My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 241 Two Letters
Liu Feng originally came to sweep through Yingchuan with the intention of capturing people and suppressing Cao Cao's future war potential and recovery capabilities.

But now it seems that the Yellow Turban rebels in Yingchuan were truly rolling in money; at least in terms of grain, they were all local tycoons.

It's no wonder that Cao Cao, who was originally desperately poor, was able to not only support tens of thousands of troops after sweeping through Yingchuan, but also organize hundreds of thousands of people to cultivate land.

Liu Feng had never understood where the enemy's grain came from. You see, Yanzhou had already been ravaged and was suffering from a severe drought. It would be a miracle if the grain produced could feed the local population and army of Yanzhou.

Where could we possibly find so much grain to help Yingchuan with its land reclamation?

Liu Feng had already established military farms in Xuzhou, organizing only 5,000 households, which at most killed 20,000 to 30,000 people, and had already emptied the remaining grain reserves of the Mi family and Qu County.

However, the scale of Cao Cao's military farms in Yingchuan at that time must have involved at least 400,000 to 500,000 people; otherwise, how could he have harvested a million bushels of grain that year?

A hu is a small stone, and roughly three hu equal two shi.

A million bushels is still 700,000 shi of grain. Even if Cao Cao's military farms exploited much more than the military farms in Xuzhou, there was still a limit. Even if you took it all, you still had to leave some food for your own consumption and seeds for the following year.

It is clear that Cao Cao still had to provide enough food and seeds to feed at least 300,000 people, which is equivalent to the grain reserves of a dozen or so Mi families.

Cao Cao was so poor at that time that he relied on Yuan Shao for food, so he could only plunder Yingchuan.

Liu Feng's success was somewhat accidental. Although he hadn't considered this aspect, he unexpectedly made a fortune by undermining Cao Cao's faction.

The silk manuscript clearly states that the granaries in Yangdi City alone held a total of 630,000 shi of grain, and there were also hundreds of thousands of acres of high-quality irrigated land outside the city, all of which were carefully cultivated and of excellent quality.

This grain was not all stored grain. Nearly half of it was the rations for more than 10,000 Yellow Turban soldiers and their warhorses for the next year, while the remaining 330,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) was the stored grain accumulated over the past two years.

Don't underestimate these 300,000 shi of grain; they can directly save Liu Feng an extra 100,000 shi of grain.

With these 300,000 shi of grain, Liu Feng could directly eliminate the need for the rear to transport grain to the central and eastern armies.

The 300,000 shi of grain alone was enough to feed the 15,000 men of the Eastern Route Army and the Central Route Army, plus the 10,000 surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers, for half a year.

Not to mention that in case of an emergency, Liu Feng could easily collect hundreds of thousands of shi of grain from the Yellow Turban women, children and civilians in Yangdi City.

After all, these people store their food rations and seeds in their own homes.

If this is the case in Yangdi, are the situations in Yingyang, Yingyin, and even Xuxian similar?
If that were the case, Liu Feng would be reluctant to hand over Yingchuan to Cao Cao, as these fields were all excellent irrigated land.

Besides grain, the city also contained many valuable items, including over 3,000 knives, spears, swords, and halberds; 1,300 shields; 44 sets of iron armor; over 5,400 sets of leather armor; 329 warhorses; over 400 bows; 60 crossbows; over 17,000 arrows; over 1,000 cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules; over 300 pigs and sheep; over 1,000 chickens and ducks; over 800 jars of wine; over 4,000 bolts of various kinds of cloth; over 400 catties of gold; over 700 catties of silver; and over 11.6 million coins of various types.

Liu Feng has made a fortune again. The earlier items were fine, but the gold, silver, and five-zhu coins were clearly all looted by the Yellow Turbans and ended up benefiting Liu Feng.

The reason why so much gold and silver remained in the treasury was the same as the reason for the grain.

The Yellow Turban Army couldn't find a channel for large-scale transactions, so they could only pile up their wealth in warehouses.

After checking the warehouse inventory, Liu Feng summoned Jia Kui and others.

"Liang Dao, I will take five thousand of the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers with me. I entrust Yangdi City to you."

The grain stored in Yangdi City at this time was the supply for the eastern and central armies, making the defense of Yangdi a matter of utmost importance. Although there might not be any further victories while defending Yangdi City, the merits of the battle would never be forgotten, and would certainly be among the most outstanding achievements.

Jia Kui was deeply grateful for Liu Feng's high regard for him, and he was both excited and happy: "Please rest assured, my lord, if anything happens to Yangdi, I will forgive him with my life."

At this time, Liu Feng had not only come of age, but also received a formal general title from the central government for his meritorious service—General Jianzhong.

Apart from Pan Zhang, who still referred to himself as "Young Master" to claim that he was the earliest to trace his lineage back to Liu Feng, the other officials who were directly under Liu Feng had begun to address him as "Lord."

"Liang Daoyan is too kind."

Liu Feng feigned displeasure, grasped Jia Kui's hand, and said, "I know that Liang Dao is bold yet meticulous, and cautious in his actions. If anything happens to Yang Di, it will be beyond human control. If nothing happens, then so be it. But if something does happen, Liang Dao should defend it if possible, and if not, he should come and join me as soon as possible. Although Yang Di is important, he is not as important to me as Liang Dao."

Upon hearing this, Jia Kui's eyes turned red, and he wished he could die on the spot for Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was speaking from the heart; Yangdi was indeed important, as it held a large amount of supplies, including crucial grain.

However, if compared to Jia Kui, Liu Feng would obviously choose the latter.

Moreover, Yingchuan has a wide open terrain with plains everywhere. Even if Yangdi is lost, Liu Feng is 99% confident that he can retreat calmly with the army's stored grain, and will not be completely wiped out.

After arranging the affairs of Yangdi, Liu Feng did not rush to the battlefield, but continued to communicate with the other armies.

Soon, several pieces of good news arrived.

The first piece of good news is that Guan Yu's western army has successfully captured Xu County.

Following Liu Ye's advice, Guan Yu divided his forces at Yanling, sending a detachment to impersonate the main force and seize Xinji County. The main force then left Yanling at night, crossed the Wei River at dawn, and marched swiftly for two days, heading straight for the city of Xu County.

Caught off guard, the Yellow Turban rebels in Xu County threw the entire city into chaos.

Subsequently, the Xuzhou army launched a fierce attack, and the Yellow Turban army could not withstand it. They had no choice but to abandon the city through the west gate and flee to Yingyin.

At this point, Guan Yu's eastern army successfully captured Xu County, Yanling, Changshe, and Xinji, completely closing the eastern gateway.

The second piece of good news came from Taishi Ci's eastern army.

To be precise, the good news that Taishi Ci's eastern army brought was not just one piece.

First, the 8,000 Xuzhou reinforcements led by Xiahou Bo and Zhuo Ying have successfully captured Linying.

Although the amount of grain obtained in this city was far less than that obtained in Yangdi, there were still seven or eight thousand shi of grain. Combined with the military rations that Xiahou Bo and his troops brought with them, it was enough to feed Xiahou Bo's troops for a month.

Secondly, Li Zan actually accepted Zhuge Jin's invitation and prepared to take his son to Xuzhou to meet with friends, waiting only for the war to end before setting off.

Finally, after learning of Liu Feng's plan, Taishi Ci, the commander of the Eastern Route Army, decisively dispatched Xu Huang's 1,000 cavalry to meet Jia Bin's troops.

Xiangcheng is similar to Linying, with several thousand Yellow Turban soldiers stationed there, along with several thousand shi of grain. They will definitely need to continue supplying food.

Since that's the case, we might as well join forces with Liu Feng's troops as soon as possible and obtain grain directly from Yangdi.

Liu Feng was overjoyed after reading it.

After a brief discussion with Zhuge Liang and Jia Kui, he ordered Taishi Ci to settle Xiangcheng and then send troops to Yingyang to join forces with Liu Feng's troops at the city walls.

While Liu Feng was sweeping away the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, the atmosphere in Yecheng, Hebei, was very tense.

Early in the morning, Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Xun Chen, Xin Ping, Shen Pei, Xin Pi, Xu You, Feng Ji and others were summoned by Yuan Shao, who said he had important matters to discuss.

Ju Shou encountered Shen Pei at the gate of the prefectural government office and stepped forward to bow: "Zheng Nan, do you know why Your Excellency is in such a hurry to summon us?"

The Shen family was a powerful clan in the prefecture. Although they could not be considered a top-tier aristocratic family, the problem was that the Shen family was not only a legitimate aristocratic family, but also the most powerful family in the prefecture. They owned a large area of ​​land in Wei Prefecture and controlled a huge population.

The Shen family alone had several thousand direct retainers, and could also pull out several thousand more from their tenant farmers at any time.

So much so that the Book of the Later Han Dynasty made a special record of it—"When he was in power, he dictated the government, and his clan became large and his army strong."

The Shen family's troops were no ordinary troops; they were well-equipped, especially skilled in archery and crossbows, and had once used their crossbows to defeat Cao Cao's army at Guandu.

Even Yuan Shao, the ruler of Hebei, was wary of this power.

Shen Pei was a strong-willed man with a loyal and generous character.

If someone like this approves of you, they'll be willing to give their life for you; if they don't, no amount of groveling will change their mind.

Upon seeing Ju Shou, Shen Pei calmly returned the greeting and then, without any pretense, replied directly, "It should be about the western region."

"west……"

Ju Shou immediately realized that something had happened in Luoyang. Startled, he hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Shen Pei, however, remained calm and continued, "It's precisely because there's no news that you're so anxious, sir."

Ju Shou was incredibly intelligent, and he immediately understood.

Now that the emperor has returned to Luoyang and the loyalist campaign has succeeded, isn't it just time to distribute the spoils?
If there's no news by now, doesn't that mean I haven't received any credit?
Ju Shou still felt something was amiss: "Zheng Nan's words are indeed reasonable, but I feel there must be other things." Shen Pei nodded, but his face remained expressionless: "Why press on, sir? You will know once you enter the manor."

Upon hearing this, Ju Shou smiled and nodded: "Zheng Nan is absolutely right. I was being too persistent."

Then, Ju Shou waved his hand, making an invitation gesture, asking Shen Pei to go first and enter the mansion together.

By this time, most of the county officials had arrived and were sitting in their seats, whispering among themselves and speculating about what had happened.

Ju Shou and Shen Pei took their places, with Ju Shou holding the highest position and sitting in the chief seat on the right.

During the Han Dynasty, the right side was considered superior, but this was not absolute.

For example, in this position, the chief on the right is usually the head of the court officials.

However, the rank of the Left General is above that of the Right General, and in some regions, the Left Chancellor is even higher than the Right Chancellor.

This situation arose because of the impact of the military clique.

The military meritocracy inherited the Qin system, which placed the left side as the superior position, unlike the Han dynasty which placed the right side as the superior position.

However, after Emperor Wu of Han, the Han Dynasty launched attacks on all sides, resulting in numerous large-scale wars and creating a new type of military aristocracy modeled after the Qin system, which then led to the trend of respecting the left.

However, in order to maintain their own traditions and interests, the powerful clans of the Han Dynasty continued to respect the right, which led to this contradictory situation.

However, in general, because powerful families and aristocratic clans held the power of discourse, the prevailing discourse at the time still followed the "ancient system" and continued to favor the "right".

This influence was extremely profound. Even in the Sui and Tang dynasties, when the left was considered superior to the right, "leftward transfer" still meant being demoted, demonstrating its significant impact.

Similarly, during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, whether the left or right was superior depended on the ruler's preference. For example, the Wei and Shu Han kingdoms both respected the left, while the Eastern Wu kingdom respected the right.

Half an hour later, Yuan Shao emerged from the back hall, his face calm, holding two silk scrolls in his hands.

He walked to the main seat and sat down, and all the ministers paid their respects at the same time.

"Please rise, gentlemen."

Yuan Shao flicked his robe and placed the silk scroll in his hand on the table.

After the officials finished their rites, Yuan Shao remained silent, causing the officials below to exchange bewildered glances.

Yuan Shao did not stop them, but simply sat there and watched.

It wasn't until Tian Feng stepped forward and asked, "My lord, what is the purpose of summoning us here?"

Upon hearing Tian Feng's question, the hall fell silent once more, and all eyes turned to Yuan Shao.

In fact, Yuan Shao was in the most awkward position at this moment, but he couldn't say anything.

Because facts have proven just how disgusting the consequences of not participating in the loyalist campaign were.

After Tian Feng inquired, Yuan Shao could no longer remain silent.

He feigned profundity and said, "You all know that the court previously rewarded those who accompanied the emperor on his return to the east, right?"

After Yuan Shao said this, the hall became even quieter, so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop.

Everyone on the field was intelligent; how could they not know that Yuan Shao had gained absolutely nothing?

Cao Cao won the top prize and was appointed Grand General, overseeing all government affairs.

Liu Bei received both a reward and substantial benefits, being granted the title of General of the Cavalry and receiving a special imperial decree adding the character "大" (great) to his name. He was also appointed to oversee the three southeastern provinces of Yu, Xu, and Yang, thus gaining the greatest practical advantage.

Even Yang Feng, a military general from Xiliang who came from the White Wave bandits, rose to the rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Under the onslaught of Yuan Shao's military might, Zhang Yang of Hanoi, who lived a precarious and trembling existence, was also granted the title of General of the Guards, a rank comparable to the Three Dukes.

I heard that they will reward the officials even more, bestowing titles and ranks, with the minimum guarantee being a marquis.

But Yuan Shao failed to achieve anything and didn't even issue a commendation.

When the news first came a few days ago, several servants in the prefectural government were beaten to death that very day and dragged out of the city for mass burial.

It is clear that Yuan Shao was furious about this matter and was also very embarrassed. He could only vent his anger on the servants in his mansion and could not even discuss it with his ministers.

Leaving aside the Hebei faction of Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Shen Pei who insisted on welcoming the emperor, even Guo Tu, the leader of the anti-welcome faction, was someone Yuan Shao was too ashamed to face.

After all, it was Guo Tu who was the first to propose welcoming the emperor to Yuan Shao.

Later, upon learning that Yuan Shao feared and was hostile towards Emperor Xian, and worried that the emperor might collude with the Hebei scholars to undermine his power, Guo Tu immediately changed sides. In a dramatic turn, he became the leader of the faction that opposed welcoming the emperor, and even provided Yuan Shao with a theoretical basis: "The Han dynasty has been in decline for a long time. Now, to revive it is difficult! Moreover, heroes now occupy prefectures and counties, with tens of thousands of troops. As the saying goes, 'When Qin lost its deer, the first to seize it became king.' If we welcome the emperor to our side, every move will be reported to the emperor. If we obey, our power will be diminished; if we disobey, we will be disobeying orders. This is not a wise plan."

The last paragraph, in particular, clearly points out the shortcomings of currying favor with the emperor, fully demonstrating Guo Tu's ability to ingratiate himself with the emperor.

Historically, Cao Cao was tormented by these words and later even fled to Ye City in Hebei. If Emperor Xian of Han hadn't been so incompetent, Cao Cao might have actually benefited the emperor.

Guo Tu has already worked so hard, how could Yuan Shao have the face to angrily rebuke Guo Tu for miscalculation?

Yuan Shao himself had his pride, and he was worried about hurting the feelings of his loyal minister, Guo Gongze.

Therefore, news of the emperor's enfeoffment of princes had already spread throughout Ye City, but neither Yuan Shao nor his ministers from Henan and Hebei provinces seemed to know anything about it.

I didn't expect Yuan Shao to bring this up on his own initiative, and even gathered everyone together in such a grand manner. Could it be that something unexpected has happened?
Has the Emperor bestowed his favor upon you, my lord?

Ju Shou and Tian Feng exchanged a glance, but it was clearly not the case.

"Gentlemen, I have received two letters, one from Yanzhou and the other from Xuzhou, and they happen to be about the same thing."

At this point, Yuan Shao gave a mocking smile: "There are treacherous officials in the court."

Everyone looked at Yuan Shao in surprise. Those who were quick-witted, such as Ju Shou, Xun Chen, and Xin Ping, had already begun to furrow their brows.

Yuan Shao continued, "Mengde wrote that he petitioned the court to appoint me as Grand Marshal, in charge of the affairs of the four provinces of Ji, You, Bing, and Qing in Hebei. However, Xuande blocked it, and the emperor favored Xuande's son Liu Feng, so it was not approved."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Only Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Xun Chen, Xin Ping, and a handful of others remained unfazed.

Yuan Shao glanced at the people below, his gaze lingering on the five above for a moment, then picked up another silk scroll and began to speak to himself: "Xuande also happened to write a letter, saying that he had submitted a memorial to the court, strongly recommending me as Grand Marshal, in charge of the affairs of the four provinces of Ji, You, Bing, and Qing in Hebei, but was blocked by Mengde. The emperor favors Mengde and fears his large army in Yan Province, so he did not approve it."

This immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

Even Ju Shou and the others' expressions changed.

Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande were truly a remarkable pair.

In fact, Ju Shou and others already had some vague suspicions in their hearts, fearing that both of them were lying.

The only one who truly exerted great effort to prevent you from ascending to the throne was the Emperor.

Both Cao Cao and Liu Bei were merely opportunists, trying to frame each other and make Yuan Shao their enemy.

"Gentlemen, Shao has also been confused by these two books."

Yuan Shao wore a slight smile, seemingly in a good mood. He tossed both scrolls of silk onto the table in front of him and said with a grin, "Gentlemen, which of these two has betrayed me and is deceiving me with clever words? Do any of you have the truth to tell me?"

In reality, Yuan Shao appeared relaxed, but inside he was seething with anger.

The fact that he hadn't received the emperor's imperial decree of favor for so long was already enough to make him lose face.

As a result, Cao Cao and Liu Bei actually pulled this stunt, each of them plotting against the other right in front of themselves.

(End of this chapter)