My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 324 Lü Dai and Yan Jun
"Heading south?"

Wu Jing was stunned, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

While Wuxian County is certainly not a good place now, heading south may not be the best way out either.

Both Youquan and Wucheng are in the hands of the Southern Expeditionary Army, and going south now would be extremely risky.

If things go wrong, they'll be attacked from both sides and wiped out.

In particular, Xu Kun's willingness to stay in Wu County aroused Wu Jing's suspicion.

"How did my uncle head south? How many men did he take with him?"

Wu Jing's eyes held a hint of doubt, but his expression remained unchanged: "How long can you hold out in Wu County?"

Although Xu Kun was somewhat impulsive, he was not a fool, nor was he so selfless as to be willing to sacrifice himself for Sun Ce's group.

Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable for Wu Jing to suspect Xu Kun's motives.

Xu Kun, however, seemed completely oblivious to the other's doubts, and continued, "Wu County cannot be defended no matter what, but we cannot give up on it. Heading south is the only way out. Although it is dangerous, even if we don't leave now, we will have to take the risk eventually."

At this point, Xu Kun looked up at Wu Jing and said, "Uncle, there are still less than 17,000 people in Wu County. If we leave them all behind, there will be too many people."

“I held out in Wuxi for two months and experienced the Southern Expeditionary Army breaching the city. I am the person who knows their tactics best. If I don’t stay, do you expect me to stay, Uncle?”

At this moment, Xu Kun spoke only about matters of the matter, and even Wu Jing could hear the goodwill in his words and could not find the hidden trap.

At most... they would just surrender to the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Since Xu Kun did not surrender in Wuxi, it means that his heart was still with the Sun family.

After hearing Xu Kun's explanation, Wu Jing no longer suspected that the other party wanted to harm him.

Xu Kun's behavior suggests that his actions at most indicate he wanted to use Wu County to negotiate with Liu Feng.

But he himself had the opportunity to go south and catch up with Bo Fu.

Wu Jing remained silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "If I were to let you stay, how many men would you need?"

"Eight thousand people are enough."

Xu Kun had clearly considered everything carefully and directly gave a number.

Then I can lead nine thousand men south.

Wu Jing estimated that there was a main road leading directly south from Wu County to Yuhang, without necessarily passing through Youquan. However, if Youquan was not captured, continuing south would hand over the entire logistical supply line to the garrison of Youquan and Wucheng.

Traveling south from Wu County at a pace of thirty li per day, it would take a maximum of eight to twelve days to reach Yuhang. Another three or four days would then be needed to reach the city of Shanyin.

The most dangerous part of the journey was the section between Wucheng County and Youquan County, which was 80 to 120 li long.

The average distance between Youquan and Wucheng is 40 li, while the average distance between them is 70 li.

Starting from Youquan, a day's journey is enough to raid the enemy force, while starting from Wucheng, two days is sufficient to reach the battlefield.

Therefore, due to insufficient intelligence, Sun's army heading south was likely to encounter an ambush or surprise attack.

Wu Jing was caught in a dilemma and couldn't make a decision.

Xu Kun sighed and reminded him, "Uncle, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be for you to go south. Wucheng and Youquan are already under the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army. And in the north, Wuxi has fallen, and the Southern Expeditionary Army's waterways and supply lines are unobstructed. They obviously won't be stationed in Wuxi and will be heading south soon."

After hearing this, Wu Jing nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I will consider it carefully."

In fact, Xu Kun was absolutely right. He and Wu Jing were unaware that Taishi Ci had already reached Yangxian, and Xu Huang had even taken over Wucheng.

In another five or seven days, after Taishi Ci has rested in Wucheng, he might turn around and gather his troops to head north or even south to flank Sun Ce's rear army.

Objectively speaking, Xu Kun's proposal at this time was indeed the best opportunity for Sun Jun from Wu County to march south.

********
Liu Feng was indeed in Wuxi at the time, receiving two scholars.

These two individuals are Yan Jun and Lü Dai.

Historically, Yan Jun, Zhuge Jin, and Bu Zhi were close friends, while Lü Dai was a confidant of Sun Quan.

These two men also shared a common identity: they were both scholars from Xuzhou who were fleeing the ravages of war in Jiangdong.

Therefore, as soon as Liu Feng occupied Wuxi, Yan Jun and Lü Dai came knocking on his door.

Liu Feng was somewhat unfamiliar with Yan Jun, but he knew Lü Dai quite well.

Lü Dai lived to be 97 years old, making him a living fossil of the Three Kingdoms period, ranking third only after Zhang Zhi and Lai Min, who were living fossils of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

However, Lü Dai's fame and ability far surpassed those of Zhang Yi and Lai Min, putting them on completely different levels.

Lü Dai was both a scholar and a warrior. On horseback, he could command troops and charge into battle alone; on foot, he could govern the people and stabilize the court.

What's most impressive is that Lü Dai was a figure like Lian Po, becoming more formidable with age; he was truly a cunning and shrewd old man.

Lü Dai was tall and had a heroic and resolute face, while Yan Jun was thin and tall, with a simple and honest appearance.

The two also had quite different personalities; Lü Dai was outgoing and confident, while Yan Jun was low-key and reserved.

The two had previously lived in Wuzhong and, although they had been paying attention to the situation in the north, their information was not very readily available.

In addition, Liu Bei's rise to power was so rapid that they had no time to head north and serve him.

Another reason was that Lü Dai and Yan Jun's parents were still alive and needed their care, so they had not returned to Xuzhou to serve Liu Bei for a long time.

Now that Liu Feng has captured Wuxi, Lü Dai and Yan Jun, after discussing it, came together to serve Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was overjoyed. Both of them were very talented. Lü Dai was both a scholar and a warrior, and was still vigorous despite his old age. Yan Jun was not to be underestimated either. Just look at how self-aware Yan Jun was, how he was not swayed by power, how he worked diligently and conscientiously, and how he was also a scientist.

Yan Jun's treatise on tides is the first dedicated work on tides in China, possessing considerable historical value and marking a scientific milestone. This demonstrates that Yan Jun was not merely a bookworm, but rather someone who greatly valued practical learning; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to observe and summarize tidal theories.

Both of them were talents within Liu Feng's standards for employing people. Lü Dai could be considered above average, while Yan Jun was originally only average, but with the addition of the theory of tides, he was also promoted to above average talent.

That evening, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for Lü Dai and Yan Jun at the Wuxi County Government Office.

At the same time, Teng Dan, Zhao Yun, and others were invited to accompany them.

The banquet atmosphere was very good. Teng Dan and Yan Jun were both kind and honest people, while Lü Dai was particularly fond of military affairs and did not look down on Uncle Zhao Si because of his status as a military man.

On the contrary, all three of them got along quite well with Zhao Yun and found themselves quite compatible. Lü Dai, in particular, was both literate and skilled in martial arts, and although he was already thirty-seven years old, his ambition remained undiminished.

Zhao Yun himself was calm and resolute. When Lü Dai repeatedly asked about military affairs, he was willing to tell him everything he could.

Finally, Liu Feng asked everyone for their opinions on the current situation in Jiangdong.

While Yan Jun was still confused, Lü Dai was already invigorated, knowing that Liu Feng's test was coming.

Lü Dai spoke up, "I have a plan that I would like to offer to you, General."

Liu Feng thanked him sincerely and said, "Please tell me everything, Lord Ding."

"When the general arrives in Jiangdong, the first strategy is to rely on people. The best of Jiangdong's gentry are all in Da Wu, and the best of Wu County are all in Xiao Wu."

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, place names were often the same, and sometimes even the names of prefectures and counties were identical.

For example, Wu County and Wu Prefecture in Yangzhou, and Pei State and Pei County in Yuzhou.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, if a prefecture and a county have the same name, the former will be respectfully referred to as "big" and the latter as "small".

This is why, when Liu Bei was the governor of Yu Province in Pei State, Pei County was called Xiao Pei (Little Pei).

Lü Dai continued, “Although all the famous scholars of Jiangdong are in Wu County, there are also many renowned scholars residing in various parts of Wu Commandery, including some from Xuzhou. I would like to recommend talented individuals to you, Your Excellency! Puyang Yi of Chenliu, Chen Rong of Chen State, Jiang Zuan of Pei Commandery, and Yuan Di of Guangling are all renowned scholars who can serve as your advisors. Moreover, these men have been in Jiangdong for a long time and are already familiar with the scholars there. Their recommendation is far better than Your Excellency seeking it yourself.”

Liu Feng asked in surprise, "Yuan Di of Guangling?"

When Lü Dai heard Liu Feng ask, he quickly replied, "His father is Yuan Sui of Guangling, who once served as the acting governor of Guangling."

Oh, it's an old acquaintance!

Liu Feng suddenly remembered that Yuan Sui was the enemy he had fought in the city at night when he marched south to Guangling.

However, Liu Feng did not know everything. In fact, Yuan Sui was only more optimistic about Yuan Shu and did not completely side with him.

Otherwise, given Yuan Sui's position in Guangling at the time, Guangling would have already fallen to Yuan Shu.

However, there's not much to say about these things now, as even Yuan Shu has been completely eradicated by Liu Bei and his son. In the end, Yuan Sui didn't stay in Guangling but retreated with Sun Ce.

Later, Yuan Sui did not stay in Sun Ce's army, but was recruited by Yuan Shu to Shouchun.

When they captured Shouchun, Liu Feng was not seen. Now, Yuan Sui had realized that Yuan Shu was doomed and fled to Jiangdong with his son.

These matters had not yet caught Liu Feng's attention, but now that Lü Dai had brought them up, he became interested.

It wasn't that Yuan Sui and Yuan Di were particularly talented, but rather that there was fame to be gained from it.

What Liu Bei and his son lacked most was reputation. Liu Bei spent his whole life advocating benevolence and righteousness. Although he was indeed kind-hearted, it was also because he had no other pretext to use.

Liu Bei lacked Yuan Shao's prestige from four generations of high-ranking officials, and he didn't have the wealth of Cao Cao's eunuch family. He was also inferior to Sun Jian and Sun Ce in military ability.

At least his benevolence and righteousness have been recognized by the world. If he doesn't raise this banner, he might as well go back to Zhuozhou and sell straw sandals as soon as possible.

The reputation of Liu Bei and his son is indeed growing day by day, but they are still not as good as Cao Cao, let alone Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao was, after all, a legitimate official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) during the reign of Emperor Ling. Not only was he one of the three noble families, but he also spent his days associating with the sons of top aristocratic families like Yuan Shao and his brothers.

After Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, Cao Cao also contributed to the victory at Suanzao.

Although he had fallen out with the gentry of Yanzhou and Xuzhou, he still had a strong influence in Yuzhou, Hebei, Sili, Jingzhou and other places.

It's just that Liu Feng acted too quickly and ruthlessly; otherwise, Liu Bei's group wouldn't be as prosperous as it is now, only slightly better than a few small groups.

In fact, Cao Cao was not short of people; he had more gentry who joined him than Liu Bei. It was just that Liu Feng had taken all the elites, which made it seem like Cao Cao lacked talent.

Lu Dai's meaning is very clear: the Jiangdong gentry mainly depend on Wu Commandery, and the elite gentry of Wu Commandery are all in Wu County.

Liu Feng is currently trying to win them over, but he can't do so for the time being.

Since that's the case, why not first recruit renowned scholars from other states who reside in Yangzhou?

These scholars have been staying in Jiangdong for several years, with the longest stay being nearly ten years.

The prominent figures of Jiangdong would not let such opportunities pass them by. Even though Bu Zhi and Wei Jing had been bullied so badly by Jiao Jiao, they still had friends among the Jiangdong gentry.

"Duke Ding's view is excellent!"

Liu Feng was overjoyed and raised his wine cup to Lü Dai, saying, "I toast you, may you win!"

Lü Dai was overjoyed and quickly raised his wine cup in return, saying, "I thank you, General!"

Liu Feng was already quite satisfied with Lü Dai and Yan Jun, and the two performed very well during the assessment.

Although Yan Jun lacked Lü Dai's vision and shrewdness, he excelled in his simplicity, loyalty, and diligence.

Of course, this loyalty is limited; while they wouldn't betray their lord, they still couldn't resist spreading rumors.

Historically, when Sun Quan wanted to punish Liu Ying, it was Yan Jun who immediately sent a message, which resulted in Liu Ying being spared punishment. The price was that Yan Jun was dismissed from his post.

However, we cannot be too demanding, since the relationship between the emperor and his ministers in the Eastern Han Dynasty was far from that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In this era, subjects had their own independent personalities and thoughts, and were not entirely dependent on their lords.

Therefore, not long after Sun Quan dismissed Yan Jun, he felt that he had handled the matter improperly and punished him too severely. He not only reinstated Yan Jun but also appointed him as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Vice Minister of State Affairs.

"Duke Ding".

Liu Feng slowly spoke, "I intend to recommend you as the magistrate of Wuxi County. What do you think?"

Lu Dai was completely stunned. He never expected Liu Feng to value him so much. Such a huge opportunity had just fallen into his lap.

After realizing what had happened, Lü Dai hurriedly stood up from his seat, walked to the side, and respectfully bowed to Liu Feng.

"How could I disobey your command! I will forever remember your kindness, General!"

In the original timeline, Lü Dai joined Sun Quan in 200 AD, after Sun Ce had died.

Sun Quan also valued him highly. After all, Sun Quan had almost no trusted talents under his command at that time. The only one he could rely on was Zhou Tai. Moreover, Zhou Tai was actually sent by Sun Ce to protect his second brother.

Therefore, Sun Quan directly recommended Lü Dai as the Prefect of Wu Commandery.

The prefectural assistant's salary was 600 shi (a unit of grain), and the county magistrate's salary

But don't be fooled by the word "prefecture" in his name; his status was far lower than that of a county magistrate.

Even the lowest-ranking county magistrate is still a marquis of a hundred li, while the prefectural assistant is merely a phoenix tail, and a fallen phoenix that is even worse than a chicken.

The Eastern Han Dynasty was completely different from the Western Han Dynasty. In the Western Han Dynasty, the prefectural magistrate had a clear division of labor and real power. His status was equivalent to that of the executive vice mayor in later times.

The situation was quite the opposite in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The prefectural governor held almost absolute power, and the prefectural assistant suddenly became someone who served the prefectural governor. What was even more awkward was that the prefectural assistant was appointed by the imperial court, while the clerk and chief clerk were directly appointed by the prefectural governor. So, who did the prefectural governor trust?

Therefore, throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prefectural assistant was essentially an advisor without any real authority, and his words carried little weight.

Historically, Lü Dai was promoted to the position of Yuyao Magistrate after making meritorious contributions.

“I am fully aware of Duke Ding’s talent.”

Liu Feng nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Now that Jiangdong is engulfed in war, Wuxi is an important town and the logistics hub for my army. It cannot be without troops to guard it. I intend to allocate five hundred men for you to command, and also give you five hundred surrendered soldiers, and appoint you as a separate commander."

Lü Dai felt his blood boiling, and he wished he could cut out his heart to Liu Feng to show his loyalty.

Liu Feng's arrangement not only put Lü Dai in charge of both military and political affairs, but also directly assigned him a retinue of a thousand men.

Although Lü Dai was skilled in both literature and martial arts, he actually preferred to join the army.

He had long foreseen that chaos was imminent, and that only by joining the army could one achieve merit, and only by achieving merit could one be promoted. Intelligent and capable scholars had already begun to transition to military positions. Moreover, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, scholars only discriminated against military men, not those holding military positions.

People like Ju Shou from Hebei, Kuai Yue from Jingzhou, and Cheng Yu from Yanzhou all held legitimate military ranks.

"Dai is unworthy, lacking in virtue and shallow in learning."

Lu Dai first made a self-deprecating remark, then tearfully expressed his loyalty, saying, "I am willing to serve the general to the death!"

"good!"

Liu Feng, beaming with joy, personally helped Lü Dai up and escorted him to his seat.

Subsequently, Liu Feng appointed Yan Jun as the magistrate of Piling County. Even though Yan Jun was simple and easygoing, he was deeply grateful for Liu Feng's high regard for him.

Liu Feng had his reasons for making this appointment.

Both Lü Dai and Yan Jun had been in Jiangdong for many years, making them relatively easy for the people of Jiangdong to accept.

Liu Feng's move was intended to subtly influence the Jiangdong gentry while simultaneously securing his own position.

In the political landscape of the three southeastern provinces, Yu Province is undoubtedly the largest province in terms of prestige, population, economy, and military strength.

Next is Xuzhou, the place where Liu Bei rose to power, while Yangzhou is clearly ranked at the bottom.

Therefore, Liu Feng also had to handle the details as skillfully as possible, and do his best to resolve the resistance and resentment of the local gentry and powerful families in Jiangdong.

Previously, he won over Zhou Yu and the Zhou family; after crossing the river, he accepted Zhang Ying, Yu Mi, and Fan Neng; and then he persuaded Zhou Bin to surrender in Yangxian. All of these were done to win over and appease the local powerful clans and gentry of Jiangdong.

From the current perspective, Liu Feng has done quite well. The powerful clans and gentry of Jiangdong do not regard Liu Feng's Southern Expeditionary Army as conquerors, but rather as a royal army. Apart from the Sun family and their supporters resisting with all their might, most of the local powerful clans and gentry have no resistance or action against Liu Feng.

In fact, this is one of the fundamental reasons why Sun Ce desperately marched south to attack Kuaiji.

Sun Ce was quite capable and insightful, especially since he was well aware of the Sun family's terrible reputation in Jiangdong.

The southward march to Kuaiji was not only to expand their own strength to contend with Liu Feng, but also to prepare a backup plan for the Sun family.

Kuaiji is bordered by Yuzhang to the west, Jiaozhi to the south, and Danyang and Wujun to the north. If Kuaiji can be captured, not only will our strength increase greatly, but we will also have more directions for advancement.

As it turned out, Sun Ce's choice was correct, especially after the Battle of Wuxi, when the entire Sun family was convinced of his decision.

Otherwise, Xu Kun wouldn't have suggested to Wu Jing that he lead his men further south to Shanyin to help Sun Ce.

Just as the banquet was filled with the joy of mutual understanding between the emperor and his minister, a close attendant suddenly quietly approached Liu Feng's side.

After receiving a questioning look from Liu Feng, the attendant stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master, someone from Wu County has arrived."

People from Wu County?

(End of this chapter)