During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, there were seven commanderies in Jingzhou. These were the northern commanderies of Nan Commandery, Nanyang Commandery, and Jiangxia Commandery, as well as the southern commanderies of Guiyang, Changsha, Lingling, and Wuling.
After Liu Biao took control of Jingzhou, he established a new commandery between Nanyang and Jiangxia, which was called Changling Commandery. The second-in-command of the Kuai family, Kuai Yue, was appointed as the first governor of Changling.
Due to his time-traveling origins, Lü Bu was not very familiar with the situation in Jingzhou. However, Zhang Liao knew a lot about it.
Zhang Liao sighed and said, "Jingzhou is a land of conflict. Since the beginning of the war among the lords, there have been constant battles. But after Liu Biao took control, the situation started to stabilize."
"When it comes to notable figures in Jingzhou, the head of the Cai family, Cai Mao, the two brothers from the Kuai family, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, as well as the heads of the Pang and Huang families, are all among the top figures in the world!"
"As for the military leaders, Liu Biao's subordinates such as Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, the general Zhang Yun, and the valiant generals Wen Ping, are also formidable figures!"
The four major families of Jingzhou were hard to bring under his control, as long as Liu Biao remained in power. Lü Bu, however, wanted to know about prominent figures like Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong. After all, by this time, Liu Bei had yet to successfully recruit them.
Lü Bu asked, "Wen Yuan, have you ever heard of Master Shui Jing, Sima Hui, and the 'Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix'?"
Zhang Liao looked slightly surprised and replied, "I've heard of Master Shui Jing, Sima Hui. He is from Yingchuan and is very close to Pang De Gong. Liu Biao invited him to teach at the academy in Xiangyang, so he should still be in Xiangyang."
"As for the 'Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix,' I haven't heard of them."
Liu Bei probably joined Liu Biao around the sixth year of the Jian'an era, and it was still the fourth year, so it made sense that Zhang Liao hadn't heard of the 'Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix.'
Lü Bu thought for a moment and then spoke, "What about the southern part of Jingzhou?"
The four commanderies of Jingnan also had hidden talents!
Without going further, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan were probably lying low there.
Zhang Liao shook his head. "The four commanderies in the south are separated by rivers from the rest of Jingzhou, so there is not much communication with Xu Province. I don't know much about them."
"I have recently heard that the governor of Changsha, Zhang Xian, is discontent with Liu Biao, and he has raised an army to rebel. However, Liu Biao has not acted yet due to the harsh winter."
"If I'm correct, Liu Biao will likely move his army to pacify Zhang Xian when spring comes."
Lü Bu pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you think Zhang Xian was secretly bribed by Cao Cao?"
Zhang Liao nodded. "That is very possible. Cao Cao must stabilize the situation in Jingzhou if he wants to deal with Yuan Shao without worry."
"If Zhang Xian can tie up Liu Biao's forces in Jingnan, it would certainly be to Cao Cao's advantage!"
Liu Biao stationed Zhang Xiu in Nanyang to block Cao Cao from advancing south, and Cao Cao was secretly sending people to bribe Zhang Xian to slow down Liu Biao.
This kind of scheme couldn't be understood with just our small minds!
Once we get to Jingzhou, we'll have to find more strategists and generals to help us!
Zhang Liao was silent for a moment before asking, "What are your long-term plans, General, now that you are heading to Jingzhou?"
A good bird chooses the right tree to nest in, and a good minister chooses the right lord to serve.
Zhang Liao had never been fond of Lü Bu's past actions, but going to aid him outside the city of Xiaphi was a matter of fulfilling his duties as a subordinate.
If Lü Bu was simply going to Jingzhou to live under Liu Biao's control like a dog, Zhang Liao would not be willing to follow him.
Seeing Zhang Liao's sharp gaze on him, Lü Bu thought for a moment before speaking.
He said slowly, "The main purpose of going to Jingzhou is to survive. The times now are different from the past, when the warlords fought freely. Now, every province has its own master."
"Since our defeat at Xiaphi, we have no other option but to go to Jingzhou."
Zhang Liao smiled bitterly. "But what happens once we get to Jingzhou? Liu Biao will certainly keep a close watch on you. We will only be his sword and his dogs."
"We won't be able to develop any power under his watch!"
Lü Bu smiled. "Liu Biao will indeed guard us closely, but his methods are nowhere near as good as Cao Cao's!"
"We can't deal with Cao Cao, but we will have plenty of opportunities against Liu Biao!"
Zhang Liao asked, "So, you already have a plan?"
Lü Bu nodded. "Once we arrive in Jingzhou, our second step is to recruit strategists and generals, and work on strengthening our own forces!"
"Of course, we must be cautious with the pace. We cannot develop too slowly, nor can we give Liu Biao the impression that we pose a threat to him."
"Once we handle that, we can proceed to the third step!"
Zhang Liao's face grew serious. "What is the third step?"
Since fleeing from Xiaphi, Zhang Liao had noticed a change in Lü Bu's character. The most obvious one was that he was now listening to others!
If Lü Bu could maintain this state, it would not be difficult to establish power in Jingzhou.
Lü Bu spoke in a low voice. "The third step is that, at the right time, we will head to the southern part of Jingzhou, find a way to free ourselves from Liu Biao's control, and then seize the four commanderies of Jingnan!"
Zhang Liao asked, "The four commanderies of Jingnan are relatively stable, but the population is limited, and to the south is the impoverished land of Jiaozhou. To the north is the great river, to the east is Sun Ce's territory, and to the west are impassable mountains."
"Even if we can occupy this place, what good would it do?"
Lü Bu smiled. "You see Jingnan as a constrained place, but I see it as an opportunity for a breakthrough!"
Zhang Liao thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Please, General, enlighten me."
Although Zhang Liao was one of the best generals of the Three Kingdoms, his view was limited by the circumstances of the time. There were still some bigger plans that he could not fully understand.
Lü Bu said, "Jingnan is adjacent to Yizhou, and Liu Zhang is an incompetent ruler! If we can establish a solid base in Jingnan, and then find a chance to enter Shu, don't you think that would be a major breakthrough?"
Zhang Liao said, "If we can enter Shu, indeed, we could have a much greater future. But whether Liu Biao or Sun Ce would allow that to happen is another matter."
Lü Bu smiled. "Why don't we make a bet, Wen Yuan?"
Zhang Liao looked puzzled. "What kind of bet?"
Lü Bu spoke with a grin. "Now that it is the fourth year of Jian'an, let's bet on Sun Ce's life. If Sun Ce dies within two years, then I win, and you, Wen Yuan, will serve me loyally from now on!"
"If, after the sixth year of Jian'an, Sun Ce is still alive, then I lose, and you are free to leave with your men. I won't stop you!"