My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 33: Take the initiative
Xu Dan slapped his thigh hard: "Fortunately, Zheng Yan gave me advice, otherwise I would have been used by that brat Cao Hong for nothing."

After expressing his feelings, Xu Dan asked for advice: "Then, according to Zheng Yan's advice, what should we do now?"

Zhang Kuang hesitated, as if there were some things he couldn't say.

Xu Dan immediately stated: "Speak frankly and honestly, I will not pursue the matter."

Zhang Kuang still trusted Xu Dan to some extent, and upon hearing this, he gritted his teeth and said, "There are three strategies for now: superior, middle, and inferior!"

Xu Dan and Xu Ying were delighted to hear that there were so many other solutions.

“Speak your mind quickly.”

After a moment's thought, Zhang Kuang organized his thoughts: "My best course of action is for our lord to relinquish his military power and hand over all his troops to Lord Liu."

"How...can this be done?"

If it weren't for the agreement we just made, Xu Dan would have jumped up and started cursing.

Zhang Kuang said earnestly, "My lord, Cao Jianwei has already sided with Prefect Liu. Prefect Liu has more than half of the 20,000 Danyang soldiers. Moreover, there are still 20,000 to 30,000 troops in Xiapi, Guangling, and the eastern part of this prefecture. What good are the 4,000 to 5,000 men in your hands?"

"If Lord Liu reorganizes his troops next year and needs to draw elite soldiers from your forces, will you grant him permission?"

Xu Dan hesitated. Just as Zhang Kuang said, the balance of power was now completely unbalanced, with Liu Bei's side gaining the upper hand, and it was clear that this advantage would only grow stronger over time.

Currently, due to insufficient food supplies, the troops in the coastal areas of Xiapi, Guangling, and Donghai counties cannot be mobilized.

But this is not the norm; it is only a temporary shortage of food.

Once the summer harvest is over and the grain is stored, Liu Bei will have the confidence to take action. Perhaps, as Zhang Kuang said, he will be ordered by the prefecture to mobilize his elite troops. Will he give them up or not?

Giving it away would not only be unwilling, but it would also weaken oneself, and one might end up as a fish on a chopping board in the future.

If they don't give it to us, that would be disobeying the state government's orders, leaving us with no choice but to rebel.

Seeing that Xu Dan had fallen silent, Zhang Kuang quickly continued to persuade him: "My lord, Lord Liu is known for his benevolence. Cao Jianwei has only ceded a portion of his troops. If you hand over all your military power directly, you will be the first general to surrender. Lord Liu will surely reward you handsomely, both for the public good and for private reasons."

Xu Dan was silent for a moment before speaking, "Zhengyan, let's first talk about the middle strategy."

Zhang Kuang was somewhat disappointed. In his opinion, since Cao Bao, the leader of the Danyang Sect, had already surrendered, Xu Dan, with his limited strength, should have taken advantage of the fact that Cao Bao had not yet made up his mind to quickly secure first place.

But he knew he couldn't persuade him anymore; if he continued, Xu Dan might think he was a traitor.

Zhang Kuang slowly said, "The middle strategy is to maintain the status quo and observe how the situation changes."

Seeing that Zhang Kuang had stopped, Xu Dan quickly asked, "And then?"

"Nothing."

Zhang Kuang shook his head and said, "We can only play it by ear and see what changes happen in the future before making a decision."

Xu Dan looked disappointed, but still wouldn't give up, and continued to press, "Then what's the worst option?"

Zhang Kuang said helplessly, "The worst course of action is to defend our troops, cooperate with Chief Clerk Cao, and rely on each other for support in order to resist Governor Liu."

"It's not right, it's not right."

Upon hearing Zhang Kuang's drastic plan, Xu Dan shook his head repeatedly: "Zheng Yan already said that Cao Hong, this lamb to the slaughter, is not to be befriended, or we might be dragged down by him."

Zhang Kuang was speechless. "I've already said so much, and you didn't even agree to the best strategy I just carefully offered."

Xu Dan glanced at Zhang Kuang, and seeing that the other party remained silent and refused to speak, he could only sigh helplessly and say, "Let's take the middle course for now and let me think about it some more."

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After Liu Feng sent Pan Zhang and the others away, he intended to return to his own courtyard to continue tidying up his things, but he suddenly heard that Hua Tuo had arrived and was treating Wu Shi and Tian Shi in the backyard.

Liu Feng was overjoyed. It wasn't that he was unwilling to see Hua Tuo, but Hua Tuo was always busy. He was a philanthropist who frequently performed acupuncture and gave away medicine, providing free medical care to the poor. Besides, there were too many people around, and Liu Feng himself was also extremely busy lately, so he had put it off.

Now that Hua Tuo has come to the prefectural capital to treat the mother and wife of the prefectural governor, who is also Liu Feng's grandmother and mother, Liu Feng will definitely go over to express his gratitude and take this opportunity to talk to Hua Tuo about serious matters.

Soon, Liu Feng arrived at the backyard and stood respectfully outside the gates of Wu and Tian.

Half an hour later, an elderly doctor came out from inside.

Upon seeing this person, Liu Feng's eyes lit up immediately. He stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Mr. Yuanhua, you've had a long journey. May I have a word with you in private?"

This elderly physician was none other than Hua Tuo, one of the three most famous physicians of the Three Kingdoms period.

Hua Tuo looked up and saw that it was Liu Feng. He immediately smiled and said, "Alright, please, young master."

Liu Feng led Hua Tuo to the study next door and then served him tea.

Only after Hua Tuo had tasted the tea did he speak.

After inquiring about the health of his grandmother and mother, Hua Tuo said that both ladies were doing very well and that with continued treatment, their health would surely improve significantly this year.

After listening, Liu Feng thanked him profusely before turning the conversation back to the main topic.

"Sir, I've heard that you once intended to enter officialdom?"

Indeed, Hua Tuo was never just a simple physician.

Hua Tuo came from a prominent family in Qiao Commandery, and was even a fellow townsman of Cao Cao.

In addition to his medical skills, Hua Tuo had also studied classics and history, and traveled extensively to visit famous scholars.

Chen Deng's father, Chen Gui, greatly admired Hua Tuo. When he served as the Chancellor of Pei State, he even wanted to recommend Hua Tuo as a candidate for the civil service examination, but Hua Tuo politely declined.

Unfortunately, Hua Tuo did not refuse Chen Gui's recommendation because he did not want to become a candidate for the civil service examination.

It was precisely because Hua Tuo so desired to enter officialdom that he refused.

Because the practice of recommending people for the civil service examination was rarely applied to those from truly poor families.

Hua Tuo was very likely from a poor family.

Chen Gui recommended Hua Tuo as a candidate for the civil service examination, but Hua Tuo declined. The whole process was a typical Eastern Han Dynasty way of gaining fame.

Chen Gui's recommendation was well-intentioned, and Hua Tuo's refusal was also well-intentioned.

Chen Guiming knew that the title of "filial piety and incorruptibility" could never truly be given to Hua Tuo, and Hua Tuo also knew this, which is why he refused.

More importantly, Hua Tuo was nominated for the "filial piety and incorruptibility" recommendation, but then declined it. This series of actions earned him considerable fame.

Even if he cannot be recommended for the civil service examination in the future, he can still use this good reputation to embark on an official career.

In fact, Hua Tuo's idea was not wrong.

Unfortunately, Hua Tuo lost to fate.

He never imagined that his fellow townsman Cao Cao would rise to prominence and successfully unify the north.

He never imagined that Cao Cao would forge a deep-seated hatred with the Xuzhou gentry because of his two campaigns against Xuzhou, to the point that he would suppress the Xuzhou gentry even in his later years.

Hua Tuo, on the other hand, was ostracized by Cao Cao because of Chen Gui's appreciation of him.

In the end, Hua Tuo could only be kept by Cao Cao as a mere alchemist, and ultimately met his end by being tortured to death.

(End of this chapter)