Calm down, My Lord.

Nanyang Commandery was already in absolute chaos.

Things remained remarkably peaceful down in Jiaozhou.

Inside the main camp of Liu Bei's army:

"Shaojie, can we advance now?" Mi Fang had found himself placing immense value on Zhao Shaojie, as Liu Bei held the young man in such high regard. Accustomed to consulting Zhao Shaojie on every matter, Mi Fang now relied on him even more heavily.

At this moment, they had arrived at the border region between Jiaozhou and Jingzhou.

Zhao Shaojie shook his head. "We must wait a little longer—wait until the news of Liu Cong's surrender spreads far and wide!"

Hearing this, Mi Fang complained, "This must be our lord's idea. Our lord is good at everything, but sometimes he is simply too bound by archaic principles!"

Zhao Shaojie gave Mi Fang a surprised look, thinking to himself that a businessman like him ought to know the vital importance of credibility.

Liu Bei could indeed launch a surprise attack on Liu Cong right now, but doing so would bankrupt his reputation, making future surprise attacks much more difficult. Yizhou, on the other hand, was the ideal place to spend one's reputation.

"Ah, it is not mere stubbornness, but rather a pursuit of a greater goal," Zhao Shaojie said without offering a detailed explanation, before abruptly shifting the topic. "Shiren, Hao Pu only arrived today, so there is no need for haste. Let us give them a few days to rest and reorganize before we march north."

Thinking it over, Mi Fang nodded in agreement.

Zhao Shaojie, however, let out a sigh.

This trip to Jiaozhou had been an overwhelming success for Liu Bei. He had secured three commanderies to the south and was now able to lead an army of twenty thousand north to provide reinforcements.

For Zhao Shaojie himself, however, the outcome was far less pretty.

He had finally reached Panyu, a place he had yearned for, but his grand endeavor to launch large-scale industrial production had essentially failed.

As for gunpowder, he knew the formula—one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal. Yet, after he finally managed to gather the materials, it lacked any explosive power whatsoever, falling short even of the standards for a firework.

All these setbacks plunged Zhao Shaojie into a profound state of self-doubt.

***

While Zhao Shaojie and the others waited and watched in Jiaozhou, Liu Qi and Zhang Fei had already set out.

Leading a force of several thousand men, the two of them hurried straight from Xiakou toward Jiangling.

When Liu Bei's swift vessel arrived in Jiangling and the situation was explained, Liu Qi was so enraged that his eyes turned bloodshot.

Not long ago, he had even traveled back to Xiangyang hoping to see Liu Biao, only to be blocked by those two scoundrels, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, who were terrified that Liu Biao might suddenly change his mind and truly hand over the lordship of Jingzhou to him.

And now? Liu Biao had just passed away, and Liu Cong had been coerced by the officials into surrendering to Cao Cao.

This was the very foundation established by their Liu family!

The two men arrived in Jiangling within days, pushing aside their fatigue and heading straight into the city the moment they disembarked.

To deny the opposing side any time to react, Liu Qi used his cavalry to press toward the city immediately upon landing—not necessarily to lay siege, but simply to reach Jiangling as swiftly as possible.

Time slipped away quickly, and soon Liu Qi stood before the gates of Jiangling.

When the guards moved to bar his way, Liu Qi cursed furiously, "Do you fools not know who I am?"

Recognizing Liu Qi, the leader of the guards instantly lost his nerve and dared not stop him.

Instead of entering the city proper, Liu Qi stationed himself right at the city gate, waiting for Zhang Fei to arrive with the main army.

Before Zhang Fei caught up, however, the Administrator of Nanyang, the Master of 主簿, and various other officials rushed to the scene.

"May I ask what the Eldest Young Lord intends to do?" the Administrator of Nanyang asked cautiously.

With bloodshot eyes, Liu Qi shouted loudly, "My honored father has passed away, and Liu Cong has succeeded him. Now Liu Cong has surrendered to Cao Cao—what is the meaning of this behavior from all of you?"

Jiangling was still some distance from Xiangyang, so these officials had yet to learn of everything that had transpired there, leaving each of them utterly dumbfounded.

"Could the Eldest Young Lord be jesting?" someone tentatively inquired.

Flying into a rage, Liu Qi lashed out with a kick, cursing, "You utter fool, would I joke about such a matter? My father is dead, and you think I jest? Jingzhou has surrendered, and you think I jest?"

The man tumbled to the ground, rolling over once, and dared not speak another word.

The others stood trembling, too terrified to respond.

Just then, the rumbling of an approaching army was heard as Zhang Fei led the rear guard to the outer walls.

"Fan Jiang, guard this gate and ensure no one seizes it!" Zhang Fei immediately instructed his subordinate officer.

Fan Jiang acknowledged the order: "Understood!"

Seeing that Zhang Fei had arrived, Liu Qi turned his attention back to the officials of Jiangling: "Take me to the government granaries and armories!"

The Administrator of Nanyang anxiously asked, "What does the Eldest Young Lord want with the treasury?"

"The Cao rebel is coming, and I am going to fight him! How can I hope to do so without weapons and grain?" Liu Qi glared at the man with a vicious expression, looking as though he might devour him alive. "Do you mean to stop me? If you dare to stand in my way, I will kill you this very instant!"

The Administrator of Nanyang was thrown into complete panic.

The news was too shocking, too sudden; he had yet to figure out where his loyalties lay.

Was he under Liu Biao's command? Liu Biao was dead.

Was he under Liu Cong's command? Liu Cong had surrendered to Cao Cao.

Was he under Cao Cao's command? Cao Cao was nowhere to be seen.

The others felt much the same way. Furthermore, people of this era placed a heavy value on their personal honor; it was impossible for them to willingly risk their lives for Cao Cao without even catching a glimpse of him first, lest the reputation for sycophancy cling to them for the rest of their days.

Seeing that Liu Qi had frightened the officials of Nanyang out of their wits, Zhang Fei quickly intervened: "I am Zhang Fei, a Colonel under Governor Liu of Jiaozhou. My lord has stated that since Liu Cong has surrendered to Cao Cao while the Eldest Young Lord resists him, taking a share of Jingzhou's supplies is nothing less than what the Eldest Young Lord is rightfully entitled to do."

"We are not here to seize territory, only to take the supplies. None of you are to obstruct us."

Upon hearing this, the Administrator of Nanyang thought it over: that seemed acceptable. By not occupying the territory, he could still claim credit for surrendering the land later, and while the loss of supplies was a flaw, who could blame him when Liu Qi and Zhang Fei had brought such a massive force, and Cao Cao had not yet reached Jiangling? He was still deliberating when—

*Bang!* Liu Qi struck him with another kick, cursing, "You are still hesitating? Do you mean to force me to draw my sword?"

The Administrator of Nanyang hastily replied, "Please, Eldest Young Lord, right this way to the treasury!"

The officials hurried to lead the way.

Liu Qi and Zhang Fei immediately set about moving the supplies from the granaries and armories.

While loading the goods, the two men made full use of their time to spread the news that Liu Biao was dead, Liu Cong had surrendered, and Cao Cao was marching south. Anyone willing to resist Cao was welcome to travel to Jiangxia or southward into Jingnan.

In the wake of Nanyang Commandery, Nanyang (Jiangling) was also plunged into absolute chaos.

Several days later:

Liu Qi and Zhang Fei returned triumphantly with boats fully laden, carrying countless supplies and a multitude of people who chose to follow them.

The vessels they had brought were insufficient, prompting them to requisition many more on the spot.

***

When Liu Qi finally returned to Xiakou,

he was greeted by the official seal of the Marquis of Chengwu, which Liu Cong had sent messengers to deliver.

This drove Liu Qi to absolute fury.

"That scoundrel Liu Cong, you humiliate me beyond endurance!" Once again driven mad by rage, Liu Qi fumed: you have become the Governor of Jingzhou, yet you send me a mere marquis's seal—what good is this supposed to do?

In this chaotic era, territory, population, and official posts with administrative power were the true foundations. What earthly use was an empty title of nobility?

"Yide, marshal our troops! I am going to attack Xiangyang!" Liu Qi looked at Zhang Fei with the wild look of a madman.

Zhang Fei awkwardly soothed him, "Calm your anger, Eldest Young Lord, calm your anger!"

"Calm my anger? How can I calm my anger... He sends nothing more than a marquis's seal, yet he didn't even bother to notify me beforehand that he had already surrendered..." Liu Qi burst into bitter tears as he spoke.

His father had never thought highly of him, and his younger brother treated him like a fool.

Although Liu Cong may not have been intentionally mocking him—perhaps genuinely believing that since he had become the Governor, his elder brother could become a marquis, acting out of youthful foolishness surrounded by traitors who saw his naivety and chose not to advise him otherwise—Liu Qi, who had learned of the surrender far earlier than he did in history, was consumed by a far greater rage. The delivery of the marquis's seal was the first layer of humiliation, and failing to inform him of the surrender beforehand was the second.

It was as if a worthless, broken seal could somehow appease him.