My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 15 Pan Zhang's Heart Returns
After bidding farewell to Liu Bei, Liu Feng got up and left.

Stepping outside, they found Pan Zhang still waiting outside the courtyard gate.

Liu Feng grasped Pan Zhang's hand and said, "Wen Gui, I have long said that you do not need to serve me in the manor. The manor is very safe. You can go and rest. When it is time to go out, I will send someone to invite you."

Upon hearing this, Pan Zhang grinned and said, "Young Master treats me like family, and his kindness and affection are profound. I am a rough man with only strength and courage. If I were to cheat and shirk even these things, I would be worse than a pig or a dog."

Liu Feng laughed heartily and pulled Pan Zhang by the hand, walking towards his residence.

On the way, Liu Feng enthusiastically began to paint a rosy picture of Pan Zhang.

“Wen Gui, I made a bet with you before, willing to offer a garrison of armored soldiers to serve you. Today, I can say that I have fulfilled my mission.”

Previously, Liu Feng had encountered Pan Zhang on his way to Xuzhou and wanted to recruit him, but Pan Zhang politely declined.

Pan Zhang wanted to go south to join Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror, and gain fame and fortune on the battlefield. How could he possibly look down on Liu Feng, such a young boy?

It wasn't until Liu Feng revealed his name and brought up his father, emphasizing that his father had already been appointed Governor of Xuzhou, that Pan Zhang began to waver.

Even so, Pan Zhang still hesitated. In the end, Liu Feng offered him the position of garrison commander and promised to do so within a year. If he failed to do so, he would be allowed to leave.

This finally convinced Pan Zhang to stay.

For the past month or so, Liu Feng has shown great respect to Pan Zhang and won him over with kindness and loyalty, which has deeply moved Pan Zhang, who has secretly changed his mind.

Unexpectedly, Liu Feng acted so quickly. I accompanied Liu Feng to Cao Bao's residence today, and upon returning, I heard this good news.

Pan Zhang was overjoyed and bowed deeply to Liu Feng, saying, "I am just a local wandering knight, and I have always been looked down upon. Apart from my strength and courage, I have nothing else worth mentioning."

"When Zhang was in his hometown, he heard that Sun Bofu, the son of Sun Wentai, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, was brave and decisive. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and recruit many warriors. He did not care about family background when hiring people, so he wanted to go south to try. Unexpectedly, he met the young master on his way south. The young master looked at Zhang with great favor and did not hesitate to humble himself to befriend him."

“Since following you, young master, you have always been kind and caring, often bestowing upon me wine and meat, and even gifting me armor and precious weapons. I have long regarded you as my master and have been determined to serve you for life. I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse, and I would have no regrets even if I died!”

Pan Zhang's words were truly moving, expressing his utmost loyalty to Liu Feng.

In particular, the last sentence, which changed "Young Master" to "Young Lord," directly acknowledged Liu Feng as his master, demonstrating his utmost sincerity.

Liu Feng surmised that Pan Zhang's words were about 70-80% credible.

The moral standards of the Han Dynasty were far from those of the Sima Yi after the Luo River Alliance. At that time, people still valued their reputation, and oaths were quite binding.

Pan Zhang's loyalty to Liu Feng was partly due to Liu Feng's genuine kindness towards him.

Secondly, Liu Feng's approachable nature meant that Pan Zhang would readily accept his advances, and Pan Zhang, with his chivalrous and martial temperament, was particularly receptive to this approach.

Thirdly, Liu Bei's career was on the rise. As the governor of Xuzhou, he was a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and what was even more terrifying was that he also controlled the military and political power of the entire province.

This position has never existed before; even now, there are only thirteen such positions in the world.

In the past, Pan Zhang wouldn't have been worthy of being friends with Liu Feng, let alone selling himself to Liu Feng as a tenant farmer. Liu Feng would have looked down on him because he came from a wandering knight-errant background and didn't know how to farm.

Liu Feng was overjoyed. Pan Zhang was probably the first historical figure he had taken in, and he would be the first step in cultivating the backbone of his own army.

After helping Pan Zhang up, it was already dark. The two stopped arguing and returned to Liu Feng's courtyard, where they each went to their rooms to rest.

The next day, after getting up, Liu Feng first went to visit his grandmother and mother to pay his respects before returning to his own residence.

By this time, several teenagers were already waiting in the courtyard. Liu Feng saw them and greeted them with a smile, "Come inside and talk."

Although Liu Feng was amiable, the boys still bowed respectfully to him before following him into the house.

This room was not Liu Feng's bedroom, but was used specifically for his office.

After everyone knelt down, they began to report.

The report included information on funds and supplies, learning progress, and various other matters.

These boys were all literate and even knew basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; they could easily serve as minor officials in the countryside.

However, these people are all Liu Feng's private individuals, and he will not easily let them out.

They were all sons of Liu Bei's troops who had fought alongside him in various campaigns over the years. Some of them had fathers or brothers who died in battle for Liu Bei, while others were seriously injured and unable to work.

Regardless of their backgrounds, Liu Feng took them all in, calling them the "Liu's Camp." He not only provided them with daily meals but also personally taught them to read, write, be polite, and learn arithmetic.

These people are the seeds Liu Feng has planted; he will rely on them to strengthen his ruling power in the future.

As long as they are around, the aristocratic clans will never be able to sideline the Liu family.

Ultimately, Liu Feng's goal was to use this power to revolutionize the era and completely erase the tragic future of the Five Barbarian Invasions.

This is not Liu Feng being overly pessimistic.

The powerful clans of the late Eastern Han Dynasty were already terrifying, but this monster was unaware of the immense power it possessed and had not yet grown sharp claws and fangs; it merely possessed a robust and powerful body without realizing it.

But just because things are like this now doesn't mean they will always be like this.

In fact, starting in the mid-Three Kingdoms period, the aristocratic families under the various warlords began to vie for military and political power with their own lords.

The reasons why Yuan Shao used people from Henan to suppress the local gentry in Hebei, Liu Biao supported various gentry families who had migrated to Jingzhou in order to suppress the local gentry led by the Kuai family, and Cao Cao relied on members of the imperial clan to control the army and suppress the gentry were all for the same reason.

Even though Big Ears was terrible at balancing things, in the later stages, the direct military power he held was actually in the hands of the Second and Third Princes, who were similar to members of the imperial clan, and Wei Yan, who came from a subordinate family.

Even Wu Hou, who was raised and treated like a godson by Big Ears, was mostly unable to obtain military power.

Unfortunately, these measures are only used to prevent crises, not to actively eliminate them.

As the saying goes, you can guard against thieves for a day, but not for a thousand days.

Therefore, Liu Feng not only had to resolutely cut off the monster's chance to grow claws and teeth, but also had to bleed the monster and remove some flesh to help maintain the overall health and balance of its body.

These teenagers were Liu Feng's testing ground.

Even more fortunately, Xuzhou had just been wiped out by Cao Cao, resulting in the deaths of a large number of local gentry and the opening up of vast amounts of fertile land and mines. This left the Xuzhou gentry fearful and extremely hostile towards Cao Cao, forcing them to rely on Liu Bei.

This also gave Liu Bei the opportunity to build his own power and expand his influence.

Otherwise, with such a weak base of support, Big Ears would have long been sidelined by the local gentry of Xuzhou and turned into a human-shaped official seal.

This will greatly benefit Liu Feng's upcoming plans.

(End of this chapter)