Chapter 108: The Blacklist

“I will immediately send someone to find Liu Bei and have him bind Guan Yu to bring him to Xiangyang. Once we interrogate him, we will know the truth. If it is truly as you say, then that brat Sun Ce cannot be spared. While Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are still at war and unable to attend to other matters, it would be best to bring Jiangdong under our control as well!”

Although Liu Biao was reluctant to take action, that did not mean he was incapable of doing so. He had always regarded Sun Ce as a little brother. Moreover, Sun Ce had truly shown the awareness of a younger brother toward him, which was why Jiangdong and Jingzhou had coexisted peacefully all these years.

But now, if the emperor truly intended to scheme for the realm, wouldn’t Jingzhou be the first stumbling block for Sun Ce? Liu Biao had thought along these lines, which made Cai Mao’s words seem quite reasonable.

“That cannot be! Since Guan Yu has returned to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei, knowing that his wife is missing one, still accepted Guan Yu, it means Liu Bei has acknowledged this matter. He and Guan Yu are now inseparable. If the lord wants Guan Yu, it would be like pulling a tooth from Liu Bei’s mouth—he would never agree. If he had known earlier, he might have even defected to Jiangdong alongside Guan Yu!”

Liu Biao thought this made sense. Liu Bei still held the title of imperial uncle; if he claimed to defect to the emperor, it would be perfectly reasonable. Besides, Liu Biao had only granted him a small place in Xinye, a trivial territory, which might have already caused discontent in Liu Bei’s heart.

If Liu Bei truly acted as an insider for Sun Ce, helping to open a passage from Jiangdong to Jingzhou, that would be a great achievement for Sun Ce, far more important than a mere Lady Mi.

“Summon Kuai Yue and the others. We must carefully deliberate on this matter. The foundation of Jingzhou cannot be allowed to fall into Jiangdong’s hands!”

Liu Biao understood that since Cai Mao was so insistent now, it meant he both suspected something and, even if it was confirmed, lacked a good solution. Relying on just the two of them was no longer sufficient.

Before long, Cai Mao returned, bringing along Kuai Yue. Among Liu Biao’s advisers, Kuai Yue was the only one he truly trusted. On the way over, Cai Mao had already shared his numerous suspicions with Kuai Yue.

Cai Mao was indeed skilled at scheming, but when it came to grand strategies, he was lacking. Kuai Yue, however, excelled at such matters.

“Lord, I fear this matter must be treated as if it were true, rather than ignored. If Liu Xuande truly colludes with Jiangdong, it would spell disaster for Jingzhou!”

Upon hearing this from Kuai Yue, Liu Biao broke out in a cold sweat.

“Even if we believe it, now that Liu Bei and Guan Yu have returned to Xinye, how are we to act?”

“Liu Bei has just arrived in Xinye and is still weak. Even with a few more months, in such a barren land, he wouldn’t amount to much. Therefore, I propose we wipe out Liu Bei and his few thousand troops within three months to prevent future troubles!”

Kuai Yue was much more decisive than Cai Mao, immediately setting two conditions: a three-month deadline and the complete elimination of Liu Bei’s faction.

Both Liu Biao and Cai Mao swallowed hard upon hearing this. Liu Biao deeply regretted his earlier carelessness. He thought to himself that he had intended to enjoy his old age in peace, so why had he foolishly brought Liu Bei to his doorstep? Now a single rotten apple threatened to ruin the entire pot of Jingzhou stew.

But regret aside, Liu Biao knew it was time to solve the problem. Since Liu Bei might be colluding with Jiangdong, even if he was a relative, he had to be eliminated.

“This matter is entrusted to both of you. I have only one request: set a three-month deadline, but do not act until they have truly made contact with Jiangdong. We cannot dampen the spirits of the scholars seeking refuge in Jingzhou—that is the foundation of our enduring strength!”

Seeing Liu Biao relent, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue exchanged glances, their brows rising in determination.

“Rest assured, my lord. We will annihilate Liu Bei’s faction and ensure Sun Ce never lays a hand on Jingzhou’s foundation!”

Liu Biao sighed once more and waved them away.

After leaving Liu Biao’s residence, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao quickly changed their battlefield, heading to Cai Mao’s mansion.

After all these years advising Liu Biao, they had already formed an alliance of offense and defense. Nearly all of Liu Biao’s strategists and generals were their men, except for his favored eldest son, Liu Qi.

Over the years, their goal had been to stabilize Jingzhou’s territory and to erode Liu Qi’s trust with Liu Biao, so that the young son born to Lady Cai, Liu Zong, could become the heir.

But Liu Qi was no fool; he clearly understood his position and had skillfully handled difficulties posed by Cai Mao and Lady Cai, although lacking widespread influence in Jingzhou’s court or military power, his hard power was still far inferior to Lady Cai’s faction.

Given the current state of Jingzhou, if Liu Biao were to die soon, it would be utter ruin for Liu Qi.

Therefore, Liu Qi sought to leverage every possible external force to safeguard himself and to possibly rival Lady Cai’s faction, while Cai Mao and the others worked tirelessly to prevent this from happening.

Liu Bei knew little about Jingzhou’s internal affairs, so he was unaware that his arrival was viewed as a wild card by Cai Mao and Liu Qi.

During the days he was stranded in Xiangyang waiting for Guan Yu, the most enthusiastic to him was Liu Qi. Naturally, Liu Bei did not think much of it; Liu Qi was Liu Biao’s eldest son and said to resemble him most. From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed the Jingzhou legacy would belong to Liu Qi, so it was only natural to cultivate a good relationship with him.

But in Cai Mao’s eyes, this was Liu Bei’s death warrant.

A mere few thousand troops stationed in Xinye posed no real threat, but Liu Bei was always top-heavy and weak at the base. Though his forces were small, he had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei under his command, and Liu Biao had once said that if he had those two, he would be the foremost warlord in the Central Plains.

Cai Mao and Kuai Yue did not believe Liu Bei would truly serve Liu Biao loyally with his two sworn brothers. If he did, their influence in Liu Biao’s camp would diminish greatly.

Thus, both from personal and official reasons, Liu Bei and his men had already been blacklisted by Cai Mao’s faction as targets for elimination.