My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 237 Planning for Yingchuan
"I was unaware of the General's arrival. I have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Liu Feng, displaying great poise, opened the camp gates wide and led his subordinates out to greet him respectfully.

Even though Cao Cao had something on his mind, he was still somewhat unable to suppress the corners of his mouth from being coaxed by Liu Feng's courtesy. He dismounted and stepped forward to help Liu Feng up, saying, "My dear nephew, you have now established your own government and are an important minister of the court. Why do you humble yourself like this? Although I have been promoted to Grand General and have been favored by the Emperor, temporarily in charge of the affairs of the court, I need talented people like you, my dear nephew, to offer more good advice and share the burden of the court."

"The Grand General oversees the affairs of the court, and my father and I should be the emperors and share the burden with the Grand General."

Liu Feng made a polite remark and led Cao Cao into the main tent. After they sat down, tea was served.

As Cao Cao sat down, he said with courtesy and respect, “Why are you so distant, my dear nephew? Although I am a general, I am still your father’s brother. Moreover, although we are uncle and nephew, we serve in the same court and work together to support the Han Dynasty. We share the same ideals and goals. You may still call me uncle, my dear nephew. We should not be distant.”

Liu Feng respectfully replied, "Yes, I thank you for your high regard, Uncle."

After Liu Feng finished speaking, he lowered his head and began to sip his tea.

Cao Cao waited a moment, but Liu Feng was only focused on drinking tea. Helpless, he put down his tea and spoke up, saying, "I heard that your nephew Jia Kui's troops have already killed Chang Nu in battle and presented his head to the Emperor. How swiftly!"

Liu Feng then looked up and replied with a smile, "Serving the emperor requires utmost dedication."

Cao Cao replied, "My dear nephew, the Emperor must be very pleased with your intention. However, I have heard that tens of thousands of Changnu's troops have surrendered. I wonder how you plan to settle them? If you need my help, please feel free to ask."

Liu Feng blinked. It seemed that Cao Cao had finally realized what was happening. It was highly likely that Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, or Xi Zhicai had written to him to remind him.

But even if you realize it now, what can you do? This is an open scheme of mine. It's already in my hands. You're only now thinking about fighting for it? It's too late.

Liu Feng replied, “General, there is no need to worry. Henan is a barren wasteland, littered with debris, and there is no way to settle these surrendered women and children. I have already arranged for boats to take them to Xuzhou for resettlement.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately became restless and coughed, saying, "Luozhong is sparsely populated. These refugees should be settled in various counties and towns in Luozhong so that they can cultivate land locally and supply Luozhong. Why did you send them away, my nephew?"

Liu Feng said innocently, "Uncle, you don't know this, but there are nearly 20,000 women and children who have surrendered. Among them, there are 4,000 to 5,000 able-bodied men, and more than half of them are men. If we don't send them away and settle them as soon as possible, Xuzhou will really be unable to support Luozhong."

Liu Feng reported only Chang Nu's head and nearly 20,000 surrendered people.

Other gold, silver, and valuables, as well as more than 40,000 shi of grain, would naturally not appear in the victory report.

The answer is no. If there was enough food, why didn't Changnu run away?
Isn't it because I'm hungry?

Then, Liu Feng tearfully pleaded, "Uncle, in this campaign to defend the emperor in Guandong, Xuzhou has already spent tens of millions of taels of silver and hundreds of thousands of shi of grain. All that remains is our loyalty to the emperor and the central government. Once our Xuzhou army has pacified Yingchuan, we will petition the emperor to return to Xuzhou."

Cao Cao looked conflicted, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

Only after receiving letters from Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and others did he realize the extent of the losses suffered in Yanzhou.

Yanzhou is located in the heart of the Central Plains, with convenient transportation in all directions. It borders five other provinces: Si, Yu, Xu, Qing, and Ji. This region was one of the core areas of agricultural economy in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although the province is small, most of it is plains with well-developed water conservancy, abundant agricultural products, and a large population.

However, after verification by Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and others, it was found that the original Henan province had a population of four million, plus the million people Cao Cao had captured when he defeated the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou.

Of the original five million people, only 1.9 million remain, a reduction of more than 60%. Vast tracts of land are barren, cities are in ruins, and refugees are constantly fleeing and migrating to surrounding prefectures and counties, with Xuzhou being the most affected.

When Cao Cao received this letter, his heart sank.

Even if he doesn't fully grasp the importance of population, he knows that without population there are no soldiers, no food, and no tax revenue.

Cao Cao had originally hoped that Liu Feng would hand over the captured surrendered troops to the court. Twenty thousand men was neither a large nor a small number, and the proportion of able-bodied men among them was quite good.

But Liu Feng actually sent them all to Xuzhou. What worried Cao Cao even more was whether Liu Feng would do the same when he swept through Yingchuan.

Cao Cao is now extremely envious of the more than 200,000 people in Yingchuan.

But when it came to actually sending troops to sweep through the area, he was somewhat reluctant.

Sending troops to sweep through the enemy requires food, pacifying prisoners also requires food, and registering prisoners as ordinary citizens, distributing seeds and rations for land reclamation, would require an even greater amount of food.

Cao Cao doesn't have that much grain right now.

His greatest wish was that Liu Feng could be understanding of the imperial court, and after sweeping through Yingchuan, settle the population in their original locations before letting him take over. That would be the best outcome.

But Liu Feng's current reaction undoubtedly tells Cao Cao through his actions that he should stop dreaming about peaches.

After a moment of contemplation, Cao Cao said in a consultative tone, "My nephew's southward campaign to sweep through Yingchuan has been a great help to me. In that case, I cannot stand idly by. I am willing to send Cao Ren with three thousand elite soldiers to assist my nephew."

Liu Feng blinked and politely declined, saying, "Thank you, Uncle, but I think it's unnecessary. After all, the two armies have never cooperated before. This time, the key to sweeping through Yingchuan is to use speed to defeat slowness and not give the enemy a chance to scatter and escape. If there are loopholes due to a failure in coordination, then all our previous efforts will be in vain."

Cao Cao was anxious. He didn't send troops to help Liu Feng. He wanted to take control of the counties in Yingchuan Commandery that still had people and preserve their precious population.

But this couldn't be said outright, which made Cao Cao feel extremely frustrated and annoyed.

Despite Liu Feng's outward respect for Cao Cao and his excellent outward appearance, he was actually both using and guarding against him. He kept Cao Cao on the front line against Yuan Shao while simultaneously undermining his strength, keeping him in a position of apparent power in order to maximize the benefits for Liu Bei's side.

The next few years are crucial; the smaller Cao Cao's population, the slower he will recover and accumulate resources.

Liu Feng clearly recognized that after losing Yuzhou, Cao Cao's war potential had decreased significantly, since he was unable to transfer people from Yuzhou to Yingchuan for large-scale land reclamation.

However, this also greatly shortened Cao Cao's recovery time, allowing him to focus his efforts on the Sili and Jingzhou regions instead of waging war in Yuzhou and Xuzhou.

The warriors of Xiliang will likely become Cao Cao's first enemy to strike, which aligns with Liu Feng's grand strategy of first conquering the south and then the north to consolidate the Central Plains.

Without Yangzhou, Xuzhou would be surrounded by enemies on all sides, easy to attack but difficult to defend, and ultimately unsustainable; prolonged defense would inevitably lead to its loss.

Without Yuzhou, Xu and Yang, though able to function independently, would be regional warlords, capable of protecting themselves in chaotic times, but once the Central Plains were pacified, the combined strength of Xu and Yang would be insufficient to contend with Hebei.
Once the three provinces of Yu, Xu, and Yang are united, their foundation for hegemony will be in no way inferior to that of the four provinces of Hebei.

The above is all based on the premise that Liu Feng does not make any large-scale changes.

If Liu Feng could successfully develop advanced technologies, such as gunpowder, a three-piece horse harness, or explosive steel swords, spears, and armor, it would naturally greatly reduce economic pressure.

Cao Cao was somewhat annoyed, but he could neither blame Liu Feng nor force him to send troops.

This was because Liu Feng made a separate petition, which was unanimously agreed upon by the emperor and all the officials.

Without a suitable reason, Cao Cao's interference would not only offend Liu Feng, but also give the emperor and his officials the impression of being arrogant.

Most importantly, even if he paid these prices, Liu Feng could still make him gain nothing.

Without Liu Feng's approval, could Cao Ren's three to five thousand soldiers really snatch people from the thirty thousand Xuzhou troops?
Cao Cao understood this, which is why he wanted to persuade Liu Feng.

But the other party clearly didn't buy it.

Although Cao Cao made several attempts to sway Liu Feng, even offering some concessions, unfortunately, the bargaining chips he offered were not enough to entice Liu Feng.

Helpless, Cao Cao could only leave in disappointment.

After Cao Cao left, Zhuge Jin came to Liu Feng's side and whispered, "Young Master, the General is making such a concession. If you refuse him outright, won't that displease him?"

Liu Feng laughed heartily and first addressed Zhuge Jin, saying, "Ziyu, caution is good, but caution is not the same as cowardice. If we have to do whatever the General says, then are we loyal to the Emperor, to the General, or to the General?"

Zhuge Jin's expression changed drastically. He wanted to explain something, but Liu Feng stopped him.

"Ziyu needs no explanation. Feng Quan knows Ziyu's heart without a doubt."

Liu Feng stood up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the people in the tent.

People like Gao Shun and Zhou Tai are as silent as rocks.

Characters like Taishi and Zhang Liao were known for their unwavering loyalty and courage.

Characters like Gan Ning and Jia Kui were full of vigor and ambition. Characters like Xu Huang and Guan Ping were diligent and conscientious.

Dong Zhao and Jia Xi, for example, remained calm and composed.

Zhuge Liang stood to one side, a faint smile on his lips, gentle and refined, elegant and noble.

All eyes were on Liu Feng, as if he possessed some kind of power that could stir up the winds and clouds and conquer the world.

"The prosperity of my Xuzhou is not due to any great general. Even if he is dissatisfied, what does it have to do with me?"

Liu Feng roared, "The cause of Xuzhou is due to you gentlemen who uphold the principles of governance, eliminate redundancy and cumbersome procedures, and manage the people and the local affairs. It is you gentlemen who sleep with your swords at your sides, fight bloody battles, repel enemy troops, and protect the people and ensure the stability of this region. You gentlemen are the true foundation of Xuzhou. How can the Great General compare to you!"

Liu Feng's heartfelt words moved everyone present.

Many scholars and generals rose and bowed deeply to Liu Feng, unanimously declaring their willingness to die for Liu Feng and his son, and for Xuzhou.

Liu Feng laughed and helped everyone in the tent to their feet, offering kind words of comfort.

That night, Liu Feng rewarded the three armies and hosted a banquet for his officials.

The army then continued to rest and reorganize, and transported supplies. At the same time, nearly 20,000 prisoners from Gongxian were transported south, while gold, silver, and grain were temporarily left in Gongxian for use in the southward campaign in Yingchuan.

As time went on, the scouts traveling south by waterway reported back one after another.

Although the Yingchuan water system is not connected to the Yellow River or the Yu and Yan river systems, making it impossible for Liu Feng to deploy naval forces to participate in the Yingchuan campaign, it was still not a major problem to gather a small number of ships within the Yingchuan water system for waterway reconnaissance.

The Zhuge brothers placed the compiled intelligence on Liu Feng's desk.

According to reports from naval scouts, there were indeed more than 100,000 remnants of the Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan County, roughly divided into four groups.

The largest of these groups numbered 80,000, almost half of the total number of Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan. The remaining three groups had 40,000, 20,000, and 10,000 respectively.

The Yellow Turbans, who were the most numerous, were mainly based in Yingyin City. The Yi River, one of the five major rivers in Yingchuan County, flows past the city. It is also an extremely important transportation hub in Yingchuan County, serving as the intersection of east, west, north, and south.

The Yellow Turban rebels were entrenched here, and could break out and escape in any direction at any time.

Secondly, the second largest Yellow Turban army of 40,000 men was entrenched in Yangdi City, northwest of Yingyin. Although it was not as well-developed as Yingyin, it was still relatively convenient and had historically been the seat of Yingchuan County.

This place is situated beside the Ying River, with flat terrain and fertile land, making it an ideal location for military farming.

If it weren't so close to Henan and Yanzhou, it wouldn't have been occupied by the second largest Yellow Turban rebels in Yingchuan County.

The remaining two Yellow Turban armies, one with 10,000 men, were entrenched in southwestern Yangdi and Yingyang, west of Yingyin, while the other with 20,000 men were entrenched in Xuxian, southeast of Yingyin.

Besides these large groups, there were also over ten thousand smaller Yellow Turban groups, numbering in the thousands, entrenched in Yingchuan, but they posed no threat.

The remnants of the Yellow Turban Army were actually quite cunning. They occupied locations along major transportation routes, allowing for flexible relocation. At the same time, they were situated in the central part of Yingchuan, so no matter which direction you attacked from, they could escape from the other side.

But the Yellow Turban Army never dreamed that someone would mobilize tens of thousands of troops to gather and annihilate them.

Liu Feng worked so hard for two reasons. One was to undermine Cao Cao's forces. Another reason was that Cao Cao had gained a great deal from this battle. He couldn't even support his army with just Yanzhou, but after taking Yingchuan and Liang, he not only solved the problem of feeding his army, but also had the resources to carry out large-scale land reclamation.

It is clear that these Yellow Turban armies must have had a considerable amount of stored grain.

Thinking about Changnu's wealth, Liu Feng couldn't help but feel a surge of envy.

While Liu Feng was making plans in full swing, Liu Bei, who was stationed in Liang Kingdom, also received a series of good news.

The first piece of good news was that the Xuzhou loyalist army successfully welcomed the emperor in Hedong. The White Wave Army did not choose to fight each other and take all the spoils, but instead made concessions and shared the emperor with the Guandong loyalist army.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is undoubtedly great news.

Although Liu Bei had great confidence in the Xuzhou army, besieging a city in the winter would inevitably result in numerous casualties, even if he won.

The White Wave Army had poor discipline, but its combat strength was not weak.

While the Kwantung Allied Forces were confident of victory, they also faced various problems such as casualties and the safety of the emperor.

Therefore, it would be best to avoid fighting if possible.

The second piece of good news was that the emperor had successfully returned east to Luoyang, and at the same time rewarded the three armies and those who had made contributions.

The emperor appointed Liu Bei as General of the Cavalry (a position equivalent to one of the Three Dukes, with his own government and equal status to the Three Dukes), and appointed him as the governor of the three provinces of Xu, Yu, and Yang.

This was tantamount to handing over control of the three provinces of Xu, Yu, and Yang to Liu Bei in the form of an imperial edict.

From the moment Liu Bei assumed the position of General of the Cavalry, Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, became his subordinate. Liu Bei even had the right to replace him, as long as he submitted a memorial to the court afterwards.

Liu Bei was overjoyed; he truly hadn't expected the emperor and the court to bestow such a generous reward.

He had discussed the matter with Liu Feng several times before, and they both felt that as long as the court recognized his control over Xuzhou and strengthened the legal authority over some counties in Yuzhou and Yangzhou, it would be a huge victory.

Just like the legal arguments of Jian Yong and Liu Yan regarding Jiujiang and Lujiang counties, although they are currently useless, once they actually launch a military campaign against Jiujiang and Lujiang, they will be a powerful tool to dismantle the enemy's camp and win over their forces for their own use.

In fact, Liu Bei had already begun to make contact with the local gentry and powerful families in Jiujiang and Lujiang.

With this official status, wouldn't it be perfectly logical to have a lesbian relationship?
However, after his initial joy, Liu Bei also realized the lack of talented individuals.

As things stand, Liu Bei's side needs at least three teams: one for the imperial court, and one for each of Liu Bei's and Liu Feng's general staffs.

I originally thought Xuzhou was a place teeming with talented people and a gathering place for wise men.

Now that three sets of leadership teams are being set up all at once, this person is clearly getting nervous again.

After discussing the matter with Lu Su and others, Liu Bei decided to refrain from taking any action for the time being and wait for the return of the loyalist army from Xuzhou.

Liu Feng's letter arrived with the angel, expressing his concern for Liu Bei and Zhang Fei's health and his joy at their impending return.

Unexpectedly, another letter arrived two days later, requesting Liu Bei to send his elite troops to Runan, from south to north, into Yingchuan, and to capture Yancheng and Linying.

The latter, Linying, is of paramount importance. If we lack sufficient troops, we can forgo taking Yancheng, but we must capture Linying.

Linying is only a few dozen miles away from Yingyin, yet it blocks the latter's path south into Runan.

Without breaking through Linying, the enemy at Yingyin will be trapped on the plain between the Ying and Yi rivers, helpless and in a dilemma.

After reading it, Liu Bei immediately summoned Lu Su and Huang Jiu to discuss it.

After settling in Liang, Liu Bei summoned Lu Su to Suiyang to seek his advice.

Fortunately, Pengcheng was not far from Suiyang and the transportation was very convenient. In addition, there were fewer things to do in winter, and Lu Su had already made all the necessary arrangements, so he was able to free himself up and come to Liu Bei's side.

As for Huang Jiu, he was a famous scholar of the Liang Kingdom and was recruited by Guo Gong to serve as his chief advisor.

But after only one winter, this man was captivated by Liu Bei's charm. Although he never betrayed Guo Gong, he had become very close to Liu Bei.

It's no wonder Huang reacted that way.

Comparing Guo Gong to Liu Bei is like comparing a crow to a phoenix; even in terms of respecting and valuing talent, Guo Gong is nowhere near as warm and sincere as Liu Bei.

After all, Guo Gong himself was a renowned scholar from a prestigious family with an illustrious background. How could he possibly fulfill the role of "treating scholars with courtesy"?

(End of this chapter)