Volume 3: The Land of Jingchu Chapter 368 Entering Xiangyang
When they found out that the army of the General's Mansion was heading towards Xiangyang, some of the defending generals became nervous, but the previous "all the envoys knew about it" made them feel at a loss...
Moreover, the defenders at the west gate were obviously in a different situation. They had been occupying the city gate tightly.
Even if some generals who came from the aristocratic families of Nanjun wanted to directly order an attack, they also had to consider the morale and execution of their soldiers at that time.
Therefore, most generals thought of waiting for orders from "above".
However, the entire Jingzhou Prefecture was now under a state where people were not allowed to leave but to enter, so how could they issue orders to the outside world?
If the 20,000 soldiers stationed in the east of the city, who were the sons of the Nanjun gentry and who had been carefully trained, were there, especially if they were led by Wen Pin, they might have had a chance to launch a counterattack on their own, but... they were now being held on the other side of Xiangyang!
Finally, in an awkward and cold atmosphere, the army of the General's Mansion entered directly from the west gate and quickly occupied the city wall. Countless people surrendered without a fight.
By the time Wen Pin received the news and threatened the defenders of the East Gate to open the gate, most of the city wall had been controlled by the General's Mansion. Even Bai Tu had entered the inner city with a group of soldiers and completely controlled the situation!
Seeing this, Wen Pin also realized that there was nothing he could do to save the situation...
Not only was a frontal attack hopeless and would only increase casualties in Xiangyang, but... he no longer knew what he was fighting for.
Because of Liu Qi's death, Wen Pin lacked a favorable impression of the General's Mansion, but Liu Qi was already dead, and now Liu Cong was Liu Biao's only son and legitimate son, and he had also been canonized by the court. It was reasonable and logical that he was the legitimate heir to Jingzhou Prefecture.
However, Liu Cong himself had already surrendered to Jingzhou Prefecture, and most of the Nanjun gentry were controlled in Xiangyang. Under what banner would Wen Pin attack?
Revenge for Master Liu Qi? If he uses this banner at this time, I'm afraid that Wen Pin is the number one traitor in Jingzhou Prefecture!
The Jingzhou army has a strong aristocratic imprint, and the system also deliberately suppresses the personal prestige of the generals. Even if Wen Pin really wants to do this, the soldiers under his command will probably turn against him...
In the end, this city, which was ranked among the top five important cities in the Eastern Han Dynasty in terms of its strong walls and topography, was occupied by the General's Mansion without a single soldier moving!
At the same time, Liu Cong also indirectly announced on behalf of the General's Office that Bai Tu was not without reward, but had been canonized as "King of Chu".
As for the part that Liu Cong hadn't finished reciting, it was no longer important. The effect of "making everyone aware of it" had ended, and the New Year's Day court meeting in Chang'an was filled with embarrassment from the inside out...
Liu Xie seemed to be about to give birth. He took deep breaths again and again on the stage. After a cup of tea, he finally calmed down and said, "That's right. In addition to the six marquises who assisted the Han Dynasty, I also conferred titles on the King of Wei and the King of Chu. I believe that with the protection of Northern Wei and Southern Chu, our Han Dynasty will regain its prosperity... hehe."
Although they laughed wickedly, Liu Ai and others were relieved to see that Liu Xie could still speak human language.
At the same time, in Xiangyang, more than half an hour after the effect of "all envoys know" disappeared, Bai Tu had already personally attended the New Year's Eve banquet of Jingzhou Prefecture.
The Nanjun nobles were completely helpless and most of them accepted the result and stopped struggling...
The soldiers of the General's Mansion cleared the way for Bai Tu to come in. Many of the staff members of the Jingzhou Mansion, including the nobles of Nanjun, took the initiative to bow and greet him, saying, "Greetings, King Chu."
"Hahaha, please stand up, please stand up quickly. Don't worry, the General's Mansion... no, the Chu State will manage Jingzhou well. Both Jingzhou and Nanjun will get better and better, and your needs will be taken into consideration." Bai Tu looked like he was able to enter the city thanks to everyone.
No matter how much they disagreed with Bai Tu's words, at least Bai Tu's performance now made them feel at ease - although it was nonsense, but... it was a good lie!
Just like now, although Cai Mao appeared to be heartbroken when Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue glared at him, he was ultimately much calmer in his heart than other Nanjun gentry, especially the Kuai family.
Cai Shuang's betrayal was something Cai Mao had not expected. If he had noticed it in advance, he would have stopped her. However... since it was done, no matter how much he thought about it, the Cai family was still in a better situation than other Nanjun gentry.
After all, Cai Shuang was born in the Cai family, and the maternal clan of Liu Cong, who nominally "Xianzhou", was also from the Cai family!
Bai Tu deliberately slowed down his pace, moving little by little from the entrance, raising his hands to greet the people on both sides who greeted him with every step, while saying soothing words...
It was the same everywhere - the closer to the door, the less important the guests were, that is, the lower-ranking civil and military officials in Jingzhou Prefecture.
This group of people are also the most likely to accept the white map...
As he walked along, he was also putting invisible pressure on the people in front of him. Bai Tu walked through most of the banquet courtyard. Wherever he passed, the staff of Jingzhou Prefecture were no different from the defenders outside. They all surrendered along the way, as if... he was the one who suggested Liu Cong to surrender the prefecture.
The people from the Cai and Kuai families, who were originally at the front of the banquet and the last ones to come along with Bai Tu, could no longer bear the pressure when Bai Tu approached them.
At the beginning, it was just the pressure brought by Bai Tu, but gradually...the former colleagues who had previously visited Bai Tu and regarded themselves as ministers of Chu were also under pressure from the people behind!
The Cai family, who already had a way out, also paid a visit to Bai Tu under the leadership of Cai Mao.
After Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue looked at each other, they understood the resignation in each other's eyes, and bowed to Bai Tu...
However, the more people were behind, the simpler it was for Bai Tu to appease them. To Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue, Bai Tu simply said, "Don't be so polite, everyone. The governance of Chu in Jingzhou will still require your efforts."
Then, because Cai Shuang had already come down from the main seat with Liu Cong, Bai Tu also went to greet the two of them without saying much to Cai and Kuai.
Compared to the people "in front", Bai Tu did not show too much reliance on these most local and core Nanjun gentry. However... at least he did not intend to settle scores with them later, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Then Cai Shuang ordered people to present to Bai Tu the accounts and lists that had been "printed" long ago by Cheng Ji, as well as the seal of Jingzhou Prefecture, and the surrender letter drafted by Huang Chengyan.
"Madam, rest assured. I am entering the city today not to accept your surrender, but because you and your son understand the righteousness of the cause. I am here to welcome you to join the State of Chu...
This king now appoints Liu Cong as Marquis of Yu, with a fief of 10,000 households, hereditary without change, and the same fate as Chu. I appoint Madam Cai as Madam Zhonglu, with a fief of 5,000 households, and relatives and friends can inherit the title of marquis, hereditary without change, and the same fate as Chu!" Bai Tu announced directly after comforting and clearing the name of Cai Shuang and her son.
Yu and Zhonglu are both names of counties. "County Marquis" only means the local fief, which is completely different from the marquises who were granted the Nine Gifts. But the term "hereditary succession without change" surprised everyone. After all, the concept of "hereditary succession without change" was first mentioned in history during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The titles in the Han Dynasty were all inherited by downgrading.
But the meaning of this word is not difficult to understand...
Cai Shuang's surrender this time not only reduced Bai Tu's losses, but also greatly provided him with reputation and justice. From then on, no one dared to say that Jingzhou was seized by the State of Chu, so Bai Tu was also very generous.
As for whether hereditary succession will become too difficult to break free?
Bai Tu was not worried. After all, what was hereditary was only the "fiefdom", and the Chu State had the final right of interpretation. When grain tax was no longer levied on ordinary farmers in the future, the "fiefdom" would no longer exist. At that time, the Chu State could slowly "explain" what the fiefdom would be exchanged for.
At this time, Cai Mao, who was standing aside, tried even harder to pretend to be aggrieved in the eyes of Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue - Well, Madam Zhonglu? My sister is amazing... Zhonglu County, isn't that the hometown of the Kuai family...
