My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 156 Zhuge's Southern Expedition
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin hesitated, feeling that Liu Feng's words were somewhat exaggerated, but upon closer examination, they also felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

Just then, news came from outside that the scouts sent to investigate Jiangdu had returned.

Liu Feng and the others didn't have time to continue their discussion and deductions, and directly called in the scouts.

The cavalrymen were covered in dust, but fortunately they had no injuries, indicating they had not encountered any enemies.

The cavalrymen were overjoyed. As soon as they saw Liu Feng, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci and the others, they immediately knelt down and said, "Reporting to the general, we have already ascertained the situation. Sun Ce abandoned the city last night and led all of Yuan Shu's troops across the river under cover of night."

"At this time, Jiangdu was already an empty city. The elders of Jiangdu sent someone to inform me, asking me to implore the general to dispatch the state army to garrison Jiangdu."

The words of these cavalrymen immediately silenced Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and the others, who all turned to look at Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was also speechless with astonishment. This Sun Bofu was truly a ruthless man, leaving himself no way out at all.

No, that's not right. Sun Bofu was also a smart man; he was playing the time difference game.

If the surprise attack on Dantu succeeds, then Jiangdu will naturally be unnecessary; it can be handed over to the Xuzhou army so that the army can escape and conquer Jiangdong.

If the raid fails, he can cross the river and return. By the time the Xuzhou army receives the news, he will have already returned to Jiangdu, and there will be no need to worry about the city falling into enemy hands.

As expected of Sun Ce, his wisdom and strategy were truly remarkable.

Liu Feng suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are the Sun family members still in the city?"

"I don't know."

The cavalryman honestly shook his head: "We did not enter the city, but went directly back to Guangling to report the news."

"You have done very well."

Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction and said to Zhao Yun, "Uncle, these scouts know what's important and what's not. They are not greedy for merit and are not reckless. They prioritize delivering the intelligence. I think you should commend them."

Zhao Yun readily accepted the good advice and immediately promoted the cavalry leader to a higher rank, rewarding each of the ten men with one hundred coins.

The cavalrymen were overjoyed and quickly kowtowed to thank Zhao Yun and Liu Feng for their promotion and reward.

Liu Feng had previously inquired about the Sun family's relatives, but his true concern was for Zhang Hong.

Since Sun Ce took the initiative and decided to abandon the city, it's highly likely he won't leave his family in Jiangdu. They've either been sent to Liyang long ago, or they're already in Dantu.

As for Zhang Hong, it's unclear whether he stayed in Jiangdu or went to Jiangdong with Sun Ce.

Immediately, Liu Feng, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci discussed the matter briefly and decided that Taishi Ci would be the main general, leading his own troops and Qianzhao troops, a total of two thousand men, to Danyang to take over the garrison.

At this time, Qian Zhao was not in the city. He had been taking care of the warhorses that had been injured in battle at the stables, trying to save them.

After Qian Zhao's meticulous care during this period, the injured warhorses have indeed gradually recovered.

Because they had been confined to the city, Qian Zhao took the horses outside the city this morning to relax.

Horses are quite delicate animals, as fragile as little princesses. Their hooves wear down, their ankles break easily, their legs are prone to fractures, their stomachs are prone to diarrhea, and even their mental health is susceptible to problems.

Even horses kept in enclosures must regularly run outside the city; otherwise, over time, they will develop various psychological problems, especially injured warhorses.

Just then, Qian Zhao finished her work and rushed over. Upon learning that she had missed the discussion, she quickly apologized to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun naturally wouldn't punish Qian Zhao, but instead asked him to immediately prepare his troops and get ready to set off with Taishi Ci.

Those warhorses that could run also followed Qian Zhao to Jiangdu.

Qian Zhao went to make preparations, and in the afternoon, Taishi Ci and Qian Zhao led their troops away from Guangling, speeding towards Jiangdu.

A force of two thousand men can travel much faster than a force of twenty thousand men, and since it is already June, the days are long and the nights are short, greatly increasing the marching time.

Zhao Yun, Liu Feng, and others estimated that Taishi Ci and his group would arrive in Jiangdu City by nightfall at the latest.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun and Liu Feng also arranged for swift cavalry to report back to Tancheng and Liu Bei in Yuzhou, informing them of the situation in Guangling and the changes in Jiangdong.

Just as Liu Feng had predicted, Sun Ce, after pacifying Dantu, left two thousand men to guard Dantu and personally led four thousand troops to attack Qu'a without any delay.

Sun Ce didn't delay, but Liu Yao was running just as fast.

By the time Sun Ce's forces arrived in Qu'a at dusk and set up camp along the road, Liu Yao had already fled into Jurong territory.

Sun Ce was unaware of this; he only saw that the flags of the Qu'a garrison were neatly arranged and the soldiers were in high spirits, and he was overjoyed.

Xu Kun was puzzled and asked, "Cousin, what are you so happy about? Although Qu'a is not a fortified city, it can't be a good thing if the morale of the garrison is high, can it?"

"Cousin, you're wrong."

Sun Ce, however, was in high spirits and smiled mysteriously, prompting, "Think about why the morale in the city is so high?"

Xu Kun then pondered for a moment, and tentatively replied, "Could it be that Liu Yao gave them extra rewards?"

Sun Ce burst into laughter.

Xu Kun scratched his head and chuckled, "Cousin, could it be that I guessed wrong again?"

"No, what my cousin said is very reasonable, and it is exactly what I like."

Sun Ce pointed to Qu'a City and said, "Cousin, what I was most worried about was that Liu Yao would receive the news and abandon the city and flee. In that case, although I am not afraid of him, the affairs of Jiangdong would be much more complicated. But now, he is actually encouraging the army in the city and wants to defend the city to the death. This is truly heaven's help."

Sun Ce became more and more smug as he spoke, and couldn't help but wave his horsewhip: "As long as I break through Qu'a and capture Liu Yao alive, I can use his title as Governor of Yangzhou to issue a proclamation to Jiangdong to command the disobedient. Wouldn't that be far more satisfying than fighting him for every city and territory?"

"I was worried he would run away, but I underestimated his courage."

Sun Ce was in high spirits and even thought to tease, "If we really capture Liu Yao this time, I'll treat him well to repay his kindness in not fleeing."

"Speak," Sun Ce laughed heartily. Xu Kun suddenly realized what was going on and said, "So that's how it is!" He then joined Sun Ce in laughing.

Sun Ce and Xu Kun were smug and mistakenly believed they had Liu Yao trapped in Qu'a City, while Liu Feng in Guangling received an emergency call.

"They've already set off?"

Liu Feng looked at the travel-worn messenger in front of him and carefully inquired about the details.

The messenger hurriedly replied, "They have indeed set off, bringing their families, valuables, and over a hundred tribal soldiers, in a total of more than twenty large carts, numbering about two hundred people, and are heading towards Guangling."

Liu Feng confirmed, "Oh, are you sure we're going via Guangling?"

"This……"

The messenger hesitated, then shook his head: "Young Master, I cannot confirm. However, the Zhuge family themselves released the information that they intend to travel by water. Indeed, looking at their large carts, traveling by land would not only be an eyesore and inconvenient, but would also significantly slow them down."

Liu Feng nodded.

That's right, the group he had been keeping an eye on was the Zhuge clan of Langya.

It was Liu Feng who had previously spread rumors throughout Langya County that the Zhuge family was heading south with tens of millions of valuables. However, Liu Feng did good deeds anonymously and went to great lengths to eliminate any trace of his actions, which prevented the Zhuge family from finding their benefactor.

Liu Feng did this not out of boredom to spread rumors.

Zhuge Xuan was as stubborn as a rock in a toilet.

Zhuge Xuan had a very close relationship with Liu Biao. Before his death, he entrusted his younger generation, including Zhuge Liang, to Liu Biao.

Liu Biao did not disappoint Zhuge Xuan. Later, Zhuge Liang was able to study and farm in Longzhong, and occasionally invent waterwheels and improve agricultural tools, all of which required money.

Where did Zhuge Liang get his money? Clearly, someone was taking care of him.

Later, Zhuge Liang's wife was the daughter of Huang Chengyan, a famous scholar from Jingzhou. Zhuge Liang's two sisters also married into the Kuai and Pang families, the most powerful families in Jingzhou, respectively.

If we categorize the scholars of Jingzhou into different classes...

At the very top are undoubtedly the Kuai, Cai, and Huang families.

These three families not only had prestige, troops, and wealth, but they also invested in Liu Biao at the first opportunity, reaping extremely rich returns and pushing the other four great families, who were originally on par with them, into the second tier.

The first in the second tier is the Pang family, to which Pang Degong belongs. They are a prominent family in Nanjun, which can be understood as the Jingzhou version of Zhou Yu's family.

Therefore, when Liu Bei later came to Jingzhou and sought refuge with Liu Biao, and was placed as a vassal in Xinye by Liu Biao, many people went to Liu Bei's place to stay, but the Pang family never went.

It wasn't just that the two sides were too far apart, but also because the Pang family's strength was not enough to warrant considering Liu Bei a threat.

Their choice was the Sun family of Jiangdong.

That's right, the Pang family are the Jiangdong collaborators in Jingzhou.

Because the Pang family invested in Liu Biao too late, they were completely suppressed by the Kuai and Cai families, who were originally on equal footing with them.

Unfortunately, the Kuai and Cai families were old friends of Cao Cao. If they were to lead the entire Jingzhou region to surrender to Cao Cao, the Pang family would be even more severely suppressed. Therefore, the Pang family chose to bet on Jiangdong, which demonstrates just how powerful they were.

Even in Langya, the Zhuge family was only a second-rate aristocratic family, with only a few members holding the rank of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain measure).

When they arrived in Jingzhou, the sisters married Kuai and Pang, and the sons married the eldest daughter of the Huang family. Without Liu Biao's mediation and the huge price he paid, could this have been accomplished?

Putting aside other things, Wang Can, one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, lived in Xiangyang and was not married. Why did no one try to arrange a marriage between him?

Don't underestimate Wang Can's family background. Wang Can's great-grandfather served as one of the Three Dukes, and was also the Minister of Works and the Grand Commandant. Wang Can's grandfather also held the position of one of the Three Dukes and was the Minister of Works during the reign of Emperor Ling.

By the time of Wang Can's father's generation, although he didn't get to become one of the Three Dukes, his position was still extremely prominent.

He was the chief secretary of General He Jin.

Kuai Yue was once Wang Chang's younger brother in the General's Mansion.

The relationship between Liu Biao and Zhuge Xuan was more like a model of mutual understanding between ruler and subject than the relationship between Liu Biao and Kuai Yue and Cai Mao.

Although Zhuge Xuan was recommended by Yuan Shu and Liu Biao, anyone with discerning eyes knew who he was loyal to.

He was willing to die rather than flee in order to defend Yuzhang, also out of gratitude for Liu Biao's recognition and favor.

Liu Biao likely cultivated the Zhuge family so diligently because he was both grateful to Zhuge Xuan for his life and wanted to establish a prominent family. What surprised Liu Biao was that the Zhuge family turned out to be a promising talent.

In the beginning, Liu Feng tried to persuade Liu Bei to recruit Zhuge Xuan, and even offered to become the governor of Guangling.

Liu Feng was actually quite pleased with his brilliant plan, while Liu Bei himself didn't quite understand its ingenuity.

Liu Feng explained to Liu Bei in detail Yuan Shu's current predicament of being surrounded by enemies on all sides, and his urgent desire to make peace with Liu Biao.

If we were to appoint Zhuge Xuan, a former official of Liu Biao, as the governor of Guangling, then even though Zhuge Xuan was close to Liu Biao, they would still be separated by a great distance.

Liu Biao would certainly be pleased to hear this, because even though Liu Bei had recruited Zhuge Xuan and recommended him to be the governor of Guangling.

However, this still cannot negate the old official relationship between Zhuge Xuan and Liu Biao. Liu Biao can still influence Zhuge Xuan, and even influence Guangling through Zhuge Xuan. This is equivalent to him getting Guangling for free. How could he not be happy?

Of course, Liu Biao would also have a burden, namely, to aid Guangling County where Zhuge Xuan was located.

If Yuan Shu dares to attack Guangling, then Liu Biao will have to restrain Yuan Shu.

Although Zhuge Xuan could be influenced by Liu Biao, he still had to be loyal to Liu Bei, since he himself was recommended by Liu Bei.

Indeed, the dual loyalty system of the Eastern Han Dynasty was just that surreal.

In this way, Liu Feng could easily keep the Wu family in check, and even bring Zhuge Jin under his control. In addition, he could exchange the uncontrolled Guangling Commandery for stability on the southern frontier.

The most ingenious part is that the price paid was Guangling County, which was originally not under the control of the prefecture. But after the prefecture paid this price, it would come under the control of the prefecture itself.

Liu Feng felt full of confidence. After listening to Liu Feng's analysis, Liu Bei readily accepted the advice and immediately sent a provincial envoy to Langya to recruit Zhuge Xuan.

But Zhuge Xuan refused.

He refused outright and decisively.

He even refused with a touch of arrogance, and said some unpleasant things in private, mainly comparing Liu Bei to Liu Biao.

How can a mere border soldier compare to a renowned scholar of the Eighth Rank?

Liu Bei and Liu Feng were both furious.

Liu Feng never expected that his ingenious plan, which he had meticulously planned and considered all parties involved, would ultimately fail due to the hearts and minds of those involved.

This wave of recruitment not only failed to bring any turning point to Liu Bei's adversity, but also caused his already meager reputation to drop even further.

After all, the scholars in Xuzhou are also watching.

Everyone has their own moral compass. You, Liu Bei, eagerly sought to recruit Zhuge Xuan, but were rejected.

If any local scholar in Xuzhou feels that he is no less capable than Zhuge Xuan, he will most likely not respond to Liu Bei's recruitment offer, unless you offer a higher price.

But Liu Bei offered Zhuge Xuan the position of Prefect of Guangling. What higher price could he possibly offer?

Are you suggesting we give away the governor of Xuzhou, who's right under our noses?

Therefore, Liu Bei also deeply resented Zhuge Xuan.

If it weren't for this past conflict, after Liu Bei conquered Langya, Liu Feng would have already advised Liu Bei to personally invite Zhuge Xuan to join his cause.

However, hating Zhuge Xuan is one thing, loving Zhuge Liang is another.

Liu Bei, after all, was unaware of later history, so he can be disregarded, but Liu Feng truly couldn't let go of Zhuge Liang's legacy.

Even though Zhuge Liang has tormented me a thousand times, I still love him as much as I love my first love.

This can be considered a true reflection of Liu Feng's mind.

So, if the literary approach didn't work, they resorted to the martial one.

Liu Feng knew that Zhuge Xuan would definitely go south this year, and most likely he would take the route through Yuzhou or Guangling.

However, the section of the Yuzhou route is relatively easy to travel near Xuzhou, but once you leave Pei County, Runan County is now in a state of chaos.

The repeated massacres by the Liangzhou army, as well as the flames of war in the civil war between the Yuan family in the north and south, have caused the population of Runan County, which was originally the second largest county in the country, to plummet, just like the largest county, Nanyang County, leaving the people destitute.

Local riots broke out, and local strongmen posed as bandits to rob passersby.

In addition, large areas of uninhabited land have appeared in Runan. It would be extremely dangerous to try to cross these uninhabited areas with family and a large amount of valuables.

A mere hundred soldiers from various tribes are hardly enough to guarantee any safety.

If you go south to Guangling, it will be much smoother. You only need to travel a short distance by land, and then you can take a direct waterway.

Moreover, Zhuge Xuan was once blocked by Yuan Shu in history, which was likely in Guangling County or Jiujiang County next to Guangling County.

It was precisely because Zhuge Xuan was blocked that Yuan Shu was overjoyed and eagerly appointed Zhuge Xuan as the acting governor of Yuzhang, even sending troops to escort him to his post.

It was this decision that made Liu Biao determined to turn his enmity into friendship with Yuan Shu and formally cease hostilities.

Later, even when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, attracting various rebellions from his former protégés and officials, and the various warlords of the Sun family, and when it seemed that heroes from all over the world were besieging him, only Liu Biao did not send troops. Instead, he appointed his nephew Liu Pan as commander and sent troops to Yuzhang to cause trouble for Liu Yao.

While this may seem like a territorial grab, Lujiang and Jiujiang are both fertile lands, connected by the Yangtze River waterway, making them far more valuable than Yuzhang.

This was partly due to the death of Zhuge Xuan.

Previously, Guangling was not under Liu Bei's control, so Liu Feng could only try to solve the problem within Langya.

The best solution is to take Zhuge Liang hostage.

Yes, that's right, it was a hostage situation using force.

Because Zhuge Xuan was like a stinking rock in a latrine, a die-hard loyalist to Liu Biao, a person with such a character was actually worthy of respect in chaotic times.

However, Liu Feng could not accept Zhuge Liang's departure, so he could only apologize to the old gentleman Zhuge Xuan.

Liu Feng's specific plan was to spread rumors, use money to sway people's hearts, and gather mountain bandits to besiege the Zhuge family's migrating caravan.

When the Zhuge family's caravan encountered danger, they appeared under the pretext of hunting, defeated the bandits, and rescued the Zhuge family.

Then, under the pretext of ensuring safety, they could take Zhuge Shi back to Tancheng, and then, under the guise of seeking repayment for her kindness, secretly communicate with Zhuge Liang.

As long as one treats others with sincerity and clarity, given Zhuge Liang's emotional intelligence and IQ, he would certainly be willing to stay.

In this way, everyone will be happy.

However, this method was actually quite crude and full of flaws; only a fool would think it could fool Zhuge Liang.

Therefore, Liu Feng plans to emphasize sincerity, and will naturally reveal his true intentions to Zhuge Liang when the time comes.

Thank you so much, BYWAN, for being the leader!
Thank you so much for your support.

Cai Yan had considered this issue long ago; it was foreshadowed when she went to Hedong to recruit the Jia family.

Also, I'd like to recommend a book to everyone. It's a great work by my good friend, Pastry. It's incredibly good, so you should check it out. Don't be fooled by the title.

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(End of this chapter)