In Jingzhou, the lights were brightly lit in Cai Mao's mansion. Although it was already dark, Cai Mao was still dressed in military uniform, with his sword still attached to his body, gathering his confidants to discuss a plan to defend Cao Cao. Cai Mao¡¯s naval forces were all deployed in Wulin Port, not far from Xiangyang. With Wulin Port as the center, it was connected to Jiangxia in the east, Jiangling in the south, and Xinye in the north, forming Xiangyang¡¯s Yangtze River defense system. As long as Cai Mao's naval defense line is not broken, Cao Cao can only pass through Fancheng, build a pontoon bridge, and attack Jingzhou City from land. "Grand Governor, it's already night, let's come and see the sand table after dinner." Zhang Yun admonished Cai Mao on the side. Cai Hao had already passed the dinner time. If he continued like this, his stomach might not be able to bear it. "It doesn't matter, General Zhang. Let's look at the map again and study it. If there are any omissions, you can add them." Cai Hao waved his hand, indicating to Zhang Yun that he could still hold on. Now the battle situation is the most important thing and Jingzhou's defense is the most important thing. "Report to the general, there is an old friend outside the door asking to see you!" When Cai Hao was discussing military affairs with the generals in Jingzhou, a servant suddenly came to report that there was an old friend asking to see him. "Old friend?" Cai Hao was stunned for a moment. At this time, an old friend actually met. What old friend? If he is a good friend, he will definitely write a letter in advance to inform him that this old friend has a secret! "Yes, General, he is a young boy who came from Jiangling. He claims to be the son of the general's old friend. Today he came to see the general on his father's orders and told him something important. This is a token presented by the visitor." The person presented the token to Cai Hao. Cai Hao took the token in confusion. What kind of token was it that made his servants so cautious? As a large family in Jingzhou, the Cai family has very strict rules. Normally, if anyone comes to climb a dragon or a phoenix, they will be beaten severely, but when someone comes, they will bring out a token. The servants of the house came to report it. It seemed that this token was not easy to answer. Cai Hao took the token and looked at it carefully. After looking at it for a while, Cai Hao's eyes were startled and he almost dropped the token to the ground. This is a token from the Cai family. It is the token of my Cai family, and the owner of this token is Cai Mao's father! Cai Mao¡¯s father has been dead for many years, and not many people can hold his father¡¯s token. According to Cai Mao's memory, there are only a handful of people who hold his father's token, but none of them are his old friends, if he talks about old friends. Maybe there really is one, and that one is from Jiangbei Thinking of this, Cai Hao turned around and gave Zhang Yun a few words, then followed his servants and left the study. "Bring the servants to the study in Dongyuan, and order the second general and the third general to come at the same time." Cai Hao gave the servant a few instructions and tidied his clothes. Go to Dongyuan's study. "Uncle Cai, we haven't seen you for many years, Rui is so polite!" Lu Rui was invited into Dongyuan's study by Cai Mao's housekeeper. When Lu Rui saw Cai Mao, he gave Cai Mao the courtesy of uncle and nephew. "It turns out it's Bufan! We haven't seen each other for many years. Bufan is already a talented man in the world and a general in the north." Cai Mao waved his hand, indicating that Lu Rui didn't need to be polite. Cai Mao received the token from his father. After thinking for a long time, I recalled a ridiculous thing from my youth. Back then, Cai Mao went to Chang'an to pay homage to Cai Yong on his father's orders. At that time, Cao Cao was also a guest at Cai Yong's house. The two young men from aristocratic families had similar interests and soon got together. Of course, the matter was not What a good thing. The wife Cao and the wife Cai caused a lot of trouble in Chang'an at that time. Cai Mao had an affair over the wall. He also lost his father's token. This token was Lu Rui's token to meet Cai Mao. "Uncle is joking, Rui is here today" "Okay, Bufan, no need to say more. Just tell me, are you here to persuade the governor to surrender?" Cai Mao did not tell Lu Rui At the opportunity to chat, the tone immediately changed and became deeper. No face at all? Lu Rui was stunned for a moment. According to Lu Rui's idea, Cai Mao should reminisce about old friendships and start another attack, but he didn't expect that Cai Mao would interrupt him as soon as he came up. "Uncle, the general trend of the world has become clear. Now my lord occupies the Central Plains, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and the two counties of Jiangdong. He is the first prince in the world. Our army of 300,000 soldiers is going south. In order to avoid the destruction of Jingzhou, Rui Please consider the people of Jingzhou." Lu Rui didn't talk nonsense. Since Cai Mao opened the topic, Lu Rui had no choice but to persuade Cai Mao to surrender. Anyway, this is not the focus of Lu Rui, the focus is on the countermeasures behind. "Okay, Bufan, I have heard too many of these words on the table. You want me to give up Jingzhou. That is impossible. Today, for the sake of my father's token, I will let you go. You can leave the house. This It¡¯s my token. With this token, you can enter and leave Xiangyang City freely for three days. I¡¯ll give you three days. If you don¡¯t leave Xiangyang City within three days, don¡¯t blame me.¡± Cai Mao threw his token to Lu Rui and asked the housekeeper to take Lu Rui down. "Thank you, uncle!" Lu Rui ignored Cai Mao, cupped his hands, and left. "Follow this person and see where he ends up in Xiangyang? Will he leave Xiangyang? As soon as there is news, send someone back to report, there must be no mistakes!" After Lu Rui left, Cai Mao ordered behind the screen After talking for a while, a messenger in black nodded and left Cai Mao's study. "Meng De? Let me see how powerful you are! The outcome of the battle that year has not yet been decided!" Cai Hao touched his beard and returned to the study where Zhang Yun was, continuing to discuss Xiangyang's defense strategy. . "Brother!" An hour later, after Cai Hao arranged the defense in Jingzhou, Cai Zhong and Cai He also came to Cai Hao's house. "You are here?" "Yes, brother!" "You should leave the city immediately and prepare, gather all our soldiers, and soldiers from all over the city should also monitor closely. If there is any change, report to me immediately." After Cai Mao saw Cai Zhong and Cai He, he didn't waste any time and directly issued orders to them. "Brother, is this?" Cai Zhong and Cai He were stunned for a moment. What on earth was going on that actually made their eldest brother mobilize troops late at night. "Cao Cao's people have already come in, we have to take precautions!" Cai Mao then told Cai Zhong and Cai He about Lu Rui's visit. Cai Mao is not a fool. He has tens of thousands of troops in Jingzhou. Of course he knows that Lu Rui is more than just an envoy. If he just sends an envoy to persuade him to surrender, Cao Cao does not need to send Lu Rui at all. Lu Rui was an important minister in Cao's army. Being an envoy is definitely not the real purpose of Lu Rui's visit this time. Lu Rui must have other plans when he entered Xiangyang City, and Cai Mao had to be on guard against this. "Brother, Lu Rui is Cao Cao's adopted son. Even if we want to take action, don't we also?" Cai Zhong grew up among everyone in the family. The situation between the aristocratic families is very clear. Lu Rui is not only an enemy, but this enemy also involves the Cao family. It is easy for the two armies to confront each other, but the relationship between the aristocratic families is difficult to handle. "Of course I understand this, otherwise I wouldn't give my token to Lu Rui. I just want to see what Lu Rui has planned in Xiangyang. If Lu Rui is really just a messenger, we don't need to pay attention to it, but if Lu Rui Rui has a plot against Xiangyang, and we must stop it. If Cao Jun captures Jingzhou, our Cai family will not be the first in Jingzhou!" Of course, Cai Mao strongly opposed Cao Jun's move south. If Cao Cao unified Jingzhou, even if the Cai family could remain wealthy, they would not be the first family in Jingzhou. Cai Mao would have to compete with Cao Cao for the title of the first family in Jingzhou! "Brother is wise, the two of us will go and arrange it immediately!" Cai Zhong nodded, Cai Mao is worthy of being the eldest brother. The control of the entire situation is far higher than that of himself, not only taking into account the relationship between Jingzhou and Cao Cao, but also taking into account the interests of his own family and the interests of the aristocratic family. "Well, you two go quickly. By the way! One more thing, we have too few people in Jingzhou City, you should know what to do!" Cai Mao smiled slightly, maybe Lu Rui entering Xiangyang would be an opportunity for him. "Don't worry, brother, I understand, brother!" Cai He is a master of power play. Although he is not good at literary and military tactics, he is indeed very good at eliminating dissidents. If there is any movement from Lu Rui in Jingzhou, Cai Mao will be the final winner and make a great contribution when the time comes. There will be no obstacles to adjusting Jingzhou's military strength and defense. When Cai Mao was instructing Cai Zhong and Cai He to make secret arrangements, Liu Biao was sitting on the throne in Liu Biao's study at the Jingzhou Prefect's Mansion with a gloomy look on his face. Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang were waiting silently for Liu Biao's order below. Before Lu Rui went to Cai Mao's house, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang came to Liu Biao's house early. Of course, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang were here to do the preliminary work and reported Cai Mao's unusual behavior to Liu Biao. They also reported to Liu Biao that Lu Rui had sneaked into Xiangyang City and might have plans for Jingzhou. After Liu Biao heard the report from Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, his heart sank. Could Cai Mao really take action at this time? Do you really want to betray yourself? However, Liu Biao was always a tycoon and would not attack Cai Mao without substantial evidence, so Liu Biao sent his confidants to monitor Cai Mao. "My lord!" "Well, what is happening in Cai Mao's house?" "Report to my lord" Then the spies reported Cai Mao's situation to Liu Biao. Including Lu Rui's safe departure from Cai Mao's house and Cai Mao starting to mobilize troops outside the city, everything was unfavorable news for Cai Mao. Liu Biao's face became more and more gloomy as he listened to the spies' report. Cai Mao actually mobilized the army without telling him. It seemed that this matter was very serious. "Lord?" Kuai Yue asked Liu Biao tentatively to see what Liu Biao meant. "Xidu, what do you think?" Liu Biao suppressed the anger in his heart and asked Kuai Yue.This matter is still uncertain. Will Cai Mao really take action at this time? The lord is always the lord! Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang looked at each other, and the two brothers immediately understood their respective thoughts. Liu Biao was worthy of being a hero of his generation. Even if he had reports from his confidants, Liu Biao still refused to fully believe in Cai Hao's rebellion. Not everyone has this magnanimity. "My Lord, the more I think this matter is suspicious, why did the Governor secretly let Lu Rui go when he was in charge of the Jingzhou army? Is this the Governor's plan? In addition, at this time, the Governor has not taken any further action. If we conclude that the Governor has taken no further action based on this, The governor is guilty and is indeed biased." Kuai Yue bowed his hand and reported to Liu Biao that since Liu Biao did not completely believe in Cai Mao's rebellion, then Kuai Yue would be a good person and follow Liu Biao's wishes. "Well, the alienation is reasonable. Let's wait and see about this matter before we talk about it!" "My lord, although the governor has not made any changes now, he must be on guard against others. Please make preparations early." Kuai Yue became a good person, and Kuai Liang wanted to Become a bad person. "Yes!" Liu Biao nodded, Kuai Liang's opinion was also very pertinent. If Cai Mao really does something, Liu Biao must be on guard. It is possible that Cai Mao betrayed him in order to gain more benefits from Jingzhou. Cai Mao is not reliable either. Cai Mao could surrender to Cao Cao, but Liu Biao could not. As the former leader of one party, he was on an equal footing with Cao Cao and surrendered to Cao Cao. I'm afraid the Liu family is in danger. "Come, tell General Huang, General Wei, General Wen, and General Liao to come." Liu Biao also made up his mind and decided to make preparations in advance. If Cai Hao really takes action, he will take a preemptive strike and capture Cai Hao to let Cai Hao know that he is not unable to move! "No!" After hearing Liu Biao's order, the soldiers immediately went down to inform the generals. "Master Hou, are you back?" Shi A was waiting for Lu Rui in the inn, and everything was ready. "Brother Chong, have they all gone to Kuai Mansion?" Lu Rui returned to the inn and changed into night clothes. Prepare for your next move. "Yes, Lord Marquis, everything has been arranged. The spies we sent out were also caught by Cai Mao. Everything is under our control. The dead soldiers are also ready at any time. As long as the Lord Marquis gives the order, We will attack Liu Biao's mansion," Shi A answered Lu Rui methodically. The young members of the Cao family were all arranged to stay at Kuai Yue's house. This was of course just in case. After all, if anything happened to Lu Rui, the young members of the Cao family could still escape Xiangyang City. Lu Rui¡¯s next step is to attack Liu Biao¡¯s prefect¡¯s mansion. "Okay! Let's go." Lu Rui took the sword and walked out of the inn. Shi A followed Lu Rui with his dead soldiers. "Hurry, go back and report to your lord!" Cai Mao's spies saw that Lu Rui had taken action, and quickly returned to Cai Mao's general's mansion to report. "Brother. Does Lu Rui want to take action against the lord?" Cai Mao was in his study room. Cai Zhongcai and the two of them made a judgment after listening to the spies' report and the confessions of the man in black who had been captured. "Hmph, it turns out that Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang are Lu Rui's internal agents. No wonder Lu Rui dared to come alone. His target is not me, but the Lord!" Cai Mao slammed his hand on the table next to him. , figured out Lu Rui¡¯s plan. It turned out that Lu Rui did not come to persuade him to surrender at all, but planned to launch a mutiny with Jingzhou's internal agents to control Liu Biao. "Brother, this is our good opportunity!" Cai He licked his lips. Among the four families in Jingzhou, apart from his Cai family, he is also the Kuai family. The two families have been divided into civil and military affairs for many years. Now the Kuai brothers have the intention to rebel. , that is the best opportunity for the Cai family to eliminate their political opponents. "Of course I know. Second brother and third brother, you should go out of the city immediately to deploy your troops and lead troops into the city. If you encounter resistance, you will attack the city by force. Now in Jingzhou City, no one except us can trust it!" Cai Mao willed himself The sword was handed to Cai He. Cai He took the sword and retreated. After Cai He and Cai Zhong left, Cai Mao gathered his soldiers, then notified some of his confidants in the city, and took the weapons to Liu Biao's prefecture. The purpose was, of course, to protect Liu Biao. At the prefect Liu Biao's house, Liu Biao was also nervously making arrangements. Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang were by Liu Biao's side, staying close to him. They were making suggestions for Liu Biao overtly and cooperating with Lu Rui secretly. "Kill!" Liu Biao and others were discussing in the study. Suddenly, the sound of weapons being used was heard in the yard outside the study. "Lord?" "Quick, rush out!" Under the cover of civil and military forces, Liu Biao rushed out of the study. Unfortunately, the study at this time was already surrounded by Lu Rui's killers. "Liu Jingzhou, General Lu Rui of the Northern Expedition is so polite!" Under the cover of the killer, Lu Rui came out and looked at the besieged Liu Biao and others. Liu Biao's generals ordered them to draw their weapons and confront Lu Rui. "It turned out to be the general who conquered the north.?I don't know what the general is doing when he comes from afar? "Liu Biao was stunned for a moment. How did Lu Rui enter his study courtyard? Is his prefect's mansion in vain? "Liu Jingzhou, I'd better advise the people outside to be calm. The big and small courtyards here are already under my control. I have to force my way in. , I¡¯m afraid it will be detrimental to Liu Jingzhou! " Lu Rui waved his hand, and the archer set up his crossbow. After listening to Lu Rui's words, Liu Biao looked at the fire not far away, and he completely understood what Lu Rui meant. The courtyard where Liu Biao was located was in the north of the prefect's mansion. Garden, Beiyuan is divided into large and small courtyards. The small courtyard is the courtyard of the study where I am, and the large courtyard refers to Beiyuan. The army of Liu Biao's prefecture must have discovered something wrong here, so they came in to protect Liu Biao. But in this small courtyard, Lu Rui's people have an absolute advantage. "Qi'er, go tell the people in the front yard not to do anything. Wait for my order! Liu Biao glanced at Liu Qi and ordered Liu Qi to stop the defenders of the prefecture. "Yes, father!" " "General Zhengbei, Qi'er and Zirou will go out, will you have no problem? " "Of course not, I will send someone to protect the young master. " Lu Rui signaled Shi A, who immediately understood and led a few men in black to escort Liu Qi and Kuai Liang out of the small courtyard. Soon, the sound of fighting outside disappeared. It seemed that it was Liu Qi and Kuai. Liang has already persuaded the defenders on the outside: "Master Hou!" The people outside have stopped attacking. " Shi A escorted Liu Qi and Kuai Liang back to the small courtyard. "Yes! Liu Jingzhou, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange at all? Why can I break into the prefect's mansion? "Lu Rui saw Liu Qi and Kuai Liang being escorted back, looked at Liu Biao again, and smiled. "General Zhengbei, you won the first step, but what happened next is not what you expected. "Liu Biao looked at Lu Rui's proud eyes and guessed that Lu Rui had teamed up with Cai Mao to plan to seize Jingzhou City. Unfortunately, he had already made preparations. "Oh? Lu Rui pretended to be confused and looked at Liu Biao. "General Zhengbei, do you think Cai Mao can really control the overall situation?" You underestimate me! " "It turns out that Liu Jingzhou already knew everything? "Lu Rui pretended to be surprised, but secretly rejoiced in her heart, Liu Biao, you really, really fell into the trap! PS: Thank you for your support!