Chapter 53: Daring to Rub Shoulders with the Grand Duke? Where Does Liu Bei Get the Gall? The Opportunity to Fall Out Has Arrived!

"Who said I insisted on discussing this with you? I'm just voicing my grievances for Eldest Sister~~"

Zhuge Rong hurriedly denied it, picking up her soup bowl and taking a sip to conceal her guilty conscience.

Zhuge Liang, however, merely smiled and said dismissively:

"Eldest Sister is a woman of the Zhuge family; how could she lack the bigger picture? Didn't she just say that it is entirely proper for our brother-in-law to take concubines, and that marrying the Zou family's daughter is a way to share burdens for our lord?"

"Eldest Sister isn't upset at all, so why are you getting so angry, Second Sister?"

Zhuge Rong found her inner thoughts exposed once again, and she glared at Zhuge Liang with her almond-shaped eyes:

"Who's angry? I just casually said a few words, am I angry?"

Zhuge Liang was so cornered he dared not utter another sound, terrified that if he argued any further, his sister's innate bloodline suppression would be unleashed.

Therefore, he quickly let out a yawn, feigned sleepiness, and took to his heels.

"Saying I'm angry, what on earth do I have to be angry about?"

"He's merely my brother-in-law, not my husband. Even if he takes ten concubines, what does it have to do with me..."

Zhuge Rong muttered to herself, her agitated emotions gradually subsiding.

Then, a sudden silence fell.

After a long while, a wistful and lingering sigh echoed through the hall.

***

Three days later, Liu Bei officially announced the implementation of the military agricultural colony system in the counties under his control, including Wancheng, Yuyang, and Yexian.

Immediately afterward, Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and several other civil officials were dispatched to various counties to audit and clear occupied lands.

Following Xiao Fang's suggestion, Old Liu adopted a policy primarily based on appeasement and supplemented by intimidation toward the gentry and powerful clans of Nanyang.

Therefore, regarding the audit of occupied lands, the bottom line for the powerful families was that no matter how much they had previously swallowed, they had to spit at least a few ounces back out.

The notion of not parting with a single hair was absolute fantasy.

Perhaps terrified by Zhang Ji's slaughter and pillaging, the image of Liu Bei, this new master, in the eyes of the Nanyang gentry had transformed into the arrival of a savior.

Consequently, regarding this land-clearing policy, the powerful families in the various counties displayed astonishing cooperation, surrendering lands that far exceeded Xiao Fang's preliminary estimations.

After all, Liu Bei merely wanted them to shave off a few ounces of flesh, whereas Zhang Ji had intended to scrape their bones and suck their marrow.

Naturally, these powerful clans vied with one another to offer their lands, terrified that this new master of Nanyang might resort to force if soft methods failed and emulate Zhang Ji.

Of course, there were a few stubborn ones, primarily concentrated in the southern counties such as Yuyang.

Because these counties bordered Liu Biao's territory, most of the abandoned lands had been encroached upon by the Cai and Kuai clans.

Regardless of whether it was Yuan Shu or Zhang Ji, whoever had previously occupied Nanyang always showed the Kuai and Cai clans a degree of deference, never touching their interests in Nanyang.

Now that Nanyang had changed hands once again, the Cai and Kuai clans naturally assumed that Liu Bei would be no exception and would still not dare to touch them.

Thus, when the audit order was issued, the two clans simply treated it as scrap paper and arrogantly chose to ignore it.

Wei Yan was naturally not going to pamper them. When soft methods failed, he immediately turned to force, dispatching troops to forcibly reclaim the lands occupied by the two families.

The news quickly spread from Nanyang to Xiangyang.

***

Xiangyang City, the Cai Residence.

In the main hall, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao were sitting leisurely, drinking together.

"Yidu, I heard that Liu Bei is auditing occupied lands across the counties of Nanyang, intending to imitate Cao Mengde by implementing agricultural colonies."

"Do you think he dares to touch the landholdings of our two clans in Yuyang and the other counties?"

Cai Mao lowered his voice, a hint of worry lingering between his brows.

Kuai Yue stroked his slender beard, wearing a faint, confident smile as he said:

"Whether Liu Bei audits occupied lands or implements agricultural colonies, his purpose is merely to restore Nanyang's agriculture so as to feed his tens of thousands of troops and gain the confidence to resist Cao Cao."

"When all is said and done, it is nothing more than trying to hold onto this tiny foothold in northern Jingzhou."

"Although Liu Bei comes from humble origins, he has after all served as the Governor of Xuzhou; he should understand that without the tacit approval of our two families, no one can establish a foothold in northern Jingzhou."

"Then, in Degui's view, would he be foolish enough to touch our two families' landholdings in northern Jingzhou?"

These eloquent words instantly dispelled Cai Mao's anxieties.

Cai Mao's lips curled upward into a sneer as he said:

***

"Yidu makes complete sense; it seems I was worrying over nothing."

"I wager that Big-Eared Liu lacks the courage to slice flesh from our two families."

Kuai Yue's gaze, however, drifted eastward, a trace of apprehension flashing through his eyes.

"With Liu Bei blocking Cao Cao for us, the threat from the north of Jingzhou has already been lifted."

"On the other hand, that little conqueror Sun Sun Ce has actually swept across Jiangdong, winning every battle and conquering every objective, displaying the formidable momentum his father Sun Jian had in his day."

"This man's military prowess is tenfold that of Liu Bei; he is the true threat to our Jingzhou."

"I reckon that once Sun Ce pacifies Jiangdong, sooner or later he will swing his forces westward to invade Jingzhou and avenge his father."

"We must remind our lord as early as possible to take Yuzhang first and make preparations to defend against Sun Ce..."

Cai Mao wholeheartedly agreed. Recalling the perilous crisis when Sun Jian attacked Jingzhou in the past, a lingering fear gripped his heart.

Thus, their focus shifted entirely to Jiangdong, leaving Liu Bei completely forgotten.

Footsteps sounded, and Cai He hurried in, his expression solemn and mixed with a trace of anger.

"Brother, news has come from Yuyang."

"Liu Bei appointed that magistrate of Yuyang, Wei Yan, who actually dispatched troops to forcibly reclaim our family's landholdings in Yuyang County."

"Aside from Yuyang, the landholdings in Nieyang and several other counties were also forcibly seized by this Wei Yan."

"It's not just our Cai family; the Kuai family's lands have also been entirely and forcibly reclaimed."

Cai He reported with a face full of indignation, presenting a confidential letter as he spoke.

The expressions of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue changed abruptly. They exchanged a hurried glance, a look of shock welling up in their eyes.

"Liu Bei actually has the audacity to do this?"

Cai Mao leaped to his feet and snatched the confidential letter from his hand.

The more he read, the gloomier his expression became, and the shock in his eyes gradually transformed into raging fury.

"Yidu, your judgment was wrong!"

"This fellow Liu Bei treats our two families as if we were nothing, actually condoning his subordinates to plunder every single inch of our landholdings in the Yuyang counties!"

"Utterly intolerable!"

"Liu Bei, you go too far!"

Cai Mao cursed bitterly, slamming the confidential report fiercely onto the desk.

Kuai Yue snatched it up to examine it closely, his look of shock gradually giving way to perplexity.

He simply could not fathom where Liu Bei got the courage to tweak the tiger's whiskers and slice meat from the Cai and Kuai clans.

Even someone as reckless and violent as Zhang Ji knew enough to show local serpents like them a modicum of respect.

Surely Liu Bei's political acumen could not be inferior even to Zhang Ji's?

"I heard that Liu Bei's policy of agricultural colonies and land auditing was actually devised and presented to him by that Xiao Fang."

"This magistrate of Yuyang, Wei Yan, is also a native of Yiyang in Jingzhou, a fellow townsman of Xiao Fang, and reportedly once served in our army."

Kuai Yue perceived a clue from the confidential report and speculated:

"Could it be that these Jingzhou scholars of humble birth, Xiao Fang and Wei Yan, harbor a grudge against our two families and deliberately incited Liu Bei to act against us?"

Cai Mao's body trembled. He rolled his eyes a few times and suddenly came to his senses.

He slammed the desk and raged:

"In the seven commanderies of Jingsi, those dissatisfied with our two families are not few, yet they all nurse their grievances in silence."

"That nephew-in-law of Zhuge Xuan is merely a rustic villager from the wilds; who gave him such gall to make an enemy of us?"

The two men stared at each other, suspicion flickering in their eyes, yet for a moment they could not figure out why.

"Brother, Yidu."

"Regardless of where Xiao Fang got his courage, and regardless of whether Liu Bei was incited by him, the fact remains that Liu Bei has condoned his subordinates to forcibly reclaim our two families' landholdings."

"If we swallow our pride and take no action, I fear it will shake our prestige throughout Jingsi."

Cai He interrupted their speculation and reminded them with a solemn expression.

Cai Mao's heart jolted as murderous intent flared on his face. He snorted coldly:

"Since this Liu Bei refuses to behave peaceably, we cannot allow him to continue occupying Nanyang. Otherwise, once his wings are fully grown, he will surely become a disaster sooner or later."

***

"Yidu, it seems your previous strategy of utilizing Liu Bei to shield Jingsi for us has misfired."

"You and I must immediately go see the lord, ask him to send troops northward, expel Liu Bei, and retake Nanyang!"

Cai Mao leaped up, preparing to head straight for the prefectural office.

Kuai Yue, however, reached out and grabbed Cai Mao's arm.

"The lord is wary of being accused of turning weapons against his own kinsmen; how could he easily deploy troops against Liu Bei?"

"Furthermore, the lands Liu Bei is auditing are only those within the counties under his own administration; they do not involve the territory under the lord's rule. What reason do we have to persuade the lord to dispatch troops?"

Cai Mao was left speechless.

Although the motivation behind inciting Liu Biao to send troops was to defend the interests of the Cai and Kuai families, such words could only be understood in private. They could not be brought out into the open as a justification to persuade Liu Biao to fall out with a kinsmen and deploy troops.

To wage war for private gain meant marching without a righteous cause.

"Then what are we to do? Are we just going to swallow our insults and sit idly by while Liu Bei acts against our two clans at the instigation of that rustic rustic Xiao Fang?"

Faced with Cai Mao's question, Kuai Yue remained silent, his eyes rolling stealthily.

After deep thought, a playful and crafty smile surfaced at the corners of his mouth.

"If we want to persuade the lord to send troops, we simply need a righteous and justified pretext."

"You and I can propose to the lord that Deshun replace Wen Pin to garrison Rangxian and take command of the northern Jingzhou forces."

"At that time, Deshun can falsely claim that Liu Bei has unleashed his troops to pillage the countryside around Rangxian, and use this as a pretext to suddenly launch a northward expedition and capture Yuyang in one stroke."

"If Liu Bei leads his army to retake it, we can justly use Liu Bei's southward invasion as a legitimate reason to persuade the lord to swing his forces northward."

"If Liu Bei swallows his pride and dares not send troops to recover it, then we can not only reclaim our forcibly seized abandoned lands, but also use this to give Liu Bei a warning."

"How does Degui find this plan?"

Kuai Yue laid out a strategy in great detail.

The "Deshun" he referred to was none other than Cai He.

Cai Mao's eyes lit up, and he praised joyfully:

"Good, good, good! Yidu's plan is brilliant! I will immediately petition the lord to transfer my third brother to replace Wen Pin in garrisoning Rangxian!"

"Since Liu Bei and that Xiao Fang dare to look down upon our two clans, we shall give them a severe warning and let them witness the foundation of the Cai and Kuai families!"

***

Half a month later, Wancheng.

The Xiao Residence was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, exceptionally lively and bustling.

Outside the gates, carriages formed a continuous stream, and guests arrived in an endless procession to attend Xiao Fang's concubine-taking ceremony.

In a secret chamber in the inner courtyard.

Xiao Fang, dressed in wedding attire, had cast aside his guests to hold a clandestine meeting with Mi Zhu and Guan Yu.

"Wenchang sent a confidential letter stating that, as the military strategist instructed, he has forcibly reclaimed all the landholdings of the Cai and Kuai clans."

"However, from the Xiangyang side, there is still no sign of Liu Biao intending to dispatch troops."

"The only change is that Cai He has replaced Wen Pin and taken command of the garrison forces in Rangxian."

Mi Zhu handed a confidential silken scroll letter to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang took it, examined it closely, and his eyes gradually narrowed.

"If Cai Mao and Kuai Yue want to persuade Liu Biao to send troops, they must have a righteous pretext."

"Moving Cai He to Rangxian is most likely their way of provoking a conflict to manufacture an excuse for Liu Biao to tear off his mask!"

"Our opportunity is about to arrive!"

Xiao Fang tossed the confidential letter aside, immediately picked up a brush to write a letter, placed it inside a brocade pouch, and handed it to Mi Zhu.

"I wager that Cai He will soon deploy troops against Yuyang!"

"Zizhong, you must immediately deliver this brocade pouch to Wenchang in Yuyang and tell him to closely monitor the movements of the Jingzhou forces in Rangxian."

"Once you discover Cai He has dispatched troops, open the brocade pouch immediately and act according to the plan!"