My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 303 The Collapse of Yangzhou
After all, the Zhou family's businesses were all in Lujiang, and what Liu Yao offered was far from enough to make Zhou Shang abandon his family and business to follow him.

In fact, if it weren't for the changes in Xuzhou and Liu Feng's rise to power, Liu Yao would have been driven into the mountains of Yuzhang by Sun Ce long ago, or even died of illness in Yuzhang soon after. He wouldn't be living as comfortably as he is now.

However, Liu Yao was unaware of all this; on the contrary, he was quite confused by Liu Feng's arrival.

But he was powerless to control the situation, and this feeling of incompetence and frustration made Liu Yao extremely resentful.

Liu Yao couldn't even get angry right now. Zhang Ying, Fan Neng, Yu Mi and others were still mindful of his recommendation and promotion. If they really broke off relations, right now that Liu Feng was about to cross the river, do you believe they could just pull their troops and defect to Liu Feng?

After all, these people were gathered with the help of Zhang Ying and the other two; Liu Yao didn't have many trusted subordinates in the army.

Zhang Ying and the other two exchanged glances. They had planned this beforehand to try and persuade Liu Yao.

If Liu Yao doesn't listen, then they shouldn't blame them for finding their own way out.

"Ming Gong."

Zhang Ying, one of the three, spoke up. After all, he was the leader, and the other two usually respected him. If he didn't step in now, he would lose their support.

"Sun Ce is now running rampant in Jiangdong, and no one can stop him."

While observing Liu Yao's expression, Zhang Ying cautiously continued, "If the southern expedition does not cross the Yangtze River, are you confident in eliminating Sun Ce?"

Liu Yao's expression changed, and his face darkened. Clearly, Zhang Ying had hit a nerve with Liu Yao.

During the past six months, Liu Yao had considered organizing a counterattack.

Sun Ce's current strategy is to defend the west and attack the south. His elite main force is in Wu County, while most of the troops in Qu'a are newly formed.

The problem is that things are even worse for Liu Yao, as Xue Li and Ze Rong are becoming increasingly powerful and difficult to control.

Since Liu Yao's defeat and his subsequent forced concessions to secure the aid of Zuo Rong and Xue Li, the two have become increasingly arrogant and no longer readily obey Liu Yao's commands.

With Liu Yao's forces alone, let alone launching a counterattack against Sun Ce, even holding Niuzhu would be difficult.

You should know that there are still 20,000 Sun family troops in Liyang on the other side of the Yangtze River.

The reason why Zhang Ying and his group had this attitude was closely related to the fact that Liu Bei was in charge of all affairs in the three southeastern provinces, and that everyone from the governors down could make their own decisions.

This means that Liu Yao can't even keep them, let alone promote them.

Liu Bei was determined to get rid of them, and they had almost no power to protect themselves.

In this situation, the fact that Zhang Ying and the other two did not immediately rebel, but instead tried to persuade Liu Yao, already shows great loyalty and righteousness.

But Liu Yao was a man of strong character, both outwardly and inwardly. While such strength made him prone to breaking, he was also quite resilient before he broke.

“I am the governor of Yangzhou. Liu Zhengnan’s crossing of the river was only to help me quell the rebellion, not to replace me as the governor of Yangzhou.”

Liu Yao said angrily with a gloomy face, "Niuzhu still has 20,000 elite troops. The enemy at Liyang has been eliminated. My Yangzhou army can go east with all its might. How can we recover Qu'a and wipe out Sun Ce?"

Zhang Ying and the other two looked at each other in dismay. Sun Ce's army already had more than 40,000 men. If it weren't for the wealth of Wu, and Xu Gong's suppression of land taxes that should have been handed over to the state and the imperial court, which kept the granaries of Wu County full, Sun Ce's army would have been starving long ago.

With 20,000 attacking 40,000, and you're not even as strong as the enemy, isn't this like throwing an egg against a rock?
Although Zhang Ying and the other two complained inwardly, they remained silent. They had already said what needed to be said, and since Liu Yao wouldn't listen, continuing would only annoy him. Moreover, they might be made an example of, and Zhang Ying and the others didn't want to be that chicken.

Sun Shao and the others wanted to persuade him, but they found that there was no good way to do so.

Liu Feng is now leading a large army to first defeat Yuan Shu, then capture Liyang, and station troops along the Yangtze River. It's impossible that he's really here in Jiangdong to do good deeds.

Sun Shao and the Teng brothers had already secretly communicated, and it was likely that after Liu Feng pacified Sun Ce, the next step would be to transfer Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou.

Having taken charge of the affairs of the three southeastern provinces, Liu Bei clearly did not want a governor of Yangzhou to be in the way.

The governor of a prefecture wielded considerable power, capable of replacing prefects and county magistrates, making him virtually the local emperor of a prefecture.

If Liu Yao is not moved, then there will be two local tyrants in Jiangdong. In that case, who will the people listen to?
Of course, we'll have to fight, won't we?

Liu Bei wouldn't be so unwise; he would have transferred Liu Yao away beforehand.

After considering the options, Sun Shao and others concluded that the best outcome for Liu Yao would be to be recommended by Liu Bei to the central government and appointed as one of the Nine Ministers.

With Liu Yao's qualifications and background, he was more than qualified. In addition, Liu Bei personally recommended him. Even if there were no positions for the Nine Ministers in the central government, a vacancy would still be made for Liu Yao.

Just as the hall was quiet, a commotion suddenly came from outside.

Liu Yao frowned and roared, "Who dares to be so audacious as to disrupt my laws and regulations?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Shao stood up and said, "My lord, please set aside your thunderous anger and allow me to go out and take a look?"

Liu Yao then calmed down and nodded slowly. Sun Shao then left his seat and walked out of the hall.

However, Sun Shao returned in no time.

In an instant, all eyes in the hall were focused on him.

Sun Shao, however, paid no attention to others. With a solemn expression, he hurried to Liu Yao's side and whispered, "My lord, a scout just reported that Sun Bofu captured Youquan County eight days ago, and Xu Gong escaped with serious injuries."

"What!?"

Liu Yao's expression changed drastically. They had discussed this several times before and all agreed that Sun Ce's army was short of food supplies and would not launch an attack before the autumn harvest was over.

Unexpectedly, Sun Bofu's actions were so surprising. Not only did he mobilize his troops, but he also captured Xu Gong's last stronghold so quickly.

Liu Yao's loss of composure drew everyone's attention.

Liu Yao's mind raced. Although he wanted to keep it a secret, he knew that hiding it at this time would not only lose him popular support, but also fail to fool the local bullies.

Liu Yao immediately turned to Sun Shao and said, "Changxu, pass the intelligence to the gentlemen and generals for them to see."

"Yes, my lord!"

Sun Shao received the order and passed on the battle report he was holding.

After the Teng brothers finished reading it, they passed it on to Zhang Ying and others.

After reading it, everyone's faces turned quite grim.

The loss of Quan County meant that almost the entire Wu Commandery was taken over by Sun Ce.

Moreover, after Sun Ce's great victory, he not only did not withdraw his troops, but instead pursued them, with his vanguard already reaching the territory of Qiantang, showing a strong intention to annex Kuaiji in one fell swoop.

For a moment, the hall was extremely quiet.

Liu Yao frowned slightly in displeasure and asked, "The situation is critical. What strategies do you gentlemen have to advise me?"

Zhang Ying and the other two kept their eyes down, appearing respectful and cautious, but they were determined not to say a word.

The news that Sun Ce had broken through Youquan completely shattered the psychological defenses of Zhang Ying and the other two, making them want to save themselves.

As mentioned before, Zhang Ying and his two companions were locals. Not only were their families, relatives, and cronies all in Jiangdong, but their assets, including lumber mills, mines, farmland, and shops, were also located in Jiangdong.

If Liu Yao and his men messed things up, they can simply pack up and run away.

But can Zhang Ying and the others escape?

If you run away, you'll be nothing.

If they didn't run away, they would have already formed a blood feud with the Sun family under Liu Yao's command. Even with Sun Ce's guarantee, would Zhang Ying and the others dare to believe them unless absolutely necessary?

Most importantly, Liu Feng's appearance gave Zhang Ying and the others a much better option.

Wouldn't it be more promising to join Liu Feng than to join the Sun family?

They were essentially trying to persuade Liu Yao with the same idea, which is why Liu Yao got angry.

Sun Shao and his group had no choice but to keep quiet, and Zhang Ying and her group's suggestions were not adopted, so they also had to keep quiet.

After Liu Yao spoke, the hall remained silent, which made Liu Yao's face turn red and then pale. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Everyone must be tired. Let's disperse and rest."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ying and the others felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They rose together to bid farewell and then left the hall.

Liu Yao stared at the backs of these people, his eyes filled with anger and a hint of murderous intent.

Sun Shao saw through Liu Yao's thoughts and quickly advised, "My lord, now is not the time for internal strife. These men are indeed disloyal and should be killed, but killing them now might trigger a mutiny."

Even with his strong personality, Liu Yao had to admit that Sun Shao was right.

The relationship between Zhang Ying and the other two in the army was intricate. If Liu Yao didn't kill them, he could still temporarily control the Niuzhu army.

If those three were really killed, the Niuzhu army would surely rebel, since Liu Yao was merely a local ruler whom the Sun family had installed because they could no longer tolerate his exploitation. He had neither sufficient prestige nor the ability to control the Niuzhu army.

If the Niuzhu army rebels, Liu Yao may not even be able to save his own life.

This is why Sun Shao risked being suspected by Liu Yao to offer his advice, also because he was worried that Liu Yao might lose his temper and threaten his life.

Liu Yao was not stupid; on the contrary, he was quite intelligent. However, he also had limitations, namely, he looked down on powerful figures and military men.

Even a general as talented as Taishi Ci could only serve as a scout under his command, and that was only with the added benefit of his hometown ties.

Zhang Ying, Fan Neng, and Yu Mi, these powerful figures from Jiangdong, naturally held even less sway in Liu Yao's eyes.

But now, after listening to Sun Shao's advice, Liu Yao also discovered the hidden danger.

Helpless, Liu Yao could only sigh and temporarily abandon the idea.

After Zhang Ying and the others left, they did not go back to their rooms to rest, but instead gathered in Zhang Ying's room.

"Brother Zhang, we can't wait any longer."

Yu Mi was the first to speak: "The magistrate is stubborn and inflexible. Even though there are reinforcements on his side, he resists the expedition to the south across the river. It is truly puzzling."

Fan Neng also spoke up, "Our family's assets are all in Jiangdong, unlike you, Lord Zhang, who can come and go as you please. Brother Zhang, it's time to make a decision."

Despite Yu Mi and Fan Neng's repeated attempts to persuade her, Zhang Ying remained silent.

Yu Mi and Fan Neng exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt in each other's eyes.

Zhang Ying had already spoken to me clearly, so why is she suddenly acting like this now?

But Zhang Ying didn't back down in front of Liu Yao just now, so there's even less reason for him to back down now.

Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door, startling Fan Neng and Yu Mi, but they saw a smile appear on Zhang Ying's stiff face.

"Is Uncle in his room? Your nephew Zhao Fan requests an audience."

The visitor turned out to be Zhao Fan, a young general from Qu'a.

The person who summoned him was Zhang Ying.

At this moment, Zhang Ying spoke up and called out towards the outside of the room: "Nephew, please come in. It was I who sent someone to fetch you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fan pushed open the door and entered. A hint of surprise flashed across his face when he saw Fan Neng and Yu Mi, but it quickly disappeared.

Zhao Fan walked up to Zhang Ying, bowed, and asked, "I wonder why Uncle has summoned me here?"

Zhang Ying looked at Zhao Fan and said, "Today in the hall, we once again tried to persuade the magistrate to welcome the Southern Expedition across the river, but the magistrate was still quite unwilling. Now, millions of people in Jiangdong are suffering from the ravages of war, all of which is the work of the Sun family."

"The magistrate is from Qingzhou and has no regard for the suffering of the people of our state. The three of us have already decided to welcome Liu Zhengnan across the river. Liu Zhengnan is the son of the Grand General, who is authorized by the Emperor to oversee the affairs of the three southeastern states, including our Yangzhou. The Emperor has also granted the Grand General the power to make decisions, and he can replace anyone below the rank of governor."

As Zhang Ying spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on Zhao Fan, observing his emotions. After all, what they were doing now could be considered treason and rebellion.

But Zhang Ying and the others didn't think so. They only thought Liu Yao was incompetent and couldn't drive Sun Ce away.

When Liu Yao was trying to win them over and drive out Sun Ben and Wu Jing, he made promises to them.

Zhang Ying continued, "I would like to ask my nephew to cross the river to Liyang and tell Liu Zhengnan about the situation there. I wonder if my nephew is willing to make this trip."

Zhao Fan was startled and could faintly hear the sound of metal clashing outside, indicating that a number of armored soldiers had been deployed outside the room.

Although Zhao Fan was very confident in his martial arts skills, he was currently unarmored and without a suitable weapon, so his combat effectiveness would inevitably be greatly reduced.

Fortunately, Zhang Ying's decision coincided with his own; he was also extremely disappointed in Liu Yao.

I heard that Liu Zhengnan never considered people's background when hiring, but only valued their character and abilities.

The thought of this filled Zhao Fan with excitement.

Zhao Fan felt that his martial arts skills and talents were extraordinary, but he was not valued by Liu Yao because of his background.

In this way, Liu Zhengnan was exactly the mentor he had been waiting for.

Zhao Fan immediately knelt down and said passionately, "Please rest assured, Uncle, I am willing to cross the river quietly and tell Zheng Nan about all the situations at Niuzhu. I will also tell Zheng Nan about the good intentions and earnest expectations of the three uncles."

"it is good!"

Zhang Ying praised loudly, while glancing at Fan Neng and Yu Mi.

Fan Neng and Yu Mi also admired Zhao Fan quite a bit at this time. This child is really good. He knows how to respect his elders and is a good prospect who values ​​gratitude.

"No wonder Brother Zhang wasn't in a hurry at all. It turns out he had already made arrangements and even found such a promising young talent."

Fan Neng slapped his thigh and said, "I think this is feasible."

Yu Mi nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying, "I share Lao Fan's opinion; we'll have to rely on Brother Zhang for this matter."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhang Ying immediately stood up, grasped Zhao Fan's hand and said, "Nephew, if you succeed in everything you do, you will be of great merit to Niuzhu. When you return, the three of us will allocate three hundred men to you to help you lead a battalion on your own."

Zhang Ying's words truly surprised and delighted Zhao Fan.

He only has two or three hundred men under his command now, which are the defeated soldiers he gathered after escaping Qu'a, plus the able-bodied men he recruited from the countryside, so his strength is really not strong.

Now Zhang Ying has not only agreed to give him an independent battalion, which corresponds to a colonel, or at least a lieutenant, but also isn't a nominal position; he's even willing to allocate manpower to supplement it.

Zhang Ying then turned to Fan Neng and Yu Mi and asked, "Old Fan, Old Yu, what do you say?"

Fan Neng and Yu Mi were surprised and suspected that Zhang Ying might be taking advantage of the situation to cut off their flesh.

But when they thought about how Zhao Fan was going to see Liu Feng, they couldn't control what he said to Liu Feng.

So Fan Neng and Yu Mi gritted their teeth and nodded, saying, "We'll do as you say, Brother Zhang. We'll send out these three hundred men."

"Hahaha, good!"

Zhang Ying cheered loudly, then said to Zhao Fan, "Hurry up and thank your two uncles."

Zhao Fan immediately knelt down and bowed deeply to Fan Neng and Yu Mi to express his gratitude.

Fan Neng and Yu Mi also laughed and each praised Zhao Fan a few times.

Zhao Fan spent the entire afternoon with the three men. After dinner that evening, Zhao Fan, led by Zhang Ying's personal guard leader, quietly boarded a small boat and sailed silently toward the west bank under the moonlight.

At midnight, Liu Feng was still awake. After two days of no response from the other side, he decided to stop waiting and cross the river the next day.

In any case, Liu Bei's army had its own navy and did not need the Yangzhou navy to help cross the river.

Once we reach Jiangdong, will we still have to worry about no one coming to join us?
Moreover, Liu Feng had already made a plan. His biggest enemy in Jiangdong was Sun Ce, but the person he wanted to eliminate first was someone else entirely.

For this expedition, Liu Feng once again brought Zhuge Liang with him.

During his visit to Shouchun, Liu Feng even hinted to Zhuge Jin that he wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Zhuge family.

Although Liu Bei's children were young, his eldest daughter was already ten years old, only seven years younger than Zhuge Liang.

According to the customs of the Eastern Han Dynasty, girls could get married at the age of twelve or thirteen. Even if Liu Feng couldn't stand it and delayed it, when he got married at fifteen or sixteen, Zhuge Liang would only be twenty-two or twenty-three, which would be the marriage age in later generations.

Given Zhuge Liang's age, talent, background, and Liu Feng's high regard for him, he was destined to become a second-generation prime minister.

He was a full eighteen years younger than Chen Deng, twenty-four years younger than Xun You, twenty-five years younger than Zhang Zhao and Dong Zhao, and thirty years younger than Zhong Yao!

Even Lu Su was nine years older than Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang had no need to rush. His age meant he didn't need to participate in the most intense struggle for the first generation of prime ministers. He only needed to wait for the flowers to bloom and fade, for time to pass, and for Heaven to automatically take away those first-generation prime ministers.

Zhuge Liang's age meant that he could win even if he were lying down.

Zhuge Jin was overjoyed at Liu Feng's probing.

He was not jealous at all that Liu Feng had chosen his younger brother; on the contrary, he was extremely happy for Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Jin was at least quite broad-minded, and his talent was also quite remarkable. He was also extremely loyal and cautious. If we disregard his military abilities, he would definitely be ranked in the top tier of the second tier.

(End of this chapter)