My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 282 Sun Xiang Surrenders
Zhang Liao exclaimed in surprise, "Ten days have passed?"

Xu Huang also looked doubtful.

Zhou Yu hurriedly explained, "Now Liu Biaoqi has raised an army in the north, and his righteous army is marching south in large numbers, and has already besieged Ruyin. Yuan Shu, in his fear, has already ordered the gates of Shouchun to be closed, leaving only one gate open each day for the people of Shouchun to go out of the city to gather firewood."

"At this time, Yuan Shu's control over the outskirts of Shouchun and the surrounding areas has been reduced to its lowest point, while Mr. Ziyang and I still have some ways to deal with things in the Jianghuai region."

Zhou Yu smiled modestly and continued, "Especially when the people of Jianghuai learned that Lord Liu was leading an army south, they were all overjoyed. The people all hoped that Lord Xuande could defeat Yuan Shu as soon as possible and relieve the suffering of the people of Jianghuai. The will of the people is the general trend."

Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci and the other two nodded in unison.

At this moment, Liu Ye returned to the main hall, and Zhou Yu revealed all his thoughts.

After listening, Liu Ye pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "Since Gongjin has such a brilliant plan, we can rest in Chengde City for a few days. According to the original plan, the troops under the command of the young master should arrive in Chengde no later than the day after tomorrow."

At this moment, Zhou Yu took the initiative to remind him: "Mr. Ziyang, Sun Xiang's troops are also very important. If we can persuade Sun Xiang to cooperate with us, we can increase our combat strength and make Yuan Shu more relaxed."

Liu Ye nodded thoughtfully.

Compared to local gentry like Zhou Yu, Yuan Shu certainly trusted his old guard, the Sun family army, more.

If Sun Xiang were involved, it would indeed be easier to deceive Yuan Shu and trick him.

That evening, Zhou Yu hosted a banquet for Taishi Ci and his generals, while Liu Ye hosted a separate banquet for Sun Xiang.

The atmosphere was quite good on both sides, and they both drank a lot that night.

In the following days, Zhu Zheng, Zheng Dang, Song Zhu and other natives of Chengde came to invite them again. Taishi Ci and the others could not refuse, so they accepted the invitation, much to Zhu Zheng and the others' delight.

At the banquet, Taishi Ci reiterated the achievements of Zhu Zheng and others, and informed them that Liu Feng was already on his way to Chengde. He said Liu Feng would arrive in Chengde in three to five days at most, accompanied by over ten thousand elite troops.

Zhu Zheng and the others were overjoyed. They had initially been slightly worried that Yuan Shu would oppose Chengde's counterattack after learning of the news.

However, it seems likely that Liu Bei's army will continue its offensive and press on.

So, that night, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. Zhu Zheng and the others highly praised Taishi Ci and his men, and even contributed a considerable amount of wine, meat, and money to reward the army. Liu Ye persuaded Taishi Ci to accept the offer, since Liu Feng would be arriving soon and he could arrange how to use the money.

Taishi Ci thought about it and accepted Liu Ye's suggestion. Liu Bei's army should still be stationed in Chengde, which would also be a thorn in the side of Jiujiang and would cut off the connection between Hefei and Shouchun.

Regardless of whether the surprise attack on Shouchun succeeds, Chengde cannot be lost.

If that's the case, then these natives are very valuable.

Don't be fooled by their weakness in front of Yuan Shu, their helplessness in the face of all kinds of exploitation. When they get to the local level, these people are the ones who have the final say.

With their wholehearted help, the chances of successfully defending Chengde City can be increased by at least 50%.

On the afternoon of the third day, Liu Feng's army finally arrived in Chengde.

The city gates of Chengde were opened wide to welcome Liu Feng.

Liu Feng did not go directly into the county government office to rest, but instead talked for a long time with Zhu Zheng and others at the city gate, affirming their merits and immediately offering Zhu Zheng the position of registrar of Chengde County.

This surprised Zhu Zheng, but also made Zheng Dang and Song Zhu extremely envious, and they also felt jealous of Zhu Zheng.

Liu Feng took all of this in mind, but pretended not to know anything, and then set off for the county government office.

After entering the county government office, Liu Feng looked around and asked, "Where is Brother Wenyang?"

Although Sun Xiang surrendered, she did not express any intention to serve Liu Bei.

Therefore, he did not participate in the welcoming ceremony for Liu Feng today and remained in the small courtyard behind the county government office.

Upon learning of this, Liu Feng nodded to Zhou Yu to show his closeness, and then said, "In that case, I will go and see Brother Wenyang first."

Liu Feng valued Sun Xiang so much not because he already knew that he needed Sun Xiang's help to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun, but because he was more focused on the future strategy for Jiangdong.

Sun's army is very capable and of a moderate size, but it may not be immune to division.

For example, Liu Feng knew that Xu Kun had a daughter who was beautiful and lovely, a famous beauty in Jiangdong. Judging by her age, she should be thirteen or fourteen years old now.

Liu Feng felt that for the sake of his father's grand ambitions and the restoration of the Han Dynasty, what did it matter if he made a little sacrifice?

Then there's Sun Ben, who, as Sun Ce's subordinate, actually arranged a marriage alliance with Cao Cao. Although Sun Ce may have tacitly approved of it, it was still quite outrageous for him to do such a thing.

His daughter married Cao Cao's son, Cao Zhang, and Sun Ben was like a feudal lord in Yuzhang. Apart from the presence of Taishi Ci, who provided some restraint, the rest of the country was like a state within a state.

Later, Sun Fu was also imprisoned and died by Sun Quan because of his collusion with Cao Cao.

It is clear that the Sun family is not a monolithic entity and has a good chance of being divided and disintegrated.

Sun Xiang was a good starting point, so Liu Feng didn't bother to cultivate a relationship with Gong Jin and went to see Sun Wenyang, who was very important in the Sun family group but had died young.

Many people in later generations only know Sun Ce and Sun Quan, but quite a few also know Sun Ben and Sun Fu.

But not many people know about Sun Xiang.

In reality, Sun Xiang was a true powerhouse on par with Sun Ben and Wu Jing, one of the three giants of the Sun family army.

Before Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, Wu Jing was the governor of Guangling, Sun Ben was the governor of Jiujiang, and Sun Xiang was the governor of Runan. This shows that his status and strength were completely on par with Sun Ben and Wu Jing.

However, when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, he happened to be in Runan, which was the farthest point from Jiangdong.

Wu Jing and Sun Ben both lost their official positions and fled, especially Sun Ben, who even abandoned his wife and children in Shouchun City.

Sun Xiang was the only one who had nowhere to run in Runan, but even so, he clearly wrote a letter to express his opposition to Yuan Shu's claim to the throne.

Soon after, Sun Xiang died of illness in Runan. Whether she truly died of illness or feigned illness is unclear.

Liu Feng soon saw Sun Xiang, who did not look well. Her dark circles were very obvious, indicating that she had been unable to sleep at night and was quite distressed.

“Brother Wenyang, my name is Liu Feng, courtesy name Zisheng. I have long admired your great name. I am delighted to meet you today.”

Sun Xiang was also very surprised by Liu Feng's sudden visit.

Sun Xiang found this very strange, not understanding why Liu Feng, with so many things to do, would come to see a surrendered general like herself first.

The Liu Bei of today is no longer the Liu Bei of the past. Putting aside his long list of titles, just the fact that he commands an army of 100,000 is something that Sun Xiang can't compare to.

Therefore, Sun Xiang wouldn't think she was that important, or that she deserved Liu Feng's special treatment.

But things are just so strange. Liu Feng really did want to sow discord within the Sun family, which is why he wanted to win him over.

Sun Xiang was puzzled, but he remained expressionless and immediately returned the greeting, saying, "How can a defeated general speak of bravery? I am deeply grateful for the generous treatment I have received from the General of the South, with ample food and clothing and impeccable manners."

Liu Feng nodded, then comforted him, "Brother Wenyang, forgive my bluntness, but this situation is not your fault in battle; it is simply the will of Heaven."

Sun Xiang looked up at Liu Feng in surprise, not understanding what he wanted to say.

Liu Feng continued, “Yuan Gonglu is a tiger in the Jianghuai region. Instead of stabilizing the region and working for the benefit of the people, he only cares about his own extravagance and debauchery. He levies exorbitant taxes and plunders the people’s wealth. His tyranny is not only as fierce as a tiger, but even King Zhou was no more tyrannical.”

Liu Feng naturally knew that King Zhou was far less cruel than historical records portrayed, but that didn't change the fact that his reputation was negative in that era. Moreover, compared to later generations, the Eastern Han Dynasty's assessment of King Zhou was relatively lenient.

Sun Xiang blushed more and more as she listened, and her proud head involuntarily drooped down.

Sun Xiang has been in Jianghuai for three or four years. How could he not know what Yuan Shu has been doing during these three or four years?

However, aside from his personal enjoyment, a large portion of the wealth and provisions that Yuan Shu plundered was distributed to these military leaders to support their troops.

“Brother Wenyang, since ancient times, those who follow the right path have many helpers, while those who stray from it have few. This is an unchanging principle. Even if Yuan Gonglu is powerful for a time, he has lost the hearts of the people. How can he last long?”

Liu Feng suddenly asked, "Brother Wenyang, do you know the origins of the Yuan family?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiang was slightly taken aback, not understanding what Liu Feng wanted to say, and shook her head somewhat blankly. Liu Feng then said, "The Yuan family has a long history, and it is said that they are descendants of Yu Shun. Since then, there have been countless branches. Among them, the most outstanding in the world is the Yuan family of Runan. Their family has produced three high-ranking officials for four generations, and they are known as the most prominent family in the world."

"The Yuan family of Runan rose to prominence because of Shao Gong'an of the Yuan family during this dynasty. He was an honest and upright official with strict and clear governance. He advocated the implementation of benevolent policies and was deeply respected and loved by officials and the people wherever he went."

"His son, Duke Shuping, was honest and upright, and did not flatter the powerful. In the end, he committed suicide to resist the chaos caused by the maternal relatives of the emperor."

"The reason why the Yuan family was able to become a respected and outstanding family in the country was because their ancestors were honest and upright and spoke out for the people."

Liu Feng sneered, "But what is the difference between what Yuan Gonglu is doing now and what his ancestors despised? Oh, there is a difference. Those people back then could not be as cruel and tyrannical as Yuan Gonglu is now."

Sun Xiang's head was bowed, her face flushed.

But then Liu Feng said, “Sun Polu rose from the countryside and always put loyalty and righteousness first in his conduct. After Dong Zhuo’s usurpation of power, the heroes of the world were all harboring their own sinister intentions and were unwilling to join forces to march west. Only Sun Polu stood alone and defeated Hu Zhen, Lü Bu, Li Jue and Guo Si in succession. He crushed the traitor Dong Zhuo in one fell swoop on the outskirts of Luoyang and restored Luoyang.”

How was Sun Polu able to accomplish such an unparalleled feat?

Liu Feng asked Sun Xiang, who hesitated and dared not answer.

Liu Feng continued, "This is precisely because Sun Polu had the emperor in his heart and the people in his mind. If Sun Polu had not wanted to capture and kill the traitor Dong Zhuo, protect the emperor, stabilize the world, and enable the people to live and work in peace, how could he have accomplished such a great feat!?"

Liu Feng's words were a complete deception of Sun Xiang. Sun Jian may have been a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, or a man of integrity and righteousness, but he was never a purely good person, much less a champion of the people. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become Yuan Shu's henchman.

The main reason Liu Feng praised him so much was that he had designs on the Sun family's inheritance, Sun Xiang, and Jiangdong.

The Sun family is no longer a nobody in Jiangdong; they are now one of the most powerful and influential families in the region.

Liu Feng didn't expect the Sun family to support him; he only hoped that after crossing the river, the Sun family wouldn't stubbornly side with Sun Ce, which would already be a victory for him.

Sun Jian was indeed a very complex person. He both longed for the aristocratic class and felt inferior about his own origins.

The reason he killed prefects and governors was essentially revenge. He had been bullied too much by these aristocratic families, and when he saw an opportunity for revenge, he became particularly ruthless.

This aroused the anger of the entire gentry class, who had no choice but to seek refuge under Yuan Shu.

At that time, the only people in the entire country who could protect him were the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

As for Sun Jian's secret possession of the imperial seal, the emperor had already been taken to Chang'an by Dong Zhuo, so even if he wanted to return it, there was nowhere for him to do so.

It's already quite loyal of them not to hand it over to Yuan Shu willingly.

As for Sun Jian wanting to become emperor, that's utter nonsense. You have to understand that although the gentry of the Eastern Han Dynasty hadn't completely transformed into powerful clans, what kind of background did Sun Jian have? Did he even deserve to be emperor?
Moreover, if Sun Jian had any selfish motives, what he should have done most would have been to expand his territory.

At that time, no one in the entire Jingzhou could withstand his military might. Back then, Liu Biao was still living under Dong Zhuo's command.

But Sun Jian launched a desperate northern expedition, as if he had some deep-seated hatred for Dong Zhuo. Even Cao Cao, after suffering a defeat, went back to conquer territory first, while Sun Jian, after suffering a defeat, quickly made a comeback.

It should be noted that Yuan Shu took the lion's share of the credit for the recapture of Luoyang.

The way he works so hard shows his true loyalty.

As for wanting to usurp the throne by coveting the imperial seal, even Sun Jian wouldn't dare to dream of such a thing.

If it were that easy, why did Sun Quan have to wait until after the Battle of Shiting to dare to declare himself emperor?

Liu Feng's question made Sun Xiang extremely ashamed and embarrassed, and her eyes even began to redden.

“I have failed my uncle and the people of Jianghuai.”

Sun Xiang finally couldn't help but repent. On the one hand, he was indeed touched by Liu Feng's words, and on the other hand, he also recalled the epic battles he fought with his uncle all the way north.

At that time, wherever Sun Jian's army went, the people would offer them food and drink, and the gentry class changed their views on Sun Jian quite a bit.

Dong Zhuo was so despicable that it made Sun Jian seem like a good person in comparison.

Luozhong, Yingchuan, and Nanyang were the three prefectures most severely ravaged by the Western Liang army. Ironically, these three prefectures were also populous, with a considerable number of people remaining at the time.

When Sun Jian launched his Northern Expedition, these people really supported him a lot. Local gentry and powerful families also helped organize laborers to transport logistical supplies for Sun's army.

Otherwise, how could Sun Jian's 20,000 to 30,000 men have fought their way from Nanyang to Luoyang?

Liu Feng stepped forward and patted Sun Xiang's hand, saying, "Brother Wenyang, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

Sun Xiang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt down before Liu Feng and bowed deeply, saying, "I was ignorant of fate and aided the wicked. I am grateful that you, General Liu, did not abandon me and gave me a profound lesson, admonishing and instructing me. I am unworthy and wish to repent and start anew. If you, General Liu, do not abandon me, allow me to stay by your side and teach you personally. I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

Sun Xiang's surrender may seem to have been persuaded by Liu Feng, but in reality, it was also a matter of going with the flow.
Just when it seemed Yuan Shu's ship was about to sink, a larger ship presented him with an opportunity.

How could Sun Xiang really want to die for Yuan Shu? Surrendering to Liu Bei's side would be the only option.

Now that Liu Feng has come in person to make overtures, although he did not explicitly persuade her to surrender, how could Sun Xiang let such an opportunity slip away?
Moreover, Sun Xiang had his own ulterior motives. In his view, Liu Feng's willingness to show concern for him, a defeated general, and his subsequent use of his uncle Sun Jian's deeds to rebuke him, clearly indicated that Liu Feng had ulterior motives.

If the purpose of using both soft and hard tactics wasn't to subdue him, why go to such lengths?

Liu Feng could simply have Sun Xiang dragged out and beheaded without much resistance.

Even if Liu Feng is kind and doesn't like killing, there's no need to care about him so much.

Just as Sun Xiang had expected.

Liu Feng was overjoyed to see Sun Xiang surrender voluntarily.

After reassuring Sun Xiang once again, Liu Feng got up and left.

As soon as they left the small courtyard where Sun Xiang was, they saw Taishi Ci, Liu Ye, Zhou Yu, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang and others standing outside the courtyard without missing a single one.

Liu Feng chuckled, shook his head, and waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow.

After the group returned to the hall and took their seats, Liu Feng said, "Gentlemen, why must you do this?"

As a result, everyone in the hall smiled without saying a word, even the impatient Pan Zhang just grinned foolishly and remained silent.

Helpless, Liu Feng didn't bother to say anything more and changed the subject to get to the main point.

Liu Ye immediately presented the plan they had drafted over the past two days, which was mainly adapted from the specific situation described by Zhou Yu.

After reading it, Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction.

He didn't really know much about Shouchun in this era. He could only vaguely remember that Shouchun was backed by Bagong Mountain to the north, bordered Shaopi to the south, and had the Fei River as its moat. He was already a representative of both geography and history.

How could anyone possibly remember that there were so many branch cities and the layout of the city gates in Shouchun City?

In Liu Ye's plan, Zhang Liao would lead 800 elite troops to infiltrate Zhou Yu's vanguard, while Xu Sheng's troops would directly change into Sun Xiang's army uniforms and follow behind Zhou Yu.

Pan Zhang's troops would disguise themselves as laborers transporting goods, adding extra carts and horses, and secretly carrying equipment.

Finally, Xu Huang, as the main general, led his cavalry to follow at the rear, ready to support Zhang Liao and Zhou Yu at any time. Taishi Ci, on the other hand, led his troops, along with Sun Xiang's surrendered soldiers, to remain in Chengde City.

The plan was actually perfectly sound; even Liu Feng couldn't find any major problems with it.

However, there were still some minor flaws that made Liu Feng a little uneasy, and he needed to make some minor adjustments.

"Wen Yuan, you only have eight hundred elite troops, and you want to seize the city gate? Isn't that a bit too presumptuous?"

In Liu Ye's plan, Zhang Liao was to lead 800 elite troops to seize the city gates, and he had to take at least one of the two southern gates.

"They're just two city gates."

Zhang Liao chuckled and replied, "The art of war says: 'The quality of an army is more important than its quantity.' Eight hundred men are enough."

(End of this chapter)