My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 317 The Zhou Family of Yangxian
Xu Kun's face was very ugly. In just one hour, the camp of the Southern Expeditionary Army in front of him had already taken shape.

They didn't know exactly how capable the Southern Expeditionary Army was, but the speed at which they established their camp was disheartening.

After careful consideration, Xu Kun nodded: "Then let's reinforce the troops. Send another two hundred men over there."

The military camp outside the city was not large, mainly to protect the city gate. Five hundred armored soldiers were already quite sufficient; putting in more people would have the opposite effect.

Xu Yi nodded in agreement.

Xu Kun and his men watched from the city wall for a long time. By the time they came down from the city wall and left, the wooden palisade in front of the Southern Expeditionary Army camp had already been erected, and some people had even been digging trenches at an astonishing speed.

Xu Kun secretly estimated in his mind that it would probably take a day and a half to achieve this level of progress.

Upon returning to the Wuxi County government office, Xu Kun issued orders to all departments, instructing them to prepare for defense.

Given the scale of the Southern Expeditionary Army's southward advance and the speed at which they established camps, they will likely launch an attack on Wuxi within two or three days.

The generals largely agreed with Xu Kun's assessment and mobilized their respective troops, awaiting the upcoming battle.

The next morning, messengers came to the city to persuade the city to surrender.

Xu Kun naturally refused and dismissed the envoy on the spot.

Xu Kun and his men originally thought that since they had already repelled the envoys who wanted to persuade them to surrender, what followed would surely be a large-scale attack. But to everyone's surprise, the Southern Expeditionary Army seemed to have become addicted to their construction work.

For the next seven or eight days, the Southern Expeditionary Army continued to carry out large-scale construction projects, expanding their camps and cutting down trees to make tools.

In the past few days, they have even started quarrying large stones from mountains such as Huishan and Junzhangshan to bring them back to camp.

These strange actions greatly puzzled Xu Kun and the others, and at the same time made them wary.

Xu Kun had tried to test his opponents, but the Southern Expeditionary Army did not fall for his trap. Even when Xu Kun took the initiative to attack, the Southern Expeditionary Army focused on defending their camp and refused to come out.

However, as time went by, on the tenth day, the Southern Expeditionary Army dispatched a force of 6,000 men and 4,000 laborers to establish a camp at the foot of Junzhang Mountain west of the city, taking advantage of the terrain.

On the 15th, after the camp in the west of the city was completed, the Southern Expeditionary Army dispatched another 6,000 men, along with 4,000 laborers, to set up camp in the east of the city.

On the twentieth day after the Southern Expeditionary Army arrived in Wuxi, it had already set up three battalions, surrounding Wuxi from three directions.

Xu Kun and his group were both surprised and suspicious. They went out of the city several times to investigate, but the results only made them more surprised and uncertain.

Because the Southern Expeditionary Army completely ignored their harassment, determined to hold their ground and not come out, and simply drove them away.

Xu Kun and his men were eager to make a big move, but they were also worried that this was just a trap set by the Southern Expeditionary Army to lure them in, thus putting them in a dilemma.

Actually, this wasn't a trap set by the Southern Expeditionary Army; Liu Feng's orders were simply carried out step by step.

Having finally become wealthy, there were indeed no good strategies at the moment. The only thing facing the Southern Expeditionary Army was a protracted battle. Since that was the case, Liu Feng could only patiently do his best to minimize the losses.

In the past twenty days, Liu Feng's Southern Expeditionary Army has built eight counterweight catapults, enough for four artillery groups to use two rounds.

In addition, six siege ladders, three battering rams, four siege towers, eight trench-filling vehicles, and so on were also built.

Liu Feng felt it wasn't enough and wanted to continue with civil engineering.

News from the southern front indicates that all units are acting according to plan and are opening new supply lines. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu's troops are heading north and stationed in Liyang.

Zhou Tai's four naval forces, consisting of more than two hundred warships of various sizes, entered Changdang Lake from Xiangcao River, then passed through Gehu Lake and entered Zhenze.

However, the so-called large ships here are only relative to small boats, scouts, and yachts. They are at most warships that can only carry thirty to fifty people, and are not worth mentioning compared to multi-story ships.

The Xuzhou army wasn't lacking in warships; in fact, the first batch of five warships had been completed. However, firstly, these warships were all ocean-going vessels, which were adequate for sailing the Yangtze River but not for the Xiangcao River. The Hangou Canal also needed to be dredged before these large ships could enter. Secondly, these warships needed a period of training and integration before they could be combat-ready; hastily deploying them would only increase losses.

Therefore, this battle did not utilize these behemoths capable of carrying hundreds of people; instead, small and medium-sized ships remained the main force.

Even so, how could Wu Jing's navy, which only numbered eight or nine hundred men in Zhenze, possibly be a match for them? They lost more than half of their men and ships in almost a single encounter and retreated back to Suzhou to hold out.

At this time, Sun Ce's army was mainly composed of land forces, unlike the amphibious forces that would later emerge, and they were not the kind of forces that could not fight without ships.

At this time, Sun's army was still mainly engaged in land warfare, while also taking into account naval warfare. In terms of ships, they were even inferior to the Xuzhou army, with only a few real warships and most of the others being merchant ships and fishing boats.

Sun Jun's only two thousand or so main naval forces had also headed south to participate in the Qiantang River Campaign.

Sun Jun's current reputation does not come from naval warfare, but from land warfare, where he defeated the heroes of Jiangdong and made them submit. Compared to land warfare, naval warfare is quite unreliable and has repeatedly suffered setbacks.

For example, Liu Yao relied on naval warfare and the Niuzhu defense line to block Sun Ce's army from crossing the river for more than a year. In the subsequent Battle of Guling, Wang Lang, Yu Fan, and Zhou Xin also relied on the navy and the fortified city of Guling to hold Sun Ce back on the north bank of the Qiantang River. The two sides fought a bloody battle for half a year, and Sun Ce's army was unable to cross the river.

However, Sun Jun's land forces have finally met their match. The heroes of Jiangdong are eagerly awaiting Liu Biaoqi and Liu Zhengnan's crossing of the river, like a parched land awaiting sweet rain, or a child longing for his parents.

What kind of skill is it to bully weaklings? If you're so capable, go fight the Xuzhou army!

This should be considered the common sentiment of the heroes of Jiangdong.

Therefore, almost all the news Liu Feng has received recently has been good news.

News came from Zhou Yu's side that fifteen days ago, Sun Ce's army marched south and launched a surprise attack on Guling.

As a result, Wang Lang's subordinate Yu Fan personally led the army and defeated Sun Quan's army in a naval battle, killing more than 300 enemy soldiers and winning the first battle.

This battle greatly boosted the morale of Wang Lang's army. The Kuaiji army, which was originally somewhat afraid of Sun's army, was greatly encouraged to see that they could actually defeat their opponents without suffering too many casualties.

Liu Feng's cautious and deliberate approach, building up his strength step by step, was precisely to avoid demoralizing Sun's army.

What he needed to do was to break the morale of Sun Jun's army.

********
After leaving Qu'a, Teng Dan traveled by water to Piling, then left the Hangou Canal, turned into Gehu Lake, and headed straight for Yangxian City.

Yangxian City was at this time a scene of peace and tranquility.

Yangxian belongs to Wu County, but it is located west of Zhenze. Furthermore, the Lishui River connects Liyang, Wuhu, and Wanling. Therefore, geographically, it is clearly closer to Danyang.

However, Yangxian is located between the two prefectures, and it is about 600 to 700 miles away from the nearest city, Liyang, by waterway. This is about the same distance as crossing Zhenze to reach Wuxi and Wuxian in Wu Prefecture.

Therefore, after Sun Jun attacked Wu County and captured Wu County, Yangxian became a delicate place.

He neither accepted the surrender offer from Sun's army on the other side of Zhenze, nor did he continue to pledge allegiance to Liu Yao. Instead, he remained ambiguous and neither side agreed, giving the impression of battlefield neutrality.

However, Yangxian was indeed peaceful and tranquil at this time. In broad daylight, the city gates were open, allowing people to come and go as they pleased.

There were only a few dozen county soldiers outside the city gate, collecting a small fee to enter the city; there was no other armed force to be seen.

Teng Dan stepped forward and paid the city entrance fee. The county magistrate didn't even bother to check him before letting him into the city.

After entering the city, Teng Dan headed straight for the county town, following his pre-planned strategy.

Yangxian was a lower-class county with only one county magistrate named Bian Qiang, who had a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain). He shared the same surname as Bian Rang, a famous scholar from Yanzhou, but they were not from the same clan.

Bian Qiang is from Sichuan and has been the county magistrate of Yangxian for almost twelve years. According to the rules, he should have been promoted or transferred long ago.

But the world is in chaos right now, so there's no longer any chance for transfers or promotions from the imperial court.

Bian Qiang had a fairly good reputation in Yangxian, but this was not entirely due to Bian Qiang himself. The restrictions imposed by the Zhou family, the most powerful family in Yangxian, were also the best help in keeping him incorruptible.

Teng Dan requested an audience with Bian Qiang at the entrance of the county government office.

Fortunately, the guards were quite perceptive. They could tell that Teng Dan was no ordinary person. Instead of making things difficult for him, they immediately went in to inform him.

Upon hearing Teng Dan's name, Bian Qiang immediately jumped up and jogged out to greet him.

Teng Dan was a renowned scholar in Qingzhou. Even without Liu Yao's support, he was not someone that Bian Qiang, a mere county magistrate with a salary of 600 shi, could ignore.

Upon meeting, Bian Qiang immediately and warmly led Teng Dan into the hall with an extremely respectful attitude, which made Teng Dan feel somewhat uncomfortable.

However, Teng Dan was secretly delighted. He was an honest man, and seeing Bian Qiang's enthusiasm, he felt that this mission should be easy to complete. Sure enough, Teng Dan lived up to his reputation as an honest man and was guided by Bian Qiang to tell the whole story.

When Bian Qiang heard that Liu Yao had been stripped of his military power and that the Niuzhu army had directly defected to Liu Feng, he was dumbfounded.

Then, Teng Dan, oblivious to Bian Qiang's deliberate coldness, continued speaking on his own.

Bian Qiang's feigned indifference froze completely when Teng Dan mentioned the deaths of Zuo Rong and Xue Li. His expression then turned into a mixture of guilt and flattery as he smiled obsequiously at Teng Dan.

Unfortunately, he was simply throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. Teng Dan was so engrossed in his story that he didn't notice Bian Qiang's expression had changed three times.

Next, Bian Qiang's expression kept changing as Teng Dan narrated, until Teng Dan mentioned that Liu Yao had entrusted him to Liu Feng, and that Liu Feng had sent him to Yangxian. At that point, Bian Qiang's face started to twitch.

“Lord Bian, Zheng Nan was ordered by the imperial court to cross the river. After arriving in Jiangdong, he received assistance from Prefect Liu. When Prefect Liu went north, he even left the seal of Yangzhou to Zheng Nan.”

"The conquest of the south and command of Jiangdong is an order from the imperial court, which is perfectly legitimate. I advise the magistrate not to make a mistake."

After Teng Dan finished speaking, he felt a little thirsty, so he simply drank some tea. Only after finishing did he realize that Bian Qiang hadn't responded yet, so he looked over at him.

Bian Qiang sat stiffly in his seat, not because he didn't want to smile, but because his face had been twitching from the repeated violent changes. What was even more embarrassing was that he, Bian Qiang, truly had no right to decide who would rule Yangxian.

Bian Qiang was about to speak when he suddenly froze, staring straight out of the hall.

Teng Dan was looking at Bian Qiang at the moment, and naturally he could no longer ignore the other party's strange behavior.

Teng Dan turned his head following Bian Qiang's gaze and happened to see a tall, imposing man standing outside the hall.

Teng Dan clearly sensed that the burly man was sizing him up, so he curiously asked Bian Qiang, "Your Excellency, may I ask who this man is...?"

Bian Qiang gave an awkward smile and said, "This man is Zhou Bin, the head of the Zhou family of Yangxian, and the county magistrate."

Zhou Bin?

Teng Dan thought about it carefully and suddenly felt that he had some recollection of it.

Isn't the Zhou family of Yangxian the most powerful local clan?
He had often heard from Liu Yao that the Zhou family occupied almost a quarter of the land in Yangxian, with a total of eight hundred clan members and retainers, making them veritable local emperors of Yangxian.

Fortunately, the Zhou family was quite compliant with the prefectures and counties, and paid taxes on time every year without delay.

For Bian Qiang, the county magistrate, it wasn't a particularly difficult situation.

However, Zhou Bin, the clan leader, was a man of strong character who hated corruption and had a particular aversion to corrupt officials.

Therefore, it was a pity that Bian Qiang, who served as the magistrate of Yangxian County for twelve years, gained nothing.

Upon hearing Bian Qiang's words, Zhou Bin immediately went up to the hall, sat opposite Teng Dan, and then bowed in greeting.

Teng Dan was an honest man. Although he didn't value martial artists much, he didn't have the habit of looking down on them either. Instead, he returned the courtesy with respect.

This made Zhou Bin secretly quite happy.

After the ceremony, no one spoke for a moment, and the hall became quiet.

Teng Dan glanced at Bian Qiang, who looked somewhat embarrassed, head bowed and silent. He then looked at Zhou Bin, who was also observing him.

After thinking for a moment, Teng Dan took the initiative to break the silence: "Zhou Jun is quite brave and martial?"

Zhou Bin was observing Teng Dan when he was suddenly asked a question, which made him somewhat suspicious.

Honest Teng Dan thought Zhou Bin hadn't heard him clearly, so he considerately asked again.

Zhou Bin was puzzled, but he nodded nonetheless: "Bin is quite strong and has a fondness for martial arts. He is considered brave and martial in Yangxian."

Zhou Bin's words were somewhat modest; he believed that even within Wu County, his strength was among the best.

After all, his grandson is capable of fighting tigers in the mountains and battling dragons in the sea.

Zhou Bin's strength is truly impressive, and he is quite confident in himself.

After listening, Teng Dan said to Zhou Bin earnestly, "When I was under Liu Shijun's command, I heard that Zheng Nan was fond of martial arts. Today, after joining Zheng Nan's command, I see that he indeed values ​​warriors, and all the brave and strong men under his command are able to make good use of them."

"Since Zhou is quite brave, why not go to Qu'a and join the expedition to the south?"

Teng Dan said very sincerely, "It would also be good to seize an opportunity to make a name for myself."

Zhou Bin was completely stunned. It was truly an awkward political situation for a local tyrant like him.

Despite the fact that the Zhou family occupies a quarter of Yangxian's land and can even arbitrarily sideline the county magistrate within the county, how many people outside Yangxian truly acknowledge Zhou Bin and the Zhou family of Yangxian?
Zhou Bin opened his mouth as if to refuse, but although his mouth was open, he couldn't say a word.

Because he was moved.

If anyone else had said these words to him, Zhou Bin would probably have been furious.

However, Teng Dan gave Zhou Bin the impression of being an honest person, and even seemed to be looking out for his well-being, which made Zhou Bin unable to get angry.

Zhou Bin remained silent, but Teng Dan assumed he was interested and quickly added, "Now that the Emperor has returned to Luozhong, the Grand Marshal, the General, and the Cavalry are all performing their duties to eliminate any dissent."

As Teng Dan spoke, he sighed, "In my opinion, at most ten years, the world will be at peace again. If Zhou Zhuangshi does not seize this opportunity, how will he ever elevate his family's status?"

These words were practically pointing a finger at Zhou Bin, saying that a warrior like him was only fit for promotion through military merit, and that if he didn't seize the opportunity in this chaotic world, his whole family would never have a chance to rise in society.

However, Teng Dan spoke with earnestness and sincerity, even sounding somewhat heartfelt, which made Zhou Bin's face turn red and black, like a soy sauce vendor.

Zhou Bin had his doubts about Teng Dan, but he had been standing outside the hall listening to Teng Dan honestly recount all the situations and events to Bian Qiang. Bian Qiang hadn't even put in much effort, just getting a rough start, and then Teng Dan told him everything on his own.

To say that such a person is cunning is something Zhou Bin couldn't convince himself of.

Most importantly, although Teng Dan spoke from the bottom of his heart, Zhou Bin was genuinely moved.

He pinched his nose and tried to get information out of Teng Dan. Although the other party was honest, some things were especially hurtful when said by an honest person.

Zhou Bin gleaned a lot of information from Teng Dan's praise of Liu Feng.

First of all, Liu Feng valued military men and liked to promote them. He had no prejudice against them and even highly regarded them.

This alone was enough to tempt Zhou Bin, and he was also very confident in his skills. If he could be chosen by Zheng Nan, then the Zhou family of Yangxian would no longer be just a powerful local family.

The thought of this filled Zhou Bin with excitement.

The emotional attachment people had to their families in that era is unimaginable to later generations.

They were truly willing to die for their family.

Zhou Bin originally intended to continue playing dumb. Although he didn't know as much as Teng Dan, he was still a local bigwig with over 800 private followers, so he was more than capable of gathering basic intelligence.

According to the intelligence he gathered, General Liu Bei had just launched a surprise attack and captured Yuan Gonglu, the overlord of Jianghuai, in one battle. The remaining counties and towns north of the Yangtze River were pacified with a single proclamation.

Apart from Liu Xun, who has not yet submitted, even Sun's army in Liyang has surrendered.

Liu Feng also crossed the river from Liyang, reportedly with tens of thousands of troops. He also received reinforcements from Liu Yao's former subordinates at Niuzhu. Zhou Bin believed that the enemy had at least 30,000 to 50,000 troops in Jiangdong.

Since Sun Ce captured Wu County, many powerful families in Jiangdong have come to join him with their troops. At present, he is considered to have a strong army. He just almost annihilated Xu Gong's troops and his supporters in Youquan.

In Zhou Bin's view, the contest between Liu Feng and Sun Ce was a competition between two behemoths, and he, a local tyrant, was not qualified to get involved in such a contest.

But deep down, he still hoped that someone would recognize his talent and recognize Zhou Bin of Yangxian, and even be willing to recruit him.

This is also the fundamental reason why he patiently chatted with the honest Teng Dan for so long.

He, Zhou Bin, was never one to be content with mediocrity.

(End of this chapter)