My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 296 Liu Biao's Scheme (Another bonus chapter!)

Liu Feng quickly comforted him, saying, "General Wenyuan, why do you say that? You have filled in the gaps and made improvements, which is a merit and no demerit. I hope that you will continue to offer your insights in the future so that you can lend me a helping hand."

Zhang Liao felt a warmth in his heart. Liu Feng's behavior showed him great respect, which secretly pleased him.

Pan Zhang watched with some envy, thinking to himself that perhaps he should also start reading some books.

Then, Zhou Yu offered his advice: "General, now that Hefei is in our hands and Jiujiang is secure, we can advance on Lujiang. In my opinion, you should send a contingent of troops from Pingyu, along the Ying River, southward through Xincai, and directly to Liaoxian. In this way, the northern part of Lujiang will surely surrender without resistance."

Liu Ye agreed, saying, "Gongjin's plan is brilliant. Lujiang County has only fourteen counties in total. This is enough to shake up the eight counties in the north and central regions."

"Can!"

Liu Feng readily accepted the suggestion. Guan Yu was currently stationed in Pingyu, so it was a good opportunity to ask him to travel south along the Ying River.

“My second uncle is currently in Pingyu, so I will naturally send a letter to my father, asking him to order my second uncle to head south and reach Liao County.”

Liu Feng continued, "Gentlemen, do you have any other suggestions?"

Seeing that Liu Feng readily accepted advice, the crowd could no longer hold back and began to offer their suggestions one after another.

Few of them were useful, and there were no truly brilliant strategies, but the atmosphere was quite lively.

Even Pan Zhang suggested that they first increase the troops in Chengde and Hefei, which earned him praise from Liu Feng, making him very happy.

Liu Feng responded by asking Xu Huang to lead his elite cavalry south, and also dispatching Lei Bo, Mei Yu, and Chen Lan's troops south to garrison Chengde and Hefei respectively, thereby strengthening the military forces in Chengde and Hefei and allowing for their redeployment.

In addition, Xu Sheng's and Pan Zhang's troops were expanded to 6,000, and Jia Kui's troops were expanded to 4,000. All soldiers were selected from prisoners of war in Yuan Shu's army.

In this way, they can immediately absorb Yuan's 6,000 troops and also strengthen their own forces.

The remaining task was to contact Liu Bei and inform him of the situation in Jiangbei.

After arranging everything, the generals dispersed.

Liu Feng, however, sat alone in the hall, frowning in deep thought.

Liu Xun was unruly and plotted to establish himself as emperor, but Liu Feng had been prepared for this for some time.

After all, others might not know how audacious this person was, but how could Liu Feng not know?
That is why Liu Feng offered such generous treatment, hoping to persuade the other party.

However, it now appears to have failed.

Failure is nothing to be ashamed of; no one can be successful all the time.

Moreover, sometimes failure can actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Now, Liu Fengwen faces two paths.

One option was to temporarily abandon Lujiang, in which case Liu Xun would only gain half of southern Lujiang, comprising six to eight counties. Meanwhile, Liu Bei's main objective remained to first pacify Jiangdong.

With a righteous cause, Liu Bei's army would surely receive a warm welcome from the local governors, gentry, and powerful families of Jiangdong as soon as they crossed the river.

After all, the Sun family's reputation in Jiangdong was extremely polarized, and the forces opposing them had always been very strong.

In this way, Liu Bei would be able to eliminate Sun Ce first and gain control of Jiangdong, a wealthy land with fewer battles and less damage.

The advantage of this route is that it allows for starting with the easier parts and progressing to the more difficult ones, while also maintaining trade relations with Liu Biao and continuing to import large quantities of grain.

This is a very valuable gain at a time when drought is imminent in Jiangbei.

Furthermore, strategically, they will gain a great initiative, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on sweeping through Jiangdong. After taking Jiangdong, they can turn around and deal with Liu Xun, and even teach Liu Biao a lesson. Entering Jingzhou would also be very promising.

However, the cost is that in the early stages, Liu Biao's influence will extend into Jiangbei and spy on Jiangdong, potentially leading to unpredictable subsequent changes.

At the same time, Liu Bei's concessions would lower his prestige, causing surrounding forces to underestimate him, which would increase the probability of provocation, disputes, or even war.

The second option is to not rush to cross the river, but instead concentrate our forces to defeat Liu Xun and drive back Liu Biao's influence.

The advantage is that it can ensure the stability of Yangzhou and establish Liu Bei's prestige.

However, the downside is that it would prematurely alert the surrounding warlords, increasing their awareness of Liu Bei's threat level. At the same time, it might sever trade relations with Liu Biao, resulting in a significant loss of grain income, and could even lead to entanglement with the enemy, resulting in the loss of a large amount of military strength and food.

These two paths determined the major strategy of Liu Bei's group, and each had its own strengths and weaknesses, making it difficult to choose.

Therefore, Liu Feng cannot make this decision unilaterally; he must discuss it face-to-face with Liu Bei, and it would be best to gather as many wise men as possible, such as Chen Deng, Xun You, Lu Su, Liu Ye, Guo Jia, Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Hong, to discuss it together.

Soon, news of Shouchun traveled north and reached Liu Bei, who was preparing to set off south for Shouchun.

Liu Bei was greatly shocked upon receiving the document and immediately invited Xun You to come and discuss the matter.

After reading Liu Bei's letter, Xun You immediately advised Liu Bei to send a letter to Guan Yu, asking him to prepare and then proceed south along the Ying River according to plan, take control of Liao County, and first control the counties and towns in the northern part of Lujiang.

There are as many as six counties here, accounting for nearly half of the total number in Lujiang.

Lujiang has a total of fourteen counties, but their distribution is quite interesting, resembling a barbell placed from north to south.

There are six counties along the Huai River to the north and five counties along the Yangtze River to the south, but only two cities, Qian County and Longshu, are located in the middle of Lujiang Prefecture.

The last county, Xunyang, was completely isolated and actually closer to Jiangxia Prefecture.

However, according to the geographical rules of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it had to be assigned to Lujiang Commandery. Therefore, the Xiashi Passage actually belonged to Lujiang.

According to Liu Feng's plan, they should be able to take over at least six counties north of Lujiang, which is almost half of Lujiang.

Xun You then suggested, "General, you may leave a contingent to continue guarding Ruyin, while you must hasten your southward advance to Shouchun."

As the leader of the faction, Liu Bei's role as a stabilizing force is beyond doubt. If it weren't for Liu Feng's existence, he would be even more irreplaceable.

When he arrived in Shouchun, it was tantamount to announcing the complete demise of Yuan Shu. Apart from Liu Xun, who harbored disloyal intentions, the other counties would tend to surrender to Liu Bei.

In this situation, unless Liu Xun sends troops to garrison other counties, it would be difficult for him to control those counties based on his own prestige.

After all, the magistrates and chiefs of these counties, as well as the local powerful families, all have their own plans. Why should they risk their lives for Liu Xun's ambitions?

Of course, Liu Xun dared to do this because he believed he had a strong following within Lujiang and was confident he could control some counties. Otherwise, what use would a commander with no troops be if he were holed up in Shucheng?

Therefore, under these circumstances, the sooner Liu Bei arrived in Shouchun, the better the results would be; conversely, the later Liu Xun arrived, the more he would benefit.

This is why Xun You's second task was to persuade Liu Bei to set off south as soon as possible.

At this stage, it's all about time.

The sooner Liu Bei arrives in Shouchun, the less support Liu Xun will be able to secure.

Liu Bei readily accepted the good advice and decided to leave Zhuo Ying's troops to garrison Ruyin and maintain order. He himself led his personal guards, Liu Pi, He Man, Zhang Peng, and the surrendered soldiers of Qiao Rui southward, reaching Shouchun.

Liu Bei's side received the message and responded.

Meanwhile, Liu Biao in Jingzhou also received news from Lujiang.

After leaving Shucheng, Cai Mao immediately rode to Zongyang, then entered the Yangtze River from Zongyang Port and traveled upstream, arriving in Xiangyang twelve days later.

When he passed through Xiling, he also sent a letter to Huang Zu, which Liu Biao had given him before he went on his mission to Liu Xun.

Once Liu Xun is willing to switch allegiance, Huang Zu can be immediately dispatched to make it a reality.

When Cai Mao informed Liu Biao that Liu Xun was willing to serve Jingzhou, Liu Biao was overjoyed.

Despite Liu Biao's seemingly reckless and aggressive actions, he achieved nothing of real success.

To the west, Liu Zhang had become a mortal enemy, and to the north, Nanyang was a wasteland with only a few counties still inhabited.

This is also one of the reasons why the powerful clans and gentry within Jingzhou increasingly opposed Liu Biao's expansion outwards.

I only see you wasting money and resources, but I don't see you reaping any benefits.

The powerful clans felt that Liu Biao was wasting money and resources and was not thinking about stability, while Liu Biao thought that these powerful clans were like frogs in a well, lacking ambition.

Liu Biao began to try to expand his own military force, such as his own personal guards, the guards of his nephews Liu Pan and Liu Hu, the guards of Wen Pin, a powerful clan in Xiangbei, the guards of his nephew Zhang Yun, and the guards of Han Xi, a powerful clan in Nanyang.

The military force of these relatives and confidants was directly under Liu Biao's control, and it was one of the greatest achievements he had made in Jingzhou over the years.

Despite the 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers in Jingzhou, the only ones Liu Biao could truly command were his trusted troops of about 10,000 men.

Liu Biao had always wanted to expand his army, but he faced constant opposition from the powerful clans and gentry of Jingzhou. They would use our money to expand their own armies, and then threaten us to pay even more.

Do you think we're stupid, Liu Biao?

Liu Biao had long wanted to stop supplying Liu Bei with grain, so why couldn't he cut off the supply?

It was because he needed the huge wealth from trade with Xuzhou to expand the size of his independent armed forces.

Snow salt and frosting sugar are incredibly lucrative.

This allowed him to expand his retinue, equip it with better weaponry, and provide it with better treatment and food in exchange for their unwavering loyalty.

These all cost money, and a lot of money at that.

Liu Biao didn't have high hopes for Liu Xun's matter. It wasn't that he was afraid of Yuan Shu or Liu Bei, but rather that he had long seen through Liu Xun's desire to play both sides and remain neutral.

Liu Ming made it clear that if he hadn't been forced into a corner, Liu Xun would never have so readily surrendered to him.

This isn't something that can be changed by offering any amount of benefits. Even if Liu Biao swears that he will do good deeds and help for free, Liu Xun still has to believe him.

So Liu Biao originally planned to proceed slowly, but unexpectedly, a golden opportunity suddenly presented itself.

Yes, in Liu Biao's view, it was a golden opportunity.

From Liu Biao's perspective, Liu Bei only managed to take over the devastated Xu Province by getting a great deal. Although he expanded his territory afterward, most of it was originally Tao Qian's territory.

For example, Langya and Guangling were originally Xuzhou's territory. Rather than expansion, it was more like recovering lost land.

He had already unified the six counties of Jingzhou, and was working hard to restore the remaining Nanyang County.

Within two years, Liu Bei recovered two commanderies and kingdoms in his own province, occupied one and a half commanderies and kingdoms in Yu Province, and also seized one commandery and kingdom from Cao Cao in Yan Province.

In Liu Biao's view, Liu Bei was all show and no substance, relying entirely on empty bravado. The opponents he had encountered along the way were all too weak, either bandits, Yellow Turbans, or weaklings like Guo Gong. There were almost no worthy opponents.

Even the strongest Yuan Shu only managed to slightly defeat his opponent by taking advantage of the terrain and seize Guangling, but he deeply offended Yuan Shu.

Liu Biao had seen plenty of people like this; weren't the Xiliang army and the Sun family army typical examples?

When the fire is at its peak, it is unstoppable and unstoppable. But once it suffers a setback, it immediately collapses and loses its power.

In Liu Biao's eyes, Liu Bei's army should be the next Xiliang army.

Moreover, Liu Bei's army's diplomatic situation was similar to that of the Xiliang army. They seized Rencheng from Cao Cao in the north and put Lü Bu in Donglai. How could they not offend Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to the death?
In the south, they were vying with Yuan Shu for control of Guangling and Runan, making them mortal enemies.

What surprised Liu Biao even more was that Liu Bei actually dared to extend his reach into Jiangdong. Even if Liu Yao tolerated it, could he feel comfortable about it?
Unlike himself, who made friends with heroes from all over the world and sent 50,000 shi of grain, as well as various tools and timbers to Luozhong, which was controlled by Cao Cao, for the emperor to repair the palace.

At the same time, he was also a staunch ally of Yuan Shao.

Among the heroes of the world today, the strongest and second strongest are my allies, and I am only the third strongest. Why should I be afraid of Liu Bei, who is not even in the top three?

This is simply a matter of different perspectives. Liu Biao, who thought Liu Bei was overconfident, naturally felt that Cao Cao was more powerful than Liu Bei.

After all, what level of opponents did Cao Cao fight?

It drove Yuan Shao crazy, allowing him to dominate Hebei and even launch a surprise attack on the Black Mountain Army in Ye City.

The million-strong Yellow Turban army of Qingzhou terrified the governor of Qingzhou and swept across the entire territory of Qingzhou, launching attacks from all sides.

After killing Dong Zhuo, the renowned Marquis Wen, Lü Bu, led the entire Yan Province into chaos.

Isn't this achievement more impressive than Liu Bei's campaign against bandits and thieves?
Liu Biao believed that this would be difficult for any of these people to resolve.

But Cao Cao still managed to resolve everything and even went to Hedong to welcome the emperor back to the east.

Therefore, in Liu Biao's eyes, it was Cao Cao who led Liu Bei to Hedong, not Liu Bei who led Cao Cao.

At the same time, Liu Biao also felt that Cao Cao was short of food, but he had his own. Although transporting the food was indeed a bit troublesome, it did not affect the complementary strength of the two sides.

In conclusion, this is a very clear advantage for Liu Biao.

"Guards, quickly invite all the gentlemen and generals to the prefectural government for a meeting."

After making up his mind, Liu Biao confidently issued a summons, sending a message to the high-ranking officials of Jingzhou to come for a meeting.

At the same time, Liu Biao did not forget to comfort Cai Mao, saying, "De Gui, although you have had a long and arduous journey, you cannot go back to the mansion to rest for the time being. I can only ask you to make do for now."

Cai Mao, of course, would not be so ungrateful as to refute Liu Biao's words. He immediately expressed his gratitude with tears in his eyes, saying, "I am very grateful for your kindness, my lord. The little trouble I have endured is nothing to mention. Please do not worry about it."

Soon, Liu Biao's advisors, scholars, and military generals all gathered together.

On the left, the leader is naturally Kuai Liang, followed by Kuai Yue, Han Song, Fu Xun, Deng Xi, Pang Ji, Liu Xian, and others.

On the right is his nephew Liu Pan, followed by Cai Mao, Wen Pin, Zhang Yun, Liu Hu, Huang Zhong and other generals.

Unlike the novel, Wen Ping and Huang Zhong held relatively high positions under Liu Biao. Wen Ping was a local strongman from Xiangyang who was promoted by Liu Biao, while Huang Zhong had already risen to the rank of General of the Central Army.

Although he was only appointed as a local general by Liu Biao, it was enough to show that Liu Biao recognized his abilities and promoted him to a high position.

So, trying to poach Huang Zhong like Gan Ning did at this point is not only impossible, but also wishful thinking.

"Gentlemen, I have gathered you here today to discuss an important matter."

After Liu Biao began, he looked at Cai Mao and said, "De Gui, I will trouble you to tell everyone the whole story."

"Here!"

Cai Mao acknowledged the order and then recounted the events of the past month, revealing to everyone that he had actually gone to Yangzhou.

As Cai Mao listened, a great uproar broke out in the hall when he mentioned that Shouchun had been captured by Liu Feng and Yuan Shu had been captured alive.

A hint of envy flashed across Liu Biao's face. He already had three sons, all born to him and his ex-wife, but none of them were talented.

The eldest son, Liu Qi, was considered quite capable in the past, and he looked very much like Liu Biao, so he was very much liked by Liu Biao.

But after hearing about Liu Feng's achievements, Liu Biao suddenly felt that Liu Qi was not so appealing anymore.

Liu Feng is only thirteen years old, yet he is already able to lead an army and seize Shouchun.

If Liu Qi had half the ability of Liu Feng, would he have been so severely restrained and controlled by the gentry of Jingzhou?
Liu Biao was filled with displeasure. How could Liu Xuande, a mere weaver of mats and seller of shoes, have given birth to such a prodigy?

He himself was a renowned scholar, and his profound learning far surpassed that of Liu Bei.

How come his own son is not as good as Liu Bei's son?

Liu Biao was inwardly furious, and the hall erupted in an uproar.

"This Liu Feng seems to be under sixteen years old, doesn't he?"

Kuai Liang frowned and turned to ask Liu Xianlai, who was sitting below him.

Liu Xian's previous mission to Xuzhou clearly made him the focus of everyone's attention.

Upon hearing Kuai Liang's question, Liu Xian first nodded, and then, to everyone's astonishment, dropped another bombshell.

"As far as I know, Liu Zisheng should have just turned thirteen."

Thirteen years old!?

"How is this possible?"

"Could it be that he's just a figurehead commander? And the actual commander is someone else?"

Liu Xian smiled, knowing that his words would shock everyone.

Although he knew that Liu Feng was talented at a young age, he was still surprised by the achievements he had made.

Seeing his colleagues' bewildered surprise filled him with a bittersweet feeling, as if he had drunk plum juice on a sweltering summer day.

While enjoying the attention of everyone, Liu Xian continued, "This is not a nominal commander. Liu Zisheng had already led troops independently when he was eleven years old. In his first battle, he defeated Chang Xi's army in Taishan, killing and capturing more than two thousand people, and even capturing Chang Xi himself alive."

"Later, when Liu Bei's army marched south to Guangling, Liu Feng was the vanguard. He arrived in Guangling first and defeated Sun Ce. He was the most meritorious minister in Liu Bei's complete capture of Guangling County."

(End of this chapter)