My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 299 Deploy troops and generals
After agreeing on the general plan, everyone began to discuss the details.

We will leave Nanlujiang alone for the time being, but we must protest to Liu Biao in name only, and even submit a memorial to the emperor accusing Liu Biao of overstepping his authority and Liu Xun of treason.

If Liu Biao sends an envoy to visit, he will delay and wait for a change in the situation, and will never take the initiative to turn against him.

After all, the Yangtze River is still dominated by the Jingzhou Navy. The Xuzhou Navy lacks large ships and needs time to build them. It cannot compete with the Jingzhou Navy in the short term.

Therefore, it is very beneficial to appease Liu Biao appropriately without giving him a clear answer.

After all, Liu Biao might not want to break ties with Liu Bei, and Liu Bei might not want to fight with Liu Biao.

However, Liu Feng was thinking of breaking ties with Liu Biao after pacifying Jiangdong, and he could also pin the blame for breaking the alliance on Liu Biao.

In fact, Liu Feng quite admired Liu Xun's brainless actions.

Now that Liu Bei has arrived in Shouchun, he will naturally stay there to oversee the autumn harvest in Jiangbei and prepare for the repair of Shaopi.

The main force crossing the river was naturally Liu Feng, after all, the largest army in the entire Jiangbei region was under his command.

The most important place is Hefei, where a large number of troops must be stationed, and a general must be assigned.

This place is not only the shelter of Shouchun, but also the logistics center of the army crossing the river. It is located in the core of Jiangbei and can provide assistance to all sides at any time. It is only seven or eight days away from Shucheng and can threaten Liu Xun's stronghold at any time.

Judging from Liu Feng's opinion, this important task can only be undertaken by his second uncle.

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly with this.

If my second uncle leaves, it would be best if he could take all the troops from Beilujiang with him, since the discipline of the Yellow Turban Army, even the Yellow Turbans of Runan, is just as bad.

If they rise up alongside the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, at best they'll be like the pot calling the kettle black.

Moreover, the barrier between the aristocratic clans and the Yellow Turban Army was quite large. Due to a series of coincidences, the aristocratic clans of Runan were unable to subdue the Yellow Turban Army, so they simply remained at peace for the time being.

This doesn't mean that the powerful clans and gentry of Jiangbei would accept this. If the Yellow Turbans of Runan were left to guard Beilujiang, Liu Bei might receive news of another rebellion in Beilujiang one day.

At this moment, Liu Pi, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Runan, was also in the hall, so he couldn't say anything too explicit.

Fortunately, Liu Bei and the scholars in the hall were all intelligent people, and they understood Liu Feng's hints one after another.

The final decision was made to have Liu Feng lead generals including Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Xu Huang, Jia Kui, Gan Ning, Dong Xi, and Xu Ding across the river.

Guan Yu led four divisions of Zhang Liao, Guan Ping, He Man, and Zhang Peng, totaling 19,000 men, to garrison Hefei.

At the same time, Liu Bei's army will begin to expand, with the four generals Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang each being expanded to three battalions totaling six thousand men. An additional infantry battalion of two to three thousand men will be established, each under two to three captains, each leading a thousand men.

Zhou, Jiang, Gan, and Dong all expanded their forces to a full-strength battalion of two thousand men.

These surrendered soldiers were all selected from the elite troops surrendered from the Yellow Turban Army and Yuan Shu's army, and were dispersed and reorganized into different groups.

Meanwhile, Jia Bin's troops and Xu Ding's troops were placed under the command of Jia Kui and incorporated into Liu Feng's personal guard, totaling six thousand men.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu's forces were expanded to eight thousand men, still mainly composed of surrendered soldiers from Yuan Shu and the Yellow Turbans. Those who were insufficient could be recruited locally, and the General of the Cavalry's office would supply them with food, money, and military supplies.

Because some troops needed time to reorganize, the first group to cross the river was led by Liu Feng, who brought only six divisions: Pan Zhang (6,000), Xu Sheng (6,000), Jia Kui (6,000), Zhou Yu (4,000), Gan Ning (1,500), and Dong Xi (1,500), totaling 25,000 men.

Gan Ning and Dong Xi's 500-strong force will be temporarily organized by Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. Once the organization is complete, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin will immediately cross the river to reinforce them, since Jiangdong is a land of plenty, a treasure trove for naval forces to achieve great things.

The remaining armies remained in various locations for expansion and reorganization, while Gao Shun's troops remained stationed in Guangling, responsible for the security of Xuzhou and the area north of the Yangtze River, and also serving as frontline support.

Sun Xiang immediately went to Liyang to persuade Sun Ben to surrender. If Sun Ben refused, Liu Feng would take care of dealing with him along the way.

Jian Yong and Liu Yan immediately took office as governors of Jiujiang and Lujiang prefectures respectively, summoned county magistrates and heads within their jurisdictions, issued administrative orders, and ensured the success of the autumn harvest.

Sun Qian went ahead to Jiangdong to inform Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, and all the officials and generals of Yangzhou, with the imperial edict and the general's order, to welcome the army under the command of the General of the Cavalry across the river, and to make strategic arrangements after crossing the river.

Chen Deng, Du Ji, Lu Su, Jia Xi, Yuan Huan, Yuan Ba, Yuan Min, Du Xi, Zhao Yan, Fan Qin, Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Wei Jing, Chen Duan, Qin Song, Yan Xiang and others joined the temporarily formed Shaopi Cao Zhong, who were specifically responsible for planning and leading the repair of the Shaopi water conservancy project.

Among them, Chen Deng, Du Ji, Jia Xi, Du Xi, Zhao Yan, Fan Qin, Bu Zhi, Wei Jing and others are still on their way to Shouchun.

After the situation was stabilized and the outline for the repair of Shaopi was formulated, some of these people, such as Du Xi, Du Ji, Fan Qin, and Zhao Yan, might be assigned to various counties in Jiangbei to serve as county magistrates or county heads.

While stabilizing the people and rectifying the officials, the government mobilized civilian forces to cooperate with the government in promoting the Shaopi renovation plan.

Zhuge Jin may not have enough qualifications or reputation, but he is a talent that Liu Feng has brought along. He might be sent to a small county as a county magistrate to build up his qualifications so that he can continue to accumulate merits and be promoted in the future.

Zhuge Xuan's condition gradually improved, but at this time he was not in a hurry to go out and do things. Instead, he stayed in Tancheng to read books and make friends.

The fact that Zhuge Xuan became like this was largely due to the fact that his two nephews were highly valued and employed.

Compared to himself, his nephew clearly has a brighter future and is undoubtedly more beneficial to the family.

Moreover, the current situation is quite awkward, and it is better to retreat than to advance. Zhuge Xuan's choice was actually quite wise.

After Liu Bei considered the matter, he ordered Zhang Fei to raise an army and return to Xiapi after Tian Yu returned to Pei State, to replace Xiahou Bo and go to Dongguan to temporarily serve as the governor of Dongguan, and to join forces with the troops left behind by Chen Deng to guard Langya.

After all, for Liu Bei, Xiahou Bo's prestige was insufficient to secure Xuzhou; it was more appropriate to have Zhang Fei return to Tancheng to take charge. Meanwhile, Chen Dao's troops would also head south again after Tian Yu arrived in Pei, to be stationed at Beilujiang to await orders.

After leaving the hall, Liu Feng invited Liu Bei to the study in the backyard and ordered Xu Chu to personally guard the outside, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering.

Liu Bei found Liu Feng's nervous and cautious demeanor somewhat amusing.

What kind of storms haven't I weathered? What is there that requires such caution?

Liu Bei inwardly grumbled, but did not speak up to stop him, letting Liu Feng do as he pleased.

After Xu Chufeng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, Liu Feng quietly took out a small black box from a hidden compartment by the bedside, carefully carried it to Liu Bei, and placed it on the table in front of him.

"What is this?"

Liu Bei looked at the small black box with curiosity and asked jokingly, "Is this thing really worth all this trouble?"

Liu Feng sneered inwardly, waiting for the box to be opened, to see if his father could still maintain his composure.

Liu Feng carefully opened the clasp of the black box, then slowly opened it in front of Liu Bei, revealing a small seal inside.

Liu Bei examined it carefully and confirmed that it was indeed a seal. He laughed loudly, "I thought it was some kind of treasure, but it's just a seal. Seeing how carefully you handled it, I thought it was the Imperial Jade..."

Liu Bei suddenly froze, his smile stiffening on his face. He involuntarily bent down, reaching out his hands to gently pick up the seal as if holding a precious gem, then turned the seal's face towards himself.

Immediately, Liu Bei's pupils dilated, clearly indicating that he had been greatly stimulated.

"This...this is...?"

Liu Bei looked at his eldest son as if pleading for help, his hands gripping the Imperial Seal of the State frozen in place, too terrified to move an inch.

The eldest son nodded firmly to Liu Bei.

He was just laughing at me for making a fuss, but now he only wishes he had a mirror so his dad could see his ridiculous appearance.

Is this item genuine?

Liu Bei felt his throat was dry, and no matter how much he swallowed, it didn't help. It felt like it was on fire, and his voice became hoarse.

Liu Feng was determined to see his father make a fool of himself, but he simply stood there and nodded, saying, "It must be genuine!"

Liu Bei had weathered many storms, but he had never been as nervous as he was now.

Even when he was defeated and seriously wounded during the campaign against Zhang Chun of Youbei, and could only hide among the dead and pretend to be dead, with Zhang Chun's soldiers all around him, his heart was not beating as violently as it is now.

Liu Bei carefully placed the jade seal back into the box, closed the lid, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, he looked at Liu Feng with a complicated expression and asked, "How did this thing end up in your hands?" Liu Feng blinked; his father was completely stunned.

Didn't we tell him before we attacked Yuan Shu that Yuan Shu was secretly possessing the Imperial Seal of the State?

Where could this thing have come from? It must have come from Yuan Shu.

Seeing his son's strange look, Liu Bei realized that he had asked a stupid question and made a fool of himself in front of his son.

However, Liu Bei had no time to argue with Liu Feng at this moment. He placed his hands on the box, pondered for a long time, and finally made a decision: "This item is not something a subject can possess. Yuan Gonglu is a cautionary tale. I should submit this item to the Emperor."

Liu Feng blinked, thinking to himself that his father was really willing to spend money.

That's true, at least before his descent into darkness at Changban Slope, Liu Bei was still quite loyal and righteous. Even after his transformation at Changban Slope, he only became more cunning and scheming, not started engaging in indiscriminate looting and slaughter.

Now that things are going smoothly and he's no longer suffering the harsh realities of society, his father's loyalty to the emperor and his love for his country have surged again.

"Okay, okay."

Liu Bei exclaimed excitedly, "Now that the Imperial Seal has been recovered, the Mandate of Heaven rests on the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty will surely rise again!"

Liu Feng was speechless, but since his father wanted to give it to him, so be it. It was just a matter of a word whether or not to give it to him.

We'll send Yuan Shu to Luozhong along with him, just to please the young emperor and show that my father's loyalty is unparalleled.

"In that case, this item shall be given to Father."

Liu Feng said jokingly, "You'd better keep it safe, old man. If you lose it, I won't be able to find another one for you."

Liu Bei glared fiercely at Liu Feng, thinking that his eldest son was becoming increasingly disrespectful in front of him.

Although it was somewhat against etiquette, Liu Bei was secretly delighted. What other family could have such a promising son who was also so filial and close to his father?
After a moment, Liu Bei couldn't resist the urge to see it again, but then he remembered that once the imperial seal was handed over, he would never see it again.

So, he carefully opened the black box, took out the jade seal, and examined it closely in his hand. In particular, the eight characters "By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous" seemed to possess a magical power, captivating all who beheld them.

Fortunately, Liu Bei was quite composed; after playing with it for a while, he put it back properly.

"Well, then leave it with me. I will report to the court and inform the Emperor that the Imperial Seal has been recovered."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement with Liu Feng's opinion: "Is there anything else you're hiding from your father?"

Liu Feng's eyes widened in surprise; his father had actually learned to discipline him.

In all honesty, he was completely drunk yesterday, how could I dare to hand over the Imperial Seal of the State to him?

Liu Feng quickly shook his head: "No, that's all."

Liu Bei snorted coldly: "You still say there's nothing left? What's the story with Shaopi Cao?"

Liu Feng suddenly realized that his father was actually asking about Shaopi Cao. He quickly explained his judgment and plans in detail.

Actually, this matter was originally meant to be discussed with Liu Bei, who was about to cross the river, and the affairs of Jiangbei could not be decided and promoted without Liu Bei's approval.

However, this was a big deal and couldn't be explained in a short time, so he wasn't in a hurry.

Now it seems that it's actually his own father who's getting anxious.

Liu Feng simply sat down and recounted the whole story.

Liu Bei listened attentively, frowning several times, but never interrupting Liu Feng.

Only after Liu Feng finished speaking did he ask, "Will the drought really be this severe next year?"

At this point, Liu Feng was not about to back down. He immediately patted his chest and assured them, "It's quite serious. More than half of the two prefectures north of the Yangtze River may suffer a complete crop failure."

Shouchun is surrounded by the Shaopi River, the Huai River, the Fei River, and the Bi River, which have well-developed water conservancy and abundant water resources, allowing for some harvests.

But in inland areas, especially hilly areas lacking large-flow rivers, you really can't expect to have a harvest.

"How effective will this peony pond be?"

Liu Bei frowned even more deeply, and the thought of the consequences of a complete crop failure sent chills down his spine.

How many people would starve to death, and how many ordinary families would be forced into slavery?

Liu Feng roughly calculated in his mind: "This drought will probably only allow 10% to 20% of the land to yield a harvest, but there will still be a reduction in production. The remaining 70% to 80% of the land will inevitably suffer a complete crop failure. If the Shaopi irrigation system is fully repaired, the situation will be completely different."

Liu Bei's spirits lifted, and he eagerly inquired, "Oh? How exactly will it be different?"

"After the restoration of Shaopi, at least 60% of the land in the two prefectures north of the Yangtze River became irrigated land, and water could be drawn directly from the Huai River for irrigation. The yield of many dry lands even increased instead of decreased. As a result, most of the land in North Jiujiang and North Lujiang will no longer be affected by drought."

Liu Feng became more and more excited as he spoke: "If we can gain experience from the Shaopi renovation project, then we can rely on the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers to carry out large-scale water conservancy projects, connecting the entire southern Henan and northern Jiangxi into one, and the annual tribute of grain may exceed three million shi."

Liu Feng wasn't exaggerating at all; this was the result of Deng Ai's land reclamation efforts in Wei.

Relying on the strength of the Wei state, he connected Huainan and Huaibei into one, vigorously carried out land reclamation, and generated more than three million shi of grain annually. In six or seven years, he accumulated thirty million hu, equivalent to twenty million shi of grain.

Moreover, compared to other places where people settled down to cultivate land, the people who settled down to cultivate land in Deng Ai's area lived relatively better lives.

Although Deng Ai was not very considerate of his soldiers, he was relatively better to the farmers who settled in the fields.

This may sound contradictory, but there is actually an underlying reason for it.

For Deng Ai, soldiers were expendable resources for achieving merit and establishing his career, while the garrison farmers were cattle and sheep that produced grain.

Consumables don't need any special consideration; if we did, how could they possibly achieve anything?
Of course, cattle and sheep must be well cared for, otherwise how can they provide you with a continuous and sustainable supply?

Liu Feng knew how successful Deng Ai's land reclamation program had been in history. It had directly boosted the national strength of Wei by a large margin. More importantly, the large amount of grain and people it brought completely overturned the balance of power between Jiangdong and the Hefei war zone.

It turns out everyone was equal. The Wu army transported grain from Jiangdong, while the Wei army in Hefei transported grain from Henan.

But now the Wei army in Hefei can simply transport grain directly from Shouchun, and Shouchun also produces a large amount of grain.

This was tantamount to slapping the base in someone else's face. From then on, Eastern Wu had no ability to defeat the Hefei Military Region. In fact, in the later stages, the Wei army even took the initiative to abandon Hefei. Eastern Wu did not dare to occupy it because they simply could not afford to waste the time.

The Eastern Wu deployed too many troops in Hefei, but the logistics couldn't keep up. No matter how many troops were deployed at the front, they were just being sent to their deaths.

If Eastern Wu reduces the number of troops stationed in Hefei, the Wei army in Shouchun will come directly to collect heads once you leave, which is tantamount to handing over a gift.

This shows that as long as water conservancy projects are well-managed and there is sufficient manpower, the output of the Central Plains region is quite astonishing, and the Jiangdong region, which was known as the land of fish and rice in later generations, is completely unable to compete with it.

This is why Liu Feng insisted on gathering people no matter how difficult it was. It was not only because Liu Bei and his son were kind-hearted, sympathetic to the people, and wanted to save them from their suffering.

At the same time, only Liu Feng knew that the Han Dynasty was about to enter a stage of population stock competition.

The states are severely underpopulated, while land is becoming abundant.

Liu Bei shook his head repeatedly, somewhat incredulous.

This is what Liu Feng told him: if it were someone else, he would definitely think the other person was dreaming.

Liu Feng continued, “Father, building water conservancy projects is a long-term endeavor. Now, as long as we take over Jiangnan, the plan I outlined to you two years ago—to occupy the southeast and await the changes in the world—will have been more than fulfilled.”

Indeed, it exceeded expectations. The three prefectures and kingdoms of Rencheng, Lu, and Runan were definitely not included in the original plan.

He was even worried about the reactions of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and considered giving up.

However, he later turned from an enemy to a friend of Cao Cao, formed an alliance at Shangluo, welcomed the emperor, and peacefully divided Yuzhou and Sizhou.

(End of this chapter)