Chapter 40: Kuai Yue's Advice

  Outside the north gate, Gan Ning was still waiting patiently. He had been defeated in a battle opposing Liu Zhang's enthronement in Shu and was forced to become a pirate. At this time of great turmoil, he did not want to be a bandit and wanted to make achievements, so he came to surrender to Liu Biao.

  Just as they arrived at the city, they encountered Cai Zhong's ambush, which made Gan Ning feel quite displeased. If it were up to his temper, he would have stormed off long ago. However, considering Liu Xun's wholehearted protection of him, he decided to endure a little longer and not bother with Cai Zhong for now, and talk to Liu Biao later.

  Liu Jue occasionally turned his head to glance at Gan Ning, who was also worried that Gan Ning would get angry and leave to surrender to Sun Quan.

  Gan Ning is one of his favorite characters in the Three Kingdoms. Historically, there was no such person as Liu Xuan, but now that he exists, will Gan Ning's fate also be changed?

  On the city wall, Cai Zhong squinted his eyes and occasionally looked at Liu Xuan. At this time, he was no longer very interested in Gan Ning, but Liu Xuan had aroused his interest, especially his war horse, which made him drool with envy.

  "The Provincial Governor has arrived!"

  There was a loud shout from the soldiers, and they saw groups of soldiers rushing out of the city, surrounding Liu Biao, who was riding a tall horse, with several people on horseback following behind, including Cai Mao and Kuai Yue.

  Liu Biao reined in his warhorse and gazed calmly at Gan Ning, who hastily stepped forward, kneeling on one knee. "Gan Ning of Ba Commandery pays his respects to the General Who Guards the South!"

  Liu Bei smiled slightly and said, "Guan Yu, please rise!"

  Gan Ning stood up and said: "Gan Ning has had many shortcomings in the past, I hope General will not blame me for my past mistakes, I am willing to serve under General's command."

  Liu Biao burst out laughing, "Gan Xingba is willing to wash his heart and turn over a new leaf, serve the imperial court, this is the good fortune of Jingzhou, it is also my good fortune. For the time being, I invite Gan Xingba to lead his troops to temporarily reside in Fan City, I will allocate funds and grains on schedule. The humble officials, including Ya Jiang and Qu Zhang, have troubled Gan Xingba, after I report to the imperial court, I will recommend you as a Zhonglang General, what does Gan Xingba think?"

  Gan Ning was overjoyed. Liu Biao had actually agreed to recommend him as a Central Lang General. He knelt down on one knee again, "I wish to serve as the General Who Pacifies the South."

  Liu Biao smiled with his eyes narrowed, this was the third way that Kuai Yue had mentioned, neither using him nor expelling him, keeping Gan Ning in Jingzhou, which would not harm his own reputation and also quell the bandits on the water, it can be said to have achieved two goals at once.

  Recommending him as a Central Lang General was just an excuse, to calm down Gan Ning. Like Ya Jiang and Qu Chang, Liu Biao could appoint them himself, but the positions of Central Lang General, Colonel, etc., had to be reported to the imperial court.

  The imperial court has always been slow in handling matters, and it will not be a year or two without news. More importantly, if things cannot be done, he can push the responsibility to Cao Cao, anyway, Liu Biao has done his best, this matter has nothing to do with him.

  Gan Ning was an upright and straightforward person, who didn't understand such evasive tactics in officialdom. He thought Liu Biao had genuinely intended to recommend him as a Central Control Officer, and his heart was filled with gratitude and expectation towards Liu Biao.

  Liu Biao immediately ordered one of his attendants, "Send Gan Xing and the others to Fengyi Pavilion in Fan City, and have them properly settled."

  "Come on, gentlemen!"

  Gan Ning took a deep look at Liu Xuan and bowed to him: "Little friend, today's maintenance, Gan Ning will remember in his heart, we will meet again!"

  Liu Jiong also smiled and returned the courtesy, "Please, General Gan, rest assured and stay behind, there will be a place for you to use your skills!"

  Gan Ning turned around and left, leading his men onto the boat, heading towards the opposite shore of Fan Castle, gradually sailing further away.

  Liu Biao glanced at Liu Xuan and smiled slightly: "Yibo Ji said you are a talented person who is good at distinguishing things and etiquette, I have decided to send you to Lumen Academy to study. You will definitely achieve something after five years of hard work. Go back and pack your bags, tomorrow your elder brother will take you there."

  Liu Xuan let out a quiet sigh, it was already the sixth year of Jian'an now, how could he have the heart to read such things? He bowed and said: "Thank you, Uncle, for your kind intentions, I would rather learn martial arts, and at night, I will read books and practice writing on my own, I hope Uncle will support me."

  Liu Biao was taken aback, he didn't expect Liu Xuan to publicly refuse him, which made him slightly displeased in his heart, but he didn't show it, just smiled and said, "Alright then! We'll talk about this later."

  At this time, Liu Biao saw Liu Xun's precious horse again, and his eyes became somewhat eager. He had already received Wang Wei's rapid report that Zhang Wu's precious horse had been obtained by his nephew.

  Zhang Wu had been thinking about this precious horse for a long time, and several times he sent people to see the horse, actually hinting at Zhang Wu, but unfortunately Zhang Wu regarded it as his life, and would rather offend Liu Biao than offer it up.

  "Haha! This horse is pretty good."

  Liu Bei gently stroked the mane of his precious horse, his eyes burning with an even more fervent gaze.

  Beside him, Cai Tiao smiled and said: "Gongzi Xing, this war horse was heard by Governor Zhou last year, but unfortunately Zhang Wu didn't know his place..."

  The implicit meaning is to tell Liu Xuan that you know or don't know the courtesy. A casual remark is often a poisonous thorn.

  Liu Cong turned his head and glanced at Cai Zhong, smiling: "Just now General Cai asked me for this horse. If I don't give it to him, I'm afraid my life will be in danger. General Cai, you're putting me in a difficult position!"

  The best way to deal with poisonous stings is not to dodge, but to counterattack. Cai Mao's face changed, and he turned around to glare at Cai Zhong, who was so frightened that he hastily knelt down, "Master, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

  Liu Biao smiled without revealing his emotions, "Everyone has a fondness for fine horses, General Cai need not be so flustered."

  Liu Bei liked this precious horse, but he wouldn't take it for himself. At the beginning of the year, Kuai Liang told him that the name of the horse was Lu'er, and riding it would harm the master. Now Zhang Wu died because of this precious horse, which proved to be true. He certainly wouldn't want this horse again.

  He smiled at Liu Xuan and said, "I've read the military report. It says you intercepted and killed Zhang Wu, achieving a meritorious deed. This horse will be awarded to you as a reward for your military service. Take good care of it."

  Liu Jue was overjoyed. He had been in a dilemma about whether to present this horse to Liu Biao, as he couldn't bear to give it away, but not giving it seemed disrespectful to his elder.

  Liu Biao formally expressed his gratitude to him, saving him a lot of trouble and making him extremely happy. He hastily clasped his fists together in thanks and said: "Thank you, Uncle, for your gift!"

  Liu Biao smiled and turned his horse back to the city, while Yi Jie slowly approached Liu Xuan and said in a low voice: "Just now, young master should not have explicitly refused to go to Lumen to study, he should have agreed first and then talk about it later."

  Liu Xuan shook his head, "Some things can be compromised, but some things cannot be ambiguous, speaking without credibility would only make Uncle Bo and the Pang family resentful, what do you think, sir?"

  Yi's face turned red, and she smiled, "Young master is absolutely right, Yi has learned from it."

  He nodded and followed Liu Bei back, in a moment, the soldiers at the city gate walked away cleanly. At this time, Cai Zhong slowly came up and bowed his hands: "I didn't know it was the young master just now, I'm really sorry."

  "General Cai doesn't have to be polite, we won't know each other if we don't fight!"

  "What a refined and elegant young master!"

  Cai Zhong smiled and said: "If the young master doesn't despise me, I'd be willing to teach you martial arts. Would you give me this face?"

  How could Liu Xuan possibly look up to him, and besides, Cai Zhong's intentions were unpredictable, and he might have his own ideas again. Liu Xuan smiled and said: "Thank you for your kindness, General Cai, my uncle's intention is to let General Wang Wei teach me, I don't dare refuse, sorry."

  Cai Zhonggan chuckled twice, "Hehe! So that's how it is. General Wang's martial arts skills are impressive, not something I can compare to. Congratulations, young master!"

  "General Cai, we will meet again!"

  Liu Xuan bowed his hands and said, "I'm leaving."

  He urged his horse to rush into the city, Cai Zhong gazed at him as he walked away, his face suddenly turned gloomy, and he hummed heavily, "A thing that doesn't know what's good for it!"

  ．．．．．．．．

  A small unexpected event made Liu Biao somewhat uneasy, he walked back and forth in the government office with his hands behind his back, today Liu Xun unexpectedly refused his arrangement in public, which really made him unhappy.

  Liu Xuan has been in Jingzhou for a month and a half now, and as time passed, he also gradually began to feel the personality of this nephew.

  On the surface, this nephew is low-key and silent, tolerant of others, progressive and reasonable, relatively understanding of human relationships, except for a slight lack in etiquette, other aspects are not bad.

  But now Liu Biao also discovered that his nephew was stubborn and had a strong will, especially when it came to personal interests, he would never give in.

  From today's matter of the war horse, it can be seen that although Cai Mao reminded him, he remained silent all along. It is clear that he did not want to give the war horse to himself, perhaps that was his personal interest.

  My nephew is also very determined, he won't easily change his mind once he's made a decision, even if it means going against himself. Today's incident with the Lu Men reading is the best example of this, where he publicly refused my suggestion.

  Although these personalities are not bad, Liu Biao still feels very unhappy. In Jingzhou, his arrangements and opinions have never been dared to oppose, his words in Jingzhou are sacred, but Liu Xun actually dares to say no to him, and it's not the first time either.

  This also includes his disrespect to his wife, and giving the Xuanlin Sword to Cong'er without permission. These minor things accumulated, making Liu Biao start to have some dissatisfaction with his nephew, and he somewhat disliked this nephew of his.

  At this time, a voice came from the doorway, "Master, may I come in?"

  "Come in!"

  Liu Biao returned to his seat, and after a moment, Kuai Yue walked in, bowed his head and saluted, "My lord!"

  "Sit down and talk!" Liu Biao smiled and waved his hand.

  Kuai Yue sat down opposite him and took a close look at Liu Bei, smiling: "Sir, you seem to be in a bad mood?"

  Liu Biao sighed faintly, "Some inexplicable annoyance."

  "But for Gongzi's sake?"

  Liu Biao nodded, "Yes! That child... has somewhat disappointed me."

  "Is Master's disappointment due to his handling of Cai Mao today or the matter of reading at Lu Men Academy?"

  "Both would be good! He should learn to apologize and even more so respect the opinions of his elders, but he has done neither."

  Kuai Yue stood up and bowed deeply, "I came just to congratulate you, sir. Your family has a great talent."

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

  "My lord, permit me to speak frankly."

  "Go on! I won't blame you."

  Kuai Yue smiled slightly, "What does your lordship think will happen today without Liu Kun, how will Gan Ning react?"

  "Liu Bei hesitated for a moment before saying: 'Either Gan Ning will be killed or there will be a big disturbance and then he'll leave.'"

  "What if it were Gongzi Cong in Beicheng instead?"

  Liu Biao sighed bitterly, "I'm afraid it will be even more chaotic. Don't mention him, even Qier can't handle it well, he's too hesitant and weak."

  "But Master Guan has handled it properly, my lord. He is only sixteen years old and has the courage to handle a crisis like this, which is rare among people of his age. At least I have never seen anyone like him. And I heard from Lord Xuande that General Zhao Yun was injured by Cao's army in Runan, but Master Guan did not abandon him and took him with him as he escaped. Even when they were captured by Yu Jin, he was able to respond calmly. When Cao Cao himself led the army to surround them, he was still able to cleverly escape danger. Don't you think, my lord, that this young man is loyal, intelligent, and resourceful, a great talent who can be molded?"

  Liu Biao had also heard Liu Bei mention this matter before, but he didn't quite believe it, thinking that Liu Bei was intentionally praising Liu Xun.

  He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then sighed, "But he's too stubborn, even daring to openly defy my words in public. He's single-mindedly practicing martial arts and refuses to read the classics of sages and worthies. I'm worried that he's becoming too unruly."

  "This is what the subordinate wants to advise the lord, Jingzhou is a place of four battles, with Cao Cao's tiger-like gaze in the north, Sun Quan's wolf-like ambition in the east, Liu Zhang's restless movement in the west, and Zhang Zhi's annual wars in Jiaozhou in the south. In the future, when Lord Guo succeeds to the throne, although he has abundant talent, he lacks bravery and is too weak, making it difficult to resist the strong enemies on all sides. Has the lord considered who among his sons and nephews can assist him?"

  Without waiting for Liu Biao to respond, Kuai Yue continued: "Gongzi is indeed brave and fierce, with the talent of commanding troops. Today he dares to defy Lord Cao and criticize Cai Mao, but in the future he will also look down on Cao Cao and treat Sun Quan coldly. Isn't this a capable assistant sent by heaven to assist you, my lord?"

  Liu Biao is also a man of great talent and insight, how could he not understand the profound meaning of Kuai Yue's words? He nodded slowly and sighed: "Your words are indeed golden and precious!"

  At this moment, Liu Xuan was no longer as repulsive to him.

  However, Kuai Yue secretly sighed. He had followed Liu Biao for over a decade and really understood him. Liu Biao's greatest weakness was his indecisiveness and constant changing of orders. Now that he had been persuaded, what about tomorrow?