Chương 403: Liu Ce Learns of News from Jingzhou

Just then, Lu Bing slipped in, holding an urgent military report in his hand, his face beaming with joy.

"My lord! An urgent military report from Jingzhou! General Zhang and his men have successfully taken over Xiangyang, and have captured all the counties and prefectures of Jingzhou!"

"Oh? So fast?" Liu Ce's eyes lit up. He immediately put down his teacup, reached out and took the report, and began to read it.

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai also came over, wanting to know the details of this trip south.

The report was written by Zhang Liao himself; the handwriting was neat, the logic was clear, and the words conveyed a sense of steadiness.

He wrote down his journey south in great detail: the journey from Luoyang was smooth, Liu Yu personally came out of the city to welcome him, the household registration and treasury were handed over cleanly, and all the counties and prefectures submitted without hesitation, without the slightest disturbance. The people of Jingzhou lined the streets to welcome him, some even bringing wine and meat, making for a very lively scene.

Liu Ce nodded more and more as he read on, and when he reached the end, he couldn't help but slap his thigh and say to the two of them with a smile:

"Excellent! Wen Yuan is indeed reliable. With Yun Chang, Yi De, and the others, he took Jingzhou in less than a month. Without disturbing the people or losing a single soldier, he did a brilliant job!"

He paused, then sighed, "And then there's my uncle Liu Yu, he's truly generous, without a trace of selfishness. He's managed Jingzhou for so many years, and he just gave it up without batting an eye. He must reward him handsomely; we can't mistreat an honest man. Such a kind and honest elder is a rare find in the world."

Guo Jia, waving his feather fan, smiled and echoed, "My lord is right. Wen Yuan is able to maintain order, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Lü Bu are able to keep things in check, and with Lord Liu's wholehearted cooperation, Jingzhou will naturally be within our grasp. Now, my lord holds most of the land in his hands, and we are one step closer to unifying the country."

Liu Ce smiled and nodded, then continued flipping through the reports.

After reading just two lines, he paused for two seconds, then burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Xi Zhicai leaned over to take a look and couldn't help but laugh.

The report clearly stated that Cai Feng, the head of the Cai family in Jingzhou, intended to offer his daughter, Cai Wan, to the lord as a concubine.

Not only did Zhang Fei immediately agree on behalf of his lord, but even Liu Yu, as his uncle, readily agreed.

"Goodness gracious," Liu Ce laughed, shaking his head and complaining, "Are all my men now scrambling to be matchmakers?"

He pointed at Lu Bing, laughing and scolding, "First it was Shen Wansan, then you, Lu Bing, then Cheng Yaojin, and now, even Yide has learned to bring people into my mansion! He even approved it on the spot, he's more anxious than I am!"

Lu Bing chuckled and quickly bowed, saying, "This subordinate was merely trying to ease the Lord's burdens; Yide was only acting out of kindness..."

Guo Jia laughed even harder and said, "My lord, this is what the people want. The Cai family is the most powerful family in Jingzhou. They offered their daughter for marriage, which shows their sincere allegiance and their desire to tie themselves to you to stabilize their family's position. With this relationship in place, the powerful families in Jingzhou will be more obedient. This will only benefit us in maintaining control of Jingzhou."

He paused, then smiled and said, "Besides, Yide is only doing this out of goodwill. He knows how hard our lord works and wants to give him a trusted confidant. Please accept this offer."

"You shouldn't try to smooth things over for him."

Liu Ce smiled and waved his hand, but did not object, saying, "Alright, since that's the case, and the Cai family is the local bigwig in Jingzhou, we can't refuse them. Have Yide arrange for people to escort Miss Cai to Luoyang properly, and have the courtyard in the mansion prepared in advance, so as not to neglect them."

He complained, but he knew perfectly well that the Cai family had been operating in Jingzhou for decades, with disciples and former officials everywhere. Taking in Cai Wan was equivalent to completely securing the position of a prominent family in Jingzhou.

There's no need to waste time trying to sow discord or appease anyone; this deal is a sure win.

Besides, the girl offered herself to him, and he's not some saint, so what's there to be coy about?

As he continued reading, Liu Ce's eyes lit up even more, and he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

The report clearly states that Guan Yu recruited Wei Yan in Changsha, recognizing his exceptional martial arts skills, military knowledge, and strategic acumen, and immediately placed him under his command.

Zhang Fei recruited a squad leader named Xing Daorong in Lingling, saying that the boy was a chatterbox who loved to brag and that he got along well with Cheng Yaojin, so he specially recruited him and brought him back.

"Good! Good! Yun Chang's eye for talent is truly sharp!" Liu Ce slammed his hand on the table and stood up excitedly.

"Wei Yan, Wei Wenchang, is a military talent capable of leading an army independently!"

He knew Wei Yan's abilities all too well; historically, he was a ruthless man who could offer Zhuge Liang the Ziwu Valley strategy and guard Hanzhong for ten years with unwavering stability.

Guan Yu was incredibly lucky to have unearthed him.

When Liu Ce saw Xing Daorong's part, he laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.

"Hahaha! That kid Yide really knows how to stir things up! He even dug up Xing Daorong, and he still says he's compatible with Cheng Yaojin?"

He laughed until tears almost streamed down his face: "I can already imagine the rooftops of the Prince's mansion that these two would make together! One loves to brag, the other loves to act silly, the military camp is going to be so lively! We'll be listening to them brag every day, we won't even need to go to the opera anymore!"

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai laughed along, and the study was filled with laughter for a moment.

After laughing for a while, Liu Ce finally stopped, sat back down in his chair, and instructed the two men: "Send a message to Zhang Liao that he will continue to be in full charge of the affairs of Jingzhou. He must appease the people, rectify official corruption, and suppress bandits, and make sure to stabilize Jingzhou."

"Wei Yan is both brave and resourceful. Let him lead the Jingzhou soldiers as an army on his own, station them in Changsha first, and give them experience. When the time is right, he can be transferred to Luoyang."

"Since Xing Daorong is following Yide, let him serve under Zhang Fei for now. That kid loves to brag, but since Yide has taken a liking to him, he must have some real skills. Let Yide mentor him properly, and not just listen to his boasting."

"Yes, sir." Xi Zhicai bowed and agreed.

Liu Ce then looked at Guo Jia and said with a smile, "Fengxiao, tell Steward Wang to clean up the courtyard on the east side of the mansion and put it next to Yin Ying and Feng Yu's courtyard. After Cai Wan arrives, arrange for her to move in. Make sure all the servants and maids are provided so that nothing goes wrong."

"Understood," Guo Jia replied with a smile.

After giving his orders, Liu Ce picked up the report again, turned to the section about Zhang Fei taking Xing Daorong, and couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head and muttering:

"This time, Yide brought back a complete clown who looks exactly like Cheng Yaojin. When the two of them meet, it'll be hilarious. One's calling himself 'Old Cheng,' and the other 'Old Xing,' those two clowns together—just thinking about it makes me laugh!"

He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of tea with relish.

Jingzhou has been captured, Wei Yan is in our hands, and we've even brought back a clown like Xing Daorong.

...