Chapter 229: Liu Biao seizes power, father and son split The letter from Cai Mao to Liu Biao was the secret letter that Qin Zhen instructed Huang She to present. Because Huang She's letter was not an official military report but a private report, it could not be shown to anyone. Therefore, when sending the letter, Qin Zhen immediately signaled Huang She to send the secret letter directly to Cai Mao. Firstly, Cai Mao has been won over by him and is considered half his own person; secondly, Cai Mao’s identity is important enough! Sending the secret letter to Cai Mao can ensure that he achieves his goal this time. As soon as Cai Mao received the letter, he secretly thought that Qin Zhen was really a guy who couldn't sit still. He thought, if you want to attack Jiangdong, then attack Jiangdong first, why bother to interfere in the political situation in Jingzhou. Moreover, to make changes to the political situation in Jingzhou, he, a person with a special identity, has to do it. Isn't this embarrassing? But after all, Qin Zhen was related to him by the Cai family, so he couldn't help him. So when Liu Biao summoned him, he brought the secret letter with him. When Liu Biao saw what was written in the secret letter, he became furious.

Because there was not much written in the secret letter, it just clearly stated that the Jiangxia navy was almost wiped out in the battle of Xiakou. Fortunately, Qin Zhen reminded and arranged a reinforcement force, which changed the final outcome of the battle. Naturally, there was no mention of Gan Ning, only Qin Zhen's suggestions and the actual situation of the battle were recorded. But even so, it was enough to make Liu Biao angry. It should be noted that Xiakou is the gateway to Jiangling. Once Xiakou is defeated, the Jiangdong troops will be able to advance into the heart of Jingzhou. Huang Zu’s defeat was not a big problem; the key was Huang Zu’s concealment. Even though he clearly couldn't beat the other person, he still forced himself to send him a letter telling him not to worry! What is this for? It is obvious that they are doing it for the benefit of the Huang family, regardless of the overall situation of Jingzhou. Liu Biao could tolerate his generals having sufficient autonomy, but he could not tolerate the situation getting out of his control! Therefore, the moment he saw the letter, he slammed the table, threw the letter on the table, and said in a deep voice: "Where did this book come from, and why is it in your hands?" While he was angry, he was also a little confused. It was clearly Huang She's secret letter, so why was it taken out by Cai Mao? Cai Mao was prepared when he heard this, and he immediately said in a deep voice: "This letter was sent by Huang She, but I infer that it was from Qin Zhen!" "Because when I was seeing Qin Zhen off earlier, I saw on the road that Qin Zhen and this person were close friends." "Now that Liu Bei is determined to march south, Qin Zhen, seeing that the war is going badly, will naturally seek help." "But he is an outsider, so it is inconvenient for him to say more. Therefore, I persuaded Huang She to send a secret letter here!" "My lord, you also know that Huang She has never dared to disobey his father, and he dared not let this person see the letter." "Besides, Huang Chengyan is a member of the Huang clan and is related to my Cai clan. He sent this letter to me and asked me to give it to my lord privately." "Originally, I am not in a position to say more about this matter, but I know that the Lord has always been dissatisfied with Huang Zu!"

"Now that Huang She is like this, perhaps this is the opportunity for us to take back Jiangxia's military power!" He said this with the public interest in mind, and Liu Biao had no problem with it. But when he heard Cai Mao's intention to take back Jiangxia's military power, he became interested and said: "What do you mean by that, Degui? Please explain it in detail!" Seeing that Liu Biao did not delve further, Cai Mao continued to analyze: "Because right now our troops in Jingzhou are scattered all over the place, our army is already stretched to the limit to fight against the enemies in the north and south with only four counties." "Therefore, we should take back the military power of various places and put down the war between the north and the south as soon as possible." "And this Jiangxia area has always been occupied by the Huang family. It is deeply rooted and difficult to shake!" "In the past, Huang's father and son rarely interacted with the lord. Since they were of one mind, it was difficult for the lord to take back the military power." "But now Huang She is acting this way, obviously he is dissatisfied with Huang Zu's arbitrary power, so he wants to surrender to the lord to save the clan." "This person is willing to send a secret letter here, which means he intends to bring the Huang family into the lord's army!" "Maybe we can help. Appoint Huang She as the commander this time and send troops to assist them under the pretext of reinforcement." "Once we win this battle, you can hold Huang Zu accountable for his failure in battle and make Huang She take over the position of governor of Jiangxia." "By replacing the father with the son, we can protect the Huang clan from rebellion;" "Secondly, Huang She is a submissive man who is not good at military affairs, so we can take his power away from him." "I will find an opportunity to transfer Huang She away someday, and then I can completely take back the power of Jiangxia!" When Liu Biao heard this, he stroked his beard and pondered the pros and cons. Things are just as Cai Mao said, Huang Zu is now gradually getting out of his control. Although the Huang family would not easily surrender to others, it was obviously not safer for Huang Zu to guard Jiangxia without letting his own confidants do so! If a direct and forceful transfer is made, it may force Huang Zu to rebel. But if Huang She is used to replace Huang Zu, even if Huang Zu is dissatisfied, he should not have too many objections. After thinking about it for a while, he nodded and asked: "You can talk like this, but Zhou Yu is quite knowledgeable about military affairs, and Huang She is not familiar with military affairs, how can he be their opponent?" He had no objection to replacing Huang Zu, but if he changed the general in the middle of a battle, and replaced him with Huang She who had no knowledge of military affairs, how could he guarantee the effectiveness of the war? But Cai Mao was prepared for this, and said: "My lord, there is no need to worry about what you said. Although Zhou Yu knows about military affairs, Qin Zhen also knows about military affairs!" "Huang Zu was defeated because he did not listen to Qin Zhen's advice." "If Huang She is the general, as long as Qin Zhen is by his side to assist him, even if he cannot win, he will not lose either!" "Compared to this, if Huang Zu is allowed to act on his own, it will only lead to disaster!" When Liu Biao heard this, he also reacted. It was indeed true. Qin Zhen was still there. How could he have forgotten about this! But after he came to his senses, he felt blocked in his heart again, thinking that no matter how good Qin Zhen was, he was still an outsider after all!

He has such a big province as Jingzhou, he wouldn't need to borrow other people's generals to defeat the Jiangdong navy, right? After thinking about it for a while, he made a decision: "In that case, we will follow Degui's plan, but Qin Zhen is an outsider general after all, so he can't be used for important tasks!" "Deguiru will personally lead 3,000 soldiers to the south to reinforce Jiangxia!" "Pass on my order. Huang She will be the commander-in-chief of Jiangxia's navy, and you will be the deputy commander-in-chief. You will be responsible for commanding this naval battle. You must not let Zhou Yu invade Jingzhou again!" "As for Huang Zu, I will personally question him about the cause of this battle and urge him to hand over his military power!" Seeing that Liu Biao had finally made up his mind, Cai Mao naturally followed orders. After Liu Biao had written the official documents, he led three thousand navy troops out of Xiangyang and headed towards Xiakou. At this time, Huang Zu in the south had already found out the exact location of Zhou Yu's water stronghold. After knowing that Zhou Yu had set up a water fort on the south side of Pengli Lake, he led his navy to E County and set up camp to guard against Zhou Yu's attack. In order to prevent Zhou Yu from advancing alone like last time, he directly ordered two Mengchong ships to guard the river mouth. He used palm cables to tie the big stone piers to secure the warships, and stationed thousands of soldiers on them day and night, with bows and crossbows interlaced to block the river. Unexpectedly, just as he had arranged everything, a troop of soldiers came on the Han River, saying that they were reinforcements sent by Liu Biao. Huang Zu was naturally furious when he heard the news. When he saw Cai Mao who delivered the message, he said in a deep voice: "Military advisor, what is your purpose in coming here? I am stationed in Jiangxia, and it is difficult for the Jiangdong navy to invade." "Besides, I have not asked you for help, so why did you send your military advisor?" Seeing him like this, Cai Mao smiled slightly, took out the military order from his sleeve and said: "It is because the envoy heard that the governor was not doing well in the battle and was afraid that Jiangxia would be lost, so he ordered me to come to reinforce!" "In addition, the envoy saw the military report from the governor, and was very pleased with the victory of the battle." "I am afraid that you are too old to be a match for the enemy, so I appoint Gongli as the commander in chief for this battle. I hope you will obey my orders and not make things difficult for me!" Having said this, he handed Liu Biao's letter to Huang Zu. The meaning is not complicated. It means that he was very shocked when he heard that Zhou Yu was marching into Jiangxia. At the same time, he questioned Huang Zu on how he defended Jiangxia. Didn't he set up defenses on the edge of Jingzhou? After telling this story, it means that you are old. Since Huang She is so capable, you should step down and let others take over! Huang Zu previously attributed Gan Ning's achievements to Huang She, hoping that this would be a good thing for him! He did not expect that Liu Biao would dismiss him from his position as commander-in-chief because of this battle report, and he immediately shouted angrily: "Why do you act like this, sir? Don't you know that changing generals before a battle is a taboo in military strategy?" "She'er is still young and inexperienced, how can he lead an army?" Although Huang Zu was a military man, he was well versed in Liu Biao's tactics. It is false to talk about replacing generals now. I am afraid that seizing power is the real thing. As long as Huang Zu is around, Liu Biao will never be able to seize the military power of Jiangxia. But if Huang She takes over, I'm afraid that after this battle, the Jiangxia navy will be named Cai! Therefore, he would not agree to such an appointment no matter what.

But Cai Mao was not Huang She. Seeing that Huang Zu did not respond, he sneered: "This is the order of the envoy. If you have any objection, you can go to Xiangyang to discuss it with the envoy." "I am just a messenger, why do you have to embarrass me?" "But I don't know where Huang Gongli is now. The envoy has ordered him to serve as the admiral of the navy, but the governor should resign from this position!" Huang Zu felt suffocated when he heard this, and said in a muffled voice: "It is unheard of to have a son replace his father. Sheer has always been respectful and obedient, so he would never dare to do this!" Now that Liu Biao had acted in this way, he had no choice but to place his hopes on Huang She and sent someone to call Huang She! On the other hand, after Huang She and Qin Zhen had a drink that day, they felt a little regretful when they woke up the next day. After all, he was a filial son and dared not disobey Huang Zu. But the problem was not with Qin Zhen. He was the one who took the initiative to ask others for a solution. So even if he regretted it, he couldn't blame Qin Zhen. Unexpectedly, just a few days later, he received an appointment from Xiangyang, asking him to replace Huang Zu as the chief general. When he heard Huang Zu calling him forward, he was terrified and hurried to Qin Zhen, crying: "Sir, you have caused me so much pain. That day, I only asked you to save my father. I never thought of taking his place." "Now the envoy has received a secret letter and appointed me as the admiral of the navy. Now my father wants me to go. What should I do?" But Huang She had no idea that Qin Zhen was the mastermind behind this incident. When he heard that Liu Biao had changed his generals, he was so happy! Seeing him crying like this, he immediately grabbed Huang She's hand and comforted him: "Brother Gongli, there is no need to be so timid. I think this is not a bad thing!" "You must know that the Huang family has become a thorn in Liu Mu's eyes and a thorn in his flesh. He can't wait to get rid of them." "With your father's behavior, Huang will be killed sooner or later." "Now Liu Mu wants to change his generals. Although it is not good for me, it is good for the Huang family!" "As long as you speak in a nice way, Mr. Huang will not be surprised, and will be pleased that you have grown so much." "If not, do you have to rely on your father's protection forever?" "A real man born in this world should make achievements and establish a career as his priority, and should not act like a little girl." "Since the Lord has given the order, we should obey it and act accordingly. Putting public interests first and private interests second is the correct way!" "If you still don't dare, I will go with you!" As he said that, he pulled Huang She and walked towards Cai Mao and others. Huang She was originally forced into a task, but after hearing what Qin Zhen said, he knew that he could no longer remain muddle-headed, so he gritted his teeth and accepted the military order from Cai Mao. Huang Zu was originally full of confidence, but when he saw Qin Zhen and Huang She coming hand in hand, he felt a chill in his heart. He had been in a high position for many years, so how could he not know that he was most likely being plotted against by Qin Zhen? He immediately shouted angrily: "Qin Zhen, how could you use She'er to plot against me?" Qin Zhen saw that he had reacted, and then he said calmly: "I came to Jingzhou only for official business, never for personal reasons." "The previous battle was almost lost because of Mr. Huang's arbitrary decision!" "Brother Gongli is not in a position to speak out about this matter, but I cannot ignore it. Mr. Huang is already old and unable to defend Jiangxia any longer." "Rather than die and destroy my family, it is better to abdicate and let others do the right thing. This is Mr. Huang's plan. How can you call it a plot?"

If it comes to verbal disputes, ten Huang Zus cannot beat Qin Zhen. Facing Qin Zhen's words, he simply pointed the finger at Huang She and said: "Rebellious son, how dare you join forces with outsiders to plot against your father?" Huang She felt a pang in his heart when he heard this, his eyes turned red as he said: "Your parents only think that your child is unfilial, but they don't know that your child is truly filial." "I have seen his performance in the previous battle. Father is no match for Zhou Yu." "I have seen my father defeated in this battle. I am willing to die here in his place!" After saying this, he fell to his knees with a thud. When Huang Zu saw this, Ren Jiu kept cursing. Fortunately, Su Fei and others stopped him and brought him back to the tent. At this point, the land of Jiangxia was officially under the hands of Liu Biao. But in a sense, it also opened the way for Liu Bei to take control of Jingzhou in the future. Therefore, the moment Cai Mao saw Qin Zhen, he stroked his beard and smiled: "My dear brother, you are really decisive and swift in your actions. I admire you very much!" His admiration came from the bottom of his heart, but one must know that Qin Zhen was just an envoy. However, this mission to Jingzhou drastically changed the situation in Jingzhou. Not only did he win over a group of nobles, he also took away Huang Zu's military power. All his actions seemed to be helping Liu Biao, but all his moves were paving the way for taking control of Jingzhou. He really couldn't help but admire such ability! When Qin Zhen heard this, he smiled and said: "When it comes to decisiveness, my brother is no worse than me!" No matter what Cai Mao thought, he actually admired Cai Mao very much. Even though he is a small-minded person, he is really efficient in doing things. Now that the Jiangxia navy has been controlled, even if Zhou Yu has extraordinary powers, he will find it difficult to stop them from moving south! The two of them smiled at each other, and naturally became more and more in sync with each other. If you didn't know, you would think they were in the same camp. (End of this chapter)