My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 265 The war is coming
Half a month later, in Liyang City.

A handsome, burly man sat at the head of the table, holding a letter in his hand. He said to another man opposite him, "You've already read Bo Fu's letter, Wen Yang. I invited you here today to see what your thoughts are."

The speaker was Sun Ben, Sun Ce's cousin, and the man opposite him was Sun Xiang, courtesy name Wenyang, who was also Sun Ben's cousin.

Of the more than 20,000 troops in Liyang City, Sun Ben alone accounts for more than half, Sun Xiang accounts for 6,000, and the remaining 2,000 are Xu Kun's remaining troops.

Sun Xiang frowned and said, "Xu Kun wants his troops back, that's fine, we can just send them to him across the Yangtze River. But he wants us to sneak across the river together just because of Liu Bei in the north, isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Sun Xiang was not present during the Battle of Guangling; at the time, he was stationed in Xia Cai, north of Shouchun, so he was unaware of the Xuzhou army's strength. However, he had a much clearer understanding of Liu Bei's rapid advancements over the past two years.

After Sun Ce established a foothold in Jiangdong, Wu Jing, Xu Kun, and others transferred their troops to Jiangdong, leaving Liyang somewhat vulnerable.

Despite Sun Ce capturing most of Wu Commandery, Liu Yao's army at Niuzhu suffered virtually no losses.

Left with no other option, Yuan Shu had to transfer Sun Xiang back from Xia Cai and relocate her to Li Yang, while simultaneously preventing Xu Kun from taking away all of his troops.

Sun Ben and Sun Xiang actually held similar positions. They were both cousins ​​of Sun Ce, with the former being closer to him, but in essence, they were the same.

Therefore, Sun Ben and Sun Xiang were actually biased towards Yuan Shu.

Because Yuan Shu had the authority to appoint them to official positions, and these positions were recognized by the central government.

But the situation is indeed different now. Firstly, Liu Bei in the north is under increasing pressure. Yuan Shu may not say it, but the fact that he is mobilizing Sun Xiang to go south already shows that there is a problem.

If Yuan Shu truly didn't take Liu Bei seriously, then Sun Xiang should be in Runan right now.

It must be said that the Sun family has been blessed with a bit of good fortune.

From the time Sun Jian rose to power, his descendants were diverse, including brave and fierce, tyrannical, cunning, untrustworthy, and even kind-hearted, but there were none who were fools.

Sun Ben and Sun Xiang were not stupid either. They instinctively felt that Yuan Shu was probably in big trouble this time, and the one who would be the first to suffer might actually be Li Yang.

Sun Ben glanced at Sun Xiang: "At a time like this, why are you still talking nonsense? I think Bo Fu's letter is quite reliable. Lord Liu is no ordinary person."

Hearing Sun Ben's words, Sun Xiang stopped pretending and sighed, "Don't we know how capable Lord Liu is? We've watched him rise to power right before our eyes. Let alone the early days, even two years ago, who had ever heard of Liu Bei? Now he's a renowned General of the Cavalry, overseeing the affairs of three provinces."

"So you agree with Bo Fu's opinion?"

Sun Ben frowned. This Sun Xiang just couldn't speak frankly; she always liked to beat around the bush.

Sure enough, Sun Xiang shook her head again: "How could that be? Let alone 20,000 men, crossing the river would be a huge problem. It took several thousand men more than half a year to sneak across, how long would it take 20,000?"

Previously, Xu Kun's three thousand men and Wu Jing's two thousand men had secretly crossed the Yangtze River. At that time, the Xuzhou navy had gone north, and Liu Yao's navy was not patrolling closely.

The Sun family used small boats to smuggle thousands of people across the river, a process that took several months.

This method is clearly not suitable for the present situation. Moreover, if this method is used, who will cover the rear?
Besides, while they were in Liyang, Yuan Shu was supplying them with provisions. But if they went to Wu Commandery, they would really have to rely on most of the Wu region.

Even if Wu County were incredibly wealthy, it couldn't support an army of over 40,000.

"Then what do you want?"

Sun Ben stared at Sun Xiang: "If we stay in Liyang, we might just be waiting for the Xuzhou army."

Sun Xiang chuckled, his honest demeanor resembling that of a simple old farmer: "In my opinion, why don't we ask Bo Fu to come to the west and join us from within, attacking from both sides to break through Liu Yao's Niuzhu first? In this way, Bo Fu and I can be linked together and move forward or backward at will."

Sun Xiang's words are actually quite true. Once Liu Yao is eliminated, it will be very easy for Li Yang's Sun family troops to cross the river.

Moreover, if the Sun family were to launch a pincer attack on Niuzhu, they would indeed have a high chance of capturing Liu Yao, provided that the Xuzhou army did not intervene.

Historically, the avalanche at the Niuzhu defense line was caused by the Zhou family's betrayal.

No matter how strong the Niuzhu defense line was, it couldn't withstand the attack from both inside and outside.

Sun Xiang and Sun Ce had the same idea.

Sun Ben smiled bitterly. It was normal for the people of Liyang to have such thoughts, but why should Wu Jing, Xu Kun, and a group of Sun Jian's troops from Wu County risk their lives for you?
"Alright, then I'll head back to Bofu."

Sun Ben immediately made a decision: "As long as Bo Fu can come west, we will do our best to help him break through Niuzhu."

"it is good!"

Sun Xiang then gave a definite answer, nodding and saying, "I will personally lead the people across the river when the time comes."

After Sun Xiang left, Sun Ben sat in the hall in deep thought.

It wasn't until half an hour later that he suddenly spoke, ordering his attendant to summon Sun Fu.

Sun Fu was Sun Ben's younger brother, but the two were almost a generation apart in age.

Sun Fu lost both his parents when he was still an infant and was raised by Sun Ben. The relationship between Sun Fu and Sun Ben was called brothers, but it was more like that of father and son.

Sun Fu was extremely obedient and respectful to his elder brother, while Sun Ben did his utmost to cultivate his younger brother.

"Brother, you were looking for me?"

Upon hearing that his elder brother had summoned him, Sun Fu quickly rushed over.

Sun Ben nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You should prepare in the next few days. I will transfer a thousand elite soldiers from various departments to replenish your forces. If you are short of military equipment, you can report to me at any time to request it."

Upon hearing this, Sun Fu was overjoyed.

He was just over twenty years old at the time, a time when he was eager to make his mark.

Thanks to his elder brother's care, he has already taken command of a thousand men.

Now his elder brother had actually allocated him another thousand men, specifying that they were all elites drawn from various units, and had promised to provide them with all the necessary weapons and equipment. This surprised and delighted Sun Fu.

"Brother, is war about to break out?!"

Sun Fu was eager to try. These days, the pressure on Xuzhou was increasing, and there were rumors that Xuzhou was going to send troops south to cross the river and support Liu Yao.

Sun Fu instinctively thought of this aspect.

Sun Ben's face darkened, and he rebuked, "You are now the commander of an army, how can you still be so impetuous? Have you forgotten how I have taught you?"

Seeing his elder brother's anger, Sun Fu immediately apologized: "Brother, please calm down. I know I was wrong."

Sun Fu honestly admitted his mistake, which slightly reduced Sun Ben's anger.

"You will cross the river with the rest of Xu Kun's men this time."

Sun Ben's words immediately aroused Sun Fu's suspicion, and he asked cautiously, "Brother, where am I going across the river?"

“Go to Bofu.”

Sun Ben said decisively, "You go and scout the way for me. These two thousand men will be your troops, so you must take good care of them. Also, although Bo Fu is younger than you, once you get there, you should serve me as you would serve him, understand?"

Sun Fu was somewhat surprised and uncertain, but he nodded heavily.

Seeing his younger brother so obedient, Sun Ben's anger completely dissipated.

After pondering for a moment, he felt that there were some things he should tell Sun Fu so that he could be prepared.

So Sun Ben spoke up: "You just said that Xuzhou in the north might attack. Liyang is in a precarious situation, and Wenyang and I might have to cross the river in the future. Sending you there now is to prepare for the worst, understand?"

Sun Fu immediately replied, "Understood!"

Okay. Good.

Sun Ben nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his voice, saying, "If... I mean if, if I can't get to Jiangdong, then you must listen to Bo Fu. Bo Fu is just like his father; he's kind to his clansmen. So serve him diligently, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Fu's face immediately turned extremely ugly. He was perceptive and could easily understand the meaning behind his elder brother's words.

Sun Fu cautiously advised, "Brother, since it's so dangerous in Liyang, why don't you come across the river with me?"

"nonsense."

Sun Ben glared at Sun Fu with annoyance: "I have received great kindness from General Zuo and have been ordered to guard Liyang. How can I abandon my post?"

"Alright, go and prepare quickly. Within ten days, all the new manpower will be allocated to you. You just need to lead them well, and don't worry about anything else." Sun Fu nodded reluctantly, not daring to argue with Sun Ben.

What Sun Ben said was actually true, and even Sun Xiang thought the same thing.

They owe Yuan Shu too much kindness; there's no way they can run away now.

However, it's not that Sun Ben and Sun Xiang only had one path: to die for Yuan Shu.

For example, if Yuan Shu suddenly declared himself emperor, or if he died in battle first, then they would have fulfilled their obligations, and they would be free to decide whether to leave or surrender.

Historically, Sun Ben, Wu Jing, and Xu Kun broke free from Yuan Shu's control and were relieved of their obligations as patrons by turning against him when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor.

Even Sun Xiang had the intention to betray Yuan Shu, but he was too far away and died suddenly, which prevented him from leaving Yuan Shu's group.

But that wasn't enough at the moment. Yuan Shu was not only alive and well, but also served as the Left General of the Imperial Court, and had shown kindness by recommending Sun Ben, Sun Xiang, and Wu Jing.

Once Yuan Shu issues an order to Jiangdong to mobilize troops to reinforce the north, Sun Ce and his forces will be in for a real headache.

This is also one of the main reasons why Sun Ben and Sun Xiang do not want to cross the river for the time being.

What if Sun Ce and his men can't hold out and have to cross the river again? Wouldn't that be a lot of trouble going back and forth?

Moreover, Liyang has several months' worth of provisions and an army of 20,000, and he sits in a fortified city.

Even if Liu Bei's army really came, it might not be able to take it down in a short time.

Coincidentally, Sun Xiang and Sun Ben had almost the same idea. Sun Xiang also gathered a thousand units for her eldest son, Sun Lan, and planned to cross the river first.

With Xu Kun's remaining two thousand men, it would take at least one or two months for these five thousand people to smuggle themselves across the Yangtze River to Jiangdong.

*******
Time flies. After the start of spring, the troops in Xuzhou underwent a large-scale mobilization and expansion, and began a training camp that lasted for several months.

During the Three Kingdoms period, the intensity and frequency of soldier training were quite low. This was not because the warlords were unaware of the benefits of training their troops, nor because they were lazy, but because they genuinely could not afford to train them.

The training here refers to intensive training, which is very strenuous, especially in terms of physical exertion.

Therefore, most armies provide soldiers with excessive amounts of food, even large quantities of meat, to replenish their energy and alleviate their resentment during training.

Even without meat, the staple food must be provided in unlimited quantities. As long as you can eat it, you can eat as much as you want, instead of the usual rationing.

If even this cannot be guaranteed, even if it is an army from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it will still stage a mutiny to show you.

Even someone as prestigious as Prime Minister Cao had to use the head of the grain official to settle accounts.

Therefore, military training requires a large amount of additional food and money, and also significantly increases the wear and tear and scrapping of military equipment.

Without sufficient economic and material support, warlords simply couldn't afford to train their troops.

Cao Cao's army was in a better position because most of its soldiers had ample combat experience. Yuan Shao, on the other hand, possessed abundant resources and could afford to provide his army with training once a month.

Only in Xuzhou did the soldiers possess both good discipline and considerable combat experience, and they were able to maintain two training sessions a month.

Of course, just for these two military exercises a month, Xuzhou had to spend an extra 20,000 shi of millet and over 11 million coins every month.

The money was mainly used to buy pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks and eggs to supplement the soldiers' meals, and also to replenish thousands of weapons, medicines and other supplies, which was a huge expenditure.

So even though Xuzhou seems to collect hundreds of millions in head tax alone, the money really doesn't last long.

With a monthly expenditure of over 11 million, it was only enough to provide each of the 80,000 field troops in Xuzhou who were preparing to participate in the war with 4 catties of meat, 1 dou of fine wine, and 3 dou of drinking wine per person per month.

If it weren't for the fact that Xuzhou's productivity has recovered quite well over the past year, it would have been really difficult to purchase so much meat, and the price would have been at least several times higher, or even doubled.

The expenses are terrifying, but the corresponding returns are extremely generous.

Through rigorous training, the new recruits gradually adapted to the discipline of the Xuzhou army, while the veterans were able to pass on their combat experience and military tactics to the new recruits.

It is no exaggeration to say that after more than four months of military exercises, the Xuzhou Field Army, which incorporated a large number of surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers and new recruits, has recovered to 70-80% of its peak combat effectiveness. The rest will naturally require the tempering of real combat.

With such a large-scale military expansion and exercise in Xuzhou, it was impossible for the surrounding lords not to react.

Kong Rong, Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and the Zhang brothers, among other minor warlords, were the most composed, not to mention their alliance with Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei's army really wanted to deal with them, there was no need to make such a big show of it.

The strongest reactions came from Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu, all of whom were wary of Liu Bei's large-scale military exercises.

Among them, Yuan Shao was the most composed. After all, if Liu Bei wanted to attack him, he would not only have to cross the territories of Kong Rong and Cao Cao, but also the Yellow River.

Cao Cao was Liu Bei's ally, and the two had jointly supported the central government. There were no major conflicts between them at the moment. Most importantly, if Liu Bei attacked Cao Cao, not only would he have no legitimate reason to do so, but he would also be suspected of opposing the court.

Therefore, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao only slightly redeployed some of their troops to key passes to increase defenses.

Only Yuan Shu was truly so nervous that he was drenched in sweat.

"What does Liu Bei want to do?"

Yuan Shu paced back and forth in the palace in Shouchun, his face flushed red, venting his anger on the officials below.

In reality, Yuan Shu's personality was always fiery and violent. He would start cursing at the slightest disagreement and even plot assassinations at the drop of a hat. It's no wonder that talented and heroic people looked down on him because of his behavior.

Historically, he even attempted to assassinate He Yong, simply because the latter looked down on him, refused his attempts to win him over, and instead became friends with Yuan Shao.

He Yong was also a remarkable man, a famous scholar from Henan, whose reputation far surpassed that of Xun You and Xun Yu. He even contributed to Xun You's talent as a prime minister.

Despite being such a renowned scholar, Yuan Shu still dared to act boldly and arranged an assassination plot for him.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu's plans were leaked, and Tao Qiu Hong learned of his plot to assassinate He Yong.

As a result, Tao Qiuhong went to dissuade him, and later Zong Cheng from Nanyang helped to mediate, which finally made Yuan Shu give up the idea of ​​assassinating him.

In truth, the social circles of people at the end of the Han Dynasty were practically all acquaintances.

If He Yong and Tao Qiuhong hadn't died young, with their reputation, knowledge, ability, and connections, they would definitely have been high-ranking officials, like the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

He Yong, in particular, was extremely close to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Compared to He Yong, Xu You was at best a bankrupt beggar version. In every aspect, from ability to connections, he was completely crushed by He Yong.

He Yong, Tao Qiuhong, and Zong Cheng were all famous scholars of the time, and their views on Cao Cao were quite interesting.

He Yong was a great admirer of Cao Cao, and was the only prominent scholar at the time, besides Qiao Xuan, who praised Cao Cao's talent and ability.

Zong Cheng was the complete opposite of He Yong. Although he acknowledged Cao Cao's talent, he felt that Cao Cao was too cruel and tyrannical and refused to associate with him.

When Cao Cao later became Minister of Works and took charge of the government, he once casually asked Zong Cheng, "Is it possible to befriend him now?"

Zongcheng's reply was: "My will, as firm as a pine tree, has not changed."

Despite this, Cao Cao dared not kill him. Instead, he sent his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi to visit Zong Cheng, treating him as a junior.

At this moment, Yuan Shu was like an enraged hyena, raging incompetence and blaming his ministers for their incompetence.

The officials below were already used to Yuan Shu's temper, and they all lowered their heads and let him vent his anger.

Yuan Shu was furious. He had been thinking of sending Liu Bei and his son an assassin's package as well.

Unfortunately, Liu Bei was quite capable in battle, and his guards were all trusted confidants who had followed him for many years. Although Liu Feng was young, he was very secretive, which delayed Liu Bei's assassination plan.

"Tell me, what should we do now?"

After cursing for a long time, Yuan Shu got tired of cursing, sat back down at the head of the table, and picked up the honey water on the table to drink.

Yang Hongxian spoke first: "Now we should send more spies north to investigate."

"anything else?"

Yuan Shu fixed his gaze on Yang Hong, signaling him to continue.

(End of this chapter)