Sun Qian only smiled, his gaze carrying a hint of mystery.
“He is from Jing Province, but he is not some well-known scholar.
He is a gifted recluse hidden away in the hills.” “If Military Marquis Wei is curious, then after this is done, you can meet him for yourself in Xiangyang.” Those words about a hidden talent living in seclusion only stirred Wei Yan’s curiosity further, and he truly wanted to see what sort of strange recluse thought so highly of a small military marquis like him.
For the moment, he forced that curiosity down and took a deep breath before rising to bow to Sun Qian.
“I, Wei Yan, have admired Liu Bei for a long time, but because of my low status, I never dared to go and serve under him.
Now that Liu Bei thinks so highly of me and entrusts me with a matter of life and death, how can I fail to repay him with my life?” “Please report back to Liu Bei for me.
Yan is willing to fight to the death, open the city gate for Liu Bei, and help Liu Bei seize Xiangyang in one stroke.” Only then did Sun Qian finally let out a long breath of relief.
Inside the provincial government of Xiangyang, Liu Cong sat in the main seat with his brows tightly knit as he studied that handwritten letter.
He looked up at Kuai Yue and Cai Mao with almost pleading eyes.
“Do we really have to surrender to Cao Cao?” “There are still a hundred thousand armored troops in the province.
Do we truly have no hope of stopping the Cao Cao Army and preserving this inheritance?” He was clearly still clinging to one last shred of hope and was unwilling to surrender to Cao Cao so easily.
“How does my lord compare with Yuan Benchu in talent and vision?
And how does our Jing Province Army compare with the old Yuan forces in strength?” Stroking his thin beard, Kuai Yue asked the question in a cold tone.
Liu Cong was left speechless.
Kuai Yue continued, his voice openly mocking, as if ridiculing Liu Cong for overestimating himself.
“My lord is inferior to Yuan Benchu in ability, and our Jing Province Army is far weaker than the old Yuan forces.” “Even Yuan Benchu, with all his strength, was destroyed by Cao Cao and ended with his whole clan wiped out.
So where does my lord get the confidence to think he can stop Cao Cao’s iron cavalry?” Hearing this, Liu Cong fell silent, and the last hope in his eyes slowly shattered.
“My lord has already sent a letter of surrender to Cao Cao, so stop wavering and thinking in every direction.” Cai Mao spoke next with a smile.
“How broad-minded is Cao Cao?
He could even accept Zhang Xiu, so why would he not accept my lord?” “In any case, this Jing Province cannot be defended by my lord.
Better to offer it to Cao Cao and go peacefully to Xu Capital to enjoy wealth and honor.
Would that not be far better?” A trace of bitterness passed through Liu Cong’s eyes, and he could only sigh.
“Since things have already come to this, and you two strongly support surrendering to Cao Cao, I can only follow your judgment.” Cai Mao and Kuai Yue exchanged a glance and smiled in understanding.
“It’s just that Liu Bei already knows about this.
He and Cao Cao are mortal enemies, so he most likely will not surrender to Cao Cao along with us.” Liu Cong showed some concern as he voiced his warning.
“If he learns that we have surrendered to Cao Cao and in his anger turns hostile and leads troops to attack, what then?” Cai Mao immediately tensed, and caution toward Liu Bei appeared on his face.
Kuai Yue, however, only smiled faintly and did not take it seriously.
“Liu Bei prides himself on benevolence and righteousness and is burdened by his own reputation.
I judge that because of the final trust Liu Biao placed in him before his death, he will not make a move against my lord or send troops to attack Xiangyang.” “In my judgment, Liu Bei will either follow the Han River south to Jiangxia and join Liu Qi, or pass by Xiangyang and head south to seize Jiangling.
If he chooses the former, that is naturally for the best, and we can wait at ease for Cao Cao’s great army to arrive.” “If he chooses the latter, then we simply shut the gates and refuse to come out, letting him go south to Jiangling.
As for whether Liu Bei should later be won over or wiped out, that can be left to Cao Cao to decide.” Cai Mao relaxed, and confidence returned to his face.
“Not to mention that Liu Bei is soft-hearted.
As Kuai Yue said, he most likely will not attack our Xiangyang.
Even if he truly does come, there are thirty thousand troops in the city.
Though morale is unstable now, if we close the gates, we can still hold out for three to five days until Cao Cao’s great army arrives.” “My lord need not worry.
Liu Bei is not worth fearing, so just wait here with us for Cao Cao’s arrival.” Liu Cong said nothing.
The next day, deep into the night, the water camp at Fancheng was already in Liu Bei’s hands.
Standing at the pier with one hand resting on his sword, Liu Bei fixed a cold gaze on Xiangyang across the river.
Behind him, under the shouted orders of Zhang Fei and the other generals, thousands of soldiers were boarding ships in swift, orderly lines.
The water camp at Fancheng had only two thousand troops.
When Liu Bei’s army launched its sudden attack, they offered only brief resistance before surrendering or fleeing, so Liu Bei took the camp without bloodshed.
The first step of Raid on Xiangyang had been completed smoothly.
What remained was to cross the river with all speed and reach the walls of Xiangyang before dawn.
“My lord, the army has already boarded.
It is time to cross the river.” Beside him, Zhuge Liang pointed his feather fan toward the southern bank.
Liu Bei did not answer at once.
Instead, he took out the handwritten reply from Wei Yan and looked at it again.
“Zhuge Liang, do you think this Wei Yan, the man recommended by Xiao He, truly can be put to great use?” As he reread the letter, a trace of concern could still be heard in Liu Bei’s voice.
Zhuge Liang remained calm and steady as he lightly waved the feather fan.
“We have already taken the water camp, which means we have already gone to war with Liu Cong.
The arrow is already on the string and must be loosed.” “As for this Wei Yan, if my lord trusts Xiao He, then you should also trust the man he recommended.” Liu Bei’s expression shifted, as if he had suddenly understood something.
He put the letter away, drew a deep breath, and only cold killing intent remained on his face.
Pointing his horsewhip south, Liu Bei shouted, “Pass on my order.
The whole army will set sail at once, cross the river, and begin Raid on Xiangyang!”