My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 294 Liu Xun of Lujiang
On Guo Jia's advice, after entering Longkang, Zhang Fei did not continue forward. Instead, he pacified the counties south of Pei, keeping all the officials in their posts and ordering them to immediately organize the autumn harvest.

In addition, Guo Jia personally led a group to the counties south of Pei to seal up the account books. Of course, he was accompanied by a full five hundred elite armored soldiers in case anyone was desperate.

Zhang Fei's main force remained in Longkang, suppressing Peinan, Runan, and cities near Jiujiang. This triangular area contained more than ten counties.

In particular, Ping'a and Zhongli in Jiujiang Prefecture also surrendered obediently at this time.

They dared to delay before because they were far from Shouchun, but Zhang Fei of Longkang only needed to go south along the Huai River and then east to reach Zhongli City in just three to five days.

Now the enemy dared not delay any longer and immediately sent someone to surrender to Liu Bei's army, also sending a letter of surrender to Shouchun and Longkang at the same time.

It can only be said that some people are afraid of power but not of virtue.

In this way, Liu Bei's southward campaign resulted in the complete capture of Pei State, most of Runan, half of Jiujiang Commandery, and a small portion of Lujiang Commandery.

Yangquan, Liaoxian, and Anfeng, located in northern Lujiang, also sent letters of surrender, expressing their willingness to submit to Liu Bei.

It can be said that this southern expedition has been a great success.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, once news of Liu Bei's great victory, capture of Shouchun, and capture of Yuan Shu alive spreads, the remaining southwestern Runan, as well as the southern Jiujiang, central and southern Lujiang, will all surrender without resistance.

After all, if a powerful warlord like Yuan Shu, who commanded an army of 70,000 to 80,000, could be captured so easily, then the county magistrates and chiefs with only a couple hundred soldiers would be more inclined to hesitate and refuse to take on the responsibility of resisting the pressure alone.

The situation was initially very positive, and Liu Feng had already begun to work on the repair plan for the Shaopi water conservancy project, and to take stock of the stored goods and grain in preparation for the project.

But an unexpected incident still occurred.

When Yang Hong arrived in Shucheng, Shuxian was already under martial law. It was clear that they had also received the battle report from northern Lujiang, and at least knew that Liu Bei's army had entered Lujiang.

After Yang Hong revealed his identity, the city gate of Shuxian quickly opened and welcomed him inside.

Liu Xun and Yang Hong had a rather ordinary relationship, but Yuan Yin, Yuan Shu's cousin who came with Yang Hong, was a close friend of Liu Xun.

This combination was intentional on Liu Feng's part.

As soon as Yang Hong and Yuan Yin entered the city, they were sent to the prefectural government.

After entering the hall and sitting down, tea was quickly served.

Soon after, Yuan Yin was asked to leave, leaving only Yang Hong behind.

Yang Hong's expression darkened slightly, and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

This Liu Xun is truly a military man, completely lacking the demeanor of a scholar, and is utterly foolish.

On the other side, Yuan Yin was invited to the back hall, where he found Liu Xun waiting for him.

"Zhongji, it's been a long time."

At this moment, Yuan Yin was in a state of despair, like a dog with its tail between its legs. How could he dare to be presumptuous in front of Liu Xun? He immediately returned the greeting and said, "It has been nine months since I last saw Brother Zitai after we parted at the New Year."

His words, though enthusiastic, carried a hint of flattery.

Liu Xun smiled and said, "Zhongji, please sit down."

Yuan Yin was somewhat flattered and quickly sat down in front of Liu Xun.

After taking his seat, Yuan Yin organized his thoughts and began to persuade Yuan Yin to surrender.

Yuan Yin was serious about persuading Yuan Shu to surrender, because Yuan Shu had been captured alive by Liu Feng, and the Yuan family in Jianghuai had been almost wiped out.

Yuan Yin's own wife, children, and elderly parents were also in Shouchun. What he wanted to do most right now was to successfully persuade Liu Xun to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, even though the darkness was none other than their old Yuan family in Runan.

However, circumstances are beyond human control. If they can successfully persuade Liu Xun to surrender, then this attempt to persuade him to surrender will be a great achievement.

With this merit, one can either advance to a position within Liu Bei's group or ensure that one's family is not implicated by Yuan Shu.

Yuan Yin was about to speak when Liu Xun stopped him.

Liu Xun raised his hand to stop Yuan Yin, and then said, "Zhongji, tell me about what happened that night."

Yuan Yin paused for a moment, then became somewhat hesitant.

Liu Xun suddenly glared at him: "Zhongji, can't you even tell me about this?"

Yuan Yin hurriedly waved his hand and could only say: "Actually, the people of Shouchun later learned that Sun Xiang had already joined forces with Liu Bei's army and successfully captured Zhou Yu and the reinforcements from Lujiang in Chengde."

"After persuading Zhou Yu to surrender, Liu Bei's army changed into the clothes and flags of the Lujiang reinforcements and Sun Xiang's army, and thus managed to infiltrate Shouchun City under the guise of reinforcements from the south."

When Yuan Yin spoke of Sun Xiang, he seemed to grit his teeth in anger.

"Eight days ago, on the night of the last night, Liu Bei's army launched a surprise attack while the Left General was holding a grand banquet for his officials. They first took control of the deputy generals of each unit, and then, with the help of both inside and outside forces, they broke through the palace."

Yuan Yin's eyes reddened, a genuine expression of his emotions.

After all, he had become a prisoner overnight, and now he had to rely on Liu Xun's choice to raise his own status. He was filled with bitterness and had no one to confide in.

"Humph."

Liu Xun suddenly let out a cold snort, startling Yuan Yin awake.

Under Yuan Yin's surprised and suspicious gaze, Liu Xun asked, "Was it only Sun Xiang who betrayed us? Did Zhou Yu betray us?"

Yuan Yin immediately nodded and said, "Zhou Yu naturally surrendered to Liu Bei as well. He was the one who led Liu Bei's army to find our lord in the palace later."

Liu Xun seemed to have received a satisfactory answer and slowly nodded.

Seeing Liu Xun fall into deep thought after asking his question, Yuan Yin dared not disturb him and could only wait on the side.

After a while, seeing that Liu Xun still showed no intention of speaking, Yuan Yin had no choice but to ask in a low voice, "Brother Zitai, what are your plans now?"

Liu Xun was startled awake by Yuan Yin. He looked up at the other man but showed no displeasure.

Instead of answering, he asked, "Zhongji, in your opinion, what is the fighting strength of Liu Bei's army? How many of Liu Bei's troops infiltrated Shouchun at that time?"

Liu Xun repeatedly changed the subject, asking questions instead of answering them. Yuan Yin was naturally dissatisfied, but he dared not speak out and had to obediently answer Liu Xun's questions.

"At that time, Liu Bei's army had at least 20,000 troops that had infiltrated the city, Sun Xiang's army numbered 4,000, civilian laborers numbered 6,000, and Lujiang reinforcements numbered 8,000. In addition, there were civilian laborers from Hefei and Chengde that they claimed to have, bringing the total number of people who had infiltrated Shouchun City to more than 20,000."

Yuan Yin wasn't lying, but he was mistaken.

He thought that Liu Bei's army had completely replaced Yuan Shu's reinforcements and laborers, but in reality, Liu Feng's army consisted of only a little over 10,000 men who disguised themselves and entered Shouchun.

Liu Xun stroked his short beard, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

The incorrect information led him to a wrong conclusion: he thought that Liu Bei's army was not that strong, and that Yuan Shu's quick defeat was mainly due to the presence of a traitor like Sun Xiang.

Seeing that he had already answered so many questions, Yuan Yin mustered up his courage and asked, "Zitai, what exactly are you thinking? At least give me a straight answer."

Seeing that Yuan Yin was truly anxious, Liu Xun stopped making excuses and said, "Since that's the case, Liu Xuande, if you want me to switch allegiance, you should at least offer some conditions, right?"

Yuan Yin quickly presented the conditions offered by Liu Feng: "Liu Zhengnan promised that as long as you agree to switch sides, your treatment will remain the same. If you want to join the army, you can start as a Lieutenant General and lead an army on your own. If you want to enter politics, you can choose a large prefecture in Xu or Yu provinces to serve as its governor."

"Oh……"

Liu Xun's expression remained calm, clearly indicating that he wasn't particularly interested in the terms.

"What if I want to join the military and also pursue a career in politics?"

Faced with Liu Xun's question, Yuan Yin's eyes widened, unsure how to answer.

"How...how can this be allowed?"

Liu Xun scoffed, "I've heard that Chen Yuanlong of Xiapi and Zang Xuangao of Taishan both governed their respective regions and were in charge of both military and political affairs. Why can't I do it?"

"Moreover, Chen Yuanlong of Xiapi is a renowned scholar, while Zang Xuangao of Mount Tai is nothing but the son of a minor official and a bandit from Mount Tai! How can such a person be qualified to govern a prefecture? I think Liu Bei has no one left to rely on!"

Liu Xun belittled Zang Ba to the point of worthlessness. As a descendant of the Langya Liu clan, it was perfectly normal for him to look down on Zang Ba.

Moreover, who were the people Liu Xun was handing over to?

He was a protégé and former subordinate of Yuan Shu, and a close friend of Cao Cao.

However, with so many distinguished guests, Liu Xun felt extremely insulted that Zang Ba, a bandit born from the son of a minor official, was worthy of being on equal footing with him.

Yuan Yin blinked, not understanding where Liu Xun got such confidence. Liu Bei was now a powerful warlord with 100,000 troops, and he had easily dealt with Yuan Shu. You, a mere governor of Lujiang, dare to look down on Liu Bei so much? Who gave you the courage?

Seemingly seeing through Yuan Yin's thoughts, Liu Xun smiled with a hint of disdain. He did not intend to answer, but instead said, "Zhongji has come from afar and must be tired. Why don't you go and take a bath and rest first? Tonight, I will host a banquet for Zhongji."

Yuan Yin felt somewhat displeased, but when he thought about Yang Hong, who was still being left outside, he felt much better.

Moreover, he knew that even if he pressed Liu Xun for answers, Liu Xun would not reveal his hand.

Since that's the case, you might as well just go and rest.

"Alright, but Zitai, you still need to be more cautious. Liu Bei is currently at the height of his power, with a large army under his command. You only have one commandery, so it's difficult for you to compete with him. Besides, some things require decisive action. If you need to make a decision, you should do so immediately, otherwise things may change."

After saying this, Yuan Yin got up to take his leave and, guided by a maid, went to his guest quarters to rest.

After Yuan Yin left, Liu Xun remained seated in the same spot without moving.

After a moment, Liu Xun suddenly spoke up: "Why hasn't De Gui come out yet? Could it be that there is a beautiful woman behind the screen?"

A soft laugh came from behind the screen, and then a handsome young man with a fair complexion emerged, though his belly was a little large.

This person was none other than Cai Mao and Cai Degui from Xiangyang.

"It's truly a case of good intentions gone unrewarded. I saw you deep in thought behind the screen and dared not come out to disturb your thoughts, yet you slandered me as a villain. It's truly infuriating and lamentable."

Cai Mao walked out from behind the screen and sat down in the seat where Yuan Yin had been sitting, showing no sign of unease.

“Zitai, Zhongji is of average appearance and has no great talent, but he said one thing that is correct.”

Liu Xun looked up, his face filled with curiosity, and asked with a smile, "Which sentence did De Gui say?"

Cai Mao replied solemnly, "A decisive action must be taken when necessary; delay may lead to unforeseen complications."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xun nodded.

In fact, the collusion between Jingzhou and Liu Xun did not just happen recently.

Since the second year of Xingping, after Liu Xun took over as the governor of Lujiang, he has been colluding with the people of Jingzhou.

Because Liu Xun and Cai Mao were good friends, and Liu Biao was also an old acquaintance.

Yuan Shu placed him in this position with the intention of easing tensions with Liu Biao.

Therefore, Yuan Shu not only harbored no resentment towards Liu Xun's collusion with Jingzhou, but was actually pleased with it and even secretly encouraged it.

Yuan Shu concentrated most of his troops either in Shouchun, aiming to expand into Runan and Pei in Yuzhou, or in Liyang, aiming to expand into Jiangdong.

There simply isn't much power left to allocate to Lujiang.

Under such a strategic situation, if Lujiang could stabilize Liu Biao and maintain a peaceful relationship with him, it would be tantamount to adding tens of thousands of troops to Yuan Shu's army without incurring the cost of maintaining them.

It should be understood that Jingzhou, where Liu Biao was located, posed a significant threat to Lujiang, and Lujiang would certainly be the first target for any group of people from Jingzhou who sailed down the river.

If Lujiang is not captured, Chaisang will be isolated and helpless, and it will be easy for the enemy to take it back.

Therefore, if you want to conquer Yuzhang along the Yangtze River, you should first take Lujiang. Only by controlling Lujiang and then moving down the river from there is the best strategy.

Liu Xun's succession also gave Liu Biao and the Jingzhou group an idea: could they win over Liu Xun and then legitimately annex Lujiang?

In this way, Liu Biao could achieve great things with a small investment, annexing Lujiang and extending his reach into the Jianghuai region, while also covering his army's entry into Yuzhang. If all went well, he might even have the opportunity to swallow Yangzhou whole.

Even if Liu Xun tries to play both sides, Jingzhou can still purchase urgently needed strategic materials such as tung oil from Lujiang, so it won't suffer any losses.

Therefore, the relationship has been maintained for the past two years.

This time, Liu Bei suddenly received an imperial edict to punish the traitor Yuan Shu and march south. Liu Biao felt this was an opportunity, so he secretly sent Cai Mao to try to win over Liu Xun.

In fact, Cai Mao had already arrived long before Zhou Yu set off.

However, neither Cai Mao nor Liu Xun expected that Yuan Shu would be so incompetent. He lost Shouchun in less than a month, and even Yuan Shu himself was unable to escape.

Seeing that Liu Xun remained silent, Cai Mao had no choice but to speak up: "Zitai, although Jingzhou is upstream of Yangzhou and can be reached by going down the river, it still takes time to advance to Shucheng. Moreover, General Liu is currently riding high on his momentum, and even my lord is wary of him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xun was somewhat displeased: "Liu Bei is nothing more than a weaver of mats and a seller of shoes. His current power is merely a pretense of being the emperor. Besides, Mengde is still in charge of the central government. Do you and I not know Mengde's abilities?"

Upon hearing Liu Xun's arrogant words, Cai Mao actually nodded in agreement. This was because Cai Mao was also a good friend of Cao Cao and held Cao Cao's abilities in high esteem; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a fanboy.

Liu Xun continued, "If Liu Xuande dares to force me, I will surrender to the court and join Mengde. I don't believe that Liu Xuande would dare to defy the world and invade my Lujiang!"

Upon seeing Liu Xun invoke Cao Cao and the imperial court's faction, Cai Mao frowned slightly, but showed no anger.

He calmly replied, "Zitai, I have said what I needed to say and given all the conditions I could. If you are willing, I will immediately send a message to Xiangyang to order Lord Huang to send troops to your aid. If you are not willing, then I will not bother you any longer and plan to return to Xiangyang in the next few days."

Liu Xun knew that Cai Mao was dissatisfied with his indecisiveness and was preparing to leave.

At the same time, this is also a final ultimatum and a show of pressure.

Liu Xun sighed inwardly, realizing that his own strength was too weak. If he had 20,000 to 30,000 elite troops, why would he have to worry about not being able to defend Lujiang?

However, it is indeed time to make a decision.

"Why is De Gui in such a hurry?"

Under Cai Mao's ultimatum, Liu Xun finally made up his mind: "My mind is made up, and I will submit to Governor Liu of Jingzhou. I hope that Governor Liu can send reinforcements as soon as possible and station them in Lujiang."

"it is good!"

Seeing that Liu Xun had finally relented and made a decision, no longer wavering, Cai Mao was overjoyed: "My lord had long said that Zitai would surely be the host of the east, and today his words have come true."

The host mentioned by Cai Mao refers to Liu Xiu and his famous generals during the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Both the Han and Han dynasties had a tradition of following ancient precedents and particularly enjoyed drawing upon historical stories.

Once you have a story (history) associated with you, everything you do will have the effect of +1 to legal principles and +1 to righteousness.

There are three anecdotes about the "Master of the Northern Road" during the founding period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, referring to Deng Chen, Geng Yan, and Peng Chong respectively.

But Cai Mao was referring to Deng Chen.

Deng Chen met with Emperor Guangwu in Hebei. After their meeting, Deng Chen pledged his allegiance to Emperor Guangwu with the Changshan prefecture and was praised by Emperor Guangwu as the master of the northern route.

This perfectly suited Liu Xun's decision to surrender the entire Lujiang prefecture to Liu Biao at that moment.

As expected, Liu Xun was immediately pleased upon hearing this, and he took Cai Mao's hand and said, "In the future, when we serve as ministers in the same court, I will need De Gui to give me more guidance and help."

Cai Mao did not refuse, but solemnly promised, "We are close friends, how could I dare to disobey?"

After saying this, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Xun inquired about the military reinforcements: "How long will it take for Lord Huang to arrive?"

Cai Mao sent a message back to Jingzhou immediately after learning of the fall of Shouchun.

Jiangxia is the front line to Jiangdong and has always been the strongest vassal army of Jingzhou, with a permanent garrison of more than 20,000 men, half of whom are naval troops, whose mobility along the river is almost as fast as a galloping horse.

Starting from Jiangxia, it only takes three to four days to reach Lujiang.

However, the number of troops that can be mobilized, and the number of troops that can be deployed immediately, can vary greatly.

Cai Mao immediately replied, “Lord Huang has over 20,000 elite troops under his command, ready to fight at any time, and most of them can come to our aid. As for Governor Liu of Jingzhou, it will take half a month to mobilize troops. Liu Feng has just occupied Shouchun and has no spare strength to go south. In my opinion, Zitai only needs to guard Shucheng carefully, and Liu Feng will have no way to do anything.”

Liu Xun nodded in agreement.

In fact, that was indeed his thinking; otherwise, he wouldn't have made the decisive decision to join Liu Biao.

Liu Biao indeed treated him very well, still appointing him as the governor of Lujiang Commandery. Only one-third of the taxes from Lujiang Commandery needed to be paid to Yuan Shu, with the remainder left to support his army.

Besides, Liu Biao would not interfere with Liu Xun's adjustments to the counties under his jurisdiction for the next three years, as long as Liu Xun guaranteed the supply of war supplies such as tung oil to Jingzhou.

This was practically a small, insignificant regional military governor who only obeyed orders and not decrees, and Liu Bei's side only offered him the position of prefect with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and even specified that he had to move.

(End of this chapter)