Seeing Liu Bei hesitate, Yi Ji said, "My lord knows the general is short on provisions, so he had some emergency supplies prepared. They should arrive shortly."
Liu Bei shook his head. "I'm not worried about a shortage of provisions. I just don't understand something. First, Prefect Huang is stationed in Jiangxia. Second, General Cai has a large force in Xiangyang. Why would the prefect order me to put down the rebellion? Xinye is short on soldiers and officers as it is."
Yi Ji explained, "Jing Province has a grudge against the Sun Clan of Jiangdong. Sun Ce was assassinated and died last year, and since Sun Quan took charge of Jiangdong, he has been drilling his troops and stockpiling provisions. General Huang fears he'll come seeking revenge, so he's stationed a large force at Xiakou to defend it. He has no time to deal with Zhang Wu and Chen Sun's rebellion in Anlu."
"What about General Cai?"
"Degui came down with a chill yesterday and is bedridden, so he can't take command of the campaign. Xinye isn't far from Anlu, and Zhang Wu and Chen Sun have only three or four thousand men, so my lord thought of Lord Liu." Yi Ji said.
Liu Bei more or less understood. Cai Mao had probably come down with a chill because of the drinking party where they'd tried to force him to take the throne. Had the fellow caught a chill from drinking? Liu Bei promptly agreed to the matter, saying he would set out as soon as possible.
When Liu Bei had first arrived in Jing Province, he had only a few hundred men. With the three thousand Liu Biao had assigned him and the local volunteers he had recruited over the past six months, he still had fewer than