My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 194 The Discussion of Jingzhou
Du Ji was from Sili, which was right under the emperor's nose, but his current situation was just as miserable as Yingchuan's. He had to flee south. Historically, he also lived in Jingzhou for several years before returning to Henan after the Jian'an period.

In the end, it was only because he befriended Geng Ji, a staunch Han loyalist, that Xun Yu, a Han martyr, discovered his talent. In the end, Xun Yu forced Geng Ji to recommend him to Cao Cao, the traitor of the Han, and he eventually became a loyal minister of Cao Wei.

Of course, he also has a grandson who was once unknown but is now famous—Du Yu.

This person was truly the first, and the only, polymath before the Ming Dynasty to be enshrined in the Temple of Literature and Martial Arts.

This doesn't mean he surpassed Zhuge Liang. After all, the Confucian Temple isn't, as many believe, a literary counterpart to the Martial Temple. The Confucian Temple was actually a Confucian sphere of influence, limited to Confucian scholars. It's only because Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty dismissed other schools of thought and exclusively promoted Confucianism that people began to equate Confucianism with literature.

Therefore, the reason why Zhuge Liang could not be enshrined in the Confucian Temple before the Ming Dynasty was not because Zhuge Liang was not good enough, but precisely because Zhuge Liang was too strong, so strong that he pursued a higher level of dreams.

Even so, Du Yu's all-around abilities should not be underestimated.

Liu Feng was also quite looking forward to Chen Ji's arrival.

Because he and Liu Bei had already discussed it, they would invite Chen Ji to serve as the governor of Guangling, and at the same time, they would carve out the northern counties of Guangling to form a Haixi Commandery, with Zhuge Xuan as its governor.

Liu Bei had already revealed this idea to Liu Xian through private channels, and it was believed that Liu Xian would definitely pass the news back to Jingzhou and inform Liu Biao.

Based on the discussion between Liu Bei and his son, Liu Biao would most likely have seen this as a friendly gesture, expressing Xuzhou's goodwill towards Jingzhou. Coupled with the background of Xuzhou seeking to purchase grain with salt, this would greatly increase the possibility of reaching an agreement.

Liu Bei and his son discussed diligently cultivating their internal strength and continuing to solidify their foundation.

Meanwhile, Jingzhou is also discussing a deal involving Xuzhou.

When Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang arrived, Cai Mao, Liu Pan, Zhang Yun, Liu He, and Deng Yi were already present.

Cai Mao, courtesy name Degui, was Liu Biao's brother-in-law and also the governor of Nan Commandery. Xiangyang, where Liu Biao was stationed, was the capital of Nan Commandery, which shows Cai Mao's power and status.

Liu Pan was Liu Biao's nephew. He was exceptionally brave and strong, and was a representative figure among Liu Biao's direct subordinates.

Zhang Yun was Liu Biao's nephew, and he led a portion of Liu Biao's direct naval forces, forming a pillar of Liu's direct military power together with Liu Pan.

Liu He, courtesy name Kaiyang, was a native of Nanyang County in Jingzhou. He was currently Liu Biao's advisor and the one who had previously instigated Gan Ning and others to rebel against Liu Zhang.

Deng Yi, courtesy name Zixiao, was a native of Zhangling County in Jingzhou. He was currently serving as the Chief Administrator under Liu Biao. He was resourceful and adept at analyzing situations.

Zhangling Commandery was originally Nanyang Commandery. It was separated from Nanyang Commandery at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and occupied by Yuan Shu. Later, Liu Biao defeated Yuan Shu and occupied it.

With the addition of Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, all the top officials in the central government of Jingzhou, except for Huang Zu, were present.

"Yidu and Zirou have arrived. Please take your seats quickly."

Liu Biao was deep in thought when he heard the noise, looked up and saw Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang. He smiled and invited them to sit down.

After Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang thanked Liu Biao, they took their seats, and the meeting officially began.

"Gentlemen, Emperor Liu Shizong has written me a letter, and the matters described in it are very important. I must ask you all to discuss them together."

As Liu Biao spoke, he took out Liu Xian's letter and had his attendant deliver it to Kuai Yue.

The others who arrived earlier had already read the letter, but Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang had just arrived and hadn't had a chance to read it yet.

Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang quickly finished reading the letter.

Liu Xian mainly mentioned three points in his letter.

First, the situation in Jiangdong is dangerous, and Liu Yao is in danger of being overthrown.

Secondly, Xuzhou was very interested in the alliance of the royal family, but it lacked food supplies for aiding Yangzhou.

Third, Xuzhou is willing to exchange salt for grain from Jingzhou.

After reading it, Kuai Yue fell into deep thought.

Kuai Yue should not only consider the issue from the perspective of Jingzhou, but also from the perspective of the Kuai-Cai alliance, and even more so from the perspective of the Kuai family.

Liu Biao was very patient and did not urge him, but waited quietly.

After a cup of tea, Kuai Yue, having finished reading the letter, stood up, cupped his hands, and asked, "I wonder what your opinion is on this matter, sir?"

Liu Pan was the first to stand up and said, "Uncle, I believe that grain cannot be exchanged."

"Oh?"

Liu Biao nodded and encouraged, "Pan'er, feel free to share your thoughts."

"Uncle, grain is the courage of an army."

Liu Pan began to explain: "Our state is located above Yangzhou. If we want to attack Yangzhou, we can go downstream, which is extremely convenient. Previously, I was worried that the Xuzhou army might take advantage of Yuan Shu and Liu Yao's struggle for Jiangdong to cross the river after recovering Guangling and drinking water from the Yangtze River. If the Xuzhou army is unable to move due to lack of food, wouldn't that be heaven helping our Jingzhou? Selling grain to Xuzhou at this time would be like cutting flesh to feed a hungry tiger. If we wait for them to recover their strength, our Jingzhou will not only be unable to conquer Jiangdong, but we will probably have to consider how to protect ourselves first."

As Liu Biao's nephew and an important general commanding Liu Biao's direct troops, Liu Pan's words were obviously very important, and may even have been authorized by Liu Biao.

Therefore, when Liu Pan spoke, almost everyone in the room focused their attention on Liu Biao, and no one looked at Liu Pan himself.

After listening to Liu Pan's words, Liu Biao nodded.

Liu Pan's intention was clear: he wanted to raise a large army and march south, taking advantage of the fact that Xuzhou was out of food and unable to cross the river, to seize Jiangdong first.

After listening to Liu Pan's words, Kuai Liang stood up, bowed to Liu Biao, and then said, "General Pan's words are too hasty."

Liu Pan and Zhang Yun were both recommended by Liu Biao to be appointed as Generals of the Central Army, hence Kuai Liang referred to them as generals.

"My lord, General Pan's strategy of marching south to Jiangdong relies entirely on the fact that Xuzhou is short of food and Jiangdong has no troops."

Kuai Liang laughed and shook his head: "That's completely wrong."

"Xuzhou is one of the nine provinces under heaven. Although it has suffered from war many times and lost a lot of money, Guangling County has not been affected. The autumn harvest is approaching and there is no news of a complete crop failure in Guangling. It can be seen that Liu, the governor of Xuzhou, said that there was a shortage of food, but that the demand for food was huge, and not that there was no food as General Pan said."

"Liu Zhengli rode alone to Jiangdong, and within a few months, he gained the support of the people and heroes of Jiangdong, driving Yuan Shu across the Yangtze River in one fell swoop. This shows that the people of Jiangdong were loyal to Liu. Sun Bofu inherited his father's achievements and successfully launched a surprise attack on Dantu, but he was never able to conquer Wu County, which shows the extent of his success."

Kuai Liang then turned his gaze to Liu Pan, as if asking him a question: "The Emperor's letter mentioned that Liu Zhengli still has 20,000 elite troops, enough food and weapons to supply him for a year, and he can also establish a foothold north of Danyang. If we follow General Pan's advice and advance south along the Yangtze River, who should we attack first?"

"This……"

Liu Pan was stunned by Kuai Liang's question. Who should he attack first?

We definitely can't attack Liu Yao first, but Liu Yao is blocking the way to attack Sun Ce.

If they want to attack Sun Ce first, they need Liu Zhengli's consent first.

But now Liu Zhengli has made it clear that he would rather invite the Xuzhou army across the river than allow the Jingzhou army to sail down the river.

How to persuade Liu Zhengli is also a big problem.

Kuai Liang continued, “My lord, the salt supply in our prefecture is decreasing day by day. The price of salt in Xiangyang has already risen by twenty-one coins per liter. If this continues, I fear the people will become unstable.”

One stone is ten dou, and one dou is ten sheng.

Twenty-five coins per liter, which is equivalent to two thousand one hundred coins per stone of salt.

This price, for coarse salt only, is indeed quite expensive.

Kuai Liang was a powerful local gentry in Xiangyang with a large number of properties in the area. However, the salt was not in the hands of the Kuai family, but was taken over by Liu Biao and brought to the state.

Throughout the Han Dynasty, the main source of salt for Jingzhou was the Jianghuai region, especially Xuzhou.

The production of Sichuan salt and Guanzhong brine salt is relatively small, and the local area can usually consume them. Only the surplus is sold to Jingzhou.

Now both sides have imposed a salt ban on Jingzhou, and Liu Zhang has even secretly sent people to buy large quantities of salt in Jingzhou and transport it back to Sichuan, which is truly a way of giving back to Liu Biao.

The price of salt has skyrocketed, causing discontent among the gentry, powerful families, and ordinary people.

Even if the Kuai Liang family wanted to eat salt, they had to buy the expensive salt that cost 2,150 baht per shi.

Meanwhile, Jingzhou has enjoyed bumper harvests year after year, and the granaries of powerful clans like the Kuai Liang family are already full of grain, making grain prices in Jingzhou very cheap.

Logically speaking, Jingzhou had a bumper harvest, so grain prices were very cheap, with millet even dropping to 150 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure).

Meanwhile, grain prices in Yanzhou, where Cao Cao was located, skyrocketed. Even now, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet can easily sell for several thousand or even tens of thousands of coins.

But why can't Jingzhou transport grain to Yanzhou to sell?

Because the world is in chaos.

Most hoarding and speculation require one major prerequisite: that the dynasty can still maintain control.

Once a dynasty collapses, if you still want to hoard goods and speculate, it's practically suicide.

Moreover, given the chaotic situation in Yanzhou, how many armed men would a grain merchant need to hire to protect himself if he wanted to transport grain to Yanzhou for sale?
These people all need to eat. So the grain often just rots in the warehouses, with no way to sell it to places that need it.

But now, Xuzhou has given Jingzhou such an opportunity.

Xuzhou was willing to exchange salt for grain.

What's even better is that Xuzhou and Yangzhou are connected by the Yangtze River, which minimizes transportation and risk costs.

Although Yuan Shu still occupies Huaibei, his geographical location is caught between Liu Biao and Liu Bei. He is now trying his best to negotiate peace with Liu Biao, so how could he dare to attack Liu Biao's fleet?

In conclusion, Kuai Liang should stand on the side of supporting the transaction with Xuzhou, both morally and logically.

After Kuai Liang made his statement, the score was tied 1-1.

Liu Pan disagreed with selling the grain and wanted to take the opportunity to go down the river and attack Jiangdong.

Kuai Liang, however, supported selling grain and wanted to reach a deal with Xuzhou.

Sitting at the head of the table, Liu Biao nodded frequently, seemingly taking Kuai Liang's words to heart, but inadvertently gave his nephew Zhang Yun a look.

Zhang Yunli stood up and said, "Mr. Zirou, you are mistaken."

“Jingzhou has always been short of salt, and this is not a new phenomenon.”

Zhang Yun cupped his hands towards Liu Biao and said, "That is precisely why Jingzhou should expand outwards. If we can successfully take over Jiangdong and acquire the salt fields in Wu and Kuaiji counties, Jingzhou will no longer be subject to others in terms of salt consumption."

Before Liu Biao could nod, the Chief Administrator Deng Yi retorted, "It would be ideal to take Jiangdong, but can General Zhang guarantee that things will succeed? Liu Zhengli is already biased towards Xuzhou. He only asks Xuzhou for troops, but asks our state for material assistance. Isn't the suspicion here obvious enough?"

Deng Yi really showed no mercy this time, directly mocking Zhang Yun for being all talk and no action.

"you!?"

Zhang Yun was instantly enraged and glared fiercely at Deng Yi, but the latter was not afraid at all and sat back down leisurely.

The score was now tied at 2-2.

Although Zhang Yun and Liu Pan were both Liu Biao's juniors and could be considered distant relatives, their relationship was actually not very good.

The fact that the two of them could unanimously support the eastern expedition to Jiangdong clearly represents Liu Biao's sentiments.

However, Deng Yi's opposition meant that it was of little use for the scholars of Jingzhou to express Liu Biao's intentions, at least they, the scholars of Jingzhou, did not care.

Liu Biao's expression had darkened somewhat. He had only wanted to test the attitude of the Jingzhou leadership towards attacking Jiangdong.

Unexpectedly, these aristocratic scholars showed no respect whatsoever and opposed the matter so vehemently.

Immediately afterward, Liu He spoke, expressing his support for the Eastern Expedition, but Kuai Yue also expressed his opposition to the expedition.

Thus, the situation was now three to three, with only Cai Mao and Huang Zu, who was far away in Jiangxia County, remaining without offering any suggestions.

Huang Zuyuan was in Jiangxia and wouldn't be able to come anytime soon, so Cai Mao became very important.

Cai Mao was a powerful governor. Although Liu Biao was also stationed in Xiangyang, the real power in Nan Commandery was in Cai Mao's hands.

In fact, compared to Kuai Yue, Cai Mao was more conservative, while Kuai Yue was more ambitious.

However, Liu Biao was very wary of Kuai Yue's talent and never dared to trust him, let alone give him full use of his abilities.

As a result, the political landscape of Jingzhou became even more conservative.

Regardless, Cai Mao was at least a military commander and a general in Jingzhou. If he could support me, the situation would be different.

Liu Biao's gaze shifted to Cai Mao, and he actually took the initiative to ask, "De Gui, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Cai Mao was handsome and tall, completely different from the villainous character portrayed in the novel.

In actual history, Cai Mao and Cao Cao had a very good relationship; they were childhood friends and had been friends for many years.

Cai Mao also knew Yuan Shao and had a good relationship with him. Moreover, at this stage, the Cai and Kuai families were actually the backbone of Yuan Shao's faction, not the backbone of Cao Cao's faction.

Upon hearing Liu Biao's question, Cai Mao stopped stroking his beard, put his hand down to organize his thoughts, and replied, "I think everyone's words make sense. In my opinion, Your Excellency may adopt them all."

"Adopt them together?"

Liu Biao was stunned by Cai Mao's words.

How can two completely contradictory opinions be adopted together?
Seeing this, Cai Mao continued, "My lord, our state is severely lacking in salt, and the people are already forced to live on bland food. If this continues, I'm afraid they won't even have the strength to farm or do manual labor. Therefore, the salt in Xuzhou must be replaced without a doubt."

Liu Biao's expression changed slightly, but he also knew that Cai Mao was right. No one can go without salt for a long time. It's okay to endure it for a short time, but if it goes on for too long, something bad will happen.

However, Cai Mao's words were tantamount to siding with the local faction in Jingzhou, which greatly displeased him.

But Cai Mao hadn't finished speaking when he continued, "An eastern expedition is not impossible. We have strong enemies on the west, north, and south sides. Only the east is a potential breakthrough. It would be a real pity to miss this opportunity."

Liu Biao frowned slightly. What exactly was Cai Mao up to? Did he think Liu Bei was a fool? If there was no grain, he might just sit idly by and watch Jingzhou annex Yangzhou, but now that there was grain, how could he possibly remain indifferent?

Kuai Yue chuckled, clearly having already guessed Cai Mao's thoughts.

Sure enough, Cai Mao followed up, saying, "If you want to enter Yangzhou, why go to Jiangdong to snatch grain from the fire? Yuzhang is right next to our prefecture. It is a vast and resource-rich place with outstanding people. Why don't we set our sights on Yuzhang Prefecture and temporarily manage it for Liu Zhengli? I don't think Liu Zhengli will object."

It turns out that Cai Mao's so-called "adoption together" actually changed the meaning of the Eastern Expedition.

His so-called eastern expedition no longer focused on Jiangdong, but instead targeted Yuzhang.

Yuzhang is very large; the territory of one prefecture is even as large as two or three prefectures and kingdoms of Xuzhou, and the population is nearly 1.7 million.

If they could conquer Yuzhang, not only would Jingzhou have an eastern shield, but it would also directly threaten the two prefectures of Jiujiang and Danyang.

Historically, when the Sun family fought against the upstream of Jingzhou, their most important defense was a three-pronged defensive line.

This trinity consists of Yuzhang, Danyang, and Jiujiang.

Kuai Yue sneered inwardly; Cai Mao really knew how to play the field.

Unlike the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cai Mao was never a naval commander or the leader of the Jingzhou navy.

In reality, Cai Mao was always a powerful regional official, serving successively as the Prefect of Zhangling, the Prefect of Jiangxia, and the Prefect of Nanjun.

Later, when Zhang Xian rebelled, Liu Biao sent Cai Mao as his commander, and it took several years to pacify Jingnan.

Therefore, Cai Mao actually had little to do with the navy, or rather, he was by no means simply a naval commander.

Therefore, Cai Mao changed his strategy from sailing down the Yangtze River to Jiangdong to gradually encroaching upon or even swallowing up Yuzhang.

Those who sailed down the river to Jiangdong benefited Liu Biao, Liu Pan, Zhang Yun, and even Huang Zu.

However, if they were to conquer Yuzhang, the Cai family would be the ones to benefit.

Kuai Yue saw through this perfectly, but his sneer was mostly directed at Liu Biao.

As expected, Liu Biao's expression changed after hearing Cai Mao's words. He was initially angry, but then gradually became thoughtful.

Kuai Yue's lips curled slightly, and he thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

Liu Biao was such an easily swayed person.

His initial anger stemmed from resentment at Cai Mao for not giving him a satisfactory answer, but he was subsequently swayed by Cai Mao's suggestion.

Because Cai Mao's suggestion seemed to have low risk and high reward.

Conquering Yuzhang would not offend Liu Yao and Liu Bei; on the contrary, it would allow one to obtain salt from Liu Bei while simultaneously creating a check and balance between Liu Yao and Sun Ce.

Once I have captured Yuzhang, I can advance by both water and land, sweeping across Jiangdong.

It sounds perfect, but only a top strategist like Kuai Yue could see the absurdity of the plan.

First of all, Liu Biao's rule in Jingnan was actually very weak.

The reason why Jingnan is currently subservient to Liu Biao is because Liu Biao is the governor of Jingzhou appointed by the court. In essence, they are submitting to the central government of the Eastern Han Dynasty, not to Liu Biao himself.

If you want to conquer Yuzhang, it is undoubtedly the most appropriate way to send troops from Changsha Commandery and Jiangxia Commandery.

But if the foundation for future operations is unstable, how can we even talk about conquering Yuzhang?

In addition, the essence of Yangzhou is undoubtedly the four prefectures along the river. Yuzhang and Kuaiji are sparsely populated and mostly mountainous, with Han and non-Han people living together. How can they be compared with the essence of the four prefectures along the river?
Only a boastful person like Cai Mao would come up with such an extremely foolish workaround.

(End of this chapter)