Chapter 214: Four-party talks, each with its own plan

The 28th day of the first lunar month, in Xiangyang City, Nanjun.

Tomorrow is a big day. Yizhou Governor Liu Yan, Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao, Rear General and Nanyang County Governor Yuan Shu, and Yuzhou Governor Sun Jian will hold a meeting in Xiangyang.

The theme of the conference is naturally related to Jinmao.

In view of the bloody incident in Jiangling City, the four bigwigs discussed the thief's plan together.

Today, representatives from all parties have arrived in Xiangyang City.

Two banquets were held at the same time.

On one side is the royal family faction represented by Liu Yan and Liu Biao.

The other side is the faction represented by Yuan Shu and Sun Jian, who are in appearance but not in spirit.

At night, the governor's mansion.

This was a six-room mansion given to Liu Biao by Cai Mao on behalf of the Jingzhou gentry as a residence for the Jingzhou governor.

Celebrities gathered in the palace, such as the Liu families from various counties, as well as the Wu and Huan families from Changsha, the Huang, Wang, Pang, and Kuai families from Xiangyang.

Banquet center.

Liu Biao is at the upper right, and Liu Yan is at the upper left.

There are two people kneeling on the left, Zhang Lu and Jia Long.

The right side was full of people, including Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue and others.

It’s not that Liu Yan only had two people available under his command, but Zhang Lu and Jia Long served as representatives to protect Liu Yan to attend the meeting in Jingzhou.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The topic gradually turned to Jinmao.

Liu Biao was the first to provoke a war: "The governor of Yangzhou has acted perversely, and the whole world is outraged!"

"We should eliminate harm to the people and eradicate these treacherous officials!"

Liu Yan echoed: "Jingsheng is right!"

"I have long wanted to kill Jin Mao, but my army is small and my generals are weak, so I have the will but not the power."

Liu Biao stood up excitedly and said, "Since the governor of Yizhou has this intention, I have enough confidence in tomorrow's talks!"

Liu Yan agreed on the surface, but secretly despised him in his heart.

If Liu Yan had not been afraid that Jin Mao's next target would be him, he would not have left Sichuan and waded into muddy water.

"I heard that the Changshui Captain under Jingsheng once fought against the Jinmao kid."

Liu Yan changed the subject and asked, "I wonder how strong he is in combat?"

Everyone looked at Cai Mao, who bowed and said, "I am really ashamed, I didn't know."

Liu Yan chuckled and said in disbelief: "Captain Cai is joking, how could you not know that?"

"The military appearance and armaments are visible to the naked eye."

"I follow orders and have a clear purpose. You can always tell, right?"

"At worst, it's just paper talk, right?"

Zhang Lu and Jia Long, two of Liu Yan's subordinates, laughed softly.

Cai Mao's face flushed red. This was a naked humiliation!
Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, Huang Chengyan and others looked unhappy.

For a moment, the harmonious atmosphere was split into two, and the contradictions between the Jingzhou gentry and the Yizhou gentry were all highlighted.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Liu Biao immediately stepped out to mediate: "Today we are only discussing state affairs, not personal matters."

"Please, Governor of Yizhou, please consider the overall situation."

The warning is clear.

However, Liu Yan ignored Liu Biao.

How could the Governor of Jingzhou, who had barely established his position, dare to speak to a powerful governor in this way?
"Jingsheng said that as if Captain Cai and I have a personal grudge."

Liu Yan said in a loud voice: "Don't you guys want to reveal even the slightest bit of information?"

Cai Mao felt very uncomfortable, and immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "I am not feeling well, I will take my leave first."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Lu, a lieutenant under Liu Yan, stood up and continued to speak: "I heard that Lieutenant Cai is the brother-in-law of the governor of Jingzhou."

"What? Are you going to escape from such an important occasion today?"

Then, Zhang Lu bowed to Liu Yan and said, "My lord, I think we should return to Yizhou as soon as possible to prepare for the war. Staying here is just a waste of time!"

Liu Yan also stood up and agreed, "Gongqi (Zhang Lu's courtesy name) is right, I have the same idea!"

After saying this, he looked at Liu Biao provocatively.

In fact, Liu Yan was invited to the meeting for three purposes.

One is to use Wu County, Zigui and Yiling in Nanjun as a barrier for Yizhou and occupy the upper reaches of Changsha to prevent Jinmao from invading.

The second is to come to Jingzhou to get benefits.

Therefore, Liu Yan had to gain the upper hand in all aspects so as to gain an advantage in the subsequent negotiations.

As for whether the talks would fail, that was not within Liu Yan's consideration.

News has spread from Sun Jian's side that Jin Mao really wants to destroy Liu Biao.

How could Liu Biao negotiate with Liu Yan when he was a governor who was about to collapse at any time?

This is also Liu Yan’s confidence!

Seeing Liu Yan was about to leave, Liu Biao panicked and looked at Cai Mao almost pleadingly.

Although Liu Biao and Cai Mao's second sister had only entered into an engagement at the level of a feudal lord and had not yet completed the marriage (a feudal lord lasts for half a year), they were nominally already a family.

Cai Mao looked very aggrieved and immediately doubted whether this marriage was a mistake.

If Cai Mao still wanted to leave by force, the marriage with Liu Biao would become a joke.

Not only will the two families not make any further progress, but they will also become enemies.

Just when Cai Mao was in a dilemma, Kuai Yue stood up and said loudly: "If the governor of Yizhou is so short-sighted, please go back!"

"It's better for Jingzhou not to ally with you!"

"At least at the critical moment, I won't be stabbed in the back by my allies!"

Liu Yan paused, turned around and looked at Kuai Yue, and asked curiously: "Who are you?"

Kuai Yue was neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "I am Kuai Yue, the official of Jingzhou."

"It turns out to be Kuai Yidu from Xiangyang!" Liu Yan said with a smile, "I've heard of your name for a long time!"

How could Liu Yan not know Kuai Yue, who was once an official of the Eastern Cao department serving the great General He Jin?

However, Liu Yan relied on his status to deliberately show off his identity.

In Luoyang, Liu Yan was one of the Nine Ministers. When he arrived at the local level, Liu Yan was the governor of a state. No matter from which perspective, he crushed everyone present!

"You said I was short-sighted?" Liu Yan's face suddenly changed: "If you can't convince me today, I will kill you!"

Kuai Yue is tall, with obvious masculine features and thick hair and beard. He looks more like a military general than a strategist; his pair of insightful eyes add a bit of mystery to him.

Facing Liu Yan's questioning, Kuai Yue still had a calm expression and said: "The governor of Yangzhou has committed atrocities. Now is the best time to punish him."

"The governor of Yizhou not only has no sincerity in cooperation, but also aggressively undermines the alliance between the two states. This is one of the reasons."

"General Yuan Shu has made a comeback; Yuzhou Governor Sun Jian has returned to the right path; the four forces are united in their hatred of the enemy. This is the best time to make achievements."

"But you are only interested in personal gain, this is the second reason!"

"Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao is a man of both virtue and integrity, and all the nobles of Jingzhou are loyal to him. You are not satisfied with having such a leader."

“Isn’t this short-sighted?”

"Hahaha!" Liu Yan laughed.

"Everyone says that Kuai Yidu is profound and wise, and today I see that his reputation is well-deserved!"

Then, Liu Yan paused and said, "But you are wrong about one thing!"

Kuai Yue said curiously, "I'd like to hear more details."

Liu Yan said conceitedly: "The Four-Party Alliance, I will be the leader!"

"As the leader of the alliance, I have the right to attack Jin Mao!"

Kuai Yue was "greatly shocked" and bowed to Liu Yan and Liu Biao, saying: "This matter is not for me to decide. Please discuss it in detail."

Seeing this, Liu Biao hurriedly stood up, gave Kuai Yue a look of gratitude, then walked down, supported Liu Yan, and cried.

"I am so old and confused that I can't even tell the priority from the secondary. Damn it, damn it!" Liu Biao cried, howled, and wanted to slap himself. His performance was worthy of an award-winning actor, and there was no sign of falsehood at all.

Liu Yan quickly grabbed Liu Biao's arm and said, "Jingsheng, why do you have to do this?"

"You and I are both from the royal family, and we are as close as brothers."

"Everyone present here today, bear witness that Liu Jingzhou and I are brothers. Since I am two years older than you, I shall be the elder brother!"

Liu Biao felt very upset, but on the surface he was grateful and said, "It is my great honor to have a man like you as my brother."

"Brother...ah no! Leader, please take a seat!"

Seeing that Liu Biao was so understanding, Liu Yan returned to the seat and sat down with great satisfaction.

At this time, Liu Biao ordered someone to open a seat at the lower left corner of Liu Yan. He was really willing to be inferior to Liu Yan.

Liu Yan was even more satisfied.

The subsequent negotiations went very smoothly.

Liu Yan was arrogant and boasted all kinds of things; Liu Biao was very humble and nodded repeatedly.

In this way, Liu Yan and Liu Ba formed a strategic alliance and prepared to persuade Yuan Shu and Sun Jian to join together tomorrow.

...

Another banquet was held at Yuan Shu's temporary residence in Xiangyang.

The atmosphere here is much more lively than over there.

After being beaten by Jin Mao and Sun Jian successively, Yuan Shu became smart, put away his arrogance, and made humble contributions.

Sun Jian was about to take up his post in Yuzhou and desperately needed Yuan Shu's support.

Runan County is the base camp of the Yuan family and also the richest and most important county in Yuzhou.

Moreover, the gentry in various counties of Yuzhou were closely connected. It could be said that as long as one controlled Runan County, it was equivalent to controlling the entire Yuzhou.

At this time, the night was already deep.

The banquet was almost over.

Yuan Shu and Sun Jian, the two men who flattered each other, seemed to have finally remembered their business. They put their arms around each other's shoulders and discussed the matter jokingly with their tongues clenched.

"General Hou, I...I promise that Runan County will remain the territory of the Yuan family, and no...no one will be harmed."

Sun Jian patted his chest and promised: "I... I only need one county and four kingdoms!"

The one county and four kingdoms were Yingchuan County, Liang Kingdom, Chen Kingdom, Pei Kingdom, and Lu Kingdom.

Yuan Shu said drunkenly, "Say...say it as many times as you can, don't call me rear general, call...call me big brother!"

"Wen Tai, I really..." Yuan Shu burped, "I really admire your talent!"

"As long as you work for me in the future, one county and four kingdoms are nothing, Yuzhou..."

"I can give you all of Yuzhou!"

Yuan Shu patted his thigh and promised: "I will submit a petition for you to be appointed... appointed as governor of Yuzhou!"

Sun Jian waved his hands vigorously and said, "No... No! The governor of Yuzhou is enough."

"I also want to... go north and drive away the butcher Dong Zhuo!"

Yuan Shu was angry at his lack of resistance and asked, "Why are you so short-sighted?"

"Drive away... Dong Zhuo, and you will not be in charge of the future?"

Sun Jian shook his head and said, "No matter! No matter!"

"To be loyal to the Han Dynasty is... my lifelong wish!"

Yuan Shu shook his head, fell to the ground and fell asleep.

Sun Jian staggered to his feet, lifted up a jar of fine wine, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Clap"

The wine jar broke and Sun Jian fell to the ground.

Both sides helped their lord go down to rest.

Early the next morning.

After Yuan Shu finished washing up, he invited Sun Jian to have breakfast with him.

"Greetings, General Hou!"

Sun Jian was fully armed and saluted with his fists clasped together: "I am wearing armor and cannot perform the full salute. Please forgive me."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yuan Shu put his arm around Sun Jian affectionately and said, "Didn't we agree last night that you and I should call each other brothers?"

"Come on, come on. Someone sent some game here yesterday. Let's eat together."

Faced with such enthusiasm from Yuan Shu, Sun Jian was a little overwhelmed and bowed again, saying, "I have received news that my son Sun Ce is leading his troops to Xiangyang and will arrive soon."

"I was worried that I would disrupt the talks."

In fact, Sun Ce wrote a letter to Sun Jian, telling him in detail the deployment of Zhou Yu's troops.

As for the crime of killing Cao Yin, the prefect of Wuling County, Sun Ce only mentioned it briefly.

No one knows a son better than his father. Sun Jian didn't know that Sun Ce was framed by Zhou Yu. He just thought that Sun Ce must have gotten into trouble again.

On the other hand, Jin Mao sent people to support, which was something Sun Jian did not expect. Xun You was right. Sun Jian sent Sun Ce to Jiangling City as a hostage.

It shows that he has no ulterior motives and avoids causing misunderstanding.

Who knew Jinmao was so generous.

Therefore, Sun Jian regretted attending the damn four-party talks and wanted to return to Wancheng as soon as possible and set off for Yuzhou as soon as possible.

Why waste your brain on something that can be settled with force?
Yuan Shu said indifferently: "What kind of bullshit meeting is more important than our brothers having a meal together?"

"Come, come, try this bear paw."

It was hard to refuse such a kind invitation. Sun Jian finished his breakfast very uncomfortably and reminded him again: "General Hou, I really have something important to deal with. I came here specially to say goodbye to you."

Although force can solve many problems, Yuan Shu has already recovered his original strength, or even become stronger.

Adhering to the principle that less trouble is worse than more, Sun Jian tried his best not to offend Yuan Shu.

"No matter how urgent it is, there is no need to rush now." Yuan Shu held Sun Jian's hand tightly and said, "Let me finish this meeting first."

Yuan Shu stated his purpose: "As long as you help me secure my position as the leader of the four factions, all my promises from last night will count!"

Sun Jian pretended to be dumbfounded and asked, "What promise?"

"Look, I hate hypocritical people the most!" Yuan Shu pointed at Sun Jian and said, "I'll give you another chance to reorganize your words!"

Sun Jian chuckled and clasped his fists, saying, "Big Brother, please accept my humble respect!"

"Hey, that's right!" Yuan Shu held Sun Jian's hand again and said, "Let's work together, brothers, to take down the leader."

"If we bring in Yangzhou Mu, the Southern Alliance will be formed."

Yuan Shu became more and more excited as he spoke: "When the time comes, all the princes will come to fight against Dong, and our Southern Alliance will be the only one that dominates!"

"Yuan Shao, that bastard! I will make him give up his position as leader!"

Sun Jian did not expect that Yuan Shu would have such a far-reaching revenge and actually wanted to become the leader of the alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo.

Are you that material?

Just daydreaming!
However, Yuan Shu spoke to himself, or he specifically told Sun Jian his plan.

"What does a bastard have to offer him?"

"Cao Aman, the best fighter, was beaten to a pulp by the governor of Yangzhou!"

"Zhang Miao, Liu Dai, Tao Qian and their ilk were all defeated by the governor of Yangzhou!"

"As long as I can gain the support of Yangzhou Mu, what does being a leader mean to me?"

Yuan Shu said proudly: "I will fight back to Luoyang, welcome back the little emperor, and restore the glory of the Yuan family!"

As they were talking, the two men came to a luxurious carriage. Yuan Shu invited Sun Jian to ride in the carriage, but the latter could not refuse, so they sat together.

"My dear brother, you have a good relationship with the governor of Yangzhou, so you must say a few good words for me."

"Just say that I, Yuan Shu, am willing to be brothers with him and plan great things together!"

Sun Jian finally couldn't help asking, "General Hou, we are despised by the nobles, why do you want to associate with us?"

Yuan Shu looked at Sun Jian with eyes full of wisdom and said: "Believe me, I also hate the nobles. We are all in the same boat!"

Sun Jian didn't know whether it was true or not, so he didn't answer.

(End of this chapter)