Chapter 519

Liu Mang left happily after the meeting, having obtained funds and assistance to fight against Liu Bei. Just as he was getting onto his carriage, Zhang Gui, who had quickly cleaned himself up and changed out of his bloody clothes appeared to thank him again.

“General Zhang Gui!” Liu Mang greeted back with a smile.

“Your Highness! Truly thank you for this! I am unable to repay this favor!” Zhang Gui said and bowed. Without Liu Mang’s support, the Zhang Family would be finished even if they recovered Fancheng. That is unless Liu Biao was in a good mood. Even if the Cai Family could help cover for them, it was not good to always rely on them. Liu Mang’s support allowed the Zhang Family to redeem themselves on their own. If they could atone for their failures, Liu Biao may reward them generously.

Zhang Gui never expected to become commander. This is because he knew that his brother and the Cai Family would be unable to persuade Liu Biao. However, Liu Mang recommended him against the opinions of others.

“There is no need for that. We are all on the same side.” Liu Mang laughed.

“Same side?” Zhang Yun who had followed behind Zhang Gui, asked.

“General Zhang Yun!” Liu Mang greeted.

“Your Highness.” Zhang Yun bowed. Liu Mang’s words caused him to freeze. He had thought that Liu Mang said they are in the same faction. As the Zhang Family had no connection with Liu Mang, it must have been a connection the Cai Family formed. This was a misunderstanding created by thinking too much.

“If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first.” Liu Mang smiled.

“Your Highness. Will you allow me the honor?” Zhang Gui asked. During those times, it was customary for them to share a cup of wine together.

“I’m afraid today is not possible.” Liu Mang immediately declined.

“This… Why?” Zhang Gui could not understand. Liu Mang had only just said they were on the same side but now he refused to give face.

“It is not that I don’t want to give you face. It is just that I already have a prior engagement tonight.” Liu mang laughed as Cai Mao and Kuai Yue also appeared. The two of them had been discussing matters with Liu Biao and had already started sending out the provisions. That was why they were late.

“The Military Advisor’s?” The two brothers saw them and understood. They had to give way to their boss. However, they also soon laughed as they would likely attend the same feast.

“In that case, we will not bother Your Highness anymore.” They tactfully said and quickly left.

Liu Mang also left without waiting for Kuai Yue and Cai Mao. There were plenty of things that still needed to be done.

When Liu Mang got off his carriage to enter his residence, Jia Xu came running out with a report. “Milord. Marquis Wen’s troops have arrived at Xinye!”

“My father-in-law’s troops have arrived?” Liu Mang was surprised at the speed Lu Bu arrived.

“Who is the commander?” Liu Mang wanted to know who was leading the Wolf Cavalry as it would affect Liu Mang’s selection for a commander-in-chief. As Liu Mang himself was Jingzhou’s hostage, he would not be able to do it.

Liu Mang initially thought of choosing Zhang Liao but moving Zhang Liao away right after Zhang Liao had formed a relationship with the Xiliang Cavalry was not good. On top of that, Liu Mang could feel relieved about Yangzhou’s safety with Zhang Liao’s presence.

Liu Mang’s second option was Wei Yan but in the end, he decided against it. Wei Yan was not yet properly tamed. On top of that, Liu Mang did not know if Wei Yan had enough leadership capabilities.

Liu Mang’s third option was Zhao Yun. Liu Mang could see Zhao Yun’s capabilities as the man had performed well at Fancheng. As Zhao Yun had also learned how to become a commander in this timeline, Liu Mang chose him.

“Milord. Marquis Wen came personally!” Jia Xu replied.

“What?” Why did Lu Bu come here instead of overseeing Lujiang? Even if they win at Fancheng, it would be hard to kill Liu Bei. It would only be able to consume Liu Bei’s resources.

“Marquis Wen have already said. He is here to kill Liu Bei!”

“Kill Liu Bei?” Liu Mang smiled wryly. Lu Bu must have been bored to ignor his job of overseeing Lujiang and Yangzhou to kill Liu Bei.

It also seemed like Lu Bu still had a grudge for what happened last time. When Liu Bei had surrendered, Lu Bu spared his life and even returned his wives. This would have allowed Liu Bei to live peacefully and it was already a very generous act. However, Liu Bei allied with Cao Cao to kill Lu Bu. If it was not for Liu Mang, he would have died.

“Alright. I admit defeat!” Liu Mang helplessly raised his hands. He did not need to think about who to send as a commander-in-chief anymore. Even if he went there personally, he would still have to listen to Lu Bu.

Liu Mang did not know that Lu Bu had been angry since he made himself hostage.

“Milord. What about our plan?” Jia Xu asked. Their plan needed someone to listen to orders but Lu Bu was in a higher position.

“Deliver the plan to him! Whether he follows the plan or not is his choice!” Liu Mang was helpless. In his opinion, wiping Liu Bei out must be done at Yuzhou. Nanyang was not important. Fighting Liu Bei at Nanyang would only benefit Liu Biao. To get to Nanyang, those from Yangzhou would need to cross Yuzhou or Jingzhou’s Yangtze River. When the land is separated like this, it becomes worthless. So Liu Mang going to war this time was only for show. The purpose is to make sure Liu Biao stopped getting in the way.

It would become a joke if Lu Bu tried to turn this into a decisive battle.

“We must tell my father-in-law about the plan!” Liu Mang said to Jia Xu and then rubbed his head in regret. If he had known earlier, he would have called for Zhang Liao and the Xiliang Cavalry instead of the Wolf Cavalry.

“Forget it. Give me a bath and clothes. I still have things to do tonight!” Liu Mang said to a servant after remembering the banquet.

*****

“Come! Your Highness, Zhang Gui may be my subordinate but can be regarded as my younger brother! This one is hapy that Your Highness had helped me recommend Zhang Gui. Let me pour you a drink!”

Cai Mao’s impression of Liu Mang had changed. Initially, he felt that Liu Mang was a reckless man for slaughtering nobles. Cai Mao knew that those nobles were Jiangdong nobles and as such, they were enemies. However, they were still nobles. On top of that, it was not just a few nobles but all of the nobles in a city. This showed that Liu Mang opposed nobles and as a noble himself, Cai Mao had sympathy for them.

Liu Mang also made a recruitment order which destroyed the system that guaranteed the noble’s continuous prosperity. If the common people could obtain official posts, then the nobles would no longer be their superiors.

In the end he had to cooperate with Liu Mang simply because of his sister and Kuai Yue. Otherwise, he would not have wanted to deal with Liu Mang at all.

When the Zhang Family lost Fancheng, Cai Mao planned to plead for them after Liu Biao’s mood improved. After all, the two families had a close relationship. He never expected Liu Mang to help the Zhang Family before he did. Liu Mang had even provided them with such a good opportunity. After all, the ones going to war were the Yangzhou Army who had never once lost to the Yuzhou Army. Victory was basically guaranteed. Besides that, even if they were to lose, it would have nothing to do with the Zhang Family as the ones in charge were the Yangzhou Army.

“Military Advisor Cai. You are too generous.” Liu Mang did not refuse and emptied the cup.

“Good! Your Highness drinks well!” Zhang Gui said loudly. Liu Mang had already drank quite an amount but he was still not yet drunk.

How could Liu Mang get drunk? In his timeline, alcoholic beverages have over forty percent alcohol content. On the other hand, these drinks were extremely diluted.

“Your Highness. I need to ask, what do you plan to do with the three Jingzhou armies?” Cai Mao asked.

“These three?” Liu Mang repeated as he drank. He was not interested in the drinks of the era but the dance music.

“Your Highness. Do you like them? If you like any of them, tell me. I will have them accompany Your Highness back.” Cai Mao said generously. He also intended to offer them to Cao Cao but in this case it was first come first served.

However, Liu Mang rejected his request in fear of his wives. It did not matter even if they were virgins. After Liu Mang refused several times, Cai Mao also stopped insisting.

“As for the three armies, what can they even do? They should just be coolies!” Liu Mang said frankly after drinking too much.

“What?” Cai Mao immediate slammed the table and stood up. Liu Mang immediately realized that he said something wrong. Even if those men were useless, he should not have said it in front of their general.

“Military Advisor Cai. This King said something wrong after drinking too much. I should drink another three cups as punishment.” Liu Mang did not want to offend Cai Mao as he still needed the Cai Family’s support. He could only apologize for his mistake.

“No, no.” Cai Mao shook his head. “Your Highness did not say anything wrong, simply the truth.”

“It was a mistake.”

“It was the truth.”

The two argued for a while. In the end, Liu Mang relented.

“That’s good. It is enough if brothers like you say this.” Cai Mao also overstepped himself in his drunken state and addressed Liu Mang as a brother.

Naturally, Liu Mang was confused. He initially though Cai Mao would get mad as he himself would not be able to endure his own troops being called useless. But in the end, he understood from the time Cai Mao insisted Liu Mang had spoken the truth. Everyone knew that the Xiangyang Guards were idlers. They were formed to help noble children. They were only skilled in brothels and not war.

When Liu Biao ordered them to war, all of their families started to worry. People die in war and Liu Biao intended for them to become Yangzhou’s cannon fodder. Cai Mao who was the Military Advisor of Jingzhou naturally understood this. He could not allow his troops to go to war. While he intended for them to take sick leave, there was a major problem. When the nobles leave, so would their servants. The army of at least nine thousand will immediately reduce to less than a thousand. How could he only field a thousand men from a total of nine thousand?

Cai Mao thought of substituting them with the Xiangyang Navy but also felt reluctant. So Cai Mao wanted Liu Mang to ignore the Xiangyang Guards. That way, they won’t be sent to war.

“Don’t worry, Military Advisor Cai. I will definitely return your Xiangyang Guards to you. However, do not blame me if they die of illness.” Liu Mang said as he patted Cai Mao’s shoulder. With this, half of Cai Mao’s worries were gone. He never expected them to contribute much to the battle anyway. Now he was only worried that they could at least work as coolies.

“Of course! Don’t worry, Your Highness! I will make sure those brats become obedient before they set out! You can execute them if they dare go against military order!” Cai Mao replied. It was like a business transaction. Liu Mang had promised that they won’t die in battle while Cai Mao handed the authority to execute disobedient men. Cai Mao could handle the consequences if only a few of them died. After all, those who survived would gain merits.

“In that case, there are no problems!” The rest of the banquet continued peacefully.