My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 157 Plagiarism of Guo Gong
Counting the days, Xinqi had been traveling south by horse and then by boat, day and night, and it had taken him a full eleven days.

However, given the speed of the gentry's carriages in this era, eleven days would probably not be enough for the Zhuge clan to leave Langya County. They probably wouldn't even have reached Donghai County by now, so there was still plenty of time.

"How's the situation with the decoy?"

Liu Feng devoted himself wholeheartedly to showing respect and admiration for Zhuge Liang.

He had already searched for bandit and rebel groups in Langya, Donghai, and Guangling, and placed reliable people in their places to ensure that he could influence their actions.

The messenger quickly replied, "It's all normal. Because they haven't received orders from the young master, they're still holding back and not letting them make a move."

"It's just that Prefect Chen issued a proclamation in Langya, ordering bandits and rebel soldiers to surrender within a specified period. This caused the bandits in Langya to rush to join him, and even the rebel gang we control had some members who wanted to defect to the prefecture."

"Mr. Yuanlong's abilities are beyond doubt, and it's perfectly normal for him to subdue a few rebel soldiers and bandits."

Liu Feng nodded happily: "In that case, go back immediately and have the bandit gang in Langya send someone to talk to the people in Donghai to discuss the matter of joining forces."

"As for the location of the operation, it will be in Guangling County. After all, I have duties to perform and cannot leave Guangling City for an extended period of time."

Liu Feng joked, "We can't exactly say we went hunting and ended up in Langya East Sea, can we?"

The messenger joined in the laughter.

"Go ahead and report back immediately if anything happens."

Liu Feng praised them, saying, "You all did a great job. Go back to Tancheng and collect your reward: two hundred coins each."

"Thank you for the reward, young master!"

The messenger was overjoyed and quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

This is not just a reward, but also the young master's affirmation, which is even more gratifying than the former.

After the messenger left, Liu Feng resumed his work.

Everything is going smoothly now. Guangling has been recovered, and if Father's actions in Yuzhou also go well, then the focus can be shifted to Pengcheng, with this year's grain tax and the income from the military farms.

Next year, Xuzhou can reorganize Pengcheng Kingdom and carry out large-scale land reclamation in Pengcheng.

At the same time, increasing the production of pig iron and armor can also be put on the agenda.

After the states of Pengcheng and Pei were united, the area between Pengcheng, the capital of Pengcheng, and Xiangxian, the capital of Pei, contained vast coal and iron ore resources, making it an extremely important coal-iron complex region. Furthermore, this area was crisscrossed by waterways, including the Si River, the Yi River, and the Huai River, making transportation extremely convenient.

If we can control the two countries of Lu and Pei, we can gather manpower here, open more mines, effectively increase the output of iron ore and coal, and increase the output of pig iron.

In this way, the pig iron produced, as well as the surplus coal and iron ore, could be transported south along the Huai River to Xuzhou, making it the foundation for establishing a foothold in the world.

However, all of this depends on how well his father does in Yuzhou.

If we suffer a loss or a defeat, then things will be a long way off.

Just as Liu Feng, the dutiful son, was worrying about his father, Liu Bei sneezed violently by the shore of Weishan Lake.

At this moment, he was inspecting the prisoners with great pride when the Xuzhou army attacked Guo Gong's rear on the shore of Weishan Lake, and then successively captured Qi County, Xue County, and Fan County, which directly frightened Guo Gong, who was besieging Lu County, into hastily retreating.

The two armies finally met at the foot of Mount Yi, and within an hour, Liu Bei decisively defeated Guo Gong's 10,000-strong army.

Zhang Fei of the left flank captured Yu Fan, the right-wing colonel of Guo Gong, while Zang Ba of the right flank killed Zhang Liang, the right-wing colonel of Guo Gong.

Liu Bei himself successfully captured the enemy's commander, Guo Gong.

Liu Bei, somewhat smug, looked at Guo Gong, who had been brought before him, disheveled and in a sorry state, and said leisurely, "Lord Guo, how have you been?"

Guo Gong was a direct descendant of the Guo family, a prominent clan in Yingchuan, and his status was actually much higher than that of Guo Tu.

Strictly speaking, his appointment as governor of Yuzhou violated the Three Mutuals Law.

However, Li Jue and Guo Si controlled the court and forced Emperor Xian of Han to resign, leaving no one else with any options.

Li Jue and Guo Si naturally had their own agenda. They weren't on good terms with Guo Gong, but as long as Guo Gong and Yuan Shu had a bad relationship, it would be worth it.

Sure enough, after Guo Gong became the governor of Yu Province, he quickly raised an army of more than 10,000 men. He not only became an enemy of Yuan Shu and attacked the officials of Yu Province appointed by Yuan Shu, but also went north to meddle in the family affairs of Lü Bu and Cao Cao.

At that time, Guo Gong led more than 10,000 men to besiege Juancheng, which almost terrified Xiahou Dun, who kept shouting that he wanted to go out of the city for a decisive battle.

Fortunately, Xun Yu persuaded Xiahou Dun to back down, and then went out of the city himself, miraculously managing to convince Guo Gong to retreat.

Let's set aside the question of how much it would cost Guo Gong to travel from Liang to Juancheng and back with his 10,000-plus men. Why was Xun Yu so confident that Guo Gong would meet with him and listen to him?
Isn't it just because they're from the same hometown and old friends?
Although Guo Gongren was in a sorry state, he still tried his best to maintain his dignity.

Fortunately, Liu Bei did not intend to humiliate the other party. Instead, he sighed, clapped his hands, had tea served, and then invited Guo Gong to sit in his tent.

Guo Gong was invited into Liu Bei's tent and sat down. After tidying his clothes and drinking some hot soup, he finally calmed down a bit.

As people calmed down, they naturally had to regain their composure and demeanor.

Seeing that Liu Bei was drinking his tea in silence, Guo Gong tentatively spoke up: "A defeated general is not worth mentioning. Today, having been defeated by Lord Liu, I only wish to die and have no other thoughts."

Liu Bei almost burst out laughing. If you really didn't read it, how could you have survived to come to me?

However, it was not easy to say this out loud. The reminder from my dear son was still ringing in my ears. Guo Gong was still very useful, and since the other party had already yielded, I couldn't push him too far.

"Why do you say such a thing, Lord Guo?"

Liu Bei finally put down his tea and calmly advised, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Moreover, in this battle, Governor Guo bullied virtuous men and launched an attack on Lu without cause. Our Xuzhou army, on the other hand, came to Lu's aid from afar at the request of the Lu chancellor, and we are a righteous army. This outcome is truly a matter of fate. Governor Guo is also a renowned scholar of our time, whom I have always admired. After this, Governor Guo should reflect on his virtue and refrain from using his army to bully the counties and states again."

Guo Gong's expression was complicated. He understood that Liu Bei intended to let him off the hook, so he breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt humiliated that he, a man of high reputation, had been taught a lesson by a mere border warrior.

But what the other party said made a lot of sense, and given their greater power, I couldn't say anything back.

Liu Bei continued, "Lord Guo, I have already sent a message to Prefect Chen of Lu, inviting him to come. I wish to act as a peacemaker and turn hostility into friendship between the two of you. I wonder if I would have the honor of doing so?"

Guo Gong finally understood that Liu Bei was serious; he genuinely wanted to stop him from attacking Lu and also genuinely wanted to let him go back.

With a way out, Guo Gong's mind naturally became more active. He tentatively asked, "Lord Liu is truly a righteous man, but I really don't know how Master Chen could persuade Lord Liu. I'm afraid you've been deceived by him."

Guo Gong thought for a moment, took out his original statement about attacking Chen Yi, modified it slightly, and said: "In my opinion, although Chen Boshi is the son of the famous Chen Fan Gong, he has never been able to love the people and recruit talents. Since he took office as the prime minister of Lu, the people's livelihood of Lu has been getting worse and worse. As the governor of Yuzhou, I should punish the treacherous and untrustworthy people. Therefore, I led troops to Lu."

Liu Bei chuckled and said, "We are in a time of chaos. The emperor's court is controlled by the rebel Liang, and the world is in turmoil. It is no easy task for Chancellor Chen to guard the borders. Why should Lord Guo be so harsh on him?"

"oh oh."

Guo Gong's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He realized that Liu Bei was determined to side with Chen Yi, so he dared not continue. Instead, he nodded repeatedly and said, "What Lord Liu said is very true. I have long heard of your benevolence and virtue. Seeing you today, I know that the rumors are true."

Liu Bei burst into laughter.

"Big brother!"

"Lord!"

At this moment, the tent flap was lifted, and two fierce generals entered: Zhang Fei and Zang Ba.

One of them captured Guo Gong alive, and the other killed him in battle, thus taking down two of Guo Gong's most powerful henchmen.

Guo Gong's gaze involuntarily fell on the head that Zang Ba was holding, and happened to meet Zhang Liang's eyes.

The other man's head was covered in blood, and he died with his eyes wide open. Guo Gong was so frightened that he closed his eyes and trembled all over.

After witnessing this scene, Liu Bei instructed Zang Ba, "Xuan Gao, send the head out. Lord Guo cannot bear to see this."

"Yes! Lord."

Zang Ba was now very impressed with Liu Bei, and without hesitation, he turned and left the tent, sending away the severed head.

Liu Bei also summoned someone to fetch clean water so that Zhang Fei and Zang Ba could wash and groom themselves.

While introducing them to Guo Gong, the man said, "Lord Guo, these two are the heroes of our Xuzhou army who captured the enemy's flag and defeated enemy generals today. This man is my sworn brother Zhang Fei, with a fiery temper and extraordinary martial arts skills, capable of leading thousands of troops. The other man is Zang Ba Zang Xuan Gao, the leader of the Taishan army, who once defeated 100,000 with only 3,000 men at Langya. He is not only brave and fierce, but also resourceful and shrewd, quick-witted and decisive in battle. Today, it was his group that broke through the enemy's formation first." Guo Gong felt aggrieved. He knew the man was trying to put him down, but at this moment, he couldn't even muster the courage to be angry.

A full army of 10,000 men faced off head-on, and within an hour, they were completely routed.

The gap between the two sides was so vast that Guo Gong could not possibly be angry, nor would he dare to be angry.

Not only could they not get angry, they had to force a smile and exclaim, "The two generals are indeed exceptionally brave and valiant."

Liu Bei then addressed Zhang Fei and Zang Badao: "Yide, Xuan Gao, this is Guo Gong, a renowned scholar from Yuzhou, who is now the governor of Yuzhou appointed by the imperial court. You two should quickly pay your respects to Governor Guo."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei and Zang Ba both stepped forward to bow and pay their respects, which surprised Guo Gong.

Zhang Fei respected scholars and, even though he looked down on Guo Gong, he still treated him with great courtesy.

Although Zang Ba did not value famous scholars as much as Zhang Fei did, he recognized Guo Gong's value to Liu Bei, so he also stepped forward to pay his respects.

After being thoroughly appeased by Liu Bei, Guo Gong's anger was completely dissipated.

Since he had fallen into Liu Bei's hands anyway, and it seemed that Liu Bei didn't intend to kill him, he might as well follow Liu Bei's orders.

That night, Liu Bei set up a special tent for Guo Gong and arranged for him to be accompanied by guards, showing him no disrespect whatsoever.

Three days later, Chen Yi received the news and rushed over from Lu County, the capital of Lu State.

Upon seeing Liu Bei, Chen Yi warmly stepped forward and shook his hand: "I have long heard of Kong Wenju's eloquent praise of Lord Liu's benevolence. It is laughable that you, my lord, are blind to such virtue. In the past, I thought Kong Wenju was exaggerating, but today I realize that I was ignorant. Lord Liu's arrival to aid you and the people of Lu has saved you from dire straits and relieved them from their suffering. This is truly remarkable."

Liu Bei was quite pleased with Chen Yi's journey.

Just now, upon hearing that Chen Yi was coming, Liu Bei was actually quite unsettled.

These days, scholars are not easy to please. Although Cao Cao had already taught them a lesson with his sword, he was also betrayed by these scholars.

Liu Bei came from the borderlands and rose to power as a military man. If Chen Yi were polite and reasonable, he would naturally be grateful to Liu Bei.

The real fear is that Chen Yi is arrogant and conceited, and might criticize Liu Bei for his slow arrival, potentially leading to the siege of Lu County.

If Liu Bei were to encounter someone like this, the humiliation he would feel would be secondary; the most troublesome thing would be how to continue expanding his influence in Yu Province.

Fortunately, this did not happen. Chen Yi was not only very enthusiastic, but also very shrewd in social interactions, and he praised Liu Bei to the skies.

Guo Gong, standing to the side, was in a very awkward position. One of the two opponents was asking for help, and the other was coming to their aid. It goes without saying how embarrassing it was for him, a defeated general, to be caught in the middle.

Fortunately, Liu Bei quickly took care of him.

Liu Bei, holding Chen Yi's hand, led him to Guo Gong. Then, with his other hand, he took Guo Gong's hand and pressed their hands together alternately. "Governor Guo is a renowned scholar of Yu Province, and Chancellor Chen is the descendant of a distinguished minister. Both of you are pillars of the state. Although you have come to blows today due to a misunderstanding, you have ultimately turned hostility into friendship. I have come here solely to mediate peace, hoping that Governor Guo and Chancellor Chen can work together to stabilize the situation in Yu Province and spare its people from the ravages of war."

Liu Bei's words were truly out of public interest and reflected his true thoughts.

Liu Bei has one truly remarkable quality that makes him difficult for even those who dislike him to discredit.

Although he came from humble beginnings, he struggled and persevered all the way.

No matter what position he held, he always wanted to do good things for the people.

Historically, he spent relatively short periods in Pingyuan, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou, but he left behind achievements in cracking down on powerful local tyrants, punishing corruption, and encouraging the people's livelihood.

In this respect, he and Cao Cao were indeed like-minded.

Chen Yi looked somewhat embarrassed and indignant.

After all, this Guo Gong in front of him had surrounded his city a few days ago.

If Liu Bei hadn't come to the rescue, who knows how this guy would have dealt with himself after conquering Lu County.

These days, the title of "famous scholar" is not as useful as it used to be. Bian Rang had such a great reputation in Yanzhou, but just because he cursed Cao Cao a few times, his family and disciples were immediately executed by Cao Cao.

Chen Yi felt that his father's reputation was becoming less and less able to protect his life.

For this reason, he was very friendly to Liu Bei. Liu Bei had a reputation for benevolence and virtue, had won many battles, and treated famous scholars with respect. Wasn't he the best person to associate with?
If the State of Lu had Xuzhou as its backing, it would no longer fear Guo Gong, let alone Cao Cao.

Guo Gong understood that Liu Bei would not punish him, and might even let him go back.

With this understanding, Guo Gong's goodwill towards Liu Bei increased greatly, and he began to cooperate.

Ignoring Chen Yi's embarrassment, Guo Gong directly grasped his hand and said with deep affection, "It was my fault that I listened to slander and was misled by villains who instigated me to invade the border."

Chen Yi hadn't expected Guo Gong to be so humble. Considering that Guo Gong was also a renowned scholar and his superior, he realized it wasn't appropriate to go too far.

Moreover, he himself was a renowned scholar, and it would be extremely unseemly for him to bully his superior in front of his benefactor, Liu Bei.

Left with no other choice, Chen Yi could only force a smile: "Uncle Fang, why do you say such things? Now that the truth has come out, I dare not accept your apology."

Liu Bei watched with great satisfaction, and Guo Gong's willingness to bow his head was something Liu Bei had not expected.

It seems that this Prefect Guo is quite easy to talk to; it seems we can indeed keep in touch more often in the future.

Liu Bei was unaware that Guo Gong was actually not that weak.

He had previously been subdued because he was stunned by Liu Bei's attack. His own army collapsed so quickly that he barely had time to react before becoming a prisoner.

For a time, his fear of death and the blow of defeat made him much more agreeable.

Although Guo Gong was not exactly a strong person, he did have a resilient character.

At this point, he became more agreeable, but for a completely different reason than before.

After sensing Liu Bei's goodwill, Guo Gong naturally had some ulterior motives.

The previous defeat came too quickly, and neither side suffered many casualties.

Despite suffering heavy casualties, Guo Gong's army actually only lost a few hundred men and suffered over a thousand casualties, with a total casualty rate of less than 30%.

This also means that there are still seven or eight thousand prisoners of war in the Yuzhou army.

If these people could be returned to Guo Gong, then the battle would not have resulted in much loss, and his position as governor would remain very secure.

This is the key reason why Guo Gong changed his attitude today.

On that day, Liu Bei hosted a banquet to entertain Chen Yi.

During the banquet, Chen Yi was quite tactful in accepting Liu Bei's offer, not only hinting that he was willing to send the taxes of Lu to Tancheng, but also that he was willing to obey Liu Bei's orders.

Liu Bei was overjoyed. He never expected Chen Yi to be so sensible, offering conditions that were even better than the best he had anticipated.

Liu Bei's bottom line was that Chen Yi should stand on the side of Xuzhou and allow Xuzhou to expand its influence into the State of Lu.

If things go even higher, it would mean that Chen Yi could firmly become a vassal state of Xuzhou, so that Xuzhou could openly station troops in Lu State.

As for taxes, Liu Bei never dared to even consider it from beginning to end.

After all, it wasn't proper to say that Lu was a prefecture or kingdom in Yuzhou, and Liu Bei really didn't dare to mention the matter of sending taxes to Xuzhou to Chen Yi.

Moreover, Liu Bei was well aware that money and provisions were far more valuable than empty titles; these were real, tangible benefits.

For Lu to agree to this, Chen Yi alone is not enough; the gentry and powerful families of Lu also need to agree.

You're laughing too soon! He started coughing last night before bed, and it got worse and worse. He coughed all night, it was excruciating, and he's still coughing today. If he doesn't get better by tomorrow, the old man will have to go to the hospital again. Sigh, only after typing this did I realize how bad his health is.

Before, when I caught a cold or fever, I'd be full of energy as soon as the fever broke. Now, I have so many lingering symptoms, I'm coughing so badly! Only one update today, I'll update again tomorrow after my hospital visit. Thank you to everyone who cares about the old man; I'll try my best to make up for it once he's better.

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(End of this chapter)