we should respect my brother Xuande with a cup..." Liu Bei loudly declined, but the civil and military officials of Jingzhou all stood up with smiles on their faces, exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and then neatly drank the wine in the cup!

  "Lord Guan, I'll toast you a cup..."

  "Liu Xianggong, Deng Yi, a toast to you..."

  "Brother Liu, Liu Xian, a toast to you..."

  "Lord Guan, I, Liu Bei, offer you a toast..."

  "Liu Xianggong, Han Song, a toast to you..."

  "Liu Xianggong, come down from your horse, I'll toast you a cup..."

  ………

  Each of the officials from Jingzhou, both civil and military, stood up one by one, toasted Liu Bei with a cup of wine, and then sat back in their original seats. They whispered to each other, discussing and debating. Liu Bei took this opportunity to remember the names and faces of these people, especially the two generals who had previously cast hostile glances at him - it turned out that they were named Cai Zhong and Cai He.

  Both of them are surnamed Cai, but it is unknown whether they have any connection with Cai Mao. If there is a relationship, were they instructed by Cai Mao? But would Cai Mao be so superficial? Looking at Cai Zhong and Cai He's undisguised hostility, Liu Bei furrowed his brow in thought, and for the time being, he couldn't think of any leads, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

  According to the previous conversation, Cai Mao is not a fool, but rather very cunning and calculating. Looking at Cai Mao laughing and chatting with the civil and military officials in Jingzhou, it seems that he has good relationships with them. Even Wen Pin and Wang Wei, who are known for being taciturn, were smiling and chatting with him. The atmosphere appears to be very harmonious.

  Seeing this, Liu Bei's eyebrows furrowed with a hint of unspoken worry. Is the Cai family's power really so great?

  Just then, Liu Biao suddenly coughed, and the whispers in the hall immediately subsided. The eyes of all present turned to Liu Biao. His dull eyes seemed to brighten at this moment. With a stern gaze, he swept his eyes over the civil and military officials on both sides of the hall, feeling somewhat proud in his heart - this was his achievement in Jingzhou for many years!

  Liu Biao's mouth was slightly smiling, holding the golden cup to survey the many literary and military officials, turning his head to look at Liu Bei, saying loudly: "When Xuande first came to Jingzhou, I wasn't very happy in my heart. Now that Cao Ze is in the north, I will entrust the northern gate of Xinye in Jing and Xiang to my younger brother. I hope that my younger brother won't disappoint me."

  "Brother Jing Sheng, please be at ease. If Cao's bandit comes, I will certainly break my body into pieces and drive Cao's army back, not allowing him to invade the land of Jingzhou." Liu Bei's expression was firm, he bowed his head and responded solemnly.

  "Alright, alright! With Guan Yu's words today, why should I not be at ease? My younger brother, today I must get drunk with you and not return until we are intoxicated!" Having said that, Liu Bei covered his face with his sleeve, suddenly raised his head and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

  Liu Biao's bold and unrestrained behavior made the many literary and military officials in the hall secretly admire him. Liu Biao was also in his fifties, but when drinking wine, he was still as carefree and uninhibited as in his youth, without a single hint of reserve or pretension!

  After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere in the hall was lively and exciting to the extreme. Liu Biao couldn't help but glance at his two advisors, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. The two men nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. Liu Biao's expression turned serious as he stood up, his face no longer showing joy or relaxation, but instead a heavy and unusual solemnity. His voice was heavy as he said: "Everyone, the great battle between Yuan and Cao in the north!"

  "It's now clear who wins and loses!" Liu Biao's expression was heavy, and he said in a low voice: "According to the scouts, the reconnaissance horses have confirmed several times that Yuan Shao suffered a great defeat and retreated, while Cao Cao won a great victory."

  Liu Biao returned to his seat, his face heavy with worry and his eyes clouded with sorrow. He drank his wine as if trying to drown his troubles, while Kuai Liang stood up again, his expression solemn, and repeated what he had just said.

  In an instant, everyone in the hall was shocked!

  The military officers, led by Cai Mao, Wen Ping and Wang Wei, looked solemn with deep worry etched on their faces. The civil officials, including Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Liu Xian and Han Song, were few in number, each with a different expression, but their eyes sparkled as if they were thinking of something.

  Yu Rang's face had already changed greatly, the wine jug he was holding had long since fallen to the ground, and even his speech was somewhat incoherent, causing Liu Bei to secretly shake his head!

  Liu Bei's calm and composed appearance had already been noticed by Cai Mao and the Qiao brothers. Cai Mao's intention to kill him grew stronger, while the Qiao brothers were shocked in their hearts. Qiao Liang and Qiao Rui exchanged a glance, and Qiao Liang secretly said: "Liu Bei is indeed a man who can hide his emotions, with a depth of character as profound as an abyss. This is truly the demeanor of a hero among men!"

  A flash of light flickered in the depths of Guan Yu's eyes, and he thought to himself: "Liu Bei indeed has great courage, but unfortunately lacks opportunities..."

  Liu Biao secretly observed the expressions of the civil and military officials, looking at Liu Bei's calm demeanor, lowering his head to quietly drink wine as if he didn't know about the tension in the hall, with a relaxed expression on his face. A hint of fear and surprise flashed across his eyes, and he asked: "Xuande, what do you think about the battle between Yuan and Cao?"

  Liu Bei's eyes twitched upon hearing this, but since Liu Biao asked him a question, he had no choice but to respond.

  Just as he was about to speak and make excuses, Cai Mao sneered at him a few times and said in a cold voice: "I've heard that Liu Xuande has been fighting against Cao's army for a long time, although he has lost many battles, but over the years, shouldn't you have a clear understanding of Cao's military strength? Why don't you tell us about it so that we can all have an idea?"

  Liu Bei cast a glance at Cai Mao, secretly annoyed, thinking to himself: "Why is Cai Mao so troublesome? Every time there's an opportunity, he attacks me?" He calmly said: "General Cai is joking, I am just a defeated general. If it weren't for Brother Jing Sheng taking me in, I would have long been unknown bones." His tone paused, his eyes looking at Liu Biao, softly saying: "Since Brother Jing Sheng has spoken up to ask, I will dare to speak my mind."

  "If there is anything improper, I hope everyone will forgive me."

  Liu Bei smiled and comforted him with a few words, Liu Bei organized his thoughts and said in a low voice: "Yuan Shao had many soldiers and generals, but was defeated by Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao is taking advantage of Yuan Shao's defeat to conquer the four regions with an overwhelming victory, as if he has already won!" There was a hint of sadness in Liu Bei's tone, as if he felt sorry for Yuan Shao.

  "If Guan Yu's judgment is not wrong, Cao Cao will take advantage of Yuan Shao's brother being in a state of shock and his vitality not yet recovered, and he will definitely send troops to conquer the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Yan! I'm afraid that within a few years, Cao Cao will also lead hundreds of thousands of troops to conquer Jingzhou, Brother Jing..."

  "Preposterous!" Cai Mao rebuked, turning to face Liu Biao, and bowing his fist: "My lord, although Yuan Shao has been defeated, he was born into a family of four generations of high-ranking officials, and the north is home to countless talented individuals from his clan. Moreover, Yuan Shao's foundation in the north still exists, with tens of thousands of troops stationed across the four states, not to mention the countless civil and military officials at his disposal. How can we be so unprepared?" He paused for a moment before continuing in a cold tone: "As for what Liu Xuan-de said, Cao Cao will conquer our Jingzhou province? That's simply laughable..."

  "Who doesn't know, who isn't aware, that southerners are skilled in boats and northerners are skilled in horses...?" Cai Mao's eyes swept over with a hint of disdain, his lips curled into a cold smile as he said: "My Jingzhou has 20-30 million cavalry and infantry, with abundant supplies. Cao Cao's army is mostly composed of northerners, who aren't skilled in naval warfare. What do I have to fear?"

  Cai Mao's words immediately sparked a common sentiment among many literary and military officials. They all secretly ridiculed Liu Bei.

  "Not bad, Liu Xiang's momentum is a bit too strong..."

  "Is Liu Xuande not also a guest of Cao Cao?"

  "I have tens of thousands of armored soldiers in Jingzhou, and I also possess the strategic advantage of the Yangtze River. If Cao Cao comes, he will have to weigh his options carefully; what do we have to fear?"

  ……

  Liu Bei saw many literary and military officials with a proud face, saying that the heavens were desolate and chaotic, almost to the point of saying that one person from the Jingzhou army could kill the entire Cao army without leaving any armor behind, corpses scattered all over the fields, and blood flowing like rivers without stopping.

  Among the many officials, in an inconspicuous place, there was a person who looked at the self-boasting and spitting officials in the hall with a hint of pity and contempt in his eyes, and a slight smile on his lips. This person's surname is Liao, named Li! Currently serving as an attendant under Liu Biao.

  Liu Biao saw Cai Mao being rude and interrupting Liu Bei's speech, he was extremely displeased and angry, and severely reprimanded Cai Mao. Cai Mao humbly accepted the scolding. Seeing Cai Mao being so obedient, Liu Biao's anger subsided slightly, and he didn't dare to punish him further. As if remembering something, a hint of gloom and dark light flashed in Liu Biao's eyes, and he gave a signal to Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue.

  The Ku brothers saw Liu Biao's expression and nodded secretly. Liu Biao nodded in understanding, waved his hand and said softly: "Everyone, the governor is not feeling well, so he won't drink with you, you can all stay here and have fun before leaving."

  Having said that, he stood up and walked out of a side door, slowly walking towards the outside!