My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 165 Zhuge Ziyu
"Young Master, this thief is the bandit leader!"

Gan Ning's brocade robe was almost stained brownish-red, yet he was virtually unharmed.

One cannot help but admire Gan Ning's bravery and good fortune.

He broke through enemy lines and captured two of their large ships.

Although these large ships can only carry twenty or thirty people.

Warships in the Han Dynasty were roughly classified according to their type, function, and size into tower ships, open-air ships, vanguard ships, warships, red-horse ships, naval vessels, scout ships, and boats.

These look very complex, and their purpose is unclear.

Therefore, after sorting through them, Liu Feng roughly divided these ships into four categories.

The first category is capital ships, tower ships, and fighting ships. The smallest of these ships is over 500 tons, and the largest tower ships can even reach a displacement of over 1,000 tons. In particular, the top-tier tower ships can even carry 3,000 soldiers.

These types of ships can not only navigate large rivers, but also sail on the open ocean.

The second category is high-speed warships, such as the Ruo, Xian Deng, Mengchong, and Chima, all of which can be included in this category.

Not only is it fast, but it also has a certain degree of protection and offensive capabilities, making it a very important multi-functional warship.

The third category consists of ships, scouts, and boats, including small boats, scouts, and yachts. These are small boats that can only carry a few people and are used to gather intelligence and infiltrate enemy lines.

The boats used by the bandits on Sheyang Lake were almost all of the third category; there wasn't a single second-category boat. The largest boat could only carry fifteen or sixteen people and was considered a relatively large dinghy.

Liu Feng's two large ships were both orthodox open-top ships, so it was naturally a situation of overwhelming force.

Upon entering the fray, Gan Ning seized seven or eight enemy ships in quick succession, killing so many bandits that none dared to confront him, and they all jumped into the water to save their lives, thus greatly relieving the pressure on the besieged fleet.

Subsequently, after Dong Xi's large ship broke through the enemy lines, Gan Ning astutely located the bandit leader, charged forward, and captured him.

"Truly a tiger general."

The person who uttered such a sigh was not Liu Feng, but Xu Shao.

After the pirates collapsed and scattered, he ordered the remaining fleet to attack and kill them, and he witnessed Gan Ning's performance.

Liu Xian remained calm, but there was a hint of regret in his eyes.

Xun You's expression grew increasingly enthusiastic. He keenly sensed Liu Feng's goodwill and attentiveness towards him, but remained very measured, not as passionate and unrestrained as he was towards Gan Ning.

Xun You had been somewhat puzzled before, but now he understood.

Clearly, Liu Feng was also well aware of the tacit understanding among the aristocratic families.

Whether Xun You could stay or not depended heavily on the attitude of the Liu family father and son towards him, but other factors were also essential.

Otherwise, why didn't Xun You stay in Jingzhou and serve Liu Biao?

Liu Biao also valued him highly, and when he was in Xiangyang, he summoned him many times, using both kindness and severity.

But why did Xun You never consider Liu Biao?

That's precisely because Liu Biao lacked real power.

Therefore, in order to keep Xun You, in addition to the importance and trust that Liu Bei and his son placed on him, they also needed to have sufficient strength and ability.

Xun You hadn't thought the other party could meet the standard before, but now it seemed that the other party had not only met the standard, but had even exceeded his expectations.

Given this, Liu Feng's attitude towards him was quite normal: respectful, attentive, and at the same time maintaining a certain distance.

This just-right level of intimacy made Xun You feel quite comfortable.

In particular, Xun You witnessed firsthand how Liu Feng treated Gan Ning, which made him think even more highly of Liu Feng.

If the other party were to apply the same treatment they used on Gan Ning to him, the naturally humble and low-key Xun You would likely be quite displeased.

Liu Feng's approach varied from person to person; it could only be described as just right.

Xu Shao and Xun You's gazes were fixed on Liu Feng. The young man didn't even glance at the bandit leader, but instead pulled Gan Ning to his feet, complaining, "General, you are brave and fierce, sweeping all before you, truly a tiger general of our time. But in my opinion, you are merely a warrior of the fighting class, nothing to boast about. Your talent is far beyond that; you should be able to command thousands of ships and armies, galloping across the great rivers and traversing the vast oceans."

"General, you should take this as your motto and not rush into danger lightly."

Liu Feng's words made Gan Ning blush and feel filled with longing.

Gan Ning had not expected Liu Feng to place such high hopes on him, and he was also captivated by the scene Liu Feng had described. He immediately said, "I am honored by your high expectations, young master. I will certainly use this as a guide to motivate myself."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng was overjoyed: "Excellent!"

Then, he asked Gan Ning to wash up and change his clothes.

Gan Ning now looked as if he had returned from hell. Not only was his brocade robe stained with blood, but his body was also covered with all sorts of indescribable human tissues, leaving Liu Feng speechless.

Liu Feng both loved and worried about Gan Ning.

Gan Ning was actually a man of both wisdom and courage.

Many people think that Gan Ning was just a fighting general with outstanding martial prowess.

In fact, Gan Ning made considerable achievements in both strategy and tactics, and like Zhang Sanye, he also had great respect for scholars.

The only subtle difference is that Zhang Fei was overly respectful to scholars in history, to the point of being somewhat sycophantic, while Gan Ning, while respectful, would still criticize them when necessary.

Historically, after Gan Ning joined the Eastern Wu, he advised Sun Quan to attack and destroy Huang Zu, but this was strongly opposed by Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao was truly the most powerful man in Eastern Wu after Sun Quan. Not only did the Huai-Si faction admire him, but even the local gentry of Jiangdong admired him.

Even so, Gan Ning still dared to confront Zhang Zhao in public, showing no respect whatsoever, which reveals his straightforward and domineering nature.

Whether looking at the outcome or later analysis, Gan Ning was indeed right, and Zhang Zhao was wrong.

Furthermore, Gan Ning's raid on Cao Cao's camp with a hundred cavalry, which seemed like a reckless and suicidal act, was actually the product of careful consideration.

Although Gan Ning's hundred cavalrymen were few in number, they could strike and leave quickly, avoiding being entangled by the enemy and thus preventing them from being surrounded and devoured.

Returning with dozens of heads taken could greatly boost the morale of the Jiangdong army.

At that time, Cao Cao and Sun Quan fought at Ruxukou for several months. Cao Cao won many battles, while Sun Quan could only hold Ruxukou. The morale of the Jiangdong army was very low.

Boosting morale is what Gan Ning really wants to do.

Judging from these events, Liu Feng believed that Gan Ning possessed the talent of a great general.

However, Liu Feng was also worried that Gan Ning's bloodthirsty nature would seriously affect his path to becoming a great general.

However, Gan Ning has one advantage: once he realizes something, he will actively correct it.

Just like when he was in Sichuan, he suddenly realized something and devoted himself to studying for several years, which shows his character.

Liu Feng hoped that Gan Ning could change his cruel and bloodthirsty habits, just as he would when he focused on studying.

After Gan Ning left, Liu Feng planned to return to the wooden platform of the ship.

Just then, the attacked fleet finally sent someone to express their gratitude.

Several guards escorted a young man with a donkey-like face to the bottom of the large ship.

After asking a few questions, Dong Xi came to Liu Feng's side and reported, "Young Master, the people below claim to be from the Zhuge clan of Langya, and have come to thank you for your rescue."

Liu Feng's lips curled up slightly. After planning for so long, the time had finally come to reap the rewards.

Only Heaven knows how much effort Liu Feng put in for this moment.

Liu Feng knew that the simpler the layout, the better; the more complex it was, the easier it was to make mistakes.

Therefore, he always tried to simplify the plan and time it precisely, and finally succeeded.

Only then did Liu Feng breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

"Please invite him up."

At Liu Feng's command, the sailors lowered the rope ladder, allowing Zhuge Jin to climb up.

After boarding the ship, Zhuge Jin first carefully tidied his appearance, then respectfully walked to Liu Feng and bowed deeply to express his gratitude: "The Zhuge family of Langya thanks you for saving my life, young master."

By the light of the torch, Liu Feng carefully examined Zhuge Jin. Just as recorded in history, Zhuge Jin had a very long and narrow face, resembling a donkey's face, and his appearance was actually somewhat ugly.

However, Zhuge Jin possesses a prudent and steady demeanor that inspires trust in others.

Liu Feng returned the greeting with a solemn attitude, and then asked, "My name is Liu Feng. May I ask your honorable name, sir?" Zhuge Jin immediately introduced himself: "My name is Zhuge Jin, courtesy name Ziyu. I am from Yangdu, Langya. I am currently traveling to Jingzhou with my uncle."

Liu Feng paused to think, and after a moment asked, "Was your ancestor the loyal and upright Zhuge Shaoji? Was your father the wise and virtuous Zhuge Jungong, the former Prefect of Taishan?"

Zhuge Jin's composed expression suddenly changed, revealing surprise: "I didn't expect that you, young master, have also heard of my ancestor, my father's name?"

"So he really is a descendant of Zhuge Liang."

Liu Feng revealed an expression of admiration: "Zhuge Shaoji Gong is upright and incorruptible, enforces the law strictly, and is not afraid of powerful people. He has always been respected by my father. I have also heard that Zhuge Gong once said, 'I would rather die to secure the country than be executed to glorify the ruler.' This is truly the ambition of a great man."

"Meng Jian once wrote that Zhuge Liang was appointed as a county scholar for his mastery of the classics, and his reputation was outstanding for his integrity and uprightness. However, this is still not enough to fully demonstrate Zhuge Liang's virtues."

Mengjian was the courtesy name of Ban Gu, whose work was naturally the Book of Han, one of the Four Histories, and of extremely high value.

Upon receiving such affirmation and praise for his ancestor from Liu Feng, Zhuge Jin showed a moved expression and humbly said, "It is a pity that we are unworthy and have failed to inherit even a fraction of the legacy left by our ancestors."

Filial piety was highly valued in the Han Dynasty, so even if Zhuge Jin was humble, he could only speak from his own perspective when faced with Liu Feng's flattery, and could not deny the achievements of his ancestors.

Liu Feng stepped forward and grasped Zhuge Jin's hand, saying, "Brother Ziyu, you are too modest. My father once invited Brother Ziyu's uncle, Duke Yinyi, to serve as the governor of Guangling, but he declined, which I deeply regret."

Zhuge Jin looked somewhat embarrassed. He considered himself an honest and kind person, and in his opinion, this matter was indeed a bit impolite.

Liu Bei kindly recruited him, inviting him to serve as the governor of Guangling, which was the head of a prefecture.

However, Zhuge Xuan not only refused, but also said some things at home that looked down on Liu Bei.

Now that Liu Bei's son so highly praises his father and ancestors, how could Zhuge Jin not feel ashamed?

After considering for a while, Zhuge Jin said, half explaining and half apologizing, "Please forgive me, young master. My uncle and Prefect Liu of Jingzhou are close friends and like-minded, and they were once each other's subordinates. If it weren't for his concern for my brothers, my uncle would have returned to Jingzhou to report to Prefect Liu long ago. However, my father suddenly passed away at that time, and my uncle rushed to Mount Tai upon hearing the news. In order to settle us, he had to temporarily leave Prefect Liu of Jingzhou. Therefore, he declined Lord Xuande's invitation."

Liu Feng chuckled inwardly. Zhuge Jin was indeed an honest man, and what he said was true. However, he felt sorry for such an honest man who still had to try to find ways to make amends for his uncle.

"Yinyi Gong cherishes his former master and is unmoved by high position; he is truly a great sage."

Liu Feng then asked with concern, "I wonder what's the reason for attracting so many river bandits tonight?"

Zhuge Jin was also filled with lingering fear, shaking his head and sighing, "My uncle had always wanted to go south, and even sold off the farmland in our old home in Yangdu, intending to move to Jingzhou. But somehow the news leaked out, and with the addition of many rumors, it was rumored that our Zhuge family was carrying billions of dollars worth of wealth south. We encountered bandits several times along the way, but fortunately, with the protection of our clan soldiers, nothing serious happened."

At this point, a hint of fear flashed across Zhuge Jin's face: "I just didn't expect to suddenly encounter so many water bandits in Sheyang Lake. Our clan soldiers are not good at naval warfare. Fortunately, we still have a large boat at home, otherwise I really can't imagine what would have happened."

The Zhuge family's soldiers were not skilled in naval warfare. Fortunately, they had a large ship to rely on; otherwise, they would likely have suffered even greater damage from the river bandits.

However, Zhuge Jin was unaware that this large ship was specially arranged for them by Liu Feng.

Otherwise, how could such a coincidence occur?

Afterwards, Liu Feng inquired about the casualties and losses of the other side and learned that the losses were not great. Apart from the casualties of more than twenty clan soldiers, there were no other losses.

This was also because Gan Ning arrived too quickly, which directly diverted a lot of the pirates' attention, preventing them from focusing their efforts on attacking the large ship.

Moreover, because they were concerned about the valuable goods, the pirates were reluctant to launch a fire attack on the large ship unless absolutely necessary.

But when all else fails, they find it's too late.

However, there was an unexpected situation: Zhuge Xuan, who was in the center of the command, was hit by an arrow. Fortunately, it was not a fatal wound, and the arrow was blocked by his leather armor, so the injury was not serious.

Therefore, Zhuge Jin was extremely grateful to Liu Feng and expressed his deepest thanks to him.

Subsequently, Liu Feng inadvertently mentioned the existence of Xu Shao and Liu Xian, which greatly surprised Zhuge Jin, who then requested to pay them a visit.

Liu Feng readily agreed and led Zhuge Jin to the cabin.

Liu Xian was acquainted with Zhuge Xuan; the two had met once before.

Compared to northern Jingzhou, the gentry in southern Jingzhou, being located in a remote area and not holding high-level power in Jingzhou, were more friendly to the gentry residing in the north.

After all, in this era, Jingnan was already considered a barbaric land. When the gentry of the barbaric land saw the gentry of Henan, it was no different from fans seeing their idols.

Although Zhuge Xuan was not from a prominent family in Henan, he was a well-known scholar in Xuzhou, and he had a very harmonious conversation with Liu Xian at the time.

Upon hearing that Zhuge Xuan was injured, Liu Xian immediately offered to board the ship to visit him.

Liu Feng advised, "Why is Your Excellency in such a hurry? It is still dark, and there are still remnants of river bandits on the water. It would be safer to go there in two more hours when it is fully light."

Liu Feng's persuasion was agreed upon by Xu Shao, Xun You, and Teng Zhou, and Liu Xian readily agreed as well.

It was still early, so Liu Feng advised everyone to go back and rest first.

Xun You and Liu Xian returned to their room. Liu Xian asked with some doubt, "Gongda, I have a question that is troubling me."

"What doubts does Brother Shizong have?"

Upon hearing this, Xun You replied in surprise, "Please speak freely."

As Liu Xian pondered, he asked, "Master Xu is a renowned scholar, whose words can elevate a dragon to the heavens or plunge a dragon into the abyss. Now that Lord Liu's son is so outstanding, why has he remained silent? And why has Liu Feng never sought Master Xu's opinion?"

Xun You chuckled to himself, realizing that Liu Xian was indeed wondering about this matter.

Liu Xian's question is also reasonable; Xu Shao came here to seek help for Liu Yao.

Although Xu Shao was a fair and impartial person who did not show favoritism.

However, Xu Shao also had a flexible side, which was fully demonstrated in his dealings with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Therefore, isn't now the best time to seek Xu Shao's evaluation?
Moreover, Liu Feng performed exceptionally well, which would be a great honor even by Liu Xian's standards, especially considering that Xu Shao was seeking Liu Bei's help.
From Liu Xian's perspective, as long as Xu Shao doesn't dislike Liu Feng, even a fair assessment would be a compliment.

When Liu Feng's father, Prefect Liu, hears of this, he will surely be moved to tears of gratitude to Lord Xu. Why would Lord Xu not do such a good deed that would bring him so many benefits?

Therefore, Liu Xian couldn't understand this matter, so he sought advice from Xun You.

"I don't know the reason behind this matter, but I have some feelings about it, which I can tell my brother, the First Ancestor."

Xun You, without holding back, shared his thoughts: "Liu Feng is precocious, mature, steady, and resourceful. Perhaps he did not seek Xu Gong's opinion because of his self-confidence."

Upon hearing this, Liu was taken aback at first, then pondered for a moment, and gradually realized what was happening.

Xun You was praising Liu Feng for his steadfastness and inability to be swayed by outsiders.

Even a renowned scholar like Xu Gong was treated as usual by him.

This calm and composed mindset is truly precious.

Liu Xianyou pressed on, asking, "Then what about Master Xu...?"

Xun You laughed: "Naturally, I also value this calm mindset and am happy to see it succeed."

Liu Xian nodded slowly. Although Xun You only said that this was his personal opinion, Liu Xian felt that Xun You was very likely right.

Liu Feng was also trying to appease Dong Xi and Gan Ning.

Liu Feng was quite pleasantly surprised by Dong Xi's performance.

This doesn't mean that the other party's ability is superior to Gan Ning's. After all, if Gan Ning hadn't charged into the bandit group and had been called back by Liu Feng, he would have been able to crush the bandits with the advantage of his ships.

However, Gan Ning was more intense in temperament, decisive in character, and daring in action.

After sending back the message, Gan Ning observed the battlefield and keenly sensed the opportunity to capture the leader first, and then put it into action.

Dong Xi, on the other hand, was more composed and valued Liu Feng's orders more. He placed obedience above all else, rather than killing generals and seizing flags, which pleased Liu Feng.

No wonder the Sun family spoke highly of Dong Xi for three generations. From Sun Ce to Wu Guotai and then to Sun Quan, they all regarded Dong Xi as one of their own.

Dong Xi's death in battle was also due to Sun Quan's over-reliance on him, allowing him to personally lead five warships, which put him in a high position of power. Unfortunately, he encountered a storm and chose death over breaking, ultimately sinking with his ship.

Dong Xi died too young; otherwise, he might have been the first person to be granted a marquisate.

When Sun Quan first took office, Dong Xi was the second highest-ranking military officer in Sun Quan's group.

Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun Quan was merely a general with a miscellaneous title, the General Who Subdues the Barbarians, while Dong Xi was already a lieutenant general, whose military rank was even higher than Zhou Yu's.

At that time, Zhou Yu was only of the same rank as Cheng Pu, both being Lieutenant Generals.

It was only after the Battle of Red Cliffs that Dong Xi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General for his meritorious service, which shows his status at the time.

Liu Feng knew very well that Dong Xi's high position was entirely due to his military achievements.

(End of this chapter)