Liu Qi brought Zhao Yun to Qiao's house. Qiao Xuan and Zhou Yu had been waiting there for a long time. When Qiao Xuan saw more than a dozen boxes being carried in, his face lit up.
The news of Zhao Yun's marriage has been making rounds these past two days, with discussions among the people even exceeding those about the marriage between Sun and Liu. Originally, people thought that a remarried daughter was no longer valuable, but seeing Liu Qi's sincerity, Qiao Xuan also felt proud.
After greeting and sitting down, Qiao Xuan said with emotion: "My daughter is beautiful but has a tragic fate. Fortunately, the general does not mind her ugly appearance and is willing to marry her for generations. This has also fulfilled an old man's wish. I have no regrets even in my death!"
Zhao Yun hurriedly bowed and thanked him. The four of them toasted each other at the table. This was the first time Qiao Xuan had talked to Zhao Yun. Seeing that he was humble, steady, and had outstanding martial arts, he liked him more and more.
After three rounds of drinking, Zhou Yu signaled his servants to leave and raised his cup, saying, "You are now Jiangdong's son-in-law. I have been entrusted by Bofu to take care of Jiangdong's affairs. I am also a brother-in-law to Zilong, so we are even closer. From now on, whether it is public or private matters, we should be open-hearted and share weal and woe."
Liu Qi returned the greeting and said, "What the governor said is very true. Cao is causing chaos and the whole country is in turmoil. We should unite to fight against him and eliminate the treacherous officials."
Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "Today is a family dinner, so there is no need to mention official business. If you encounter any difficulties while in Jiangdong, you may point them out. I will do my best to deal with them and will never let the general suffer any injustice."
Qiao Xuan stroked his beard and laughed, "Gongjin is right. From now on, you and I are a family. Whether in public or private, we should support each other and help each other."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern. We are new here and have not interacted with anyone yet, so it's nothing serious."
Zhou Yu frowned slightly. Seeing that Liu Qi was unwilling to talk about Sun Ce, he asked, "What do you think of Bo Fu?"
Liu Qi said with emotion: "I started a war with General Sun due to a misunderstanding, and we became enemies. Although we fought against each other, the Little Tyrant lived up to his reputation. If he had not been killed, I am afraid that Jingzhou would not be in the current situation."
"Bofu was a hero of his time... but he died at the hands of a villain. How hateful!" Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and slammed his wine glass on the table.
Liu Qi and Qiao Xuan hurried to comfort him. Sun Ce's death would be an eternal pain in Zhou Yu's heart. If he hadn't taken the initiative to bring it up, who would dare to mention it to his face
Although the marriage was settled, the banquet ended in depression. Qiao Xuan sent Liu Qi and Zhao Yun away, and saw Zhou Yu sitting alone at the table with a gloomy look on his face. He could not help but shake his head and sigh.
He thought that Zhou Yu was moved by the scene and thought of Sun Ce, but he didn't know that Zhou Yu had other things on his mind and had something to grievance that he couldn't express!
When Liu Qi returned to the inn, Xu Shu received information from Jingzhou that Zhang Fei and Pang Tong's armies were approaching.
Under pressure from enemies on both the north and south fronts, Liu Zhang finally compromised despite everyone's opposition and agreed to lend Jiangzhou to help Liu Qi take Hanzhong.
Liu Qi let out a long sigh: "After taking Jiangzhou, taking Xichuan will be a piece of cake."
Xu Shu said: "Ma Chao has also marched out of Liang Province, and together with Han Sui, he has gathered nearly 200,000 soldiers from Xiliang and Qiang. The battle in Guanzhong is imminent. We should take Hanzhong as soon as possible and make arrangements early so that we can benefit from it."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "Wei Yan has been preparing in Nanyang for a long time. Once the matter here is settled, he will return immediately."
Xu Shu added, "According to the itinerary, Taishi Xiang will be back in a day or two. If you want to take Taishi Ci and Yu Fan with you, you should make arrangements immediately to avoid Sun Quan's suspicion."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "When Taishi Xiang hears about Hua Tuo, he will definitely come to the inn to borrow someone. Sir, let him consult Ji Miao first, and I will go to the palace to discuss the matter with Sun Quan. When Ji Miao explains the pros and cons, Taishi Xiang will be anxious to save people and will break into the palace to ask for an audience. At that time, in front of all the civil and military officials, how can Sun Quan not save Taishi Ci?"
Xu Shu was worried and said, "Ji Miao said that Taishi Ci only has half a month to live. With all the delays and troubles along the way, can he still survive?"
Liu Qi waved his hand and smiled, "Sir, you have been with me for so long, don't you know that I never fight a battle without preparation? If Taishi Ci dies in Jingzhou, wouldn't that be shooting himself in the foot?"
Xu Shu was startled, then laughed and said, "I see, it's my fault for trusting you two too much."
Liu Qi sighed, "I don't want to stay in this quagmire of Jiangdong for even a moment."
Originally it was just an alliance between Sun and Liu through marriage, with Liu Qi leading troops to help in the war. However, with the occurrence of several unexpected events, the situation in Jiangdong changed suddenly.
Sun Quan never expected that Da Qiao's remarriage would once again stir up a storm of discussion about Sun Ce. From Sun Ce's bravery to his death, everyone from the civil and military officials to the common people sighed and lamented.
In the past few years, they had finally gotten rid of Sun Ce's shadow and suppressed all kinds of public opinion, but suddenly it burst out again and could not be controlled.
In particular, those arguments that assumed that Sun Ce had not been killed, and what the situation in Jiangdong would be like, or even that Jingzhou had been captured and the Central Plains had been conquered, made Sun Quan feel extremely uncomfortable.
If this continues, people's hearts will be scattered. Liu Qi must leave Jiangdong as soon as possible, and Zhou Yu cannot stay in Jianye for long.
He then asked Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and others to discuss the matter. He said, "Recently, a spy reported that Ma Chao led 200,000 soldiers from Xiliang to attack Chang'an to avenge his father. Zhang Fei also sent troops from Zigui, and it seems that he intends to take Sichuan. There will be great changes in the west. How should Jiangdong respond?"
Gu Yong said: "I have already formed an alliance with Liu Qi. Now that Ma Chao is attacking, Cao Cao has no time to look east. We should take advantage of the recent defeat of Cao's army and seize Huainan and advance to the Central Plains."
Sun Quan frowned and said, "Cao Ren is guarding Shouchun, and we are not doing well in the land battle. How can we take Huainan?"
Zhang Zhaoyan said: "Since Liu Qi is Jiangdong's son-in-law, why not ask him to send troops from Nanyang to attack Xuchang? This will not only slow down his momentum to take Sichuan, but also contain Cao's army. When the Central Plains are in chaos, the lord will send troops to Huainan. Although Cao's troops are large, how can he fight on three fronts? He will have to give up Xuzhou and protect the Central Plains, and I can reap the benefits."
Gu Yong frowned and said, "Cao Cao left Zhang Liao and Xiahou Yuan to guard Xuchang and stationed heavy troops there, fearing that Liu Qi would not be willing to send out troops."
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and said, "Liu Qi is a relative of the royal family and claims to restore the Han Dynasty. Since we have formed an alliance to fight Cao, we should first eliminate the enemy. If we do not send troops but instead attack Liu Zhang, who is also a relative of the same clan, we will lose the trust of the world!"
Sun Quan chuckled and said, "Well, Liu Qi will fight Zhang Liao and make him hit a wall. Only then will he know that Cao's army should not be underestimated."
The Battle of Hefei made him a laughing stock throughout the world. If Liu Qi had also been defeated by Zhang Liao, no one would have laughed at him anymore.
Zhang Zhao naturally saw what Sun Quan was thinking, stroked his beard and smiled, "If Liu Qi is badly hurt, he will surely come to ask for help. My lord, take advantage of this opportunity to send troops and use the strategy of passing through Guo to take Jiangxia, and it is possible that you can also take Jingzhou!"
Sun Quan's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and praised, "This is a great plan. I will invite Liu Qi to a meeting tomorrow to discuss how to defeat Cao."
After Gu Yong left, Zhang Zhao said to Sun Quan alone: "Although we won the Battle of Ruxu, Zhou Yu was almost ambushed by Cao Ren, which shows that he made mistakes in using his troops. If Liu Qi had not been there, Jiangdong would have been plunged into war. For the Huainan War, we should choose a steady person as the commander."
Sun Quan frowned slightly: "Brother entrusted foreign affairs to Gongjin. At present, he is the only one who can lead the army to defeat Cao!"
Zhang Zhaoyan said: "This man has always been arrogant and conceited. He regards all heroes in the world as nothing. He has ignored the strength of Jiangdong and insisted on fighting. However, the strong will be easily broken, and the arrogant will be defeated. I think he will cause trouble sooner or later. My lord should be careful."
Sun Quan's eyes were slightly stern, and he said slowly: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, I have my reasons."