In the fourth year of Jian'an, on the fifth day of the first month, Wancheng.
Inside the county governor's office, Zhang Xiu was solemnly discussing matters with Jia Xu.
Nanyang County originally had 36 counties under its jurisdiction, with the county seat being Wancheng, where Zhang Xiu was currently stationed.
During Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu's reign, eleven of the 28 generals from the Yun Tai group hailed from Nanyang, which led to Nanyang being known as "Southern Capital" or "Emperor's Hometown" in the early Han Dynasty.
At its peak, Nanyang had over 520,000 households, with a population nearing 2.5 million! However, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the subsequent chaos from warring warlords, Nanyang was severely impacted. Its population was decimated, and the region lost its former prosperity.
In the first year of Jian'an, Zhang Ji led a large army to raid Jingzhou, but was killed in the process. His remaining forces were then taken over by his nephew, Zhang Xiu. After Zhang Ji's death, Liu Biao, the ruler of Jingzhou, had many come to congratulate him, but he refused to accept congratulations, stating that Zhang Ji had been a powerful figure, and his death was not something he wished to see.
After Zhang Ji's death, Liu Biao made constant efforts to court Zhang Xiu, who, lacking food supplies, eventually yielded and swore allegiance to Liu Biao. This alliance, though presented as mutual support, was more of a transaction: Liu Biao provided Zhang Xiu with provisions and weapons in exchange for Zhang Xiu's military efforts to block Cao Cao's advance from the south.
To prevent Zhang Xiu from becoming too powerful in Wancheng, Liu Biao carved out several counties from Nanyang and established Changling County, which was governed by Liu Biao's confidant, Kuai Yue.
The relationship between Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu was built on mutual utility, not loyalty. In the second year of Jian'an, when Cao Cao marched south, Zhang Xiu quickly surrendered to him. However, after Cao Cao's successful conquest of Zhang Xiu, he overstepped and tried to make Zhang Ji's widow his concubine, enraging Zhang Xiu. This led to Zhang Xiu's rebellion and a surprise attack, which resulted in the deaths of Cao Cao's son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and the fierce general Dian Wei, who were all killed by Zhang Xiu's forces.
This betrayal fueled Cao Cao's hatred for Zhang Xiu, and in the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao once again led an army south to attack Zhang Xiu. While Cao Cao defeated Zhang Xiu's and Liu Biao's combined forces, he was unable to take the strategic city of Wancheng and had to retreat. Only when Cao Cao went to Xu Province to confront Lü Bu was Zhang Xiu able to temporarily stabilize his situation.
Unexpectedly, Lü Bu did not die as expected but was instead sent to Nanyang by Liu Biao.
"Master, what do you think Liu Biao's intention is by sending Lü Bu to Nanyang?" Zhang Xiu asked with concern. "Could it be that he plans to use Lü Bu to completely annex us?"
Jia Xu shook his head. "General, don't worry. The most likely reason Liu Biao has sent Lü Bu to Nanyang is that he wants to use him to deal with Cao Cao. He certainly wouldn't allow Lü Bu to annex our forces."
"Lü Bu is far harder to control than you, General," Jia Xu continued. "If Lü Bu were allowed to annex Zhang Xiu and then take over the entire Nanyang region, with Lü Bu's ambitions, he would inevitably try to seize the whole of Jingzhou!"
Although Zhang Xiu was also difficult to control, he didn't possess Lü Bu's grand ambitions. Most importantly, Zhang Xiu had killed Cao Cao's son, Cao Ang, Cao Anmin, and the fierce general Dian Wei! Because of this, Zhang Xiu could never be reconciled with Cao Cao, which made Liu Biao unlikely to harm him now.
Zhang Xiu frowned. "Lü Bu is a man with wild ambitions. He first sided with Ding Yuan, then killed him. Later, he allied with Dong Zhuo, only to kill him again!"
"Even though he has great enmity with Cao Cao, how could Liu Biao be so reckless as to accept him?"
"Moreover, during the Battle of Chang'an, we fought Lü Bu several times. Now, Liu Biao is sending him to Nanyang. Doesn't he fear that Lü Bu might clash with us and endanger the entire Nanyang situation?"
Jia Xu smiled. "Although Lü Bu is unpredictable, he is undoubtedly one of the great heroes of this world. Liu Biao is accepting him because he wants to use Lü Bu against Cao Cao."
"As for the issues with Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, as long as Lü Bu isn't sent to Xiangyang, Liu Biao has no reason to fear!"
"Furthermore, after Lü Bu's defeat in Xu Province, his forces are down to just around 3,000 men. With such a small force, how could he possibly threaten our army?"
Zhang Xiu pondered for a moment. "So, Liu Biao's main goal in sending Lü Bu to Nanyang is to have him help us fight Cao Cao?"
Jia Xu nodded. "Exactly. However, Liu Biao may also have the intention of keeping a watch on you. After all, you've previously surrendered to Cao Cao. Liu Biao can't fully trust you."
"By sending Lü Bu to Nanyang, he's placing a thorn in your side. If you ever think about surrendering to Cao Cao again, Lü Bu will certainly block you. As long as Lü Bu can delay you, Liu Biao will have time to gather his forces and strike at you."
"On the other hand, if Lü Bu causes any trouble in Xinye, with our forces in the north and Liu Biao's in the south, we could trap Lü Bu between us."
Zhang Xiu sneered. "Liu Biao is really calculating! But do you really think Lü Bu will be so obedient?"
Jia Xu replied, "Liu Biao controls seven out of the eight counties of Jingzhou! Even if Lü Bu wants to rebel, he won't be able to disrupt the entire situation in Jingzhou."
"Thus, Lü Bu's arrival in Nanyang means that he will either serve Liu Biao loyally or rebel and be killed."
"There are no other options."
Jia Xu, being skilled in concealment, chose not to say too much. In his view, Lü Bu still had some chances. If Lü Bu could use Jingzhou as a springboard to develop in Jingnan and eventually take over Jingzhou or invade Shu, it might lead to great success.
However, Zhang Xiu was a local lord without much authority. Jia Xu had already made up his mind to persuade him to surrender to Cao Cao again. There was no point in elaborating on these possibilities now.
Zhang Xiu nodded. "In that case, we will wait for Lü Bu to arrive in Nanyang."
On the tenth day of the first month, Xinye.
After several days of long-distance travel, Lü Bu finally met with Chen Gong in Xinye. Upon seeing the walls of Xinye not far ahead, Lü Bu couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions!
On one hand, starting today, he finally had a place to settle, no longer worrying about being chased by Cao Cao one day and wiped out by Liu Biao the next.
On the other hand, if he remembered correctly, Liu Bei had also been arranged in Xinye when he came to Liu Biao's side. Could this place hold some special significance for Liu Biao?