Chapter 581

Chapter 581

“Do you even know the way?” Jia Xu said to the person beside him.

“I know.” The barbarian gave a short reply.

“Then why are we still here?” Jia Xu was complaining for a reason. Ever since they had left that mountain region at Xiangyang, they had travelled deeper into the mountains without leaving. They had been there for over half a month and the only thing he saw were trees and wild animals.

“That bird. Shat.” The barbarian replied as he pointed to the birds in the sky.

Jia Xu had nothing he could say to the barbarian.

“Just speak less.” Liu Mang said helplessly. There were mountains all over the place. He thought crossing over one mountain was enough but there is always another mountain after that. Liu Mang’s appearance was also in a mess. Both he and Jia Xu’s clothes were already tattered so they had to cover themselves with leaves. They had become barbarians themselves.

Jia Xu turned silent after hearing Liu Mang’s advice but he was still complaining in his heart.

“Hu Zi. How much further?” Liu Mang asked.

“Tsk!” Jia Xu curled his lips in disdain. Liu Mang told him to speak less yet Liu Mang was the one to end up asking questions.

Actually, Liu Mang was also embarrassed to ask this question. This is because they were being saved. Without the barbarians, Liu Mang and the others would have already been ashes. However, Liu Mang was also tired. How long do they need to keep travelling? Even if they could persevere, Zhou Cang may not be able to.

After so many days, Zhou Cang’s injuries have become inflamed and Zhou Cang himself had high fever. If this were to go on, Zhou Cang really would not be able to hold on.

“Barbarian Master. After this mountain and two more, we will arrive.” Hu Zi replied.

Liu Mang felt his head ache from the way he was addressed. Hu Zi was basically calling him the husband of the barbarian princess. This basically reminded Liu Mang that he sold himself off just to preserve his life.

“How many days is that?” Liu Mang furrowed his brows and asked. He was now wondering if Hu Zi was purposefully taking the long route as there were no roads. Hu Zi said it was the safe route so Liu Mang could not say anything back.

“Three days.” Hu Zi replied. He said it was safe to not take any roads but that was a lie. After all, it was already safe after leaving Xiangyang and crossing a few mountains. They could easily do the rest just by dressing up a little.

The reason Hu Zi took this route was because he was afraid Liu Mang and the others would run away. Although Hu Zi had three other subordinates with him, he knew they were unable to defeat Liu Mang’s group. Liu Mang alone was as strong as him while Guan Hai was stronger than his subordinates. Hu Zi did not know how to explain things to the barbarian princess, Qian Yu if Liu Mang were to escape. He took the mountainous routes so that Liu Mang would get lost.

“Is it possible to move faster?” Liu Mang asked.

Seeing Liu Mang’s anxious appearance, Hu Zi understood that Zhou Cang would not last much longer without treatment. So Hu Zi thought for a moment and then replied. “Can. One day. But tiring and dangerous.” Hu Zi explained. They would need to go through the forest where there are plenty of wild animals. However, the real danger came from venomous insects and snakes. Even the barbarians who were more experienced in navigating the forest could not guarantee their own safety. They would need to advance very carefully which is something they could not do if they move in a hurry. If they were careless, they would most likely die.

“Milord. No need to worry about me. Let me go.” Zhou Cang said weakly. He may have had lost his consciousness many times throughout the journey and but he had just woken up in time to hear Hu Zi’s words. He knew the condition of his own body. On top of that, there weren’t any anti-inflammatory medicines in this era. The moment, his injuries were infected, he was already on the road to ruin. He did not want to endanger the others on his account.

“So what if it is dangerous and tiring?” Guan Hai spoke up. He had not been with Zhou Cang for a long time but they were fellow soldiers. On top of that, Zhou Cang kept calling him Brother Guan. Guan Hai could not abandon someone like this. The reason why Guan Hai wanted to kill Guan Hai and Liu Bei was not because Guan Yu almost killed him. It was because of the ways his companions were treated. Liu Bei was a schemer who was simply using him as an excuse to obtain popularity.

“Brother Guan. I know you treat me well. But I am already dying. Just abandon me. If you want to be kind, visit me every year on this day with wine and good food.” Zhou Cang said to the others. He did not want to bring harm to them and would rather die alone.

“Milord. We cannot abandon Zhou Cang! Let this Guan Hai bear the danger and exhaustion!” Guan Hai said fiercely.

“You want the bear the danger and exhaustion? How long are you planning on doing that?” Liu Mang said as he looked at Guan Hai coldly. Guan Hai was the one carrying Zhou Cang most of the time.

“Milord. Just go.” Zhou Cang laughed. The sky was already turning dark and the journey would become harder from here.

“Zhou Cang! You shut up!” Liu Mang ordered, forcing Zhou Cang to stay silent. “Guan Hai. You will go in front.”

“Milord. Are you really going to abandon Zhou Cang?”

“You also shut up! Let’s go!” Liu Mang turned around to shout at Guan Hai and then gave the order.

“Hmph!” Guan Hai was dissatisfied but he could only walk in front as he was told.

“What nonsense are you two even talking about? Zhou Cang. What was it you said before?” Liu Mang asked Zhou Cang.

“Hm?” Zhou Cang did not know what Liu Mang was talking about.

“You said before that your life belongs to me! Your life belongs to me, Liu Mang! Now you are telling me you want to die? Have you asked me for permission?” Liu Mang asked fiercely.

“Milord?” Zhou Cang was confused.

“Do you think your life belongs to you? What a joke! You are my guard! You are on my payroll and the food you eat belongs to me! Your life also belongs to me! I did not allow you to die! You don’t have the qualifications to die! Right now, you are my dog and I want this dog to live!” Liu Mang roared.

“Milord… I…” Zhou Cang did not know what to say. Liu Mang’s words sounded hurtful but Zhou Cang knew Liu Mang said it for his sake.

“Milord!” Guan Hai also knew that he misjudged Liu Mang.

“Come! Get up!” Liu Mang said to Zhou Cang.

“Huh?” Zhou Cang was stunned and did not move.

“Why are you still sitting there for? Come here!” Liu Mang shouted.

“Milord. Let me do it!” Guan Hai wanted to support Zhou Cang.

“I ordered you to walk in front! Don’t be so troublesome!” Liu Mang glared at Guan Hai. Guan Hai was also tired because he had to carry Zhou Cang the entire time. If he allowed Guan Hai to carry Zhou Cang, he would soon need to worry about two people.

“Hu Zi. Lead the way! We need to get out as soon as possible.” Liu Mang said to Hu Zi as he carried Zhou Cang.

“Yes.” Hu Zi nodded and then walked ahead.

****

The two major figures in Jingzhou, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, have slowly begun to withdrawn themselves from politics. Cai Mao was removed from his position and went back to his family. As his thirty thousand Xiangyang Navy did not return to Xiangyang, he was still in a relatively powerful position.

The Kuai Family have not been demoted but Kuai Yue himself have started speaking out less.

Now there were only three voices at court. The first was Huang She who is now the leader of Liu Biao’s guards. However, he wanted more as part of his contribution towards exposing Lady Cai for adultery ended up going to the second person, Liu Pan.

Liu Biao’s nephew, Liu Pan, was now a big deal in Xiangyang. Despite his young age, he was already the Military Advisor. His future prospects was already very good but, he too, wanted to climb higher. He was a general and his short time as a Military Advisor already taught him that the only thing that is real and reliable during these chaotic times is military power. He wanted to lead the troops to fight against Liu Mang and Sun Ce.

The third voice was Yi Ji. After giving his stratagem and saying that he was from Liu Biao’s hometown, he became Liu Biao’s trusted aide. Besides that, he was the only strategist Liu Biao could rely on after removing the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. He relied on people like Yi Ji especially since Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue now adopted a cold attitude while pretending to not know anything.

“Milord. Sun Ce has agreed to our request. Our army is now heading for Lujiang!” Wen Pin’s subordinate gave the report.

“Oh. My army of seventy thousand have begun to move?” Liu Biao seemed pleased. His army of seventy thousand alongside Sun Ce’s troops would definitely be able to route Yangzhou’s navy. It would be best if they could advance together and capture Lujiang, preventing Jingzhou from being attacked in the future.

“Only thirty thousand of our army moved.”

“Only thirty thousand? Isn’t there seventy thousand men in Jiangxia?” Liu Biao furrowed his brows. Although they had loss some troops to Jiangdong, the numbers did not decrease by much. By right, they should still have about seventy thousand men in Jiangxia. Could it be that Wen Pin was underestimating the enemy?

“General Wen Pin say that Jiangxia’s troops were left behind.” The messenger replied.

“Jiangxia’s troops!” Liu Biao turned silent. As he was not an idiot, he fully understood the reasons for this. Since the condition Liu Biao had given was for Jiangxia to be handed over to Jiangdong, it would already be a miracle that these soldiers from Jiangxia did not rebel. Hoping for them to fight alongside Jiangdong was definitely too much to ask.

“Milord. Based on what I know, the Yangzhou Navy only has ten thousand troops. General Wen Pin has thirty thousand and if the Jiangdong Army helps, it would be enough to defeat Yangzhou.” Yi Ji comforted Liu Biao.

Just as Liu Biao nodded to this, another messenger quickly arrived. “Report! Our army of thirty thousand have clashed with the Yangzhou Navy at Lujiang!”

The people were shocked. Already? They had only just received the report that Wen Pin had set out and now they had already received report of the battle. Everyone at Jingzhou was interested in this news as it would show Jingzhou’s future prospects. If Yangzhou’s navy was defeated, Liu Mang would not be able to do anything even if he returns. On the other hand, Jingzhou would be able to attack Yangzhou. They did not entertain the possibility of losing at all.

“How did the battle go?” Liu Biao asked.

“Our army losses are six thousand killed, one thousand three hundred injured, and we lost twenty four ships!” The messenger cautiously replied.

“So many?” Liu Biao was astounded. However, Liu Biao was happy instead of angry. This is because the Yangzhou Navy has ten thousand men. Last time, they sank thirty thousand of the JIangdong Navy with only seven thousand men. That was why he could tolerate suffering heavy casualties.

“We will yield Jiangxia. However, remind Wen Pin not to let go of Chibi and Shiyang!” Liu Biao said to the messenger.

“Milord!” The messenger felt like crying.

“What’s wrong? Why have you not gone?” Liu Biao asked.

“Milord. This subordinate does not know how to write down your instructions.” The messenger replied awkwardly.

“What do you mean? Just write it down normally.”

“But Milord. The Yangzhou Navy is not yet wiped out. Are we still giving away Jiangxia?” The messenger asked.

“What?” Liu Biao’s eyes grew wide. “The Yangzhou Navy was not wiped out? Is it the remnants of their army?” Liu Biao asked. If this was the case, there was no problems. He could let Jiangdong deal with this mess.

“No Milord. It is the enemy’s main force!”

“Main force? How could it be? Did they manage to avoid battle? Did Wen Pin attack a stronghold? ” Liu Biao felt that something was wrong.

“No Milord. Our army encountered the Yangzhou Navy at Yangtze River.

“Encountered?” Liu Biao asked precisely because he understood about naval warfare. He understood that the messenger meant that both sides had brought out their navy to fight at Yangtze River. Wen Pin had thirty thousand men while Yangzhou had ten thousand men. Despite the advantage, the enemy had escaped while he lost twenty four ships.

“How much did the enemy lose?” Liu Biao asked. If the enemy’s main force had escaped, it would mean that they only lost a few ships at most.

“I…”

“Speak!”

“The enemy… did not lose a single ship!”

Liu Biao immediately slammed the table. “What did you say?”

The messenger then stammered and he gave Liu Biao the full details of Wen Pin’s defeat.

“Wen Pin!” Liu Biao wanted to curse but he did not know how to. After all, Wen Pin was one of his trusted aides. He was placed at Jiangxia precisely because Liu Biao trusted him. Yet this was the performance Wen Pin gave him.

“Father! Wen Pin may have been defeated but we still have our main army! We still have the chance to find an opportunity! I wish to go and help! Please allow this child to go to Jiangxia! I will definitely take the head of the Yangzhou Navy’s commander!” Liu Pan immediately jumped for the chance to seize power. Before this, he failed because Liu Biao trusted Wen Pin and Wen Pin had a good track record. However, this time Wen Pin had been defeated despite having the advantage.

“Milord. General Wen Pin’s single defeat is not a big issue. Lord Liu Pan’s job as Military Advisor is more important. It is better for him to stay in Xiangyang to plan for the overall situation.” Huang She tried to obstruct Liu Pan from getting more military power.

“Father! Right now, Yangzhou does not have the initiative! If we wait for them to seize the initiative, it would be difficult to deal with them!” Liu Pan glared at Huang She and then said to Liu Biao.

“Milord. If you remove General Wen Pin just because of a single defeat, the soldiers at the front lines will be disillusioned!” Huang She was now smarter. After suffering many defeats under Liu Mang’s hands, he learned a few tricks to be used on Liu Pan.

“Huang She! What do you mean by this? I am not going to Jiangxia to punish General Wen Pin! I am going there to help him!” Liu Pan shouted at Huang She angrily.

“Help? Then who will be in command? You or General Wen Pin?” Huang She sneered.

“Of course it is…” Liu Pan wanted to reply when he suddenly realized the predicament he was in. If he said that he would be in command then how was this helping Wen Pin. On the other hand, if he said that Wen Pin is in command then what of his position as Military Advisor? It would be absurd for the Military Advisor to be moving as a General’s assistant.

“Enough!” Liu Biao shouted.

Seeing Liu Biao’s anger, Yi Ji stepped forward. “Milord. May I ask this colleague a question?”

“Go ahead.” Liu Biao replied as he waved his hand.

“Sir. What about the Jiangdong Army? Did they help us? How many losses did they suffer?” Yi Ji asked the messenger.

“The Jiangdong Army did not dispatch. They merely let us pass through.” The messenger replied.

“They only let us pass?”

“I heard Yangzhou have a new warship?” Yi Ji continued to ask.

“Yes.” The messenger replied.

“What does the warship look like?”

“It’s appearance wasn’t great. It is not as tall as our towered ships and look more like a mengchong. However, it could ram into our ships which caused a lot of damage. It could also carry several dozen ballista per ship. Our warships are no match for it!”

The messenger’s words made the hall go silent. They did not care much for its outer appearance but the thought that a single ship could carry several dozen ballista was frightening. After all, their own ships could only carry five per ship. One of Liu Mang’s ship was worth at least several of theirs.

Yi Ji nodded with satisfaction and turned back to Liu Biao. “Milord. If this is the case, then General Wen Pin have gained merits even if he was defeated.”

“What a joke! He earned merits for losing? This is the first time I hear of such a farce!” Liu Pan sneered.

“Just because you have not heard of it does not mean that there is no precedent. Maybe Wen Pin is enticing the enemy to lower their guards and attack!” Huang She interrupted.

“By throwing away eight thousand elites and over twenty ships? If that is the case, then I will have nothing to say. It is truly an insightful moment!” Liu Pan replied sarcastically.

Yi Ji ignored the two and spoke. “Does everyone remember the Jiangdong Navy’s defeat against Gan Ning?”

Yi Ji’s words reminded the others of Jiangdong’s humiliation. They had thirty thousand elites but lost them all to a navy of seven thousand.

“A defeat is still a defeat!” Liu Pan insisted.

“Does everyone know why Jiangdong lost?” Yi Ji asked. “This is because the Yangzhou Navy used their technology to change the way naval battles were fought. We even spent a lot of money just to buy the ballista!

“Thirty thousand of Jiangdong’s elites! What if you were to compare them with thirty thousand of Jingzhou’s elites?” Yi Ji continued to ask. The others present refused to reply but they knew that Jingzhou’s elite troops were no match for Jiangdong’s elite troops. The reason for this is that Jiangdong is poor and so, their troops were fiercer.

“On top of that, their general is Jiang Qin!” Yi Ji added. Jiang Qin was one of Jiangdong’s famed generals.

“Now, Wen Pin’s brought thirty thousand men to fight against Yangzhou’s ten thousand. Yet, he only lost several thousand men. Doesn’t this show his skill?” The other officers all nodded at Yi Ji’s words.

People were the kind of existence that feels fortunate from someone else’ misfortune. If one person were to fall from a great height and broke his bones, his mood can be improved by telling him that another person fell from the same height and died immediately.

These were the kind of thoughts going through their heads at that moment. As the Jiangdong Army were completely routed, the Jingzhou Army considered it an achievement that they got off with only several thousand casualties especially since Yangzhou brought out a new type of warship.

“Which part of that is meritorious?” Liu Pan was unwilling to give up.

“Of course there is! Milord. If we did not attack Lujiang here, would we have found out about the Yangzhou Navy’s strength? Would we have found out about their new warship?” Yi Ji asked.

“We would not.” Liu Biao said as he shook his head. Without anyone seeing the new warship, they would simply ridicule its appearance just like Wen Pin had.

“Now that we know about the new warship, we have to tell warn everyone about it!” Yi Ji added.

“Milord! Jiangdong is still around. I do not believe that they would not send spies to watch our battle against Yangzhou. So I believe they would know the might of the Yangzhou Navy. If Yangzhou was our neighbor, we would be afraid. However, this fear is now given to Jiangdong. They would definitely be more afraid than us!”

The reason Jiangdong would be more afraid was because of their finite resources. Although Jingzhou had more resources, Jiangdong held the initiative. Capturing Jingzhou was just a matter of time. On the other hand, Yangzhou had the upper hand over Jiangdong because of their technology. Jiangdong had relaxed a little after obtaining the ballista but this time, Wen Pin had proven that just obtaining the ballista was not enough to overpower Yangzhou’s comparatively smaller navy.

After this incident, Jiangdong would no longer be able to ignore Yangzhou. They could not allow Yangzhou to become any stronger while they waste their resources fighting against Jingzhou. It would was bad for Jingzhou since Jiangdong was blocking the way. However, Jiangdong was right beside Yangzhou.

“Are you saying…”

“Milord. Now, Jiangdong would be more desperate than us in trying to defeat Yangzhou!”

Yi Ji’s explanation made Liu Biao feel happy.

“Milord this is why I saw General Wen Pin is meritorious. Looks like we will have to give away Jiangxia.” Yi Ji smiled towards Liu Biao. 

Liu Biao also laughed. “You are right! Wen Pin made no mistakes and have contributed!”