My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 269 Profiting from the Middle
He knew all too well the emperor's attitude towards Cao Cao.

At first, things were fine, but as Cao Cao's arrogance increased, the emperor saw Cao Cao's true colors.

As for Yuan Shao, he was one of the top five figures disliked by the emperor.

It's just a pity for the young emperor. He has to hold his nose and try to appease the two people he clearly dislikes. He's probably jumping up and down in the harem right now.

“Young Master, I believe this is indeed a good thing for Xuzhou.”

Dong Zhao suddenly spoke, which startled Liu Feng.

The falling out between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao was certainly a good thing for Liu Bei; need I say more?

Seeing Dong Zhao's ambiguous smile, Liu Feng suddenly realized that this fat man was trying to take advantage of the situation.

"What's the plan?"

"Young Master, I believe that we must support the General this time."

When Dong Zhao said this, his small eyes inadvertently glanced at Liu Feng's expression, and he was a little worried that Liu Feng would think that he was taking revenge for personal reasons.

However, Liu Feng did not expect this. He still trusted Dong Zhao, after all, he was a smart man.

"good idea."

The more Liu Feng thought about it, the more he felt that Dong Zhao was right.

Currently, the North has one superpower and two strong contenders.

Yuan Shao's strength and potential still surpassed those of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

Only when Cao Cao and Liu Bei joined forces could they contend with Yuan Shao.

Now Cao Cao is asking Hebei for money and grain, which is a matter of great righteousness and right of the imperial court. If Yuan Shao doesn't give them, he's a traitor.

Liu Bei could also cleverly shift his support from Cao Cao to the Emperor, thus pleasing the Emperor, gaining Cao Cao's favor, avoiding offending Yuan Shao, and most importantly, getting a share of the spoils from the most powerful figure.

Thinking about this, Liu Feng even wondered if Cao Cao had deliberately made things worse.

However, considering Cao Cao's past offenses, it seems more likely that he was simply arrogant and wanted to challenge his elder brother.

Next, Liu Feng discussed some matters with Dong Zhao and listened to Dong Zhao's account of what had happened in Luozhong over the past few months.

Originally, Liu Feng planned to visit Zhong Yao's house in the afternoon. How to transform support for Cao Cao into support for the emperor would depend on Zhong Yao.

Before he could even leave the house, he received an invitation from Cao Cao.

The one who came to invite Liu Feng was Xiahou Dun, the undisputed first member of the Cao family clan. He actually personally went to Dong Zhao's house to deliver the invitation to Cao Cao.

"The lord was overjoyed to hear of the general's arrival in Luoyang and has specially sent Dun to invite him, intending to hold a banquet to welcome the general and wash away the dust of his journey."

Xiahou Dun was honest and sincere, and he did not look down on Liu Feng because of his young age.

Liu Feng actually had a good impression of Xiahou Dun. This hostage general was a typical example of someone who had great achievements but little fame. In fact, in the entire Cao Cao group, he was undoubtedly the number one person in terms of both merit and status. In fact, in terms of merit, he was on par with Xun Yu.

It should be noted that Xun Yu was a Han official from beginning to end, not a Cao official. Therefore, how could Cao Cao dare to entrust the rear to him alone?

Let alone Cao Cao's suspicious and cunning nature, even someone as kind as Liu Xiu wouldn't dare to do such a thing.

Xiahou Dun was Cao Cao's pillar of strength in the rear.

It was precisely because Xiahou Dun held military power and participated in political affairs in the rear that Cao Cao was able to personally lead his campaigns without any worries about the rear.

From this perspective, Cao Cao's generals should actually resent Xiahou Dun, because this hostage general prevented others from having the opportunity to take up their posts.

"Thank you for your kindness, General. I am also grateful for your personal visit to deliver this message. I am unworthy of such praise."

Liu Feng placed himself in the position of a junior, which was clearly a sign of his respect for Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun smiled warmly: "Zheng Nan is too modest."

Liu Feng replied, "Your Excellency may address me by my courtesy name, Zisheng."

Xiahou Dun smiled even more broadly and nodded, saying, "In that case, Zisheng, please allow me to be so bold."

The two chatted for a while longer, and Liu Feng discovered that Xiahou Dun had many opinions on politics, economics, land reclamation, and other matters, but was indeed lacking in military affairs.

Moreover, compared to the martial prowess of over 90 in the game, Xiahou Dun's martial prowess is actually not outstanding.

The reason why Xiahou Dun's martial prowess was set so high is because he killed the person who insulted his teacher when he was young to avenge his master.

The person who insulted his teacher was also a Confucian scholar, with no martial prowess whatsoever. Even an ordinary farmer might be a better fighter than him. Xiahou Dun killing the man didn't really demonstrate any martial skill worth boasting about.

Half an hour later, Xiahou Dun took his leave. Liu Feng did not try to stop him, as he was also eager to find Zhong Yao.

If I had spoken with Zhong Yao before the banquet, I would have had a much more relaxed time having dinner with Widow Cao that evening.

After seeing Xiahou Dun off, Liu Feng immediately took Xu Chu out to visit Zhong Yao.

Someone had already been sent to the palace to inform them, and when Liu Feng arrived at Zhong Yao's house, the other party had been waiting for him for a long time.

"What brings Zisheng to Luoyang this time?"

Zhong Yao asked with a smile, "Could it be that you've come about the Grand Marshal and the General?"

Liu Feng, however, followed the other party's lead and asked, "What is the Emperor's attitude toward this matter?"

Zhong Yao's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "Although the Emperor is slightly displeased with the Grand General, the Grand General's proposal is very much to the Emperor's liking. The Grand Marshal controls four prefectures in Hebei, yet he is unwilling to send money and grain to the central government, which greatly displeases the Emperor."

Liu Feng understood; the emperor's attitude was not unexpected.

Zhong Yao then lowered his voice slightly: "The Emperor also inquired about the General of the Cavalry's attitude a few days ago, presumably hoping to gain the support of you, Zisheng, and General Liu."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng slowly nodded and immediately stated, "My father and I naturally support the Emperor. The world is in turmoil and plagued by disasters. Only the Grand Marshal's territory is the most stable and has abundant resources. If the Grand Marshal can share the burden of the country, the court will surely be much more stable."

Zhong Yao sighed, "What Zisheng said is very true."

Luozhong is now in dire need of reconstruction. Whether it is attracting refugees to restore people's livelihoods or reclaiming land for farming and mulberry planting, a large amount of money and grain are needed.

Cao Cao truly had no extra money or supplies. Xu Province was sending even more money and supplies than Cao Cao had, and even Liu Biao from Jing Province had sent a large amount of grain and equipment.

Only Yuan Shao, with his abundant wealth and grain reserves, refused to part with a single penny.

The amount the imperial court is currently demanding from him is far greater than what it is demanding from the other three families.

This point has almost become a consensus.

Liu Feng's judgment on the emperor's attitude was entirely correct, and the emperor and Cao Cao's judgment on Liu Bei and his son was also clearly correct.

However, the emperor and Cao Cao faced an even more difficult problem: how to persuade Liu Bei and his son to express their stance and put pressure on Yuan Shao.

This is much harder than getting a dry word of support.

"The Emperor's intention is that he hopes Liu Biaoji can directly submit a memorial to the court, supporting the court's collection of taxes and grain from various regions, and persuading the Grand Marshal to also express his support."

As Zhong Yao spoke, he looked at Liu Feng, observing the changes in his expression.

Liu Feng's expression remained unchanged, but he was making plans in his mind.

Before coming here, Liu Feng had thought it through very clearly. Now that Cao Cao was on the front line, as long as his father didn't steal the hatred and spoke well, Yuan Shao wouldn't be able to hate Xuzhou.

Even though Liu Feng had already decided to help the emperor and Cao Cao, he was still calculating whether he could use this opportunity to gain some benefits.

In fact, Liu Feng was not such a petty person. It was just that neither Emperor Liu Xie nor the widow Cao were broad-minded people. They were both narrow-minded, suspicious and jealous.

If Liu Feng were to help without asking for anything in return, it might actually have the opposite effect.

Therefore, Liu Feng decided to help Dong Zhao gain some benefits.

"Dong Gongren is both talented and virtuous, and is also loyal to the court. I wonder if he could be promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief?"

Zhong Yao understood that Liu Feng was setting conditions, but these conditions were not excessive; on the contrary, they were quite restrained.

Overjoyed, Zhong Yao gave a clear answer: "The promotion of officials naturally depends on the opinions of the emperor and the general. However, in my opinion, Dong Gongren is of the highest caliber in both talent and virtue and is qualified for the position."

Zhong Yao's words were tantamount to giving Liu Feng a guarantee, so Liu Feng smiled with satisfaction and said, "After returning, my father will definitely submit a memorial to support the court's decision, and at the same time, he will also write a letter and send it to Ye City to persuade the Grand Marshal."

"In that case, thank you very much, General Liu."

Zhong Yao bowed deeply to Liu Feng, who accepted the bow on behalf of his father.

After a good start, the atmosphere in the room became noticeably more relaxed.

Zhong Yao adopted a casual tone and asked, "Zisheng, is your trip to Luoyang really about the Grand Marshal and the General-in-Chief?"

Liu Feng laughed heartily and then revealed his purpose for entering Luoyang. Even Zhong Yao, who was extremely shrewd, was stunned by Liu Feng's words.

Liu Bei was actually preparing to wage war against Yuan Shu. He came to Luoyang to request an imperial edict to strip Yuan Shu of his title of Left General.

This is a very big deal.

Zhong Yao quickly calmed himself down and began to think about the whole thing.

First of all, Liu Bei's army was indeed no less powerful than Yuan Shu's.

Yes, whether it was Zhong Yao, Emperor Liu Xie, or even Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, they all thought that Liu Bei's strength was about the same as Yuan Shu's, and they did not think that Liu Bei had already gained an overwhelming advantage.

In terms of territory, Liu Bei's core territory consisted of the severely damaged kingdoms of Xiapi and Donghai, while Langya and Guangling were considered secondary core territories. Yuan Shu, on the other hand, possessed the intact counties of Jiujiang and Lujiang, most of Runan, and a third of Pei, plus most of Wu County in Jiangdong. Although his power was not as great as the two strongest in history, he was still a behemoth.

Only Yuan Shu himself understood how vast the gap was between him and Liu Bei.

His 8,000-strong army was defeated by the enemy's 4,000 men, who were his elite troops, while Liu Bei's army was just a newly formed army that had marched south.

If this ratio is followed, just to deal with Liu Bei's army that is about to march south, we would need to prepare three times the enemy's strength.

This is the fundamental reason why Yuan Shu was so eager to sue for peace.

Yuan Shu was a complete scoundrel, fearing power but not appreciating virtue.

It was precisely this flawed judgment that led Liu Feng to conclude that he could gain the support of the central government and Cao Cao, and even the favor of Yuan Shao.

Because they only thought that Liu Bei would probably be able to defeat Yuan Shu this time and seize a part of Yuan Shu's territory.

This was their bottom line, but these people never dreamed that Liu Bei intended to completely destroy Yuan Shu this time.

Sure enough, after considering the matter, Zhong Yao concluded that Liu Bei and Yuan Shu were evenly matched in strength. Liu Bei was loyal to the court, while Yuan Shu was practically a traitor. Letting Liu Bei teach Yuan Shu a lesson would also help enhance the court's prestige.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yao decided to agree to the matter: "Tomorrow, when we go to see the Emperor together, I will certainly help Zisheng to accomplish this task."

Liu Feng was overjoyed and said gratefully, "In that case, thank you very much, Brother Yuanchang!"

The two chatted for a long time afterward. Zhong Yao originally planned to host a banquet for Liu Feng, but when the latter mentioned that Cao Cao had already sent an invitation, he had no choice but to give up.

According to Zhong Yao, Luozhong has undergone considerable changes in the past few months. First, the city has attracted refugees, resulting in a significant increase in cooking smoke both inside and outside Luoyang. Additionally, a small number of fishermen have appeared on the rivers outside the city, making it possible to purchase fresh river delicacies in Luoyang.

When Zhong Yao learned that Liu Feng was coming to visit, he sent his servants ahead to buy fish, intending to treat Liu Feng to a fish feast.

Liu Feng, however, solemnly advised, "Brother Yuanchang, although fish sashimi is delicious, you must not eat too much of it, or better yet, you should not eat it at all."

Zhong Yao was greatly surprised and inquired about the reason.

Liu Feng recounted Chen Deng's experiences, which caused Zhong Yao's expression to change drastically.

"Who would have thought that sashimi would suffer from such a ailment?"

Liu Feng didn't end up eating at Zhong Yao's house, which gave Zhong Yao quite a fright.

In the evening, Liu Feng was about to attend Cao Cao's banquet when, unexpectedly, Cao Ang came to greet him in person.

Cao Ang was not tall either, but he was much better looking than Cao Cao. In addition to having fair skin, he also had bigger eyes.

However, upon closer inspection, he does resemble Cao Cao quite a bit; one can see the resemblance between father and son.

"Ang greets Zheng Nan."

When Cao Ang met Liu Feng, although he was surprised by Liu Feng's youth, he still stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Liu Feng had a pretty good first impression of Cao Ang, after all, the other party was very polite to him.

“Brother Zixiu, your father and my father were old friends, and you and I are also old friends. Why be so formal?”

Liu Feng said politely, "If Zixiu doesn't mind, you may call me by my courtesy name, Zisheng."

Cao Ang hadn't expected Liu Feng to be so polite. No wonder his father had repeatedly mentioned Liu Feng to him and praised him highly. Although he hadn't used Liu Feng to belittle himself, his father had repeatedly urged him to work harder and not slack off.

Looking back now, it's clear that my father had a hidden meaning in his words.

Cao Ang tentatively said, "Then I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Zisheng."

Liu Feng responded with delight, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zixiu."

Afterwards, the two prepared to go out, and Xu Chu silently followed with his personal guards.

Cao Ang then noticed Xu Chu, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

Upon seeing this, Liu Feng laughed and said, "This is Xu Zhongkang, a newly acquired valiant warrior of mine. He is loyal, brave, and unparalleled. He is my trusted and beloved general, currently serving as my military commander and commander of my personal guards."

Then, turning back to Xu Chu, he said, "Zhongkang, this is my elder brother, the son of the Great General. You may greet him."

Xu Chu immediately bowed to Cao Ang and said, "This humble servant, Xu Chu, greets you, sir."

At this time, Cao Ang did not hold any official position. His most illustrious identity was that of the son of a Grand General, which was a high-ranking position among the Three Dukes. Calling him "Young Master" was well-deserved.

Cao Ang showed no arrogance and returned the salute to Xu Chu, then praised him, saying, "Brave warrior Xu is truly a tiger warrior, almost like my father's personal attendant, Commandant Dian Ziman."

Cao Ang chuckled and said to Liu Feng, "I thought that a man as fierce as Commandant Dian was unparalleled in the world, but I never expected that there would be such a Sima in the world."

Liu Feng smiled calmly, "You haven't seen it because you lack experience. Putting aside everything else, my second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle, Master Taishi, Xingba, Wenyuan, Gongming, and Xiaofu, which one of them is weaker than Dian Ziman?"

Immediately afterward, the two mounted their horses and, accompanied by Xu Chu and other guards, headed to the General's Mansion.

The biggest change in Luozhong over the past few months has been this General's Mansion.

Cao Cao spent a lot of money and supplies to renovate the former General He Jin's mansion.

However, he did not mistreat Emperor Liu Xie. The palace in the Forbidden City was already under repair, but the project was too large and money and food were scarce, so it could only be repaired at the most cost-effective speed.

He Jin's Grand General's Mansion was always the residence of the Grand General of the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it was naturally very large in scale.

Cao Cao didn't have the resources to completely renovate everything, so he only selected some areas that were not severely damaged and still functional to repair first.

For example, the main hall where the generals held their meetings was the most important place.

Liu Feng dismounted before entering the General's residence and walked in. He hadn't gone far when he saw Cao Cao standing in front of the hall to greet him.

Liu Feng quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Liu Feng, General Who Conquers the South, an official outside the capital, pays his respects to the Grand General!"

Cao Cao laughed heartily and stepped forward, helping Liu Feng to his feet: "General Liu, you've accomplished great things abroad. Now that you've arrived in Luoyang, is there another important matter to report?"

Liu Feng smiled shyly and replied, "General, you are wise and powerful; nothing can escape your discerning eyes."

Cao Cao looked Liu Feng up and down and thought that this young man was tall and brave, good at fighting, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and quick-witted.

No matter how he looked at it, Cao Cao felt that Liu Feng resembled himself, but this boy was not his own son, but Xuande's son. Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret.

Cao Ang, standing to the side, was puzzled, not understanding why he suddenly felt a sense of sadness.

"Let's go inside the hall and talk."

Cao Cao actually grabbed Liu Feng's hand, intending to pull him into the palace.

Liu Feng naturally wouldn't refuse Cao Cao's goodwill. The two walked ahead chatting and laughing, with Cao Ang following behind. The three of them walked towards the palace, one in front and one behind.

"stop!"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of armor clashing behind them.

The three of them turned around and saw a burly man, slightly shorter than Xu Chu but more robust, blocking Xu Chu's way. Xu Chu was reaching out to push the man aside.

Neither side expected the other's strength to exceed their own expectations. When they exerted their strength at the same time, they were instantly frozen on the spot.

"Ziman, what's wrong with you?"

Cao Cao glanced at it and immediately guessed what had happened, but pretended not to understand and said, "Let go for now."

This burly man was none other than Dian Wei.

Xu Chu, acting as Liu Feng's bodyguard, naturally prepared his troops and donned armor.

For Cao Cao's safety, Dian Wei naturally wouldn't allow Xu Chu, who was fully armed, to follow.

It's perfectly normal for the two to have a conflict.

(End of this chapter)