Cai Mao was somewhat dazed. Even by the time he returned to Jiangling, he had yet to recover his senses.
Qin Tian wanted to take the city and asked him to serve as an inside man for this battle. It was a troublesome matter.
Just as he had said, his family was currently in Xiangyang, so he could not act openly.
Even if he were to lose the city, he had to lose it skillfully—completing the task while leaving no trace.
Moreover, this had to be done swiftly. He had to settle the city's defenses before Qin Tian made his move.
As he pondered these matters, by the time he returned to Jiangling, dusk had already fallen.
Summer had not yet arrived, and the nights were long while the days were short. At dusk, it had only just entered the first watch.
Upon returning home, Cai Mao did nothing else but order his servants to bring wine and food, filling his stomach first.
After two catties of wine went down his throat, not only did he not grow drunk, he instead felt increasingly clear-headed. He could not help considering the current situation.
Indeed, Liu Bei taking control of Jing Province was now a foregone conclusion. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Liu Bei would most likely occupy all of Jing Province.
Under such circumstances, establishing ties with Liu Bei's army as early as possible would be immensely beneficial to the Cai Clan.
Thus, in theory, there was nothing wrong with agreeing to Qin Tian's request for assistance.
Yet he always felt that something about it was amiss—at the very least, it was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
For his aid to Qin Tian now was not as simple as the Huang Clan submitting to Liu Bei.
When the Huang