Liu Bei handed another sword to Zhao Yun and instructed, “I have made a vow with these two men to live and die together. These two men are of strong character and would not wish to live alone. Zhao Yun, you must persuade them. A true man has not yet achieved great deeds, why should he die?”
Zhao Yun nodded repeatedly, biting his lips but unable to speak.
Liu Bei continued, “They must remember their original intentions, to give their utmost loyalty to Liu Qi to revive the Han dynasty: while the traitors are not captured, the treacherous parties are not eliminated, they should not seek death lightly. In the underworld, I will protect and assist you all in achieving great things together.”
Accepting the sword, Zhao Yun, with tears in his eyes, said, “I am willing to endure hardships like a dog or horse, with my heart and liver devoted to the cause.”
Liu Qi was deeply moved, realizing that Liu Bei truly understood his two brothers.
Just then, Yi Ji hurriedly arrived, seeing Liu Bei soaked through and through, his face blackened, and exclaimed, “Lord, how did you come to this state?”
Liu Bei, with a bitter smile, sighed, “I regret not heeding the advice of the wise man.
Yi Ji anxiously asked, “Cai Mao has returned to the city and closed all four gates, what should we do?”
Liu Bei suddenly shouted, “My worthy nephew, you must kill this man, avenge me.”
Before he could finish his words, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, breathed his last, his eyes wide open, staring angrily at the sky, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
“Uncle!” Liu Qi called out twice, seeing Liu Bei had indeed passed away, he raised his hand to close his eyelids.
“Cai Mao, you treacherous scoundrel, I swear to kill you!” Zhao Yun knelt on the ground, looking up to the sky, roaring with fury, his eyes almost bursting.
As Cai Mao returned to the city, Liu Qi worried that Liu Pan alone might not be able to handle the situation, so he quickly persuaded Zhao Yun to leave a few men to guard Liu Bei’s body and lead the troops to Xiangyang for revenge.
With a dark expression and a fierce aura, a spear in hand, Zhao Yun shouted loudly at the city gates, “Cai Mao, you treacherous scoundrel, come out and face your death.”
Cai Mao, waiting for news on the city walls, closed the gates tightly and raised the drawbridge. Seeing that Liu Bei was absent, he exchanged a smug smile with Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun, just humiliated by Zhao Yun, laughed heartily to the sky, “Zhao Yun, Liu Bei is dead, you are just a mourning dog, how long do you think you can remain arrogant?”
Infuriated, Zhao Yun spurred his horse straight towards the moat, intending to cross directly, but his mount was just an ordinary war horse and hesitated at the river’s edge, backing away.
Arrows rained down from the city walls; Zhao Yun tried to deflect them with his spear but couldn’t manage, his horse taking several hits before he fled in pain.
Zhang Yun mocked as Zhao Yun retreated in disarray, laughing heartily.
“Enough to enrage me!” Zhao Yun dismounted, appearing like a ferocious beast ready to pounce on its prey.
“General Zhao, do not worry!” Liu Qi whispered to Zhao Yun, “Our clan brother Liu Pan is currently at home visiting our father. When we left the city, I asked him to inform our father. Our father has always esteemed Uncle, and he will surely send troops to assist.”
Huang Zhong nodded in agreement, “Cai Mao has stationed troops to guard the city, but the household is unguarded. General Liu will surely succeed.”
After calming Zhao Yun, Liu Qi rode forward and shouted, “Cai Mao, you plotted against a royal relative, aiming for treason? Why not open the gates promptly?”
Cai Mao stroked his beard and chuckled, “Young Lord, you are not at home recuperating in peace. Why conspire with Liu Bei? I am acting under the orders of Lord, it is not your place to speak.”
Liu Qi furiously retorted, “You act on your own, conspiring against Uncle, daring to frame my father. This is outrageous!”
Cai Mao coldly replied, “Liu Bei first served under Lu Bu, then Cao Cao, and recently sought refuge with Yuan, all ending in failure. His character is evident. The other day, he wrote rebellious poems at the inn, indicating his treacherous intentions. If I do not eliminate this threat, it will be a future problem.”
Yi Ji stepped forward and spoke, “General Cai, our lord has treated you well, and Minister Liu is of the same lineage. Why commit such unjust deeds?”
Aware that Yi Ji had just informed on him, Cai Mao sternly shouted, you treacherous old man, always meddling in my affairs, I will make sure you meet a bad end. I will go now to seek Lord’s orders, let’s see what you all have to say then.”
Liu Qi wanted to buy time for Liu Pan and shouted, “Cai Mao, open the city gates quickly, I will accompany you.”
Cai Mao sneered, “You are in league with Liu Bei, how can you face Lord together?
Liu Qi urgently shouted, “Gentlemen, Cai Mao takes advantage of our father’s illness, acts on his own authority, oppresses us, and plots against Uncle Liu. Do you all turn a blind eye to this? Whose name does Jingzhou truly bear, Liu’s or Cai’s?”
Upon hearing this, Cai Mao’s face slightly changed. Seeing his surrounding soldiers indifferent, he said in a deep voice, “Young man, you need not deceive the crowd. I act on behalf of Lord in both word and action.”
Seeing Liu Qi frustrated, Zhang Yun sneered, “Hahaha, cousin, have you gone mad from illness? Speaking so childishly?”
Once, Liu Qi, Zhang Yun, and Liu Pan were the best of partners. Huang Zhong, resenting Zhang Yun’s betrayal, glared with killing intent, saying, “Young Master, this brat is arrogant. Let me shoot an arrow through his head.”
Seeing no movements in the city yet, Liu Qi shook his head, “Elder brother must be persuading Father with all his might. We must not startle the snake.”
In reality, Liu Qi resembled Liu Biao more. Before the Cai family’s manipulation, Liu Biao was very satisfied with his eldest son. It was only due to his advanced age and declining health, gradually sidelined by Cai Mao, and Liu Qi’s timidity and retreat that led Liu Biao into despair.
Prior to this, Liu Biao also worried about Cao Cao’s southern advance and was struggling with the issue of succession. He sought advice from Liu Bei on the matter of deposing the eldest son in favor of a younger one. However, Liu Bei vehemently opposed this and suggested gradually reducing Cai Mao’s military power.
Madam Cai, hidden behind a screen, overheard this conversation. This further fueled Cai Mao’s determination to eliminate Liu Bei. He would not tolerate any forces supporting Liu Qi.
Liu Bei’s sigh of “Recovering from a serious illness but not regaining lost territory” also made Liu Biao realize the insufficiency of the ambitious thief. With internal and external troubles, Liu Biao must have been feeling extremely anxious.
Sending Liu Pan to persuade showed Liu Qi’s aspirations and determination, which should be able to move Liu Biao.
But just a few words are not enough. To change Liu Biao’s and the neutral parties’ views, actions must be taken to demonstrate a strong stance.
With Yi Ji by his side, Liu Qi pointed at the city walls and shouted, “Cai Mao, you treacherous scoundrel, plotting for power and taking lives. I stand in opposition to you!”
Cai Mao was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily, “Young Lord, inside and out, top to bottom, all belong to me. What do you have to compete with me?”
As the words fell, suddenly the sound of troops could be heard from within the city. A man rode up to the city gate, sternly shouting, “Cai Mao, traitor, surrender now!”
Cai Mao was greatly alarmed. When he turned to look, he saw Liu Pan arriving with Generals Wen Pin and Wang Wei, and he said in a deep voice, “You all are audacious, daring to defy my orders?”
Liu Pan produced a golden token and shouted, “The current Lord’s decree is here. Immediately capture the traitor Cai Mao and open the gates to welcome the Young Master.”
The soldiers on the city walls were immediately in commotion. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun’s faces changed drastically. They never expected Liu Pan to have obtained a golden token from Liu Biao.
Zhang Yun hurried forward and exclaimed, “General Wen, do not be deceived by him. The golden token must have been stolen by Liu Pan. I am the Lord’s nephew by blood, and the Lord trusts me the most.”
“Nephew by blood?” Liu Pan coldly smiled, “I am the actual nephew. Outside the city, there is the Young Master. Who is the most trustworthy?”
Zhang Yun’s face turned pale. Cai Mao had already secretly instructed men to mobilize troops at the other three gates. Drawing his sword, he shouted fiercely, “I am a great general of Jingzhou. Who dares to defy my orders?”
Liu Qi, seeing the opportune moment, immediately instructed Huang Zhong, “Shoot him down!”
“I will shoot alongside you!” Zhao Yun also unslung his bow and arrows.
Zhao Yun’s archery skills were not inferior to Huang Zhong’s by much. The two sharpshooters simultaneously bent their bows, set their arrows, and shot like shooting stars towards the city walls.
The defending soldiers were greatly startled, dodging and yelling. Cai Mao, who was facing away from the outside of the city at that moment, couldn’t react in time. A renowned soldier rushed forward and tackled him to the ground.
Seeing the chaos on the city walls, Wen Pin seized the opportunity and shouted, “Cai Mao, Zhang Yun have committed treason against their lord, plotting to kill Uncle Liu. The Young Master is outside the city. Follow me to open the gates and welcome him.”
Leading the charge, he headed straight for the city gate, loudly ordering the defending soldiers to step aside. Those who tried to stop him were knocked down by his blade as he advanced to open the gate.
“Attack!” Liu Pan, observing the situation, raised his sword and shouted, “Capture Cai Mao, Zhang Yun.”
While the defenders on the city walls hesitated, Liu Pan and Wang Wei had already led troops to climb up the city walls from both sides of the gate, forcing them to retreat one after another.
Cai Mao, in a sorry state, managed to get up. Sounds of fighting could be heard from below the city walls. Upon hearing the sound of the gates being opened, he sprinted towards the north gate to escape.
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