My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 131 Change of Plan
Liu Bei, Chen Deng, Mi Zhu and the others exchanged glances and remained silent.

Man Chong, as if silently encouraged, continued, "My lord, since we are in this secret chamber and all those present are your loyal subjects, there are some things I must say. I urge you to understand."

Liu Bei nodded: "Bo Ning, please speak your mind. I am all ears."

"My lord, in this world, heroes are rising up everywhere. Some control entire provinces and counties, while others seize control of smaller counties. All of them use the name of the Han court to pursue their own selfish interests. My lord once said that among all the regional rulers in the world, only you and my lord have the heart of the Han Dynasty."

"Yuan Shao, whose family had held high office for four generations and who dominated the north of the Yellow River, had no intention of supporting the Han Dynasty. He repeatedly attempted to rebel, first by bringing foreign troops into the capital, and then by trying to install Liu Bo'an as emperor. Can such actions be considered those of a loyal minister?"

Man Chong spoke frankly, almost calling Yuan Shao a traitor to the Han dynasty by name. Yet, his words were reasonable and well-founded, which convinced everyone.

Liu Bei sighed. He wasn't a fool. He had vivid memories of Yuan Shao's actions over the years. During the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance, Yuan Shao, as the leader, hadn't considered advancing his troops but only focused on seizing Ji Province. His selfish motives were blatantly obvious. If he could feign a lapse in strategy when inviting foreign troops into the capital, then during the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance, Yuan Shao had no fig leaf left to conceal his true face of prioritizing personal gain over public duty.

On the contrary, Cao Cao, who was devoted to public service, tried to persuade various warlords but failed. So he did not hesitate to send troops alone to pursue Dong Zhuo.

Although he was ambushed by Xu Rong, suffered a crushing defeat, and nearly lost his life, he firmly held onto his image of loyalty and righteousness.

"At present, Yuan Shao is holding the northern part of the Yellow River, sweeping across the four provinces of You, Bing, Ji, and Qing. The only ones who stubbornly resist are Gongsun Zan and Kong Rong. The former has been waging war and has suffered repeated defeats. He has been besieged in Yi County by Yuan Shao's general Ju Yi and his destruction is imminent. As for Kong Rong, although he is a famous scholar, he knows neither military affairs nor politics. He is just a skeleton in his tomb, waiting to die."

Liu Bei, Chen Deng, and Mi Zhu exchanged glances and realized that they all thought Man Boning's words made sense.

Apart from Liu Feng, who could have known that for the next four years, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan would repeatedly stage a counterattack?

If Gongsun Zan hadn't killed Yuan Shao so many times, Yuan Shao should have unified Hebei by the second year of Xingping.

At that time, Cao Cao was still fighting Lü Bu to a fever pitch, so he had no leverage to oppose Yuan Shao's southward crossing of the Yellow River.
Once Yuan Shao crossed the Yellow River, Cao Cao, who was originally Yuan Shao's vassal, would have been immediately annexed, and there would have been no Emperor Wu of Wei.

Although Cao Cao did not know that Gongsun Zan could buy him four more years, he still wanted to try again.

In any case, he is currently the weakest among the Yuan, Liu, and Cao camps. Unless Liu Bei intends to surrender directly to Yuan Shao, he should spare no expense to win over Cao Cao and join forces against Yuan. Moreover, Yuan Shu is also eyeing Liu Bei from the south, so Liu Bei's base of operations is not stable.

"My lord, my chief minister, my chief minister, I urge you to set aside your hatred, look around, and see if there are any allies in Xuzhou besides our lord?"

Man Chong stood up and declared loudly, "Only my lord is a true friend of Xuzhou. Our two prefectures complement each other and support each other. We will survive together if we unite, and perish if we separate. I beg you, my lord, to see this clearly!"

Liu Bei was startled and moved, recalling what Liu Feng had said to him earlier: although Cao Cao was weak at the moment, he did indeed have the upper hand.

In particular, Xuzhou needs to buy time to recapture Guangling, and ideally even gain a foothold in Yangzhou.

Only by truly and completely capturing Yangzhou can Xuzhou be considered invincible.

To take Yangzhou, one must inevitably confront Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu was the true mortal enemy of Xuzhou.

For this reason, Liu Feng repeatedly advised Liu Bei not to betray Cao Cao.

Cao Cao could flee to Hebei and make a comeback, or he could simply become a subject of Yuan Shao.

But what can you, Liu Bei, gain?
If you want Yanzhou, you have to keep fighting Lü Bu and the local gentry of Yanzhou.

Most of the gentry in Yanzhou only support Lü Bu, a small number support Cao Cao, but no one supports Liu Bei.

Liu Ye indeed saw that Cao Cao was not simple, and also saw that Lü Bu could be used.

However, Liu Ye was unaware of Lü Bu's fickle nature and tendency to change his orders frequently.

Being an ally of such a person is quite painful, because you might just reach an alliance with them, only to be persuaded by others to immediately change your mind.

Therefore, leaving Cao Cao in Yanzhou, who could support each other, was a very suitable choice.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "I am fully aware of your intentions, Your Excellency. I will give you a reply after I have given it careful consideration."

Man Chong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His mission this time was not to form an alliance, but to keep Liu Bei in check. However, if Liu Bei was willing to form an alliance, that would be an unexpected bonus.

"In that case, I will await your reply, Your Excellency."

After Man Chong left, Liu Bei asked Mi Zhu and Chen Deng for their opinions.

Mi Zhu remained modest, while Chen Deng spoke first: "Man Boning's remarks, though driven by personal motives, are not without merit. If Xuzhou wants to expand its territory, it can go north to Qingzhou, south to Yangzhou, or west to Yuzhou. Only Yanzhou is a dead end and should not be involved."

The three provinces of the Central Plains are Sili, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou.

Sili was devastated, Yuzhou was in disarray, and only Yanzhou had a strong and well-equipped army.

The eighteen warlords who rebelled against Dong Zhuo in the past had a great momentum, but in reality there were only eleven of them. However, among these eleven, there were four and a half warlords from Yanzhou alone.

Among them, Zhang Miao commanded Chenliu, Qiao Mao commanded Dongjun, Bao Xin commanded Jibei, and Liu Dai was in charge of Yanzhou. All four routes were local warlords of Yanzhou.

The other half was led by Zhang Chao of Guangling, a native of Shouzhang in Dongping, and the younger brother of Zhang Miao of Chenliu. He bypassed Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, to attend the alliance meeting, and could be considered half a warlord of Yanzhou.

This demonstrates the strength of Yanzhou's power and the prestige of its martial arts.

Cao Cao was almost overthrown by the scholars of Yanzhou, so why should Xuzhou waste its efforts on Yanzhou?

Compared to Yuzhou, Yanzhou is like a chicken rib.

Conversely, the states of Yuzhou and Luzhou and Peizhou are adjacent to Xuzhou, and both have local gentry supporting Liu Bei, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

If a genuine alliance could be formed with Cao Cao, rather than a faction alliance brokered by Yuan Shao, then Xuzhou could freely move south and sweep across Yangzhou and Yuzhou.

Yangzhou was already in Xuzhou's grasp and Cao Cao was not allowed to touch it, but Yuzhou could not be allowed to be taken by Xuzhou alone.

There had to be a bottom line for how Cao Cao and Liu Bei divided Yu Province.

Lu Pei is bound to return to Xu, and Man Chong has already confirmed this point. However, Yuzhou has six prefectures and ninety-nine counties, making it the most populous prefecture in the world, with 1.14 million households and a total population of 7.18 million.

The remaining four counties also need to be properly divided.

At this moment, a close attendant came to report that Liu Feng had arrived.

Just now, when Man Chong arrived, Liu Bei sent someone to summon Liu Feng. However, Liu Feng had left the city today, taking Zhou Tai and others to find a suitable location for a naval camp, and had only just returned to the city.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Feng hurried back to the prefectural capital, arriving just in time.

"What the clerk says is quite right!"

Chen Yuanlong had actually been transferred to the position of Prefect of Dongguan, overseeing the military affairs of the three commanderies of Dongguan, Ju County, and Langya. However, he had not yet taken office, and Liu Feng still addressed him as Gongcao (a minor official title) to show their close relationship.

"If Cao Mengde is willing to honestly form an alliance with us, it would be a good thing."

Liu Feng walked up to Liu Bei and respectfully bowed to Liu Bei, Mi Zhu, and Chen Deng. Afterwards, he said, "Father, I suggest that we start preparing for the southward march to Guangling in advance."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was startled: "Do you think Cao Cao will intervene?"

"The child doesn't know."

Liu Feng shook his head: "Cao Yanzhou is deeply mired in Lü Bu's quagmire. He certainly doesn't have the resources to intervene. Moreover, judging from Man Chong's purpose in coming here, he is actually more afraid of us betraying him."

"In that case, Father, if you were in Cao Yanzhou's position, wouldn't you want to find something for us to do, to distract us from constantly focusing on his back in Yanzhou?"

Chen Deng clapped his hands: "Just as you said, if I were Cao Yanzhou, I would take a two-pronged approach. On one hand, I would send envoys to seek peace and establish an alliance, and on the other hand, I would go south and instigate Yuan Shu to raise troops to take my Guangling."

Mi Zhu nodded in agreement: "In that case, our plan to march south to Guangling should indeed be brought forward."

Liu Feng advised, "Father, we can first send envoys to Ping'an and Gaoyou counties to persuade the local magistrates. If we can bring them to our side, it will greatly benefit our southward advance."

Chen Deng and Mi Zhu both agreed, saying that the prince's plan was excellent.

Seeing that his son and his advisors had reached an agreement, he naturally went along with it and inquired about the specific arrangements: "Who can be appointed?"

Liu Feng had naturally prepared for this suggestion, and immediately recommended his chosen candidates: "Sun Qian and Sun Gongyou can be sent to Ping'an. Gaoyou is of utmost importance, and Liu Ye and Liu Ziyang should be invited to take charge to ensure a complete success." "Your Highness knows how to recognize and use talent, so Your Excellency has no worries about successors."

Chen Deng was greatly impressed and highly praised Liu Feng's recommendation.

Mi Zhu nodded repeatedly, a slight smile on his honest face, indicating his support.

Since Chen Deng and Mi Zhu had both agreed, and Liu Bei himself was quite satisfied with these two candidates, he immediately made the decision and sent someone to invite Liu Ye and Sun Qian.

“Father, our previous strategy for Guangling was to swallow it whole, but it seems we need to change it now.”

Liu Feng truly hadn't expected that Cao Cao, even when he was mired in trouble, would still care so much about their Xu Province.

It can only be said that the widow Cao loved Xuzhou deeply.

In fact, if Cao Cao had maintained strict military discipline, the local support for Tao Qian in Xuzhou would not have been strong. Not to mention turning against him, surrendering would have been quite common.

Only by occupying Xuzhou in this way could they have the ability to collect taxes and mobilize troops, thus providing Cao Cao with new soldiers and food supplies.

Cao Cao just couldn't understand this principle, or perhaps he was overwhelmed by the enormous food supply pressure from the Qingzhou army, so he chose to burn, kill, and plunder, completely offending the Xuzhou group.

After occupying Xuzhou, they had no choice but to hand it over to Emperor Xian of Han and Zang Ba. At the same time, they not only could not use the talents in Xuzhou, but also had to find ways to kill them.

The most typical example is Chen Deng.

It was not until the reign of Cao Pi that, through the division and disintegration of the Qingzhou Army and the Taishan Army, that Cao Wei began to trade with the scholars of Xuzhou, formally announcing the reconciliation between Cao Wei and Xuzhou.

Liu Bei looked up and glanced at Liu Feng, then asked in a calm tone, "How should it be changed?"

“We previously discussed a complete takeover, but if Yuan Shu is eager to interfere, it will definitely cause us great trouble.”

The terrain of Guangling was so familiar to everyone present that they could arrange it clearly using only a few water cups, without needing a map.

"In that case, we might as well prepare for both possibilities. First, we can try a 'whale swallowing' strategy. If that fails, we can then try a 'nibbling away' strategy."

Liu Feng explained earnestly, "Therefore, Gaoyou County is located in the central part of the north and south, connecting the capital of Guangling Commandery with the two commanderies of Donghai and Xiapi. It is a crucial point and must be captured."

Guangling has a very interesting topography; it is a fishing net-like terrain with crisscrossing rivers and numerous lakes.

It can be described as two lines, one network.

The two lines are a vertical line and a horizontal line.

The longitudinal line is formed by Ling County, Ping'an County, Gaoyou County, and Guangling County, the capital of Guangling Commandery, directly connecting the two commanderies of Xiapi and Donghai to the main artery of Guangling Commandery.

The horizontal line is formed by the five counties of Tangyi, Yuguo, Jiangdu, Hailing, and Guangling surrounding the Yangtze River. It is the most fertile area in the entire Guangling Prefecture, accounting for more than 50% of Guangling's population and land.

These two lines encompass eight of the twelve counties of Guangling, situated on a network with the most convenient transportation.

The remaining four counties, namely Haixi County, Sheyang County, Yandu County, and Dongyang County, are located entirely on the periphery of this transportation network.

For example, Haixi and Sheyang counties are closer to the Donghai Kingdom, while Dongyang County is closer to the Xiapi Kingdom.

As for Yandu, it is isolated and insignificant to the overall situation. It can be settled later by issuing a proclamation, and it is not worth expending military force on it.

"Father, we can send envoys to Dongyang, Haixi and Sheyang counties at the same time, and try to persuade these three counties to surrender. This will allow our army to move in earlier, cover the flank of the main force's southward advance, and also provide reinforcements to the front line at any time."

Liu Feng divided the entire Guangling into four parts. The most important one was naturally the Jingtun tribe, which was centered around the Guangling prefecture. This required a large army to be dispatched on a long and arduous expedition, traveling hundreds of miles to reach the city of Guangling.

If Yuan Shu gets involved, it could very well escalate into a full-scale war between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu.

Therefore, changes are needed. Controlling Lingxian and Ping'an, with Gaoyou as a backup plan, is crucial. As long as this vertical line is firmly grasped, Guangling will always be within reach, and the initiative will always be in Liu Bei's hands. Even if Yuan Shu occupies Guangling, he can only passively defend.

In addition, the three county towns close to Xiapi and Donghai, and the isolated Yandu, can also be won over separately.

This weakens the opponent's strength and strengthens our own, so why not?

More importantly, if Yuan Shu really intervened in Guangling and Guangling really sided with Yuan Shu, it would not prevent Liu Bei from switching to the second plan and advancing into the two commanderies of Lu and Pei.

Pei State, in particular, is a wealthy and prosperous place with fertile land, iron ore and coal mines, and is also the iron smelting center of Yu Province. Its value is actually greater than that of Guangling, and it is a place that Liu Feng strongly recommends to fight for.

After some discussion, the four of them made up their minds.

They could secretly form an alliance with Cao Cao to divide up Yu Province.

Runan Commandery, Lu State, and Pei State belong to Xu Province, while Yingchuan, Chen State, and Liang State will be taken by Cao Cao in the future.

However, this is just the bottom line; at most, this is just a response to Man Chong's attitude towards Xuzhou.

If a real discussion were to take place, Cao Cao would need to send more important figures, such as Xun Yu or Cheng Yu, for it to be worthwhile to continue the talks.

Man Chong clearly does not yet have that qualification.

Soon, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Liu Ye and others were summoned one after another, each taking on tasks for two counties, and they set off separately.

"Ziyang, of all the missions this time, the one in Gaoyou is the most important and must be accomplished. I have no choice but to entrust this important task to you. I hope you can succeed quickly and live up to the expectations of the people of Xuzhou."

Liu Bei held Liu Ye's hand and expressed his expectations.

Liu Ye felt that his lord relied on him and that he had a great responsibility on his shoulders, which filled him with boundless pride.

"Your Excellency, please remain seated in Tancheng. I will go there and surely persuade the magistrate of Gaoyou County to surrender the city,"

Talented people like Liu Ye often become more confident under pressure, and no one dares to accept the more difficult the task.
Doesn't this just prove that Liu Ziyang is exceptionally talented, far surpassing his peers?
"it is good!"

Liu Bei cheered loudly, holding Liu Ye's hand tightly and refusing to let go: "But Ziyang must also take care of himself. Gaoyou is important, but it is not as important as Ziyang. If things go wrong, Ziyang should protect himself first, and then consider other things. I will lead the army to Tancheng, and we will take it in no time."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Liu Ye bid a tearful farewell to Liu Bei and, accompanied by the guards of the provincial officials, headed south to Gaoyou County.

Subsequently, Liu Bei used this opportunity to send Jian Yong and Sun Qian away.

Jian Yong remained the same as ever, unrestrained and carefree. He even patted Liu Bei on the shoulder and told Liu Bei to prepare fine wine so that they could drink together for three days when he returned victorious.

Liu Bei naturally wouldn't refuse. They were old brothers, and many things didn't need to be said. He simply patted the other on the shoulder, and both of them understood each other perfectly.

Finally, there was Sun Qian, a highly respected disciple of Zheng Xuan, who was very courteous, and Liu Bei treated him with the same respect.

Sun Qian bid farewell to Liu Bei in a formal manner, detoured through Xiapi State, and headed to Dongyang County.

After finishing all this, Liu Bei formally invited Man Chong back.

"Since Your Majesty has summoned your ministers again, you must have already made a decision."

Man Chong bowed respectfully to Liu Bei, and then solemnly said, "I hope that Your Excellency will give this matter serious consideration, so that the two provinces of Yan and Xu can turn hostility into friendship."

Liu Bei nodded and replied, "If Mengde is truly willing to make peace, I have no objection. However, Mengde's burning, killing, and looting in Xuzhou have greatly hurt the morale of the people of Xuzhou, which is very troubling to me."

Man Chong, being observant and perceptive, naturally sensed the softening in Liu Bei's words and quickly interjected, "The previous battle in Xuzhou involved my lord, and it was not appropriate for an outsider to make a judgment. However, the current matter rests entirely with the gentlemen present. Whether to fight or make peace, shouldn't we consider which choice is in the best interest of Xuzhou?"

"My lord, if I may speak frankly, those of you in the hall, if you were to face north and serve as ministers, you would certainly be prominent officials of the state and county. But what about you, my lord? You are a member of the Han imperial family. Although you have a past relationship with Governor Yuan of Ji Province, can you really let go of everything you have now? Moreover, Governor Yuan of Ji Province is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, prone to doubt and opportunism. This is not the image of a ruler."

When Man Chong spoke of the gentlemen in the hall, most of the people around him glared at him angrily.

But Man Chong was not afraid at all.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at his physique, Man Chong was eight feet tall. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, one foot was nearly 24 centimeters, so eight feet would be at least 1.9 meters tall, making him a true giant.

His height alone is intimidating, and everyone present is a scholar; no wonder Man Chong dared to be so unrestrained.

(End of this chapter)