My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 257 The Xu Family of Qiao County
"I have led 30,000 troops and deployed them along the Guangling line, ready to attack. Whether Sun Ce crosses the river or not will not affect the overall situation."

Liu Feng's words were very domineering. Sun Ce, who controlled most of Wu Commandery and had 20,000 troops, was no longer a concern for him. He was confident that he could easily defeat Sun Ce, which stemmed from his overwhelming strength.

In terms of strength, the disparity in power on the Jiangdong battlefield was clearly far more exaggerated than that on the Runan side.

Leaving aside Liu Feng's 30,000 main force, the Niuzhu defense line still had Liu Yao's 15,000 to 16,000 troops, plus Xue Li's more than 10,000, Zuo Rong's more than 10,000, Wang Lang's nearly 10,000 troops, and Xu Gong's several thousand remnants.

Adding them all up, the number is close to 100,000, not even counting the retainers of the Zhou family of Danyang.

Liu Feng's arrangements were quite appropriate; the remaining details only required filling in the framework.

At least in terms of the overall strategy, Liu Bei felt that the success rate was quite high, and he saw nothing that needed to be changed.

Finally, Liu Bei asked, "When is the launch scheduled?"

Liu Feng laughed: "August to September."

Liu Bei nodded knowingly. August and September are the harvest season, and crops in various places are ripe. Launching an attack at this time can be said to have made the best use of the enemy's food supply.

Liu Bei reminded them, "It's the end of February now, and there are only five months left until August. All units must speed up their return journey."

Liu Feng nodded and added, "Father, you can start moving things out first. Six months is enough time for the tribes of Runan to expand and recuperate. Although the tribes of Guangling will arrive later, their deployment will be later than that of the north. Moreover, the casualties of the troops are not high, so even if they are put into battle earlier, there will not be too much of a problem."

Liu Bei suddenly realized the brilliance of it.

This tactic of deploying troops in stages, which would be common in later dynasties, was quite rare in the Eastern Han Dynasty. After all, many warlords at that time were unaware of the importance of reserves.

The two discussed for another half an hour, debating some details.

Then, Liu Feng suddenly said, "Father, I plan to leave tomorrow and return to Xuzhou first."

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised: "You and I, father and son, have only just reunited. Why are you leaving so soon?"

Liu Feng smiled wryly and said, "I also want to spend more time with Father, but there are still too many things to do. I can only serve you after Father returns to Tancheng."

Liu Bei deeply sympathized with Liu Feng's words, as the amount of government affairs he had to handle increased dramatically with the expansion of his territory.

Even though the two Zhangs were temporarily in charge of affairs in Tancheng, there were still many important matters that needed to be sent to Suiyang by messenger for Liu Bei to decide personally.

"Alas, those in high positions find themselves increasingly deprived of freedom."

Liu Bei shook his head with a wry smile: "It's nowhere near as enjoyable and carefree as chasing deer and pigs with your two uncles at the east gate of Zhuo County in the past."

Liu Feng thought his father's pretentious manner was too much.

On that day, Liu Bei kept Liu Feng by his side, giving him constant advice and instructions, showing considerable reluctance to part with him.

In the end, however, he agreed to let Liu Feng leave the next day.

The next morning, Liu Feng went directly south out of the city.

Tancheng is located east of Suiyang, and Liu Feng's decision to take such a roundabout route was clearly for a specific purpose.

Now that his father is in charge of affairs in Yuzhou, it's time to recruit Xu Chu and his brother.

These two brothers were not fighting alone; the thousands of troops under their command were also quite formidable, and in the past, under the leadership of Xu Chu and his brothers, they were able to withstand the siege of tens of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels.

Since they couldn't recruit Dian Wei, they naturally couldn't let Hu Chi, who was right under their noses, go.

The reason we hadn't tried to recruit Xu Chu before was because the success rate was too low, and if we failed, it would only damage our relationship.

After all, Xu Chu had a large and powerful family in Qiao County, with a fortified village with a population of over ten thousand and several thousand retainers. He really looked down on Liu Bei, who was beset by internal and external troubles at the time.

Whether it was Yuan Shu of Huainan, Cao Cao of Yanzhou, or even Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, none of them had a higher reputation or were more attractive than Liu Bei.

Another important issue is that Qiao County at that time was isolated to the west of Pei State, and was very far from Tancheng.

Even if Xu Chu had truly been willing to serve Liu Bei at that time, he wouldn't have been of much help, and would likely have instead diverted Liu Bei's and Xuzhou's attention.

Therefore, Liu Feng ultimately gave up on recruiting Xu Chu for the time being.

But things are different now. Now his father is the rightful ruler of Yuzhou. It's not just about influence anymore; Liu Bei has been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Qiao, and Qiao County is now his father's fiefdom.

Xu Chu was actually considered a subject of Liu Bei's fiefdom.

Therefore, Liu Feng planned to take the Xu brothers with him this time. Pan Zhang's official position was getting higher and higher, and it would be difficult for him to continue to be Liu Feng's bodyguard. Liu Feng felt that Xu Chu was a suitable successor.

The distance from Suiyang to Qiaoxian is not far; it takes only two or three days to travel by horse, and if you don't skimp on the horse's strength, you can arrive in a day and a night.

However, the cost is that the horses are likely to be ruined, and even if they don't die, they are very likely to be unable to go to the battlefield again and can only be used as pack animals.

Liu Feng and his group were quick; by the afternoon of the third day, they had already arrived in Qiao County.

The Xu family was quite famous in Qiao County. Originally just a small local strongman, they owned hundreds of acres of land and kept more than a dozen guests, making them a typical grassroots strongman in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

However, after the chaos of war began, the bravery of the Xu brothers proved to be of great use.

The wandering knights and commoners of the countryside flocked to join them, and even some minor local strongmen who were not very brave were willing to accept the Xu brothers as their leaders.

In just over a year, the Xu brothers' fortified village had gathered tens of thousands of people, including several thousand able-bodied men.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, they were among the most powerful local forces. The Li family's strength was only three or four times that of the Xu family.

The Li family already held shares in the Cao Wei regime. It wasn't until before the Battle of Red Cliffs, after Cao Cao had completely conquered Hebei, that Li Dian submitted a memorial requesting that his family be moved to Ye City.

It is evident that the Li family enjoyed considerable independence within the Cao Wei regime prior to this.

They had their own land, farmland, and workshops, and they and their families lived in their own homes.

To put it bluntly, in this situation, Li Dian could choose to betray or rebel without paying any price.

This wasn't because Cao Cao willingly indulged the Li family; it was because the Li family was incredibly powerful, with tens of thousands of retainers alone, while the entire Cao Wei army at that time only had a handful of troops.

The Xu brothers' settlement was in Wubao, not in Qiaoxian County.

In fact, in this day and age, many wealthy people live in villas in the countryside.

This is likely because, in that era, apart from metropolises like Luoyang, even ordinary small towns, and even prefectural capitals like Qiao County, offered living conditions inferior to rural villas. Moreover, Qiao County has never been portrayed as a major metropolis in Chinese history.

Cao Cao's family lived in Qiao County, but their ancestral home was in the countryside. After being dismissed from office several times, Cao Cao returned to his hometown to study, and it was always in the countryside, not in Qiao County.

At this time, the Chancellor of Pei State was Chen Gui, recommended by his own father, and the father of Chen Deng.

It was a pity that Chen Gui was stationed in Xiang County at this time, not Qiao County, otherwise Liu Feng would have had to enter the city to pay his respects to the elder.

The Xu brothers' fortified village was located in a valley, with high hills on two sides and a river behind it. It had only one exit, making it a strategically important location.

No wonder the Xu brothers were able to withstand the siege of tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans.

No wonder history books say that Xu Chu could scare away his opponent by throwing stones.

This terrain allows Xu Chu to unleash his full potential in terms of personal bravery, since once he defeats the enemy in front of him, their offensive will come to an end.

From a great distance, the sound of conch shells could be heard from the direction of Xu's fortified village, clearly indicating that Liu Feng's cavalry had been spotted.

When Liu Feng arrived at the fortified village, there were already hundreds of able-bodied men in armor, ready for battle.

Liu Feng stopped a considerable distance away to show that he had no hostile intentions.

Then, just as Liu Feng was about to send someone to announce his identity, the gate of the fortified village suddenly opened.

Liu Feng and the others were all taken aback, wondering what was going on with the Wubao's reaction.

If it was to guard against them, why would they suddenly open the door?

If they were being welcomed, then why were the walls of the fortified village filled with archers and armored soldiers?

Just as Liu Feng and the others were puzzled, a tall and imposing man walked out of the opened city gate. What surprised them even more was that this man was actually pulling an ox backwards.

Liu Feng, mounted on his horse, stared in disbelief as the burly man pulled a sturdy ox out of the ground, step by step. "Passing guest, since you're here, you're a guest."

The burly man then forcefully pushed the ox to the ground and shouted to Liu Feng and the others, "Xujiawu doesn't have much of a good stuff, so we'll just give you a fat ox and five jars of fine wine. Once you've eaten and drunk your fill, you can continue your journey."

Liu Feng was immediately amused; it turned out that he had been mistaken for a bandit by the people of Xujiawu.

The burly man leading the ox as a gift must be Xu Chu.

This is an attempt to demonstrate power and subdue the enemy without fighting.

Xu Chu was never a reckless man. Otherwise, he would have remained loyal to Cao Cao his whole life and been indifferent to others. Yet, after Cao Cao's death, he was quickly accepted by Cao Pi and even regarded as a confidant.

You should know that Cao Pi was a typical mentally ill man, ten times more mentally unstable than his father.

Because of his pettiness, Yu Jin was driven to his death by shame and vomiting blood. Cao Hong, the second most important member of the Cao clan, was almost executed in his later years.

This is the kind of person Xu Chu showed no respect to Cao Cao while he was alive, but after his death, he immediately became Cao Pi's man.

His ability to jump ship is something that most people can't match.

As for the story of Xu Chu fighting Ziyuan naked, that was just someone taking the blame for the widow Cao.

However, Xu Chu really opened Liu Feng's eyes today, as he was able to pull an ox by himself.

Liu Feng stopped the people following behind him, slowly rode forward, and surprisingly came to Xu Chu alone.

Xu Chu was extremely tall, almost as tall as Guan Yu, at least two meters tall. Moreover, his physique was exactly the same as Guan Yu's, with a huge frame and a relatively well-proportioned and robust build.

Xu Chu looked up at Liu Feng on horseback in front of him, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Judging from the young man's clothes and appearance, he seems to be the leader of these knights. But when have bandits ever obeyed such a young person?
While Xu Chu was filled with doubt, Liu Feng became happier and happier as he looked at the scene.

"Is the brave warrior Xu Zhongkang?"

Liu Feng suddenly spoke up, revealing Xu Chu's identity in one sentence, which surprised Xu Chu slightly.

However, Xu Chu quickly regained his composure and nodded in response, "Indeed, it is I. May I ask where you come from, sir?"

Xu Chu had already realized that Liu Feng was not a bandit, and that the other party was likely to be rich and noble, so he deliberately tested him.

Liu Feng laughed: "Brother Zhongkang, how do you know?"

Seeing Liu Feng's reaction, Xu Chu became even more certain. Although he was somewhat surprised that the other party had directly revealed his identity, judging from the other party's amiable demeanor, he did not seem to be there for revenge.

Xu Chu replied, "I am a rough man, but your attire is quite different from ours, so I assume you must be of noble birth. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of addressing you as such."

Liu Feng jumped off his horse. Even though he was not short, he looked like a child standing in front of Xu Chu.

Liu Feng smiled and bowed, then introduced himself: "I am Liu Feng from Zhuo County, currently holding the position of General Who Conquers the South. I have long heard of the bravery and fortitude of the Xu brothers from Qiao County, especially Xu Zhongkang, who is strong enough to subdue an ox and once threw a stone to repel the enemy. Seeing him today, I can confirm that it is indeed true."

"You...you...you are Liu Feng, Liu Zisheng?"

Xu Chu, who had just been acting very shrewdly, was now so shocked that he was speechless.

"I am Liu Feng. Brother Zhongkang, do you know me?"

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised. Judging from Xu Chu's appearance, it seemed that he had heard of his name before, and that Xu Chu was someone quite extraordinary.

Sure enough, Xu Chu knelt down on one knee before Liu Feng and said, "I was ignorant of the General's presence. I failed to recognize a hero. Please forgive me."

Liu Feng was taken aback, not expecting Xu Chu to speak so highly of him. However, his immediate priority was to help the other man up.

Liu Feng stepped forward, took Xu Chu's arm, and then lifted him up, saying, "My humble name is nothing to boast about, but I didn't expect Zhongkang to know my name?"

Xu Chu straightened up following Liu Feng's gesture and said generously, "Zheng Nan set out from Xuzhou with tens of thousands of troops, marched two thousand li, crossed the Central Plains, crossed the Yellow River, and went far to Hedong to serve the emperor and protect him, before returning east to Luozhong. This is a feat that has restored the nation. I regret that I could not have followed Zheng Nan to accomplish this great task!"

Xu Chu looked at Liu Feng with a face full of regret, his mouth full of praise. These words came from the bottom of his heart and were Xu Chu's true feelings.

Before Liu Feng arrived in Qiao County, a great discussion had taken place within the Xu clan.

The main viewpoints at the meeting were divided into two factions: one faction supported joining Cao Cao because they were from the same hometown as him.

This reason alone has garnered support from many fellow villagers for this faction.

Moreover, they had inquired and found out that large families like theirs, who could bring their families and retainers to join them, would most likely be allowed to retain their retainers and population, and if they were lucky, they might even be allocated land.

The only drawback was the need for a large-scale migration, leaving Pei State and heading to Yan State.

The second group thought of joining Liu Bei, arguing that Liu Bei's power was much greater than Cao Cao's, and that Pei State was the prime minister recommended by Liu Bei.

If they joined Liu Bei, they could live and work in peace in Pei State without suffering the hardship of migration.

As for the third faction, those who want independence, they are now completely powerless and few in number, because most people can see clearly that although we are in a chaotic world, it is time to place our bets.

If we don't place our bets now, we might not only miss the opportunity, but also face suppression and coercion from the two dominant powers.

Liu Bei naturally could not tolerate the presence of other military forces on his territory, especially those with logistical support capabilities.

Cao Cao naturally did not want such a large force to join Liu Bei, and he would definitely try to sabotage and incite trouble in the future.

Although there were many who supported joining Cao Cao, since Cao Cao and many people in the Xu family's fortified village were from the same hometown, the two Xu brothers in the fortified village both decided to join Liu Bei.

The reason is simple: the Xu family is too small and weak to afford to develop in a foreign land.

Moreover, Xu Chu always thought that the clansmen who wanted to join Cao Cao were extremely foolish. They thought that joining Cao Cao would allow them to retain their troops, but they did not realize that after leaving Qiao County and going to Yanzhou, they would have to rely on Cao Cao to allocate land to them. At that time, how could they retain their troops?

The Cheng family, also known as the Li family, originally owned vast tracts of land and a large population in Yanzhou, which was the fundamental reason why the Li family was able to preserve its retainers.

Those people have completely put the cart before the horse.

Although the Xu family's fortified village now has a population of over ten thousand, most of them are not actually members of the Xu clan. They are simply people who admire the bravery of the Xu brothers and seek refuge in the fortified village.

Once they move away from this place, why should these people still have to obey the Xu clan?

Moreover, Liu Feng led his troops a thousand miles to welcome the emperor back to Luozhong, and within half a month, he wiped out the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan. These events had already spread throughout the Central Plains.

The Xu brothers had naturally heard of this long ago, especially since Liu Bei had already been appointed by the court as General of the Cavalry, overseeing the affairs of the three provinces of Xu, Yu, and Yang.

The governor of Pei, Chen Gui, whom Liu Bei had previously recommended, had no legal standing whatsoever. Moreover, Xuzhou was weak and Liu Bei's reputation was not great. He only managed to gain a foothold in Pei by relying on Chen Gui's personal prestige.

But the situation is different now. Many counties in Pei State have begun to submit to Chen Gui and pay tribute.

At the end of the meeting, the Xu brothers made the final decision to serve Liu Bei.

The two brothers were thinking about how to find a way to serve the country, and they had a slight disagreement on this issue.

The eldest brother, Xu Ding, felt that he should first go to Chen Gui and then, through Chen Gui's introduction, serve Liu Bei.

Xu Chu felt that since they hadn't sought refuge with Chen Gui before, it was too late to go now.

Moreover, nowadays, all sorts of people in Pei State want to join Xu State through Chen Gui. Even if they do go, they may not be valued by Chen Gui.

In that case, why not go directly to Suiyang and join Liu Bei?

Qiao County is much closer to Suiyang than to Xiang County.

Just when the two brothers couldn't reach a conclusion, Liu Feng actually came to their door on his own.

Xu Chu initially thought they were just passing bandits, so to avoid provoking them, he specially demonstrated his skill of pulling a bull backwards.

In the past, this combination of soft and hard tactics usually made passing bandits, Yellow Turban rebels, and other forces give up when they saw an opportunity.

Upon learning Liu Feng's identity, Xu Chu was overjoyed and invited Liu Feng to stay at the dock for a while.

Liu Feng readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)