My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 325 People from Wu County
Liu Feng glanced at Lü Dai, Yan Jun, and the others in front of him, pondered for a moment, and made a decision.

"Fourth Uncle, Mr. Boqin."

Liu Feng said in front of everyone, "Someone from Wu County has come here. It is said that they have escaped from the control of the rebel army and have come here to ask for help."

"Someone from Wu County?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Yun's eyes. Almost all the elites of the Jiangdong gentry were in Wu County. If he could gain the support of the powerful gentry in Wu County, the future of Jiangdong would be assured.

It's no wonder Zhao Yun thought that way. Firstly, it was indeed the case, and secondly, it was also Liu Feng's responsibility. He allowed Liu Bei's group to expand too quickly, so that the mentality of Liu Bei's few old core members could not keep up.

Not to mention Zhao Yun, even the Second Master at this time had considerable respect for the gentry, far from the arrogance and contempt he would later display.

When did Second Master ever bare his teeth at the gentry like Chen Deng and Xu Qiu in Xuzhou?
While Chen Deng and Xu Qiu's outstanding talents and competence certainly played a role, the fact that the Second Master was not yet arrogant and had a relatively peaceful mindset was also a very important factor.

Imagine what would happen when the Second Prince was in Jingzhou; he was truly arrogant and disdainful of everyone, even criticizing Ma Chao and Huang Zhong when they were appointed generals. While there were certainly political factors involved, personal arrogance was also an undeniable and significant reason.

At this moment, Zhao Yun exhibited a typical humble mentality. This doesn't mean Zhao Yun was insecure, but rather that he placed the aristocratic class on an excessively high level, thus neglecting his own strength.

Now Liu Feng's army for the southern expedition is well-fed and well-equipped, with a wealth of strategists and fierce generals.

Why should we rely on the Jiangdong gentry to pacify Jiangdong?
Liu Feng's efforts to win over the Jiangdong gentry were merely aimed at improving cost-effectiveness. Successful efforts would accelerate his conquest of Jiangdong and reduce the administrative costs of ruling Jiangdong in the future. However, it did not mean that Liu Feng would be unable to conquer Jiangdong without the Jiangdong gentry.

It would be a pity if it succeeded, but it doesn't matter if it doesn't.

"I have long heard that the essence of Wu region lies in Wu County. As a martial artist, I have also heard of the great families of Jiangdong, such as Gu, Lu, Zhang, and Zhu."

Zhao Yun, his face beaming with excitement and his voice filled with joy, said, "With their help, the day when Jiangdong is ours is surely set."

At this time, although there were rumors about the four major surnames in Jiangdong, they had not yet been finalized. However, the major surnames in Jiangdong such as Gu, Lu, Zhang, and Zhu had been passed down for hundreds of years.

Therefore, Zhao Yun was not referring to the four major surnames of Jiangdong, but rather to the major surnames of Jiangdong.

"Fourth uncle."

Liu Feng spoke at the opportune moment, and everyone's attention turned to him.

Liu Feng said reproachfully, “My father is now the General of the Cavalry, and my nephew has also received the Emperor’s favor and been appointed to lead the Southern Expedition. Our Cavalry is marching south to attack Yuan Shu and Sun Ce on the orders of the Emperor and the court, to restore Jiangdong for the country. If the gentry of Jiangdong still consider themselves subjects of the Han Dynasty, they should welcome the royal army with food and drink.”

Zhao Yun, Teng Dan, and Yan Jun looked at Liu Feng with shock in their eyes, while Lü Dai's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Their actions at this moment are merely adding flowers to brocade, not providing charcoal in the snow. Moreover, even if it is adding flowers to brocade, the stakes are far too small."

Liu Feng remained unmoved and continued, "Do they really think that my Southern Expeditionary Army can't conquer Jiangnan without the likes of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang? If they dare, they can try supporting the rebel army. I will show them whether my sword is sharp or not!"

Zhao Yun and the other two were completely shocked by Liu Feng's words, but after thinking about it carefully, they realized that Liu Feng's words made a lot of sense.

If the Jiangdong gentry were truly going to place a heavy bet on the Southern Expeditionary Army, then this wouldn't be the time to contact and send people away.

In other words, why didn't they do this earlier?
Putting aside everything else, it's been over a year since Liu Bei and his son reclaimed Guangling. Can't the Jiangdong gentry even find a single person to contact?

Leaving aside the Lu family, the Gu, Zhu, and Zhang families all have capable and energetic clan leaders in charge.

Liu Feng was well aware of these circumstances, and therefore had long harbored resentment.

After much hesitation, Zhao Yun said, "Jiangdong will likely need their help to stabilize in the future."

Liu Feng shook his head and laughed, "The Sun family's various evil deeds in Jiangdong are too numerous to list. Have any noble families risen up to resist them? Only the Lu family has integrity; the rest are not of my interest."

Zhao Yun and the others seemed to be deep in thought; Liu Feng's words were clearly a hint.

There are some things that cannot be said in public, but the public needs to know them.

"Gentlemen, please come with me out of the tent to greet them."

Liu Feng stood up and took the lead, walking towards the outside of the hall. The rest of the people quickly got up and followed.

After leaving the courtroom, Liu Feng arrived at the entrance of the county government office.

At this moment, a carriage appeared in the distance, driven by a burly man.

Liu Feng watched as the carriage approached and stopped in front of the county government office.

Xu Chu stepped out from behind Liu Feng and approached him from the side.

After the burly man got out of the car, he stood obediently to the side and did not do anything improper.

Then, Xu Chu lifted the curtain and said to the old man inside the carriage, "Lord Sheng, please get out of the carriage, General."

Inside the carriage was Sheng Xian, the former governor of Wu Commandery, who was renowned throughout Wu and enjoyed a high reputation in Jiangdong.

Sheng Xian immediately got down with Xu Chu's help. He had fair skin, a slightly plump figure, and a somewhat melancholy appearance. He was a completely harmless old man.

Unfortunately, his reputation was too high. The three prefectures of Wu, Kuaiji and Danyang were all willing to follow Sheng Xian's orders, especially Wu and Kuaiji, one being the place where Sheng Xian was in charge and the other being his hometown.

This is one of the reasons why Sun Quan could not tolerate Sheng Xian's existence later on, and why he couldn't wait to hunt down Sheng Xian after Sun Ce's death.

Even so, it took Sun Quan a full four years to find and kill Sheng Xian.

Looking at the somewhat timid and honest old man in front of him, Liu Feng could tell from this man's experience the weakness of the Jiangdong gentry.

Liu Feng once thought that Sheng Xian was truly famous throughout Jiangdong and had too much influence, which was why the Sun family was wary of him.

But after learning more about it, I realized that while it wasn't entirely wrong, it definitely had a lot of problems.

The problem is that Sheng Xian has such a great reputation. Although he has done a lot in Jiangdong, it is far from enough to match his reputation.

He was indeed a renowned scholar, but when the time came, only a few people, such as Gao Dai, the Zhang family, and the Shen family, truly stepped forward to help.

Faced with Xu Gong, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan, the Jiangdong gentry did not have much power to resist.

Compared to the consequences of Cao Cao killing Bian Rang, Jiangdong's weakness was laughable. Their so-called resistance was nothing more than a rat in the shadows, only daring to make small moves.

"This humble one, Liu Feng, greets Lord Sheng!"

Liu Feng bowed respectfully to Sheng Xian.

Sheng Xian and Kong Rong were sworn brothers and renowned scholars of the realm. Whether he was left in Jiangdong to pacify local forces or sent to the court to occupy a position, he was an excellent tool.

Liu Feng naturally wanted to win him over, since after pacifying Wu, he would inevitably continue south to conquer Kuaiji.

Sheng Xian was taken aback by Liu Feng's courteous treatment and quickly returned the greeting, saying, "I am an old and foolish man in dire straits. I never expected that the general would treat me with such respect and kindness. I am ashamed to receive such a great favor from the general."

Sheng Xian had neither ambition nor ability; he was simply a scholar born in the wrong era.

If he had been born twenty or thirty years earlier, he would definitely have been a great scholar.

Although Sheng Xian was cowardly, he was not stupid.

Just considering that Xu Gong and Sun Ce tried to capture and kill him several times, and Sun Quan pursued him for four whole years before finally succeeding, it's clear how powerful this old man's connections were in Jiangdong.

Therefore, when Sheng Xian saw Liu Feng, especially after Liu Feng adopted a humble attitude, he responded quite enthusiastically, even to the point of being somewhat obsequious.

Regardless, Liu Feng is only thirteen years old this year. For someone of Sheng Xian's status and reputation to address him as "General" so readily, his obsequiousness is truly overflowing.

It's clear that the old man has had a really tough few years; he's been driven to this state.

"Lord Sheng has been wronged..."

Liu Feng, however, smiled broadly and stepped forward to help the other man up, while his gaze shifted to the charioteer: "I see that you are quite extraordinary, may I ask your name?"

After bowing respectfully with his hands clasped, the burly man replied, "I am Zhu Xiang, a native of Wu County."

"Oh?"

Liu Feng's face showed a strange expression, and he asked, "Are you from the Zhu family of Wu County?"

Zhu Xiang nodded: "Exactly."

Liu Feng then asked, "What is your relationship with Zhu Huan and Zhu Xiumu?"

Zhu Xiang respectfully replied, "Xiu Mu is my nephew, and Xiu Mu's father is my elder brother."

"what……"

Liu Feng became interested and asked curiously, "Among Brother Zhu's descendants, is there a Zhu Ju?"

Upon hearing this, the burly man was struck dumb, his face filled with astonishment and doubt. He asked in bewilderment, "Zhu Ju is my son, only four years old. How did you know that, General?"

Zhu Ju was born in 194 AD. Unlike people in the Eastern Han Dynasty, people were born at the age of one. This year is 197 AD, so Zhu Ju would naturally be four years old.

Liu Fengxin exclaimed in his heart, "As expected!" This Prime Minister Zhu was actually Zhu Huan's uncle and Zhu Ju's biological father.

What a coincidence.

However, the Zhu family's willingness to send Prime Minister Zhu personally to escort Sheng Xian to Wuxi demonstrates considerable courage. If Sun Ce's army were to capture Prime Minister Zhu, the Zhu family would face a difficult situation, likely incurring significant losses, and possibly even facing ruin.

In addition, Lu Kang's resistance against Yuan Shu in Lujiang, Zhang Yun's assistance to Gao Dai in rescuing Sheng Xian, and Gu Yong's early allegiance to the Sun family in exchange for the protection of all four families, all contributed to the reason why the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families became the four major surnames in Wu.

When asked about Zhu Xiang's question, Liu Feng simply smiled and remained silent, changing the subject by saying, "Zhongkang, please invite the brave Zhu to come into the mansion as well."

After speaking, Liu Feng helped Sheng Xian into the county government office and into the main hall.

After Zhu Xiang was searched by Xu Chu, he followed behind.

The reason Liu Feng called Zhu Xiang along was because Sheng Xian was too naive and innocent.

A high-ranking official of the state, holding a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), actually believed that Prime Minister Zhu was there to escort him to Wuxi.

If it were really that simple, couldn't the four great masters, Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, gather a few brave newcomers?
Why must the Zhu family risk annihilation and have Prime Minister Zhu personally intervene?
Zhu Xiang's task of escorting Sheng Xian was merely incidental; his main mission was to negotiate terms. Sheng Xian, however, remained oblivious, perhaps even disregarding this rather valiant Zhu Xiang.

Two more seats were added to the hall, and the dishes at the banquet were all changed.

Liu Feng invited Sheng Xian and Zhu Xiang into the hall.

"I was ordered by the Emperor to conquer Jiangdong, and I have been there for two months. Fortunately, my soldiers fought bravely and captured several cities, allowing me to advance to Wuxi. However, Wu County still stands tall, blocking my way to the Emperor's command. Since you have come from Wu County, do you have any advice for me?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xian looked completely bewildered, muttering to himself but unable to answer.

At this moment, Zhu Xiang stepped forward, bowed to Liu Feng, and said, "General, you may not know this, but the people of Wu have suffered greatly from the traitor Sun and have long wanted to resist. However, they are powerless to do so, so they can only lay down their arms and temporarily avoid the enemy's sharp edge."

"Now, General, your army has marched south across the river, winning battle after battle, capturing Wuxi and defeating Xu Kun. Everyone longs for you as much as a parched land yearns for rain, but we regret that we are in Wu County and cannot follow you."

After Zhu Xiang delivered a passionate speech, he noticed Liu Feng at the head of the table nodding repeatedly with a smile on his face, but his eyes remained completely expressionless. Zhu Xiang was startled.

After a brief hesitation, Zhu Xiang made a decisive choice, taking out several pieces of silk from his bosom and presenting them to Liu Feng.

"Conquering the South, this is a map of Wu County's city defenses, troop strength, and material storage."

Zhu Xiang held the silk scroll high in his hand, lowered his head, and continued, "I have been entrusted by the gentry, commoners and powerful people of Wu County to present this map to the General of the South."

Liu Feng glanced at Xu Chu, who immediately sprang into action.

He walked up to Zhu Xiang, took the silk scroll, and then handed it to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng opened the silk scroll and examined it. Sure enough, as Zhu Xiang had said, it contained several maps of Wu County, both real and simulated. These included city defense maps, troop deployment maps, and resource storage maps, among others.

Liu Feng was very pleased after reading through the book.

However, this map is somewhat outdated. The troop deployment on the map is even based on Zhu Chao's troops, which obviously has not been updated with new troop deployments.

Even so, these maps are still quite valuable, especially a map of Wu Commandery, which Liu Feng greatly admired.

"These kinds of maps are of great benefit to me."

Liu Feng acknowledged the map's value, but then changed the subject, saying, "But if that's all, it's probably far from enough."

Zhu Xiang's brow twitched; he understood Liu Feng's implication.

If you want to invest or place bets, no problem.

But if you bet too little, then there's a problem.

Zhu Xiang never expected Liu Feng to have such a big appetite.

The Jiangdong gentry did indeed prepare other gifts, but those were used to inflate the price.

They thought the silk map was enough for the first round of transactions, but Liu Feng said it wasn't.

This is embarrassing.

Zhu Xiang hesitated, but Liu Feng ignored him and turned his attention back to Sheng Xian.

"Sheng Gong has lived in Jiangdong for a long time, and there must have been famous scholars recommending him."

Liu Feng extended an invitation, saying, "I have long admired Gao Dai's name, but have never had the chance to meet him. Could you perhaps write a letter to him and invite him to come and see me?"

Gao Dai, a renowned scholar from Jiangdong, whose courtesy name was Kongwen, was also from Wu County. He was the son of Gao Biao, a favorite minister of Emperor Ling.

Gao Dai's character is truly impeccable; he's a breath of fresh air in Jiangdong.

Wu Lu used eight characters to describe him.

That is, being naturally intelligent and valuing righteousness over wealth.

Moreover, this person was very sentimental. He was recommended by Sheng Xian as a candidate for the civil service examination, and therefore, he spent his whole life repaying Sheng Xian.

Even the brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan greatly admired him.

Unfortunately, Sun Ce and Gao Dai were sown apart by villains and ultimately died unjustly.

After Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong, he greatly admired Gao Dai, especially his loyalty to his lord and his fearlessness in the face of difficulties, which made Sun Ce particularly fond of him.

But why would Sun Ce, who was so eager to subdue Gao Dai, kill him?
There are malicious people sowing discord between them.

Gao Dai was well-versed in the Zuo Zhuan. In order to befriend Gao Dai and cater to his interests, Sun Ce actually began to read the Zuo Zhuan in advance.

At this moment, someone stepped forward and approached Gao Dai, telling him that Sun Ce disliked those who were superior to him. If Sun Ce asked, Gao Dai should say he didn't know, which would please Sun Ce.

If you only focus on interpreting meanings and expressing them, you're in danger.

After hearing this, Gao Dai actually found it to be very reasonable, and he even put it into practice.

But what he didn't know was that the man went to Sun Ce and said, "Gao Dai is only brave and martial, but he has no literary talent. If someone says he doesn't know anything about literature, then my words are true."

When Sun Ce met Gao Dai, Gao Dai remained silent, which angered Sun Ce, who then imprisoned Gao Dai.

But as soon as this order was issued, Wu County was in an uproar.

Many people came upon hearing the news, pleading with Sun Ce to spare Gao Dai.

However, this behavior only made Sun Ce more nervous. He felt that Gao Dai was too good at winning people over. In his nervousness, his great liking turned into disgust, and in the end, he ruthlessly killed Gao Dai.

This man's current reputation in Jiangdong is in no way inferior to that of the renowned disciples of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang.

Unfortunately, his family could not really be considered a prominent clan.

Therefore, Liu Feng genuinely wanted to recruit him for his own use.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xian's eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed, "Does Zheng Nan also know Gao Kongwen of Wu County?"

Gao Dai was Sheng Xian's savior, and he saved him several times in a row.

The first time was when they braved Xu Gong's pursuit and rescued Sheng Xian, and settled him in Xu Zhao's home in Yuhang.

This time was the most dangerous; Gao Dai's mother was captured by Xu Gong.

The second time, he carried Sun Ce's pursuers and escorted him out of Wu County.

Therefore, Sheng Xian also had very deep feelings for Gao Dai.

Upon hearing that Liu Feng was interested in Gao Dai, Sheng Xian was quite excited and repeatedly recommended him.

"Gao Kongwen should be living in seclusion in Yuhang now. If Zheng Nan is willing, I am willing to write a letter and send it to him to invite him to Wuxi for a meeting."

When Sheng Xian said this, he was very confident, clearly believing that he could invite Gao Dai over with just a letter.

Liu Feng nodded repeatedly as he listened, and immediately expressed his opinion after Sheng Xian finished speaking.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Sheng. Please ask Mr. Gao to head north as soon as possible."

Liu Feng's face showed worry: "Now Yuhang is also on the front line. The rebel army is heading south to Kuaiji and is launching a fierce attack on Guling on the Qiantang River. Although the rebel army has already headed to Shanyin, Yuhang is still in the war zone."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xian's expression changed drastically: "Is Yuhang really that dangerous?"

"Exactly."

Liu Feng affirmed firmly and decisively.

Sheng Xian nodded repeatedly: "Good, good, I will send a letter as soon as possible and ask Gao Dai to go north as soon as possible."

Zhu Xiang watched in stunned silence, his worry growing ever deeper.

Is Liu Feng's attempt to win over Sheng Xian a sign that he wants to bypass the powerful clans of Jiangdong?

(End of this chapter)