My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 292 The Peony Pond Plan
Let's go back a few days.

After Liu Feng had finished arranging most of the affairs, the generals left with their orders, but Pan Zhang stayed behind.

Liu Feng asked in surprise, "Wen Gui, do you have something to say?"

Pan Zhang looked somewhat nervous, with a hint of guilt mixed in, as he approached.

Xu Chu, standing behind Liu Feng, frowned slightly, stepped forward, and stood between Liu Feng and Pan Zhang.

A hint of annoyance flashed across Pan Zhang's face. "I was the first person to follow the young master. You think you can... what gives you the right to doubt me?"

If it weren't for the fact that he was no match for Xu Chu, Pan Zhang, with his fiery temper, wouldn't have been so polite to him.

After all, Pan Zhang was just a bit reckless, but not stupid.

Just as Pan Zhang was blushing and caught in a dilemma, Liu Feng gently pushed Xu Chu away and explained, "Zhongkang, there's no need for this. Wen Gui has been with me for many years, and we've known each other since we were commoners. We have a deep and lasting friendship, and he would never harm me."

"Little Lord."

Pan Zhang felt a warm glow in his heart, and glanced at Xu Chu with a smug look, feeling quite pleased with himself.

See? The young master's most trusted confidant is still me, Pan Wengui. Although you are better at fighting than me, you are still not as important to the young master as I am.

Xu Chu didn't even glance at Pan Zhang. After hearing Liu Feng's words, he stepped aside, but kept a distance that allowed him to protect Liu Feng at any time.

After Pan Zhang stepped forward, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but then paused.

His open mouth but unable to utter a word was quite comical, but neither Liu Feng nor Xu Chu laughed at him. Instead, Liu Feng frowned in surprise and scolded, "Wen Gui, what are you up to?"

Pan Zhang, after being scolded by Liu Feng, became more relaxed and chuckled, saying, "Young Master, this is what happened. Yesterday, when my subordinate Sima Ma Zhong was suppressing the enemy outside the city, he saw a group of defeated soldiers rushing into a wealthy mansion, so he immediately took action to suppress them."

"Upon inquiry, it turned out that the defeated soldiers were actually lusting after the young lady of this family and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap her out of the city."

Liu Feng asked in surprise, "Whose daughter is this, that she has attracted the covetous eyes of defeated soldiers?"

Pan Zhang clapped his hands and said, "That's right. Ma Zhong asked carefully and found out that this family was actually the family of Qiao Rui, the garrison commander of Ruyin, and those two young ladies were Qiao Rui's nieces."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng was immediately stunned.

Qiao Rui's two nieces, both exceptionally beautiful, were able to attract the attention of defeated soldiers who abducted them.

Could this be Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao?
Strictly speaking, it should be called Big Bridge and Small Bridge, but during the Eastern Han Dynasty, "bridge" and "qiao" were interchangeable.

Qiao Xuan, Cao Cao's mentor, was also often referred to as Qiao Xuan or Qiao Gong.

Liu Feng looked at Pan Zhang with some surprise, and sighed inwardly. This guy's luck was truly amazing. In the original history, he was always able to catch up with the meat whenever Eastern Wu was eating meat, but when it came to gnawing on bones, he always managed to avoid it by some twist of fate.

Either he was extremely lucky, blessed by the heavens, or Sun Quan treated him differently and secretly took care of him. But the latter cannot explain why Sun Quan was still taking care of Pan Zhang even when he was about to lose his life in the Second Battle of Hefei.

"Where are Qiao Rui's family members?"

Liu Feng naturally expressed his concern, saying that Qiao Rui's situation was currently related to the gains and losses of Ruyin, and it was no small matter.

If Qiao Rui were to surrender, it would not only save time and effort, but also preserve hundreds or even thousands of Xuzhou soldiers.

When Liu Feng was in command of troops, he still hoped to minimize casualties in most situations, because he still maintained a modern mindset, valuing human life and the common people.

Moreover, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Eastern Han Dynasty had already suffered enough deaths, and the population in various regions was declining rapidly, especially in the Central Plains.

Xuzhou's population had already plummeted by half, and it simply couldn't afford to squander the money recklessly.

This is also why Liu Feng tried his best to protect the 500,000 to 600,000 people in Jianghuai. He could save lives, prioritize people's well-being, and strengthen his own power, all at the cost of a small amount of money and grain.

If they really couldn't afford it, that would be fine, but fortunately, Liu Bei's army can still squeeze out these expenses, so Liu Feng naturally won't be stingy.

Besides, these expenses are actually an investment. If the water conservancy projects in the Jianghuai region are dredged and repaired, Jiujiang will become a land of plenty.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the State of Chu built the famous Shaopi irrigation system, relying on the Huai River, Fei River, and Bi River. Although it could not compare with the Zheng Guo Canal and Dujiangyan Irrigation System of the State of Qin, it was still enough to rank third. It transformed the Jianghuai region, which was originally prone to flooding, into a land of fish and rice, providing a solid material foundation for the State of Chu to dominate the world.

Pan Zhang puffed out his chest and said, "Young Master, please rest assured. Ma Zhong is quite sensible and knows the seriousness of the matter. He immediately sent people to protect Qiao Rui's family, and even sent those two young ladies to the palace. Please take good care of them, Young Master."

Liu Feng was nodding at first, but something seemed off as he listened.

"You even sent them to the palace?"

Liu Feng looked surprised: "Since we've already sent someone to look after him, why send him into the palace?"

Pan Zhang coughed lightly and explained, "Those two women have already been arranged in the back hall. Young Master will know as soon as he sees them."

Liu Feng glanced at Pan Zhang and realized there was something fishy about him, so he stopped arguing with him.

"Alright, I understand. Wen Gui, you can go now."

Upon hearing this, Pan Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took his leave.

Upon exiting the palace, Ma Zhong, who was guarding outside, immediately came to greet them.

"General, what did the young master say?"

Pan Zhang rolled his eyes at the other person, annoyed: "How so? You gave me a good scolding."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhong was taken aback at first, then chuckled.

Pan Zhang immediately flew into a rage: "I got insulted, and you idiot are still so happy about it."

Ma Zhong hurriedly explained, "General, you have wronged me. Think about it carefully. If the young master really blamed you, would he have just said a few words to you lightly?"

Pan Zhang pondered for a while, then his anger turned to joy: "It seems that what you said does make some sense. Then why did the young master scold me?"

Ma Zhong, furious at his lack of integrity, said, "General, what we did was forcibly abduct women. Do you think the young master would praise us?"

"That makes sense, that makes sense, you are absolutely right."

Pan Zhang suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "Please give me more pointers in the future."

Ma Zhong was overjoyed and quickly replied modestly, "General, you are simply too busy with important matters to think about such trivial things."

Pan Zhang was unmoved by Ma Zhong's flattery and instead said sternly, "Just say what I'm told. What do you mean by being busy with countless affairs of state? I don't understand, and I don't understand."

"Yes, General!"

Ma Zhong quickly changed his expression and said, "This humble servant will remember the general's instructions."

Pan Zhang then turned his anger into joy and said, "That's more like it! Come on, let me treat you to a drink!"

Ma Zhong quickly followed Pan Zhang onto his horse, and the two headed straight for the military camp.

********
At first, Liu Feng didn't realize what was happening, but after Pan Zhang said that he had already sent Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao into the palace, he came to his senses.

Before, I was still young, and my subordinates didn't dare to be too hasty.

Now that I'm getting older, I'm afraid there will be more and more of these situations where I have to offer up beautiful women as tributes in the future.

Whether to accept it or not, that is the question.

Liu Feng sighed, "If it benefits the country, I would risk my life; how could I avoid it because of a woman?"

I'll have to make quite a few sacrifices in the future.

Seeing Liu Feng suddenly sigh deeply, Xu Chu suddenly asked, "Young Master, are you going to the back hall to see those two young ladies?"

Liu Feng looked at Xu Chu with a bewildered expression. "You, Xu Zhongkang, with your thick eyebrows, big eyes, and seemingly honest face, you've also learned to speak sarcastically to your superiors?"

Although Liu Feng wanted to meet the second of the Ten Beauties of the Three Kingdoms, it was daytime now, and if he went to the inner palace at this time, rumors would spread that he was indulging in debauchery in broad daylight.

But Xu Chu just looked at him with an innocent expression, his honest demeanor preventing Liu Feng from retaliating.

"Hey……"

Liu Feng could only sigh and change the subject, asking, "Have Mr. Yaoqing and Mr. Yingqing arrived?"

Xu Chu immediately replied, "They have arrived and are waiting for us in the left side hall."

Since returning from his mission to Liu Bei, Yuan Huan has remained secluded at home, ignoring Yuan Shu's repeated invitations. As a result, he inadvertently avoided a military disaster.

Early this morning, Liu Feng sent someone to invite Yuan Huan and his brother Yuan Min to come and meet him.

Judging by the time, the results should be available by now.

Liu Feng had previously worried that Yuan Huan would make excuses to avoid the situation, but now it seems that Yuan Huan still cares about the people of Jianghuai.

"Come, follow me to see Mr. Yaoqing." Yuan Huan and his brother Yuan Min were in a side hall. Tea was served in front of them, but no one had touched it.

"Brother, do you know why Liu Zhengnan summoned us?"

Yuan Min asked softly.

Yuan Huan frowned and shook his head: "I don't know either."

If it weren't for Liu Feng's letter offering a lifeline to the people of Jianghuai, Yuan Huan might not have been willing to come out.

Don't be fooled by Yuan Huan's soft demeanor when facing Liu Bei; he simply didn't want to die, not because he was afraid of it.

Otherwise, with Lü Bu holding a knife to his neck, wouldn't he have said a few bad things about Liu Bei?
Yuan Min then asked, "Does elder brother know why he sought out my humble younger brother?"

Yuan Huan shook his head again, though he himself was also a little puzzled.

It was already quite strange that Liu Feng knew his younger brother's name, since he was not well-known and had never served under Yuan Shu. He even specifically asked Liu Feng to come along.

It should be noted that Yuan Huan had more than one brother, Yuan Min, by his side at this time.

Yuan Min was Yuan Huan's cousin. Min also had two older brothers, the eldest named Ba and the second named Hui.

But Liu Feng skipped those two people and directly called out Yuan Min's name, which really piqued people's curiosity.

Yuan Min was quite young and felt rather uneasy at this moment.

Yuan Huan sighed and comforted him, "Don't panic. Liu Zhengnan inherited his father's temperament; he is tolerant, magnanimous, and kind to others. When the time comes, just answer truthfully whatever they ask you."

"Here!"

The three Yuan brothers all held Yuan Huan, their elder brother, in high esteem.

If it weren't for their elder brother leading them to escape the famine, who knows what would have become of them back in their hometown? They would most likely have starved to death.

The most terrifying thing about the late Eastern Han Dynasty was that all people were treated equally; even famous scholars and officials could starve to death.

Xiahou Yuan once starved his own young son to death for the sake of his cousin's only daughter.

It wasn't that Xiahou Yuan was risking his young son's life to gain prestige; it was simply that his family was truly starving at the time.

Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun were not biological brothers. Xiahou Dun's family was wealthy, while Xiahou Yuan's family was very poor and relied entirely on the salary paid by Cao Cao.

Xiahou Yuan neither drank the blood of soldiers nor took bribes, so he naturally had no extra money. In addition, it was the most difficult time for Yanzhou at that time, and the fact that only one of his young children starved to death was already a testament to Xiahou Yuan's considerable abilities.

Soon, Liu Feng brought Xu Chu in from outside.

Yuan Huan was an acquaintance, someone I had met before. The remaining young man, who looked somewhat nervous, was clearly Yuan Min.

Liu Feng walked closer, glanced at Yuan Min, and asked, "Mr. Yaoqing, is this your younger brother, Yuan Yingqing?"

Yuan Huan cupped his hands and replied, "It is indeed my younger brother. I did not expect that the general would also know his name."

Liu Feng burst into laughter: "I've heard that your younger brother is quite knowledgeable in the field of water management and water conservancy. I wonder if that's true?"

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Yuan Huan and Yuan Min were both taken aback.

Yuan Min has loved water conservancy since childhood and enjoys reading classics on water management. Although he is not very old, he already has a lot of knowledge. What he lacks is experience.

However, water management is not a Confucian classic, and since the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, after the court made great efforts to manage water, the court's efforts to manage water have been declining year by year.

In addition, with the arrival of the Little Ice Age, rainfall across China has decreased significantly, the agricultural line has continued to shift southward, droughts have occurred frequently in various regions, and the importance of water management has been continuously reduced.

However, water conservancy projects and water management are actually complementary. Dredging rivers, reinforcing river embankments, and drawing water all require knowledge of water management. In ancient times, few water conservancy experts were ignorant of water management.

vice versa.

However, Yuan Min's fondness for classic texts on water management was known only to members of the Yuan family. How did Liu Feng, an outsider, learn of these things?

Yuan Huan and Yuan Min were both surprised and uneasy.

Liu Feng, however, remained calm and said to Yuan Huan and Yuan Min, "Please take a seat, gentlemen."

After speaking, Liu Feng walked confidently to the head of the table and sat down, while Xu Chu, as usual, stood silently beside Liu Feng.

After the Yuan brothers sat down, he asked with a smile, "I invited you two here today because I have a favor to ask of you."

The Yuan brothers looked somewhat uneasy, but it was inconvenient for them to refuse.

After all, Liu Feng didn't even mention anything, and you refused, which could easily anger him.

Yuan Huan deliberately waited a moment, but Liu Feng just smiled at him without saying anything more, and his heart sank.

Little did he know that Liu Feng was deliberately trying to scare him. Who told the other party to be so disrespectful? He had been recommended as a talented scholar by his own father, yet he still wanted to pledge allegiance to Yuan Shu.

My own father might be magnanimous and not care, but I can't; I have to stand up for him.

Moreover, he is likely to give these two brothers an important position in the future, which can be seen as a way of first suppressing them to prevent the Yuan family of Chen Commandery from getting too cocky.

Seeing that Liu Feng remained silent, Yuan Huan and Yuan Min felt increasingly pressured.

Liu Feng himself may not have realized it, but in the eyes of Yuan Huan and Yuan Min, the young man in front of them was a famous general who had won two battles in the Jianghuai region and captured Yuan Shu in one night.

At this time, Liu Feng was already the General Who Conquers the South and had the authority to establish his own government. Who knows if he could ask about the vacant positions of Left and Right General after returning to the capital?

I've heard that the Emperor is quite close to Liu Zisheng.

In the end, Yuan Huan and Yuan Min could not withstand the pressure and left their seats to kneel and say, "We were accomplices in the evil deeds, but were fortunate to be rescued by the general. My brother and I are now willing to make amends and beg the general to give us the opportunity to serve."

Liu Feng then showed a satisfied expression and nodded, saying, "To be honest, there is indeed something I would like to ask of you two."

“Since the pre-Qin period, after the State of Chu built the Shaopi Weir, the Jianghuai region had already transformed from a vast marshland into a land of fish and rice.”

Liu Feng sighed: "But now Shaopi still exists, but the water conservancy channels that accompanied Shaopi have all been damaged and filled with silt, and it is no longer what it used to be."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huan and Yuan Min couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Could it be that Liu Feng intends to rebuild the Shaopi irrigation project?
The two were both surprised and suspicious, but it was wartime.

Moreover, local warlords are too busy plundering the local areas, and any surplus money and grain they have will be used to expand their armies. They are unwilling to allocate it to the local areas for practical work, let alone major projects such as water conservancy projects.

Although Yuan Min lacked experience, she was not ignorant of the facts.

According to his estimate, repairing Shaopi would require at least 100 million in money and grain, including 100 million to 200 million in cash and over 1 million shi of grain.

Otherwise, you won't be able to repair anything that looks good.

"General, Shaopi is very large, not only occupying most of Jiujiang, but also radiating to half of Lujiang."

Yuan Min, being young, couldn't help but question, "At least tens of thousands of laborers would have to be conscripted. The Jianghuai region is exhausted and the people are impoverished; it is truly unable to bear such a heavy burden."

Liu Feng glanced at Yuan Min, surprised that the little guy had such courage and dared to speak up for the common people.

Although Liu Feng is just a teenager, he has lived two lives and is almost fifty years old. Calling Yuan Min "little guy" is really not a problem.

Liu Feng glanced at Yuan Min but didn't answer him. Instead, he asked Yuan Huan, "What do you think, Mr. Yaoqing?"

Yuan Huan frowned. To be honest, Yuan Min was absolutely right.

They have been living in the Jianghuai region for two years now. The Yuan family of Chenjun is different from the Yuan family of Runan; they are more down-to-earth.

The three Yuan brothers frequently left the city and went deep into the grassroots, where they witnessed the tragic state of the Jianghuai region after it had been ravaged by Yuan Shu.

Therefore, Yuan Min couldn't help but persuade Liu Feng to abandon the idea of ​​burdening the people and give the farmers time to rest and recuperate.

From this perspective, Yuan Min is worthy of admiration.

He had no idea that Liu Feng would definitely not touch him, nor did he know what Liu Feng was thinking.

Hearing Liu Feng's pressing question, Yuan Huan could only sigh and say, "The desire to conquer the south is certainly good, but now is not the time for the project."

"After Yuan Shikai took control of the Jianghuai region, his excessive exploitation led to the people being forced to sell their children to pay taxes. This sparked a popular uprising, which was then suppressed by the army. The Jianghuai region is no longer the land of fish and rice it once was, and is now suffering terribly. It is simply no longer able to perform such large-scale labor service."

Yuan Huan finally made up his mind to tell Liu Feng the truth. Firstly, he genuinely sympathized with the common people, and secondly, his personality dictated that he did not want to lie.

"The general has a heart that loves the people, which is truly a blessing for them. However, starting construction at this time is like a long-term patient suddenly taking strong medicine. The medicine cannot take effect in time, and the patient is already too weak to take the medicine, so he dies."

Yuan Huan earnestly advised, "If you truly wish to rebuild Shaopi, General, you should reduce taxes and corvée labor for three years, allowing the people of Jianghuai to recuperate and rebuild before proceeding with this project. This will ensure that nothing goes wrong."

(End of this chapter)