My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 175 Visiting Lu Su
Afterwards, Liu Feng discussed the matter with Liu Bei and finally decided that Sun Qian would take a message to Kuaiji to visit Wang Lang and discuss the matter of mutual assistance.

This can be seen as a test by Xuzhou Group within Yangzhou.

Historically, when Sun Ce swept through Jiangdong, Wang Lang resolutely resisted and did his best. He survived because he was indeed virtuous, had a high reputation in Kuaiji, and was not a local.

For multiple reasons, Sun Ce ultimately let him go.

Liu Feng felt that the Sun family had now swept through Wu Commandery and was suppressing Xu Gong. Once they took control of central Wu Commandery, their military might would immediately shift to Wang Lang.

Historically, Wang Lang did not defend against Sun Ce in Kuaiji. Instead, he took the initiative and, after seeing that Xu Gong was in trouble, immediately sent troops north to occupy several counties in the southern part of Wu Commandery. He then placed a large force in the old city of Guling, relying on the strong city walls and the Qiantang River as a barrier to successfully block Sun Ce.

Unfortunately, he didn't go all out and kill Sun Jing, who was staying in Fuchun. Otherwise, without Sun Jing's advice, it would be hard to say whether Sun Ce would have been able to cross the Qiantang River.

"Father, what are your thoughts on Liu Yao's plea for help and the alliance?"

Liu Feng suddenly brought up Liu Yao, wanting to hear Liu Bei's true thoughts.

History has now been altered by Liu Feng. The Liu Bei of the original timeline probably didn't even have one-fifth of the strength he has now. He could only shrink back in Xiapi City and rely on the support of the Chen and Mi families to rule the devastated Xiapi County of Xuzhou.

At that time, Liu Bei's total mobilization strength was no more than 20,000 men.

Now, Liu Bei's territory spans eight commanderies and kingdoms, and he commands an army of 60,000 to 70,000 men, far surpassing historical figures in both quality and quantity.

In contrast, Liu Bei's rivals and enemies were not as strong as in history.

Take Yuan Shu for example. In Guangling, Liu Feng wiped out four or five thousand of his loyal followers in one fell swoop. Although Sun Ce expanded his army in Wu Commandery, Yuan Shu's base of influence actually shrank.

If Sun Ce had established a foothold in Wu Commandery and was less reliant on Yuan Shu for logistics, Sun Ben and the remaining generals of the Sun family would almost certainly have gone to Wu Commandery to expand their territory, rather than staying under Yuan Shu's command in Jiujiang.

By then, Yuan Shu, with only his own 30,000 troops, would probably not even be able to hold off the expanded army at Guangling.

It was precisely because he saw this that Liu Feng had some new ideas.

Before speaking, he wanted to hear Liu Bei's opinion on Liu Yao.

"Liu Zhengli?"

Liu Bei was taken aback for a moment before realizing what was happening, and a hesitant look appeared on his face: "This is difficult. He is the official governor of Yangzhou appointed by the court, and he is also a member of the imperial clan like me. He has come to ask for help, and we should help him out of both sentiment and reason. But if we end up doing the work for someone else, I am unwilling to do so."

Indeed, Liu Bei was not truly so benevolent as to sacrifice himself for others.

He was also worried that if he agreed to Liu Zhengli's request for help, he would cut back on his own expenses and waste resources, which would ultimately benefit Liu Zhengli and help him unify Yangzhou.

Liu Feng blinked: "Then why not give the Sun family a break?"

Liu Bei repeated in surprise, "Give the Sun family some leeway? Didn't you just say you wanted to restrict the Sun family? Why are you giving them leeway now?"

"Yes."

Liu Feng chuckled and said, “Father, you don’t know this. At the beginning of this dynasty, there was no Wu Commandery. At that time, Kuaiji had twenty-six counties. After the founding of this dynasty, before the separation of Wu and Kuaiji, Wu County served as the seat of Kuaiji Commandery. It had a population of over 100,000 and was the second largest city in the world after Luoyang.”

"Wu County is so wealthy?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was extremely surprised. In his mind, he naturally assumed that Chang'an should be the second largest city in the world.

But Wu County was actually the second largest city in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Feng continued, "Because the essence of the division of Wu and Kuaiji was actually to separate the best areas of the original Kuaiji Commandery and make it an independent Wu Commandery. Although the remaining Kuaiji Commandery was four times the size of Wu Commandery, its population output was less than half that of Wu Commandery, which shows how abundant Wu Commandery was."

Liu Bei gasped in shock; he was unaware of this intelligence.

"How many people are there in Wu County?"

Liu Feng replied, “Wu County alone has 80,000 to 90,000 people. The entire Wu Commandery has at least 140,000 households and a population of over 800,000. In contrast, Kuaiji Commandery has only 80,000 households and a population of just 420,000 to 430,000. Moreover, Jiangdong has not yet experienced major warfare. Even with the conflict between Liu Yao and Yuan Shu, the losses to the people of Jiangdong have not been significant. Therefore, in my humble opinion, Sun Ce can support 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers with just half of Wu Commandery.”

Liu Feng wasn't just making things up. Donghai State had 700,000 people, and Xiapi State had 600,000 people. Now, both have lost nearly half their population, with a loss of at least 400,000 to 500,000 people. At most, they still have over 800,000 people left.

Last year, Liu Bei supported an army of nearly 40,000 people with just over 800,000 people.

Although life was extremely difficult and they were almost too weak to move, at least they managed to survive.

The reason why Liu Bei only had 20,000 men when Yuan Shu invaded in history was because the pressure was too great, forcing him to reduce his troops. At the same time, Liu Bei also used the reduction of troops to weaken the power of Cao Bao, Xu Dan and others, and to complete his annexation and assimilation of the Danyang army.

If Liu Bei had been given another year, he might have succeeded. Unfortunately, Yuan Shu and Lü Bu arrived too quickly.

Compared to Xuzhou at that time, Wu County not only had never suffered from war, but its treasury was full of wealth, its grain was plentiful, and its population and land were intact, making it easy to support the Sun family of 20,000 to 30,000 people.

"In my opinion, Wu Commandery alone is enough to support the entire Sun family. Once Sun Ce takes Wu County, he will have to ask Yuan Shu for a title. If Yuan Shu gives him the position of Prefect of Wu Commandery, the remaining members of the Sun family will surely flock to join Sun Ce. If he doesn't, Sun Ce may turn against him, and he still won't be able to keep the remaining members of the Sun family."

Liu Feng revealed a gloating expression: "With the Sun family gone, Yuan Shu is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb, and his troops are no match for him."

It is indeed historically verifiable that Yuan Shu's main force was ineffective. Almost all of Yuan Shu's victories were won by generals and troops from Sun Jian's faction. Without Sun Jian's generals, he almost never won a battle.

Even in the Battle of Kuangting, if Cao Cao hadn't first sent Sun Ben, Wu Jing, Xu Kun, and others south to seize Yangzhou, winning would have been far more difficult.

Liu Bei clicked his tongue, realizing what his son meant.

Liu Feng first said he wanted to restrict Sun Ce, but now he says he wants to let Sun Ce have his way. The meaning is too obvious.

"Feng'er, do you mean we can't let Sun Ce continue to expand his territory, but we also can't really help Liu Yao to wipe out Sun Ce?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng nodded repeatedly and said, "Father is wise, that is exactly what I meant. Besides, our army has expanded this year, and our food consumption will inevitably be great. It's fine to help Liu Yao defend, but if we were to attack, where would we get our supplies?"

Jiangdong has a dense network of waterways, so supplies can indeed be transported by water, which not only consumes less resources but also avoids mobilizing a large number of laborers.

Even so, food still needs to be consumed.

Using food shortages as an excuse to deal with Liu Yao would be a very good one.

"After next year's harvest, I will lead an army up the Yangtze River to attack Liyang, in order to contain Yuan Shu's main force. Then Father can take this opportunity to personally lead a large army into Pei and take it all."

At this time, Pei State still had at least 800,000 to 900,000 people. Water transportation was extremely convenient, the land was fertile, and there were many minerals, including iron ore and coal. Downstream, one could reach Pengcheng and Xiapi.

Once Pei is completely conquered, the taxes and grain here will be at least twice that of Guangling.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei suddenly understood.

His son was trying to use Sun Ce and Liu Yao to check each other, so that he could deal with Yuan Shu first.

Once Yuan Shu is defeated, the three commanderies of Pei, Jiujiang, and Lujiang will be as secure as Mount Tai.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Lujiang, Jiujiang, and Peiguo appear to be located in the Central Plains on the map, surrounded by enemies on all sides, a typical backwater.

In reality, once these three places fall under the control of Xuzhou, they become easy to defend and difficult to attack.

To the south of Lujiang lies the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, and to the west, the Dabie Mountains block Jingzhou from the outside, with only a narrow path along the river for passage. To the north lie Pei State and Runan Commandery, with the Huai River as a reliable waterway.

As for Pei State and Jiujiang, they've practically become our rear base.

The only concern is that Shouchun is a very fortified city and not easy to capture. Historically, Cao Cao besieged it for months with 50,000 to 60,000 troops, while Yuan Shu's army defended it with only about 10,000 men.

However, Liu Feng remembered that it should be the year after next, the Jianghuai region was still experiencing a large-scale drought, accompanied by locusts, which made Yuan Shu's army extremely short of food and supplies.

This drought is particularly severe, as if it were a divine retribution against Yuan Shu. Within the territory he controls, the two commanderies of Lujiang and Jiujiang are the hardest hit.

It was precisely because of this that the food shortage crisis forced Yuan Shu to take action against the State of Chen. He directly sent the assassin Zhang Kai to successfully assassinate King Liu Chong of Chen and Chancellor Luo Jun of Chen, and then annexed the State of Chen, obtaining a large amount of food and supplies, which alleviated the drought.

If there is a real opportunity, the year after next will be the best time to eliminate Yuan Shu, which would be twice as effective with half the effort.

However, Liu Feng dared not speak too definitively, because history was already changing more and more because of him, and who knew what the future held. Although he couldn't change the timing of the drought, he feared that the Xuzhou group might be hampered by other unforeseen events, making it impossible for them to concentrate their forces to eliminate Yuan Shu.

"This matter still needs long-term consideration."

Liu Bei pondered for a long time. Although he was somewhat moved by the beautiful scenery described by Liu Feng, he still shook his head in the end: "Yuan Gonglu still has tens of thousands of men under his command."

“Father, the key to this matter does not actually lie with Yuan Gonglu.”

Liu Feng kindly reminded him, "The key to our plan is Wang Lang. Whether he can hold on is the key to the whole plan."

Liu Bei suddenly realized that the weakest link in Liu Feng's plan was Wang Lang. Not only was he the weakest in strength, but he was also the furthest away, and the only way for him to support the enemy was by sea.

Therefore, whether or not they could hold the Guling line became a matter of life and death.

Liu Feng wanted to send a team to provide support, but he hesitated.

If everything goes smoothly, the gains will be substantial. Not only will it help Wang Lang contain Sun Ce, preventing him from expanding further, but it will also allow Wang Lang to support an army, and finally, it will be able to bestow favors upon Kuaiji.

However, there are risks involved. Although neither Wang Lang nor Zhou Xin seem like that kind of person, no one can guarantee that it won't happen.

Moreover, even if troops were to be sent, the timing would matter. Sending them too early might not earn the gratitude of Wang Lang and his men, and if the battle were lost, the Xuzhou army might also be wiped out.

Let's take another look. Some bargains are really not worth being greedy for.

The father and son discussed Wang Lang for a long time, but in the end they could only stick to the previous plan, at most coordinating with him in the north to tie down some of Sun Ce's forces.

After chatting for half a day, the father and son had lunch together.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the aristocratic class had already established a system of three meals a day, and could even have some snacks if they were hungry at night. The common people at the bottom of society mostly ate two meals a day, but during busy farming seasons, they would occasionally have three meals a day.

After parting ways with Liu Bei, Liu Feng left the prefecture and went to Lu Su's residence.

Fortunately, the appointment was for the afternoon; otherwise, with Liu Bei delaying things like this, we would definitely have had to break our promise today.

Through the car window, Liu Feng could see Lu Su standing at the gate waiting for him from afar.

So Liu Feng hurriedly got out of the carriage, bowed to Lu Su who had been waiting for a long time, and said, "Master Zijing, there is no need for such a generous treatment. I am unworthy of it."

Lu Su's honest face was full of a kind smile. He neither explained nor denied it, but simply said politely, "Please come in, young master."

Led by Lu Su, the two arrived at the main hall.

After the tea was served, Lu Su dismissed the servants.

Lu Su was an extremely capable man, and also very adept at social maneuvering.

Despite being a meticulous and adaptable person, he always manages to give off a steady and honest impression, which is truly a gift.

Lu Su extended his hand and invited, "Young master, please have some tea."

Liu Feng smiled and nodded, then took a bite.

To be honest, Liu Feng really couldn't afford the tea soup of this era.

Have you ever seen tea with added seasonings?
This is more like soup than tea.

And it was a soup with a strange taste.

After taking a small sip, Liu Feng decisively put down the tea and said to Lu Su, "Mr. Zijing, I have come to visit you today because I have a few important matters to discuss with you."

Lu Su put down his teacup, his face becoming serious: "There are no outsiders here, young master, you may speak freely."

Liu Feng spoke up, "I previously asked you to procure armor and crossbows for me. I wonder if there has been any progress?"

Liu Feng had previously approached Lu Su to ask for his help in procuring armor and crossbows, and it had been almost half a year since then.

With the army about to expand, obtaining some armor and crossbows from Lu Su would effectively enhance the army's combat strength.

Lu Su smiled humbly and replied, "I have already instructed my family's caravan to keep an eye out for supplies, but armor is a prohibited item. In these chaotic times, the law is lax, and this item has become a scarce commodity. Although my family has tried our best, we have only managed to collect thirty-three sets of iron armor and a little over one thousand one hundred sets of leather armor."

Liu Feng was overjoyed. The Lu family of Guangling lived up to their reputation, managing to collect thirty-three sets of iron armor in just six months. With this, plus the four hundred sets of iron armor allocated by his father, he now possessed nearly a thousand sets of iron armor.

Moreover, he also commissioned the Mi family to procure armor for him, and given the Mi family's capabilities, they should be able to raise even more.

At today's prices, iron armor is worth at least seven thousand coins, and leather armor is worth two thousand coins.

The armor that Lu Su had acquired for himself was worth at least 2.5 million coins.

Although this number is not small, it is nothing to Liu Feng, who is currently flush with cash.

Liu Feng thanked him and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Zijing. I will send the money to your residence soon."

Lu Su did not refuse, but calmly nodded in agreement.

Liu Feng then spoke again: "Master Zijing, in these chaotic times, only money, grain, weapons, and talent are of utmost importance. Now we are lacking in money, grain, and weapons. I am unworthy, may I ask what you have to teach me?"

Xuzhou's population has declined sharply, from nearly 2.8 million to just over 1.6 million, almost halved.

At the same time, due to the war, the number of people joining the army in various places is also increasing rapidly.

Take Liu Bei as an example. This time, he wants to expand his army by 29,000 men. If there is room for expansion, he will definitely recruit from among the able-bodied men.

Therefore, the original situation of having a large population and limited land has changed to having a small population and abundant land, and the production pressure on farmers in various places is also increasing.

Fortunately, the invention of the curved plow greatly improved the labor efficiency of the workforce and also enabled women and children to participate in labor, alleviating the labor shortage in Xuzhou.

At the same time, Liu Feng actively recruited refugees and settled them in military farms, which generated a significant increase in grain production, preventing this year's grain output from declining as dramatically as in the original timeline.

In the original timeline, Xuzhou's grain harvest that year was more than halved, less than half of the peak pre-war output. Now, the figure has only decreased by a little over 20%.

Liu Feng is now asking Lu Su for advice, partly because he genuinely wants to hear Lu Su's suggestions, and partly to elicit his own ideas later.

After listening, Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "I dare not ask for your advice, but I also have some thoughts that I can offer for your consideration, young master."

"In this age of great strife, everything depends on human effort. Money, provisions, and weapons all come from human hands. Therefore, I believe that human effort is the foundation of all things. If our lord can appoint talented individuals to their respective positions, with brave warriors leading troops into battle, fierce warriors fighting on the front lines, strategists devising plans, and planners working diligently on paperwork, then we can make the best use of everyone's abilities and resources, and thus dominate the world without any rivals."

"I have heard that Zhang Zibu of Pengcheng and Zhang Zigang of Guangling are both outstanding individuals. Zibu is upright and simple, with unyielding integrity, while Zigang is righteous and principled, and is a model for the world."

"I have heard that you twice invited me to serve, but Mr. Zibu refused both times."

"That is precisely why my lord must not give up so easily."

"Now, our lord has reduced corvée labor in Xuzhou, consolidated the state's power, repelled foreign enemies, gathered displaced people and promoted land reclamation. Externally, he has punished the strong and helped the weak, comforted the people and punished the guilty. Furthermore, he has promoted the curved plow, enabling Xuzhou to restore production and allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity."

"All of this must be known to the two Zhangs. This time, if we invite them again, we will surely receive good news."

After Lu Su finished speaking, he looked at Liu Feng with an eager expression.

He had actually recommended Zhang Zhao to Liu Bei before, but because he had failed to be recruited twice, even Liu Bei was dissatisfied.

Although Liu Bei wouldn't arrest and imprison Zhang Zhao like Tao Qian did, he was still somewhat reluctant to let Zhang Zhao continue to be recruited.

Therefore, Liu Bei chose to evade Lu Su's recommendation and did not give a direct answer.

So, just then, Liu Feng asked for advice, and Lu Su immediately brought up the matter, hoping to persuade Liu Feng to take action.

(End of this chapter)