034 Jingzhou Refuses to Mobilize Troops

Upon hearing Liu Biao’s declaration, Liu Qi felt reassured. He thought that once his father arrived, sending out troops would no longer be a problem.

However, what Liu Qi did not expect was that, as Liu Biao grew older, his indecisiveness had become astonishing. In just a short while, after listening to another round of arguments from Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, he would change his mind again.

In the main hall of the government office, Kuai Yue, Li Yan, Huang Zhong, and the others continued to reason and explain the gravity of the situation, hoping to persuade Cai Mao and Zhang Yun to agree to send troops. Yet, the two of them simply closed their eyes and ignored everything, indifferent to all reasoning.

No matter what was said, they remained unmoved, stubborn as ever.

“These two fools,” Li Yan thought with barely concealed fury as he glared at Zhang Yun and Cai Mao, wishing he could cut them down where they stood. “With them in charge of Jing Province, how can anything go well?”

At that moment, Liu Qi entered, supporting Liu Biao.

“My lord!”

“My lord, what brings you here?” Cai Mao and Zhang Yun hurried forward to pay their respects as soon as they saw Liu Biao.

Kuai Yue, Li Yan, and Huang Zhong also stepped forward to bow.

Liu Biao glanced at his gathered civil and military officials. “If I hadn’t come, you would have torn the roof down with your arguing.”

In truth, Liu Biao commanded many talented men. Among his civil officials were the brothers Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, both capable strategists. As for his generals, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and Wen Pin were all first-rate warriors, and even the aging Li Yan was still fit for battle.

Yet, Liu Biao rarely made use of these competent men, instead favoring the inept Zhang Yun and Cai Mao.

After sitting down, Liu Biao signaled for everyone to cease their arguing.

Then, in a slow and deliberate tone, he said, “Qi’er has already told me everything that has happened.”

“Our bed may not be shared by another. I believe we should send out troops and seize this opportunity to reclaim Jiangxia.”

The moment Liu Biao spoke these words, Cai Mao became visibly agitated. He was entirely unsuited for war.

If they truly went to war, command would certainly fall to the likes of Huang Zhong and Li Yan—men who were close to Liu Qi. If these men were to gain power and form an external support group for Liu Qi, it would tip the future struggle for succession in his favor.

Thus, Cai Mao only wished to avoid war and preserve the status quo in Jing Province. As long as things remained unchanged, he and Zhang Yun would hold all authority. Then, once Liu Biao passed, they could support his nephew, Liu Cong, to succeed.

“My lord, we must not send troops!” Cai Mao quickly implored. “Do you know who Cao Cao is? He is the foremost warlord in the land, ruling over Yan, Yu, Xu, and Si—four provinces—with an army of hundreds of thousands. How can we in little Jing Province hope to stand against him?”

The Han Empire had a total of fourteen provinces; Cao Cao controlled four, Yuan Shao controlled another four, and Liu Biao only had one—Jing Province. In terms of power, he could not compare to either Cao Cao or Yuan Shao.

No sooner had Cai Mao finished than the fiery old General Li Yan retorted, “Cao Cao may be strong, but he faces Yuan Shao as a formidable rival. Now, both armies are massed at Guandu, and a great battle is about to erupt. The forces Cao Cao can spare for attacking Jiangxia are limited. Jing Province has one hundred thousand troops and ample supplies; we could take Jiangxia in one campaign.”

Li Yan’s reasoning was sound. Jing Province did indeed command a hundred thousand men, sixty thousand of whom were skilled naval troops—second only to the navy of Eastern Wu. With such a powerful fleet, and given the region’s many waterways, they could sweep into Jiangxia with ease.

If Jing Province truly mobilized its forces, Su Ming would be unable to resist. With only a handful of men and no reinforcements from Cao Cao, he would be unable to hold Jiangxia.

Moreover, with the battle of Guandu about to begin, Cao Cao could hardly afford to fight on two fronts.

But sometimes, the greatest threat is not a formidable enemy, but incompetent allies. With Cai Mao and Zhang Yun in their ranks, Jing Province was doomed to inaction.

After Li Yan spoke, Zhang Yun took the floor. As a strategist, Zhang Yun was full of cunning schemes. His eyes darted as he prepared his argument.

“It’s true we could seize Jiangxia if we act now,” he began, “but in doing so we would thoroughly offend Cao Cao. Has anyone considered what might happen if, at Guandu, Cao Cao emerges victorious?” He paused, then continued, “I doubt anyone has thought about that. Allow me to explain.”

“If Cao Cao wins at Guandu, he would absorb Yuan Shao’s territories in Hebei, ruling over eight provinces with an army of a million and a thousand generals. At that point, we in Jing Province would be his sworn enemies. He could turn on us at any moment, conquer the nine commanderies of Jing and Xiang, and leave us with nowhere to call home.”

At this, the assembly fell silent. If Cao Cao truly triumphed at Guandu, there would be no stopping him.

Then, Huang Zhong, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “And how can you be so sure Cao Cao will win at Guandu?”

“Yuan Shao’s family has held high office for generations. His troops and territory are no less than Cao Cao’s. Perhaps Yuan Shao will be the victor.”

Zhang Yun, having anticipated this, had his answer ready.

“The outcome is uncertain,” Zhang Yun replied calmly. “Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are evenly matched; either could win. Therefore, I believe we should not act rashly. Let Cao Cao’s forces attack Jiangxia while we station our troops in Nanyang and Nan Commandery. We can observe the outcome of the battle at Guandu before deciding whether to move on Jiangxia. If Cao Cao gains the upper hand, we yield Jiangxia to him and avoid conflict. If Yuan Shao prevails, we can seize the opportunity to take Jiangxia—and perhaps even Cao Cao’s capital at Xuchang.”

There was no denying Zhang Yun’s skill in reading Liu Biao’s mind. Liu Biao longed to benefit from seizing Jiangxia but dreaded the risk of offending Cao Cao. Zhang Yun’s proposal spoke directly to his heart.

Cai Mao’s argument was for unwavering opposition to sending troops, while Zhang Yun’s was ambiguous—either to send troops or not, but with a focus on delay.

“Zhang Yun speaks wisely. Let us follow his suggestion,” Liu Biao nodded repeatedly in approval.

Just as Kuai Yue was about to offer a warning—that those who try to stand on two boats never fare well—Liu Biao, having already made up his mind, refused to give anyone else a chance to speak.

“Oh dear!” he exclaimed, “My back ailment is troubling me again. Discuss among yourselves who will garrison Nanyang and Nan Commandery.” With that, he rose, signaling for Liu Qi to help him back to his quarters for rest.