My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 275 Liu Pi Requests Surrender
"what?"

Liu Pi, who had just sat down, immediately sat up again, looking at Zhou Cang with a bewildered expression, and for a moment even doubted whether he had misheard.

"General Liu, Cang has surrendered to you!"

After repeating himself, Zhou Cang left his seat and bowed to Liu Pi, saying, "I have come here for two reasons: first, to apologize to Commander Liu and submit to his judgment; and second, to persuade Commander Liu."

"Persuade me?"

Liu Pi then realized what was happening and his voice turned cold as he asked, "What are you trying to persuade me of?"

Pei Yi, standing to the side, felt a tightness in his chest. He noticed the change in Liu Pi's voice and knew that the most crucial moment had arrived.

If Zhou Cang utters even the slightest wrong word, Liu Pi could turn hostile in the next moment.

"Persuade Commander Liu to abandon darkness and embrace the light!"

Zhou Cang raised his head and said to Liu Pi, "All these years, Commander Liu has only wanted to fight for a way to survive for our brothers in the underworld. He has suffered countless grievances, but he has never wavered. Now that the way to survive is right in front of us, why is Commander Liu hesitating?"

Liu Pi was taken aback, recalling Zhou Cang's persuasion over the past few months.

After the Yellow Turbans surrendered in Yingchuan, Zhou Cang repeatedly urged Liu Pi to join Liu's cause, or at least send someone to make contact.

However, Liu Pi hesitated. He had suffered a great loss when he surrendered to Yuan Shu, losing hundreds of thousands of shi of grain alone, not to mention a large amount of money and equipment.

Therefore, and since Liu Bei's sphere of influence was Xuzhou, and it was said that he did not occupy all of Yingchuan after conquering it, Liu Pi was somewhat hesitant.

"This concerns the lives and fortunes of hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters in the Daoist sect. How can I make a decision so easily?"

Liu Pi offered a half-explanation, half-self-consolation, before angrily rebuking, "I entrusted you with guarding the gates of Runan, and this is how you repay me?"

Dingying is the gateway from Yingchuan to Runan. Although most of Runan is plain, especially in the north.

However, large-scale military operations generally rely on waterways, and Dingying is the intersection of two waterways. In addition, the nearby marshland covering tens of square kilometers makes it a key location in the northwest of Runan.

If Dingying were still in Liu Pi's hands, then the Yellow Turban reinforcements could continuously flow north along the Yi and Ru rivers to provide aid.

In this way, the Yellow Turban Army had the advantage of being able to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

Once Guan Yu's army is bogged down outside Dingying City, the enemy will have no choice but to retreat if the time goes on.

But now, Dingying has actually surrendered, which means that Shangcai and Pingyu have been completely exposed to Guan Yu's military might, and Liu Bei's army can attack whomever they want.

On the contrary, Shangcai and Pingyu were divided into two parts, and the situation became much worse.

No wonder Liu Pi was so angry.

Pei Yi noticed something different. Although Liu Pi was furious, it seemed that his anger was not because Zhou Cang had surrendered, but because Zhou Cang had surrendered without asking for permission.

"Liu Shuai, Yuan Fu may have had no choice."

Suddenly, Pei Yi spoke up, advising from the side: "Guan Yu's more than 20,000 troops are already at the city gates, while Dingying only has three or four thousand men. The only ones who can fight are probably Yuanfu's two thousand troops. Even if they put up a stubborn resistance, they won't last more than a few days."

The Yellow Turban Army was a typical example of combining soldiers and farmers. Although Zhou Cang had more than 20,000 men, most of them were the elderly, weak, women and children. There were only eight or nine thousand real men, and no more than five thousand able-bodied men.

Zhou Cang's 2,000 troops were semi-full-time and had spare time to train occasionally, which was already considered to be a decent fighting force, but compared with Liu Bei's army, they were far inferior.

Whether in terms of equipment, training, or even experience, they are not on the same level anymore.

However, Pei Yi was also lying. After all, Zhou Cang had Dingying City under his control. If he really mobilized the elderly, weak, women and children to defend the city, he might be able to hold out for three to five days. Moreover, Guan Yu's army would certainly suffer heavy casualties.

"There's no other way, so you can just lower the price like this, like it's nothing?!"

Liu Pi glared fiercely at Pei Yi, then turned to Zhou Cang and said, "You want me to make contact with Liu Bei, but you have to give me time. Now that you've surrendered, your doors are wide open. What's the point of me making contact with you then?"

At this moment, Liu Pi felt not only anger but also deep regret.

I should have listened to Zhou Cang and He Man and sent someone to make contact with Liu Bei.

Even if the terms cannot be agreed upon, we must remain determined to fight.

Zhou Cang surrendered directly, handing over Dingying to Guan Yu, and then ran back.

Now Liu Pi felt like he was sitting on a wax statue.

Kill Zhou Cang?

Liu Pi was reluctant to kill him, but dared not do so.

Zhou Cang has already surrendered to Liu Bei's army. Killing him now would not only be futile, but would also create a blood feud with Liu Bei's army. Guan Yu's army in the west has already entered Dingying, and Liu Bei's army in the east is gathering in Xiang County, which is only three or four hundred miles away from Pingyu.

"Hey!"

Liu Pi simply plopped down on the ground.

This way of sitting was quite rude and arrogant, but Liu Pi was just a powerful figure, and in his anger, he didn't care about etiquette anymore.

"Yuanfu, you've really put me in a terrible situation."

Upon hearing Liu Pi's accusation, Zhou Cang bowed his head and pleaded guilty, saying, "I know I am guilty and am willing to accept Liu's punishment. However, there is something I have been holding in my heart for a long time, and I will not rest in peace until I can fully express it."

"Row!"

Liu Pi waved his hand at Zhou Cang: "You speak, I want to hear what you have to say."

Zhou Cang respectfully replied, "Two years ago, Commander Liu humbled himself to serve Yuan Shu. That man is fierce in appearance but cowardly in reality, greedy and insatiable, and he plundered and oppressed the Daoist community. Even then, you surrendered. Commander Liu's reputation for benevolence is known to everyone, young and old. At the beginning of this year, he even went north to support the emperor and welcomed him back. Compared to such a fine jade as Commander Liu, how is Yuan Gonglu any different from a broken tile?"

Why did Commander Liu stoop to the level of a broken tile, yet distance himself from a white jade?

Zhou Cang had clearly been holding these words in for a long time.

Not only did Pei Yi, who was standing to the side, think it made a lot of sense, but even Liu Pi was stunned on the spot.

Liu Pi remained silent, while Zhou Cang maintained his kneeling posture. Pei Yi stood by, pondering how to persuade Liu Pi.

It's perfectly normal for Liu Pi to have this mindset.

His previous surrender to Yuan Shu, and his willingness to submit to him and pay tribute, was simply because he was surrounded by enemies on all sides in Runan, and there were alliances and counter-alliances among the warlords. However, he had a consistent attitude towards the Yellow Turban Army.

In order to survive in Runan, Liu Pi was actually begging Yuan Shu to accept him.

But now the situation is different. He occupies a county in Runan and has 50,000 to 60,000 followers. Even after he betrayed Yuan Shu, the latter could not do anything to him.

In that case, who wouldn't have some ulterior motives?
Even if they don't have great ambitions, they still have the idea of ​​maintaining their status as landlords who rule the mountains.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand Liu Pi's complex behavior of being hesitant and indecisive when faced with Liu Bei, who currently appears to be on par with Yuan Shu in strength and even surpasses him in reputation. He was both dragging his feet and failing to suppress the desire of his subordinates to join Liu Bei.

Fortunately, Liu Pi remained clear-headed; he was not so arrogant as to think he could contend with Liu Bei's army.

The Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan next door were only slightly weaker than those in Runan; they weren't even strong enough to withstand Liu Bei's army for a month.

After a long silence, Liu Pi sighed, then suddenly turned to Pei Yi and asked, "You came with Yuan Fu, does that mean you've surrendered too?"

Pei Yi was startled by Liu Pi's question and quickly shook his head, saying, "I haven't surrendered yet..."

Then, Pei Yi changed the subject, saying, "However, I think what Brother Yuanfu said makes a lot of sense."

Liu Pi, however, calmed down, and there was no trace of his previous anger.

He casually continued, "So you want to surrender too?"

Pei Yi glanced at Zhou Cang, gritted his teeth, and nodded: "Commander Liu, in my opinion, we really can't hold out."

After listening, Liu Pi nodded.

As Pei Yi said, Liu Pi had led troops for many years, and his strategic and tactical vision had at least improved.

Currently, Guan Yu and Liu Bei have formed a situation of two dragons playing with a pearl. Unless Liu Pi is confident that he can defeat one side first, he will be caught in a dilemma and unable to advance or retreat under the pressure of the enemy's two armies.

Liu Pi sighed, knowing that if he continued to indulge his selfish thoughts, he would endanger the entire Yellow Turban Rebellion in Runan.

So Liu Pi got up, walked over to Zhou Cang, and pulled him up.

"I'm bewitched."

Liu Pi looked at Zhou Cang with a complicated expression and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Luckily, Yuanfu woke me up."

Then, under the expectant, apprehensive, and hopeful gazes of Zhou Cang and Pei Yi, Liu Pi loudly proclaimed, "I will personally surrender to the General of the Flying Cavalry."
Just as Liu Pi was deciding to surrender, Guan Yu was welcoming a new guest.

This new guest, surnamed Gong and named Du, was from Wufang. He was a local strongman with considerable property, supporting more than three thousand households and having two to three thousand retainers.

This person was based in the Wufang and Jiyang area.

Although Gong Du and his men were powerful figures, they got along fairly well with Liu Pi's Yellow Turban Army. At least the two sides did not engage in battle, but lived in peace.

This also shows that the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan and Runan were indeed very different from those in Qingzhou.

The most distinctive feature of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans was their mobility, while the most distinctive feature of the Runan and Yingchuan Yellow Turbans was their settlements.

The former, with a population of millions, swept across the land like locusts, taking away everything edible, everything usable, and all the people.

The Yellow Turban rebels in Qingzhou were like the refugee army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, going wherever they could find food. Although they did set up military farms, this was only for the stalemate phase of the battle and not a long-term strategy.

However, the Yellow Turban rebels in Runan and Yingchuan were completely different from their comrades in Qingzhou. Most of them had already taken root in the local area, focusing on farming and production, while plundering the people was secondary.

Therefore, the fundamental reason for the poor discipline of Cao Cao's Qingzhou army was not only because the soldiers came from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but also because Cao Cao could not afford to give the soldiers enough rewards and wages at that time.

After all, Cao Cao, unable to pay his soldiers enough, openly allowed his army to plunder civilians to obtain sufficient spoils of war.

What kind of military discipline can an army have when the supreme commander openly allows the looting of civilians and even takes a cut for himself?

Not to mention the later situations where people would cut off their hair to replace their heads.

The Yellow Turbans of Yuzhou were able to stay in the local area and cultivate the land, rarely roaming around and robbing the people. This made their military discipline much better than that of the Daoist friends in Qingzhou in the north.

Their localized nature would normally lead to fierce, even life-or-death, struggles with the local powerful clans and gentry.

Coincidentally, Runan was also one of the hardest-hit areas in the first wave of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Many counties and towns there were wiped out, with powerful clans and gentry being killed and the people being taken away, leaving the land empty and desolate.

Now, Liu Pi and others have settled down in this vacant land and not only have they not been attacked by local powerful figures like Gong Du, but they have also reached a tacit understanding and even started trading in private.

It must be said that Liu Pi and others were indeed skilled at farming.

Of course, even if the relationship is harmonious, precautions still need to be taken.

Local powerful figures like Gong Du were still very wary of Liu Pi and his associates.

Therefore, after Zhou Cang surrendered to Guan Yu and welcomed Guan Yu's army into Dingying, Gong Du and his men quickly received the news.

Shocked, they immediately discussed the matter and quickly made a decision.

They surrendered to Liu Bei.

Gong Du and his group were originally a small force in Runan, and in terms of both strength and influence, they were not even as powerful as Liu Pi and his group.

Gong Du was considered the leader among these local powerful families. Although he was the strongest, he only protected more than four thousand households and had two or three thousand followers.

All the others combined couldn't match half of Gong Du's strength.

Fortunately, they are located in the southwest, close to the Dabie Mountains.

They could abandon Wufang, Zhuyang and other county towns at any time and retreat directly southwest into the Tongbai Mountains.

He could move freely in and out of the situation, and others would not easily come near him.

Guan Yu's progress was so smooth that, although he remained in Dingying, he had completely opened up the left flank and effectively shielded the flank of Liu Bei's central army.

Soon, Guan Yu accepted Gong Du's surrender in Dingying. At the same time, Zhou Cang sent back a message saying that the Yellow Turbans in Runan were willing to surrender, but Liu Pi wanted to go to Xiang County to directly ask Liu Bei for surrender.

Guan Yu had no objection to this, but requested to first take up residence in Shangcai.

Liu Pi readily agreed, sending Pei Yi and Zhou Cang back to welcome Guan Yu's army, while he himself led He Man, Zhang Peng, and over a hundred cavalry to Xiang County to surrender. At the same time, he sent his younger brother Liu Jiang to guard Pingyu.

After Guan Yu entered Shangcai, he immediately established contact with Gong Du's troops. By noon the next day, the main force of Gong Du's troops had arrived outside Shangcai and were under Guan Yu's command.

After receiving permission from Liu Bei to take control of a region, Guan Yu did not continue to press on Pingyu. Instead, he reorganized his forces in Shangcai, dividing the troops of Gong Du, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yi into three units of two thousand men each.

They then submitted a memorial to Liu Bei, requesting official positions for the three men. Gong Du was appointed as Commandant, and Zhou Cang and Pei Yi were appointed as Separate Division Commanders.

Liu Bei received the news even faster, because once Liu Pi made a decision, he didn't delay any longer and led his men to Xiang County.

In just three days, Liu Pi had already arrived outside Xiang County.

When Liu Bei heard that Liu Pi had come to join him, he was momentarily stunned.

Who is Liu Pi?

Liu Bei, somewhat dazed, asked his attendants, but couldn't recall the Yellow Turbans of Runan.

This is not Liu Bei's fault. Who would have thought that the Yellow Turbans of Runan, such a large force, would surrender before the fighting even started?

Moreover, the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Runan was mainly entrusted to Guan Yu. Unless the enemy took the initiative to launch a raid of two or three hundred miles, they could not threaten Liu Bei's central army.

"My lord, this man is the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Runan. He served under Yuan Shu a few years ago, but rebelled again the year before last."

Xun You, standing to the side, said, "Congratulations, Your Excellency! With Liu Pi's arrival, the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Runan can be quelled!"

At this time, Liu Feng was no longer in Xiang County. He was accompanied by Lu Su, Liu Ye, and Guo Jia.

Lu Su and Liu Ye, along with Liu Feng, went to Dongcheng in Xiapi to strengthen their contact with Zhou Yu while monitoring Yuan Shu's every move in the two counties north of the Yangtze River, looking for an opportunity to strike decisively.

Guo Jia then went to Chengfu to serve as a military advisor to Zhang Fei.

After Zhang Fei joined forces with Zhao Yun's troops who were heading south, his army of 10,000 immediately set off, heading south along the Chu River, aiming straight for Longkang.

Despite Liu Bei's seemingly impregnable central army, his two flanks were already in action, and a hidden blade was already pressed against Yuan Shu's waist, while the former remained completely unaware.

Yuan Shu focused almost all his attention on Liu Bei in Xiang County. Zhang Fei managed to spare some troops to reinforce Longkang, hoping to prevent the enemy from encircling Shouchun.

As for Guan Yu's forces, Yuan Shu really couldn't afford to pay attention to them anymore, let alone Liu Feng's troops who were hiding in the shadows.

Only Xun You, also known as Xun Gongda, remained by Liu Bei's side, serving as the military advisor and chief strategist of the central army, equivalent to the chief of staff of an army group in later times, to advise Liu Bei.

Upon hearing this, even Liu Bei, with his deep-seated shrewdness, couldn't suppress the smile that appeared on his lips.

"I see. Sir, please come with me out of the city to welcome Liu Pi."

Liu Bei made a quick decision and decided to personally go out of the city to welcome him.

Liu Pi and the others waited outside the city to enter, showing no impatience whatsoever.

Previously, Yuan Shu's rules were much stricter than Liu Bei's. He dared to make Liu Pi and his men wait for four hours in the suburbs, almost from morning till night, even for a mere envoy.

What does this little bit of time matter right now?

Liu Pi was thinking about how to secure some benefits for the Yellow Turbans of Runan and himself when he met Liu Bei.

Although he surrendered, he still came with 300,000 troops and tens of thousands of soldiers who were ready to fight.

Liu Bei is known for his benevolence and kindness; surely he wouldn't treat me poorly, would he?
Liu Pi's face remained expressionless, but his mind was racing. He regretted not surrendering sooner, thinking that if he had acted immediately after receiving the battle report from Yingchuan, things would probably have been much better than surrendering now.

Then he thought that after surrendering, he would be living under someone else's roof and being driven by others.

With Liu Bei's campaign against Yuan Shu imminent, will he use the Yellow Turbans of Runan as cannon fodder to fill the moats outside Yuan Shu's fortified city?
On the way here, Liu Pi had also spoken with He Man and Zhang Peng. What made him feel both relieved and helpless was that even these two supported surrendering to Liu Bei, but their attitude was not as resolute and proactive as Zhou Cang and Pei Yi's.

Seeing that Liu Pi was willing to surrender, He Man and Zhang Peng breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Cang and Pei Yi were only facing Guan Yu's detachment of Liu Bei's army, while the two of them were facing Liu Bei's main force in the center. How could they not be afraid?

While Liu Pi was lost in thought, He Man and Zhang Peng appeared quite relaxed, even having time to observe Liu Bei's soldiers.

It would have been better if I hadn't observed it; once I did, I was shocked.

Liu Bei's soldiers were quite well-trained. Although the guards at the gate did not openly guard against them, they had secretly formed layers of defense.

If any of them dare to attempt to breach the gate, they will immediately face a combined attack from the city walls and the city walls.

Meanwhile, two teams of soldiers stood inside and outside the city gate respectively, ensuring that the city gate could be closed at any time.

(End of this chapter)