Chapter 51: Making Old Cao Hoist a Rock Only to Drop It on His Own Foot! Madam Su Playing Matchmaker?

With an excited tone, Zhuge Liang articulated the deeper motives behind Xiao Fang's strategy.

Realization dawned upon everyone present, and all eyes turned in unison toward Xiao Fang for confirmation.

Xiao Fang smiled and gave a slight nod to show his appreciation for Zhuge Liang.

Indeed, this was his master plan.

Just as Cao Cao had appeared in the eyes of Yanzhou gentry such as Chen Gong and Zhang Miao, Liu Biao was, in his view, merely a nominal regional governor to the Cai and Kuai clans—or to put it bluntly, nothing more than a hired muscle guarding their estate.

That was why the likes of Chen Gong had decisively betrayed Cao Cao the moment he proved somewhat disobedient, replacing him with Lü Bu as a new muscle.

Fortunately, Cao Cao's power base had always consisted of the Xiahou and Cao clans, maintaining a loyal personal army dedicated solely to him.

That was why Cao Cao was able to defeat Lü Bu, execute Zhang Miao, drive away Chen Gong, and successfully reclaim control over Yanzhou.

Only after passing through fire and blood, having purged all opposing factions within Yanzhou, did Cao Cao secure absolute control over the province.

Liu Biao was not nearly so fortunate.

Entering Xiangyang alone and capturing Jingzhou effortlessly sounded impressive on the surface.

In reality, it was merely the Cai and Kuai clans using Liu Biao—who possessed an imperial appointment as the Governor of Jingzhou—along with their own strength and influence to justifiably suppress all opposing factions across Jingzhou.

Instead of saying Liu Biao pacified Jingzhou, it would be more accurate to say the Cai and Kuai clans pacified Jingzhou.

Thus, Liu Biao was essentially a commander without an army, having neither a powerful clan network to rely on nor a single military force loyal to him.

The foundation of Liu Biao's authority rested entirely on the support of the Cai and Kuai clans.

And the reason historical Liu Biao managed to hold Jingzhou for over a decade was not due to any extraordinary capability on his part, but simply because external pressure had been insufficient.

Had he and Old Liu swapped positions, placing Liu Biao as the Governor of Xuzhou to face a situation surrounded by wolves with domestic troubles and foreign threats alike, his fate would likely have been far more miserable than Old Liu's.

After all, no matter how poor the cards in Old Liu's hand were, he still possessed two sworn brothers of absolute loyalty—Guan Yu and Zhang Fei—along with an elite core army from Youzhou and Yan province that followed him to the death.

Based on this assessment, Xiao Fang had decided to strike at the Cai and Kuai clans first, utilizing their influence over Liu Biao to force Liu Biao into making the opening move.

"The Military Advisor's supreme strategy not only resolves the lord's grain and forage dilemma but also uses the Cai and Kuai clans to compel Liu Biao into making the first move. Truly a brilliant scheme of killing two birds with one stone!"

"We are truly ashamed to fall so far behind the Military Advisor in terms of statecraft and stratagem."

As a former Imperial Inspector of Xuzhou and a veteran of officialdom and commerce alike, Mi Zhu could not help but sigh in boundless admiration.

"The lord has yet to firmly establish his footing, and toward the influential gentry of Nanyang, we must simultaneously conciliate them and overawe them with strength."

"Therefore, the current policy of investigating abandoned fields must not be implemented with excessively aggressive methods. We must exercise tact, and our primary targets for investigation should be the Cai and Kuai clans."

"To my knowledge, the abandoned lands occupied by these two clans are mostly concentrated in southern counties such as Nieyang and Yuyang, which lie close to Liu Biao's sphere of influence."

"Shortly, I shall recommend Wei Wenchang to concurrently hold the office of the Magistrate of Yuyang, with instructions to pay special attention to the Cai and Kuai clans!"

Xiao Fang then added several more specific tactical measures.

Because of his humble origins, Wei Yan had never been heavily employed under Liu Biao and naturally harbored resentment toward the Cai and Kuai clans.

There was no one more suitable than him to execute this dirty work and rein in the Cai and Kuai clans.

Everyone deeply agreed with this reasoning. Reaching a consensus after a brief discussion, they decided to conspire together during the upcoming family banquet, keeping Liu Ben in the dark while setting a trap for Liu Biao, Kuai Yue, and Kuai Mai.

"So that's how it is! Military Advisor, your scheme is so full of twists and turns, it's made my head spin!"

Only then did Zhang Fei, whose train of thought was always a beat slower, finally catch on.

Though he understood, he complained with a dismissive wave:

"You strategists just have too many crooked turns in your guts. According to me, there's no need to go through all this trouble."

"Since the Son of Heaven issued an edict appointing my second brother as the Administrator of Nanning, my elder brother could simply use the pretext of escorting him to assume office in Xiangyang, lead our troops over there righteously, and finish it all in one stroke!"

Guan Yu's half-closed phoenix eyes suddenly snapped wide open, and he let out a cold snort:

"Yide, you are muddle-headed. The Son of Heaven is held hostage by Cao Cao, so the imperial edict is naturally instigated by Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao even forced the Emperor to issue an edict appointing Kuai Mai as the Administrator of Nanyang."

"His move is none other than using the Son of Heaven's name to provoke a war between us and Liu Biao, so that he can reap the profits from behind the scenes!"

Hearing these words, Xiao Fang could not help but cast a look of newfound respect toward Guan Yu.

Being able to pierce through Cao Cao's stratagem proved that Second Brother Guan still possessed sound political acumen, which explained why Old Liu had left him behind to anchor Jingzhou back then.

As for the eventual loss of Jingzhou, it was hardly due to a lack of capability on Guan Yu's part. Rather, Old Liu had essentially hollowed out Jingzhou when entering Shu, leaving Guan Yu to fight a two-front war—launching a northern expedition against Xiangyang and Fancheng to deal with Cao Cao while simultaneously guarding against the betrayal of their ally Sun Quan. Pressured from both sides like that, it had truly been too much to ask of him.

"General Yunchang's words are entirely correct."

Xiao Fang nodded in agreement and gave a cold chuckle:

"If my estimation is correct, this scheme originated either from Xun Yu or Guo Jia."

"It is nothing more than another application of driving a tiger to devour a wolf, attempting to replicate the old trick they used in Xuzhou, luring the lord and Liu Biao into a mutual slaughter so that Cao Cao can sit back and watch the tigers fight from the mountain."

Realization finally struck Zhang Fei, who pounded the table and cursed aloud:

"That treacherous scoundrel Cao Cao is truly filled with malice! He harmed my elder brother once in Xuzhou, and now that we've reached Jingzhou, he wants to harm my elder brother again!"

"Sooner or later, I will march straight to Xuchang and twist his head off with my own hands!"

Zhang Fei ranted and raved, unleashing a barrage of verbal abuse against Cao Cao.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fang leisurely took a sip of his tea, a hint of irony curling the corners of his mouth:

"Treacherous though Cao Cao's scheme may be, unfortunately, he is carving a boat to find a dropped sword, assuming the lord will remain fixated solely on preserving Xuzhou as he did before."

"Little does he know that the lord is no longer what he used to be. His goal is not merely occupying Nanyang, but capturing the entirety of Jingzhou."

"Cao Cao's scheme of driving a tiger to devour a wolf plays right into our hands, presenting the lord with a righteous banner."

"When we finally break with Liu Biao in the future, the lord can march his troops straight into Xiangyang under the righteous banner of obeying the imperial edict!"

Hearing Xiao Fang's words, Zhang Fei turned the thought over in his mind a few times, and the anger on his face instantly transformed into delight.

"That's right! The Military Advisor makes complete sense. Viewed this way, hasn't the crafty Cao lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet?"

"Good, very good! I like this, hahaha~~"

Zhang Fei's moods shifted rapidly; in the blink of an eye, he was clapping and cheering, laughing heartily like a child.

Seeing this, Guan Yu took the opportunity to soothe him:

"Therefore, Yide, we must listen to the Military Advisor and avoid being overly impetuous."

"You and I both know the lord's temperament, so let us not pressure him any further."

"Once the Military Advisor's plan succeeds and Liu Biao turns hostile first, the lord will naturally adapt."

Chastened, Zhang Fei reined in his impulsiveness and muttered under his breath: "Fine, fine, fine, I'll listen to the Military Advisor, won't I..."

As they were discussing, Liu Bei walked into the main hall accompanied by Lady Su, his wife who was nearing her full term.

Xiao Fang and the others rose to welcome them.

Ordinarily, as a woman, Lady Su would have been unqualified to attend a military council, but since today's gathering was a family banquet, she naturally had the right to be present.

During the banquet, following his original plan, Xiao Fang presented two strategies to Liu Bei.

Old Liu's eyes naturally lit up, and with Mi Zhu and the others echoing their approval, Old Liu did not think twice and gladly adopted Xiao Fang's proposals.

Xiao Fang and the others exchanged knowing glances and shared an inward smile.

"Jinglue, now that official matters are settled, the Madam has a family matter concerning you that she wishes to discuss."

Liu Bei suddenly shifted the topic, casting a meaningful glance back at Lady Su.

A flash of strange emotion crossed Xiao Fang's eyes.

Out of nowhere, why would Lady Su concern herself with his family affairs?

Suppressing his suspicion, Xiao Fang hurriedly cupped his hands and asked, "I wonder what instructions the Madam has?"

Lady Su gave a light cough and smiled:

"Jinglue, I wish to act as a matchmaker and betroth the daughter of the Zou family of Wancheng to you as a concubine. What do you think of this?"

Xiao Fang froze in place.