My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 295 Joining Liu Biao
Lujiang was a stronghold that Liu Xun had finally acquired and painstakingly built up over two years. How could he bear to give it up, especially since he was ambitious and saw this as a golden opportunity?

"De Gui, I will feign compliance for now. You should ask Governor Liu to come to our aid as soon as possible."

Since Liu Xun had already made his decision, he naturally urged Liu Biao to place his bet quickly: "Liu Feng also has 20,000 to 30,000 men. Once the Left General surrenders, the entire line of Ruyin, Shencheng, and Xiacai will collapse. Liu Bei will soon be able to march south to Shouchun and join forces with Liu Feng. At that time, even without counting the Left General's surrendered troops, Liu Bei's army will be at least 50,000 men."

"At present, Shucheng is only defended by 10,000 men, and the Zhou family, Zheng family and other families in the city may not be of one mind with me."

Liu Xun deliberately feigned a worried expression and said uneasily, "If the enemy continues to advance south, Shucheng may not be able to hold out."

Cai Mao sneered inwardly, thinking that Liu Xun was all bark and no bite, ambitious yet cowardly.

However, on the surface, he solemnly assured him, "Zitai, rest assured, I will urge Lord Huang to send troops eastward to provide assistance as soon as possible. At the same time, my lord will also send another envoy to Shouchun to meet with Lord Xuande and explain the cause and effect to him in order to resolve the conflict."

When Cai Mao brought up the matter, Liu Xun asked solemnly, "De Gui, has Lord Liu sent anyone to the court to lobby on this?"

The fundamental reasons why Liu Xun dared to so boldly serve Liu Biao can be summarized in three points.

First, he was blinded by greed and dazzled by Huang Zu's treatment. He felt that Liu Biao was giving him too much, and the status of an independent vassal state was too tempting. Seeing how happy Huang Zu was in Jiangxia, Liu Xun naturally wanted to follow suit.

Secondly, he misjudged the strength of Liu Biao and Liu Bei, and didn't really think Liu Bei was that strong.

After all, on the surface, Liu Bei was still the defeated general whom Cao Cao had chased from Hebei to Xuzhou.

Moreover, after Cao Cao's massacre, all the warlords believed that Xuzhou was devastated and had suffered too much population loss.

They knew almost nothing about Liu Feng's plan for recuperation and development in Xuzhou. Even Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were not very clear about it, so how could Liu Xun, a local military leader, know about it?

In his view, Liu Bei was a warmonger who had almost drained Xuzhou dry; otherwise, how could he have supported such a large army of 60,000 to 70,000?

Third, Liu Xun had another matter on his mind: he was still nominally Yuan Shu's subject, while Liu Biao was also a loyal subject recognized by the emperor.

Don't underestimate this point. It means that his allegiance to Liu Biao was legal, because under heaven, all are subjects of the king, and besides, Liu Bei was not the governor of Yangzhou.

But Liu Xun underestimated Liu Bei's determination; he was practically gambling with his life.

Because if Liu Bei were to take things seriously, there are several ways to kill him.

The emperor's edict clearly stated that Liu Bei was to oversee the affairs of three provinces, and that all officials from the governors down to those with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain could make decisions independently. Furthermore, the emperor had also appointed Liu Yan as the governor of Lujiang. Liu Bei could have easily disregarded Liu Xun's surrender and continued his military campaign against him.

So Liu Xun was essentially gambling with his life. If he won, he would establish a separatist regime in Lujiang and become a powerful warlord like Huang Zu. If he lost, it would mean the end of his entire clan.

Even if Liu Bei had the best temper, he wouldn't let him off the hook unless the man could produce another Imperial Seal.

"Don't worry, Zitai. Lord Liu has already sent someone to the court to make contact, and Lord Cao may come to our aid."

Cai Mao immediately stated, "We are both old friends of Cao Cao and know his talent well. Now that Cao Cao is a Grand General and in charge of the government, he will not allow Liu Bei to act recklessly."

After careful consideration, Liu Xun realized that what Cai Mao said was true. Cao Cao had lofty ambitions, outstanding talents, and a cunning nature. Judging from Cao Cao's character, he should also want to bury Liu Bei alive.

This gave Liu Xun a bit more confidence, but he still reminded Cai Mao, "De Gui, we need to contact Cao Cao as soon as possible and offer him generous gifts. If this succeeds, I will reward you handsomely."

Originally, Liu Xun thought that Liu Bei's campaign against Yuan Shu was a golden opportunity.

In his view, Liu Bei and Yuan Shu were evenly matched in strength and troop strength, and Yuan Shu also had the advantage of defending the city.

The most likely outcome is a lose-lose situation.

In fact, it wasn't just Liu Xun who thought this way; Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and even Liu Yao and Sun Ce all shared this view.

Siege warfare in this era was extremely difficult.

Even Liu Bei's army itself was prepared for a bloody battle.

After all, counterweight catapults could only increase the firepower of Liu Bei's army and suppress the firepower of the city walls and ramparts, but they could not replace infantry fighting hand-to-hand at the city walls or breaches.

Ultimately, victory will be achieved through close-quarters combat.

Therefore, Liu Xun felt that there was plenty of time; he had enough time to observe and choose the best time to switch allegiances.

But no one could have imagined that Yuan Shu wouldn't even last a month.

Even more unexpectedly, Liu Feng managed to win over Sun Xiang, force Zhou Yu to surrender, launch a surprise attack on Chengde, and impersonate Yuan Shao's southern army reinforcements to infiltrate Shouchun City.

They even captured Yuan Shu alive, which put Liu Xun in an extremely awkward position.

In fact, after the news of the fall of Shouchun and the capture of Yuan Shu came, Liu Xun was initially inclined to back down.

If Liu Bei and Liu Feng were willing to acknowledge his position as the Prefect of Lujiang and retain his status and privileges in Lujiang, he would most likely surrender to Liu Bei.

But Liu Bei and his son could not tolerate such a vassal state within a vassal state. Even Liu Xun knew that his idea was nothing but a pipe dream.

He betrayed Yuan Shu and surrendered to Liu Biao, just as he betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Liu Biao.

These are two completely different things, and the consequences are worlds apart.

Liu Xun was quite aware of this.

The reason is quite simple: Liu Bei was acting on imperial orders to punish the rebel Yuan Shu.

In essence, the territory that was conquered also belonged to the emperor; it was just that the emperor had entrusted Liu Bei with its management.

But here's the problem: Liu Biao was also loyal to the emperor. If Liu Xun surrendered to Liu Biao, Liu Bei would have no reason to attack Liu Xun, since Liu Xun was also a Han official.

In terms of the greater good of the court, Liu Bei had no reason to demand that Liu Xun surrender only to him, nor did he have any reason to demand that Liu Xun not surrender to Liu Biao.

Because Liu Biao was also a subject of the Han dynasty, his territory was nominally the territory of the imperial court.

On the surface, it seemed that Liu Xun could do the same thing no matter who he surrendered to, and that he couldn't be wrong.

But if Liu Xun surrenders to Liu Bei, then he can no longer entertain any wild thoughts.

Surrendering to Liu Biao now could still be considered a gamble, but if surrendering to Liu Bei and then causing trouble, that would be suicide.

In addition, Liu Xun had a huge advantage in Cao Cao and Liu Biao. In his view, Liu Biao was also a loyal minister of the court in name, and it was reasonable for him to betray Yuan Shu and join Liu Biao.

Instead of fighting Liu Biao for control of Lujiang, Liu Bei should go to Jiangdong first.

After all, everyone knows to pick the softest persimmon first.

In Liu Xun's view, Liu Bei was nominally in charge of the affairs of Yu, Xu, and Yang provinces, but in reality, Pengcheng was undeveloped territory, Xu province had suffered greatly from war and its strength had been severely weakened, and Runan and Pei province in Yu province were newly acquired territories that needed time to be consolidated.

Liu Biao, on the other hand, had occupied Jingzhou for many years, with well-trained troops and ample supplies. His military achievements were far superior to Liu Bei's. He not only killed Sun Jian in battle but also drove Yuan Shu away from Nanyang.

Especially since this is a direct confrontation, a contest of raw strength, unlike Liu Feng's schemes and tricks.

After all, hard power is always there, but opportunities to steal a chicken are rare.

If Liu Xun were in Liu Bei's position, he would also be very likely to temporarily set aside Lujiang and enter Jiangdong first.

Wu Commandery alone was several times richer than Lujiang, not to mention the three commanderies of Danyang, Kuaiji and Yuzhang.

Liu Bei should be able to distinguish which is more important and which is less important.

This is the source of Liu Xun's confidence.

Some people may think that Liu Xun was brainless, but in reality, that was exactly how Liu Xun was in history.

In the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao led a large army south to attack Yuan Shu. He swept through the enemy lines, winning three battles in a row and killing four of Yuan Shu's generals: Qiao Rui, Li Feng, Liang Gang, and Yue Jiu. He also caused Zhang Xun to flee for five hundred li.

They directly routed Yuan Shu, forcing him to flee in terror and cower in Shouchun City, awaiting his death.

At that time, Cao Cao's army was at the gates of Shouchun, while Sun Ce had already swept across Jiangdong and was facing Lujiang across the river.

Under these circumstances, Liu Xun and Cao Cao still maintained a long-standing friendship, a close acquaintance.

Surprisingly, Liu Xun not only had no intention of surrendering to Cao Cao, but after Yuan Shu's death, he even took the initiative to accept Yuan Shu's son-in-law Huang Yi and cousin Yuan Yin. Subsequently, he led men to ambush Yang Hong and Zhang Xun, who were on their way to Jiangdong to join Sun Ce, capturing a large number of people and wealth, and bringing them back to Shucheng.

What is this operation?
At this time, Liu Bei was nowhere near as powerful as Cao Cao was at this time.
How could Liu Feng compare to the Little Conqueror who swept across Jiangdong with such a formidable reputation?

Isn't Liu Xun's action even bolder and more insane than this time and space?
This was openly opposing both Cao Cao and Sun Ce. Later, when Sun Ce crossed the river to attack Liu Xun, it was Liu Biao who sent the Jiangxia army to rescue him. Huang Zu's eldest son, Huang She, personally led the troops, including his most elite long-range archers.

It is evident that Liu Xun and Liu Biao had a deep, secret relationship long ago.

Liu Xun's confidence largely stemmed from Liu Biao, so he was quite polite to Cai Mao. He immediately and respectfully thanked Liu Biao and Cai Mao for their help and promised again that he would reward Cai Mao handsomely.

Cai Mao was quite satisfied with this attitude and once again assured Liu Xun that he would do his utmost to assist him.

Liu Xun then discussed some details with Cai Mao, and Cai Mao decided to personally return to Jiangxia to urge Huang Zu to send troops.

Although Liu Xun was not happy about Cai Mao leaving, the other party was righteous and had sufficient reasons, so Liu Xun had no choice but to let him go.

Before parting, Liu Xun presented many gifts, including some precious items such as snow salt and frosting sugar, which Liu Xun had gone to great lengths to obtain. Frosting sugar, in particular, was Yuan Shu's favorite, almost on par with honey water.

These gifts brought Cai Mao to a wide smile, and he politely declined them, ultimately returning home laden with gifts.

That evening, Liu Xun personally hosted a banquet to entertain Yuan Yin and Yang Hong.

At the banquet, Yang Hong spoke highly of Liu Xun's abilities and praised Liu Feng for his youth and talent, urging Liu Xun to abandon his evil ways and submit to Liu Bei. He even offered a condition that Yuan Yin was unaware of.

If Liu Xun felt that the position of prefect was too low, Liu Bei was willing to recommend Liu Xun to go to Luozhong, and even made a guarantee to Liu Xun that he could at least get him a position among the Nine Ministers.

This shows considerable sincerity, considering that Liu Xun only controls the territory of one commandery, and the current situation is no longer the same as when the warlords were fighting against Dong Zhuo.

At that time, a prefecture was already a pretty good starting point, and most of the feudal lords were at that level.

But the situation is very different now. After several years of fighting and annexing, which of the current warlords doesn't control multiple states and counties? Objectively speaking, there is no way out for a small warlord like you.

Relinquishing territory and military power to become a high-ranking official in Luozhong might not be a bad outcome.

Not to mention that if Liu Xun was willing to choose this path, Liu Bei also promised to send him 500,000 coins, 300 shi of grain, 5 shi of salt, 50 jin of sugar, and 200 bolts of silk every year.

It can be said that it is very thoughtful and thorough.

At least Yang Hong himself was tempted.

Liu Feng still hoped to pacify Lujiang by issuing a proclamation, as less fighting would mean less damage, and it would also buy time.

But in Liu Xun's view, with Lujiang in his hands, what money, grain, or silk did he lack?
You gave me these things as charity?

The negotiations naturally ended in discord.

Yang Hong kept trying to persuade Liu Xun until the very end, even to the point that Liu Xun became somewhat impatient.

The next day, Yang Hong, having failed to persuade Liu Xun, took his leave, and Liu Xun ended up comforting him instead.

"Chief Secretary, you should at least give me some time to consider this, shouldn't you?"

Liu Xun argued vehemently, “How can I decide such an important matter in a single day?”

Yang Hong then compromised and waited for Liu Xun to think things through.

In reality, Yang Hong had already secretly sent out a message, which was sent out of Lujiang and headed straight for Shouchun.

Liu Feng opened the message and saw only four words: "Changes have occurred in Lujiang."

In fact, Yang Hong did not believe Liu Xun's words at all. He knew that something had happened to Liu Xun, but he tried to persuade Liu Xun, partly to try to win him over, and partly to pretend.

Yang Hong was in Shucheng, and he was naturally worried that Liu Xun would silence him.

Therefore, he had to pretend to know nothing, openly persuading Liu Xun while secretly spreading the news.

Regardless of the circumstances, Yang Hong had already rendered a service by spreading the news of the upheaval in Lujiang.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Feng immediately convened a meeting.

Soon, Liu Ye, Zhou Yu, Sun Xiang, and a group of generals in the city were summoned, including trusted surrendered generals of Yuan Shu's army such as Yuan Huan, the Shu Zheng brothers, and Shi Mao.

"Gentlemen, Yang Hong has sent word from Shucheng that Liu Xun has changed his mind. What are your thoughts on this?"

Liu Feng's main idea was to gather ideas from all sides, especially by inviting Yuan Shu's surrendered generals, in order to broaden their thinking and perspectives.

They had worked with Liu Xun for two years, so they definitely knew much more than the newcomers like themselves.

Sure enough, after Liu Feng finished speaking, Yuan Huan and the others showed thoughtful expressions on their faces.

After a moment, Shu Zheng was the first to speak: "In the southern campaign, Liu Zitai is trapped in Lujiang, which is only a county. To the south is the Yangtze River, to the west is the Dabie Mountains, and to the east and north are already under our control. Lujiang County has now become a dead end in terms of military strategy."

"From this perspective, the only way forward is to subdue them."

Shu Zheng continued, "But Liu Xun has now developed other intentions, which means he clearly has other backing, and there may be other forces involved."

It must be said that Shu Zheng's idea was very correct.

Liu Ye, Zhou Yu, and other intelligent people had already guessed it, and they even deduced that the person who intervened was likely Liu Biao.

This is not hard to understand. There were only three people around Lujiang: Liu Biao, Liu Yao, and Hua Xin. Liu Yao was trapped in the north of Danyang and could not move. Hua Xin was governing Yuzhang without any strong military force.

Only Liu Biao had both the strength and the motivation to interfere in Lujiang.

"Mr. Shu is absolutely right."

After praising him, Liu Feng asked, "Could you gentlemen tell me who is trying to interfere in Lujiang?"

Liu Ye and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance and laughed together, but neither of them spoke.

However, Shi Mao, one of Yuan Shu's surrendered generals, tentatively said, "I was once ordered by the Left General to temporarily reside in Lujiang. During that time, Liu Xun had very close trade relations with Jingzhou."

"The person who intervened in this matter may be Liu Jingsheng."

Liu Feng nodded in agreement: "Liu Jingsheng, who occupies Jingxiang, has always had the intention to expand outwards. When Liu Yan of Shu died, Liu Biao instigated the powerful clans of Yizhou to rebel, attempting to take advantage of the chaos. He then went north to try to recover Nanyang, and fought and made peace with the Xiliang army there many times. It can be seen that he has always had the ambition to expand."

"That Liu Jingsheng! We worked so hard to get into Shouchun, and he just hides in the back trying to reap the benefits. Does he really think we're all dead?"

Pan Zhang was furious and stood up to volunteer to Liu Feng, saying, "Young Master, I request to be the vanguard. First, we will break through Lujiang, then Jiangxia, and go to Xiangyang to ask this old dog what his intentions are!"

"presumptuous!"

Liu Feng flew into a rage and shouted, "How dare you be so presumptuous! Liu Jingsheng is the governor of Jingzhou appointed by the court, the Marquis of Chengwu. How dare Wen Gui be so insolent? Get out of here at once!"

After being reprimanded by Liu Feng, Pan Zhang immediately lowered his head and retreated.

He didn't dare to harbor any resentment towards Liu Feng; instead, he blamed Liu Biao and Liu Xun.

These two are the ones who made me get scolded by the young master. If I ever have the chance, I will definitely take revenge.

After dismissing Pan Zhang, Liu Feng noticed the awkward silence in the room and spoke up, saying, "The current changes in Lujiang are very likely to be caused by Liu Jingzhou."

Now that the mastermind has been identified, Liu Feng continued, "If that's the case, what should I do? I hope you gentlemen can advise me."

Zhang Liao was the first to speak, saying, "General, regardless of whether Liu Xun has any ulterior motives, the most urgent task is to send an army to garrison Hefei."

Liu Feng looked at Zhang Liao, a strange glint in his eyes: "Hefei?"

"Exactly!"

Although Zhang Liao sensed something, he didn't take it seriously and continued to talk to himself: "Hefei is a strategic location between the north and the south. If I take it, Lujiang will be under my control. If Liu Xun takes it, my army's southward advance will be blocked by Hefei."

Liu Feng nodded in agreement: "What General Wenyuan said coincides with my own thoughts."

As he spoke, Liu Feng revealed a confident smile and said, "As early as after entering Shouchun, I sent a message to the Grand Historian, ordering him to send 500 elite cavalry to Liang Dao, and to have Liang Dao command his troops to immediately march south and garrison Hefei. Three days ago, this matter was accomplished, and Liang Dao has now taken over the defense of Hefei."

Zhang Liao quickly cupped his hands and said, "General, your wisdom is profound. I have spoken eloquently."

(End of this chapter)