My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 106 The Grand Historian is Coming
The resounding, unified roar shook the surrounding area.

The sheer force of a mere thousand people soared to the heavens.

"Good, good! Feng'er, you've trained a fine soldier!"

Liu Bei was extremely surprised. Didn't he know the quality of the Danyang soldiers?
He himself took over 4,000 men last year, trained and reorganized them. The biggest problem with the Danyang soldiers was their military discipline; they were lax, undisciplined, and harassed civilians.

He spent a great deal of effort and used various methods to rectify military discipline and assimilate the Danyang soldiers within a few months.

But now, the thousand men in front of Liu Feng can truly be considered to have undergone a complete transformation. In terms of military discipline, they are no less disciplined than the Northern Army he had seen in Luoyang.

It's rather frightening that a mere local county or state soldier possesses the discipline of the Northern Army.

The Northern Army is a professional army, with high salaries and extremely generous benefits.

I have no idea how my son developed such skills.

"I am very pleased and happy for you all for fighting so bravely to protect the people and hometown of Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei quickly regained his composure, said a few official words, and then changed the subject, getting straight to the point: "Pass on my order that Xu Sheng's camp is brave and skilled in battle, capable of charging into strongholds and destroying the enemy's strongholds. They are the elite troops of Xuzhou. Today, I specially bestow wine and meat upon you all, and everyone will have some."

"Thank you for your kind consideration, Fang Bo!"

Liu Feng's troops shouted "Ten thousand victories!" three times, thanking Liu Bei for his reward.

Alcohol is forbidden in the army, and meat is scarce. Today, not only is there wine and meat, but there is also a reward, so everyone is naturally overjoyed.

Despite their jubilation, the ranks remained orderly. The soldiers stood still, though some whispered among themselves, none of them ran amok, demonstrating first-rate military discipline.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and ordered Xu Sheng to lead the troops back to camp to rest. He also had his personal guards take over the prisoners of the Taishan army and sent someone to deliver wine and meat to reward Liu Feng's troops.

Liu Bei returned to the city with Liu Feng and held a celebration.

*************
In Huang County, Donglai Commandery, Qingzhou, at the residence of Taishi Ci.

Taishi Ci was chatting with Zhou Jiao, who had been sent by Liu Bei to recruit him.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes Taishi Ci as coming from a poor family, an orphan and a widow. But in reality, the Taishi family was not a poor family in the area, but a powerful and influential family with vast tracts of land and property.

Taishi Ci himself was both a scholar and a warrior, standing seven feet seven inches tall with a beautiful beard, long arms, and excellent archery skills, never missing a shot. He was a true archer.

He was also skilled in horsemanship, capable of surprise attacks, archery, strategy, and reading classics. He once served as the clerk of the local government and was a true hero and powerful figure of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Such a person could never be raised by a poor family.

Since joining Liu Bei's army to defeat Guan Hai and relieve Kong Rong's siege, Taishi Ci felt he had repaid the debt of gratitude, but Kong Rong did not give him an important position, so he could only return home with regret.

Taishi Ci's rescue of Beihai was partly due to his loyalty and desire to repay Kong Rong for caring for his mother. However, his actions after entering Beihai also revealed his ambition to demonstrate his talents to Kong Rong and gain his favor.

It's no wonder that Taishi Ci was overthinking things. After returning from Liaodong, his mother told him that Kong Rong, the Chancellor of Beihai, had heard of his name and treated him with great respect, finding it quite remarkable. As a result, Kong Rong sent people several times to inquire about Taishi Ci's mother's situation and also presented her with gifts as a token of his appreciation.

This inevitably made Taishi Ci's mind wander. Since Kong Rong treated him with such respect, wouldn't it be possible for him to rise above others if he could demonstrate his talents?
Therefore, after entering Duchang, Taishi Ci asked Kong Rong for several thousand soldiers, which he was willing to lead to defeat the enemy.

The result was naturally a great disappointment to Taishi Ci, as Kong Rong ignored his advice and politely declined his request.

Later, when they broke through the siege and sought help, they brought Liu Bei with them. Kong Rong was thus saved from danger and valued Taishi Ci even more, even praising him, saying, "You are truly my young friend."

But the result?

That was the last time.

Taishi Ci wanted more than just a compliment; he wanted an opportunity.

But Kong Rong refused to give it, and Liu Bei, who wanted to give it, was not qualified.

So Taishi Ci bid farewell to the regretful Kong Rong and the envious Liu Bei, and returned to Donglai.

After returning home, Taishi Ci told his mother what had happened. His mother was extremely disappointed, but could only say tactfully, "I am so glad that you were able to repay Kong Beihai!"

This incident made Taishi Ci even more desperate.

If even someone like Kong Rong, who so highly values ​​him, won't give him a chance, then how can he possibly have a chance to rise in the world?
Thus, Taishi Ci stayed at home for more than a year. Hearing that Liu Yao had already established himself in Jiangdong and was fighting against Yuan Shu, he felt hopeful again and wanted to try his luck with Liu Yao.

Just before he was about to set off when spring was in full bloom and the roads were easier to travel, someone from his family came to recruit him.

Taishi Ci and his mother, Lady Jiao, were both surprised and delighted, thinking that Kong Rong had finally come to his senses.

After some conversation, it was discovered that the person who came to recruit Taishi Ci was not Kong Rong, but Liu Bei, a minor warlord whom Taishi Ci had brought as a savior more than a year ago.

At first, Taishi Ci felt a mixture of resentment, secret joy, and grievance.

The resentment stemmed from the thought that he was only worthy of being valued by such a minor warlord.
Although Liu Bei was the Prefect of Pingyuan and a governor of a county with a salary of two thousand shi, he had no territory. Even Pingyuan County was occupied by Yuan Tan. He could only rely on Gongsun Zan for support and was constantly on the move. How could he be compared to a proper prime minister or a warlord who controlled a thousand miles of land?
I was secretly pleased that someone could see my abilities, Taishi Ci. But such a person could only wander aimlessly, while Kong Rong seemed blind and failed to recognize a hero.

The final grievance, of course, was that Liu Bei had no territory left.

Taishi Ci could not possibly be moved by Liu Bei's sincerity. Although he felt somewhat guilty about Liu Bei's sincerity, Taishi Ci still wanted to try his luck with Liu Yao first. After all, Liu Yao already had two counties in Yangzhou.

Unexpectedly, the envoy claimed to be from Xuzhou, saying that Liu Bei had taken over as the governor of Xuzhou and was in charge of the affairs of the five counties of Xuzhou, and wanted to recruit Taishi Ci with the honors due to an official.

This greatly shocked Taishi Ci and Taishi Jiao.

Taishi Ci, in particular, had met Liu Bei in person at the time.

In just one year, Liu Xuande, who was sincere and kind, actually became the governor of a province.

Taishi Ci's mother, Lady Jiao, was overjoyed, but also somewhat annoyed with her son, wondering why he didn't take the initiative to serve the governor even though he knew him.

The story of how Zhou Jiao led Liu Bei to reinforce Xu, and how he was later persuaded by the former governor Tao Gong to stay and garrison Xiaopei, and finally succeeded Tao Gong as governor of Xu before Tao Gong's death, is described in detail.

Only then did Taishi Ci and his mother understand the cause and effect of this conscription.

Taishi Ci couldn't help but admire him. When he first met Liu Xuande, he thought that the man's arms reached past his knees and his earlobes were thick, indicating that he was a blessed person.

He never expected the other party to be so fortunate; it was as if a governor had fallen from the sky and landed squarely on Liu Xuande's head.

Thinking of this, Taishi Ci couldn't help but be tempted.

He and Liu Bei were old acquaintances. They had known each other for a long time, and Liu Bei had wanted to recruit him, but he was unwilling.

Now that the other party has just taken office as governor, he has sent an envoy to recruit him with such solemnity. Whether it is sincerity or recognition, it can be said to be unique.

Taishi Ci couldn't help but want to look up to the sky and let out a long roar.

You, Kong Beihai, presumptuously claim to be a renowned scholar, yet you lack the discernment of Liu Bei!
Unexpectedly, Zhou Jiao then produced Kong Rong's letter of recommendation, which praised Liu Bei for his eagerness to seek out talented people and his ability to recognize and utilize talent. He suggested that Taishi Ci consider going to Xuzhou to take a look.

Zhou Jiao said mysteriously, "The governor was afraid that it would be difficult to invite Ziyi, so he specially wrote a letter to ask Kong Beihai to help recommend him. This shows Ziyi's status in the governor's heart."

Taishi Ci was deeply moved and believed it without a doubt.

Little did he know that if Liu Feng hadn't reminded him, Liu Bei would have completely forgotten about him.

On that day, the Imperial Historian hosted a banquet to entertain the envoys.

That evening, Taishi Ci discussed the matter with his mother.

Taishi Jiao strongly urged Taishi Ci to accept the recruitment offer. Not only should he accept it, but he should also make a big show of recruiting brave young men from the countryside to go to Xuzhou and serve Liu Bei.

Although Taishi Ci was deeply moved by Liu Bei's courteous treatment, he was still somewhat swayed, after all, Liu Yao was also the governor of Yangzhou and a fellow townsman.

In those days, being from the same hometown was a very important bond, even ranking first. Even if one started from a low position, Taishi Ci was confident in his talent and wasn't afraid of not being able to rise to prominence. However, Taishi Ci's mother, Taishi Jiao, had a different opinion, and one sentence from her made Taishi Ci make up his mind completely.

"Ziyi, can you guarantee that Liu Yangzhou will definitely use you? Kong Beihai also regards you as a friend."

Taishi Ci suddenly realized that his mother's words were truly invaluable advice.

If we can't use him, what's the use of all his talents?
Just like Kong Rong, even though everyone called him "little friend," he was never entrusted with any important responsibilities, and he couldn't even get an official position.

This can be considered a cautionary tale.

If Taishi Ci had refused Liu Bei's request to go to Liu Yao and then encountered the same situation again, he would have had no one to regret it.

Therefore, Taishi Ci made a decision to listen to his mother, open the Taishi family's granary, recruit young knights-errant, and go to Tancheng to serve Liu Bei.

**************
After the grand banquet, a small family dinner was held, with only Mi Zhu and Qian Zhao invited.

Unlike grand banquets, family dinners are much more casual, with no hierarchical relationships, focusing only on the bonds of kinship and friendship.

Liu Bei first had Liu Feng recount how he had decisively defeated the Taishan army and captured Chang Xi alive.

Although the victory report on the silk scroll clearly described the events, Liu Bei still preferred to hear Liu Feng recount it again.

Helpless, Liu Feng could only recount the story in detail again, which surprised Liu Bei, Qian Zhao, Mi Zhu and others.

"This spear formation is so powerful?"

Liu Bei took the initiative to ask, "Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare, surrounded by enemies on three sides. Except for some mountains in Langya to the north, the rest of the land is flat. Doesn't it have to rely on the soldiers as a human Great Wall to resist the invading enemy?"

If the spear formation is truly that powerful, then Liu Bei might be tempted.

"Father, that's true, but the spear formation also has many drawbacks."

Liu Feng naturally couldn't let his father down, so he explained carefully: "First of all, the most important thing for spearmen is training, especially military discipline, because if one person is disorderly, the whole squad will be disorderly, the whole squad will be disorderly, and so on, and the spear formation will collapse."

"The long spear formation is very cumbersome and lacks protection on the flanks and rear. It moves slowly and is sluggish in turning. It is vulnerable to cavalry harassment and flanking attacks, as well as long-range firepower. Especially now that the troops are poorly equipped with only leather armor, if they encounter strong bows and crossbows, the casualty rate will rise rapidly. It is a big question whether the long spear formation can hold out until they reach the enemy."

"There are three main reasons why we were able to achieve such a great victory this time. First, Chang Xi underestimated our enemy and was unfamiliar with the long spear formation. He rashly charged into our spear formation, which was tantamount to suicide. Second, Chang Xi's Taishan Army did not have much ranged firepower. A mere hundred or so hunting bows posed no threat at all. Finally, Chang Xi's army had absolutely no experience in fighting long spear formations. They relied solely on their courage to charge, resulting in high casualties. Once their morale declined, it was easy for a chain reaction to occur, leading to the collapse of the entire army."

Liu Feng concluded: "Therefore, the pike square formation can only be one part of the army, but cannot replace other types of troops. Moreover, to unleash the full power of the pike square formation, it requires the support and cover of many other types of troops."

"Moreover, the current spear formation is only in its embryonic stage, not yet complete, and can even be described as dilapidated. The key to our great victory is that the enemy is too weak."

This isn't Liu Feng making things up. Training real heavy-armored pike formation soldiers is extremely time-consuming, taking at least one or two years. And there's no way you can start training them directly into a formation right away.

These spearmen had to be trained individually with bayonets, focusing on hand strength and technique. They were only considered qualified if their bayonets could pierce iron armor, or at least leather armor.

This level of difficulty cannot be achieved in just a few months of practice; it requires both strength and skill. Even if you manage to achieve it, you've only just passed the first hurdle.

Then, physical training is required to ensure that wearing iron armor does not affect the power and accuracy of the bayonet.

Finally, the formation was refined and integrated, eventually forming a heavily armed pike square.

By the end of the classical Western military period, the pike phalanx had effectively become obsolete.

The entire military system entered the early feudal era, and heavy infantry, powerful archers, crossbowmen, and cavalry began to appear.

These factors greatly hampered the effectiveness of the pike phalanx, especially with the rise of ranged firepower, which posed a much greater threat than cavalry phalanxes.

The rise and fall of any weapon or tactic has its reasons, and the most fundamental basis of these reasons is the development of productivity.

The most important reason for the resurgence of heavily armed phalanxes in the feudal military era was the emergence of a combination of light and heavy archer cavalry among nomadic peoples.

The significant increase in productivity led to an abundance of resources for nomadic peoples, enabling them to develop heavy cavalry and enhance their ranged firepower.

This directly eliminated the Roman phalanx, which had dominated for hundreds of years, and forced agricultural countries such as Byzantium to develop a military strategy of heavily armed phalanxes, powerful bows and crossbows, and heavy cavalry. This allowed the phalanx to return to the historical stage and, in turn, once again defeat the nomadic peoples.

This fully demonstrates that the spear formation was not invincible; its rise and fall were also wave-like.

However, things are different now. Among the two thousand men of Changxi's army, there are not even five sets of iron armor, let alone a set of leather armor for each man. Liu Feng's defective spearmen can naturally shine.

With so many unique reasons behind this, Liu Feng isn't afraid of others following suit at all. Those who try to imitate him will only be utterly crushed by his newer technology and suffer even greater defeats.

Of the three present, Liu Bei had the most extensive military experience. He quickly understood the weaknesses of the spear formation and devised several methods that could theoretically defeat the spear formation.

Although he lacked experience in maneuvering, he was very talented and, based on Liu Feng's description, came up with many methods to counter the spear formation.

However, any attempt to break through an enemy's lines head-on invariably requires heavily armored infantry and powerful bows and crossbows; otherwise, the only option is to utilize the mobility of cavalry to wear down their fatigue and launch a surprise attack.

If you want to defeat the spear formation with the Taishan Army, whose leather armor coverage is not high and whose training is also mediocre, you have to find a way to use the terrain and launch surprise attacks. The consequences of a frontal charge are already bloody.

Liu Bei and Qian Zhao discussed in hushed tones, while Mi Zhu and Mi Zizhong remained seated, their expressions unchanged, sitting as usual.

However, Liu Feng still set his sights on Mi Zhu, because at the moment, only Mi Zhu had the power to continue to help him grow stronger.

“Father, only the Prefect has the ability to enhance the power of the spear formation, so that the spear formation can play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses.”

Liu Feng's words surprised the three people present once again.

Mi Zhu couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Does this young master Feng have some new ideas now?"

Could it be that they're short of money again?
Even someone as wealthy as Mi Zizhong felt a chill run down his spine this time.

This is after only a few million dollars.

I heard that a few days ago, Cao Hong's house was searched, and several million coins' worth of property were found. Cao Bao and his men handed over half of it to the national treasury, and the rest was distributed among the people. The young master also received a share, which amounted to several hundred thousand coins.

Is this gone?

I haven't seen Liu Feng have any particular fondness for spending money.

Mi Zhu was unaware that Liu Feng had far too many money-burning projects on his side.

There are even a lot of projects that haven't been started yet, for fear of a broken cash flow that would ruin everything. Why would they complain about having too much money?
Liu Feng intended to mention this to Mi Zhu, laying the groundwork for future cooperation.

Liu Feng's biggest collaboration with the Mi family was naturally in the steel and military industry.

However, this requires a huge investment and there is no return in the short term. In fact, in order to support Liu Bei's expansion, the long-term profit will not be very high, and it may even require credit.

Most importantly, the relationship between the two families is not yet in place. If it were a marriage alliance like in history, then it could begin.

Mi Zhu composed himself and replied, "Whatever your orders, young master, my Mi family will do our utmost."

"Don't dare to take it seriously."

Liu Feng first showered him with praise: "Your loyalty to my father and your dedication are evident to all. I only feel closeness and admiration for you, how could I dare to utter a single word of command?"

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction and chimed in, "Zizhong, what this young man says is exactly what I feel in my heart. Since entering Xuzhou, it has only been a few short months, yet we have endured hardships and setbacks. If it weren't for Zizhong's help, how could I have secured this position?"

Mi Zhu was starting to feel the pressure. It was one thing for the younger generation to say such things, but now even the older ones were saying them. How could he possibly remain seated and at ease?

Thereupon, Mi Zhu rose from his seat and knelt down, saying, "Why do you say such things, Your Excellency? Since Your Excellency came to Xuzhou, within a few months, smoke has returned to the cooking fires in Baitu, and the bandits have already surrendered. This is all thanks to the Governor. How could I possibly claim credit for it? I am a foolish man, but I know loyalty and filial piety. I am willing to serve Your Excellency with the utmost loyalty and humility."

Qian Zhao watched from the side, deeply moved. No wonder my Brother Liu has accomplished such a great career. His skill in touching the heart and soul is truly superb, even more refined than back in Zhuozhou.

Mi Zhu had already placed a heavy bet on Liu Bei, and now, seeing Liu Bei's popularity soaring, even though Liu Feng was planning to fleece him again, he was both in pain and happy.

(End of this chapter)