But he said that Chen Qun was well prepared and took the emperor's order to lead 500 armored soldiers and rushed to Xiangyang City, the seat of Jingzhou. He beat gongs and drums all the way, fearing that others would not know that he was the emperor's messenger. After passing Wancheng in Nanyang, Zhang Xiu did not dare to offend Ma Chao, so he quickly prepared a banquet to entertain the emperor's envoy. But Chen Qun was not in a hurry to attend the banquet. As soon as he entered the city, he read out the emperor's edict in the street while the people were watching. He named Zhang Xiu General Huben, elevated him to the rank of An Le Hou, and named Jia Xu a minister of wine. He also gave 100,000 hu of grain and grass, 2,000 sets of swords and armor, 1,000 war horses, 1,000 iron-tied bows, and 500 million in money, which were then delivered by the grain keeper. Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu were confused at the time. They couldn't figure out what kind of drama Ma Chao was playing. He gave away so many supplies for nothing, but made no demands at all. No matter how resourceful Jia Xu was, he still couldn't see through Ma Chao's intentions. The two discussed it for a while and decided that it was not in vain. When the time came, the troops would cover up the water and earth. If Ma Chao planned to send troops to attack him, Nanyang County would definitely not be able to stop him. During the dinner, the two of them made insinuations and tried to find out some clues, but Chen Qun was also an old fox. He just drank and laughed and talked about the affair, which made them depressed. The next day, Chen Qun said goodbye and rushed to Xiangyang banging all the way. But he said that Liu Biao was quite happy during this period. Ever since Yuan Shao sent Sun Jian to attack Jiangdong, he had never had peace in Jingzhou. Now that Sun Jian had just been contained, Yuan Shao was about to attack Jingzhou from Yuzhou. Fortunately, Ma Chao made a big move in Yanzhou and Xuzhou at the critical moment, forcing Yuan Shao to unite various princes to fight against Ma Chao. Once the two major princes start a war, it will be difficult to determine the winner within a year or two. Liu Biao could use this time to strengthen himself, and it would be possible to take the opportunity to conquer the lost territory in Jiangdong. But he was not happy for a few days. Liu Biao learned from the spies that the emperor's envoy was on a mission to Nanyang. He not only rewarded Zhang Xiu generously, but also gave a lot of money, food and military supplies in vain. Liu Biao was unsure of Ma Chao's real purpose, thinking that this move was just to win over Zhang Xiu, so he simply stopped and waited for the emperor's envoy to arrive in Xiangyang. Two days later, Chen Qun's large army finally entered Xiangyang City and took action. The emperor's edict was still read out on the spot. Liu Biao was granted the title of Mu of Jingzhou, the post of General of Zhennan, and the title of Marquis of Xiangyang. He also specifically mentioned: Liu Biao made great contributions to quelling civil strife and resisting foreign enemies during his tenure as the governor of Jingzhou, and the imperial court should give him strong support. Three hundred thousand dendrobiums of grain and grass were given. Three thousand war horses! Five thousand sets of fish scale Kai and black iron helmets. Five thousand swords for killing horses, three thousand two-stone iron bows, and one billion dollars! Then delivered. Nothing else. No instructions were given to Liu Biao. Liu Biao became increasingly certain that Ma Chao wanted to bribe him and Zhang Xiu with supplies in the hope that they would not send troops to cause trouble during the decisive battle between him and Yuan Shao. He was immediately overjoyed and accepted the emperor's edict with joy. It has to be said that Ma Chao has spent a lot of money, and money and food are no big deal, but war horses, armor, strong bows, and sabers are all in short supply? There are only three thousand cavalry in Jingzhou, and these supplies are enough to equip an elite division. That night, Liu Biao entertained Chen Qun with a banquet in his mansion. He clasped his fists and said, "The decline of the Han Dynasty is all due to the efforts of the general! Today, Mr. Liu is on a mission to Jingzhou and has given a lot of money. I just don't know what the general's intention is?" Chen Qun said: "Jingzhou is the land of the Han Dynasty, but it has been repeatedly harassed by Jiangdong Sun Jian and other rebels. The general is concerned about the country and the people, and has always taken the revitalization of the Han Dynasty as his own responsibility. He will not stand idly by. I only regret that the rebels in Guandong have not yet been calmed down, otherwise he will personally Lead the army to attack Sun Jian and Yuan Shao!" Liu Biao frowned and thought: There is no difference between saying this and not saying it. Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing. How could Ma Chao give away so many supplies in vain? There must be fraud in it. After thinking for a while, he asked without giving up: "As far as I know, Yuan Shao raised millions of troops in Huainan to attack the general in order to carry out the act of King Qin. At this critical moment, how can the general care about me, Jingzhou?" People of the Ming Dynasty don¡¯t speak secretly, please speak clearly!¡± Chen Qun smiled slightly and said: ¡°I have something to ask Mr. Liu, I don¡¯t know if I should say it or not?¡± Liu Biao said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you say it!¡± !" Chen Qun didn't panic and suddenly said something irrelevant. Liu Biao frowned and said seriously: "I am a clan member of the Han Dynasty, so I am a Han official!" Chen Qun said: "According to the general, Liu Gong's appointment as Jingzhou Governor was made by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo is a national thief! He was appointed by a national thief. The official name of Ren was not upright, and the court should not admit it. However, since Liu Gong became the governor of Jingzhou, he attacked the bandits and water thieves internally, resisted Sun Jian and Yuan Shao externally, and contained and restrained Zhang Xiu, the remnant of Dong's thieves. The people of this place are safe, which is a great achievement, so they go to the emperor to rectify their names, and the imperial court also allocates a large amount of materials to support Jingzhou to help Liu Gong resist the invasion of the rebels Yuan Shao and Sun Jian! " Liu Biao was overjoyed. He was indeed promoted by Dong Zhuo. The princes also provided Dong Zhuo with food and grass when they were fighting against Dong. Because of this, Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, often sent troops to invade Jingzhou in the name of wiping out the remnants of Dong's thieves. Now that his name has been rectified by the court, it is of great benefit to his reputation, and he has gained many benefits, and he does not need toIf you spare the slightest bit, it is actually a matter of great benefit and no harm. After the banquet was over, Liu Biao did not treat Chen Qun badly. He even sent two beauties to sleep with him and gave him many gifts in his own name. Chen Qun was responsible for legal matters, how could he benefit from Liu Biao? Immediately rejected them one by one. Afterwards, Liu Biao was still worried and felt something was wrong. He immediately summoned Huang Zu, Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue and others to discuss the matter. Everyone was silent after hearing this. It was difficult to guess Ma Chao's intention. But Kuai Liang said: "In Yiliang's opinion, Ma Chao's move is nothing more than a show of goodwill to his lord, trying to win him over to the court he controls. Even if that doesn't work, he can go all out to fight against Yuan Shao. Since my lord has accepted his money, food and supplies, I won't help Yuan Shao against him!" Cai Hao, Zhang Yun and others all agreed with this point and agreed. Liu Biao stroked his beard and smiled and said: "Zi Rou's words are very much in line with my wishes! But are we going to accept it?" Kuai Liang pondered for a moment, cupped his fists and said: "The decisive battle between Ma Chao and Yuan Shao is about to begin. My lord is currently weak and cannot afford to offend either party. , and don¡¯t want to join one of them. At this critical moment, you must not have too close contact with Yuan Shao and Ma Chao! If you kiss Ma, Yuan Shao will definitely come to attack. If you kiss Yuan Shao, Zhang Liao, who is guarding Wuguan, will definitely invade Jingzhou. The lord can Are you sure you can stop the tiger and wolf troops from both sides? " Liu Biao was very excited when he heard this, but the things Ma Chao gave were too tempting, especially the war horse and the saber. These things are unique to Ma Chao and are hard to find! Just as he was about to speak, Cai Mao interjected: "What Zirou said is different! How can we stand in troubled times when both parties are communicating with each other? A man should be connected from top to bottom and benefit from both sides! It would be better if both parties are not communicating with each other. Who can help?" If you have a high stake, we will turn to whoever you want!" Huang Zu nodded and said, "What Degui said makes sense. Since Ma Chao has come to your door, how can we refuse him thousands of miles away? Ma Chao's court? Now that Zhang Xiu has received Ma Chao's supplies, if this person's heart is drawn to Ma Chao and he invades Jingzhou at the same time as Zhang Liao, Jingzhou will be in danger! In this case, it would be better to accept Ma Chao's supplies and send an envoy to Yuan Shao. It shows that Jingzhou will never recognize Ma Chao's court! Not only will it benefit him, but he will not offend Yuan Shao!" (To be continued)