My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 268 Cao Cao and Yuan Shao's Feud
At this moment, Liu Feng, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

“Father, what Envoy Yuan said is incorrect.”

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Liu Bei's expression immediately returned to calm.

In fact, Liu Bei was not swayed by Yuan Huan's words. The army was ready to go, the civil officials were working hard to transport military supplies, and the generals were full of ambition to make meritorious contributions on the battlefield. It was not something that could be stopped at a moment's notice.

Moreover, even if everything Yuan Huan said was true, there was one very important fact that he avoided mentioning.

That was Yuan Gonglu, a man of no integrity.

For Liu Bei, Yuan Shu had neither credibility nor ability, and he happened to be located in the heart of Xuzhou, directly threatening the connection between Xuzhou and Jiangdong.

Why did Liu Bei trust Yuan Shu and why did he form an alliance with him?

No matter how much Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were at odds, they were blood relatives after all. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, blood ties were not as easily severed as they were in later times.

Later history proved this point. After fighting each other for half their lives, Yuan Shao easily forgave Yuan Shu by giving him a soft word and the Imperial Seal of the State, and even sent troops to meet him.

Despite the immense importance of the Imperial Seal, Liu Feng believed that Yuan Shao would forgive Yuan Shu even without it.

What could give Yuan Shao a greater sense of accomplishment than having Yuan Shu grovel before him and fawn over him?

Since that's the case, wouldn't it be a hundred times better to quickly eliminate Yuan Shu and take over Jianghuai while Yuan Shao is too busy to look south, rather than having another ally who is useless, indecisive, and a hindrance?
Not to mention that this fool even wanted to compete with Xuzhou for Yangzhou, and even dared to covet Xuzhou out of his own audacity.

Therefore, Liu Bei was not persuaded by Yuan Huan. However, what Yuan Huan said did make some sense, and he was unsure how to politely refuse him. At the same time, he also wanted to hear his eldest son's opinion.

After all, Yuan Huan was a wise man whom Liu Bei greatly admired and valued.

Fortunately, my eldest son stepped up at the crucial moment.

“Yuan’s envoy used the idea of ​​isolation and weakness to talk about my Xuzhou, but he forgot that General Zuo is not a trustworthy person.”

Liu Feng solemnly rebuked, "To be allies with the Left General is no different from seeking a tiger's skin. Where is the former Grand Tutor Ma Ridi? The Grand Tutor pleaded with the Left General to be loyal to the court, but the Left General was detained and even his staff was stolen, causing the Grand Tutor to vomit blood and die."

"Does General Zuo still have any sense of loyalty and righteousness? How could he have become so depraved and insane?"

"What crime have the 500,000 households of Nanyang committed to be plundered by Yuan Gonglu? Now, our Xuzhou army is a righteous and benevolent force, sent by imperial decree to punish the traitors."

Liu Feng stood up and walked up to Yuan Huan, pressing him, "Sir, you are a renowned scholar from Henan and a member of the Yuan family of Chen Commandery. Can't you distinguish between loyalty and treachery? To try to exonerate the Left General and use petty gains to persuade my father, do you still have any sense of loyalty and righteousness?"

Yuan Huan was filled with shame after Liu Feng's words and could only cover his face with his sleeve.

Liu Bei stepped in to shield him.

"My son, you must not be rude."

With his back to Yuan Huan, Liu Bei gave Liu Feng a look: "Hurry up and get out of here."

"Yes, father."

Liu Feng acknowledged the order and took his leave.

After Liu Feng took his leave, Liu Bei said to Yuan Huan, "Yaoqing, Yuan Gonglu has harmed local people, forced famous scholars to commit suicide, resisted the imperial court, and even secretly possessed the Imperial Seal of the State."

"The imperial seal?"

Yuan Huan suddenly raised his head, his face full of shock and his eyes filled with disbelief.

Liu Bei fully understood the other party's shock and nodded, saying, "That's right. This item was first obtained by Sun Polu in Luoyang. Later, when Yuan Shu was about to usurp the throne, he heard that Jian had obtained the Imperial Seal, so he detained Jian's wife and seized it."

"After Yuan Gonglu obtained the imperial seal, he did not think of handing it over to the court and returning it to the emperor. Instead, he became even more determined to plot his own independence. I am not capable. I have always wanted to bring peace to the world and return power to the emperor. How could I possibly ally with such a treacherous minister?"

Liu Bei's words were righteous and awe-inspiring, making Yuan Huan feel deeply ashamed.

These things were naturally told to Liu Bei by Liu Feng in advance.

Finally, Yuan Huan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Bei and said, "I have long known of your virtue, my lord. Now that you have made your decision, I will return to Jiujiang tomorrow to report back."

Liu Bei reluctantly advised, "Why must you return to Jiujiang, Yaoqing? Why not stay in Xiang County so I can consult with you day and night?"

Yuan Huan slowly shook his head and replied, "I lack the sense of the bigger picture and have almost become a disloyal and unrighteous person. How can I be worthy of your attention, my lord?"

Before Liu Bei could continue his persuasion, Yuan Huan added, "Although I did not do so voluntarily, I am now under the command of the Left General. If I were to abandon him at this time, how would I be any different from a beast?"

"Huan's mind is made up to leave, so please, Your Excellency, do not try to persuade him any further."

Yuan Huan bowed deeply to Liu Bei and said earnestly, "If I may meet you again, I will always be by your side and serve you with the utmost loyalty."

Liu Bei was deeply moved, but he no longer tried to persuade Yuan Huan to stay.

The next day, Liu Bei personally went out of the city to see Yuan Huan off, accompanying him for ten miles before bidding him a reluctant farewell.

The two places were not far apart, and Yuan Huan quickly returned to Shouchun.

He was summoned by Yuan Shu as soon as he entered the city, which shows how anxious Yuan Shu was.

Unfortunately, Yuan Huan did not bring good news. In addition, Yuan Huan concealed some information, such as the Imperial Seal of the State, which he did not truthfully disclose.

"How foolish that big-eared thief is!"

Upon hearing Yuan Huan's account, Yuan Shu was so angry that he jumped up and nearly leaped into his grave.

In Yuan Shu's view, Liu Bei was utterly pedantic. How could he possibly turn against him for the sake of a weak and incompetent court and insignificant commoners? Who did he think he was?

"Even ants know that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; how can these mat weavers and shoe sellers be so stubborn and ignorant?"

Yuan Shu was so angry because he had high hopes for peace talks.

Yuan Shu genuinely believed that he had no deep-seated hatred for Liu Bei; in his view, Cao Cao was the common enemy of both him and Liu Bei.

With Cao Cao posing a threat, Liu Bei had no reason not to join forces with him, after all, he was Yuan Shu!
As the direct descendant of the Zhong family and the patriarch of the Yuan clan of Runan, shouldn't a warrior like Liu Bei obediently become his henchman like Sun Jian?
In order to gain my protection, Sun Jian did not hesitate to give up Nanyang, which he had already acquired.

Now that I have condescended to negotiate peace and form an alliance with him, how dare he refuse me?

“My lord, if Liu Bei refuses to negotiate peace and insists on waging war, then Ruyin will surely be taken by the enemy as a strategic location.”

Yan Xiang stepped forward and advised, "If Ruyin is not captured, Liu Bei will not be able to threaten Jiujiang, let alone Shouchun. Therefore, Your Excellency should continue to reinforce Ruyin."

Yuan Shu stopped, looked at Yan Xiang, and then stroked his short beard in deep thought.

Yang Hong suddenly jumped out: "My lord, you mustn't!"

"Oh?"

Yuan Shu looked over and asked, "Why do you say that, Chief Clerk?"

Yang Hong explained, "There are only about ten thousand soldiers in Shouchun City now, which is not enough to defend itself. How can we send troops to Ruyin? If Ruyin falls, won't Shouchun become a lamb to the slaughter?"

Yan Xiang wanted to persuade him further, but he saw Yuan Shu nodding hurriedly and praising loudly, "What the Chief Clerk said makes perfect sense. Besides, I have already reinforced Qiao Rui with 4,000 troops, plus the local soldiers, county troops, and strongmen of Ruyin, totaling 10,000. If we still can't hold Ruyin with these troops, then reinforcing them will be a waste of time."

Yuan Shu was absolutely right. Qiao Rui and his men were reinforced with 4,000 troops, and Yue Jiu's 3,000 men, who were already stationed in Ruyin, were also placed under Qiao Rui's command. In addition, there were several hundred county soldiers in Ruyin City, totaling four or five thousand able-bodied men.

Unless Yuan Shu adds more than 6,000 heavy troops, one or two thousand men will not have much effect.

But Shouchun only had 14,000 men left, and Yuan Shu would never dare to transfer nearly half of his troops away.

Yan Xiang wanted to persuade him further, but Yuan Shu stopped him: "Alright, Chief Clerk, there's no need to persuade me any further. My mind is made up. Once the reinforcements from Liyang and Lujiang arrive, I will personally lead a large army to relieve the siege of Ruyin."

Yan Xiang thought for a moment and realized that if Yuan Shu really did this, the situation would turn into a decisive battle between Yuan Shu's army and Liu Bei's army, relying on the fortified city of Ruyin. Yuan Shu's army would obviously have the advantage and would have seized the geographical advantage first.

Therefore, Yan Xiang stopped trying to persuade him.

Yuan Shu was very displeased with Yuan Huan's incompetence, but at least he did not reprimand him. Instead, he told Yuan Huan to go home and rest.

With peace negotiations failing, Yuan Shu was left with only one option: a decisive battle. Thus, he began a period of extreme mobilization.

The demands placed on Liyang and Lujiang were further increased, requiring Liyang to send 12,000 troops and Lujiang to send 8,000 troops, as well as 15,000 laborers. At the same time, Lujiang and Liyang were allowed to open their treasuries, recruit new soldiers, and defend their cities.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu also began recruiting troops in Jiujiang Commandery, planning to raise 3,000 soldiers. In addition, he planned to mobilize 10,000 able-bodied men to serve as logistical laborers, reinforcing the walls of Shouchun and increasing its defensive fortifications. Finally, he did not forget to send an urgent order to Sun Ce of Jiangdong, ordering Sun Ce to bring at least 10,000 men back to reinforce Shouchun.

Yuan Shu has really put in all his effort, and if Liu Bei cancels the southern campaign, his losses will be substantial. The large-scale redeployment has led to a shortage of manpower for the autumn harvest, which will definitely significantly reduce this year's harvest.

Just as Yuan Shu was making intensive preparations for war, intending to teach Liu Bei a lesson, Liu Feng had already rushed to Luoyang.

Upon arriving in Luozhong, Liu Feng immediately went to see Dong Zhao.

At that moment, the dark-skinned and fat Dong Gongren happened to have entered the palace and had not yet returned.

Liu Feng decided to rest there and let Xu Chu and his guards have something to eat.

Not long after, an hour later Dong Zhao returned.

After Liu Feng finished explaining Liu Bei's army's next strategic goals and the purpose of their entry into Luozhong, Dong Zhao immediately laughed.

"Young Master, your arrival is quite timely. A major event has recently occurred in Luozhong."

Upon hearing Dong Zhao's words, Liu Feng immediately became curious: "What exactly happened that you, Gongren, consider it a big deal?"

Dong Zhao smiled and said, "These days, the Grand General and the Grand Marshal have been at odds quite a bit, and the official documents from both sides criticizing each other are almost piling up on the Emperor's desk."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng became even more curious: "What exactly happened?"

Then, Dong Zhaocai recounted the details of the incident.

After hearing this, Liu Feng could only say that the inertia of history is truly powerful.

Simply put, Cao Cao did nothing wrong, but his words were very problematic; Yuan Shao said something right, but his actions were very problematic.

The root of the problem is this year's taxes. Cao Cao demanded that Hebei and Xuzhou pay their taxes, but in order to win over Liu Bei, he used the excuse that Yuzhou and Yangzhou were not yet pacified and therefore temporarily exempted them from paying taxes to Luozhong.

Xuzhou, on the other hand, will have its existing population and land tax rates halved and sent to Luozhong.

Objectively speaking, Cao Cao's appetite wasn't that big. It was only natural for the central government to require local governments to pay taxes; otherwise, how would the central government manage its various expenditures?

We cannot assume that Cao Cao intended to use these taxes to support his army. If he did not pay taxes, Cao Cao would not be able to support the officials in Luoyang and the eunuchs and palace maids even if he went bankrupt.

Moreover, Cao Cao knew that it was difficult to part with wealth, and it would be extremely difficult to get money from the warlords.

Therefore, the boundaries were deliberately blurred. For example, what constitutes the current population and land was left to the individual feudal lords to decide.

Finally, the delivery was reduced by half, which was indeed giving face and substance, but in reality, it was like begging on one's knees.

For the sake of the emperor, this meal has to be at least a token gesture.

The problem lies in the fact that Cao Cao's attitude towards Yuan Shao was different.

Whether Cao Cao was overconfident or trying to test his elder brother, he actually imposed a fixed tax on Hebei, requiring Yuan Shao to send one million shi of grain and 150 million coins to Luozhong every year.

Yuan Shao's attitude was that he would not give a penny of money or grain, but only his unwavering loyalty.

Do we need loyalty?
Take it if you want it.

Yuan Shao was furious with Cao Cao.

Cao Cao disgusted Yuan Shao to the point of vomiting.

The two immediately began a war of words in front of the emperor.

Cao Cao accused Yuan Shao of occupying Hebei, which was a vast territory with many soldiers and abundant food, yet he did not report to the court or send troops to defend the emperor. Instead, he only saw Yuan Shao's private wars and his campaigns against others.

Yuan Shao protested his innocence, explaining that he had been attacked by Gongsun Zan and was powerless to welcome the emperor, but he still sent Guo Tu to defend the emperor and delivered grain to the emperor's carriage in Hanoi.

At the same time, Yuan Shao countered, claiming that there were treacherous officials around the emperor, who were in power and causing chaos in the court, and had even framed him, a loyal minister.

The two sides were arguing fiercely and couldn't stop.

Dong Zhao spoke with a smile, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

This fat, dark-skinned man was never a good person. He was loyal and fearless in the face of danger, helping Yuan Shao solve his problems and risking his life twice. He was a man of great merit and honor.

However, Yuan Shao listened to slander and not only became suspicious of him, but even wanted to imprison him.

How could the fat, dark-skinned man not hold a grudge? Right now, he couldn't wait for Cao Cao to scold him even more harshly.

Liu Feng was also greatly shocked when he heard about the affair between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Although Cao Cao did indeed turn against Yuan Shao at this time in history, now that Xu Province has risen to prominence, why is Cao Cao still as arrogant as he was in history?

In fact, this was no exception. In fact, the rise of Xuzhou actually fueled the situation, giving Cao Cao the capital and opportunity to form alliances.

Cao Cao's feelings for Yuan Shao were genuine. They had known each other since childhood and remained friends for half their lives, supporting each other. Even though there was some self-interest involved, this relationship was still sincere.

But the resentment was real, because of Cao Cao's background, Yuan Shao never treated Cao Cao as an equal friend, but as a subordinate who was inferior.

In a peaceful era, Cao Cao would have had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it, considering it as paving the way for Cao Ang and Cao Pi.

But now the world is in chaos, and I, Cao Cao, am a warlord with an army of 100,000. Why should I be your subordinate?
Not to mention that when Cao Cao was working under Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao really used him to the point of exhaustion, and rarely gave him any benefits. He even used excuses to skin him alive.

Take Dongjun as an example. After Cao Cao became the governor of Yanzhou, Yuan Shao actually used Shanyang Commandery in Yanzhou to exchange for a portion of Dongjun's territory north of the Yellow River. This territory is the base of support for Zang Hong's current appointment as the governor of Dongjun.

In Cao Cao's view, wasn't this a typical case of taking my things and exchanging them for mine?
However, circumstances were beyond Cao Cao's control. At that time, Cao Cao only had two and a half commanderies in his territory, and even less core territory, consisting of only the Dong Commandery.

Shanyang Commandery was less affected by the war, had a dense population and abundant farmland, so Cao Cao had no choice but to grit his teeth and give it up.

Such grievances were numerous. Even when Chen Gong rebelled and Cao Cao needed help the most, most of Yuan Shao's reinforcements only reached Hebei, and he also took the remaining counties north of the Yellow River in Dongjun as well.

Therefore, Cao Cao actually harbored a lot of resentment towards Yuan Shao, but he just didn't dare to vent it before.

He now believes that he is cooperating very well with Liu Bei. Liu Bei rarely goes back on his word and usually keeps his promises. He will give the money and provisions he promised without delay.

Moreover, Cao Cao considered Liu Bei's size to be very similar to his own.

This is like a perfect ally falling from the sky; we can use Liu Bei to suppress Yuan Shikai.

Especially at the beginning of the year, Liu Feng helped Xiahou Dun obtain the governorship of Henan, which not only won Cao Cao's favor, but also made Cao Cao, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and others judge that Liu Bei's ambition was not great, at least far less than Yuan Shao's.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why Liu Bei did not compete with Cao Cao for central power.

Moreover, after Liu Feng, he took the initiative to send Yang Feng's army to Gong County to cultivate land. In addition, Zhang Yang returned to Henan, leaving only a few thousand people in the entire Liu faction in Luozhong, who controlled two city gates.

After the campaign against the Yellow Turbans ended, Yingchuan Commandery, which had been promised to Cao Cao, had handed over most of its counties to Cao Cao's jurisdiction.

These counties still had a population of over 200,000, which was much better than Cao Cao had imagined.

He originally thought he would be accepting a completely emptied Yingchuan.

There were reasons why Liu Feng didn't completely evacuate Yingchuan. Firstly, there were too few people left in Yingchuan, most of whom were still hiding in fortified villages and the mountains to the north. Liu Feng didn't have the time or energy for that.

Secondly, Yingchuan is also home to many famous scholars, and he didn't want to ruin his image because of such a small population.

Thirdly, it's also a matter of job type. After all, Liu Feng isn't like the widowed demolition team leader Cao, who has no obsession with sweeping everything away.

However, in the eyes of Cao Cao and Xun Yu, Liu Bei's side was very generous, which further deepened the goodwill of Cao Cao's group towards Liu Bei's group.

"What did the emperor say?"

Liu Feng thought of the emperor, who was now sitting on a volcano, facing the two rebels Yuan and Cao attacking each other. This fight was going to be difficult to break up.

Upon hearing Liu Feng's question, Dong Zhao's smile widened even more: "What can the emperor do? He can only swallow his pride and speak kindly in the middle, trying to appease the Grand Marshal and the General-in-Chief."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng also laughed.

(End of this chapter)