My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 136 The Battle of Guangling Begins
Almost simultaneously, Liu Ye also arrived in Gaoyou County.

Wen Cheng, the magistrate of Gaoyou County, has been in Gaoyou for nearly four years. If it weren't for the chaotic times, he would have been transferred to another position long ago.

Wen Cheng was considered honest and upright in Gaoyou. He accepted what he was entitled to and did not take what he was not entitled to. He did not cause trouble for the local people, and the local gentry and commoners were quite satisfied with him.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, such a county magistrate was already a blessing for the local area.

Wen Cheng himself was not happy. He had saved up a lot of money over the years, but the world was so chaotic that he couldn't transport it back to his hometown of Bingzhou. It was just piling up around him, which was not a solution.

Staying in Gaoyou, he lived in constant fear. When Zuo Rong passed through the area before, he even went out of the city to deliver grain.

Later, he heard that Zuo Rong had even killed the prefect Zhao Yu, which terrified him.

Recalling Zuo Rong's ambiguous smile when he went out of the city to deliver grain that day, Wen Cheng felt a chill run down his spine.

I was truly lucky to escape with my life.

Guangling County was originally quite peaceful. Even when Zuo Rong passed through and killed the prefect Zhao Yu, it was only a brief period of chaos. Once Yuan Sui came out and took control of the situation, peace was restored.

But as the weather warmed up this year, things started to go wrong, and the atmosphere in Guangling County became increasingly tense.

One minute they say that Prefect Liu is going south, and the next minute they say that General Hou is going north.

The rumors were so detailed and convincing that Wen Cheng felt it was probably true.

The thought of Guangling County turning into a battlefield filled Wencheng with anxiety.

At that point, let alone all the wealth around me, it's uncertain whether I can even save my own life.

Wen Cheng once again wanted to resign and leave, but where could he run to?

My hometown of Bingzhou is not peaceful either, and there are battles everywhere along the way. I'm afraid I won't even make it halfway before I'm gone.

Just as Wencheng was wallowing in self-pity, Wu Yang, the county clerk, walked in.

Wu Yang is a local gentry with considerable prestige, so Wencheng recruited him as a clerk, and it has been almost four years since then.

The two worked together very well. Wu Yang was courteous and considerate, taking care of almost all the miscellaneous tasks without making Wen Cheng feel like he was being sidelined. He was quite capable.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened."

Wu Yang, his face clearly showing panic, hurried over to Wen Cheng's side.

Wen Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively asked, "The Xuzhou army has attacked?!"

Seeing Wu Yang shake his head, Mayor Wen breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could completely relax, Wu Yang's words made him jump up again.

"The Xuzhou army did not come."

Wu Yang swallowed hard: "But an envoy from the prefectural government has come and wants to see you."

"what?"

Wen Cheng's chubby face trembled. What could an envoy possibly want at this time?

Isn't the point to persuade them to surrender?
Wen Cheng asked Wu Yang for his opinion with trembling hands: "Guangyi, what do you think of this matter?"

Wu Yang and Wu Guangyi shook their heads: "There are only sixty county soldiers in the city, and only one or two thousand able-bodied men. Even if they are mobilized, how can they withstand a single blow from the state army?"

Wen Cheng hesitated for a moment before asking, "So, Guangyi, you mean... surrender?"

Wu Yang was unwilling to take the blame for this, and immediately shook his head and said, "I am just a subordinate of the county magistrate, so naturally I will follow the county magistrate's lead."

He was from Gaoyou County. If he surrendered and the Xuzhou army burned, killed, and looted, how could he stay in the area?

Anyway, Wen Cheng is just a temporary official who will leave sooner or later, so if he doesn't take the blame, who will?

Wu Yang stared intently at Wencheng and said with certainty, "The county magistrate should make a decision as soon as possible. In my opinion, the atmosphere in the county is very tense. If someone opens the city gate first, the county magistrate will be held accountable by Magistrate Liu."

These words were partly a way of pressuring Wen Cheng to take responsibility, and partly an indication of his own attitude.

Wu Yang himself still leans towards surrendering.

After all, if a real fight breaks out, it will be our fellow villagers who die or get hurt, and it will be the territory of Gaoyou that gets destroyed.

Gaoyou is quite far from Guangling and is relatively independent; how could it be willing to be cannon fodder for the people of Guangling?

Wen Cheng was cornered by Wu Yang. He could only retreat temporarily and said, "Let's invite the envoy in first."

So Wu Yang went outside and invited Liu Ye in.

As soon as Liu Ye entered the hall, he made a commanding first impression.

"Is the county magistrate going to resist the prefecture and rebel against the imperial court?"

Wen Cheng quickly shook his head: "Why do you say that, Your Excellency?"

Liu Ye sneered and pressed, "If it weren't for rebelling against the court, I would ask you, what official position does Governor Liu hold now?"

"Naturally, it is the Governor of Xuzhou."

Wencheng acknowledged this point, after all, it was recommended by the former governor Tao Gong, and in fact, most locals recognized Liu Bei's status as governor.

"Now that you know that Prefect Liu is the governor of the state, why do you in Guangling not obey the orders of the state?"

Liu Ye almost reached Wencheng's side, looking down at him: "Let me ask you, did your county's tax revenue last year reach the prefecture?"

"This……"

Wen Cheng felt a chill in his heart. Of course not. Last year, Cao Cao had already reached the outskirts of Tancheng. If I were to supply money and grain, wouldn't that be supplying Cao Cao's Yanzhou?

But he couldn't openly admit that he hadn't sent it, so Wen Cheng quickly shifted the blame to Yuan Sui.

"Since the Chief Clerk did not give any orders, we naturally transported the goods to Guangling County first, and then sent them to Tancheng together. As for why Tancheng did not receive them, Your Excellency should inquire with Chief Clerk Yuan."

Wen Cheng spoke more and more fluently, and eventually began to express his loyalty: "I have always been loyal to the prefecture. When Prefect Tao was in power, I even ranked third in the prefecture's assessment. Since Prefect Liu has inherited Lord Tao's will, I will certainly give him my full support."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye's expression finally softened. He nodded and praised, "It is truly a great achievement that the county magistrate could think this way."

Liu Ye secretly praised Liu Bei for his keen insight, as he was able to accurately perceive the differences between the north and south of Guangling.

The situation in the south remains to be seen, but the counties north of Guangling are indeed closer to the prefecture.

After all, compared to Liu Bei, Yuan Sui's position was far less legitimate, so who would be willing to risk their life to help Yuan Sui resist tens of thousands of elite troops?
In the end, the local area will suffer the loss, while Guangling will benefit.

Even if a county official wanted to resist, the local gentry and people would probably not let him have his way.

Previously, Liu Bei was a weak regional governor. Not to mention the prefectures and kingdoms like Guangling and Langya, which were practically vassal states, even within the Donghai Kingdom where Liu Bei was located, there were forces like Cao Bao, Xu Dan, Cao Hong, Tian Ran, and Wang Yu that were not under Liu Bei's control.

Naturally, everyone would be willing to listen to Guangling, since they could pay less tax and Guangling would take the blame, which was a great thing.

But things are different now; Lord Liu has already demonstrated his martial prowess.

None of the county magistrates in the northern part of Guangling believed they could fight as well as Cavalry Commandant Zang Ba, or have more troops.

At this point, issuing a proclamation to settle the matter was perfectly logical.

Wencheng may want to remain neutral, but given Gaoyou County's strategic location, how can you be allowed to remain neutral?
That's incredibly foolish; they can't even see this clearly.

Liu Ye then made a request: "In that case, County Magistrate, please send a document to the prefectural government requesting that they send troops to garrison the area."

"Send troops to garrison here!?"

Wen Cheng and Wu Yang shouted at the same time.

“Naturally, we will send troops to garrison the area.”

Liu Ye, looking at them with an expression of utter astonishment, pointed at Wen Cheng and Wu Yang and said, "You two are quite strange. The magistrate is about to head south to quell the rebellion. Gaoyou County is located at a strategic point, at the junction of the north and south. If he doesn't stay here, where else can he go?"

Sweating profusely, Wu Yang asked anxiously, "Could Gaoyou be turning into a battlefield?"

"What nonsense are you talking about."

Liu Ye rebuked, "It's still several hundred li south of Gaoyou to Guangling, how could it be a battlefield?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang and Wen Cheng immediately agreed, feeling that Liu Ye's reprimand was well-deserved.

Liu Ye finally threatened, "Your Excellency, the magistrate sent me here to prevent the good from being deceived. When the army arrives, how can we be safe? I only hope that Your Excellency and the registrar can think it through as soon as possible: do you want to be a loyal official of the prefecture or a lackey of another prefecture?"

"Of course, it's the loyal officials of the prefecture!" Wu Yang said before Wen Cheng could even speak.

Anyway, he was determined to stand on the side of the prefecture. At least he understood that if the prefecture sent troops, Guangling would have no spare strength to save Gaoyou.

Since that's the case, Gaoyou will turn back without hesitation. Besides, according to the Eastern Han system, the governor already has the power to appoint and dismiss the county magistrates under his jurisdiction. Submitting to the governor and Wencheng is only natural.

Seeing that Wu Yang had already surrendered, Wen Cheng stopped struggling and wrote the document in front of Liu Ye, affixing the county seal and sending someone to rush it to the prefectural government.

Liu Ye may seem aggressive, but in reality, when it comes to people like Wen Cheng and Wu Yang who are indecisive and lack firm beliefs, they will tend to side with the seemingly strongest party at the most crucial moment.

Liu Ye capitalized on this mentality, decisively and swiftly resolving the Gaoyou County issue.

Similar situations to Liu Ye's were playing out in various counties in northern Guangling. As expected, under the various envoys' persuasion, enticement, or coercion, the northern counties all expressed their willingness to obey the orders of the prefecture.

The feedback from the southern counties was quite the opposite. Most of the counties were playing both sides, implying that once the Guangling problem was solved, they would naturally follow suit.

Liu Bei, stationed in Tancheng, kept receiving messages from Liu Ye, Jian Yong, and Sun Qian.

At this time, the army had already begun to be mobilized in Tancheng, Xuzhou.

In the Battle of Guangling in the south, Liu Bei will personally lead the army.

Following the previously agreed-upon strategy, Liu Bei began to deploy his troops.

Guan Yu led his troops to bypass Xiapi and head towards Dongcheng, threatening the hinterland of Lujiang and Shouchun, and tying down some of Yuan Shu's troops.

Guan Yu was appointed commander-in-chief for this route, and Lu Su was transferred to serve as military advisor and concurrently as magistrate of Dongcheng County. The original magistrate of Dongcheng County was temporarily transferred to Tancheng for another post.

Meanwhile, Cao Bao led the troops of Xiapi County to garrison Xiapi City, and also transferred two thousand Xiapi troops under the command of Guan Yu to garrison the eastern city.

The second route, with Zhao Yun as the vanguard and Tian Yu as the second vanguard, respectively entered Gaoyou County and Ping'an County.

Liu Bei personally led the central army, appointing Liu Ye as his military advisor (the position was temporarily vacant and he had not yet returned). In addition to his own troops, there were also Zhang Fei's troops, Zang Ba's troops, Liu Feng's troops, and Qian Zhao's troops, totaling 17,000 men, who were ready to set off at any time and head straight for Guangling.

Mi Zhu was appointed to act as governor of the prefecture, with Xu Qiu, Jian Yong, and Sun Qian as his assistants. Five thousand soldiers from Donghai Commandery were stationed in Tancheng, responsible for transporting provisions and weapons to support the front lines as a reserve force.

Cao Bao commanded 3,000 soldiers from Xiapi County, stationed in Xiapi, and was responsible for supplying provisions and weapons to the detachment.

Liu Bei ordered Liu Feng's troops to merge with those of Taishi Ci and Zhou Tai, with Xu Sheng as the commander-in-chief, Taishi Ci as the deputy commander-in-chief, and Liu Feng as the military advisor. They were to lead the vanguard along the waterway and head straight for Guangling City to meet Liu Ye.

This mobilization involved a total of six armies and four separate units, totaling 31,000 men.

In mid-May, Tian Yu took office in Ping'an County and assumed the post of magistrate.

Three days later, Zhao Yun took up his post in Gaoyou County and assumed the position of magistrate.

A day later, Guan Yu entered Dongcheng and began to spy on Yinling County, the eastern gateway to Shouchun, while also threatening Hefei, Quanjiao County, and Fuling.

The Xuzhou army's strategy was fully deployed, especially Guan Yu's troops, which were like a sharp blade that pierced Yuan Shu's core, tying down a large number of his troops.

Yuan Shu's side also responded by sending General Qiao Rui as commander-in-chief and Zhang Xun as deputy commander-in-chief, leading 20,000 troops to reinforce Liyang.

He also dispatched General Lei Bo with 4,000 troops to garrison Yinling County and monitor Guan Yu.

On May 20th, Liu Bei rallied his troops in Tancheng and led them south, advancing by both land and water.

In just seven days, before June, the vanguard of the Xuzhou army had reached Gaoyou County.

At this moment, a fierce argument also broke out in Guangling City.

Yan Xiang and Liu Ye arrived as envoys at the same time.

The former was acting on orders from Yuan Shu, while the latter was acting with Liu Bei's approval.

Both sides are vying for the Guangling point.

Originally, Yan Xiang should have gained the support of Guangling City without any doubt, but unexpectedly, Liu Ye successfully persuaded Li Zhang, a powerful figure in Guangling, which made the situation unpredictable.

Li Zhang was the most powerful and influential man in Guangling, with two thousand retainers. His younger brother, Li Luo, served as the Chief Clerk of Guangling and was highly respected among the gentry of Guangling. He was also a close friend of Liu Ye's father, Liu Pu.

After entering Guangling City, Liu Ye did not go to see Yuan Sui immediately, but went to Li Luo's residence first.

Li Luo was quite surprised to hear that Liu Ye had arrived. He did not know that Liu Ye had been appointed to Xuzhou and thought that it was the son of an old friend who had come to visit.

Although he didn't know why Liu Ye had come to Guangling at this time of war, he couldn't very well not see him. He also had the intention of teaching Liu Ye a lesson and sending him home as soon as possible, so he ordered his servants to bring him up.

As soon as Li Luo saw Liu Ye, before he could even reprimand him, Liu Ye walked directly up to him and said urgently, "Uncle, a great calamity is about to befall you, why are you still unaware?"

Li Luo was immediately alarmed and forgot the reprimand he was about to utter. He hurriedly asked, "Nephew, what do you mean by that? I am sitting peacefully in Guangling City. What great calamity could be imminent?"

Liu Ye stepped forward and said, "Uncle, are you unaware of what General Hou did in Nanyang back then?"

Li Luo suddenly realized, but then was startled again.

Liu Ye's reminder brought back all the mess Yuan Shu had made in Nanyang a few years ago.

Yuan Shu plundered and looted the powerful and wealthy in Nanyang, turning what was once the largest prefecture in the land, known as the prefecture that was equivalent to a province, into a living hell.

In just three short years, the population of Nanyang Prefecture plummeted from over 2.4 million to 600,000. The prefecture and counties were devastated, fertile fields lay barren, and bones littered the ground.

It is said that the wolf packs in Nanyang have grown into large groups, and their eyes have turned red from eating human flesh.

Li Luo had once joked about these rumors, pointing out that Yuan Shu lacked the talent to govern, because it was Nanyang Commandery that suffered the consequences.

If this situation were to occur in Guangling, Li Luoke would feel panicked and terrified.

Li Luo stammered in his defense: "Since General Hou entered Shouchun, he has pacified the local area and encouraged mulberry farmers. Surely the events of Nanyang will not be repeated?"

Liu Ye sneered, "Uncle, Guangling City is overflowing with gold and silk, and the fields outside Guangling City stretch for miles. Is this entire fortune going to be gambled on the General's whim?"

Li Luo's expression changed; Liu Ye's words had hit the nail on the head regarding his deepest worries.

As the most powerful and wealthy family in Guangling, they were naturally also the richest household.

Yuan Shu had a long history of misdeeds. Even though he stopped harassing the local area, he still forced wealthy households to pay him a lot of money in Shouchun.

Yuan Shu himself lived an extremely extravagant life, commanding an army of fifty to sixty thousand men, but his territory consisted of only two commanderies, Lujiang and Jiujiang. Lujiang, in particular, had experienced two years of warfare.

How could Yuan Shu support himself without robbing wealthy households?

Moreover, Yuan Shu has become wiser now, exploiting the wealthy while letting the common people go free. In this way, the common people can continue to pay taxes the following year, while the wealthy will die out, making it easier to seize their land.

Li Luo was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "Nephew, you are not in the Rear General's territory, so you came to my Guangling just to remind me of these things?"

Liu Ye nodded: "That's right. To be honest, Uncle, I have accepted the appointment from Prefect Liu and am currently serving as a literary official in the prefecture. I have come here on behalf of my lord to assist you in your conduct."

Li Luo thought to himself, "As expected, Liu Ye has actually surrendered to Liu Bei."

He had a very good relationship with Liu Tao, and Li Luo knew very well how audacious, precocious, and intelligent Liu Tao's son was.

Years ago, he even joked that his friend would suffer in the future because his son was too clever and his father's authority would be hard to maintain.

Unexpectedly, Liu Ye even started managing himself.

And their management is surprisingly reasonable.

"Alas, I have always respected Lord Liu, but he is too far away and I have never had the chance to pay him a visit."

Li Luo tentatively asked, "Since you've come all the way from Tancheng, what can you teach me?"

Liu Ye was secretly delighted. Li Luo must have been panicked and had second thoughts, which was why he asked such a question.

He seized the opportunity and said with deep emotion, "Since childhood, I have been arrogant and proud of my talents, and I have never been willing to submit to anyone. However, I never expected that under my lord's command, there would be a great number of talented people, a gathering of wise and virtuous individuals, and a multitude of intelligent and resourceful people, as numerous as the stars in the night sky, and a valiant and strong hero, more numerous than carp crossing the river. There are countless people like me, Liu Ye."

“My lord has two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, both of whom are brave enough to take on ten thousand men. Under Yuan Shu’s command, there is not even half a warrior of such bravery.”

"Chen Deng, also known as Chen Yuanlong, defeated Zang Ba and recovered Langya in ten days. He has now been appointed by my lord as the Prefect of Dongguan, the Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of the three former Langya counties, and the commander of the troops of the three counties to guard the north."

"Furthermore, there are Taishi Ci and Mi Zizhong, who are amazing archers; Zhao Zilong, who rides a white horse and wields a silver spear; Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, who are skilled in boating and swimming; Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, who are brave and fierce in battle; Tian Guorang, who has the talent to assist a king; Lu Zijing, who has the ability to be a king's advisor; and Xiahou Bo and Chen Dao, who are both loyal and dedicated."

"These are merely my lord's most capable advisors and generals; there are countless other scholars and generals, like carp crossing a river."

Liu Ye asked tentatively, "Uncle, do you think anyone in the General's office can be compared to the strategists and generals of my Xuzhou army?"

Li Luo was dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.

(End of this chapter)