Chapter 88: The Mysterious Letter

All along, Zhao Yun had been recruiting men for Liu Bei on the fringes of the battlefield, and he had done so under exceedingly strict conditions.

Liu Bei, after all, had once been a regional warlord in his own right, and he was related to the imperial clan. He also enjoyed a fair reputation. On the strength of that, Zhao Yun had spent several months gathering more than a thousand men who were truly willing to follow Liu Bei.

By the time Liu Bei left Ye City, the news had already reached Zhao Yun. He assembled his troops and headed straight for Runan.

Three thousand men were not a large force, but it was more than enough for Liu Bei to protect himself on Liu Biao’s turf.

Through this defection to Yuan Shao, Liu Bei had learned a lesson: if he went crawling in like a homeless dog, bringing no force of his own, no one would take him seriously at all. Only with his own personal troops could he truly stand on his feet.

When Liu Bei arrived in Runan, he did not rush to throw himself under Liu Biao’s protection. Instead, he first established camp there and sent Guo Tu a letter to report that he was safe, so as to keep him placated.

After that, Liu Bei also wrote to Liu Biao. In the letter, he said that he was bringing nearly five thousand men and would soon come to seek refuge with him, and hoped Liu Biao would grant him a place to settle. The implication was plain enough: he wanted Liu Biao to decide where he should be based.

This was somewhat different from Liu Bei’s earlier account. At the outset, whether it was Jian Yong or Sun Qian speaking, they had only said that Liu Bei was returning to seek refuge, with no mention whatsoever of asking for territory.

Liu Biao was already fifty-eight years old, and his lack of ambition to compete for control of the Central Plains was largely tied to his age.

He understood that the Central Plains would not be unified in ten or twenty years. Could he, Liu Biao, possibly live to see such a day? Clearly not. So why should he join the scramble?

Holding Liu Bei’s letter, Liu Biao looked at Cai Mao and Kuai Yue before him, then casually handed the letter over.

By now, these two could be counted among the people Liu Biao relied on most.

As early as the first year of Chuping, a decade before, Liu Biao, then serving as an attendant-in-waiting of the Northern Army of Han, had received an imperial summons to take up the post of Inspector of Jing Province.

But he had been deeply uncertain about the situation at the time, and so he hosted Kuai Yue, his elder brother Kuai Liang, and Cai Mao in Yi City, where the several of them deliberated over major affairs together.

Now, ten years had passed, and Kuai Yue and Cai Mao were still Liu Biao’s trusted confidants. If Cai Mao enjoyed favor partly because of a well-placed younger sister, then Kuai Yue truly rose on his own merits and had won Liu Biao’s sincere trust.

These two had, in fact, been the ones most fiercely opposed to Liu Biao’s involvement in the dispute between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Originally, Liu Biao had intended to side with Yuan Shao, but these two were both men inclined toward Cao Cao, and thus they had persuaded Liu Biao to remain motionless and wait.

The struggle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had reached its outcome in no small part because Liu Biao had sat on the sidelines.

When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in stalemate at Guandu, even if Liu Biao had sent fifty thousand troops, he could have cut off Cao Cao’s rear at any time. But he did not. And now Cao Cao would never again grant anyone such an opportunity.

“My lord, this Liu Bei’s words are different from before. It seems he has some other scheme in mind.” After reading the letter, Kuai Yue gave a cold laugh. Clearly, he held Liu Bei in little esteem.

“That is so. Liu Bei has already submitted to Yuan Shao, yet now, when Yuan Shao has been defeated by Cao Cao and lies gravely ill, he suddenly proposes to surrender to our Jing Province. How can that be the conduct of a loyal and righteous man? If my lord were to show him too much favor, who can say whether he would treat my lord and Jing Province in the same way? Who could guarantee it?”

Cai Mao and Kuai Yue sang in perfect harmony, painting Liu Bei as a young man whose intentions were far from pure. Of course, his original intentions were indeed not entirely pure either. It was simply that Liu Biao had become used to showering talented men with exceptional courtesy and had never even considered refusing him.

Liu Biao stroked his beard and pondered for a while before waving a hand. “Liu Xuande and I are both kin of the imperial house. Since he now takes the initiative to bring troops and seek refuge, Jing Province has no reason to refuse him.”

Kuai Yue and Cai Mao exchanged a look, both understanding that Liu Bei’s arrival in Jing Province could no longer be altered.

Liu Biao valued his word above all else. Liu Bei had first sent Jian Yong and the others ahead, and Liu Biao had already agreed in good faith. Jian Yong and Sun Qian were still in Xiangyang, being well fed and well treated.

If he were to renege now, his reputation as one of the Eight Worthies would be utterly shattered.

“Then… does my lord truly mean to grant Liu Bei’s request directly? He is bringing five thousand troops and still wants a city. What if he is an agent sent by Yuan Shao? Though he and my lord are both of imperial descent, this land of Jing Province is meant to be passed down to your heirs in the future. We must never let Liu Xuande seize it under the name of imperial kinship!”

Cai Mao spoke with evident feeling, his words earnest and persuasive.

When he spoke of passing it down to Liu Biao’s own son, the son he meant, of course, was the one born to Liu Biao by his sister.

If that were truly the case, then the Lord of Jing Province would be his own nephew. Their bond would be even closer. But if Liu Bei were allowed to take it instead, then he would be left with nothing at all.

Once Cai Mao raised the possibility that his own son might be affected, Liu Biao’s expression grew considerably more solemn.

He thought for a long time before finally shaking his head. “Let Liu Bei bring his trusted followers to Xiangyang first. Since we are both of the imperial clan, and he bears the title of Imperial Uncle, the proper courtesies must still be observed. As for the troops, give him Xinye. It can also help us keep the northern situation in Jing Province under control. What do you think?”

When Liu Biao finished speaking, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue’s eyes both lit up.

Xinye lay in the north of Jing Province and was indeed within its jurisdiction. In that sense, it counted as granting Liu Bei a place to settle, as promised. But it was far from Xiangyang.

In this way, Liu Bei would effectively become Liu Biao’s border vassal rather than one of the direct line gathered in Xiangyang, and the relationship between them would be much more distant.

Moreover, Xinye was not a large place at all. To put it plainly, it was only a small town with too few people. Even if Liu Bei wanted to develop there, he would never amount to much. For Liu Biao, it was undoubtedly a perfect two-for-one solution.

“My lord’s idea is excellent!”

Seeing the two of them nod, Liu Biao also took up his brush and wrote a letter back to Liu Bei, showing that he still placed some importance on this younger kinsman of his.

In that letter, he made things very clear: Liu Bei was to bring his trusted men to Xiangyang, where Liu Biao would host a banquet to welcome him. As for the troops, they could simply be moved to Xinye.

Had the matter ended there, it would have been considered resolved. Liu Bei being placed in Xinye was not something anyone would think capable of causing a serious upheaval.

But not long after Liu Biao sent off that letter, Cai Mao received a message from Jiangdong.

The news drove him to Liu Biao’s residence in the middle of the night, leaving the old lord rather displeased, and even his own younger sister was not especially happy either.