Chapter 570

News of Liu Pan’s failure quickly spread throughout Xiangyang. Liu Biao could no longer sit and called all of his civil and military officials to discuss what to do.

Before Liu Biao arrived, the people have already gathered in groups to talk about this. Kuai Yue and Cai Mao shared a look but did not group up. Right behind them were many other officials. As Liu Pan arrived last, he only had his subordinates behind him. When Cai Mao saw Liu Pan, he wanted to make trouble for Liu Pan. However, someone else was faster.

“Oh! Isn’t this our General Liu Pan?”

Everyone turned to look at the troublemaker, Huang She.

Huang She! Cai Mao also glared at Huang She. It was because of this despicable person that so many problems appeared in Jingzhou. Kuai Yue quickly stopped Cai Mao before he could get angry. Kuai Yue shook his head. It was not yet time to deal with Huang She. Besides that, Liu Pan and Huang She were both enemies. It was better to just watch them fight each other.

“I heard General Liu Pan went out to capture the fake king Liu Mang. How did it go?” Huang She mocked.

“Huang She!” Liu Pang furrowed his brows. As the whole world already knew that Liu Pan failed to capture Liu Mang after burning the mountain, it was clear that Huang She was provoking him.

“Huh! Huang She. It has been so long since I’ve seen you I thought that you would grow up. But it seems that dogs cannot stop themselves from eating shit!” Liu Pang sneered back. There was no need to be polite to Huang She.

“You!” Huang She became angry. Although he mocked Liu Pan, he did it gracefully while Liu Pan was being too direct. Of course Huang She would be angry.

“Who do you think you are that you can insult our Young Master?” The Huang Family’s people stepped forward and confronted Liu Pan.

“What are you trying to do?” Liu Pan’s subordinates were also not idle and took out their swords. Just as both sides were about to fight each other with weapons in hand, Liu Biao’s bodyguards shouted that Liu Biao was here.

“The Lord Governor has arrived!” Following those words, Liu Biao slowly walked in. He no longer looked as angry as before but he looked spiritless. He also seemed to have aged a lot in the past few days.

All of Jingzhou’s officials knelt and greeted Liu Biao at the same time.

“Get up. All of you can get up.” Liu Biao said to the officials.

“Pan’er. Come over here.” Liu Biao saw Liu Pan and called him over to his side.

Liu Pan listened to the command and walked forward. On his way, he purposefully stepped on Huang She’s feet. Huang She’s eyes grew wide. He wanted to settle accounts with Liu Pan but he was unable to. After all, he could not do too much in such a public space.

“Father.” Liu Pan cupped his fist towards Liu Biao.

“I have not introduced him to you. This is my nephew Liu Pan. He used to be a mischievous person so I sent him to the army at the border for him to temper himself. It seems to be effective. Now, he has returned like a prodigal son!” Liu Biao said to the others.

“We greet the Second Lord.” The others all greeted Liu Pan.

Normally, these people wouldn’t care as he was exiled like how the eldest Young Lord, Liu Qi was exiled from Xiangyang. However, the Cai Family and the Kuai Family was now facing a crisis. Lady Cai was in prison, and Liu Qi had gone to Yangzhou. Liu Pan even brought twenty thousand troops back with him. The others could not help but wonder what plans Liu Biao had for Liu Pan.

Liu Pan also acted modestly when replying back to the other officials.

The reason Liu Pan was sent to the borders was to build up an army in secret. Ultimately, it is because Liu Biao never trusted the Cai Family and the Kuai Family.

With one controlling the military and the other controlling civil affairs, it can be said that the Cai Family and the Kuai Family controlled more than half of Jingzhou. Liu Biao initially thought of using the Huang Family to keep the power balance in check. Huang Zu could certainly do this but Huang She could not.

Liu Biao knew that his life was getting shorter. Once he is dead, there is a high possibility that Liu Zong would become a puppet ruler. At that time, his Liu Family would be finished. That was why Liu Pan was to be Liu Zong’s aid. At the very least, a family member would be more trustable.

However, after that incident, Liu Biao thought of simply handing over his inheritance to Liu Pan instead.

“Father. This Pan is incapable and allowed the false king Liu Mang to escape!” Liu Pan immediately begged for forgiveness.

“What?” Liu Biao was startled. Although he already started to believe that this was the case, he was also filled with regret that Liu Mang was able to escape.

“Milord. The Second Lord had many elites with him but the fake king Liu Mang was able to escape. It shows that the false king is capable and may even be a deity. We cannot blame Lord Liu Pan.” Huang She stepped forward and pleaded for Liu Pan. However, it was evident in his words that he was mocking Liu Pan.

After all, Liu Mang was not a deity. He was simply an insignificant man that had to run away. This indicated that Liu Pan’s elites were rabble and Liu Pan himself is incapable.

“Huh. I would have forgotten if Writer Huang did not mention it! Father! When I went to chase the fake king Liu Mang, the people at the West Gate delayed me. They refused to open the gates to allow me to chase the fake king! I think they are either collaborating with the enemy and someone is trying to seize glory!” Liu Pan accused angrily.

“Is this true?” Liu Biao’s expression turned sour. He wanted to skin this detestable Liu Mang but his own people were actively obstructing him. How could he not feel angry?

“This is absolutely true.” Liu Pan replied. “If Father does not believe me, you can ask my men! They too, feel indignant towards the Ye Cheng, the gatekeeper of the West Gate. I hope Father will deal with this for the sake of Jingzhou!” Liu Pan said. If it weren’t for this incident, they could have caught up to Liu Mang earlier. Then this incident wouldn’t have happened.

“Ye Cheng?” Liu Biao thought about the person. Ye Cheng was one of the influential families in Xiangyang. Their boss is the Huang Family. Liu Biao then turned his gaze towards Huang She and was about to question Huang She when a voice suddenly shouted.

“Milord! That is not true! I was accused unjustly!” A beaten up man entered the hall.

“Who are you?” Liu Biao demanded an explanation. It was not appropriate that someone entered the hall looking like this at this moment.

“Replying to the Lord, this person is Ye Cheng, the military officer at the West Gate!” Huang She explained.

“He is Ye Cheng? Why does he look like this?” Liu Biao was stunned. Ye Cheng seemed to have been beaten up badly. No matter what was said, Ye Cheng was still a military officer. Who would dare to beat up a military officer like this?

“It is him!” Ye Cheng pointed at Liu Pan who was standing beside Liu Biao.

“What do you mean me?” Liu Pan asked. When Ye Cheng pointed at him, Liu Pan immediately realized that this beaten up figure was the actual Ye Cheng and that the situation was going to end badly.

“Milord! You must seek justice for me! Milord!” Ye Cheng wept pitifully until Liu Biao got annoyed.

“What injustice do you speak of?”

“Milord. I, Ye Cheng, am the military officer that guards the West Gate for Milord. A few days ago, Milord said you wanted to catch a rebel and all the gates must stay closed to prevent the rebel from escaping.”

Liu Biao nodded. He really did give this order.

“However, this Liu Pan came to the West Gate saying he received the order to pursue the rebel. I was thinking that he may the rebel so I asked him to show evidence. This Liu Pan asked me to go down and take a look. When I went down, I was beaten up by his subordinates. He called me a blind dog that is unable to recognize the future ruler of Jingzhou. That was why my subordinates did not allow Liu Pan to leave the city. We did not expect to hinder Milord’s intentions.”

“Bullshit!” Liu Pan shouted angrily. When did he beat up Ye Cheng? At that time, Ye Cheng was arrogant and would not open the gates even after showing the jade pendant. Liu Pan had to threaten Ye Cheng to open the gates.

“My son said that? You are not lying?” Liu Biao furrowed his brows and asked. What do you mean future ruler of Jingzhou? He is not dead yet!

“This subordinate does not dare lie! I also have evidence that is this object!” Ye Cheng said as he took out a white tiger jade pendant.

“A jade pendant?” Liu Biao could remember that this jade pendant was something he had given to Liu Pan.

“My jade pendant!” Liu Pan suddenly realized that he had forgotten to take back his jade pendant in his haste to chase Liu Mang. Now it was being used by Ye Cheng as testimony against him.

“Father! I didn’t do it!” Liu Pan tried to explain himself.

Liu Biao looked at the jade pendant and recalled Liu Pan’s old hedonistic habits. He felt hurt but fortunately, he did not want to bother about this too much. “Alright. Leave. Take a hundred gold and have a good rest at home.” Liu Biao said, believing in Ye Cheng’s words.

“Thank you Milord!” Ye Cheng replied. He then gave Huang She a happy expression. They already knew that Liu Pan would complain to Liu Biao. Ye Cheng’s injuries were deliberate to make things hard for Liu Pan.

Huang She was happy. If Liu Pan did not catch Liu Mang, it was be his victory. The one with the most merits would be Huang She. Now that Liu Pan was also under suspicion, Huang She was even more secure with his backing. It was as though Huang She became very capable.

“Milord. What should we do if the fake king returns to Yangzhou and goes on an expedition to conquer Jingzhou?” Huang She asked, bringing the consequences of Liu Mang escaping to the front.

Liu Biao immediately became anxious after hearing this question. Had he managed to capture Liu Mang, he could threaten Yangzhou not to act rashly or push the blame onto the Cai Family if he killed Liu Mang. However, now that Liu Mang has escaped, a war between Jingzhou and Yangzhou was inevitable.

“Does anyone have any suggestions?” Liu Biao asked.

Everyone looked at each other but no one said anything. This is because the Kuai Yue and Cai Mao remained silent. The rest did not dare to voice their opinions.

“Are you all mute? Does no one have any suggestions?”

“Hmph!” Liu Biao narrowed his eyes. He now understood the position the Cai Family and Kuai Family had in Jingzhou. All of them were willing to offend Liu Biao but none of them were willing to offend the Cai Family and the Kuai Family.

“Cai Mao Cai Degui. How about you give a suggestion!” Liu Biao called on Cai Mao since no one else would speak.

“Hm?” Cai Mao did not expect his name to be called out. “Milord. This Cai Mao is a mere fool. He is not well versed in crafty plots and tricks.” Cai Mao immediately rejected while accusing Liu Biao for being crafty.

“This one is incapable. He does not even know how many soldiers we have in Jingzhou. Please punish this subordinate.” Cai Mao knelt down while glancing at Liu Pan.

Twenty thousand troops suddenly appeared in Xiangyang City. They did not appear even after Fancheng had fallen and Xiangyang was in peril. Yet they suddenly appeared now. The lengths to keep them hidden was too frightening.

“Fine!” Liu Biao laughed in anger. “Since you said you are incapable, you no longer need to be the Military Advisor! Men! Take away Cai Mao’s Tiger Seal!” Liu Biao ordered.

“Milord! You mustn’t!”

“Milord! Military Advisor Cai is loyal and devoted! You mustn’t do this!” Many civil and military officials pleaded when they saw that Liu Biao wanted to dismiss Cai Mao.

“Milord. Here is the Tiger Seal.” Cai Mao said as he returned the Tiger Seal. After all, the Tiger Seal no longer had any use. The troops he could control cannot approach shore and Cai Mao could no longer use it within the city.

“Haha.” Huang She watched the scene happily. Liu Biao had finally suppressed the Cai Family. Now that Cai Mao was no longer the Military Advisor, the position had to go to someone else. As the Kuai Family were allied with the Cai Family, they would not be chosen. That means that the next Military Advisor would be him since he was the most respected person in the Huang Family.

“My child Liu Pan, receive your orders.”

“This son is here.”

“My son, Liu Pan. This is my Tiger Seal. From today onwards, you will be the Military Advisor of Jingzhou.” Liu Biao said and handed over the Tiger Seal to Liu Pan.

“Understood!” Liu Pan cupped his fists before receiving the Tiger Seal.

Huang She’s eyes grew wide in anger and disbelief. He had done so much. He nearly died for Liu Biao. He offended the Cai Family and Kuai Family. He even became Liu Mang’s captive. Yet Liu Biao had cast him aside.

Huang She wanted to step forward and object but one man beside him stopped him. “Young Master, be patient.”

“How am I supposed to be patient? At this rate, that gigolo is going to take all the credit!” Huang She replied quietly.

“Don’t worry, Young Master. You will get your merit.” The youngster replied.

He then pulled Huang She back while stepping forward. “Milord. This subordinate has a suggestion.”

“Oh?” Liu Biao looked at the unfamiliar man. “Who are you?”

“Milord. This is just one of my book aides.” Huang She’s job was the write down orders. His aides help him transcribe and copy those orders. “His name is Yi Ji.”

Liu Biao frowned when he heard that this man was just a book aide. During this time period, the people cared about a person’s origins. Liu Biao would not care about a person without reputation and he would definitely not speak directly to such an unimportant official. However, he had to reluctantly listen to Yi Ji because he was introduced by Huang She.

“Milord is worried that the fake king Liu Mang would attack Jingzhou and bring chaos after escaping.” Yi Ji spoke frankly. “So how about we strike first?”

“Strike first?” Liu Biao’s interest rose. “But what about Jiangdong?” Liu Biao was worried that Jiangdong would profit of them.

“Milord. Although Sun Ce is our enemy, Yangzhou have enemies of their own! Cao Cao will go down South after pacifying the North. The first to bear the brunt of his attack would be Yangzhou. There is also the Imperial Uncle Liu!” Yi Ji continued to speak. Kuai Yue’s raised his eyebrows in surprise when Yi Ji mentioned Liu Bei. This is because nobody in Jingzhou addressed Liu Bei as an Imperial Uncle anymore. They mostly called him Traitor Liu or Big Eared Liu. Why did Yi Ji show so much respect to Liu Bei?

This is because Yi Ji was actually not from Jingzhou. He came here to take refuge. He lived a hard life but was help by his friend, Pang Tong Pang Shiyuan. He thought of leaving Jingzhou together with Pang Tong but missed his chance because he was at Changsha together with Huang Zu when Pang Tong left. Now, he was one of those who helped Pang Tong obtain Jingzhou for Liu Bei.

“That Big Eared Liu is a traitor!” Liu Biao became angry when Liu Bei was mentioned. He hated both Liu Mang and Liu Bei.

“Milord. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!” Yi Ji advised. “With the Imperial Uncle’s presence, Liu Mang’s troops can be managed.”

Liu Biao frowned unhappily but he also realized that Yi Ji was right. Letting these two fight each other was not a bad idea.

“Another thing Milord. Milord has misunderstood Imperial Uncle Liu. Why did the Imperial Uncle attack Fancheng? Isn’t it because of provisions? Why was the fake king Liu Mang so proactive in attacking the Imperial Uncle? That is because he made a plot. It is possible that he had instigated the Imperial Uncle to attack Fancheng. He wanted to destroy the relationship between the Imperial Uncle and Milord. Then he would be able to capture Yuzhou. At that time, Milord’s path to the Central Plains will be blocked!” Yi Ji explained. As Liu Biao already hated Liu Mang, he believed that everything Liu Mang did had a sinister motive.

“Yi Ji. You still haven’t said how to strike first.” Liu Biao asked.

“This… Yi Ji does not dare to mention.” Yi Ji suddenly turned silent.

“You don’t dare are you unable to say?” Liu Biao frowned.

“I do not dare.” Yi Ji repeated.

“Fine. You have permission to speak freely.” Liu Biao ordered.

“Milord. This plan requires you to throw away Jiangxia.” Yi Ji said to Liu Biao.

“Jiangxia?” Liu Biao contemplated this decision. Jiangxia protected them from the East. For many years, Jiangxia has protected the rest of Jingzhou from Sun Ce, allowing Jingzhou to flourish.

If Liu Biao were to throw away Jiangxia, Jingzhou would never know peace. However, he realized that allowing Liu Mang to return to Yangzhou was just as bad. Liu Biao gritted his teeth. “Speak. What is your plan?”

Yi Ji continued to speak after obtaining Liu Biao’s interest. “Milord. We can use Jiangxia as a reward to get Sun Ce to attack Yangzhou together with us. This way, the fake king Liu Mang will be too busy defending his land. If he still wants to attack Jingzhou, we can get the Imperial Uncle Liu to attack as well and wipe out Yangzhou!” Yi Ji’s plan made all the officials in the hall gasp. It was a malicious stratagem to hit Yangzhou on three sides.

Kuai Yue could not help but commit Yi Ji’s name and face to his memory. He recognized Yi Ji as a talented man who has unfortunately supported the enemy.

Kuai Liang glared at Yi Ji. He would have probably stepped forward in protest if Kuai Yue had not stop him.

“You are called Yi Ji?” Liu Biao asked.

“Yes. This subordinate Yi Ji is from Yanzhou, Shanyang.” Yi Ji replied.

“You are from Yanzhou Shanyang?” Liu Biao became excited as this was his hometown. “You are someone from my hometown!” Liu Biao said as he looked at Yi Ji with appreciation. A companion from the same hometown is quite a good form of relationship.

“Alright. Yi Ji, being a book aide is a waste of your talent. How about you be a Xiangyang Guard!” Liu Biao suggested.

Although it was a military position, staff officers like Yi Ji would not be able to command the troops. Yi Ji felt regret from this but he still gave his thanks. “Thank you, Milord.”

“My son, Liu Pan. Go to Jiangxia and attack Lujiang together with the army at Jiangxia and Sun Ce’s army.” Liu Biao ordered. He wanted to give Liu Pan command of the Jiangxia navy.

Huang She became worried as Liu Pan’s army grew bigger. What sort of rotten plan did Yi Ji come up with?

At this point, Yi Ji reassured Huang She and stepped forward before Liu Pan could receive the order. “Milord, wait.”

When Yi Ji spoke earlier, Liu Biao looked at him with disdain but now, Liu Biao’s impression of Yi Ji had already improved a lot.

“What’s wrong my friend?” Liu Biao asked intimately.

“Milord. Lord Liu Pan cannot go to Jiangxia.” Yi Ji replied.

“My son cannot?” Liu Biao frowned.

“Does Master Yi Ji think my abilities insufficient or are you purposefully trying to bring me down?” Liu Pan became angry as he was originally going to get a large army to compete against his rivals Sun Ce and Liu Mang. Yet here he was being stopped by one of Huang She’s men.

“No, no! Lord Liu Pan have misunderstood me!” Yi Ji shook his head and flattered. “Lord Liu Pan is an outstanding man surpassing others.” His words made Liu Pan feel happy.

“Then why do you not let me go to Jiangxia?” Liu Pan asked.

“Milord. If you had ordered Lord Liu Pan to go to Jiangxia earlier, this subordinate would not have any objections. However, Lord Liu Pan is now the Military Advisor!” Yi Ji explained. Although it was a good position for wealth, their duties were also heavy as they needed to command the frontlines and ensure that the troops have enough provisions. As Cai Mao no longer held this position, the duty of providing the front lines with provisions fall onto Liu Pan. Without provisions, the army would not be able to fight.

“Hm.” Liu Biao nodded. It was also important as it was not only Jiangxia that needed provisions but the rest of Jingzhou.

“Then things are simple. Father, please excuse this one from being the Military Advisor.” Liu Pan was not an idiot. He was not interested in being the Military Advisor. What he wanted was military power. During this chaotic times, only those with military power had strength.

“Don’t make trouble!” Liu Biao said. Liu Pan may not care about the position but Liu Biao did. If Liu Pan were to stop being the Military Advisor, Liu Biao would need to give this position back to Cai Mao. This would turn him to a joke.

“Milord, that is not the only reason. General Wen Pin and Advisor Zhuge have already been working together for a while. If Liu Pan were to go there, who would be the one giving orders?” Yi Ji’s advised removed any of Liu Biao’s desire to send Liu Pan to the front lines. Yi Ji was telling Liu Biao that even if he wanted to send Liu Pan to the front, the people at Jiangxia would not be so appreciative. His trusted general Wen Pin and Zhuge Liang from the Lumen Academy would be offended.

Liu Biao had simple thoughts. He is satisfied as long as the one commanding the army did not belong to the Cai Family or the Kuai Family. This meant that he was fine with Zhuge Liang and Wen Pin. No matter how Liu Pan tried to dispute this decision, Liu Biao’s mind was set. Huang She smiled happily at this. Although he could not go to the front himself, he was happy enough that Liu Pan couldn’t as well. He could not help but sigh with regret. The man his father sent was skillful. If Yi Ji had been around earlier, he would not have been humiliated by Liu Mang.

“Milord. I heard the famous Doctor Chen is at your resident?” Yi Ji suddenly asked.

Liu Biao was surprised for a moment and then nodded. Although the man was not that famous, he was skilled. Liu Biao was angry that the man had deceived him but it was also true that the man was skilled at treating his back. That was the reason Chen Quan was spared.

“Why? Did someone in your family fall sick?”

“Yes. Not my immediate family but my Young Master was injured when chasing after the fake king Liu Mang. Although he was treated, there may have been some lingering effects. So I hoped to invite your cherished Doctor Chen Quan over to heal him.

“I have no problems!” Huang She almost muttered out. He was fortunate enough to only be slightly injured in his backside. It was not particularly a major injury that would have lingering effects. However, he also quickly realized that this was Yi Ji requesting merits for him. It was an indirect way of saying “I am such a loyal official who got injured for your sake so give me a promotion.”

“Go. Call Chen Quan over and tell him to follow Writer Huang back.” Liu Biao naturally understood that they were asking for a promotion but he wouldn’t give it to them. The position of Military Advisor was already given to his son and he could not immediately dismiss Kuai Liang’s position to hand it over to Huang She.

“Milord. I heard the general of your guards was injured?”

“My bodyguards?” These guard wasn’t injured. He was killed by Guan Hai. Did Huang She want to command Liu Biao’s bodyguards?

Liu Biao thought for a moment. He needed the loyalty of the Huang Family and Huang She also had a lot of merits. “Huang She. This time you have contributed a lot in killing the rebels in the city. Go to my guard’s barracks once you have recovered from your injury.”

“That’s enough. I am also tired now. Disperse.”