Chapter 39: Dissolving the Crisis

  The timely arrival of 'Zhou Mu You Ling' made Cai Zhong Yuan pause, the order to shoot arrows was not given, and Gan Ning also withdrew the murderous aura that was about to erupt. The two men looked at the person rushing towards them simultaneously.

  A man wearing fish-scale armor and an eagle-crested helmet, dressed as a low-ranking military officer, but his horse was exceptionally eye-catching.

  Gan Ning was shocked in his heart, but he didn't show any expression. Cai Zhong stared at the precious horse with a greedy look in his eyes, then looked at Liu Xun, whom he didn't recognize. Seeing that he was only a low-ranking military officer, he suddenly became furious, pointing his long knife and shouting, "Who are you, daring to be disrespectful to your superior!"

  The people around whispered in surprise, and the newcomer was naturally Liu Xuan. At a critical moment, he rushed in without hesitation.

  Liu Jiong said faintly: "I am just a humble garrison commander, I would like to offer a word of advice to General Cai."

  Cai Zhong's triangular eyes narrowed, and he sneered, "You dare to disobey orders, a small squad leader dares to defy his superiors. According to military rules, you should be beheaded. Leave this horse for me, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll kill you along with it!"

  Cai Zhongxiong stared at Liu Xuan with a ferocious gaze, but Liu Xuan just coldly smiled and remained silent.

  "Archers ready!" Cai Zhong ordered fiercely.

  A hundred crossbowmen suddenly raised their bows, at which point a defender of the gate, Bo Zhang, ran up and whispered two sentences in Cai Zhong's ear.

  Cai Zhongyi was taken aback, the nephew of the provincial governor. It turned out that this young general was Liu Xuan, who had defeated Cai Jin. He looked at the young general in front of him with suspicion again, a majestic warhorse, an expression of fearlessness, and indeed, he was the nephew of the provincial governor.

  Cai Zhong didn't dare to make another move, he waved his hand and shouted, "Put everything down!"

  The soldiers all put down their crossbows, and Liu Jue turned around and smiled slightly at Gan Ning: "General Gan is a heroic warrior, can I say a few fair words?"

  Gan Ning secretly felt a pang of shame in his heart, and he also had a greedy intention towards the young man's war horse. He originally wanted to take it by force, but unexpectedly the other party was wholeheartedly protecting him, making him feel ashamed in his heart. His face turned slightly hot as he nodded and said: "Young master, please speak!"

  Liu Xuan was enthusiastic and generous from his previous life, liked to fight for justice, and was willing to help others solve their problems. He also had experience with human relationships and knew how to ease the conflict between two parties in such situations.

  Not only must the impending conflict be controlled, but Gan Ning must also be kept here and not allowed to go to Eastern Wu. Moreover, it is impossible to offend Cai Zhong too much, and a way out must be given to him to prevent him from becoming enraged and killing people without regard for consequences. In short, all aspects must be taken care of in order to defuse this crisis.

  He showed his identity and gained recognition from the other party. This is the first step towards success, but the following steps also cannot be taken lightly.

  Liu Jiong clasped his hands and smiled at Cai Zhong, saying: "General Cai is loyal to his duties and has an attitude that is worthy of admiration. However, General Gan has come from afar with sincerity, and I believe the governor will also want to spread his reputation for being open-minded and welcoming to talented individuals throughout the land, thereby attracting more wise and intelligent people. Therefore, please, General Cai, be a bit more lenient and wait for the governor to handle this matter. What do you think, General Cai?"

  First came the flattering words, but the following speech was gentle yet firm, soft yet piercing, actually warning Cai Zhong not to tarnish the lord's reputation for attracting and recruiting talented individuals.

  It is necessary to know that reputation was extremely important in the late Han Dynasty, especially for a lord like Liu Biao. Having a good reputation would attract people to come and surrender.

  Cai's face was extremely ugly, originally he wanted to secretly kill Gan Ning, both to avenge himself and also to kill the water thief and make meritorious achievements, killing two birds with one stone.

  However, with Liu Xuan's appearance, he knew his plan had fallen through, but that was it. His face couldn't be saved anymore, so Cai Zhong coldly said: "So it's Master Xuan. I offended you earlier, and since Master Xuan wants to protect the reputation of the state shepherd, please go ahead and report to the state shepherd. This man is a notorious bandit from the rivers and seas, and I want to keep an eye on him to prevent him from using surrender as an excuse to plunder."

  Liu Jue was somewhat embarrassed. At this time, he could not leave Beicheng. He was very clear that once he left, something would go wrong. Even if Gan Ning did not die, he would be driven away by Cai Zhong.

  He hesitated for a moment before saying: "Can I ask General Cai to accompany me there?"

  "No way!"

  Cai Zhong resolutely refused, "Strictly guarding the city gate and not allowing bandits to enter and harass is my duty, I will not leave the city gate a single step."

  Liu Xuan really felt that things were difficult to handle. If he had known earlier, it would have been better if his followers hadn't left first. What to do? Who would be willing to deliver messages for him?

  The people on both sides were discussing and arguing, not far away under a big tree, an old Taoist with white hair and a youthful face was holding a strong mule, gazing at Liu Xuan from afar, stroking his long beard and smiling without speaking.

  Just then, a loud laugh came from the wine shop next door. "Gongzi Xing, shall I report to the governor for you?"

  A tall and thin scholar emerged from the wine shop, wearing a white Confucian robe, with a flat hat on his head, about twenty-five or six years old, with fair skin, bright eyes, elegant and refined, exuding an air of gentle elegance.

  Cai Zhong recognized this person and secretly called out in his heart, "Fortunately, he was hiding in the wine shop, almost committing a big mistake."

  Liu Jiong was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying: "May I ask your esteemed surname and given name, sir?"

  A young scholar slightly raised his hand and smiled: "I am Liu Zhou's tent officer, a man from Shanyang named Yi Ji!"

  ．．．．．．．．．．

  Located in the west of the city, the General Town South Mansion was also the prefecture of Jingzhou Prefecture, and it was the center of power for the entire Jing-Xiang region. At this time, in the government office building, Liu Biao was discussing important matters with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue.

  Liu Biao received a letter from Yuan Shao today, requesting Liu Biao to send troops to Zhongyuan, while Yuan Shao would attack from the north. The two armies would then launch a pincer movement against Cao Cao from both south and north, killing the Han traitor and upholding justice together.

  This was actually the second letter written by Yuan Shao. During the Battle of Guandu last year, Yuan Shao wrote to ask Liu Biao to form an alliance to attack Cao Cao together. Liu Biao hesitated and his senior officials, except for Huang Zu, unanimously opposed forming an alliance with Yuan Shao.

  Even Han Song and Biao Liu Xian advised him to take advantage of Cao Cao's weakness and surrender to him in order to gain a high position.

  Today, Yuan Shao's second letter did not stir up too much commotion. Kuai Yue laughed and said: "I knew last year that Yuan Shao would definitely lose, so I advised the lord not to get involved with the Yuan family. Yuan Shao is a man of little kindness and wisdom, he has Tian Feng's strategy but is jealous and harms him, he has a large army of one hundred thousand but is indecisive, similar to He Jin in the past. Now that he is fighting against Cao's army again, he will definitely lose!"

  Liu Biao hesitated for a moment, then asked Cai Mao, "What does De Kui think?"

  Although Cai Mao and Kuai Yue had a family feud, they shared the same opinion in opposing an alliance with Yuan Shao. Cai Mao sneered, "Last year when Yuan was strong and Cao was weak, we didn't form an alliance with Yuan Shao. Now that Yuan is weak and Cao is strong, we want to form an alliance with Yuan Shao? Isn't this a joke? Even if ten more letters like this come, our lord doesn't need to bother with them."

  Liu Biao was indeed worried in his heart, but he wasn't worried about Yuan Shao, rather he was worried about himself. Once Cao Cao had eliminated Yuan Shao, wouldn't the next target be Jingzhou?

  Cai Mao saw Liu Biao's worry and said: "I suspect that this letter is a plot by Yuan Shao to stir up trouble in Jingnan!"

  Liu Bei was taken aback, "What do you mean by this?"

  "Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu last year and lost again at Cangting this year, he is already in a desperate situation. At this time, he can't even think of self-preservation, let alone killing the Han bandits and upholding justice. If our lord sends troops to Central Plains, Jingzhou will surely suffer from Cao's brutal revenge, but Yuan Shao will escape the disaster and get a chance to breathe. This is actually Yuan Shao using the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao', our lord must not fall for it."

  Liu Biao secretly sighed, rescuing him would lead to crisis, but not rescuing him would also have consequences, truly putting him in a dilemma.

  At this time, a guard walked quickly to the gate, bowed and reported: "Report to the governor, Mr. Yi wants to see you, saying that there is an important matter to report."

  ．．．．．．．．．．

  Yi Jue was a native of Gaoping County, Shanyang Commandery. He and Liu Biao were from the same hometown. In his youth, he fled to Jingzhou to escape the war and attached himself to Liu Biao. Because of his exceptional intelligence, he could recite books after reading them once, which deeply impressed Liu Biao, who then supported him in completing his studies and became a disciple of Pang Degong, a famous scholar from Xiangyang.

  At the age of twenty, when he was still weak and young, Pang Tong recommended him to Liu Biao, becoming one of his staff members, helping him with document management, drafting letters, and gaining Liu Biao's trust.

  Today, I took a day off and went shopping in Fan City on the other side of the river. On my way back, I had lunch at a tavern outside North City, where I coincidentally ran into Gan Ning who came to offer his services, and also witnessed Liu Jue's decisive resolution of a crisis.

  Yi Juan hastily walked onto the main hall, still in awe of Liu Xuan's decisive wisdom and bravery. This not only required courage but also skill and a deep understanding of reason and propriety. The slightest mistake would lead to failure, yet Liu Xuan had accomplished all this, despite appearing to be just 15 or 16 years old. His composure and maturity left Yi Juan deeply astonished.

  Yi Jie knelt down on both knees and saluted Liu Biao with a bow, "I have an important matter to report to my lord."

  "What's wrong, Ji Bei?" Liu Biao asked with a faint smile.

  "Yesterday, I went to Fan City and just returned. I was about to meet Gan Ning who came to surrender to our lord."

  "But what about the pirate Gan Ning and his exploits?"

  Cai Mao was furious, his hair standing on end. He was in charge of the Jingzhou naval forces and had clashed with Gan Ning several times, each time being humiliated by him, severely damaging his reputation in the army, making him equally hateful towards Gan Ning.

  "It's him!"

  Yi Jian Bian was about to kill Gan Ning outside the city gate, but Liu Xuan stepped forward and resolved the murderous intent of both sides. He spoke in great detail, his eloquence was exceptional, and he had a good impression of Liu Xuan. In his description, he deliberately elevated Liu Xuan's image by several degrees.

  Cai Mao and Kuai Yue looked at each other, and it turned out that Liu Xun had returned. Cai Mao was a man of status, although he hated Gan Ning to the bone, but he wouldn't be as reckless as Cai Zhong, knowing that in official circles one must not take precedence over others. He suppressed his anger and remained silent for the time being, waiting for Liu Bei's opinion.

  Liu Biao thought for a moment and said: "This Gan Ning is indeed a headache, it's hard to decide what to do with him."

  He glanced at Cai Mao, seeking his opinion. Cai Mao sneered and said, "This man has killed countless people, and his crimes are heinous. Many people in Jingzhou want to kill him to avenge their grievances. Now that he's delivered himself into our hands, I think the innocent lives lost at his hands can finally rest in peace."

  "If you decide to kill Gan Ning, what's the difference between this and Cai Zhong killing him? He hastily advised: "My lord, please listen to me. Gan Ning is a hero of Jingzhou, with high martial arts skills. Now that the world is in chaos and Cao Cao is spying on us from the south, it is exactly the time when Jingzhou needs people like him. Moreover, there are many famous scholars in Jingzhou but few brave generals. Gan Ning's coming to surrender is a heavenly assistance to my lord. My lord should use his military strength and not blame past events. It is absolutely not permissible to reject him from afar, nor can he be killed. I hope my lord will understand clearly."

  Cai Mao let out a heavy sigh, "A virtuous person helps to establish a good reputation, while an evil one destroys it. If the lord were to take him in as a general, he would ruin his own reputation. Which talented and virtuous individual would then dare to come and offer their services to the lord? Mr. Yi, you should consider the lord's prestige."

  Liu Biao was in a dilemma, he also knew that Gan Ning's martial arts were extremely high, with the bravery of not being able to be matched by ten thousand men. Using him as a general would be just right for defending against Eastern Wu or Cao's army. However, Cai Mao's words had also hit the vital point, taking Gan Ning in as a general would harm his reputation and cause virtuous people to stop in their tracks. This made Liu Biao truly unable to make up his mind.

  At this time, Kuai Yue smiled slightly and said: "Actually, milord still has a third path to take."

  Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses. Between accepting and refusing, he actually had a third way out.

  ．．．．．．