My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 236 Changnu's Head is Received
"How's Jia Kui's situation? Have they started their operation yet?"

After Liu Feng sat down, he took a cup of tea from Zhuge Liang, took a couple of sips to calm his stomach, and then inquired about the situation with Jia Kui.

Zhuge Liang turned around and walked to the table. He flipped through the pages and found a scroll of silk, which he handed to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng put down his teacup and opened the silk book to read it.

After receiving Liu Feng's order, Jia Kui did not act hastily. After going out to muster his troops, he waited for Dong Cheng to return to camp before visiting him to inquire about Chang Nu's information.

Dong Cheng's ability to hold Luoyang and maintain a stalemate with Changnu for half a year clearly demonstrates his skill and his understanding of Changnu's situation far surpasses that of others.

"Jia Liangdao is indeed exceptionally talented; he saw the crux of the matter at a glance."

Liu Feng sighed. He hadn't even thought to ask Dong Cheng; at the time, he had simply watched as Dong Cheng made things difficult for Yang Feng.

He remained silent because of Yang Feng, making it inconvenient for him to speak up for Dong Cheng. Cao Cao's silence, on the other hand, clearly indicated his intention to force Dong Cheng to side with him.

Cao Cao was unaware that Dong Cheng was extremely ambitious. If you wanted this father-in-law of the emperor to be your follower, he might be plotting to overthrow you.

So Liu Feng continued reading. After Jia Kui went to Dong Cheng for help, he actually received Dong Cheng's full support. Not only did Dong Cheng tell Jia Kui all the details he knew about the situation of Changnu, but he also specially lent Jia Kui several of his troops who were familiar with the terrain and the situation of Changnu. It can be said that Dong Cheng was very sincere.

With Dong Cheng's help, Jia Kui had already set out with his troops, while Gao Shun's forces would follow behind him and enter Yanshi together.

Jia Kui used Yanshi as his base of operations, while Gao Shun used Yanshi as his stronghold to provide support to Jia Kui at any time.

In the aftermath, Jia Kui described the tentative attack plan in detail. Liu Feng took the silk scroll, called Zhuge Liang to open the map, and after carefully considering the map for a while, a smile appeared on his face.

"Jia Liang said that he would win this battle. He even asked me for the authority to allocate the navy. He is really going all out like a tiger hunting a rabbit."

Now that he was relaxed, Liu Feng picked up his teacup again and looked at the gentle and refined Zhuge Liang in front of him. He couldn't help but tease him, "Liang, if I were to transfer you to Liang Dao's troops to serve as a military advisor, you would have put in a lot of effort. I can't let you have worked so hard for nothing."

Despite the fact that Changnu's troops numbered only four or five thousand, were poorly equipped, and lacked combat strength, they were not formidable.

But who told him to occupy Luodu's doorstep?

It is no exaggeration to say that this was a military achievement that could reach the ears of the emperor. Although the emperor no longer had much real power, he was still the only legitimate emperor, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and the common ruler of the world.

What's even more advantageous is that, at present, it is still the initial stage of a chaotic world, and titles and ranks in the central government are still quite sought after.

A captain appointed by the central government is more valuable than a local lieutenant general.

Whether it was Liu Yao or Liu Biao, their ability to enter the state alone, start from scratch, and seize partial control of the state was essentially due to the influence of the Han Dynasty.

If Liu Bei hadn't been so weak and lacked a reliable team to support him, Liu Feng wouldn't have had the heart to temporarily relinquish the throne.

The fact that Liu Feng vigorously supported Cao Cao in controlling the emperor while resolutely preventing the emperor from going to Hebei reveals a lot of clues.

If the emperor goes to Hebei, then for Xuzhou to regain control of the emperor will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

However, if the emperor were placed in Cao Cao's hands, no matter where Cao Cao placed him, he would almost always be under the military pressure of Liu Bei's forces. Moreover, given Cao Cao's opportunistic nature, Liu Feng might even worry that the emperor might prematurely defect to his father.

Zhuge Liang smiled and shook his head, saying, "Brother Liang is thorough in his work and devoted to the young master. Moreover, his plans are appropriate and his strategies are comprehensive. I have no merit in this battle, so how can I share the credit?"

“Ah Liang only said he didn’t want to share the credit, but he didn’t say he was ignorant of military affairs. So he’s quite interested in military matters?”

Liu Feng looked at Zhuge Liang with admiration, which gave the latter a great illusion, as if he were being cared for by an elder who was older than him.

However, Liu Feng was actually a boy younger than himself, a misconception that even Zhuge Liang found deeply troubling.

History has proven that Zhuge Liang was a polymath, capable not only of governing the country and managing finances, but also of commanding the army.

Even a powerful figure like Sima Yi was defeated by Zhuge Liang and dared not engage in open battle, and Zhuge Liang even defeated a larger force with a smaller one, which shows Zhuge Liang's ability to command troops.

Chen Shou said that Zhuge Liang excelled in governing the army but lacked in devising ingenious strategies. This statement is actually correct, but also incorrect.

That's right, because Zhuge Liang didn't really have many ingenious strategies during the Northern Expeditions, that's a fact.

But he was wrong again, because he made the mistake of separating things.

Shu Han didn't have much resources, and its ingenious strategies needed a solid financial foundation.

Even if I lose all my bets, I'll still have money to continue playing at the table.

But Zhuge Liang didn't have such resources, so how could he dare to devise a brilliant plan?
Faced with Liu Feng's teasing, Zhuge Liang simply smiled and did not reply.

Liu Feng also had some thoughts in his mind. The Han Dynasty was different from the Song and Ming Dynasties, especially the Ming Dynasty, where ministers who made military achievements were encouraged and excluded.

During the Han Dynasty, the highest praise for a minister was to be able to serve as both a general and a prime minister.

The following day, Jia Kui summoned his generals and assigned them tasks.

Changnu was based in Yanshi, and he would harass Luoyang from time to time to see if there was any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

However, when the massive army of loyalists marched south and crossed the Yellow River, Changnu, in a panic, fled to Gongxian to observe, and even considered continuing his retreat.

Jia Kui ordered Jia Bin's troops to pass through Gong County without entering, and instead form ranks with their backs to the Luoyang canal, awaiting naval support.

This strategy of passing through a city without entering, and even deploying troops with their backs to the river, seems very risky, but in reality, it is an act of bullying others by relying on power.

Jia Bin's force of over four hundred cavalrymen were all from the Three Rivers region, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and proficient in mounted combat.

With such a cavalry force passing through the city, the city had no way to deal with them.

The idea of ​​launching a flanking attack from outside the city is wishful thinking. Gongxian is merely a fortified city in the middle of the road, not a formidable obstacle like Hangu Pass that cuts off the passage.

Jia Bin and his men only need to take a slight detour, and unless a large number of cavalry attack from within the city, they can only watch helplessly as the enemy moves.

Subsequently, he ordered Gan Ning to lead his naval forces in small boats to enter the Luoyang Canal from Wushejin, then land on the east side of Gongxian County, where they would join forces with Jia Bin's cavalry and launch a combined attack from west to east.

At the same time, Jiang Qin's troops were also ordered to enter the Luoyang Canal in small boats and form a battle array across the water on the south side of Gong County, blocking any possibility of Chang Nu's troops escaping south.

In the end, Jia Kui led the remaining troops like an iron hammer, rushing straight to Gong County and completely annihilating Chang Nu's forces in the city.

Jia Kui made such a bold tactical arrangement mainly for four reasons.

Firstly, the enemy harbored wishful thinking. Changnu, coveting the situation in Luoyang, seized the wealth, grain, women, and children of Gongxian. The loyalist army did not flee far after crossing the Yellow River, but only retreated to Gongxian.

According to scouts, Changnu is suspected to own a large amount of farmland in Gongxian County, all of which are cultivated land, which is one of the important reasons why he retreated to Gongxian County.

Secondly, there was the advantage of the terrain. Changnu chose Gongxian, which was surrounded by water on three sides. To the southeast was the Luoyang Canal, which was navigable by boats, to the north was the Yellow River, and to the west was Luoyang. This was a truly deadly place.

Thirdly, the Luoyang Basin is too small, surrounded by mountains on three sides and the Yellow River on the other. Moreover, the basin is crisscrossed by rivers, and the Xuzhou army also has a navy. Changnu's only way out is to withdraw from the Luoyang Basin, but he hesitates. Unexpectedly, Liu Feng turned his troops against him on the very day he entered Luoyang.

Fourth, with Dong Cheng, a local strongman, around, Changnu's situation had long been thoroughly understood.

Unfortunately, Jia Kui, who was in charge of the battle, was very thoughtful and even made use of the advantage of the navy. Before the battle even started, Chang Nu was already a sitting duck.

On that day, Jia Kui's Xuzhou army, led by Jia Bin and other cavalrymen from the Three Rivers region, marched straight to the Luoyang Canal. That afternoon, they successfully joined forces with the naval forces of Gan Ning and Jiang Qin.

Changnu, who was in Gongxian City, was immediately alarmed. He wanted to flee, but he couldn't bear to leave behind the women, children, and valuables in the city. After hesitating for several hours, his soldiers reported that dust was flying west of Gongxian City and that Jia Kui's troops had arrived at the city.

Changnu immediately regretted it. Gongxian had experienced several wars before, and many sections of the city wall had already collapsed, but the buildings inside the city were well preserved.

Changnu was so enamored with these luxurious mansions and the fertile fields outside the city that he stayed in Gong County to observe the situation with a sense of侥幸 (a lucky break), which ultimately led him to his own demise.

That night, Changnu organized a night raid, intending to sneak across the Luoyang Canal and escape under cover of darkness.

But Jia Kui planned so meticulously, how could he have forgotten this?

Changnu's night raid not only failed to escape, but he was also ambushed and suffered heavy losses, forcing him to retreat back into the city.

By the time the Xuzhou army had finished their meal the following day, the fate of Gongxian was already sealed.

The battle lasted less than half an hour. The eastern part of the city fell first, followed by the western and southern parts. When Changnu tried to break out again, he was run into by Guan Ping, who immediately killed him.

After Changnu's death, his troops surrendered en masse, and the entire battle lasted less than an hour. Post-battle assessment revealed that the Xuzhou army suffered only about thirty dead and a little over a hundred wounded, most of whom were lightly injured.

Changnu's troops suffered over 300 casualties in battle, 4,900 surrendered, and over 17,000 elderly, weak, women, and children were also captured.

In addition, several million coins, more than 48,000 shi of grain, and tens of millions of various goods were seized.

Nearly half of the grain was provided by Yuan Shu, while the remaining half was actually obtained from farming outside Gong County.

Changnu stayed in the Luoyang Basin for two years, and naturally suffered from food shortages.

The entire city of Luoyang is now a wasteland; even if you wanted to rob someone, you wouldn't find a target.

Therefore, Changnu's farming was out of necessity; otherwise, he would starve to death, not to mention that Changnu's tribe were farmers themselves.

The reason there was so much more grain this time was mainly because Yuan Shu had invested heavily in bribing him to harass Luoyang, sending him over four million coins worth of goods and 20,000 shi of grain.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shu never imagined that all this grain and wealth would end up benefiting Liu Feng.

While sending the battle report back to Luoyang, Jia Kui also gathered Chang Nu's troops and awaited Liu Feng's further orders.

"I never expected that Changnu would be such a talented person."

When Liu Feng saw that Chang Nu was actually farming in Gong County, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's a pity that this man was so unlucky that he was killed on the spot."

Zhuge Jin said solemnly, “Young Master, you went north from Xuzhou to serve the Emperor and welcome him back to Luoyang. All the wise men in the land have praised you highly. You have also been favored by the Emperor and appointed as a general, and have been granted the honor of opening your own office. All the talented men in the world should consider it an honor to enter your office. Why do you value a traitor? Where do you place the heroes of the world?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng solemnly bowed and thanked him, saying, "If it weren't for Ziyu's wise words, I would have almost lost the hopes of the people."

Zhuge Jin quickly stepped aside: "Your Highness is quick to admit your mistakes and readily accepts advice; this is a great fortune for your subjects."

Subsequently, Liu Feng took the battle report directly to the "Imperial Palace" and presented it to the Emperor.

After the emperor moved into the Zhao family residence, he was in a very good mood.

Firstly, he had finally returned to Luoyang, and secondly, the accommodation and food conditions were far superior to those in Hedong, which gave him a temporary illusion that the world was at peace.

It's no wonder Liu Xie had such a misconception. Back in Hedong, even the lowest-ranking servants could watch the court assembly from outside the fence, and if they weren't satisfied with what they saw, they could throw clods of dirt at the ministers.

Now, let alone common servants, even Yang Feng and Han Xian, if they wanted to see the emperor, had to obediently queue up and wait to be summoned.

Upon receiving Liu Feng's request for an audience, Emperor Liu Xie immediately granted it.

At least for now, Liu Xie hasn't become arrogant, nor does he intend to use any tricks to bring Liu Feng to his death.

Liu Xie arranged the main hall of Zhao Zhong's residence as the venue for court assemblies, and it was here that he summoned Liu Feng.

"What? Changnu has already been beheaded by the general?"

The emperor blinked, somewhat incredulous.

Just a few days ago, Liu Feng had requested permission to wipe out Changnu. The ministers around him, including Yang Biao and Zhao Wen, felt that Changnu had been in Luoyang for a long time and were familiar with the geography. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it would be difficult to completely wipe them out.

As long as Liu Feng can drive the enemy far away, he will have achieved his goal. If he can drive Chang Nu even further away, such as escaping from the Luoyang Basin, then it will be considered a great achievement.

No one, including Liu Xie, expected that in just a few days, Chang Nu would be killed and his clan wiped out, and all his subordinates and refugees would be captured.

Is the Xuzhou army really that powerful?
Although Emperor Liu Xie was not knowledgeable in warfare, he still had some understanding of military affairs.

Dong Cheng had over a thousand troops, but he was suppressed by Chang Nu and could only hide in Luoyang City and could not leave.

The Xuzhou army, with only two thousand men, was able to annihilate Changnu's forces within a few days.

Wouldn't Dong Cheng's more than a thousand troops not even last half a day against the two thousand soldiers of the Xuzhou army?

"Your Majesty, this is the first victory since the court's return to the east, and it deserves a great reward!"

Yang Biao stepped forward and volunteered, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go and reward the troops and soldiers who have rendered meritorious service."

Liu Feng glanced at Yang Biao; this old man was no good.

The reward is just a pretense; the real purpose is to win over the troops.

However, Liu Feng was very reassured: "Go ahead and try to win them over; you'll be very capable."

Liu Feng was completely confident in the loyalty of Gao Shun, Jia Kui, and others.

Moreover, although Yang Biao was quite talented and willing to work, a closer look at his resume reveals a typical career path of a powerful and wealthy family. Not long after being recommended as a candidate for the civil service examination, he was appointed as the Prefect of Jingzhao. The Yang family was a prominent local family in Hongnong, known as the third most powerful family in the country.

Therefore, Yang Biao actually had little experience in grassroots work. He was good at winning over the sons of aristocratic families and discussing classics, but trying to win over the lower-ranking soldiers was just wishful thinking.

The Emperor did not immediately agree, but instead looked at Liu Feng and asked for his opinion: "General, your troops are truly fierce and valiant, which delights me greatly. Now that the Grand Commandant intends to reward the three armies on my behalf, what is your opinion, General?"

Liu Feng readily agreed: "Grand Commandant, you are inspecting on behalf of Heaven. How dare we disobey? I will do my best to cooperate with you so that our soldiers may receive the grace of Heaven."

"Good! Great good!"

Emperor Liu Xie nodded repeatedly in excitement, exclaiming, "General and his son are truly loyal ministers."

Subsequently, the emperor wanted to appoint Jia Kui and Guan Ping as generals, but Liu Feng dissuaded him.

Finally, the emperor conceded a step, appointing Jia Kui and Guan Ping as colonels, Jia Bin and Liu Fu as separate commanders, Zhou Tai as Hengjiang Colonel, Dong Xi as Pingjiang Colonel, Gan Ning as Pojiang Colonel, and Jiang Qin as Zhenjiang Colonel.

All the other generals were rewarded.

Liu Feng, as the leader of the loyalist army in Xuzhou, was naturally rewarded with ten bolts of silk and five thousand coins.

The emperor still had some wealth. In addition to the tribute from the Xuzhou army, the governors of Hedong, Zhang Yang, and Yanzhou, Cao Cao, also contributed some wealth and grain. Even Yuan Shao sent three thousand shi of grain to congratulate the emperor on his return to the east.

Subsequently, Liu Feng personally accompanied Yang Biao to Gong County to reward the troops. When the soldier died, he was given pork, mutton, wine, and meat as a reward for the entire army.

During this visit to the troops, Yang Biao truly put aside his airs and talked with the mid-level military officers he used to look down on.

Upon learning that Jia Kui was a descendant of a prominent family in Hedong, Yang Biao became even more enthusiastic and struck up a conversation with him, showing signs of establishing a close friendship with his fellow townsmen.

In reality, Yang Biao was from Hongnong, while Jia Kui was from Hedong. Although they were both from Sili, their hometown ties weren't that strong unless they were from the same prefecture.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that Yang Biao, as the third most powerful family in the land, valued a small aristocratic family in Hedong so highly suggests that Jia Kui would have been willing to die for Yang Biao long ago.

But now, Jia Kui clearly understands who recruited him and who gave him the opportunity.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to abandon Liu Feng, such a powerful figure, to cling to Yang Biao, an old fogey whose future is uncertain.

After chatting with Yang Biao for a short while, Jia Kui made an excuse to leave and went to Liu Feng to pledge his loyalty.

"Liang Dao, we are like ruler and subject, why must we act like this? How could I not trust you?"

Liu Feng was secretly pleased, but on the surface he pretended to be displeased and said, "I have full confidence in my judgment and high hopes for Liang Dao. Why should Liang Dao lose his composure over some trivial matters?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Kui was moved to tears and felt so grateful that he wished he could cut out his heart and offer it to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng naturally comforted him and then gave Jia Kui an important task to show that his trust in him remained unchanged.

The next task was to march south to Yingchuan and wipe out the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Feng intended to appoint Jia Kui as the vanguard, while also having him oversee the collection of intelligence on the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yingchuan.

Jia Kui was overjoyed and assured Liu Feng that he would do his best.

After Liu Feng accompanied Yang Biao back to Luoyang, Cao Cao came knocking on their door again.

(End of this chapter)