Chapter 66: Alliance

In Jiangling City, a night banquet was currently underway.

There were not many people attending this gathering, just a sparse few.

At the head of the table, Liu Biao looked at Zhang Song and Xi Su, who were raising their cups in a toast to him, and smiled as he lifted his own cup to drink with them.

After sipping a cup of fine, fragrant, and mellow wine, Liu Biao felt that the liquor sliding down his throat lacked any real meaning and was even somewhat bland. At that moment, he let out a soft sigh inwardly, a sigh tinged with two distinct layers of thought.

The first was an expression of admiration for Zhang Song’s talent and daring. This envoy from Yizhou possessed peerless eloquence; hardly anyone in the Jingxiang region could rival him, and he even seemed to have the ability to memorize things upon a single glance.

Earlier that day, when a disagreement arose, Zhang Song had cupped his hands in farewell and walked toward the boiling vat of oil without the slightest hesitation or panic. If he had not shouted for the guards to stop him, Zhang Song truly might have leaped into the boiling oil.

It was not just Zhang Song who possessed such extraordinary courage; the colonel who had accompanied him, a man named Xi Su, styled Zizheng, was likewise astonishingly bold. Upon seeing Zhang Song's intent to jump into the oil vat, Xi Su had followed closely behind him, heading toward the cauldron with the same unswerving devotion, as if the two of them intended to plunge into the boiling oil together.

"Can it be that Yizhou produces so many loyal and righteous men?"

Men like Zhang Song and Xi Su, who served their master with utmost loyalty and cast aside thoughts of life and death, were scarcely to be found within his own domains, yet the Governor of Yizhou, Liu Zhang, had dispatched two such individuals at once.

The second layer of thought was directed at Liu Zhang himself. Rumors had always portrayed the new Governor of Yizhou as benevolent and weak, incapable of handling affairs. Yet now, within a mere ten days, he had swept away the rebellion in Ba County. His very first move was a masterstroke, and he had successfully won over the literati, inspiring loyal and righteous subjects like Zhang Song and Xi Su to pledge their devotion and willingly lay down their lives for him.

No wonder the officials and gentry of Yizhou had jointly recommended Liu Zhang to succeed as the Governor of Yizhou; they truly possessed the insight to recognize talent. That vulgar fool Liu He had foolishly assumed a man like Liu Zhang was easy to bully, and as a result, he had thrown away his life.

"Liu Junlang sired a fine son."

As a rival who had long been neighbors with Liu Yan, Liu Biao could not help but compare Liu Zhang to his own son. The comparison left him with a painful sense of disappointment regarding his eldest son, Liu Qi—why was it that another man's son was so exceptionally capable?

After a brief moment of reflection, Liu Biao cordially addressed Zhang Song by his courtesy name, offering an explanation: "Ziqiao, the affair in Ba County was truly contrary to my original intent. It was merely Liu He acting on his own accord and overstepping his bounds."

"I had originally sent him simply to offer condolences at a funeral, never imagining that he harbored malicious intentions and would actually collude with bandits, plotting rebellion."

"Even his death is not enough to atone for his crimes."

As for Yizhou's expressed desire to make peace, he was inwardly in full agreement.

Although on the surface he claimed a territory spanning a thousand li and commanded an army of one hundred thousand, this power was merely shared with the great clans of Jingxiang, such as the Cai and Kuai families.

The areas throughout the entire Jingxiang region that genuinely submitted to his rule were limited to major commanderies like Nanjun and Jiangxia. As for the southern territories of Jing, bandits ran rampant, and the officials of the commanderies and counties submitted in name only, rebelling at every turn.

Under such circumstances, he was truly capable of defending what he held, but lacked the strength for further expansion. Moreover, the great clans of Jingxiang largely desired stability and wished to avoid creating trouble.

He was also aging, having long since lost his former grand ambitions. He had chosen not to meddle in major events like the coalition against Dong Zhuo, and his eldest son, Liu Qi, possessed no notable talent.

To sit securely as the master of Jingxiang and hold his beloved wife, Lady Cai, in his arms—that was quite enough for this lifetime.

Hearing this, Zhang Song put down his wine cup, a smile blossoming on his face. He cupped his hands and flattered Liu Biao: "Governor Liu is truly an elder of the imperial clan. Despite the old grievances between our two houses, you still sent men to offer funeral condolences, placing the deceased above all else."

"I only hate that wretch Liu He for his wicked deeds and malicious intentions, which very nearly brought our two houses to war."

"Though my lord has stationed his troops at Baidi, it was merely because his subordinates were enraged that Jingxiang chose to stir up unprovoked trouble during a period of mourning, prompting public outrage and pressing my lord to march his troops toward Jingxiang."

"However, my lord well knew that this was not the true intent of Jingxiang, and therefore he refrained from starting a war prematurely, sending me instead to inquire about the matter."

With that, Zhang Song opened his heart and revealed his true thoughts: "My lord gave me a few words from the bottom of his heart before I left, which I must now impart to Governor Liu."

"In the lands of Shu, we have the Rice Robbers Zhang Lu to the north and the unruly Di and Sou tribes to the south; we truly lack the strength to march troops toward Jingxiang."

"Meanwhile, the Jingxiang region borders the Central Plains to the north. Yuan Gongshu abandoned Nanyang just last year, but who can foresee which bandit may cast a covetous eye upon Jingxiang in the future? As for the south of Jingxiang, bandit clans wreak havoc everywhere, requiring garrisons at every turn."

"At present, both of our domains face internal troubles. To unite brings benefit to both; to fight brings mutual destruction. Furthermore, we are both members of the imperial clan; if we raise arms to attack one another, I fear we shall become the laughingstock of the entire world."

Hearing these words, Liu Biao felt a stirring of emotion. He sighed, "Governor Liu is a man of utter sincerity."

Every word of this was true. Back in the first year of Chuping, why had he moved the seat of the Jingxiang government from Jiangling to Xiangyang? First, because Xiangyang was the home county of the Cai and Kuai families; second, to fend off Yuan Shu, who was entrenched in Nanyang. At the time, he had even memorialized the court to appoint Yuan Shu as the Administrator of Nanyang as a gesture of goodwill.

Yet back then, Yuan Shu had repeatedly dispatched Sun Jian, the Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong, to attack Jingxiang, pushing the province to the brink of collapse. If not for Sun Jian's arrogance, falling into an ambush set by Huang Zu's subordinates and losing his life—with Sun Jian gone, Yuan Shu no longer had the strength to contend with him for Jingxiang—how could he have ever sat in peace within Jingxiang?

After pondering for a short while, he raised his cup to Zhang Song and said, "Given such profound goodwill from Governor Liu, our two houses should naturally forge friendly relations and swear a formal alliance."

"Though the affair of Liu He was not my original intention, an apology is still due."

Thus, a major issue was reduced to a minor one, and a minor one to nothing at all. Once again, he would be able to sit securely in Jingxiang.

---

In the Governor's Mansion at Chengdu:

Zhaowei, the Central Diligence General, felt a slight sense of strangeness. Wang Shang, the Assistant Officer who had never previously sought to interact with him, was actually inviting him to a meeting today.

Although both were natives of Yizhou and had served under the former Governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan, the two men had rarely crossed paths and generally maintained little communication.

Regarding official military affairs, Wang Shang, who remained behind to guard Chengdu, usually consulted only with Colonel Yang Huai and Military Protector Dong He, seldom discussing such matters with him.

"General Zhao, some news arrived from Baishui Pass last night." As the host of the gathering, Wang Shang was the first to broach the main subject.

"It concerns Colonels Pang and Li. Because the two of them long served under your command, I have invited you here to discuss it."

Hearing this, Zhao Wei seized upon the key phrases: news from Baishui Pass, concerning Pang Le and Li Yi. Suppressing the joy rising in his chest, he maintained an expressionless composure and asked, "Could it be that Commandant Zhang has agreed to let the two men enter Yangping Pass and garrison Hancheng?"

While harboring this delight, he also felt a trace of doubt. If Pang Le and Li Yi had garrisoned Hancheng, they should have notified him at the very first moment, rather than having him learn the news here at the Governor's Mansion.

"Could something have changed?" He quickly banished the thought, reasoning that Zhang Lu's mother was still held in Chengdu, so Zhang Lu would never dare to act rashly.

"Not at all." Wang Shang's expression turned somewhat heavy as he explained the situation to Zhao Wei: "Routed soldiers from under the command of Colonels Pang and Li have fled back to Baishui Pass."

"They report that Zhang Lu mobilized his forces to launch an attack, bolstered by the Cong tribesmen. Colonels Pang and Li were unable to withstand the assault; Colonel Pang was killed on the spot, and the whereabouts of Colonel Li remain unknown."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wei's expression instantly froze in blank shock. That rice thief Zhang Lu—was he willing to abandon even his own mother? How dared he mobilize an army to attack Pang Le and Li Yi, who had been dispatched by Chengdu?

"This is impossible." He found it hard to credit the news spoken by Wang Shang. How could this be? Zhang Lu must have been exceptionally ruthless, disregarding his mother trapped in Chengdu, solely to seize Hancheng and carve out an independent domain.

The dispatch of Pang Le and Li Yi to relieve the garrison at Hancheng should have proceeded smoothly; Hancheng ought to have been firmly in his grasp.

Seeing Zhao Wei's suspicious and somewhat dazed expression, Wang Shang cleared his throat and offered words of comfort: "General Zhao, although routed soldiers have brought this report, the actual truth—whether Colonels Pang and Li are alive or dead—remains unknown for now and requires men to be sent to investigate."

"Please set your mind at ease. As soon as there is news, I shall inform you."