My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 163 Double Happiness
After the banquet, Dong Xi, Bu Zhi, Wei Jing, and others were invited by Liu Feng to stay in Guangling for a while.

Liu Feng's reason was that he would soon be returning north to Tancheng, so they could travel back north together.

Actually, Liu Feng just happened to discover that these three people could be used as tools.

The Zhuge family had already crossed the Donghai Kingdom and entered the Xiapi Kingdom. After some time, they would be able to enter the Guangling County.

Just as Liu Feng was patiently waiting for the Zhuge family to arrive, the envoy fleet from Jingzhou also arrived at Niuzhu in Yangzhou.

Not long after disembarking, Liu Xian and Xun You heard about the Battle of Xiangcao River between Sun and Liu, and learned that Liu Yao had ordered Zhang Ying to gather the remaining troops in Jurong and defend the city, while he himself was on his way to Niuzhu.

Both of them were very surprised, neither of them expected Liu Yao to be defeated so quickly and so miserably.

Fortunately, Liu Yao still had the elite troops of Niuzhu, which was enough to stabilize the northern part of Danyang.

However, this crushing defeat will inevitably shake the powerful clans and gentry of Danyang, and the situation will certainly worsen considerably.

However, this presents an opportunity to persuade Liu Yao to form an alliance with Jingzhou.

Despite his illness, Xu Shao received Liu Xian and Xun You on behalf of Liu Yao, who had not yet returned to Niuzhu.

After the two introduced themselves, Xu Shao learned that Liu Xian was the chief envoy, while Xun You intended to go north to Xuzhou.

As for a martial artist like Gan Ning, he is only fit to wait outside the hall. How could he be worthy of sitting and talking with the famous scholars inside?
Liu Xian began by praising Xu Shao before explaining his purpose: "My lord was also deceived by the Left General in the past, just like Liu Yangzhou in recent times. He relied heavily on the insightful people of Jingzhou who sacrificed their families and lives for the country to raise grain and troops for my lord. Cai Degui and Huang Chengze fought valiantly and finally killed Sun Jian in battle, defeated the Left General, and drove him away from Nanyang."

“This time, Sun Jian’s son is wreaking havoc in Wu Commandery and ravaging Jiangdong. It is just like what happened in Jingzhou in the past. The people of Jingzhou feel the same way. My lord respects Liu Yangzhou as a member of the same clan and is willing to lend Liu Yangzhou a helping hand.”

Liu Xianxian expressed his stance and probed the opinions of Xu Shao and other high-ranking officials in Yangzhou.

If they are too wary of Jingzhou, they will most likely refuse outright.

After hearing Liu Xian's words, Xu Shao and the others fell silent for a moment.

All those present were renowned scholars and capable individuals; none of them were fools.

They could actually guess about 70-80% of Liu Biao's intentions.

Putting everything else aside, if the Jingzhou troops arrive and help recover the land and cities, how should Yangzhou demand them back if they were conquered by the enemy?
Not to mention, wouldn't inviting foreign troops into Jiangdong provoke resentment from the local gentry and powerful clans?

Since Xu Shao and the others did not give any feedback, Liu Xian could not continue to probe. He had to maintain the demeanor of a scholar, but he was also worried that he might provoke the Yangzhou leadership too much and cause unnecessary trouble.

For a moment, the hall fell silent, very quiet.

Xun You, on the other hand, noticed quite a few signs.

He was very intelligent and had a clearer perspective as an outsider. In his opinion, Liu Xian should make persistent efforts to demonstrate the strength of Jingzhou.

If the Yangzhou leadership had been more wary of Jingzhou than of Yuan Shu, they would have rejected the offer outright long ago.

Silence at this point likely indicates a lack of understanding on how to delve deeper into the topic.

After all, they were the weaker party and were more worried about Jingzhou's intentions, sincerity, and whether it had enough strength to help Yangzhou.

Xun You remained silent for a moment, then decided to lend a helping hand to Kuai Yue and Liu Xian. He took the initiative to speak, saying, "Due to the treacherous roads and the obstruction of bandits, I have been stuck in Xiangyang for two years."

"Liu Jingzhou entered Jingzhou alone, employing both kindness and severity internally, and skillfully recruiting and enticing people. Externally, he defeated Sun Jian and drove out Yuan Shu. As a result, Jingzhou was pacified for thousands of miles, and the people were pleased and subdued. Now, the army is well-trained and well-supplied, the generals are brave, and the soldiers are willing to serve."

"Jingzhou and Yangzhou, located on the same river, have always been friendly neighbors and have supported each other."

"What General Zuo did in Nanyang in the past has caused great distress to everyone in Jingzhou, from Liu Biao to the common people. We do not want this to happen again in Jiangdong."

"Liu Jingzhou's sincerity should not be doubted by Liu Yangzhou."

Xun You's words not only showed Liu Biao and the people of Jingzhou's sympathy for Yangzhou, but also implied that Liu Biao had the ability to send troops to Yangzhou.

Sure enough, Xu Shao and the others reacted after hearing Xun You's words.

"It's true."

Teng Zhou said, "We had already discussed it and were about to send an envoy to Jiangbei to ask Governor Liu of Xuzhou for help."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's name, both Liu Xian and Xun You's expressions changed slightly.

Liu Xian suddenly heard Xun You cough beside him and realized that Xu Shao, Teng Zhou and others were observing his reaction. He immediately said, "Great minds think alike."

Teng Zhou asked, puzzled, "What does Your Excellency mean?"

Liu Xian laughed loudly, "Gentlemen, you may not know this, but in addition to carrying out the mission of the alliance with Yangzhou, I also came to Xuzhou to pay my respects to Governor Liu of Xuzhou and express my lord's desire for good relations."

“The people of Jing, Yang and Xu provinces are all relatives of the Han imperial family. Now is the time for us to support each other and jointly support the Han dynasty.”

Liu Xian spoke sincerely: "If Prefect Liu of Xuzhou is also willing to send troops to help, then the matter of Yangzhou can be settled, which is exactly what my lord wants."

Xu Shao, Teng Zhou, and the others then realized what was happening.

Liu Xian secretly thanked Xun You for his reminder. If he had been lost in thought for too long, it might have aroused the suspicion of the famous scholars in Yangzhou.

That evening, Xu Shao hosted a banquet for Liu Xian and Xun You.

Two days later, Liu Yao rushed back to Niuzhu and had a secret meeting with Xu Shao, Teng Zhou and others that night.

Subsequently, another 6,000 soldiers were drawn from Xue Li and Zuo Rong.

However, Liu Yao also paid some price for requesting troops this time.

He agreed to hand over Danyang County to Xue Li, and Jurong County to Zuo Rong.

Although Liu Yao's actions clearly overstepped the bounds of Zhou Shang, the governor of Danyang.

But at this point, Liu Yao could no longer care about Zhou Shang, or rather, he was already quite wary of Zhou Shang.

Zhou Shang and Liu Yao were originally partners. Liu Yao was eager to control the local area and acquire wealth, food, and troops, while Zhou Shang had the ability to control the local area but lacked a legitimate reason to do so.

Liu Yao and Zhou Shang hit it off immediately. Liu Yao recommended Zhou Shang to serve as the governor of Danyang. Zhou Shang helped Liu Yao quickly pacify Danyang and raise grain, fodder and soldiers.

The relationship between the two sides is equal, with Liu Yao as the leader of the alliance and Zhou Shang as a major shareholder.

However, Liu Yao is now clearly in decline, and there are signs that he is no match for Sun Ce, a valiant general under Yuan Shu.

Zhou Shang began to become dangerous.

The Zhou family was, after all, a prominent clan in Lujiang, and most of their family's business was based in Lujiang, which was under Yuan Shu's command.

With Yuan Shu poised to sweep across Jiangdong, now is the perfect time for Zhou Shang to sell Liu Yao for a good price.

Moreover, Liu Yao learned from Liu Bei's letter that Zhou Yu, a direct descendant of the Zhou family, and Sun Ce had been friends since childhood, and their relationship had long been one of mutual respect and respect.

At this time, Sun Ce occupied the northern part of Wu Commandery and won a great victory over Liu Yao. It goes without saying which side Zhou Yu, who was in Wanling at the time, would lean towards.
After discussing the matter, Liu Yao, Xu Shao, and others made several important decisions.
The first option is to continue exchanging soldiers from Xue Li and Zuo Rong using Danyang and Jurong counties. The other side urgently needs a foothold, so there shouldn't be much of a problem.

The second task was to ask Xu Shao to accompany Liu Xian to Tancheng to meet Liu Bei and request assistance.

The third measure was to send someone to warn and subtly inform Zhou Shang of the envoy from Jingzhou and Liu Yao's request for assistance from Xuzhou. At this point, Liu Yao didn't expect the information to be of much use; even just making Zhou Shang hesitate for another day would be beneficial.

Liu Yao was unaware that Zhou Shang and his nephew Zhou Yu were also having a heated discussion about the current situation in Wanling at that moment.

When Sun Ce launched a surprise attack on Dantu and captured Qu'a, Zhou Yu strongly urged Zhou Shang to immediately switch sides and launch a fierce attack on Niuzhu from the rear to break through the river defenses and seize the great achievement of Yuan Shu's army crossing the river.

Zhou Shang hesitated. He had previously agreed to his nephew Zhou Yu's plan, but it was delayed because of Liu Feng's letter.

Zhou Shang's current hesitation also stems from Xuzhou.

The reason is simple: Xuzhou is too strong in fighting.

Sun Ce attacked Dantu with 6,000 troops and captured Qu'a. Then, with his uncle Wu Jing's 6,000 troops, he successively conquered the two counties of Piling and Wuxi, sweeping across the northern part of Wu Commandery. How powerful was he?
Just a month ago, Sun's army, along with Sun Ben's troops and 10,000 of Yuan Shu's personal troops led by Qiao Rui, a total of 30,000 elite troops, were utterly defeated by a mere 6,000 Xuzhou soldiers under the walls of Guangling City, completely crippling Qiao Rui's forces in a single battle.

Earlier, Sun Ce fought a fierce battle in Guangling City for a whole night, but was eventually forced to abandon the city and flee.

In just over a month, Yuan Shu's most elite troops had been defeated twice by the Xuzhou army, who were outnumbered.

Zhou Shang was somewhat worried. Despite Sun Ce's current unstoppable momentum, the Xuzhou army was just north of the Yangtze River, only a river away. Moreover, both Liu Bei and Liu Yao were members of the imperial clan, and Liu Bei had a reputation for benevolence. If Liu Yao asked for help, Liu Bei would most likely not refuse.

Zhou Shang believed that they could wait and see how the Xuzhou army and Sun Ce fought before making a decision.

Zhou Yu, however, felt that although Guangling was close to the north of the Yangtze River, the central government of Xuzhou was far away in Tancheng.

By the time Tancheng reacted, the matter of Jiangdong had already been settled.

As long as Zhou Shang contacts Sun Ce, and they switch allegiance when Sun Ce marches west, Liu Yao's downfall will be imminent. Even if Liu Bei wants to help, he will be powerless to do so.

At that time, General Zuo, having control of both Jiangdong and Jiangbei, will surely march north again.

Xuzhou was already incredibly fortunate to have retained Guangling; how could it possibly pose a threat to Jiangdong?

The two sides were deadlocked, but Zhou Shang held military power, leaving Zhou Yu helpless and unable to do anything about it.

The officials and military officers in Danyang City were all Zhou Shang's direct subordinates, so even if Zhou Yu wanted to forge an imperial edict, it wouldn't work.

Over the next few days, the situation on the front lines stabilized.

Sun Ce was determined to take Wu Commandery first.

After receiving the benefits, Zuo Rong readily handed over another 3,000 men and then led tens of thousands of followers to Jurong.

Xue Li also handed over three thousand men, and then sent his confidant Jiang Neng with two thousand soldiers to garrison Danyang.

Zhou Shang remained indifferent to this, ignoring it as if he knew nothing about it.

After stabilizing the front lines, Liu Yao met with Liu Xian and Xun You several times, and the two sides established a preliminary alliance, on the condition that Liu Biao immediately provide Yangzhou with a batch of military equipment and provisions.

After intense discussions, Jingzhou agreed to transport 600 sets of leather armor, 3,000 longswords, 3,000 wooden shields, 200 bows, 80,000 arrows, and 5,000 shi of grain within a month.

Liu Yao then stated that after defeating Sun Ce, he was willing to send troops to join Liu Biao in attacking Yuan Shu in Jiangbei.

By this point in the discussion, Liu Yao was already aware of Liu Biao's demands regarding Yangzhou and Jiangbei.

However, the specific division will depend on the performance of both sides' armies.

If the Jingzhou army is indeed powerful and sweeps across Jiangbei, then Liu Yao is willing to first consolidate the four counties in Jiangdong.

If the Jingzhou army performs poorly, the Yangzhou army may still have a chance to recover the two counties north of the Yangtze River.

Three days later, Liu Yao held a banquet to bid farewell to Liu Xian, Xun You, Xu Shao, and Teng Zhou.

A fast boat had already been dispatched to notify Guangling, so when Liu Xian and his three companions arrived in Guangling, Liu Feng and his men had been waiting for them at the dock for quite some time.

Originally, Liu Feng only planned to bring Bu Zhi and Wei Jing, two scholars, because he knew that Xu Shao and his group still looked down on warriors. Even Taishi Ci was beneath their notice, let alone the others.

It should be noted that Taishi Ci was essentially a scholar, only slightly less accomplished than Liu Bei, since he had not studied under a great Confucian scholar.

Even so, Liu Yao resolutely refused his confidants' recommendation of Taishi Ci, because he was afraid of being ridiculed by Xu Shao, since Taishi Ci was a military man.

To be fair, Liu Feng didn't believe Liu Yao was really that stupid and rigid; he probably also had no way to deal with Taishi Ci at the time.

Unlike scholars such as Teng Zhou, Shi Yi, and the Teng brothers, Taishi Ci was a military general who led troops.

But the troops under Liu Yao's command were all private soldiers contributed by powerful clans and gentry in Jiangdong. How could they be taken away?

Moreover, even if Taishi Ci were to be forcibly deprived of the opportunity to take care of the child, he still wouldn't be able to.

Besides, these powerful clans and gentry of Jiangdong have contributed both their efforts and money to you, Liu Yao. Aren't they hoping to repay you?
Taishi Ci didn't contribute anything, so even Liu Yao couldn't simply promote him to a general with a single sentence.

However, Liu Yao could have found other reasons to politely decline, or even been frank with Taishi Ci, using Taishi Ci to control his own personal guard, and then gradually seeking opportunities to promote and strengthen him.

However, Liu Yao simply replied that he was afraid of being ridiculed by Xu Shao, which shows that Liu Yao did indeed look down on Taishi Ci in his heart.

At the very least, they certainly didn't consider the other party as someone who was aligned with their own class, and therefore didn't think they were worth the effort to support.

If that's the case, why should Liu Feng make Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and others offer their help only to be met with indifference?

If the other party truly treated Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and others coldly, Liu Feng would rather overturn the table than allow them to bully his trusted confidants.

Rather than risk a major conflict, Liu Feng decided to simply tell Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and the others not to come.

Similarly, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, and even Dong Xi were all arranged by Liu Feng to rest and were not required to attend the reception.

Bu Zhi and Wei Jing, being scholars, were conveniently brought along by Liu Feng to lend their support. The Li brothers also joined them at the dock to make up the numbers.

Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and the others didn't quite understand Liu Feng's good intentions at first. Fearing misunderstandings, Liu Feng simply told them the truth.

Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci were immediately disappointed, after all, Xu Shao was a top figure in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, a true top scholar, and the kind of scholar who was qualified to comment on other scholars.

Even warriors like Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, who had long admired Xu Shao, were naturally quite disappointed to hear such an outcome.

They knew Liu Feng meant well, and they couldn't just watch them be humiliated, could they?
However, Liu Feng underestimated Xu Shao's standing among the powerful clans and gentry of the time.

Not only did Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci express their desire to meet Xu Shao, even if it meant enduring some hardship, but even a roughneck like Pan Zhang was filled with anticipation, as if he were meeting an idol.

Left with no other option, Liu Feng eventually changed his mind and brought along all the civil and military officials from Guangling, giving Xu Shao and the others a grand welcome.

However, Liu Feng did not expect that among these envoys, there was a huge surprise hidden, and not just one, but a pair.

When Xun You introduced himself, Liu Feng was astonished.

He had been waiting for Xun You for so long that he was starting to despair, but unexpectedly, Xun You suddenly appeared in front of him.

This delighted Liu Feng, who showered Xun You with compliments, his enthusiasm even surpassing that when he had just visited Xu Shao.

Everyone around was astonished, even Xu Shao couldn't help but glance at him, while Xun You, the person involved, was even more flattered.

After they had finished exchanging greetings, Liu Feng was about to lead Xu Shao, Xun You, and the others into the city when he suddenly saw a tall man standing on the boat behind them. He was seven feet tall, wearing a brocade robe, with bird feathers in his hair and bells around his neck.

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised, so he asked, "Who is this person?"

Liu Xian turned around and saw that it was Gan Ning, so he replied, "This man is Gan Ning, the commander of my Jingzhou branch."

Liu Feng was overjoyed and abandoned everyone else, rushing straight to Gan Ning and bowing deeply, saying, "General, are you Gan Ning of Shu? The one known as Gan Xingba, the Lord of the Brocade Sail?"

Gan Ning was originally holding the cable, watching the people on the dock chatting idly. As everyone was about to leave and no one paid any attention to him, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Back in the day, I roamed freely throughout Sichuan, killing with my wits, hiding and harboring fugitives, moving freely and unrestrained, my reputation was renowned.

Even the servants were dressed in brocade, coming and going in a splendid manner, and everyone praised them.
But now, has it fallen to the point where nobody cares about it?

Unfortunately, there are few discerning patrons in the world. If there were a patron who would recognize my talent, I would gladly give up my body and die for him.

Just as Gan Ning was lost in thought, a young man appeared before him without him noticing and suddenly bowed deeply in worship.

Gan Ning was shocked. He recognized the young man at a glance as the leader of the Guangling group at the dock earlier. He had heard that the young man was Liu Feng, the son of Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou.

He rushed forward and helped Liu Feng up, replying, "My humble name is nothing to mention; I am Gan Ning."

Liu Feng was overjoyed and grabbed Gan Ning's hand with a delighted expression, saying, "General, I am Liu Feng. I often hear my father mention your great name, Jin Fan, which is very well-known. I have heard that you can travel on foot with a full entourage and on water with a fleet of light boats, making you a master of both land and water. You are also a master archer. I only regret that I cannot meet you."

"Today, General, you have come to my Xuzhou. I am unworthy and humbly request that you stay a little longer so that my son and I may be able to ease our longing for each other."

Gan Ning's face turned red, not from anger or shyness, but from excitement.

As he sailed down the river, he had also wondered how Liu Bei and his son would treat him once he arrived in Xuzhou.

Gan Ning imagined that even if he didn't ask for the same level of respect as described in the letter, he would still be willing to die for Liu and his son.

Who would have thought that this meeting would bring such a pleasant surprise?

(End of this chapter)