My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 117 Guo Xin's Night Talk
“Yuan Shao was indeed too powerful to control.”

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, somewhat confused by Liu Feng's meaning, and tentatively asked, "So you mean to abandon the Yuanlong strategy?"

Liu Feng shook his head and explained his intentions clearly: "It's not about giving up, but about putting it in reserve."

“Father, please look. Since the recapture of Langya, our Xuzhou army has grown to 50,000 men. With the current food and tax revenue of Xuzhou, we can barely sustain ourselves, but we cannot hold out for long. External expansion is imperative.”

"Of these 50,000 men, more than 30,000 are capable of being the main force in field battles."

"These 30,000 men can be trained for field operations. When the summer harvest comes in June, we can march south to Guangling and take back the prefecture in one fell swoop. Afterward, half of them can be stationed to guard Guangling, while the rest can go north to Pengcheng and conquer Lupei. The summer harvest grain from Guangling can be used for military purposes. At the same time, we can also recruit 4,000 soldiers from Guangling and station them in the four counties of Tangyi, Xingguo, Jiangdu and Hailing to strengthen Guangling's position."

Liu Bei suddenly understood and clapped his hands in approval: "My son, this plan is excellent. Use the grain from Langya to take Guangling, use the grain from Guangling to take Lupei, and use the grain from Lupei to enter Qingzhou."

"exactly!"

Liu Feng saw this opportunity to use speed to overcome slowness, which is why he developed such a big appetite.

Children make choices, adults want them all!

“Father, we should reorganize the army as soon as possible. It is already April, and we should be able to send troops out by mid-June at the latest, otherwise we will delay the summer harvest in Guangling.”

Liu Feng's reminder resonated deeply with Liu Bei, who, having fought many battles, naturally placed great importance on the grain harvest season.

"good."

Afterwards, Liu Bei and Liu Feng discussed how to reorganize the army.

Currently, Xuzhou has 20,000 Danyang soldiers, 6,000 of Liu Bei's personal troops, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, plus 10,000 surrendered soldiers from Mount Tai. These are all troops capable of field battles.

The soldiers of Xiapi Commandery were slightly weaker than field troops, but much stronger than those of Donghai Commandery. They numbered 6,000, and together with 5,000 soldiers from Donghai Commandery and 3,000 soldiers from Langya Commandery in Ju County, they constituted all the armed forces in Xuzhou.

Originally, there were also 6,000 county soldiers from Guangling, but Guangling is not currently under the control of the state government, and those 6,000 county soldiers are in the hands of Yuan Sui and others. If things really break down, those 6,000 county soldiers might even be counted as enemy troops.

In this Battle of Langya, the total casualties on both sides were around three thousand. As a result, Liu Bei now has a total of 47,000 troops under his control in Xuzhou, of which 33,000 are capable of field battles, and the rest can also assist in combat.

Based on the standard that each army has two divisions and each division has 2,000 people, then 33,000 people can form at least eight armies.

Based on Liu Bei's intentions, most of the military structure has already been determined. First, Chen Deng's troops will be temporarily suppressed with two thousand men, which is more than enough since there are no enemies around. However, they will inevitably be expanded to full strength later.

This time, Liu Bei planned to personally lead the expedition to Guangling. In his capacity as governor, he would issue proclamations to the counties of Guangling, hoping to replicate the Battle of Langya and achieve a swift and decisive victory.

Therefore, the troops he personally led needed to be expanded, with the main force increasing to four thousand men. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's troops were his most trusted confidants, and they had also made great contributions in Langya, so they naturally needed to be expanded as well, also based on an army of four thousand men.

These three units require 6,500 men, and 4,000 Danyang soldiers and 2,500 Taishan soldiers can be mobilized, making a total of 12,000 men in three armies after reorganization.

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu also made significant contributions this time. The former captured Wu Dun alive, and the latter captured Jiqiu. Both were meritorious in capturing generals and seizing cities. Although their merits were still slightly insufficient, there were no other generals in the province vying for them, so they could be included in the expansion.

In addition, the five Zang brothers can be given an army of 4,000 men each. In this way, there will be seven armies, totaling 26,000 men.

In this way, the remaining 7,000 men can be used to form at least two Manchu armies, and any shortfall can be supplemented by drawing troops from Xiapi and Donghai counties.

It is possible to form three to four and a half fully-equipped armies as separate units.

Liu Feng had always kept Taishi Ziyi in mind; if he came, he could lead an army on his own.

However, in this case, it might be possible to request that General Xu Dan be transferred to a local post.

Based on the current situation, it is reasonable to grant him the position of Prime Minister of Pengcheng.

Although Pengcheng Kingdom is still largely undeveloped at this time, it is still a high-ranking state with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain). Moreover, Pengcheng has always been located in the heart of Xuzhou, with fertile land. As long as refugees are relocated there, it is believed that it will soon recover its vitality.

If they refuse, then we can reduce their numbers and assume they will have no power to resist.

Liu Feng himself was eager to expand the last army, but he didn't know if Liu Bei would be willing to show leniency. In any case, Liu Feng wanted to at least double the size of the army, that is, to reach the standard of two thousand men per division.

Moreover, there is another troublesome matter: Qian Zhao has now gained merit by persuading Zang Ba to surrender, and given his close friendship with Liu Bei, he may well be able to serve as a military colonel.

As expected, the first part went as Liu Feng had anticipated. However, when it came to the last seven thousand men, Liu Bei just smiled at Liu Feng without saying a word.

Helpless, Liu Feng could only step forward and play the role of a filial son, allowing Big Ears to enjoy a good back massage and leg pat.

Liu Bei was finally satisfied and gave Liu Feng a definite answer: "I'll give you a thousand men first, which can be expanded into a school. As for the rest, we'll see how they perform later."

Liu Feng was so angry he gritted his teeth, and in his heart he shouted, "I'm not strong enough!"

Having no other choice, Liu Feng, who was still young, could only make a special request.

He specified the two remaining Sima troops that Chang Xi wanted to charge into the spear formation. These men had witnessed the power of the spear formation and would undoubtedly become its staunch supporters. Using such soldiers to train in the spear formation would naturally be twice as effective, because they would have unwavering faith in the spears in their hands.

Liu Bei agreed to Liu Feng's request after only a brief consideration.

"That's a bit of a pity."

Liu Feng suddenly spoke up: "The men who went south to recruit Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin haven't returned yet. Could it be that they couldn't find them?"

It's no wonder Liu Feng suddenly asked this question, because this group of people had been heading south for quite some time, and even Liu Ye had arrived, but there was still no news of Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Chen Jiao, and others.

The probability of these people being able to refuse Liu Bei was extremely small.

Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin had fallen so low as to become river pirates, and at the end of this year, they made up their minds to lead their trusted followers to Jiangdong to join Sun Quan.

It's clear they've reached a dead end.

The most likely explanation is that the river bandits were homeless or lived in seclusion, fearing being besieged, which is why the envoys recruiting them were unable to find them for so long.

It would be such a shame to miss it for this reason.

After hearing this, Liu Bei nodded repeatedly and came up with a plan: "I have heard that Ziyang is from a prominent family in Jiujiang. In that case, why not ask him to inquire about Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng nodded repeatedly: "Father's plan is excellent."

Indeed, compared to finding someone else, the local powerful families, wealthy merchants, and influential figures are far more reliable than Liu Bei and his group.

At this point, Liu Bei couldn't help but ask Liu Feng, "Feng'er, do you have any other talented people you can recommend? I have already taken back Langya and am about to recover Guangling. We really don't have enough talent."

Liu Feng was speechless. Did you think talented people were so easy to find?
Guo Jia and Xun You haven't sent any news yet, and they're already looking for talented people.

To be honest, there are many talented people in Jingzhou, but none of them are employed by Liu Biao.

However, many of those people were not lacking in official positions; otherwise, they would have immediately been offered American jobs as soon as they returned to the North.

Liu Feng really wanted to go to Jingzhou, but it seems unlikely for now.

Unbeknownst to Liu Feng, Guo Jia was chatting with someone in Ye City at that moment, and the topic of conversation was none other than his father, Liu Bei.

"Brother-in-law, I heard that you received a mission a few days ago to go to Xuzhou to meet Liu Bei?"

Guo Jia straddled his seat with his legs spread wide, a very impolite gesture that was not only disrespectful but also showed contempt for his fellow passengers.

Guo Jia's cousin, Guo Tu, repeatedly reprimanded him, but to no avail; Guo Jia continued to do as he pleased.

However, Guo Jia's attitude towards Xin Ping was much better, since Xin Ping was genuinely tolerant of him.

Every time Guo Tu reprimanded Guo Jia, Xin Ping would step in to defend him, and Xin Ping would also subsidize Guo Jia's daily expenses.

Xin Ping, Guo Tu, and other scholars from Yingchuan actually had a rather unpleasant time in Hebei because they arrived too late. All the good positions had already been occupied by people from Hebei. Unless they defeated the people from Hebei, no vacancy would ever open up in the MLS.

Furthermore, while these scholars from Yingchuan claimed to be seeking refuge with a wise ruler, most of them were actually refugees fleeing from war.

For example, Guo Tu's hometown had long been looted by Dong Zhuo's army, and the land had been burned to the ground. There was no more money or food production. This made Guo Tu, who was used to a life of luxury, suddenly become a lowly official who relied on a salary. How could he bear this change?

It was precisely for these reasons that the Henan scholars immediately clashed fiercely with the Hebei scholars upon their arrival, and the two sides were on the verge of war. It's not that Yuan Shao's mediation was too poor, but rather that the fundamental conflict of interests was too intense, leaving no room for Yuan Shao to mediate.

Xin Ping didn't care about Guo Jia's rudeness. Instead, he answered the question first: "That's right. The main reason for this trip south to Xuzhou is to see what Lord Xuande is really thinking and how much he intends to do with Qingzhou."

Unexpectedly, Guo Jia suddenly blurted out, "Brother-in-law, then I'll go with you."

"you?"

Xin Ping laughed: "What are you going to Xuzhou for? I'm going on official business. What are you going for?"

Guo Jia smiled mysteriously: "I'm going to keep an appointment." "Keep an appointment?"

Xin Ping was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head: "Who invited you?"

Guo Jia held up three fingers and said seriously, enunciating each word clearly: "Liu Xuande".

"Liu Xuande?"

Xin Ping was stunned, then frowned after a moment: "You said Liu Bei invited you to Xuzhou? When did that happen?"

Xin Ping seemed to have no doubt whatsoever and immediately believed Guo Jia's words.

"I was quite surprised when I received this letter just a month ago."

Guo Jia's serious expression vanished, and he said lazily, "It's clear that although Liu Bei is not well-known, he has much better judgment than Yuan Shao."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Xin Ping gave a soft rebuke, but his thoughts were still on the previous question.

After a long while, he looked at Guo Jia and asked seriously, "What do you think?"

“I’d like to go take a look. I can go with you, brother-in-law.”

Guo Jia's answer came out without hesitation, showing that he had already thought it through.

Xin Ping nodded. He and Guo Tu were just ordinary officials, and very perfunctory ones at that. They were the common kind of officials, like mass-produced ones.

Not to mention comparing him to the Prefectural Attendant or the Chief Administrator, he is far inferior even to the Registrar, the Military Attendant, and the Prefectural Attendant.

If even Xin Ping, a powerful figure among the Henan gentry, was in such a miserable state, then Guo Jia was even less likely to get a good position. He was simply given a minor official post and paid a salary.

Previously, Guo Jia had spoken some of Yuan Shao's coded language in front of Xin Ping and Guo Tu.

From Liu Feng's perspective, Guo Jia's words were somewhat exaggerated and likely contained a lot of personal agenda. They were mainly an expression of his frustration and resentment at not being given important responsibilities.

As it happened, Yuan Shao was ultimately defeated, which gave Guo Jia his foresight.

But in reality, if Cao Cao had been the one to lose, Guo Jia's words would never have been passed down.

Even so, Guo Jia is a rare and outstanding tactical advisor, a talent that is quite scarce in Liu Bei's camp. Liu Feng and his son naturally did not hesitate to extend an olive branch and give Guo Jia treatment that exceeded his reputation.

Guo Jia had actually received Liu Bei's letter a week earlier, and he was quite shocked when he received it.

In short, did Governor Liu actually know Guo Fengxiao of Yingchuan?
In Guo Jia's true intention, he wanted to head south to Xuzhou immediately.

Since Yuan Shao doesn't value me, what's wrong with me going to Xuzhou?

However, Guo Jia also had his own concerns. Firstly, the situation in Xuzhou was too complicated, which worried even Guo Jia.

After all, he was only a tactical talent and not particularly adept at political struggle, especially after his experience with Yuan Shao. In Guo Jia's view, the turmoil in Xuzhou was even worse than under Yuan Shao, and he was very hesitant about whether he should really get involved.

However, Liu Bei launched a surprise attack on Zang Ba and won a great victory within ten days. In less than half a month, he captured Langya and his army advanced directly to Qingzhou.

This not only shocked Yuan Shao and his advisors, but also stunned Guo Jia.

Based on Guo Jia's knowledge, Liu Bei's northern expedition was tantamount to courting death.

If the state is not at peace, the army cannot be dispatched; if the army is not at peace, the troops cannot be deployed; if the troops are not at peace, the troops cannot advance into battle; if the battle is not at peace, victory cannot be achieved.

Liu Bei made almost all of these mistakes in his surprise attack on Zang Ba.

The country was divided into numerous factions that were also rivals.

The roles of the main and guest armies were reversed; the core force numbered only six thousand, while the guest army boasted tens of thousands and had once been the local main force, harboring resentment.

Zang Ba's separatist rule over Kaiyang, with one core and four points, inevitably divided the battlefield into several parts. Expecting such a fragmented army to coordinate operations on multiple battlefields was clearly not in line with the strategy.

In contrast, Zang Ba had long governed Kaiyang, his power was deeply entrenched, and his people were united in purpose. The surrounding counties were all his staunch allies, responding to each other's calls and sharing the same sentiments.

It can be said that they have taken advantage of the right time, place and people.

In this case, if Liu Bei had not been completely defeated in one battle, but had managed to escape with a crushing defeat, he would have been incredibly lucky.

He couldn't understand how they could have won.
Or was it such a resounding and exhilarating victory?
In any case, Liu Xuzhou won, and the entire Langya region returned to the jurisdiction of the prefecture.

This intrigued Guo Jia, who then considered heading south.

However, due to Yuan Shao's influence, Liu Bei could only write a letter and send gold and silver as gifts; he could not send out a grand procession to welcome him.

This made it quite difficult for Guo Jia, a frail scholar, to head south amidst the chaos of war.

Now that Xin Ping is on his way to Xuzhou, it would be a win-win situation if we could hitch a ride on the envoy's convoy.

If you are satisfied after going to Xuzhou, you can naturally stay.

If they are not satisfied, they can leave with Xin Ping and go to Yuzhou to see Xun Wenruo.

Xun Wenruo had written to recommend Cao Cao several times, but he felt that Cao Cao was not sincere.

If the other party genuinely wanted to use him, then why was there only Xun Wenruo's letter of recommendation and no letter from Cao Cao himself?
Subsequently, Guo Jia told Xin Ping the whole story of how Liu Bei, having heard of his reputation, had written to him seeking talent and inviting him to take up a post in Xuzhou.

Compared to his cousin Guo Tu, Guo Jia clearly trusted his brother-in-law Xin Ping more.

Guo Tu was far too narrow-minded; apart from a few people like the Xin brothers, no one could escape his jealousy.

After hearing this, Xin Ping was also very surprised. He thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He could only laugh and tease, "Fengxiao's reputation has spread among the princes. He can be said to be famous and distinguished. This is a happy event and something to celebrate."

Even though Guo Jia was not usually shy, he was quite embarrassed by Xin Ping's teasing and waved his hands repeatedly: "Brother-in-law, please don't tease me, please don't tease me. I don't know where Prefect Liu heard my name, but he sent a letter from afar to extend a warm invitation. I can't very well refuse."

Xin Ping could naturally see through Guo Jia's hypocrisy and chuckled inwardly. Guo Jia was usually straightforward and disliked empty talk, but today he was putting on airs.

However, if Liu Bei truly favors Fengxiao, that would indeed be a good thing.

Xin Ping pondered to himself that the Xun family had already placed their bets on Yuan Shao and Cao Cao respectively, while his own family, having lost the foundation of their hometown, had no choice but to surrender to Yuan Shao as a whole.

If Fengxiao were to place a bet with Liu Bei, that would be a brilliant move.

Therefore, Xin Ping made a decisive decision, instructing Guo Jia to go back to the prefectural government to resign, pack his bags, and then set off with him to Xuzhou the day after tomorrow.

Guo Jia, who already had this idea, was overjoyed and readily agreed.

"Oh, by the way, remember to tell Gongze about it later."

Xin Ping paused here, then continued, "Let's not talk about going to Magistrate Liu's place for now; we can say we want to go back to our hometown for a visit."

Xin Ping's words struck a chord with Guo Jia, who readily agreed: "Brother-in-law, rest assured, I will do as you say."

Xin Ping nodded in satisfaction, then said jokingly, "Now that the matter is settled, why not leave?"

Guo Jia winked with a roguish grin: "My heart desires to leave, but my legs will not obey my commands. What can I do?"

Xin Ping laughed heartily, summoned his attendants, ordered them to prepare a meal, and took out the fine wine bestowed upon him by Yuan Shao, and enjoyed a drink with Guo Jia.

Guo Jialai enjoyed a fine meal and wine at Xin Ping's place, while in Xuzhou, a group of people arrived at the outskirts of Tancheng, travel-worn and weary.

It was already dark, and the gates of Tancheng were closed.

The guards were shocked to discover that a hundred or so people with torches were approaching the city gate in the distance, and they immediately sounded the alarm by banging gongs.

Among the group of people below the city, two were tall, strong, and imposing; they were the leaders of the group.

They traveled through the night, intending to camp overnight at the foot of Tancheng City so they could enter the city at dawn the next day.

However, they did not expect that their close proximity would arouse the vigilance of the garrison in Tancheng.

At this moment, the two strong men saw the clamor of gongs and drums in the city, and soldiers rushing to the city walls to draw their bows and nock their arrows. They couldn't help but cry out in their hearts, "Oh no!"

(End of this chapter)