Chương 399: The First Army Marches South

Liu Ce recounted the contents of the letter, and everyone was delighted upon hearing it.

Zhang Fei was the first to jump up, his voice so loud it could lift the roof off: "Brother! Liu Bei has given us the entire Jingzhou! What are we waiting for? Quickly send men to take it over!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and nodded steadily, saying, "Liu Jingzhou is a man of great integrity and righteousness, truly worthy of being a member of the Han imperial family. Brother, this matter should be handled sooner rather than later."

Guo Jia waved his feather fan and laughed, "Liu Jingzhou is a member of the Han imperial family. He has been managing Jingzhou for many years and is deeply loved by the people. It is only natural for us to take over Jingzhou since he voluntarily relinquished it, and the people will not object."

Xu Shu laughed and said, "My lord, Jingzhou is the heartland of the realm; whoever controls Jingzhou controls the realm. Liu Yu's voluntary relinquishment is a godsend!"

Cheng Yu nodded and said, "Jingzhou is rich in resources and has a large population. Taking Jingzhou will make it as easy as taking candy from a baby to move east to Yangzhou, west to Yizhou, and south to Jiaozhou."

Xi Zhicai nodded and said, "Once we take Jingzhou, only Yangzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou remain. Although Liu Yan of Yizhou has some ambition, he is alone and not a major threat. As for Yangzhou and Jiaozhou..."

Jia Xu squinted and said, "Moreover, Liu Yu's concession will put enormous pressure on Liu Yan in the west. He is also a member of the Han imperial family. Liu Yu has already conceded, so will he? If he doesn't, he will be going against the King of Yan. But if he does, he won't be willing to give up. He's going to have a real headache now."

Chen Gong said coldly, "It would be best to let them create chaos on their own, and then we can reap the benefits."

Li Jing pondered for a moment and said, "However, although we have ceded Jingzhou, we cannot let our guard down. After all, Jingzhou is a large territory with a large population, and we need to send capable people to guard it."

Liu Ce nodded, his gaze sweeping over the assembled generals as he said:

"Zhang Liao, listen to my command!"

Zhang Liao immediately stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead 50, 000 soldiers of the First Army south to take over Jingzhou. Once you arrive in Jingzhou, follow Liu Jingzhou's orders in everything you do. Remember, you must respect Liu Jingzhou. He is an elder and voluntarily ceded Jingzhou to us; you cannot mistreat him."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Lü Bu all stood up, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinates obey!"

Looking at his brothers who were eager to get started, Liu Ce laughed and said, "But remember, this time we're going to take over, not to fight. Avoid fighting if possible. The people of Jingzhou can't afford any more turmoil."

...

...

...

Three days later, on the drill ground outside Luoyang, a dense mass of 50, 000 elite soldiers stood in neat rows.

Twenty thousand iron cavalry stood in the center, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, their warhorses snorting and their hooves pawing the ground restlessly.

Thirty thousand elite infantrymen lined up on both sides, their spears like a forest and their shields like a wall, their breathing as synchronized as if they were one person.

The banners blotted out the sky, fluttering in the wind; the sight alone was enough to make one's legs go weak.

Liu Ce rode his black horse and came to see him off in person.

He glanced at the well-disciplined troops on the training ground, nodded in satisfaction, reined in his horse, and gave instructions to Zhang Liao and the others:

"Wen Yuan, I'm entrusting the affairs of Jingzhou entirely to you. Remember, the most important thing is to maintain stability. Governor Liu is a kind and honest elder; you must treat him well and not neglect him."

"The aristocratic families of Jingzhou, those who are law-abiding should not be touched. They should continue farming or doing business... Those who dare to cause trouble should not be tolerated. They should be dealt with accordingly."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming, "Rest assured, my lord! This humble general has taken it all into consideration! I will handle the matters of Jingzhou perfectly and will absolutely not cause you any trouble!"

Zhang Fei, standing to the side, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother, you can rest assured! With us brothers here, anyone who dares to cause trouble will be pierced through with a single spear! Jingzhou will be perfectly peaceful, not a single needle will be disturbed!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said calmly, "Brother, rest assured, I will definitely assist Wen Yuan in stabilizing Jingzhou."

Zhao Yun also cupped his hands and said, "Brother, I will certainly not fail in my mission."

Lu Bu didn't put on airs, and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My lord, I will definitely cooperate with Wen Yuan to handle the matter of Jingzhou properly."

Liu Ce smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go! Have a safe journey!"

With Zhang Liao's order, the army broke camp and marched out of the training ground, heading south.

The procession stretched from the city gate all the way to the horizon, its beginning and end invisible, raising clouds of dust. The people stood on both sides of the road, marveling at the spectacle.

"Good heavens, where is the Prince of Yan planning to attack this time?"

"What fighting? Didn't you hear it was to take over Jingzhou? The governor of Jingzhou, Liu Yu, voluntarily relinquished it!"

"Liu Yu? He's a member of the Han imperial family, a loyal and honest man. His decision to give up the throne to the King of Yan was truly for the sake of the people!"

"Indeed! The Prince of Yan is capable, and Lord Liu is magnanimous; there is finally hope for the future of this land!"

"Really? Jingzhou is a big place!"

"Of course it's true! The Prince of Yan is renowned, and Liu Jingzhou is also a member of the Han imperial family. We're all family, so let's not be so formal!"

...

As expected, with Liu Yu issuing orders to the various prefectures in advance, coupled with the prestige of the King of Yan's army, their southward advance was unimpeded.

The counties and prefectures along the way either opened their city gates to welcome them, with wine and meat laid out at the city gates, and the prefects and magistrates bowing and scraping to greet them.

They either prepare provisions and household registration in advance, waiting by the roadside for the handover, all smiles, as if they were seeing their own father.

Forget about fighting a war, there wasn't even a single person who dared to say "no."

Riding on his horse, Zhang Fei looked at the scene and couldn't help but mutter to Guan Yu, "Second Brother, this is going too smoothly! I was hoping to stretch my muscles, but there's not a single one who can fight!"

Guan Yu glanced at him and said calmly, "Third brother, the people of the world have suffered from war for too long. The greatest merit is to avoid bloodshed."

Zhang Fei scratched his head and said, "Second Brother is right. But I just have an itchy hand..."

Zhao Yun laughed from the side, "Third Brother, don't be in such a hurry. Once we've settled things in Jingzhou, you'll have plenty of room to fight when we march south to Yizhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou."

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up and he said, "That's great! I'll hold back for now, and then we'll have a good fight!"

In less than half a month, the army arrived outside Xiangyang City.

Xiangyang City, the heart of Jingzhou, is an ancient city with a history of over a thousand years on the banks of the Han River.

The city walls were towering, the moat was wide, the flags fluttered on the city towers, and the guards were clad in bright armor—clearly the result of Liu Yu's years of hard work.

Liu Yu had already been waiting at the city gate with the civil and military officials of Jingzhou.

He was dressed in plain clothes, his hair was gray, but he was in good spirits. Upon seeing the banner of Youzhou, he immediately went to greet them, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled:

"Generals, you must be tired from your journey! I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival! Ever since receiving the letter from the Prince of Yan, I've felt at ease and have been looking forward to your visit every day!"