My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 248 The Conflict over Sizhou
But at this crucial moment, Cao Cao intervened, directly impeaching Han Xian for being arrogant, acting arbitrarily, and disrupting the court, and demanding that Han Xian be dismissed from his position as Commandant of the Capital Region.

Han Xian almost launched a rebellion against Dong Cheng, which nearly confirmed the charges Cao Cao had leveled against him.

This is because Han Xian was truly a country bumpkin, born into a powerful family, and had a history of being a rebel. He had never been involved in officialdom, even though he held the title of Commandant of the Capital Region.

If any seasoned official were in the position of Commandant of the Capital Region, they would have a hundred ways to outmaneuver Dong Cheng and do it all in a perfectly legitimate way, so that even the emperor couldn't find any fault with them.

The Commandant of the Capital Region was such a sharp and powerful weapon in the central government, which is why Cao Cao set his sights on this position so quickly.

But Han Xian was just that stupid. He was indeed lawless and arrogant enough to actually raise an army to attack Dong Cheng right under the emperor's nose.

From both a moral and legal standpoint, it wouldn't be a problem to kill Han Siam.

Cao Cao came from an official family and was very familiar with this kind of thing, so he could easily manipulate Han Xian.

Dong Cheng was already extremely ambitious, and now Cao Cao was instigating him to cause trouble, promising to cover for him.

What was there to hesitate about? In just three to five days, Dong Cheng had given Cao Cao a perfect answer.

When Han Xian learned that he had been personally impeached by General Cao Cao, he was immediately terrified and transformed from an arrogant general into a fearful deserter.

Although Emperor Xian of Han pardoned Han Xian's crimes and issued an edict to protect him from punishment, Han Xian still abandoned his army and official position and fled to Liang County to seek refuge with Yang Feng. This shows that he was well aware of the gap in strength between himself and Cao Cao.

Fortunately, in this timeline, because Yang Feng had climbed the social ladder in Xuzhou, he wasn't fooled by Dong Zhao into leaving Luoyang for Liang County, and is now obediently staying in Luoyang.

At the same time, although Yang Feng did not continue to rise in rank, he still retained the title of Recorder of the Imperial Secretariat, which allowed him to use this position to block Cao Cao's impeachment.

This is why Liu Feng chose Yang Feng and Zhang Yang, while distancing himself from Han Xian and Dong Cheng.

Han Xian was foolish, reckless, and arrogant. Moreover, it was his first time entering officialdom. Liu Feng really didn't want to be his nanny, nor did he have much time to stay in Luoyang to clean up his messes.

As for Dong Cheng, he was ruthless, extremely ambitious, skilled at causing trouble, and incredibly audacious.

If Liu Feng chooses to cooperate with Dong Cheng, he will probably have to fight Cao Cao within this year.

Given Dong Cheng's audacity and ambition, he would undoubtedly devise a trap to drag Xuzhou into the mess, hoping to profit from the chaos and climb the ranks. Liu Feng even felt that even if he made Dong Cheng a Grand General, he would still cause trouble; he was simply not someone who could stay put.

He's ambitious, and it's okay if he's restless.

However, if this affects Xuzhou's overall plans, the consequences could be quite severe.

Compared to Han Xian and Dong Cheng, Yang Feng and Zhang Yang were much more suitable. They didn't have much ambition, had experience in officialdom, were relatively content, and understood right from wrong and how to advance or retreat.

Helping someone like that makes them an ally, not a useless teammate who constantly causes trouble.

Han Xian was ambushed by Cao Cao this time, and Yang Feng and Zhang Yang were quite nervous, feeling a sense of shared sorrow and sympathy.

The matter has been stalled for now, but it can't be delayed indefinitely.

Yang Feng and Zhang Yang came here this time hoping to ask Liu Feng for help in finding a solution to this matter.

Even if the problem can't be solved, with Liu Feng's intervention, at the very least Han Xian's life can be saved.

This time, Yang Feng and Zhang Yang were truly afraid, worried that Han Xian would die at Cao Cao's hands.

Faced with Yang Feng and Zhang Yang's earnest requests, Liu Feng surprisingly agreed immediately.

Yang Feng and Zhang Yang were overjoyed. The immense pressure on their shoulders seemed to have dissipated by at least half because of Liu Feng's nod.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Feng and Zhang Yang repeatedly offered toasts, their attitude revealing obvious respect and ingratiation.

These two high-ranking generals actually acted like subordinates in front of Liu Feng, a general of only minor rank. If this got out, the Imperial Censor would be doing all the work of the court if he didn't impeach Liu Feng for insubordination and bullying his superior.

The banquet lasted for two hours, continuing until after dark, before Yang Feng and Zhang Yang finally left, thoroughly satisfied.

Liu Feng took a bath and lay on the couch, deep in thought.

The situation in the court has stabilized. Han Xian's position was originally a bonus given to him when he was trying to win over Yang Feng, so it doesn't matter if he is dismissed from office. Moreover, Liu Feng clearly remembers that in history, Emperor Xie of Han had intervened to protect Han Xian, and Han Xian didn't even lose his official position.

If Han Xian hadn't been afraid of death and run away, Cao Cao would have had a very difficult time obtaining the position of Commandant of the Capital Region.

Judging from the current situation, Emperor Liu Xie is still very likely to pardon Han Xian, since he still needs the White Wave Army to continue to counterbalance Cao Cao's Yanzhou Army.

In this regard, I can take advantage of the information gap to set a trap for Cao Cao.

During his trip south to Yingchuan, Liu Feng had a profound experience.

That is, the claim that the emperor was in favor of the feudal lords was one of the biggest lies of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

This sentence should be changed to "Serving the emperor to command the gentry and powerful families".

The emperor had no way to make Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, or even Liu Zhang willingly submit to the court and obey its orders.

Who issued this order?

Those whom the emperor could truly command and who were willing to obey were the local gentry and powerful families.

Take Liu Feng's southward march to Yingchuan as an example. Apart from the counties controlled by the Yellow Turban Army, such as Yangdi, Yingyang, Yingyin, Changshe, and Xuxian, the other counties, whether controlled by the government or by local gentry and powerful families in Yingchuan, surrendered almost without resistance.

Not only did they surrender, but they also provided money, food, wine, and meat to reward and reward the troops.

This is the place where the emperor truly has the authority to issue commands.

This greatly impressed Liu Feng. From this perspective, Yuan Shao's idea was not wrong at all; they were just on different paths.

Historically speaking, even if Yuan Shao had not welcomed the emperor, as long as he had won the Battle of Guandu, wouldn't the entire Central Plains have surrendered without a fight?
Yuan Shao's reputation was much higher than Cao Cao's, and he was not as hated by the people of the Central Plains as Cao Cao was.

If we could win the Battle of Guandu, there would be no need for seven years to pacify the Central Plains.

Xun Yu understood this much better than Cao Cao himself, which is why he repeatedly advised Cao Cao not to retreat.

Xun Yu was probably cursing under his breath, thinking, "Doesn't Cao Cao know his own reputation?"
The Central Plains, which were subdued by violence, had to be maintained by violence.

If you back down, violence will bankrupt you. Once everyone stops fearing you, believe me, the entire Yanzhou and Yuzhou will put on a show overnight and be ruled by the Yuan family.

The number of letters of betrayal and surrender that Yuan Shao received during the Battle of Guandu filled several carts, which fully demonstrates that the powerful clans and gentry he recruited by "serving the emperor to command the feudal lords" were not truly loyal to Cao Cao himself.

Guess how many of those who wrote letters to Yuan Shao surrendering were powerful clansmen and gentry recruited by the emperor to command the other lords?

From this perspective, Xun Yu was indeed a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and his methods were also very clever.

The following day, Cao Cao handled government affairs in his residence.

After becoming a general, he focused on promoting several personnel plans.

The first thing was to transfer Xun Yu to Luoyang to serve as a court attendant, record the affairs of the Secretariat, and participate in state affairs. This was accomplished very smoothly.

Yang Feng, Zhang Yang, and others were, after all, military generals and were not sensitive to political matters.

Dong Zhao felt that Xun Yu's entry into Luoyang might not necessarily be a bad thing, and that it would be quite difficult to stop him. Moreover, even if he managed to stop him once, he couldn't stop him a second time, so he simply backed down.

The second matter concerned matters in Yanzhou, which could be considered Cao Cao's "private affair." It involved promoting Cheng Yu to the rank of General of the Eastern Central Army, concurrently serving as the Prefect of Jiyin and overseeing the affairs of Yanzhou.

Cao Cao could make the decision on this matter with a single word, and there would be no opposition or resistance from the court.

The third thing was to bring Xiahou Dun to the capital to serve as the Governor of Henan.

Sili was originally a territory that Cao Cao and Liu Bei had secretly agreed to divide and allocate to Cao Cao, so Xuzhou naturally wouldn't object to it. However, the problem arose precisely with Emperor Liu Xie.

Perhaps Cao Cao was too powerful, because the emperor actually wanted to give the position of Governor of Henan to Che Zhou, a scholar from Guanzhong.

At this time, the scholars of Guanzhong were an important force supporting Liu Xie, and also a powerful means for Liu Xie to counterbalance Cao Cao in history.

The scholars of Guanzhong mainly came from the four commanderies and kingdoms under the jurisdiction of Sili: Jingzhao Yin, Youfufeng, Zuofengyi, and Hongnong, with Jingzhao Yin being the core group.

Because Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, a large number of scholars from Guanzhong came to Liu Xie's side and gained his trust during the subsequent turmoil.

Historically, before the Battle of Guandu, Guanzhong scholars who were able to serve as regional governors included, besides Che Zhou, Yan Xiang from Jingzhao in Sili Province, who served as governor of Yangzhou; Jin Shang from Jingzhao in Sili Province, who served as governor of Yanzhou; and Wei Duan and his son from Jingzhao in Sili Province, who served as governors of Liangzhou.

These were almost all people from Guanzhong, and half of them were even personally recommended by Xun Yu.

Unfortunately, they were not able to truly grow strong enough to support Emperor Xian of Han.

Che Zhou was killed by Liu Bei, Jin Shang by Yuan Shu, Yan Xiang by Sun Ce, and Wei Duan and his son by military men from Liangzhou. Almost all of them were killed by local warlords. Cao Cao's strategy of using others to do his dirty work was practically perfect.

But in this timeline, Cao Cao wasn't in such a good mood.

After Che Zhou was brought out, Xiahou Dun's qualifications and reputation were completely incomparable to his opponent's.

To put it bluntly, Xiahou Dun was seen as a military man by the scholars, and he was also a relative of Cao Cao. Wasn't this blatant nepotism?
In a short time, people in the court and the public began to slander Xiahou Dun and recommend Che Zhou, which greatly angered Cao Cao.

This is also one of the important reasons why Cao Cao wanted to take control of the Sili Commandant's power.

“Zhongde is truly a man of great talent.”

Looking at the letter sent by Cheng Yu, he learned that within a month of taking office, he had visited most of the counties in Jiyin Prefecture and contacted the other seven prefects and chancellors, including Zang Ba, the chancellor of Rencheng Prefecture.

Cheng Yu emphasized three points: first, to stabilize the people's hearts; second, to make all preparations for spring plowing; and third, to send out government troops to suppress the mutinous soldiers and bandits.

According to Cheng Yu's report, all three measures are progressing smoothly, and there should be a good harvest this year. At that time, 300,000 to 500,000 shi of grain can be raised to support Cao Cao in Luozhong.

Cao Cao's decision to entrust the affairs of Yan Province to Cheng Yu was actually a reluctant one. Cheng Yu's reputation in Yan Province was now almost comparable to his reputation in Xu Province.

To appease the people, he had no choice but to entrust the affairs of Yanzhou to Cheng Yu, a native of Yanzhou, hoping to appease the powerful clans and the common people. So far, this tactic has proven quite effective; at least, there have been far fewer unrest among the populace.

"With Zhongde's assistance, Yanzhou is safe and sound, and Your Excellency can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Xun Yu, sitting opposite Cao Cao, nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and continued, "My lord, it is already February. We must hurry up with the affairs of Yingchuan. If the harvest in Yingchuan is affected by the war, the court's expenses will be even more strained."

As a Grand General, Cao Cao was naturally responsible for the expenses of the imperial court.

Of course, Xuzhou, as a major shareholder, would also contribute its resources according to its capital, and would always send a sum of money and grain to the imperial court every year.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Historically, Liu Biao didn't gain any benefits, but he suffered a great loss, not only sending troops and people, but also transporting a large amount of supplies.

Xuzhou gained the most from this effort to support the emperor. If it doesn't provide funds and supplies afterward, it would be unreasonable, it would damage its good relationship with the emperor and his important ministers, and it would also make it easy for Cao Cao to gain absolute power.

Either way, it would seriously affect the interests of Xuzhou, so this tax payment still had to be made.

However, Liu Feng and Cao Cao had already agreed that the money and grain Liu Feng handed over, apart from the tribute to the emperor and the salaries of the officials, would be used to support the troops of Yang Feng, Zhang Yang, and Han Xian.

This was also a private agreement he made with Yang Feng and Zhang Yang, and he successfully played the trick of marrying one woman to two husbands.

Cao Cao couldn't object to this. It was already quite generous of Xuzhou to help him share some of the emperor's and officials' daily expenses. Didn't you see that the soon-to-be Grand Marshal in the north had already sent three thousand shi of grain?

"The most urgent matters are still the affairs of the Governor of Henan and the Commandant of Sili."

Cao Cao was furious when he thought of these two things: "Yang Feng and Zhang Yang are just border warriors, yet they dare to interfere and obstruct my administration. They are truly despicable."

Xun Yu sat calmly at his desk, letting Cao Cao vent his anger.

After venting his anger, Cao Cao had no choice but to stop when he saw that Xun Yu didn't respond at all.

After sighing, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu for his opinion: "Wenruo, this matter cannot be delayed any longer. Moreover, this is my first time in power. If things cannot be resolved soon, how will I govern in the future?"

Cao Cao's words were strong, and they made a lot of sense.

Cao Cao had just assumed the position of Grand General. If he couldn't even get through this small personnel appointment, what authority would his future governing orders have?

Xun Yu actually had a plan in mind, but he still pretended to be deep in thought.

Although Cao Cao was anxious, he could only wait quietly.

After a long while, Xun Yu slowly spoke, "The reason why the Governor of Henan has been unable to pass the interim is because there are too many people in the court and the Emperor tends to trust the scholars from Guandong, which has led to a stalemate with the Grand General."

After a pause, Xun Yu continued under Cao Cao's expectant gaze, "In that case, why doesn't the General consider another approach?"

"Find another way?"

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then asked in bewilderment, "How can I find another way? Please teach me, Wenruo."

Xun Yu said, "Your Excellency should first seek the position of Governor of Sili Province. If you can obtain the position of Governor of Sili Province, the position of Governor of Henan Province will be easily obtained."

Upon hearing Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao's eyes were filled with deep disappointment.

Because the governor of Sili Prefecture had an alternate title, Sili Xiaowei.

He knew that the position of Commandant of the Capital Region was a good one, but he couldn't get it.
"Reporting to the General, General Jianzhong Liu Feng is requesting an audience outside the residence!"

Just then, Liu Feng came to visit.

Xun Yu looked surprised, then laughed: "General, isn't the Commandant of the Capital Region here?"

Cao Cao was initially surprised, then slowly came to his senses, and finally burst into laughter: "Indeed, it is the Commandant of the Capital Region who has arrived."

Xun Yu immediately took his leave, and Cao Cao personally went out of his residence to greet him.

Of course, Cao Cao's gatekeeper wouldn't actually let Liu Feng stand outside waiting; instead, he invited him to enter the room and sit down to wait.

But Liu Feng declined the offer and waited outside the door.

Soon, Cao Cao walked out laughing and shouted from a distance, "Zisheng, you have worked hard to quell the rebellion and restored Yingchuan for the court. Your merit is immeasurable."

As they approached, Cao Cao grabbed Liu Feng's hand and said, "Zisheng, you've worked hard."

Liu Feng, naturally, was full of humility and followed Cao Cao into the mansion.

After taking his seat, Cao Cao began to concern himself with the situation in Yingchuan.

In fact, Cao Cao had always been concerned about the situation in Yingchuan, but his reports were certainly not as comprehensive and systematic as those from Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was easy to talk to and recounted the entire process of marching into Yingchuan, which Cao Cao listened to with constant nods of approval.

"The Battle of Yingyang fully demonstrated Zisheng's unique military style. It was upright, honorable, and glorious. Could the elite soldiers of Xuzhou really be so skilled in battle?"

Regardless of how much later generations have downplayed Cao Cao's military abilities, he was indeed an unparalleled genius in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In an era where incompetent individuals were competing against each other, he was a top-tier military genius.

As the old saying goes, the Three Kingdoms period was both a battle of gods and a fight between noobs.

Since everyone was a first-timer in warlordism and lacked experience, they could only rely on their talent.

Cao Cao's assessment was quite insightful. Based solely on Liu Feng's battlefield description, he discerned the key to victory in the Battle of Yingyang—Pan Zhang's forces.

It was Pan Zhang's troops who were able to separate the inner and outer walls of Yingyang City, withstand pressure from both sides, and force He Luan to change his formation, giving Tai Shici and his cavalry more room for a surprise attack. This was undoubtedly the greatest achievement of the battle.

After listening to Liu Feng's introduction, he laughed heartily and then said ingratiatingly, "In that case, I should petition the court for merit for Zisheng and the generals."

Since Cao Cao said he wanted to claim credit, there would definitely be no shortage of rewards.

Even if the imperial court faces financial difficulties, it can still maximize its achievements in terms of titles and ranks.

With Cao Cao personally speaking out, coupled with Emperor Liu Xie's favorable impression of Xuzhou, it's quite possible that each of these loyal soldiers could be granted the title of Marquis.

After all, historically, Xu Huang followed Yang Feng and eventually became a Marquis within the Pass.

After considering it for a moment, Liu Feng felt it was acceptable.

None of his subordinates were the type to not recognize their master. Having a title and a promotion would also help them in their future command of the region.

"In that case, I thank you for your kindness, General."

Liu Feng expressed his gratitude politely.

But then Liu Feng's expression changed, and he said with a hint of resentment that he inadvertently revealed, "General, there is another matter that I would like to ask you."

Cao Cao was startled, instinctively feeling that Liu Feng's next words might be problematic.

Sure enough, Liu Feng continued, "When I was suppressing the rebellion in Yingchuan, I encountered remnants of the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou. These remnants of the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou not only wanted to incite the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers in Yingchuan to cause trouble, but also attempted to assassinate me."

Cao Cao's heart tightened immediately, and he thought to himself, "This is bad."

Who knows better than him where these remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou came from?
These are the men he sent to persuade the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan to surrender.

(End of this chapter)