Chapter 57: How Dare You Kill My Brother-in-law? Where Did You Get the Nerve, Liu Bei? Zhang Fei: They're fighting, they're finally fighting!

Cai Mao was dumbfounded.

Didn't you, Kuai Yue, calculate that at this very moment, my third brother would have trampled Yuyang and given Liu Bei a harsh wake-up call?

How on earth did he end up walking right into Wei Yan's ambush?

Not only was the entire force of five thousand troops wiped out, but he even lost his life as well?

Kuai Yue, on the other hand, wore an expression of utter shock and bewilderment, gasping for breath repeatedly, his eyes filled with boundless confusion.

Logically speaking, his plan was flawless; there was no reason for Cai He to lose.

Yet Wei Yan had set an ambush outside the city of Yuyang, seemingly anticipating long in advance that Cai He would lead troops to launch a surprise attack, and thus exploited the situation to set a trap.

He sat back and waited for Cai He to walk right into the snare!

Unless someone among Liu Bei's subordinates had seen through his strategy, which was the only way they could have been prepared beforehand.

"Xiao Fang!"

"Could it be that Xiao Fang saw through the plan?"

Kuai Yue's body trembled as that name suddenly flashed across his mind.

But very quickly, Kuai Yue dismissed the thought as utterly impossible.

Could mere substitution of Wen Pin with Cai He—such an inconspicuous maneuver—be enough to deduce that they would order Cai He to lead a surprise raid on Yuyang?

He did not deny that Xiao Fang possessed formidable tactical acumen.

However, for someone to calculate with such terrifying divine precision felt simply unthinkable and hard to credit.

"Third brother, my third brother~~"

Lady Cai's weeping shattered the brief silence that had fallen over the hall.

Upon learning that her younger brother had been killed, Lady Cai collapsed before Liu Biao, crying out in grief and indignation:

"My lord, that Liu Bei actually murdered my third brother. You must avenge Deshun, you must avenge your brother-in-law~~"

Hearing his elder sister weep like this instantly snapped Cai Mao back to reality.

Why Cai He had failed no longer mattered at this point.

Even Liu Bei's forceful seizure and confiscation of the Cai family's farmland had become inconsequential.

The crucial issue was that a member of the Cai family was dead!

A subordinate of Liu Bei had killed the legitimate scion of the Cai clan, his third brother Cai He!

In a place like Jingzhou, murdering her brother was a hundred times more egregious in nature than murdering Liu Biao's own son!

"My lord!"

Cai Mao sprang to his feet, dropped to one knee after taking a few strides, and cried out in grief and indignation:

"It was bad enough that that big-eared thief encroached upon our territory, but now he openly slaughters my brother! This is blatant contempt for my lord!"

"This is utterly intolerable!"

"Mao implores my lord to immediately mobilize the entire army of Jingzhou, annihilate Liu Bei, recover Nanyang, and avenge my third brother!"

With Cai Mao taking the lead, Cai Zhong and other members of the Cai clan stepped forward one after another, kneeling in grief and impassioned pleas for war, filling the hall with battle cries.

At this moment.

The shock on Liu Biao's face had also transformed into deep anger.

As the master of Jingzhou, holding the territory of seven commanderies and commanding a hundred thousand troops under arms,

I overlooked your shared ancestral ties and tacitly allowed you, Liu Bei, to occupy Nanyang, and yet—

You show no gratitude, nor do you faithfully guard my borders, but instead turn around and return kindness with enmity by murdering my brother-in-law?

If I can swallow this, where on earth will I save my face?

Coupled with Lady Cai's tearful complaints and the passionate pleas for war from Cai Mao and his brothers, the fire of rage in Liu Biao's heart burned ever brighter.

"Liu Bei, you ungrateful weaver of mats and seller of straw shoes!"

"How dare you treat me with such contempt!"

Consumed by blinding fury, Liu Biao leaped to his feet and was on the verge of issuing the order to dispatch troops.

Just as the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized something was amiss.

"I ordered Deshun to garrison Rang County; why would he mobilize his entire army to launch a surprise attack on Yuyang?"

Liu Biao sat back down, a look of suspicion creeping over his previously enraged face.

Cai Mao started, not expecting Liu Biao to perceive the underlying clues, and momentarily did not know how to respond.

Sensing the situation, Kuai Yue stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Deshun sent word not long ago that Wei Yan had repeatedly allowed his subordinates to cross boundaries and pillage the towns and villages around Rang County, leaving the populace in utter misery."

"Yue surmises that Deshun simply could no longer tolerate it, and thus led troops to launch a sudden raid on Yuyang, intending to teach Wei Yan a lesson and mete out a measure of punishment to Liu Bei."

This justification was originally supposed to be submitted by Cai He in a memorial after the event, but now that Cai He was dead and the plan disrupted, Kuai Yue had no choice but to voice it himself.

Liu Biao's brows furrowed deeply.

When it came to grand ambitions, he could not compare to Liu Bei, but in terms of political maneuvering and stratagems, he considered himself a tier above Liu Bei.

Hearing Kuai Yue's explanation and observing the reactions of the Cai siblings, how could he fail to see through the true motive behind Cai He's surprise attack on Yuyang?

It was nothing more than the Cai and Kuai clans having their farmlands in Yuyang forcibly reclaimed by Liu Bei, and being unwilling to swallow the loss, they had instructed Cai He to act on his own authority and raid Yuyang.

Unfortunately, they had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the bait, costing Cai He his life instead and sacrificing five thousand troops.

At this thought, Liu Biao fell silent, and his gaze turned hesitant.

"My lord, although Deshun's raid on Yuyang may bear the taint of acting without authorization, his initial intention was to uphold my lord's prestige."

"Yue's previous judgment was indeed flawed; Liu Bei is fiercely ambitious and is by no means content with merely occupying a corner of Nanyang, let alone willing to peacefully guard northern Jingzhou for my lord!"

"Not only has Liu Bei caused Deshun's death, but he has also seized the opportunity to push south and capture Rang County. His ambition to swallow Jingzhou whole is now glaringly obvious!"

"Yue believes that my lord should immediately raise an army to march north, crushing Liu Bei before his wings are fully grown and completely recovering Nanyang."

"Otherwise, if we wait until Liu Bei's military colonies yield results and his recruitment of soldiers greatly increases his strength, making a massive southern invasion to attack us, it will be akin to nursing a tiger that will eventually devour us!"

"Yue implores my lord to consider the survival of Jingxiang and dispatch troops to subjugate Liu Bei!"

Kuai Yue delivered a stirring and passionate analysis, grandly petitioning Liu Biao to send out troops.

Liu Biao's body shuddered slightly, clearly sensing a dangerous signal from Kuai Yue's words.

Thus, he stood up, paced with his hands behind his back, and weighed the pros and cons once more.

Seeing this, Kuai Yue secretly exchanged glances with Lady Cai and Cai Mao.

Lady Cai suddenly dropped to her knees before Liu Biao, weeping aloud:

"Deshun lost his life to Liu Bei precisely because he sought to protect my lord's subjects. If my lord refuses to avenge him, this concubine will kneel and die right here before my lord to end it all!"

Startled, Liu Biao hurriedly moved to help Lady Cai up, but she pressed herself tightly against the ground, refusing to rise no matter what.

Cai Mao also knelt forward, crying out in grief and indignation:

"Deshun fell in battle defending my lord's prestigious name. If my lord cannot raise an army to avenge him, would that not chill the hearts of all the sons of the Cai family?"

"Mao kowtows and begs my lord to dispatch troops to annihilate Liu Bei and avenge my younger brother!"

End of Chapter 2

With these words, a chill ran through Liu Biao's heart.

The phrase "chill the hearts of the sons of the Cai family" was a thinly veiled warning to him.

The subtext was clear: if you, Liu Biao, refuse to stand up for our Cai clan, on what grounds should our Cai clan continue to support you?

Looking again at Kuai Yue, though his attitude was not as fierce as Cai Mao's, he clearly stood on Cai Mao's side, strongly advocating for a punitive expedition against Liu Bei.

The Cai and Kuai clans had already reached a consensus and were determined to force him to send out troops no matter what!

At this juncture, whether angered by Liu Bei striking him in the face or wary of losing the support of the Cai and Kuai clans, Liu Biao truly had no other choice left.

"My lady, please rise quickly. Degui, get up as well."

Liu Biao hurriedly helped the siblings to their feet and said with righteous indignation:

"Liu Bei used military force to encroach upon our territory and murdered my brother-in-law. How can I, both publicly and privately, stand by and ignore this!"

"Rest assured, I have resolved to mobilize the entire army of Jingzhou, march north to subjugate Liu Bei, and exact vengeance for Deshun!"

Lady Cai laughed through her tears and hastily showered Liu Biao with expressions of gratitude.

Cai Mao quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his fists slowly tightening as a chilling, sinister gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Liu Bei, Xiao Fang, Wei Yan."

"Since you killed my brother, I, Cai Mao, will show you what the consequences are of making an enemy of the Cai clan..."

...

In Wancheng, within the prefectural government office.

"Three thousand acres of agricultural colonies have been opened in the western suburbs of Wancheng, and eight hundred refugees have been recruited to return home and organized into farming households."

"Seven hundred acres of usurped farmland have been investigated and recovered in Xiee, and three hundred refugees have been recruited to return home as farming households."

"The magistrate of Bowang has secured three hundred head of draft oxen, preparing to lend them to the farming households for reclamation..."

Inside the official hall, Mi Zhu was reporting on the progress of agricultural colonization in various counties.

A look of gratification appeared on Liu Bei's face as he smiled at Xiao Fang:

"The Military Advisor's colony strategy is indeed a long-term solution for resolving our grain and provisions problem."

"Judging by this trend, the harvests from the various colonies this coming autumn will be more than enough to support another twenty thousand troops."

Xiao Fang smiled and was just about to speak when—

Zhang Quan hurried into the hall, looking solemn, and announced in a loud voice:

* Report to my lord, General Wei Wenchang has sent an urgent dispatch.*

* Day before yesterday, Cai He led troops to launch a surprise attack on Yuyang. General Wei Wenchang set an ambush, heavily battering the five thousand enemy troops and beheading Cai He on the field.*

* General Wei Wenchang has already exploited the victory to pursue the retreating forces and captured Rang County in one fell swoop!*

Liu Bei's expression changed abruptly.

Xiao Fang, Guan Yu, Mi Zhu, and the other insiders exchanged knowing glances and smiled inwardly.

"They're fighting! They're finally fighting!"

Zhang Fei leaped up as if he had been injected with chicken blood, shouting with wild, unrestrained joy.