Chapter 99: Zhou Gongjin is angry and Zhuge Liang loses his dignity! A fierce battle between Yu and Liang!
Chapter 099: Zhou Gongjin is furious, Zhuge Liang loses his dignity! A fierce battle between Yu and Liang!
Jiangdong, inn.

"My lord, I went to the residence of Marquis Wu today, but just like in the past, I did not see Marquis Wu as usual." A servant bowed and reported to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei waved his hand in annoyance: "Got it, go down."

The servant withdrew.

"Alas..." After a long while, Liu Xuande sighed, his face full of worry: "The Marquis of Wu has been claiming to be ill until now, I don't know when he will be able to meet with us."

Since the day Sun Quan fell into the water, he has been claiming to be sick and has not gone out. Liu Bei sent people to visit him every day to ask for a meeting.

However, the Wu Marquis's mansion always refused to see Liu Bei, saying that Sun Quan was not fully recovered from his illness and could not see guests.

As this went on, Liu Bei and his entourage had been left alone in this inn for quite some time.

It would be fine to leave it alone, but the key point is that Liu Bei came here to make the Marquis of Wu disagree with the marriage between Liu Wu and Sun Shangxiang. But until today, Uncle Liu has not had the chance to say this.

"I'm afraid this Wu Hou is suffering from a heart disease." Zhuge Liang sat behind his desk, waving his feather fan gently. "The eldest son is entrenched in Jiangbei, and he has occupied Xiling and Hefei, which are key areas to Jiangdong. Jiangdong must have secretly regarded the eldest son as a powerful enemy."

"It is even possible that Marquis Wu is secretly plotting against the eldest son."

"But at this time, the Marquis of Wu suddenly learned that Liu Zilie was actually the eldest son of the lord. He must have been very upset. From my point of view..."

Kong Ming's feather fan slowly stopped swinging. "During these days, the Marquis Wu may not be recuperating from his illness. It is more likely that he is discussing with his civil and military officials day and night on how to deal with the current changes."

There was silence in the hall and Liu Bei remained silent.

He knew that what Kong Ming said was most likely the truth.

Liu Wu stretched across the north of the Yangtze River, holding Xiling, the gateway to Jiangdong, in one hand, and Hefei, an important place heading north to the Central Plains from Jiangbei, in the other hand. He also controlled Jiangling City, the key to the passage into Shu. It is absolutely impossible to say that Jiangdong had no private plans against Liu Wu.

Now that Jiangdong suddenly knew that Liu Wu was actually Liu Xuande's eldest son, they must have been caught off guard. How could they not be full of doubts...

"Lord!"

At this moment, the servant who had just left rushed in: "Someone suddenly came to Wu Hou's mansion, saying that Wu Hou's condition has improved, and invited the master to come to the mansion for a chat!"

Not long ago, Sun Quan was still claiming to be ill, but in the blink of an eye, his condition improved?

Liu Bei was still in a daze when Zhuge Liang suddenly stood up and said with a serious look, "My lord, I think the civil and military officials of Jiangdong have already discussed the result."

Liu Bei suddenly woke up: "Yes, it must be so...Hurry up and prepare the car! Go to Wuhou Mansion!"

In a moment,

A carriage drove out of the inn in a hurry and headed straight towards the Wuhou Mansion...

……

Wu Hou Mansion, inside the main hall.

In the center of the hall, precious incense curls up from the copper furnace.

Behind two rows of desks on the side of the hall, the twelve generals of Jiangdong, Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci, Lu Su and others arrived.

Tap tap tap~
Two footsteps were heard from outside the hall, approaching from far away.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang stepped into the hall and bowed to Sun Quan: "How is your health, Lord Wu?"

"Ahem..." Sun Quan coughed twice dryly: "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Liu and Mr. Zhuge. Fortunately, I am fine. I have not been able to see guests these days due to my illness. I hope you can forgive me..."

"Please take a seat."

Liu Xuande and Kong Ming took their seats.

Sun Quan didn't waste any words: "Today, I invited Uncle Liu and Mr. Zhuge to come to my house because of Liu Zilie's identity. It concerns the Sun-Liu alliance and the situation on both sides of the Yangtze River. We must be cautious."

"My Jiangdong generals are very suspicious of the claim that Liu Zilie is Liu Wu..."

Sun Quan raised his hand and pointed into the hall: "My old acquaintance Liu Zilie and my old friend from Shenting Ridge are both here. I would like to ask Uncle Liu to help you generals solve your doubts."

Jiangdong still doesn’t believe that Liu Zilie is Liu Wu?

There was a flash of surprise in Liu Bei and Kong Ming's eyes. They didn't expect that Sun Quan would call them and he was still entangled in this matter.

wow~
The veteran Huang Gai stood up first. He couldn't help but say, "Uncle Liu, this is absolutely impossible! On Shenting Ridge, Liu Zilie alone defeated the twelve generals of Jiangdong!"

"Recently, he has seized Xiling, captured Cao Cao, and ceded more than 30 counties from Cao, becoming a local lord! How magnificent..."

"Although Liu Wu is the eldest son of Emperor Liu, we have hardly heard of his name in these years. If Liu Wu is Liu Zilie, how could he be so unknown in these years if he has such ability?!"

Liu Zilie is Liu Wu, the eldest son of Liu Bei?

How can this be? !
Not long ago, when the generals of Shentingling heard the news, it was like a thunderbolt exploded above their heads, and they were all dumbfounded!

When they reacted, they all thought it was ridiculous.

Apart from other things, if Liu Xuande really had a son named Liu Zilie, with Liu Zilie's ability, why did Liu Xuande have to hide from Cao Cao for so many years? Why did Liu Xuande have to hide from Cao Cao for so many years?

Now, Liu Bei said that Liu Zilie was his son?
It's ridiculous, really ridiculous!
As Old Huang Gai finished speaking, all the generals in the palace responded:

"Yes, that's exactly the point!"

"People like Liu Zilie can't hide it even if they want to. If Emperor Liu has such a son, how could the world not know about it?"

"We have been on the battlefield for a long time. Although we have not fought against all the famous generals in the world, we have heard of many of them. However, we have never heard of Liu Wu's name on the battlefield."

"The so-called Liu Zilie is Liu Wu, there is absolutely no possibility!"

"Uncle Liu, if you had this son, Cao Mengde would have been beaten to a bloody pulp by you before the Battle of Red Cliffs!"

"If Liu Zilie is Liu Wu, he should be in Jingnan. Why would he come to Xiling in Jiangbei?"

"..."

For a moment, the mood in the hall was turbulent.

Liu Xuande, who was sitting behind the desk, opened his mouth but could only remain silent. What could he say?
He said that he forced the eldest son to leave in order to make the youngest son the crown prince? !

He forced this man who had defeated Cao's army of nearly 100,000 men to leave, captured Cao Mengde alive, and finally cut off from Cao Mengde a unicorn child whose territory was hundreds of miles long and nearly a thousand miles wide? !
Or,
Over the years, he deliberately concealed Liu Wu's achievements, deliberately prevented Liu Wu from showing up in front of the world, and deliberately let the world not know that he had such an eldest son? ! !

"General Huang, you don't know!" Amidst the doubts, Zhuge Liang stood in front of Liu Bei and said, "The eldest son Liu Wu is indeed brave and talented..."

"The reason why he has never been known to the world in these years is because Liu Wu has been secretly giving advice and serving my master."

"It's just like the previous marriage between Sun and Liu..."

Zhuge Liang talked about the marriage of Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang: "At that time, Jiangdong wanted to ask Liu Huangshu to cross the river to marry the princess, but it was the eldest son who insisted that the princess go to Gong'an to marry Liu Huangshu."

"Then, Jiangdong sent the princess across the river. This was Liu Wu's plan!"

"For example, the key to the alliance between Sun and Liu was the march of Cao Cao's army southward to Jingxiang... Zi Jing!" At this point, Zhuge Liang suddenly looked at Lu Su.

"Zi Jing, do you still remember that when Cao Mengde's army first marched south to capture Jingxiang, someone informed Zi Jing at night before the Jiangdong scouts got the news?"

Lu Su was startled, his thoughts swirling, and he seemed to see the scene of that night again...

At that time,

He had just returned by boat after inspecting the Eastern Wu navy on the orders of the Marquis of Wu.

It was already dark.
A small boat stopped in front of his boat on the river. The young man in the boat revealed a piece of news that shook Jiangdong. Cao Mengde's army had reached Xiangfan, and Liu Bei was forced to go south to Jiangxia...

"Yes, it did happen." Lu Zijing woke up from his memories.

Zhuge Liang: "The man who stopped Zijing from boarding the boat on the river that night was Liu Wu! I wonder if Mr. Zijing still remembers the appearance of the man who delivered the letter?"

That person is Liu Wu? !
Lu Su was stunned. He subconsciously recalled the man's appearance... After a moment,
He shook his head. "That night, the person who informed me of the military situation in Jingxiang on the river was indeed a young man. Unfortunately, it was too dark, so I could only vaguely see the outline of his face, but not very clearly."

Zhuge Liang seemed to have been prepared...

He took out a scroll from his sleeves and unfolded it. A silk portrait immediately attracted everyone's attention. The portrait was of a young man.

"Generals!" Zhuge Liang stood in the middle of the hall and showed the painting in his hand to the generals present: "The person in the painting is the eldest son of Emperor Liu. Is the Liu Zilie you are talking about this person?"

Portrait of Liu Wu?
Wow! ~
Instantly, the twelve generals stood up from their seats and surrounded Zhuge Liang and the silk scroll, their eyes fixed on the portrait...

The people in the painting, they are so familiar!
Vigorous and handsome...

Just like it was on Shenting Ridge back then.

It’s like the city of Xiling in Jiangbei!
"Yes! It's him!"

"A few days ago, we went to Xiling City to ask Liu Zilie for the princess and others, and then we met him. There's no doubt about it!"

"Liu Zilie, this is Liu Zilie!"

"Is this Liu Wu really Liu Zilie?"

The Jiangdong generals present recognized the person in the painting almost at first sight.

Only the veteran Huang Gai remained silent, with an unpleasant look on his face. Just now he had questioned the relationship between Liu Wu and Liu Zilie, but now...

Looking at the familiar face in the portrait in front of him, he fell silent.

That is Liu Zilie. Huang Gongfu can't just lie with his eyes open.

"Zi Jing!" Zhuge Liang walked quickly to Lu Su's desk and said, "Look at the person in this painting. Is he the one who passed the message to you that night?"

Lu Su looked at the face of the person in the painting.

In my mind, this face slowly overlapped with the facial outline of the young man that night!
There is no difference between the two.

"It's him!" Lu Su blurted out, "The young man who delivered the message on the river that night was him!"

After saying this, Lu Zijing suddenly came to his senses. Zhuge Liang had said before that the person in the painting was Liu Wu, and the generals had also said that the person in the painting was Liu Zilie.

Doesn't that mean...

Is Liu Zilie really Liu Wu? !

A huge wave of emotion surged in Lu Su's heart, and he felt dazed.

He never expected that the Sun-Liu alliance that he, Lu Zijing, thought he had worked so hard to bring about, was actually secretly guided by Liu Wu?!
At this moment, all the generals were silent.

At this point, there seems to be no doubt that Liu Zilie is Liu Wu, the eldest son of Emperor Liu.

But they still couldn't figure it out.
Liu Wu was such a great hero, why did he leave his uncle Liu Huang?
and……

All the generals in Jiangdong looked at Liu Bei with strange expressions.

Liu Zilie has become a local lord, but this Emperor Uncle Liu only came to Jiangdong a few days ago to reveal Liu Zilie's identity. It is impossible that his father only found out recently that Liu Zilie is his eldest son, right?
"What nonsense!"

Zhou Gongjin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up from behind the desk, his face ashen.

If Liu Zilie is really Liu Xuande's eldest son...

Then what about the plan I had made with Marquis Wu before? !

He also wrote a letter to Liu Zilie, inviting him to join forces to capture Liu Bei's four counties in southern Jing!

Jiangdong even planned to backstab the weaker of Liu Wu and Liu Bei...

If these two Lius are really father and son, and if one day they resolve their past grievances, who can guarantee that they will not communicate with each other secretly? I am afraid that all the plans of Jiangdong will no longer be secrets in front of them!

By then, if the father and son join forces to deal with Jiangdong, I am afraid that Jiangdong will become the biggest joke in the world!

Zhou Gongjin and the Marquis of Wu failed to plot against the tiger, and ended up being plotted against by the tiger. Wouldn't the two of them, the king and his minister, become the laughing stock of future generations in the history books for eternity? !

Tap tap tap! ~
Zhou Gongjin angrily strode towards Zhuge Liang and snatched the silk scroll from his hand...

Stab! ~
In an instant, the silk scroll depicting Liu Wu was torn into pieces by Zhou Yu!

"Zhuge, you country bumpkin!" Zhou Yu stared at Zhuge Liang, wishing he could pick someone to eat: "You have no evidence at all, just holding a painting, and you say that Liu Zilie is your master's biological son. Isn't that ridiculous?!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Yu suddenly turned around, looked at Liu Bei and sneered: "Uncle Liu, you said Liu Zilie is your eldest son, but I don't know if Liu Zilie recognizes you as his father?"

"I heard that in the court of Xuchang, Cao Mengde called Liu Zilie his adopted son?"

"In the court of Xuchang, in front of the Han officials and the emperor, he kept calling me 'my son Lie'..."

"If that's the case, then Liu Zilie's surname should be Cao!!"

"Mr. Zhou! You are making far-fetched arguments!" Zhuge Liang was so angry that the feather fan in his hand was shaking. His shoulders were still stained with fragments of the silk painting torn by Zhou Yu.

"This is the main hall of Jiangdong where military and political affairs are discussed. This is not a busy street. How can you be so rampant? You..."

anger,

Kong Ming's jade-like face turned red: "How rude! How out of control! How out of mind!"

"Go down, hurry up and go down!"

"Ridiculous! I am the Grand Commander of Jiangdong! Is there no room for me in this Jiangdong Council Hall?" Zhou Gongjin was also furious, and said arrogantly: "If anyone is going to leave, it should be an outsider like you!"

"Zhou Gongjin, you..."

boom! ~
Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the main seat.

Everyone turned around in a hurry, only to see the Marquis of Wu standing there with a sword in his hand. He smashed the table in front of him with one blow of his sword.

"This is the center of Jiangdong!" Sun Quan's face was gloomy. The Jiangdong Lord's meeting hall had turned into a market. He really couldn't stand it: "You are all outstanding people in the area, but you are quarreling and cursing like shrews in the alley. Don't you have any shame?!"

"Don't stop for me!"

The entire hall returned to silence instantly.

Zhou Yu returned to his seat angrily, while Zhuge Liang remained silent with a cold face.

The twelve generals of Jiangdong remained silent.

"Generals..." Uncle Liu, who had been silent for a long time, said in a deep voice in the hall: "You have all seen Liu Zilie."

Liu Xuande's eyes swept across the twelve generals of Jiangdong present.

He gritted his teeth and pointed at his face: "Generals, please come forward and take a look. Liu Bei's face is somewhat similar to that of Liu Zilie. Can't you recognize him?!"

The generals were stunned, and they subconsciously looked at Liu Bei's face.

They recalled Liu Zilie's face in their minds...

The generals' expressions gradually became strange.
It would be fine if I didn't look at it, but the more I looked at it, the more this ordinary face of Emperor Liu looked like Liu Zilie's. This was really...

Now,

Everyone in the hall was in a state of confusion.

The Twelve Generals of Jiangdong, Taishi Ci and others all looked at each other in silence, and could only lower their heads in silence...

(End of this chapter)