My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 267 The Old Master and His Servants
Soon, cavalrymen galloped over, carefully surveyed the ground, and finally raised their flags toward Liu Bei's side.

The knight is holding a green flag in his left hand and a blue flag in his right, representing the first and second rings respectively.

The first ring is the largest, a circle with a radius of thirty meters centered on the entire earthen slope. The second ring is smaller, still centered on the earthen slope, but with a radius reduced to twenty-five meters.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly large distance. If you consider the earthen slope as a city wall three to five meters high, as long as you throw a stone into the first ring, it will basically hit the city wall. And if you throw it into the second ring, it will basically hit the city wall head-on.

"You've trained very well as a gunner."

Although Liu Bei appeared calm, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The catapult hit its target twice in just one test firing, which was an extremely outstanding performance in wartime.

Liu Feng naturally wouldn't tell Liu Bei that this involved simple calculations of elevation angle projectiles, and even if he did, Liu Bei wouldn't understand.

So he replied, "Nothing special, just practice makes perfect."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately nodded and praised, "That's right, that's exactly how it should be."

Immediately afterwards, the carriage entered the venue, and then everyone worked together to move the two huge rocks away.

Don't underestimate these boulders; polishing them is quite troublesome. In wartime, it's one thing to have no choice, but during training, it's basically required to retrieve all the stone projectiles.

Even if the boulder is broken or cracked, it is still a fine stone material that can be used for many purposes.

After the first wave of stone projectiles was cleared, Liu Feng nodded to the flag officer beside him, signaling to begin the second round of test firing.

The results of this test firing were even more encouraging; both stone projectiles hit the third ring simultaneously.

As time went on, the two artillery groups had fired seven or eight times, almost all of which landed within the first ring, with the best result reaching the fourth ring, hitting the earthen slope.

Not to mention Liu Bei, even Liu Feng was quite satisfied with this result.

With this accuracy, attacking the city walls is basically no problem, and you can even try to break through the city gate directly.

This southward campaign was different from the past, as Yuan Shu was a powerful warlord with nearly 100,000 troops.

Although Yuan Shu only had 60,000 men at this time, he was on the defensive, possessing fortified cities and the population within those cities, which allowed him to replenish his troops and increase his numbers at any time.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, had to mobilize a large army, fully armed and well-equipped, to conquer the fortified city.

If they are unlucky, they may be trapped under the walls of a fortified city. Not to mention the expenses of going to sea, if Yuan Shu finds a weakness and turns the tide, the situation will be really bad.

Although Liu Feng looked down on Yuan Shu strategically, he dared not underestimate him tactically.

Yuan Shu, in particular, was actually quite strategic, but his poor military record was largely due to his lack of practical experience.

Therefore, when the time came to send troops, Yuan Shu still dared to do so, after all, Liu Bei was not Cao Cao, and he did not frighten Yuan Shu.

If Liu Bei and his son dared to underestimate Yuan Shu because of this, they might suffer a loss as a result.

With the addition of counterweight catapults and accompanying artillery, Liu Bei's army's ability to attack fortified cities was greatly enhanced, while also reducing casualties.

In this era, although there were various siege methods such as siege towers, battering rams, and earthen sieges, the most basic method was still the ant siege, which was precisely the part with the greatest casualties.

Counterweight catapults can greatly reduce casualties from ant infestations, and they not only have the ability to open up roads, but are also the strongest suppressive firepower.

With such a powerful siege weapon in hand, Liu Bei was naturally overjoyed.

After all, the places he passed through along the way, Ruyin, Shenxian, and Shouchun, were all fortified cities.

That evening, Liu Bei was overjoyed and announced that all artillery crews would receive extra food, with each person receiving two catties of meat, unlimited millet, and a jar of wine for every ten people.

"Father, now that everything is ready, you may prepare to submit a memorial to the Emperor."

After dinner, Liu Bei chatted with Liu Feng, who then brought up a serious matter.

This southward campaign against Yuan Shu is both morally and legally justified, and it will inevitably receive the unanimous support of the emperor, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao.

At this time, the world was still nominally a struggle for supremacy between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, as they still held the positions of leaders of the two major factions.

Liu Bei's initiative to march south and attack Yuan Shu was a huge surprise, at least for the emperor and Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao may have had his own ulterior motives, but with the support of the emperor and Yuan Shao, he had no choice but to support them.

Therefore, the moral high ground was in Liu Bei's hands.

Therefore, Liu Feng had already calculated the timing, so that Liu Bei would submit a memorial to the court a month before setting out, accusing Yuan Shu of treason and arrogance.

Putting aside everything else, there are at least three charges against him that he can't wash away.

First, they sent troops to attack Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, and forced him to commit suicide.

Secondly, they detained Grand Tutor Ma Ridi, forcibly seized his official seal, and arbitrarily appointed officials, which was tantamount to rebellion.

Third, it conceals the Imperial Seal of the State.

These three points alone are enough for the imperial court to legitimately strip Yuan Shu of his title of Left General and label him a traitor and rebel.

Don't underestimate this point; it has an immeasurable and enormous effect on undermining the morale of Yuan Shu's group, and at critical moments it can even be equivalent to the strength of tens of thousands of troops.

Liu Bei nodded slowly; he had long harbored resentment towards Yuan Shu.

Regardless of his background, seniority, or social connections, he was someone Yuan Shu looked down upon.

Yuan Shu was also good at winning people over, but he only won over famous scholars and bandits who fawned over him. Small warlords like Liu Bei, who had principles, never even entered Yuan Shu's sights, and naturally, they were not worthy of being won over by Yuan Shu.

The reason why Yuan Shu was so hated was because he acted like a mad dog, always offending people.

Even Liu Bei, who was considered relatively magnanimous, couldn't stand Yuan Shu's character and genuinely wanted to crush him.

Liu Bei trusted Liu Feng's opinion and immediately said, "I will draft a memorial and submit it to the court, detailing Yuan Shu's major crimes."

Unexpectedly, Liu Feng stopped him, saying, "Father, it is too early to submit a memorial. I just want you to make preparations as soon as possible."

Liu Bei was taken aback and asked in confusion, "When should we submit this report?"

"The best time is when Yuan Shu blocks our path."

Liu Feng replied, "Father's trip south this time is a legitimate way to take over Runan County. Yuan Shu actually sent troops to obstruct and resisted stubbornly. Therefore, it is only right for Father to petition the court to punish Yuan Shu."

"good!"

Liu Bei suddenly realized and said, "I understand."

In the days that followed, Liu Bei's army accelerated the transfer of various supplies and stockpiled large quantities of grain, fodder, and weapons in Xiang County and Chengfu, ready to launch a southward offensive at any time.

Just then, Yuan Shu's envoy from the south arrived.

Upon hearing that Yuan Shu's envoy was actually Yuan Huan, both Liu Bei and Liu Feng were taken aback, then burst into laughter.

Yuan Shu is quite good at using people, isn't he?
If it were anyone else, Liu Bei might not even have seen him.

Yuan Huan was not only a talented scholar recommended by Liu Bei, but also a direct descendant of the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery. Moreover, he was not alone; he had several brothers and cousins, all of whom were quite capable.

If they hadn't fled to escape the chaos of the world, Liu Bei and Liu Feng would have already sent people to Fule to recruit them.

Therefore, Liu Bei had to give Yuan Huan face no matter what.

Liu Bei immediately decided to go out of the city to welcome Yuan Huan, and then ordered the county government to prepare a banquet to welcome Yuan Huan back.

As soon as Liu Bei left the city, he ran into Yuan Huan's delegation.

Yuan Huan dared not be arrogant at all. Liu Bei's status as the patron saint and his current position were not something that the Yuan family of Chen Commandery could take lightly.

While their family were indeed renowned scholars, Liu Bei was now a General of the Cavalry, and a high-ranking official in charge of the affairs of the three provinces of Xu, Yu, and Yang, which was no less than that of Cao Cao's general.

As soon as Yuan Huan received the report, he immediately ordered the car to stop, then got out and walked towards Liu Bei.

When they were about ten paces apart, Yuan Huan bowed deeply and said, "Huan pays respects to the General of the Cavalry."

Liu Bei chuckled and stepped forward to help Yuan Huan up. He took Yuan Huan's hands in his own and said with sincere concern, "Your Excellency Yao has come from afar and must be tired. A banquet has been prepared in the city to welcome you. You may come into the city with me at once."

Yuan Huan was immediately grateful, and the two then boarded the carriage together and returned to the city.

After returning to the city, Liu Bei had already prepared clean water and new clothes for Yuan Huan to wash and dress.

After he had washed and dressed, they invited him to the main hall to meet.

"Yaoqing, it has been three years since we last parted. How have you been these past few years, Yaoqing?"

Liu Bei began by reminiscing about the past. Three years ago, he was the governor of Yu Province, recommended by Tao Qian, and Yuan Huan was the first scholar he had ever met.

At that time, Yuan Huan, like Chen Qun, vehemently opposed Liu Bei's trip to Xuzhou, and pointed out the ills of Xuzhou to Liu Bei, describing it as a volcano, almost saying that Liu Bei could not handle it.

However, after Liu Bei decided to go to Xuzhou, Chen Qun and Yuan Huan made different decisions.

Chen Qun went to Xuzhou with Liu Bei, while Yuan Huan went south to Jianghuai, hoping to seek refuge in Jiangdong and escape the war. However, he was detained by Yuan Shu and put to use.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Yuan Huan was less loyal than Chen Qun, but rather that their circumstances were different.

Chen Qun was already Liu Bei's chief advisor at the time, while Yuan Huan did not accept Liu Bei's offer of service and remained a commoner.

Comparing the two, Yuan Huan could naturally come and go freely.

Therefore, Liu Bei did not resent Yuan Huan for leaving him. On the contrary, he valued Yuan Huan highly, after all, he was the first talented scholar in Liu Bei's life, and he was somewhat like a white moonlight.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Yuan Huan looked ashamed and awkwardly cupped his hands, saying, "I am but a commoner, unable to recognize your heroic nature, and unable to accompany you. I am deeply ashamed to have left halfway."

Yuan Huan wasn't just being polite; these were truly his thoughts.

Three years ago, he thought Xuzhou was a huge pitfall, and anyone who went there would be doomed. But when Liu Bei went there, not only did he not suffer, but in just three years, he pacified Langya, recovered Guangling in the south, defeated Yuan Shu, and marched north to defend the emperor.

After only three years apart, when they met again, Liu Bei had become the fourth most powerful man in the land.

Among all the officials and ministers, only Grand Marshal Yuan Shao and General Cao Cao were considered to be above Liu Bei in rank.

But one of these two people was from the Yuan family of Runan, a family with the surname Zhong throughout the land, whose disciples and former officials were all over the country. He had just started out when Han Fu gave him a place in Jizhou.

Another one was also from an official family. He held various high-ranking positions, including a 2,000-stone official, and commanded troops in Luozhong. He started his career as a prefect of a prefecture, and his clans, including the Cao and Xiahou families, followed him.

What did Liu Bei have?

There's nothing there.

There were Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, but who recognized them at that time?

At best, he thought Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were just decent military generals.

Yuan Huan still felt that he had made the right decision to persuade Liu Bei not to go to Xuzhou, but now he was truly wavering.

There's nothing we can do about it; Liu Bei's achievements are simply too good to pass up.

When Yuan learned that Liu Bei had been appointed General of the Cavalry and Governor of three provinces, he truly began to doubt his own judgment and wisdom.

Fortunately, Chen Qun shared the same opinion as him at the time, which shows that it wasn't that Yuan Huan was too short-sighted, but rather that Liu Bei was too heroic, just like Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu, capable of what others could not.

Whenever Yuan Huan thought of this, he felt a mix of excitement, frustration, and regret.

They might even fantasize about what would have happened if they hadn't left Liu Bei and headed south to the Jianghuai region, but instead followed him to Xuzhou.
I heard that Chen Qun has already been appointed as the governor of a prefecture. You should know that Chen Qun is five or six years younger than him, and he is only twenty-seven years old this year.

The last example of a prefect who was twenty-six years old was Li Wuling.

Li Jin was around this age when he served as the governor of Wuling.

However, Li Jin, lacking connections in the court, served as the prefect of Wuling for over a decade before only being promoted to governor of Jiaozhou. Chen Qun, on the other hand, can now be considered one of Liu Bei's founding ministers and key advisors, with a truly limitless future.

Hearing Liu Bei's sincere concern, Yuan Huan felt a mixture of gratitude, shame, and regret. He rose and bowed, saying to Liu Bei with tears in his eyes, "I have failed to share hardships with you, my lord, and I have no face to see you again."

Liu Bei was extremely surprised and quickly got up to help the other person up.

"What do you mean by that, Yaoqing? In the past, even I myself was on the verge of death. How could I possibly force you to do that?"

Liu Bei comforted him, saying, "I have long known of Yaoqing's talent. I will soon submit a memorial to the court, recommending Yaoqing for an official post in Luozhong."

Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei patted Yuan Huan's hand and said, "Yaoqing, it is not that I am criticizing your lord, but Yuan Gonglu is not a good lord."

"My lord."

Yuan Huan had not expected that Liu Bei would still be so sincere to him and care about his future. For a moment, he wished he could immediately switch allegiance to Liu Bei and serve him.

Even though he was forced by Yuan Shu, he had indeed served him.

Betraying one's lord is a bottom line that Yuan Huan can never cross.

Historically, his switch of allegiance to Lü Bu was not because he abandoned Yuan Shu and joined Lü Bu, but rather after Yuan Shu suffered a major defeat in his attack on Lü Bu.

In his haste to flee, Yuan Shu abandoned Yuan Huan, leading to Yuan Huan's capture by Lü Bu, after which Yuan Huan defected to Lü Bu.

Strictly speaking, it was Yuan Shu who wronged Yuan Huan, not Yuan Huan who betrayed Yuan Shu.

Liu Bei, however, said menacingly, "Yaoqing, do not worry. Yuan Shu is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb. This time, when we march south, I will surely break through Shouchun, capture Yuan Shu, and send him to Luozhong to be dealt with by the Emperor."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Yuan Huan finally remembered his mission on this mission.

However, this is yet another dilemma.

Although he knew it was unrealistic, Yuan Huan still spoke up: "My lord, please forgive me. I have come here to sue for peace."

"Please make peace?"

Liu Bei chuckled, then after a moment said sarcastically, "Does Yuan Gonglu only know who I, Liu Bei, am today?"

Yuan Huan's face turned red, clearly indicating that he had been dragged into Liu Bei's words as well.

Although Liu Bei's words were meant to mock Yuan Shu's comment, "Who is Liu Bei?", they inevitably sounded like a jab at Yuan Huan for his blindness.

However, Yuan Huan felt only shame, but no resentment.

Firstly, Yuan Huan was indeed a kind and honest person, and secondly, that's what he himself thought.

At this moment, Yuan Huan could only forcefully suppress the distracting thoughts in his mind and solemnly bowed, saying, "My lord, please hear me out. My lord is indeed eager to negotiate peace this time, and his intention is extremely sincere. Moreover, the fact that my lord is still alive is also a good thing for you, my lord."

"Oh?"

Liu Bei asked curiously, "What do you mean by what you said, Yao Qing?"

Yuan Huan immediately said, "Let me analyze the current situation for you, my lord."

Liu Bei immediately nodded and said, "Excellent! Please enlighten me, Yaoqing."

Yuan Huan then spoke up: "Since the chaos in Xiliang, the warlords of the world have been fighting each other and wars have broken out everywhere. However, the essence of it all is internal strife within the Yuan family. If you count the heroes of Guandong, they are nothing more than two people: Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao."

"But now, the Grand Marshal is about to unify Hebei and is eyeing Henan. The General-in-Chief controls Yan and Si provinces and has been an ally of the Grand Marshal for many years, supporting each other closely. Liu Biao of Jing Province has long been an ally of the Grand Marshal, and the two sides have been cooperating from north to south for many years. As for the Left General's friend, Sun Polu died in battle at Xiangfan, Tao Gongzu ceded Xu Province to you, and the Former General is in a state of decline, trapped in Yi County, and is on the verge of destruction. In all this, can you not see the dangers ahead, Your Excellency?"

Liu Bei was taken aback for a moment, then gradually realized what Yuan Huan was implying.

Originally, the world consisted of only two major camps: Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shu's camp is now clearly at a disadvantage and is on the verge of collapse, while Yuan Shao's momentum is like a raging fire, flourishing and prosperous.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were childhood friends and allies for many years, supporting each other. Their friendship was certainly something Liu Bei couldn't compare to, right?
Liu Biao was Yuan Shu's mortal enemy and had formed an alliance with Yuan Shao long ago, supporting each other from the north and south for many years. This relationship is something Liu Bei can't compare to, right?

Moreover, Liu Biao was far away in Jingzhou, while Liu Bei's Xuzhou and Yuzhou were right under his nose.

Even if it were a strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, Yuan Shao would only choose Liu Bei first, not Liu Biao.

After Yuan Huan finished speaking, he kept observing Liu Bei's expression.

Seeing that the other party was deep in thought and silent, he was immediately delighted, knowing that Liu Bei had taken his advice to heart.

Otherwise, the other party could have simply declined politely instead of pondering like this.

Such a good start gave Yuan Huan more confidence in the future development.

"My lord, you have now been appointed General of the Cavalry, highly regarded by the Emperor, and are in charge of the affairs of the three prefectures of Xu, Yu, and Yang."

Yuan Huan pressed his advantage and continued, "Right now you are the second most powerful warlord in the land. Yuan Shao is only trapped by the former general and wants to pacify the internal situation before resisting external threats. Once the former general is killed and his clan is exterminated, if you want the Grand Marshal to let Xuzhou go, I'm afraid you will have no choice but to surrender at the first sign of trouble."

"My lord, do you still remember Han Wenjie?"

The Han Wenjie that Yuan Huan asked about was none other than Han Fu, who had gifted Ji Province to Yuan Shao.

Immediately afterwards, Yuan Huan asked, "If it weren't for Your Excellency's magnanimity, what would have become of the Zhang Mengzhuo brothers?"

Liu Bei was startled and his gaze involuntarily turned to Liu Feng beside him.

(End of this chapter)