My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 148 The Three Liu Alliance
During the few days Liu Feng was away, Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci discussed the matter and decided to exempt the summer grain from the area of ​​Guangling County, allowing the people to harvest as much as possible and transport it away. Otherwise, if it were plundered by Yuan Shu's army, the Xuzhou army would be unable to rescue them.

After Liu Feng returned, he also agreed with this. In any case, with the siege imminent and Jiangdu so close to Guangling, Liu Feng must have gone mad to dare to send his troops out to harvest the summer grain.

In that case, exempting the summer grain harvest from taxes wouldn't be too much of a loss.

The Xuzhou army reorganized its troops, fortified the city's defenses, and set up more antler fences, traps, and horse pits. At the same time, they began to cut down trees outside the city to broaden their field of vision and replenish the city's fuel and boulders.

All defense plans were proceeding smoothly, and the morale of the Xuzhou army was high. Meanwhile, according to the original plan, Taishi Ci's troops would take the initiative to leave the city tomorrow, partly to gather intelligence and partly to delay the enemy's offensive after Yuan Shu's army left the city.

The distance between Jiangdu and Guangling is extremely short, only about twenty li.

Although there were several small rivers in the middle, the army could easily wade across them, so they did not constitute advantageous terrain at all.

The saying goes that to defend a city, one must defend the wilderness, which requires reliable outposts and fortifications in the field. For example, hills, large rivers, and strong fortresses, etc., which Guangling lacks.

Therefore, the best way to defend the wilderness is to rely on cities to launch counterattacks.

So apart from a few hundred men from Taishi Ci's troops who went out of the city to look for an opportunity to fight, the main force remained in Guangling City and proceeded as planned.

In this battle, the person who was most confident was none other than Liu Feng.

Looking around at Uncle Zhao, Master Taishi, and Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and Zhou Tai, I feel so safe with these people.

Putting aside other things, if Sun Quan had come to Hefei a second time with this lineup, Zhang Liao, no matter how much he disliked Li Dian, would definitely have occasionally adopted his advice and held his ground.

At this moment, on the opposite bank of the Yangtze River, Xu Shao also suddenly found Liu Yao.

Like Xu Shao, Liu Yao, being a northerner, was not used to the southern weather. At forty years old, his health was already declining, and the change in climate made him feel very uncomfortable.

However, he was still better than Xu Shao, who was older and reacted more strongly.

Xu Shao's cough showed no signs of improvement, and Liu Yao had advised him to go to Xuzhou for treatment, but Xu Shao refused.

"Zhengli, I've been thinking about something that's keeping me up at night, so I had to come to you right away."

It was already dark when Xu Shao went to rest, but he suddenly came to find Liu Yao.

While instructing his beautiful maid to serve hot tea, Liu Yao quickly invited Xu Shao to sit down.

Throughout Liu Yao's entire prefecture, only Xu Shao could address him as Zhengli. This was not only because the two were close friends, but also because Xu Shao had devoted himself to supporting Liu Yao as the governor of Yangzhou.

If Xu Zijiang hadn't used his reputation to win over local powerful figures for Liu Yao, how could Liu Yao, a man from Qingzhou, have gained such support from the people of Yangzhou based solely on an appointment letter from the imperial court?

Admittedly, the imperial court's appointment was indeed useful, and Yangzhou was considered a relatively compliant region with the central government at this time, but it was not enough to warrant such strong support for Liu Yao.

It was Xu Zijiang who used his reputation to seek benefits for Liu Yao.

Xu Zijiang went so far as to criticize the powerful clans he had previously looked down upon, giving them positive evaluations in exchange for their money, food, and troops. They even paid out of their own pockets and provided their own provisions to fight for Liu Yao.

Meanwhile, Xu Zijiang persuaded Xu Gong and Wang Lang to provide financial and material support, a process that was so difficult that Liu Yao was shocked.

Leaving aside Wang Lang, Xu Gong alone is enough to highlight Xu Shao's exceptional abilities.

Xu Shao and Xu Jing were cousins ​​who rose to fame together in their youth. They both enjoyed critiquing the famous figures of the time, and what was even more remarkable was that their judgments were not only brilliant but also very accurate.

Over time, the popularity of this event will become more and more concentrated.

Under the leadership of the Xu brothers, especially Xu Shao, monthly evaluations gradually became a social trend with great influence. Even prominent local figures such as Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were influenced by their evaluations, making it a social and cultural phenomenon.

The root cause is the collapse of the recommendation system at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

However, the relationship between Xu Shao and Xu Jing was not only bad, but extremely bad.

To be fair, both Xu Shao and Xu Jing were quite capable and virtuous. Xu Shao did indeed surpass Xu Jing in every aspect except for lifespan.

However, in Jiangdong, Xu Gong happened to be Xu Jing's good friend.

In the end, however, Xu Shao still managed to help Liu Yao obtain financial and food aid from Xu Gong, which is truly admirable.

"Zijiang, what can't we talk about tomorrow?"

Liu Yao frowned as he looked at Xu Shao and said with concern, "Or you could send someone to call me. It's windy at night, and you'll catch a cold if you do."

Xu Shao thanked Liu Yao for his concern and then solemnly returned to the main topic: "Zhengli, I was just thinking about the situation in Jiangbei when I suddenly discovered something that shocked me."

Upon hearing Xu Shao's words, Liu Yao immediately tensed up: "What is it?"

Xu Shao pointed north and said, "It seems you didn't notice, Zhengli, that Yuan Shu has 30,000 troops right in front of us."

Liu Yao was initially puzzled, then looked north and was immediately horrified.

He was located in Qu'a, north of which was Dantu, and further north were Guangling and Jiangdu.

The two sides are extremely close, only a few dozen miles apart, except for the Yangtze River.

Liu Yao knew about the Battle of Guangling before Liu Bei and Yuan Shu, but only about the parts he could detect.

There are currently over 10,000 troops under Liu Bei and over 10,000 under Sun Ce on the Guangling battlefield. It is said that Yuan Shu is also going to send reinforcements. This huge force of tens of thousands of troops is hanging over their heads.

The thought that Dantu had only 1,500 soldiers and Qu'a only 2,500 made Liu Yao restless.

"Cough cough..."

After coughing for a while, Xu Shao suppressed it with hot tea and said with difficulty, "Zhengli, regardless of whether Yuan Shu or Liu Bei wins or loses in Guangling, they are both enemies of Yangzhou. Yuan Shu goes without saying; once he occupies Guangling, Yangzhou will once again become his primary enemy."

"Even if Liu Bei wins and the enemy drinks from the Yangtze River, does he really not have any intention of heading south to Jiangdong?"

Liu Yao agreed wholeheartedly and nodded, saying, "It is indeed as Zheng Li said. However, if Liu Bei wins, his troops stationed in Guangling will be isolated and connected to Xuzhou. They may not make any major moves. Could we try to win over Liu Bei to fight against Yuan Shu together?"

Xu Shao coughed and nodded: "That's right. Zhengli can send an envoy north to Tancheng to talk to Liu Bei first. If we can form an alliance with him, then Yangzhou will be safe and sound."

For Liu Yao and Xu Shao, the ideal scenario was for Liu Bei to win the Battle of Guangling, and then station about 10,000 men in Guangling, which would both restrain Yuan Shu and not pose a threat to Jiangdong.

Whether this balance can be achieved depends on the skill of Liu Yao and Xu Shao.

Looking at Xu Shao who was coughing, Liu Yao suddenly had an idea: "Zijiang, why don't you go to Tancheng for me, see Liu Bei, and get some treatment while you're at it?"

Liu Yao found the argument increasingly reasonable, got up and walked around a few times before walking up to Xu Shao: "It's settled then. You have to listen to me this time."

Looking at Liu Yao's concerned expression, Xu Shao thought about the current situation and hesitated, saying, "But how can I leave now? I expect Yuan Shu will definitely reinforce Jiangdu within the month. At that time, he will station 20,000 to 30,000 troops in Jiangdu. He will be ostensibly going to attack Guangling, but in reality, he may turn around and launch a surprise attack on Dantu at any time. We must be wary of this."

“What you say makes sense, and I wholeheartedly agree.”

Liu Yao solemnly replied, "Tomorrow, I will ask Sun Shao to see Zuo Rong and Teng Dan to see Xue Li, and I will make sure that they each allocate three to five thousand elite troops to me to garrison Dantu. I will also transfer four thousand elite troops from the Niuzhu front back to Qu'a, to reinforce Dantu as needed. As long as we can hold Dantu, even if Yuan Shu's army wants to launch a surprise attack, they will not be able to land."

Xu Shao thought for a moment and nodded, agreeing with Liu Yao's idea, but added a reminder: "Zuo Rong is absolutely untrustworthy. Zheng Li, you must be very careful and vigilant about this person. Never go to see him unprepared."

"Please rest assured, I know everything about this matter."

Liu Yao nodded, a murderous glint in his eyes: "If the situation weren't so dire, I would have captured and killed this man long ago."

"How is this ungrateful and untrustworthy person any different from a beast?"

Liu Yao said angrily, "Once Jiangdong is pacified, I will kill this man."

***********
Coincidentally, while Liu Yao was discussing matters with his trusted ministers here, Liu Biao was also talking with his trusted ministers far away in Xiangyang, Jingzhou.

Liu Biao was a member of the Han imperial family, but in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, even the memorial arches of Han imperial family members were not as valuable as those of third-rate gentry.

Liu Yu, Liu Yan, Liu Biao, Liu Yao, and Liu Bei were all members of the Han imperial family, but their abilities were vastly different.

Liu Yu, who was closer to the aristocracy, held the highest position, had the greatest prestige, and the strongest power.

Unfortunately, he encountered the most unruly Gongsun Zan, and died a rather frustrating death. Liu Biao was quite an interesting character; although he was not as successful as Liu Yu, he still fared quite well among the scholars.

He is most famous for being one of the Eight Steeds. Whenever someone mentions Liu Biao, they can't help but praise him as one of the Eight Steeds.

Unfortunately, Liu Biao was not one of the Eight Steeds; strictly speaking, Liu Biao was not worthy of being one of the Eight Steeds.

By the late Eastern Han Dynasty, people's pursuit of fame had reached a distorted and perverse level.

Just like modern groups, people in the Eastern Han Dynasty would form groups themselves or others, and these groups had extremely strict rules and hierarchical structures.

The pinnacle of all combinations is the Three Kings.

There is only one version of the three rulers: Chen Fan, Liu Shu, and Dou Wu.

Chen Fan and Liu Shu were true scholars, while Dou Wu was actually a relative of the imperial family. However, because he was too close to the gentry and almost entirely considered himself a member of the gentry, and consistently followed Chen Fan in his actions, he eventually lost his life. Therefore, he was honored as one of the three rulers.

What are the Three Rulers? The term "ruler" refers to the person who is revered by an entire generation.

This gives a glimpse into Chen Fan's status.

Below the Three Lords are the Eight Outstanding Figures. What are the Eight Outstanding Figures? The term "outstanding figure" refers to a person who is exceptionally talented and surpasses all others of their time. It is used to describe exceptionally outstanding heroic figures.

However, the list of Eight Worthies is not fixed; there are three versions recorded in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty alone.

Unfortunately, Liu Biao is not present in any of the versions.

Below the Eight Worthies, there are also the Eight Worthies. The Worthies are those who can guide people with virtue, that is, those who can lead people toward goodness.

The Records of the Three Kingdoms romanticizes Liu Biao, placing him among the Eight Mentors, but in reality, Liu Biao is not actually present in the records.

Liu Biao's true place was among the next eight ranks, listed alongside Zhang Jian and others in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty.

Who is Zhang Jian?
The idiom "望门投止" (wàng mén tóu zhǐ) comes from Zhang Jian's experience.

Even Zhang Jian was only ranked among the Eight Worthies. What merit or ability did Liu Biao have to be included among the Eight Worthies?

Even in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which glorified Liu Biao, the character "俊" (jun) was inadvertently changed to "骏" (jun), and the Eight Talents of the World were changed to the Eight Steeds of Jiangxia. The difference is not small.

Even so, Liu Biao was indeed imprisoned among the thirty-five scholars during the time of the Party's persecution.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Biao was released from confinement and entered He Jin's staff. However, he did not serve as a civil official, but as a military officer, the Commander of the Northern Army, in charge of the five battalions of the Northern Army's imperial guards.

This showed considerable trust in Liu Biao, since the Five Battalions of the Northern Army were the most elite field army in Luoyang.

The position of "Central Commander of the Northern Army" was equivalent to the modern-day commander of the Beijing Garrison.

Later, thanks to Sun Jian's influence, Liu Biao seized the opportunity of Sun Jian killing the governor of Jingzhou to successfully obtain an appointment from the court and become the governor of Jingzhou.

At this time, Liu Biao was talking with Kuai Yue, a great contributor to his conquest of Jingzhou.

Kuai Yue was also an extraordinary person. He was skilled in strategy, commanding troops, and governing. He was a true all-rounder.

It was only because he was too capable and a direct descendant of a powerful local clan that Liu Biao, a weak governor, dared to give him free rein.
However, Liu Biao usually treats Kuai Yue with great respect and always consults him on matters. The two are currently getting along quite well.

"Yidu, I've heard that Liu Bei of the North is now the Governor of Xu Province, controlling the province, and Liu Zhengli of Qing Province has also taken Yang Province and is based in Danyang, currently engaged in a fierce battle with Yuan Shu across the river. Do you think it's possible to contact Liu Bei and Liu Zhengli to jointly attack Yuan Shu and annihilate him?"

At this moment, Liu Biao was chatting with Kuai Yue about the current situation.

Liu Biao was just like Tao Qian.

The true nature of everything has been completely altered by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Biao, though not a model citizen like Tao Qian, was a law-abiding citizen who was even criticized for his lack of ambition and called a "household guard dog."

In reality, according to official history, Liu Biao was extremely ambitious and capable.

In contrast, Liu Bei entered Jingzhou alone, secretly escaping Yuan Shu's pursuit. He first went to Nan Commandery, where he decisively sought help from the Kuai and Cai families, eliminating more than fifty clan leaders and taking over their troops.

In fact, even the mastermind Kuai Yue did not expect Liu Biao to be so ruthless.

When Kuai Yue first devised this strategy, he merely suggested that Liu Biao select a few of the most heinous criminals from among the fifty-odd bandit leaders and bring them to justice, while subduing the others to serve him.

But Liu Biao simply wiped them all out.

However, it was precisely Liu Biao's action that proved that these bandits were likely local refugees or illegal armed groups of barbarians, rather than local clan armed forces.

Because Liu Biao was just a governor from another region, and a newcomer at that.

If he really dared to kill more than fifty clan leaders, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao would probably rebel against him.

Liu Biao then began his expansion, from Jiangling to Xiangyang, then to Fancheng, followed by killing Sun Jian, driving away Yuan Shu, and taking Nanyang.

Having just secured his position as Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao promptly turned his attention to Liu Yan. He not only reported to the court that Liu Yan showed signs of rebellion, but also, after Liu Yan's death, directly sent his advisor Liu He to infiltrate Yizhou and incite Liu Zhang's generals to rebel, which was successfully accomplished.

Look at Liu Bei, and then look at Liu Biao. Compared to Liu Bei, who stayed quietly in Xuzhou and did nothing except move the capital to Xiapi once, Liu Biao's ambition was obvious.

Not to mention that Liu Biao later appointed a governor to Yuzhang County in Yangzhou, and fought a bloody battle with Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha in southern Jingzhou, for a year, recovering southern Jingzhou, and then began to expand into Jiaozhou.

A closer look at Liu Biao's experiences reveals a surprising fact: despite being based in Jingzhou, he expanded and developed his territory in all directions, becoming irreconcilable enemies with Cao Cao to the north, the Sun family to the east, and Liu Zhang to the west.

Zhang Jin, who was in the south, could have been considered Liu Biao's mortal enemy, but he was too incompetent and was killed by his own subordinates.

Therefore, in official history, Liu Biao was not only ambitious and daring to expand, but also quite sensitive to changes in the surrounding warlords.

At this time, he set his sights on Liu Yao and Liu Bei.

Kuai Yue was quite familiar with Liu Zhengli, but not so much with Liu Xuande.

"Liu Zhengli is a man of courage and resourcefulness, with a very deep mind. I couldn't see through him back in the capital."

Kuai Yue was somewhat surprised: "I only heard that he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown to live in seclusion. How did he become the governor of Yangzhou?"

"He's not just the governor of Yangzhou, he's already the prefect of Yangzhou and General Zhenwei."

Liu Biao's words were somewhat ambiguous, considering that he was currently only the General Who Guards the South, the Governor of Jingzhou, and the Marquis of Chengwu.

Liu Yao's rise to power was far more rapid than his own, and he happened to be in neighboring Yangzhou, which made Liu Biao very wary and he wanted to make a decision in advance.

This wasn't just because Liu Biao himself was interested in Yangzhou, but also because he worried that Liu Yao might be interested in Jingzhou. Not to mention, Yuan Shu, whom he had driven away, was holed up in the Jiangbei region of Yangzhou.

After careful consideration, Kuai Yue actually nodded.

Because he discovered that the three Lius did indeed have a basis for an alliance.

First of all, the three Lius were at odds with Yuan Shu, and were either fighting against him or about to fight him.

Kuai Yue was indeed a remarkable man. At this time, he and Liu Biao were unaware that Liu Bei had already marched south to Guangling and was fighting with Yuan Shu for control of Guangling County.

However, they all agreed that Liu Bei would eventually have to compete with Yuan Shu.

Secondly, putting Liu Yao aside, Liu Biao and Liu Bei were both Yuan Shao's sworn brothers, which provided a natural basis for their alliance.

One in the east, one in the west, truly a match made in heaven.

Finally, Liu Biao had a lingering thought in his mind that he didn't voice directly.

He not only wanted to establish the Three Liu Alliance, but also wanted to become its leader.

(End of this chapter)