amaotonovel Chapter 414 Zhuge Liang: Uncle-in-law, let me explain!
Chapter 414 Zhuge Liang: Uncle-in-law, let me explain!
Chapter 414 Zhuge Liang: Uncle-in-law, let me explain! "Gentlemen, the lord's intentions are already crystal clear."
"I, Kuai, do not intend to attend the banquet. What about the two of you?"
Kuai Yue looked at Cai Mao and Zhang Yun meaningfully.
Cai Mao laughed:
“Yidu, you know my usual style of doing things, Cai Mao.”
“A brother-in-law is a brother-in-law, and family is family.”
"It goes without saying who is more important, my brother-in-law or my family."
After saying that, the two of them turned their gazes to Zhang Yun at the same time.
Unlike the other two, Zhang Yunke was Liu Biao's nephew!
In other words, Liu Biao trusted Zhang Yun far more than he trusted the other two.
If Zhang Yun decides to defect, Liu Biao will be caught off guard.
"I am willing to follow General Cai and Mr. Kuai!"
“My uncle is a bit stubborn and unruly, so I, Zhang, naturally cannot be as ignorant as him.”
Zhang Yun's smug and petty nature was on full display.
They have forgotten that the Zhang family's rapid rise in status in recent years is entirely due to Liu Biao's patronage.
"Hahaha, a wise man submits to circumstances."
"From now on, General Zhang, you are our comrade-in-arms."
The small group was officially formed.
At this moment, Liu Biao was completely unaware of this matter.
Until the evening banquet.
Neither Cai Mao nor Kuai Yue, these two "targets," came.
Liu Biao then realized that the two men had seen through his plan.
Perhaps Liu Biao had truly grown old and ill, and his reflexes were not as sharp as before.
If it were the old him, he certainly wouldn't be so "slow-witted".
Suddenly, Liu Bei brought Zhuge Liang to see Liu Biao.
"Xuande, Kongming, what's going on with you two?"
Liu Biao looked at Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang with an inquiring gaze.
He had no idea when these two had gotten together!
Although Liu Bei was nominally his subordinate.
But more often than not, they play the role of a guest player.
Zhuge Liang acknowledged Liu Bei as his lord, but not Liu Biao, which made Liu Biao feel somewhat resentful.
Of course, a figure like Liu Biao wouldn't dare to make trouble for Zhuge Liang over this matter.
Liu Biao had always treated Zhuge Liang as a nephew, essentially taking care of Zhuge Liang's four siblings on behalf of his former close friend Zhuge Xuan.
Meeting Liu Biao's gaze, a hint of guilt appeared in Zhuge Liang's eyes.
Driven by his lofty ambitions (in reality, he was misled by Sima Hui, the pimp), he chose Liu Bei.
For Liu Biao, this was indeed a rather unethical thing to do.
But nothing is perfect.
Zhuge Liang could only do what he could to take care of Liu Qi in the future, as a way of repaying Liu Biao for taking in the four Zhuge siblings.
“Brother, if I’m not mistaken, you were planning to make a move against Cai Mao and Kuai Yue at the banquet, but since they didn’t come, you had to give up for the time being.”
Liu Biao had already dismissed his attendants. Seeing that Liu Bei knew his thoughts, he nodded and did not deny it.
"But brother, have you thought about this?"
"Since Cai Mao and Kuai Yue already know your plans, they must have made preparations."
"To attack them now might play right into their hands and lead to an ambush."
Liu Bei's words gradually calmed Liu Biao down.
As for why Liu Biao didn't directly send troops to deal with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue...
This question is similar to why Yuan Shao didn't send troops to attack Ju Shou.
While Jingzhou may not have had a super-powerful minister, Liu Biao relied on the power of the Jingzhou aristocratic families to rule the province, which meant he had to give them a significant say.
Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were respectively a general in Jingzhou and a deputy governor in Jingzhou.
They were equivalent to the second and third in command in Jingzhou.
Liu Biao, the head of the family, is simultaneously making trouble for the second and third sons. If he succeeds, things will be fine.
If it fails, it could trigger a massive "Jingzhou standoff" in no time.
At that time, there will definitely be far more people siding with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue than with Liu Biao!
Therefore, if Liu Biao wanted to get rid of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, he had to kill them instantly, giving their followers no time to react!
But now, the plan has clearly failed.
So much time has passed.
Unless Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are idiots, they must have already prepared countermeasures and were waiting for Liu Biao to take the bait.
"Xuande, in your opinion, what should I do now?"
Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting, leaving the stage to Zhuge Liang.
"Uncle, Liang thinks you should take a step back to move forward!"
"Please hand over the position of Governor of Jingzhou to the young master immediately!"
"At the same time, a secret edict was issued ordering the eldest son to go to Jiangxia."
"As for General Huang Zu, Liang has already devised a strategy to persuade him to resolutely resist Cao Cao."
"After you give your seat to the young master, please refrain from showing any hostility towards Cai Mao and Kuai Yue."
"We will seize the opportunity to capture them when they lower their guard."
In this way, Jingzhou can be returned to your control.
Liu Biao carefully considered Zhuge Liang's strategy.
That makes some sense.
However, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were afraid that Liu Biao would assign them executioners.
Liu Biao himself was also worried that Cai Mao and Kuai Yue would do the same to him!
and so.
Based on Zhuge Liang's strategy, Liu Biao added another point.
After officially handing over the position to Liu Cong, he will leave Xiangyang and go to Shiyan to live in seclusion.
Shiyan was a county under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang, and it belonged to the hometown of Kuai Yue.
This sincerity indicates that Liu Biao truly wanted to retire and had given in.
Little did they know that the day of the power transfer was Liu Biao's chance to turn the tables!
……
Kuai Yue's Residence
Refusing to attend the banquet nearly caused a complete breakdown in relations between Cai Mao and Kuai Yue and Liu Biao.
But soon, news came that Liu Biao had announced that he would pass the throne to Liu Cong.
Cai Mao and Kuai Yue looked at each other, unsure of what Liu Biao was really up to.
"Otherworld, could this be a trap?"
Cai Mao's expression showed both excitement and impatience.
Liu Cong, that little brat, is far younger than Yuan Shang was back then. What does he know about governing Jingzhou!
In the future, wouldn't Cai Mao and Kuai Yue be in charge of Jingzhou?
Then, the two of them could take Jingzhou and Liu Cong and negotiate a good price with Cao Cao, then surrender Jingzhou to Cao Cao.
"Shiyan is my hometown. If I go to Shiyan, it certainly doesn't seem like a lie."
"In that case, let the lord hand over his power within three days and retire to recuperate."
Cai Mao and Kuai Yue came up with this compromise idea.
At this moment, although the two were still wary of Liu Biao, they no longer regarded him as an enemy as they had the night before.
Suddenly, the steward rushed in and reported to Kuai Yue:
"Master, Wei...Wei Yan has arrived!"
"Wei Yan???"
A wave of tragic memories of being dominated by Jia Xu instantly swept over Kuai Yue's mind.
Wei Yan was originally a guard by Kuai Yue's side, but he was tricked by Jia Xu and became Jia Xu's disciple.
now.
Wei Yan returned to Xiangyang.
This represents Jia Xu's intentions, and also the intentions of Cao Cao's camp!
……