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Inside the main hall of the Huang family, four men sat facing one another. On the surface, they appeared perfectly amiable, but in truth, each was engaged in a subtle probing of the others.
When Liu Biao had mentioned the Kuai brothers just moments before, the attitude he revealed was rather nuanced, giving Fei Qian the distinct sense that Liu Biao was somewhat dissatisfied with the advice those two had offered.
From the side, Cai Feng spoke up: "Zirou's counsel was that, having just suffered a defeat, the troops have no stomach for battle. We can only dig deep moats and raise high ramparts to evade the enemy's sharp edge, while dispatching a messenger to beg assistance from the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Only thus can the siege be lifted..."
Suddenly, Fei Qian understood something. So that was it. His gaze gradually grew deep and unfathomable as he fell into a contemplative silence.
Seeing Fei Qian deep in thought, Liu Biao felt a flicker of hope arise, yet simultaneously, a profound wariness took root. He felt that if Fei Qian could grasp the current situation, the likelihood of him intervening increased. But at the same time, he was also somewhat unnerved by Fei Qian's startlingly keen insight.
Liu Biao could not help but sigh inwardly. If only he had known earlier... back then, he should have...
Setting aside Liu Biao's mental journey in search of regret, let us consider Kui Liang's perfectly safe and conventional response alone. It was both unexpected and yet, in its own way, entirely logical.
The gentry were people of this very sort. Sometimes they were brilliant, yet at other times they seemed utterly foolish. The crucial question, however, was whether this foolishness was genuine, or a calculated act put on under specific circumstances...
Just like the leading elder of the Wei family whom Fei Qian had captured in Hedong—had he not feigned madness and acted the fool for the sake of preserving his family?
In the Han Dynasty, countless members of the gentry did precisely this kind of thing, as easily as eating or drinking water...
There is no need to speak of Lü Bu, whose IQ seemed perpetually in need of a top-up. Even Liu Bei, a man of deep and brooding cunning, fell for such tricks time and again. And what of the likes of Cao Cao and Cao Pi, whose hearts were a labyrinth of schemes? Were they not also deceived by the facade of Sima Yi?
Kui Liang's strategy—ah ha—what a truly fine plan it was.
He was not wrong, of course. If Yuan Shao were to shift his troops south from Ji Province, the first person to grow alarmed would undoubtedly be Yuan Shu. He would then certainly pull back his forces to defend his territory, and the siege of Xiangyang would naturally be lifted.
But let us put aside, for the moment, whether Yuan Shao would even be willing to clash head-on with Yuan Shu at this point. Consider only the time needed to send a messenger there and for an army to return—it was not as if they could all ride Lü Bu's Red Hare. Moreover, Yuan Shao would need time to prepare his troops, provisions, and fodder. The round trip alone would take at least a month...
Men like Kui Liang and Kui Yue possessed minds that were, at minimum, of a 2.0T turbocharged structure. How could they possibly fail to consider this issue? Then, naturally, behind such an answer lay the considerations of Kui Liang and Kui Yue—or rather, the considerations of the Kui clan itself.
The Kui family was fundamentally different from the Pang, Cai, and Huang families.
The Pang family served as a kind of spiritual leader for the Jing-Xiang gentry, existing aloof and transcendent above worldly affairs, never deeply involved in the politics of the region. Yet it was precisely because of this that they had no conflicts of interest with the majority of the Jing-Xiang gentry. Therefore, virtually all the Jing-Xiang clans would instinctively protect the Pang family, which was, in essence, tantamount to safeguarding the status of classical scholarship in Jing-Xiang.
The Cai and Huang families, on the other hand, were tied by marriage, and their relationship with Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, was intricately close. They had faintly coalesced into an indivisible whole. Liu Biao's interests were the Cai and Huang families' interests, and vice versa. This was precisely why, today, Liu Biao had brought Cai Feng with him to sit down with Huang Chengyan and Fei Qian.
Because, in a certain sense, the interests of the four men present in this hall, bound together by their interconnections, were far closer and more solid than those connecting them to the Kui family and their ilk...
Fei Qian asked, "How many supplies of grain are stored within Xiangyang?"
Liu Biao replied, "Grain and fodder are still sufficient. We can hold out for three months without worry."
Fei Qian nodded. "In that case, Zirou's plan is one of steady prudence: first, hold firm; second, redeploy our forces; third, await reinforcements. Why not adopt it?" Three months' worth of provisions, and the walls of Xiangyang were mighty and imposing—they would not fall easily. Holding out for a while was not a bad plan at all. Besides, Fei Qian had not come to Jing-Xiang with the intention of getting himself tangled up in this quagmire.
After all, his purpose in coming to Jing-Xiang was to secure some of the Huang family artisans and, if possible, to recruit a few helpers to take back with him. It was not to come and bail out Liu Biao...
Liu Biao's eyes flickered. "Since Ziyuan already knows the truth, why ask further?"
Fei Qian chuckled lightly but turned his head to glance at his father-in-law, Huang Chengyan. Did Fei Qian not know exactly what the Kui brothers were scheming? Of course he did. What he wanted to see was how Liu Biao himself viewed the Kui brothers' scheme.
Judging by Liu Biao's current attitude, it seemed he was indeed aware of the Kui brothers' intentions. That was why he had come seeking Cai Feng, Huang Chengyan, and Fei Qian.
No wonder the Kui brothers, whom Liu Biao had initially praised to the heavens, had, by the middle period when Liu Bei came seeking refuge, already sunk to the role of petty backbiters and informers, eventually fading into nameless obscurity...
That transformation had likely been seeded at this very juncture.
And it was not just the Kui family. The entire Jing-Xiang region—indeed, the vast majority of the local gentry throughout the south—held no deep sense of loyalty towards whoever happened to be their overlord. Perhaps due to local custom and habit, the gentry here generally operated on the principle that as long as their own sphere of interests was not infringed upon, it hardly mattered who sat in the lord's seat.
This very issue would continue to plague Jing-Xiang in its later years, and later, the Sun family of Wu as well.
Fei Qian's look towards Huang Chengyan was a silent inquiry, asking for his father-in-law's opinion. Of course, there was also a small, unspoken layer of other meaning within that glance...
There was no helping it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Huang Chengyan did not speak. He simply glared at Fei Qian.
Mm. Message received.
The very fact that Huang Chengyan had been willing to relay the message on Liu Biao's behalf already spoke volumes. The only issue was that the cavalry under Fei Qian's command were mostly Bingzhou men, fiercely loyal to him alone, so his consent was something that could not be bypassed.
In truth, the four men gathered in this hall were all linked by ties of marriage, bound together in shared fortune and shared ruin. When Liu Biao had usurped Fei Qian's achievements and colluded with the Kui brothers to entrap him, that had occurred before Fei Qian married Huang Chengyan's daughter. And afterwards, though there had been some minor schemes, they were not excessively ruthless—mostly surveillance, nothing that would exterminate his entire line. Some semblance of personal consideration had been maintained. Besides, when Fei Qian had resigned his post, he himself had stated that he still owed Liu Biao a debt of gratitude.
Now, it seemed, was the time to repay that debt.
Fei Qian spoke: "When I first arrived in Jing Province, I was graced with Lord Liu's abundant guidance and care. You appointed me as your Chief Clerk, and your earnest, personal instruction remains vivid in my memory. Later, due to the matter of Palace Counsellor Cai, I took my leave of you, Lord Liu. You, in turn, were magnanimous and generous, never holding my rude conduct against me. For this, I have always been profoundly grateful. Today, if Lord Liu does not disdain my meager, insignificant strength... then I shall aid Lord Liu and go forth to do battle with Sun the General Who Smashes the Caitiffs!"
A flash of emotion crossed Liu Biao's eyes. "Ziyuan lending me his aid is truly a blessing from Heaven! Please, accept my bow!" So saying, he made as if to rise and perform a formal salute.
How could Fei Qian possibly allow Liu Biao to actually perform such a grand gesture? He hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "If we wish to achieve victory, I am afraid I will need to borrow a certain item from Lord Liu."
Liu Biao's eyes widened, and his expression flickered, uncertain. Hmm, borrow something?
He wasn't about to ask to borrow my head from my shoulders, was he?
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