My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 113 Zang Ba's Heart Returns
Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction and continued, "I have an old friend by Yuan Shu's side who has always disapproved of Yuan Shu's cruel killing of famous scholars, plundering local areas, slaughtering the people, and robbing the wealthy. He tried to persuade him to leave but to no avail. He intends to leave."

"Recently, he learned from Yuan Shu that Zang Ba of our state had colluded with him and agreed to launch an attack on our state next year, working together from within and without to overthrow our state, so that Yuan Shu could take control of Xuzhou."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qiu's expression changed drastically. As someone who had served as a high-ranking official, how could he not know that if Yuan Shu wanted to enter Xu, his hometown of Guangling County would be the first target?

Furthermore, if Zang Ba had indeed colluded with Yuan Shu, then Fang Bo's situation would indeed be extremely dangerous.

If we don't take action now and resolve the internal troubles first, when Yuan Shu raises his army and marches north to Guangling next year, Fang Bo, who has Zang Ba behind him, will be in dire straits regardless of whether he marches south to meet the enemy.

If we go, we will be attacked from both sides and our stronghold will be destroyed.

If he doesn't go, Yuan Shu can easily occupy Guangling, continue north to Xiapi and Donghai, and eventually join forces with Zang Ba to trap Fang Bo in Tancheng.

If this is true, then the governor's actions were far from being reckless militarism, but rather a last resort.

"Is this serious?"

Xu Qiu was already mostly convinced by this point, after all, he had the insight to see Yuan Shu's ambition for Xuzhou and the ability to march north into Xuzhou.

If it weren't for Cao Cao's second campaign against Xuzhou last year, Yuan Shu, who had been traumatized by Cao Cao's defeat, would have attacked Guangling much earlier.

In fact, Yuan Shu had even prepared a memorial recommending Wu Jing as the governor of Guangling, but when Cao Cao sent troops to Donghai, Yuan Shu burned the memorial and acted as if nothing had happened.

He was truly terrified of Cao Cao.

Compared to Cao Cao, that great demon king, those little brothers in Jiangdong are really too cute.

"It must be true! This person couldn't bear to see Xuzhou suffer from war again, and out of old friendship and concern for Bei's safety, he specially sent his trusted confidant thousands of miles away to deliver a message to warn Bei. Bei believed it deeply and had no doubt about it."

Liu Bei answered decisively. His beloved son had already analyzed the situation for him, so he naturally trusted his son and was full of confidence, without the slightest bit of apprehension.

Xu Qiu remained silent for a moment, then chose to believe Liu Bei and bowed to apologize: "I am foolish and do not understand your meaning. I have offended you hastily. Please forgive me."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Why do you say that, Lord Xu? I have been appointed governor of the province with great trepidation and fear that I am not capable enough to bring peace to the people of the province. I need a respected elder like you to fill the gaps and make up for my shortcomings."

Xu Qiu stated, "I will do my utmost."

Seeing that Xu Qiu had given in, Mi Zhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This man is very famous in Xuzhou, especially as a renowned scholar from Guangling. Liu Bei is about to destroy Zang Ba, and the next step will definitely be to recover Guangling. Xu Qiu is a very useful asset.

Liu Ye, watching from the side, was quite pleased. He had just arrived and had already offered a plan, which had been adopted, making him very happy.

In this way, the previously tense atmosphere immediately relaxed.

"only……"

Xu Qiu's words made Liu Bei and Mi Zhu's hearts jump again, but Liu Ye remained calm and determined that the situation was settled.

"How is the situation at the front?"

Xu Qiu surprisingly took the initiative to inquire about the war situation: "In my opinion, Kaiyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Taishan Army has always been brave and fierce. They are well-rested and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. They are holding a strong city with plenty of food. I'm afraid it may take three to five months to make any progress. If Yuan Shu suddenly sends troops north, the governor should have a plan to prepare."

Xu Qiu surprisingly took the initiative to inquire about the war situation, asking Liu Bei if his army had enough food supplies. If not, he offered to go to Guangling to purchase a batch of grain for Liu Bei to meet any unforeseen needs.

Liu Bei thanked him repeatedly and said that it would be enough for the time being.

Just as the atmosphere in the hall was becoming more harmonious, a close attendant stepped forward to report that there was new information about the battle at the front.

Liu Bei's heart tightened. He hoped that no bad news would come at this time, as it would be disastrous if it triggered Xu Qiu's advice.

However, after careful consideration, Liu Bei felt that the probability of good news was much higher. Chen Deng had already besieged Zang Ba in Kaiyang City, so there shouldn't be any major changes. And if it was good news, it might make Xu Qiu more determined to support him, making things much easier in Guangling.

Liu Bei's confidence was boosted, and he immediately ordered, "Summon the messenger to the hall, and I will question him personally."

When Liu Bei saw the excitement and smiles on the faces of the messengers from afar, he knew that this must be good news.

Sure enough, after the messenger arrived at the hall, he knelt and bowed to Liu Bei and the others, and reported in an excited voice: "Reporting to the Governor, the day before yesterday at noon, Kaiyang opened its gates, and Zang Ba led his two sons and more than ten confidants out of the city to surrender."

"oh!?"

Liu Bei was overjoyed. He had already sensed that the news would be good, but he did not expect it to be this good.

"Congratulations, Lord Fang! Your great fortune is boundless, and with this great victory, our prefecture can now be at peace."

"This is the way of righteousness. Zang Ba colluded with Yuan Shu, and the governor attacked him out of righteousness. This is the inevitable result!"

"Fang Bo should quickly send someone to order Chen Yuanlong to pacify the local area. The cities of Kaiyang are densely populated and it is not advisable to station a large army there, so as not to disturb the people."

Mi Zhu, Liu Ye, and Xu Qiu all offered their congratulations to Liu Bei, but each had their own emphasis.

"Good! Issue an order to the three armies: strictly prohibit any disturbance of the people. Anyone who oppresses the people, robs the wealthy, or violates the women of the household shall be punished and beheaded as a warning to others."

Liu Bei stood up excitedly, his face full of smiles, and while circling around, he gave the order: "Also, Governor Chen Deng is to be stationed in the area and act as he sees fit. After the garrison commanders are appointed, the troops may be withdrawn gradually."

In fact, the suggestion of a gradual withdrawal was just a way to appease Xu Qiu.

The original plan was that after taking down Zang Ba, if there was still enough strength left, they would also wipe out Xiao Jian.

In less than half a month, Zang Ba has already surrendered the city. The Xuzhou army has suffered fewer than two thousand casualties and has not even experienced any fierce battles. Naturally, there is no need to worry about the army being exhausted.

Xiao Jian is already in our grasp, so we certainly won't let him go.

However, if Xu Qiu finds out, he will definitely oppose it firmly, even at the cost of breaking ties with Liu Bei.

Xu Qiu hadn't thought of Xiao Jian's problem at this moment. It was just that the position of Prefect of Langya was too obscure, and he couldn't even get into the prefectural capital, so he was indeed easily overlooked.

That evening, Liu Bei held a grand banquet for his officials and announced the news of Chen Deng's great victory.

Previously, some people in Tancheng were gossiping behind Liu Bei's back, pessimistic about the outcome of his northern expedition against Zang Ba. Some even made sarcastic remarks implying that Liu Bei was engaging in reckless and aggressive warfare.

This is normal. Liu Bei and his sons engaged in large-scale land reclamation but did not allocate any resources to the powerful clans and gentry of Donghai. How could these people feel comfortable about that?

But these people couldn't do anything to Liu Bei and his son, so they could only gossip behind their backs.

These people never dreamed that Zang Ba couldn't even last half a month. Back then, Zang Ba had defeated hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers in Qingzhou. This was a real military achievement, much stronger than the so-called strong soldiers of Danyang who relied on their ancestors' reputation.

Furthermore, Kaiyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Taishan Army has been entrenched there for many years.

Is Liu Bei really that good at fighting?

Regardless of the reason, Kaiyang had fallen, the Taishan army had surrendered, and even Zang Ba himself, along with his brothers and sons, were being escorted to Tancheng.

Several smaller families had previously gone to see Xu Qiu to accuse Liu Feng of interfering in county affairs and killing people without cause.

In fact, they wanted to accuse Liu Feng of committing evil deeds, killing officials and rebelling.

Unfortunately, Liu Feng's father was Liu Bei, who was the current governor of Xuzhou.

This is why Liu Feng took action on behalf of Lu Su to eliminate the maggots.

Liu Feng is still young, and his father is the ruler, so even if he has some stigma, it will quickly dissipate.

But Lu Su is different. Even if he only chopped off half of the thirty-six heads in one go, he would have been drowned in spittle long ago. The number of people who would impeach him would be dozens of times greater than the number who impeached Liu Feng this time. The powerful clans and gentry of Tancheng would work together to remove Lu Su from office and replace him with their own people.

With the opening of Kaiyang and the news of Zang Ba's surrender, the political climate in Tancheng changed dramatically in an instant.

All the previous whispers and slander against Liu Feng vanished, leaving only praise for Liu Bei and a sour jealousy. Kaiyang was only a few dozen miles from Tancheng, and Zang Ba arrived in Tancheng at noon on the fourth day.

Contrary to expectations of reprimand or humiliation, Liu Bei not only showed no harshness but also treated him with great kindness.

On the day Zang Ba arrived in Tancheng, Liu Bei not only did not hold any ceremony to present the captive, but instead traveled lightly with Mi Zhu, Xu Qiu, Liu Ye and others to welcome him outside the city gate.

Zang Ba was caught off guard. When he was told that Liu Bei was personally welcoming him outside the city gate, he was still in a daze.

Startled, he snapped out of his daze and quickly got off the bus.

Chen Deng treated Zang Ba with great courtesy, not only sparing him from shackles and fetters, but also providing him with the finest carriages and horses.

The people in the other carriages also received the message, such as the Zang brothers, Sun Guan and Sun Kang, Wu Dun, Yin Li, Chang Xi and others, who all got off their carriages.

As soon as Zang Ba stepped off the carriage, he saw Liu Bei almost reaching it. He was immediately startled and knelt down. For a moment, his mind went blank, and he didn't know what to say.

But Liu Bei, with a friendly demeanor and a smile, stepped forward, took Zang Ba's hand, and helped him up, saying gently, "Xuan Gao, why are you so late?"

Zang Bahu's body trembled, and his eyes turned somewhat red.

He considered many possibilities, but he never imagined that Liu Bei would treat him kindly.

If he were in Liu Bei's shoes, he knew he wouldn't have gotten a good result, but Liu Bei treated him like a guest, which made Zang Ba feel both ashamed and embarrassed.

Zang Ba bowed his head and said in self-reproach, "I have failed you, my lord! I have failed the elders of Xuzhou."

"Eh!"

Liu Bei squatted down, put his arm around Zang Ba's shoulder, and forcefully pulled Zang Ba, who wanted to kneel down and repent, back up: "Xuan Gao, I have heard people say that a real man's knees are worth gold, how can he easily kneel down to others? I value Xuan Gao as a hero and will treat him with the respect due to a hero. Xuan Gao must not belittle himself."

Zang Ba was truly moved by Liu Bei and burst into tears, realizing that he had been blinded by greed in the past.

Why would a hero like Liu Bei choose to join forces with Yuan Shu for the mere position of Prefect of Langya?

Given Liu Bei's prowess and his high regard for even a defeated general like myself, if he had brought the Taishan Army to surrender to Kaiyang a few months earlier, would I have been afraid of not being offered the vacant positions of prefect and chancellor with a salary of two thousand shi?

The group of surrendered generals watching felt a pang of sorrow, their faces etched with shame.

To be fair, the moral standards of this group are quite good compared to many people in chaotic times.

They pacified the local areas, encouraged production, and provided relief to the people, enabling Qing and Xu provinces to leave a very good foundation for Cao Wei in the future. Admittedly, their ultimate goal was to establish their own rule and control of the region, but it cannot be denied that they were far better than many people from noble families.

Taking Xuzhou as an example, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xuzhou had five prefectures and kingdoms, 470,000 households, and a population of 2.8 million.

Throughout the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao destroyed two commanderies, Pengcheng and Guangling, shattered Xiapi and Donghai, and left Langya in ruins, with a population of less than 100,000 remaining.

However, after twenty years of recuperation, Zang Ba managed to restore Xuzhou, which had lost Guangling, to a population of 82,000 households and 550,000. (At that time, Guangling County had become a no-man's land.)
If we compare it with the neighboring Yanzhou and Yuzhou, then Xuzhou's recovery speed is basically more than twice that of the other states.

This demonstrates the hard work and excellent governance that Zang Ba and others put in.

Amidst their shame, the many surrendered generals of the Taishan Army breathed a sigh of relief. Along the way, who among them hadn't worried about their fate? But now, judging from Liu Bei's emphasis on Zang Ba, they should all have a good outcome.

Suddenly, the scene changed. Zang Ba gently broke free from Liu Bei's grasp, and to the surprise of Liu Bei and the others, he pushed aside mountains of gold and jade pillars, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and loudly proclaimed, "My lord, you have disregarded past grievances and treated me with kindness as heavy as a mountain! I have no way to repay you, and from this day forward, I pledge my allegiance to you and am willing to die for you!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was overjoyed, feeling that he had finally won over Zang Ba's heart. He quickly stepped forward to help Zang Ba up for the third time, holding his hand and comforting him gently: "Xuan Gao, why are you so upset? I know your heart, and I will never betray you."

Liu Bei's statement reassured Zang Ba and the other Taishan generals, putting their minds at ease and stopping them from having any wild thoughts.

If Liu Bei really wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have pulled this stunt. It would only make people think that Liu Bei was going back on his word, and that he would lose more than he gained.

Subsequently, Liu Bei announced that he had prepared a banquet in the state capital for Zang Ba and others to welcome them back.

So, everyone relaxed and followed Liu Bei into the city for the banquet.

During the banquet, Liu Bei noticed that Zang Ba was depressed, so he stood up and brought the wine to Zang Ba's side.

"Xuan Gao, is it because the drinks and dishes don't suit your taste?"

Zang Ba looked up and saw Liu Bei. He quickly got up from his seat, but Liu Bei stopped him.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei sat down without any manners, as if he were sitting alongside Zang Ba.

Zang Ba shook his head and sighed, "I am but a mortal with limited vision, unable to recognize a hero. I am like a frog in a well, looking at the sky from the bottom of the well, thinking that the vastness of the world is nothing more than this. If I had known of your might earlier, I would have surrendered immediately."

Zang Ba's words came from the bottom of his heart; the more he had looked down on Liu Bei before, the more ashamed he was now.

He never expected that the Liu family father and son would discover such a secret as his collusion with Yuan Shu. Heaven knows how they did it; it must have been Yuan Shu who leaked the information.

After all, he hadn't even told his biological son Zang Ai, or his sworn brothers Sun Kang and Sun Guan.

"Why do you say that, Xuan Gao?"

Liu Bei gripped Zang Ba's hand tightly, pointed at him with his right hand holding the wine cup, and then pointed to himself: "Xuan Gao, do you know that I have long admired your great name, but I regret that I have never had the chance to meet you? Today, my wish has finally come true, but I am sorry to have troubled you."

Zang Ba felt inexplicably flustered and hurriedly bowed, feigning fear, saying, "My humble name is not worth your concern, Your Excellency, and I dare not have suffered any injustice. Your Excellency's heavenly army has brought me to my senses, and from now on, I am willing to serve Your Excellency with the utmost loyalty to atone for my past disrespect!"

Liu Bei burst into laughter and lifted Zang Ba up with one hand: "Xuan Gao, what makes you say that?"

"In my heart, Xuan Gao is a hero of the world. A hero has integrity in his heart; how could he serve a mediocre and incompetent ruler?"

At this point, Liu Bei stopped Zang Ba from trying to defend himself and humiliate himself, and continued: "Xuan Gao said that he did not recognize me as a hero in the past, but he did not know that I had long admired Xuan Gao's name. Last year, when I went south from Qingzhou to aid Xu, I passed through Kaiyang and received Xuan Gao's help with provisions and military equipment. I only regret that I am not virtuous enough to receive Xuan Gao's assistance, and I deeply regret it."

Then, Liu Bei spoke earnestly and frankly: "Xuan Gao, your presence in Kaiyang has made me feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles in Tancheng, unable to rest day or night. If I don't invite Xuan Gao here first, I, as the governor of Xuzhou, will ultimately achieve nothing, and even protecting the borders and the people will be a pipe dream. Therefore, I have no choice but to send troops north to invite Xuan Gao to Tancheng as a guest."

"In this war, I am not pleased to have gained Langya, but I am pleased to have gained Xuangao."

Liu Bei looked at Zang Ba with deep affection, raised his cup and said, "Xuan Gao, I toast you. The past is like the wind, let it go and not be mentioned. From this day forward, I wish that my relationship with Zang Ba will be good from beginning to end. Is that acceptable?"

Zang Ba was inwardly impressed, realizing that he had indeed been right in what he had just said.

Ba's naked eyes really failed to see Liu Bei as a true hero.

Liu Bei's words came from the heart, and his magnanimous spirit truly won people's hearts.

Zang Ba immediately bowed and swore an oath: "Your Excellency's kindness and righteousness have shown me your sincerity; how could I not surrender and die for you!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed. He helped Zang Ba up and drank with him. Then he pulled Zang Ba back to his seat and sat down with him.

Chang Xi, Sun Kang, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li, and others who had been watching this scene were overjoyed. If even Zang Ba got a good outcome, wouldn't they, as his followers, be even less likely to be punished?

Chang Xi and the others whispered a few words, then left their seats together, went to the hall, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and said in unison, "We were ignorant of your abilities, Lord Fang, and resisted stubbornly. We deserve to die a thousand deaths. Fortunately, Lord Fang did not abandon us. From now on, we are willing to serve you to the death!"

Upon seeing this, Zang Ba hurriedly rose from his seat and knelt down, saying, "Heaven and earth bear witness, I am willing to die alongside you all for the sake of this regional governor."

Liu Bei stood up and said gently, "Why must you do this, gentlemen? Please rise. With your help, I can surely protect my hometown and bring peace to Xuzhou!"

"I have prepared this simple wine to share with you all, and from this day forward, I will never betray you!"

"Thank you, Uncle Fang!"

That night, we enjoyed ourselves with everyone.

Liu Bei and all the generals from Mount Tai got extremely drunk, without exception.

(End of this chapter)