Chapter 16: Jing Liang's Poisonous Scheme Benefits Yi Province; Li Yu Raises His Spear and Shakes Sun Liu!

  But it was said that on that day, Sun Jian sent an envoy, Huan Ji, to come and seek peace. This was in line with Li Yu's intentions, as his current focus was on Hanzhong, and then he would fight against Dong Zhuo! He wanted to win over Emperor Xian of Han and control the emperor. Only after taking control of Xiliang would he turn his attention to Jingzhou and Jiangdong. It was just that he feared Liu Biao and Sun Jian would fight each other here, so he came to negotiate a peace. What Li Yu feared now was that if Jiangdong were to swallow up Jingzhou, it would pose a threat to Liu Bei's Yizhou! Unfortunately, Liu Biao's military advisor, Kuai Liang, opposed the alliance and said there was a plan to annihilate Sun Jian's army in Jiangdong. How could Li Yu not be angry? He slammed his teacup on the table and scolded: "Is this how Jingzhou treats me? Do you want to go to war with my Yizhou army?" Liu Biao saw that Li Yu was so furious, and he too was at a loss for what to do. At this time, Kuai Liang spoke up again, saying: "Now that Sun Jian has been defeated, the elite troops of Jiangdong have suffered heavy losses. Our lord can take advantage of their weakness and quickly launch an attack. Jiangdong can be taken in one battle. This is a great opportunity given by heaven to our lord. Not only will it benefit our Jingzhou army, but also Liu Bei's Hanxing Temple in Yizhou. The two lords are closely related, sharing the same honor and shame! If our lord agrees to Sun Jian's proposal for peace and stops fighting now, allowing them to recover their strength, it will be a great disaster for Jingzhou!" Liu Biao listened and thought for a moment before saying: "I have Huang Zu in his camp. How can I abandon him?" Kuai Liang advised Liu Biao: "Giving up the foolish Huang Zu to gain Jiangdong is not unacceptable." Liu Biao said: "Huang Zu and I are close friends, it would be unjust to abandon him!"

  Jing Liang heard this and immediately drew his sword to kill Huang Jie, but at this moment, Li Yu also drew his sword to block Jing Liang's attack. Jing Liang was a civil official by origin, but his martial arts skills were quite poor. Li Yu just parried once, possibly because he was anxious in his heart, fearing that Jing Liang would kill Huang Jie, so he used more force than necessary. With a loud clang, Jing Liang's sword flew out of his hand, and Li Yu countered with a swift strike to Jing Liang's neck, saying: "I respect you as the military advisor of Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and Liu Biao is my king's brother, but you have underestimated me too much. Do you think I am easy to bully? Moreover, when two countries are at war, they do not kill each other's envoys. Are you treating me as if I don't exist? I am Li Yu, the general-in-chief of Yizhou, and I have come here on the orders of my king to persuade you to make peace. If Jingzhou or Jiangdong insists on going to war, whoever refuses to listen to my advice will be assisted by me in battle. You naturally know that the military might of Yizhou is renowned throughout the land, and anyone who dares to obstruct the heavenly mandate will be punished!" After finishing his speech, Li Yu sheathed his sword and left Liu Biao's Xiangyang City, returning to his own headquarters. Zhang Ren, Wu Anguo, and others saw that Li Yu had not taken leave of them, so they each returned to their own headquarters to await further instructions from Li Yu. Liu Biao saw that Li Yu was about to kill Huang Jie, the envoy from Jiangdong, and feared that Li Yu would turn against him. He knew that Li Yu was usually obeyed by Liu Bei, and even if Li Yu were to rebel and take over Jingzhou, he estimated that his brother Han Xing Wang Liu Bei would only try to persuade him to surrender in exchange for wealth and glory. Therefore, he could only send someone to escort Huang Jie back to his camp. As for the matter of making peace, it had to be temporarily set aside, with the excuse that the civil and military officials of Jingzhou had not yet reached a consensus.

  "Your Excellency, I have a plan. Let Li Yu's troops from Yi Province not return to Yi Province, and together with Sun Jian of Jiangdong, we can eliminate them!" Liu Biao listened to Jingliang's words and exclaimed, "Military advisor, where did you come up with this plan?" Jingliang replied, "Li Yu's army has traveled far and is only halfway through their journey. They have been stationed outside Xiangyang for less than ten days. Although it would be easy to take them down, Sun Jian is a powerful force in Jiangdong. Yesterday's battle was a draw, but today if we form an alliance with Li Yu, Sun Jian will surely attack us. If we attack Sun Jian, Li Yu will definitely come to his aid! As for Dong Zhuo, he hates Liu Bei the most. We can offer him gold, silk, and grain, and let him attack Yangping Pass. Liu Bei's camp only has Li Yu as a capable general, the others are not as good. When Liu Bei sees this, he will definitely call back Li Yu to aid Yangping Pass and fight against Dong Zhuo. Then our army can ambush Li Yu's troops from Yi Province on the grounds of Jingzhou. Although Li Yu is brave, his army is small, with only 50,000 soldiers. After killing Li Yu, we can offer grain to Dong Zhuo to win him over and let him attack Yangping Pass fiercely, tying down Liu Bei's troops from Yi Province. Your Excellency can then take Jiangdong, and send a general out of Xiamen Pass to capture Liu Bei. Then with the combined forces of Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiangdong, we can defeat Dong Zhuo in one battle!" Liu Biao was overjoyed. Others said that Liu Biao did not have the ambition to conquer the world, but at that time, he was too comfortable in Jingzhou and did not have a good opportunity. Liu Biao then sent a special envoy with 200,000 bushels of grain and a secret letter to Dong Zhuo in Chang'an. Dong Zhuo was delighted. He had always hated Liu Bei and Li Yu. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei and Li Yu had twice beaten him out of his camp. Later, Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong, Li Yu defeated Lü Bu, and Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei fought against Lü Bu in the Battle of the Three Heroes. If it weren't for Liu Bei and Li Yu, Dong Zhuo would not be where he was today! Dong Zhuo's original intention was to fight against Liu Bei at this time! However, later on, he learned that Liu Bei had formed an alliance with Liu Biao, so he was afraid of a decisive battle. He listened to the advice of his daughter-in-law and military advisor Li Ru to rest and recover. Dong Zhuo treated Zhang Yun generously. After eating and drinking for several days, Zhang Yun bid farewell to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo then sent Guo Si as the general, Zhang Ji and Xu Rong as deputy generals, with an army of 100,000 soldiers, to attack Liu Bei's Yangping Pass in Yizhou. Dong Zhuo also led a rear army of 200,000 soldiers, including his relatives and Li Ru, to join forces with Guo Si. The goal was to decide the outcome of the battle against Liu Bei! Guo Si understood that he was the vanguard, so he organized a fierce attack on Yangping Pass. The defender of Yangping Pass, Xu Huan, although skilled in military tactics, had too few soldiers and immediately sent a messenger with an urgent request for aid to Liu Bei.

  Xuande was drinking with Mrs. Mi in the back hall when he suddenly heard the news and hastily gathered everyone to discuss it. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were about to go out of Yangping Gate to fight a big battle against Dong Zhuo. Right State Minister Chen Gong said, "Now Yangping Gate has few grains and weak soldiers, with only 50,000 guarding troops, how can we resist Dong Zhuo's tiger wolf army? Now it's just relying on Xu Huan's general and the thickness of Yangping Gate City Wall to hold on. Now the only way is to write a letter to General Li Yu, asking him to lead his troops from Jingzhou back to Yizhou." Guan Yu was angry when he heard this and said, "Is it that without our fourth brother, we can't fight? I may not be talented, but I have hung the general's seal twice. This battle must behead Dong Zhuo's dog head and present it to my brother's account!" Liu Bei thought for a long time on the throne and said, "Gongtai's words are good, Lü Bu is brave and unstoppable. Now Zi Long leads the army outside and hasn't come back yet. There is only one way to write a letter to ask our fourth brother to return." At this time, Left State Minister Guo Jia came out after a long silence and said, "Your Majesty, don't be alarmed, I have a wonderful plan to defeat Dong Zhuo!" Liu Bei was inspired when he heard Guo Jia say this. Li Yu had always recommended people to Liu Bei, who never disappointed him. Xu Huan resisted Dong Zhuo's 100,000 tiger wolf army with 50,000 troops, and Chen Gong and Yan Yan guarded Yizhou, which was very appropriate! Liu Bei saw this and said, "State Minister, please speak, I will listen carefully!" Guo Jia bowed his hands and said, "Now there are still 50,000 infantry and 30,000 cavalry in Chengdu, Yizhou. Jiangzhou and Zitong each have 50,000 infantry and 50,000 cavalry. Qishan Gate has 30,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry. Yangping Gate is in fierce battle, but there are still tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. In this way, we can start all the troops in Chengdu Military Region, with a total of 180,000 soldiers and horses, plus the remaining soldiers and horses in Yangping Gate. Although Dong Zhuo's army is large, it can also be evenly matched! First, let's appoint General Guan Yu as the commander-in-chief, I ask to be the military advisor to assist General Guan Yu in rescuing Xu Huan in Yangping Gate! Appoint Fa Zheng as the supervisor, Yan Yan as the vanguard, Huang Quan and Zhang Song as the director of the whole army's grain and grass! Order Chen Gong to organize the recruitment of new troops and training of soldiers in the rear to prevent defeat in this battle! Order Da Honger Lu Zhi to temporarily take over my position as Left State Minister, change Left State Minister to Right State Minister to assist Chen Gong in governing Yizhou. Order Jian Yong to lead the Tingwei, strictly grasp the spies who enter Sichuan, and prevent chaos in the rear! Then Your Majesty can write a letter to General Li Yu, informing him of the changes in Yizhou, and also telling him not to be anxious, I'm afraid that anxiety will lead to changes. Liu Biao will secretly kill him, after all, General Li is leading his troops outside. If Liu Biao attacks, it's hard to say who will win or lose. Moreover, I suggest sending General Zhang Fei to take over Xiamen Gate, threatening Liu Biao's Jingzhou, and assisting General Li Yu in persuading Sun Liu to stop fighting! If we win this battle, there will be no problem. If we lose, we can block Dong Zhuo's army from entering Sichuan at Zitong, waiting for General Li to come back and rescue us!"

  Lu Zhi and Chen Gong, Liu Ba, Huang Quan, Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, etc. heard Guo Jia's words and cupped their hands in respect, saying: "Your subjects agree with what Left Minister Guo Jia has said!"

  Zhang Fei became displeased and said to Guo Jia: "I'm talking about you, pale face! Why don't you let me take the command flag? Every time it's either Xiao Si or Second Brother who becomes the commander-in-chief, not letting me become the commander-in-chief. Letting me be a vanguard would be fine too!"

  Liu Bei saw this and advised Zhang Fei, saying: "Third brother, don't be rude, just follow the arrangements! However, Left State Advisor Liu Biao is a relative of mine, he won't secretly harm me. Is Left State Advisor overthinking?"

  Left State Minister Guo Jia smiled and said, "The lord is benevolent! If I'm not mistaken, this time Dong Zhuo's invasion must be related to Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou. He fears that our lord's family will become too powerful!"

  Liu Bei exclaimed after hearing this: "The Imperial Chancellor is truly a noble person of mine!"

  Guo Jia continued to say to Zhang Fei: "General, it's not that I don't want to use you in this battle, but your task is even more important. You must intimidate Liu Biao into giving up his fantasy of taking Jiangdong, and secretly observe the movements of Liu Biao's Jingzhou army, waiting for the Grand Marshal to return to Shu. This is a matter of utmost importance, who else can do it like you, General?"

  Zhang Fei was delighted when he heard this, and it turned out that he was so important! He stood up and said: "Little white face, thank you!"

  Liu Bei, upon seeing this, stepped down from the throne and issued an imperial edict, saying: "Appoint General Guan Yu as the commander-in-chief of the entire army for this battle. Appoint Guo Jia as the military advisor to assist General Guan Yu in going to rescue Xu Huang at Yangping Pass! Appoint Fa Zheng as the supervisor, appoint Yan Yan as the vanguard, and order Huang Quan and Zhang Song to oversee the entire army's food supplies! Order Liu Ba and Mi Zhu to supervise the manufacture of military rations! Order Chen Gong to organize the recruitment of new troops in the rear and train soldiers to prevent defeat in this battle! Appoint Da Hongruo Lu Zhi as acting Left State Minister, changing the Left State Minister to Right State Minister to assist Chen Gong in governing Yizhou. Order Jian Yong to take charge of the Imperial Censor, strictly arresting spies who have infiltrated Shu, to prevent chaos in the rear! Also, send someone to contact General Zi Long and let him launch a surprise attack on Xiabian, cutting off Dong Zhuo's retreat route! Even if we can't capture Xiabian, we must scare that old thief Dong Zhuo! I'd like to see what happens, whether or not Dong Zhuo will return with his troops!" (From this matter, it can be seen that Liu Bei still has some strategic vision. Even the wise Guo Jia overlooked Zhao Yun's troops, but Liu Bei thought of them and gave them orders!)

  Below, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Guo Jia, Chen Gong, Lu Zhi, Fa Zheng, Yan Yan, Huang Quan, Zhang Song, Liu Ba, and Mi Zhu knelt down on the ground and said: "We obey your majesty's orders!"

  Marshal Guan Yu and Guo Jia that night led all the officers of the Chengdu military region to Xiameng Pass to assist Xu Huang in battle.

  Here is the translation:

  "After Liu Bei and others left, he personally wrote a letter to Li Yu. The content of the letter was: 'Now that brother has informed you about the changes in Yi Province, I am writing to inform my fourth brother that this morning, the old thief Dong Zhuo led an army of over 300,000 to attack Yangping Pass. I have appointed my second brother Guan Yu as the commander-in-chief and left national advisor Guo Jia as the military strategist to go and assist General Xu Huang in defending Yangping Pass. This morning, I am worried that you may have changes in Jingzhou, so I ordered my third brother Zhang Fei to lead an army to defend Xiaomeng Pass. I have already sensed the wind and clouds! Now, fourth brother, do not worry, after resolving the Sun Liu dispute, we will return to the court together! If Yangping Pass falls into enemy hands at this time, I will personally take the risk of being shot by arrows and lead the battle against the old thief Dong Zhuo! Fourth brother, this is a critical moment! Remember, remember. Left national advisor Guo Jia said that this time Dong Zhuo came to attack was because Liu Biao wanted to take advantage of the situation to attack Jiangdong and kill fourth brother, so please be more careful. I can lose Yi Province, lose my throne, but cannot lose my brothers! When fourth brother returns, I will lead an army to Xiaomeng Pass to welcome you back. Right national advisor Chen Gong said that Dong Zhuo's arrival is not something that fourth brother can save. I hope fourth brother will return to the court as soon as possible to rescue the urgent situation, it would be a great fortune!' Li Yu personally read the letter and looked at it for half a moment."

  "Earlier, Jing Liang said that he wanted to kill the Jiangdong envoys, and Liu Biao took advantage of the opportunity to take over Jiangdong. Now, he must be offering a plan to Liu Biao to let Dong Zhuo attack our army at Yangping Pass, in order to make us unaware, and then rush back to rescue them, only to ambush and kill us in Jingzhou! Now that big brother's letter has arrived, Yizhou is in danger. If Yizhou is lost, our army will have no home to return to! Today, I think we should issue an order for the entire army to enter a state of high alert, in case Sun Liu forms an alliance against us.

  Tian Feng saw this and said: "I agree with what the great general has said. If Liu Biao were to join forces with Sun Jian, he would have no worries about his rear. Then, our Xiaoming Pass would certainly enter a state of high alert, and Liu Biao would surely come to attack our Yizhou. Our Yizhou cannot rest easy! At this time, we cannot delay any further in negotiating with Sun Liu. I request that the general issue an order for tomorrow, inviting Sun Liu to come here and discuss matters, and speak with them about ceasing hostilities!"

  Li Yu also agreed with Tian Feng's suggestion, and so he dispatched his personal troops to go to Xiangyang and deliver a message to Liu Biao, as well as to Sun Jian's military camp."

  But Dong Zhuo's army marched on his own territory all the way, advancing in a big way, and had already arrived at the foot of Yangping Pass, setting up camp. During the day, they lined up their flags, covering the mountains and rivers; at night, they set up fire drums, shaking the sky and earth. At this time, Yangping Pass had been through several battles with Guo Si's troops, and the 50,000 soldiers were now reduced to less than 30,000. Xu Huan had no choice but to personally ascend the city wall to assist in the battle, ordering the soldiers in the city to prepare more rolling logs and crossbow bolts. Just as Xu Huan was feeling uneasy, a report came that General Guan and Military Advisor Guo were leading their troops to set up camp ten miles away from Yangping Pass, and would advance into the city the next day! Xu Huan knew that this was the arrival of reinforcements, and immediately told all the soldiers, whose morale was boosted! Dong Zhuo also learned that General Guan had led his army to come and assist, so he had no choice but to temporarily stop fighting and reorganize his troops.

  On the other hand, Li Yu knew that Guan Gong led his troops to rescue Yangping Pass, and he was slightly relieved in his heart. However, at this point, it had reached a point where it was impossible not to resolve the Sun Liu dispute. He hastily ordered someone to write a letter to Liu Biao, accusing him of being unfaithful and betraying their alliance agreement.

  Zhong Liang laughed and said, "Now I want to see what method you have left, Li Hanxing, to solve this matter!" But before Zhong Liang finished laughing, there were soldiers reporting that Zhang Fei, the general of Yizhou, led 200,000 troops to station at Xiaomeng Pass, with unclear intentions! (In fact, at this time, Zhang Fei's Jiangzhou military region had only 100,000 soldiers, where did the 200,000 come from? This was Chen Gong's plan for Zhang Fei after Guo Jia left. It was so dangerous that Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, would be greatly shocked!)

  Zhong Liang fainted, he didn't expect that Yizhou would have so many soldiers and horses at this time. This was his mistake as a military advisor. Liu Biao could only shake his head!

  At this time, Jingzhou had gone through several three-party talks, but Liu Biao's army did not yield at all, insisting that Sun Jian release Huang Zu first, and then disarm the entire army before being allowed to return to Jiangdong. Li Yu was worried, thinking for half a day in the camp without finding a solution. At this time, Wang Xue was massaging his shoulders from behind, telling him not to be so tired. Just then, Li Yu had an idea: "At present, I can only learn from Wen Hou Lü Bu: 'This is the only way to make both Liu and Sun families not resent me, and also maintain harmony with my Yizhou army!'" He sent envoys to Xiangyang City to invite Liu Biao, and to Sun Jian's camp to invite Sun Jian, asking them to come for a drink. Liu Biao was in Xiangyang City, worrying about something, when he suddenly heard that Li Yu had invited him, and he immediately wanted to go. The military advisor of Jingzhou, Jing Liang, advised: "Your Excellency should not go. Li Yu must have ulterior motives." Liu Biao said: "When Li Yu was seriously ill, I treated him kindly, and Li Han's reputation is well-known outside, so I think he will not harm me." He then mounted his horse and set off. Military advisor Jing Liang could only send Cai Mao and Zhang Yun to follow along, arriving at Li Yu's camp, where they met and had a drink.

  But Sun Jian was not afraid, thanks to Li Yu's previous rescue, and came alone to the banquet! This is why Sun Jian was a powerful and brave man, his son Sun Ce shook Jiangdong, and his second son Sun Quan became an emperor.

  Liu Biao first came to Li Yu, and Li Yu said to Liu Biao: "I have come especially to save you from danger. In the future when I achieve my goal, don't forget me!" Liu Biao expressed his gratitude. Li Yu understood that even if he exposed Liu Biao's plot at this time, Liu Biao would not admit it and would instead turn against him, causing the negotiations to end in discord! Li Yu asked Liu Biao to sit down. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun could only stand behind him with their swords drawn, but in Li Yu's eyes, they were not even worth considering, so he let them sit, and they had no choice but to stand!

  At this time, Sun Jian arrived alone and unaccompanied. Li Yu was greatly surprised, and he had not expected Sun Jian to have such audacity. He immediately rose from his seat and went out of the camp gate to welcome Sun Jian. Because Sun Jian was a hero, Li Yu went far out of the camp gate to welcome him, which was not the case with Liu Biao. Meanwhile, Liu Biao wanted to avoid him. Tian Feng, who was accompanying Li Yu on his left side, said: "Today, Han Xing Gong specially invited you two to attend the meeting, do not have any doubts." At this time, Liu Biao's courage was small and he did not know what it meant, so he felt uneasy in his heart.

  Sun Jian saw Li Yu personally come to welcome him, and immediately dismounted and walked into the camp. He saw Liu Biao sitting in his tent, laughing loudly: "I thought Han Xing Hou was a hero, but he wants to take Sun's head, no need to make such a big fuss!" He turned around and drew his sword from his waist, ready to commit suicide. His attendants tried to stop him but couldn't.

  Li Yu saw this and quickly rushed forward, grabbing the sword from Sun Jian's hand and pulling him forward. At this time, Liu Biao asked: "General, do you want to kill Jing Sheng?" Li Yu replied helplessly: "No." Liu Biao continued to ask: "Or do you want to kill Sun Wentai?" Li Yu couldn't control his laughter and said: "Neither."

  Liu Biao saw this and had no choice but to say: "Then why?" Li Yu explained: "Xuande and I are brothers, so I came to rescue Jing Sheng." Liu Biao heard this and asked: "If that's the case, then kill Sun Jian?" Li Yu replied: "That's not reasonable. Han Xing Hou is not good at fighting, but he's good at resolving conflicts. Today, I'm here to resolve the conflict between the two families."

  Liu Biao asked: "What method do you have to resolve it?" Li Yu said: "I have a way, decided by heaven." He then pulled Sun Jian into the tent and introduced him to Liu Biao. The two of them were suspicious of each other.

  Li Yu sat in the middle, with Sun Jian on his left and Liu Biao on his right. He ordered wine to be served and told them to drink together. After several rounds of drinking, Li Yu covered his face with his sleeve and said: "You two families look at me, please stop fighting." Sun Jian didn't say anything.

  Liu Biao spoke up: "Now that Sun Jian is trapped in Jingzhou, I have 100,000 soldiers to capture him. How can we just stop?" Sun Jian became angry, drew his sword, and scolded: "I may have fewer soldiers, but I look at you like a child's play! You're not even as good as the Yellow Turbans! What about Dong Zhuo?"

  Tian Feng, who was present, saw this and quickly intervened: "Don't be in a hurry to fight, let's see what Han Xing Hou has planned. If we don't agree, then we can go back to our camps and fight later." Li Yu said: "I asked you two families to resolve the conflict, I won't let you fight!"

  Liu Biao was unhappy, while Sun Jian wasn't afraid of fighting. He had secretly ordered Huang Gai and others to prepare earlier. Li Yu pretended to be angry and told his attendants: "Bring me my heavenly-painted spear!"

  Li Yu wielded the Fang Tian Hua Halberd in his hand, and Sun Jian and Liu Biao both lost color. They could tell that Li Yu and Lü Bu had fought to a draw, and if they really clashed, neither would be able to withstand the other.

  So why did Li Yu propose the Fang Tian Hua Halberd? To be continued!

  I've always been here, it's just that you didn't cherish me. Until today, I'm still hoping for a phone call, a message. I won't deceive Bodhisattva, only if you turn back, quit smoking, quit drinking, cultivate your mind, cultivate your words, cultivate your virtues!