Chapter 226 Huang's hidden illness, son takes father's place To Qin Zhen, Huang She is actually a relatively unfamiliar person. It’s not that the interactions during this period don’t count in his mind, but there are very few historical records about Huang She. He only knew that Huang She liked to write poems and inscriptions, so he became friends with Ni Heng, the biggest troll in the late Han Dynasty. In addition, Huang She had two experiences of being defeated in his military campaigns. The first time was when Liu Xun was defeated. Huang Zu ordered Huang She to lead troops to support him, but they were defeated by Sun Ce. The second time was when Huang She led thousands of people to attack Chaisang, but was defeated by Xu Sheng who had less than 200 soldiers. From these events, he could preliminarily judge that Huang She was more inclined towards literary affairs and was not good at leading troops. But after interacting with Huang She, he found that Huang She was far from as simple as he seemed. Because he knew from Cai Mao that the Huang family was a tyrant in Jingzhou, with independent military power and great say.

Compared to the Cai family who looked up to Liu Biao for their power, the Huang family had the greatest power. On this basis, Huang She did not take Liu Biao seriously, but he did not do anything beyond that. His words and actions seemed to serve as a bridge to ease the tension between Huang and Liu Biao. It was necessary to ensure his independence under Liu Biao, while also trying his best to ensure that Liu Biao would not feel resentful. All these things are definitely not something that a mediocre person can do. Therefore, in Qin Zhen's view, Huang She was not completely useless, at least he was more useful than Huang Zu. Seeing Huang She like this, he frowned and quickly winked at Pei Qian. Pei Qian saw this and smiled, then stood up and said to Gan Ning and Wei Yan: "I think the Lord is drunk. Let's let you take care of him here and have a feast another day." Although Gan Ning and Wei Yan were not people of meticulous minds, they had good eyesight. They immediately stood up, smiled, and walked out of the camp. After everyone left, Qin Zhen smiled and said to Huang She: "Brother Gongli, what do you mean by this? Forgive my ignorance, I don't know what you mean!" "Please tell me clearly, what danger is the Huang family in? What danger is Mr. Huang in?" Huang She was a little displeased when he heard him ask back: "I have a sincere relationship with you, why are you testing me with such words?" "She Buxin, with your wisdom, has not yet seen the hidden dangers of my Huang family!" Qin Zhen certainly knew where the hidden danger of the Huang family lay, but at this moment he shook his head and said: "Brother Gongli, you must know that it is not that I did not speak of this matter, but because Zhen is an outsider, it is not convenient for me to say more." "You must know that this time, I am here to ask for the help of Lord Liu, not the help of Huang."

"So even if I know Huang's hidden illness, I still don't know what you want!" "If you don't make it clear, my participation in this matter would mean me meddling in the affairs of Jingzhou. If this gets out, how will the world view our army?" Huang She felt helpless when he saw how cautious he was, and immediately explained the current situation of the Huang family. If we talk about the Huang family’s hidden disease, it can be said that independence is both their success and their failure. Perhaps in the eyes of the scholars in Jingzhou, the Huang family was based in Jiangxia and Anlu, with Huang Zu and his son Huang She in power, and could be said to be the overlord of Jingzhou. But only the Huang family members themselves know how much risk is involved. After all, the Huang family is not like the Cai family and the Kuai family. The Cai family has Liu Biao's support, and as long as Liu Biao does not fall, they will firmly establish themselves as the number one aristocratic family in Jingzhou. Even if Liu Biao fell, the Cai family would not be too far behind given their many years of foundation. Compared with the Cai family, although the Kuai family is weaker, with the two brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue around, they will basically not fall! Only the Huang family, who seemed to hold the military power and dominate the area, was unable to please anyone. Internally, Liu Biao has always been wary and intends to weaken Huang's military power. Externally, powerful enemies are rising around him, including Zhang Xian in the south and Sun Ce in the east. It can be said that in times of peace, the Huang family is not in danger of destruction, but in this situation, if they are defeated, the family may be destroyed. No one would want to have a force independent of themselves under their command! After briefly explaining the situation, Huang She poured Qin Zhen another glass of wine and said: "Sir, you also know that the Huang family's roots are all in Jiangxia. In the past, I thought that with the Jiangxia troops, even if they were unable to attack, they could still defend themselves!" "But today's battle has made She realize that with a strong army ahead, my father can no longer stand alone!" "Now that the envoy has ordered me, Huang, to assist your army, this is what we should do, and I should not blame you too much." "But Zhou Yu is an excellent commander of the army. If our army is defeated again, you will definitely blame him. If you blame me for this, our Huang family will not be able to maintain its current status." "Sir, you know that my father is already old. How can he be a match for Zhou Yu?" "Father knows this and will definitely not accept this defeat. He wants to fight Zhou Yu again. Unfortunately, father won't listen to me. It's really hard to persuade him!" "I know that you are a man of great talent, and Liu Yuzhou is a man of great virtue and ambition. He will never treat us like this!" "I hope you can give me some advice, sir. How can I solve this situation and save my father?" Listening to Huang She's words, Qin Zhen couldn't help but nodded secretly. The fact that Huang She could figure out this problem at least showed that he was smart. While thinking, he poured Huang She a glass of wine and said: "After all, what Brother Gongli is looking for is nothing more than a plan to defeat the enemy's navy!" "This is also what our army is seeking now. Our two families are now on the same ship. If we work together, we will both benefit. If we separate, we will both suffer!" "Even if Brother Gongli doesn't ask, I will do my best to help Mr. Huang succeed!" But as soon as the glass of wine was poured, Huang She drank it all in one gulp and said: "Sir, please don't think that Shechun is ignorant of things. I have always heard that you are clear about public and private matters. Although you are communicating with me now, you are still calculating!" "Although Sun Ce is a serious threat now, after your army moves south, it may not be without the intention of entering Jingzhou!" "From this perspective, the more casualties the Jingzhou navy suffers, the more advantageous it will be for your army!" "Sir, you may be saying nice things now, but you may not be trying to get our army to fight with the Jiangdong navy so that you can profit from it!"

As he said this, his face was flushed and his eyes were unfocused, and he was obviously a little drunk. Qin Zhen's face turned red when he heard this. You know what, he really meant it! Because to them, the Jingzhou army was a friendly force, but also a future enemy. Therefore, the heavy losses suffered by the Jingzhou navy may not necessarily be a bad thing for them. In fact, he also wanted to weaken the military strength under Huang Zu in preparation for the future march. Having his thoughts exposed was a bit embarrassing after all, but luckily he was thick-skinned enough and said immediately: "Hey, what do you mean by that, Brother Gongli? Our army is marching together with yours, how could we have the intention of harming our friendly army?" "If you really have this intention, why should I bother to persuade you to let Mr. Huang divide his troops today?" "In fact, this was all caused by our army. We couldn't bear to see so many casualties in your army. Why are you so worried?" Huang She thought what he said made sense and shook his head again. "That's true. If it was someone else, I don't know, but Mr. Zhi would not design a plan to harm our army!" "But in the current situation, I hope you can tell me frankly, what is the solution to the current problem?" Qin Zhen thought for a while after hearing this, then smiled and said: "It's not that there is no way, I'm just afraid Brother Gongli won't do it!" Huang She saw that he really had a solution, so he immediately bowed down and said: "I hope you can teach me how to shoot?" "It's easy to say, but it goes against human ethics!" Qin Zhen said this, and then he put the cup on the table and said with a smile: "I think the Huang family's current predicament is actually all due to Mr. Huang. He doesn't want the Huang family to be stripped of power, so he is forcing himself to hold on!" "But now your army has just suffered a defeat and their morale has been lost. If this continues, trouble will surely ensue." "Since Mr. Huang is not listening to my advice, why don't you, Brother Gongli, personally submit a petition to Liu Mu, explain the current situation, and ask Liu Mu for reinforcements?" "As long as we do this, not only will the Huang family not have to hold out here, but after we get reinforcements, we will also have a better chance of winning!" When Huang She heard this, he squinted his eyes and looked at Qin Zhen in disbelief and said: "Sir, let She bypass my father and ask Liu Mu for help directly?" "No, no, this is absolutely not allowed. If my father knew about this, he would definitely punish me!" He shook his head towards the rattle for a moment, no longer having the firm look he had just shown. But Qin Zhen saw this and continued to persuade him: "Brother Gongli is probably drunk and has not heard Mingzhen's meaning. I did not ask Brother Gongli to contradict your father." "Instead, let Brother Gongli write this matter privately in a letter and inform Liu Mu to send reinforcements!" "First, Mr. Huang has just been defeated. In order to avoid guilt, he must embellish himself and ignore this defeat!" "But this is like drinking poison to quench thirst. Zhou Yu is not someone who will be easily dealt with. The more Huang Gong does this, the easier it will be for him to be defeated." "So we must ask for a reinforcement army, preferably a wise man, to stop the defeat in this battle." "Secondly, I see that the Huang family's difficulties are all due to the fact that the brothers, father and son are unwilling to obey Liu Biao's orders."

"Jingzhou has eight counties in total, and the Huang family occupies two of them. How can Liu Biao feel at ease?" "Brother Gongli is sending a secret letter now. When Liu Mu sees it, he will surely be very happy and we must try to win him over." "In order to prevent your father from being afraid, Liu Mu will not publicize it. Your father himself does not know about it." "In this case, Brother Gongli will contact Liu Mu himself. Even if your father loses power in the future, the Huang family can still rely on you to gain status." "And we can rely on Liu Mu's help to share the blame for this defeat. This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone. Don't you agree?" To be honest, his strategy was a bit dishonest. It was to secretly encourage Huang She to disobey Huang Zu in order to replace Huang Zu's position. This kind of behavior is obviously unfilial in this era when children hide their parents' secrets. But in a sense, this is the best option right now. Because Huang Zu was no match for Zhou Yu, and without Gan Ning, he might not even be able to hold on. In order to stabilize the situation of the navy, it is necessary to replace Cai Mao, Liu Pan and others as commanders. These two men are certainly no match for Zhou Yu, but as long as they hold on, Zhou Yu’s military force will be unable to defeat them! Similarly, Huang Zu is too reckless and a bit stubborn! It would be of no benefit to them to have such a person in charge of Jiangxia. Compared with Huang Zu, Huang She is obviously more controllable. Pushing Huang She to the forefront is in their future interests. Combining the two, he began to think about helping Huang She. As he spoke, he saw that Huang She was still hesitant, so he continued to tempt him: "Brother Gongli, please don't think this is unfilial. You must know that Jiangxia is an important town in Jingzhou, and Liu Mu will never give up this place." "If the Huang family wants to stay here for a long time, they can't be so independent and must show goodwill to Liu Mu." "Mr. Huang is already old, and his thoughts are inevitably stubborn. Since Brother Gongli is able to consider this, how can he not think of a solution?" "Furthermore, Brother Gongli's move was also out of consideration for Huang An's safety. Brother Zhan can also see today that the war situation is dangerous and is definitely not ordinary." "Mr. Huang has reached the age of retirement. How can you bear to watch him fight here?" "Although this action is against human ethics, it is out of filial piety. Even if Mr. Huang knew it, how could he criticize my good intentions?" "I hope you will think carefully and not let a moment of hesitation bring disaster upon you!" Huang She was already drunk at this time, and alcohol makes a coward bolder. If he were the same as in the past, he would have been timid and would not dare to respond after hearing these words. But after hearing what Qin Zhen said, he couldn't help but think that his father was indeed old and confused and couldn't think clearly. On one hand, there was the issue of the prosperity of the entire family, and on the other hand, there was his father's stubbornness. Just think about it and you will know which side is the right choice! Thinking of this, his blood boiled in his heart, he gritted his teeth and nodded:

"Sir, what you said makes sense. Although this matter goes against human ethics, it is a solution. It is beneficial to the family and the country, and it is also a way to show filial piety!" "She is my son. Take me back now, write this letter, and send it across the river overnight to ask Liu Mu for help!" As he said this, he forced himself to hold up his body and was about to leave, staggering. When Qin Zhen saw this, he grabbed him and said: "Why do you have to do this? This is a matter of national importance. I will do the job. There is no lack of paper and pen in the camp!" "Wait for Brother Huang and I to write it for you. After you have read it, we will send it out." "If it is Lord Huang who is questioning me, just blame it all on Chen. After all, I am an outsider, and I don't think Lord Huang will make things difficult for me!" Since he wanted to use a strategy, it was impossible for him to let Huang She bear Huang Zu's anger alone. After all, he is an envoy. Huang Zu can blame him if he wants. As long as he can complete the mission, that's enough. When Huang She heard Qin Zhen take all the responsibilities, he was moved and said: "It is my great fortune to have a friendship with you, Mr. She. I will follow your advice. If my father blames me, I will take the blame and will never embarrass you!" As he said this, he called for paper and pen, and asked Qin Zhen to write a military report, which was sent towards Xiangyang overnight. (End of this chapter)