My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 345 The army gathers
Lu Ji is still young. Although Liu Feng himself is not old either, one genius prodigy is enough. If everyone is a prodigy, what value will a prodigy have?
So after praising Lu Ji, Liu Feng told him to go home and continue his studies.

Zhu Huan, however, was recognized by Liu Feng and, like Lu Xun, was given the official position of Commandant. He was also allowed to accompany Lu Xun on his southward campaign.

The vacancies in Lu Xun and Zhu Huan's troops were naturally filled by selecting captured and surrendered soldiers, as well as able-bodied men and heroes from Wu County. The expenses were naturally borne by the Lu and Zhu families themselves, but some of the military equipment was allocated to them, which naturally came from Xu Kun's troops.

Zhang Yun was recruited by Liu Feng and appointed as a clerk in the household affairs office of the General Who Conquers the South.

Only Gu Yong was severely punished by Liu Feng, who even forced the Gu family to relinquish a large amount of land.

At least one-third of these fields are excellent paddy fields with highly developed water conservancy projects, good terrain, and no worries about river flooding.

The Gu family handed over tens of thousands of acres of farmland this time, more than half of the family's total assets.

Even so, it was only after the Lu family uncle and nephew had gone to great lengths to help him, which made Gu Yong somewhat depressed.

However, in the end, Liu Feng did not ignore Gu Yong; otherwise, the Gu family would probably not have been depressed, but on the verge of collapse.

Liu Feng eventually appointed Gu Yong as a military advisor, and like Zhang Yun, he stayed in the general's mansion.

After dealing with the powerful families in Wuzhong, Liu Feng began to arrange for the army to march south. He used surrendered soldiers to replenish the various units and make each unit full-strength. Liu Feng left Xu Sheng to garrison Wu County and oversee the various units. At the same time, he dispatched a battalion of two thousand men to escort the veteran soldiers and loyal followers under Xu Kun to Liu Bei's place on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The remaining non-loyal soldiers were organized by Liu Feng into able-bodied men, who could both replenish supplies at the front and be used to transport provisions.

Subsequently, under Liu Feng's arrangement, the main force of the Southern Expeditionary Army continued southward, with Jia Kui as the vanguard, Liu Feng personally commanding the central army, and Zhao Fan and Yu Zi's troops covering the rear. The army set off towards the three cities of Qiantang.

Apart from leaving Xu Sheng to guard Wu County, Liu Feng did not send any more troops to Youquan and Wucheng.

For Liu Feng, Wucheng and Youquan are no longer considered strategic passes.

Liu Feng now has more than three supply lines, so even if he loses both Quan and Wucheng, he can still maintain smooth supply. Not to mention that Sun Ce can't threaten Wucheng at all.

Before setting off, Liu Feng had already sent letters to Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, instructing them to temporarily secure Yuhang and Qiantang and not to cross the Qiantang River lightly.

On the surface, the situation between Liu Bei and Sun Quan appears to be almost a replica of that between Sun Quan and Wang Quan, but in reality, the two sides are completely opposite.

Sun Ce was in a hurry to cross the river, and was under immense pressure due to time constraints. Liu Feng, on the other hand, was in a great mood and not only was he not in a hurry, but he also deliberately gave Sun Ce some time to take over the powerful clans of Kuaiji.

These powerful families in Kuaiji were not only wild, but almost every one of them had deep connections with the Yue people in the mountains and the southern barbarians. Sometimes they were enemies fighting each other, and sometimes they were allies robbing each other.

These powerful clans were not entirely useless; they were fierce, brave, and skilled in combat. However, they were more harmful, especially the large clans, which had a high reputation in Kuaiji, such as the Zhou, Yu, He, Lin, and Jiao families.

Liu Feng didn't want to keep any of these families. Even though he admired Yu Fan and He Qi, he still hoped that Sun Ce could do a good job and help him get rid of these problems.

Liu Feng had enough confidence in Sun Ce because Sun Ce had unknowingly become a puppet.

The food shortage will force Sun Ce to do this.

After all, the gains from robbing the Zhou family could be ten or even a hundred times greater than those from those unknown minor powerful families.

Now almost the entire Wu Commandery is in Liu Feng's hands. If Liu Feng is willing, his army can march south at a speed of forty to fifty li per day, with supplies provided by the counties and villages along the way.

However, Liu Feng had plenty of time and continued his southward march at the usual pace of thirty li per day.

We departed from Wu County and arrived in Qiantang in mid-February.

Zhao Yun personally led Taishi Ci, Zhou Yu, and other generals twenty li outside the city to welcome Liu Feng. Accompanying Zhao Yun were two thousand elite troops and tens of thousands of civilians, who cheered and shouted "Wonderful victory!" all the way.

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Rewinding to half a month ago, after Sun Ce had rested and recuperated his troops in Shanyin, he distributed soldiers to various places and mobilized resources from Kuaiji to gather in Shanyin, Yuji County, Gaoqiantun, and Guling.

Subsequently, Sun Ce prepared to lead his last 30,000 troops westward to confront Liu Feng on the banks of the Qiantang River.

Before his departure, Sun Ce summoned his second brother, Sun Quan, to the residence of the governor of Shanyin Commandery.

In the original historical timeline, Sun Ce had already swept across the entire Jiangdong region, occupying all the counties and towns of Jiangdong except for parts of Yuzhang. His subordinate Zhu Zhi was recommended to be the governor of Wu Commandery, while Sun Ce himself was appointed the governor of Kuaiji.

At this time, Sun Quan, as Sun Ce's eldest brother, was naturally riding high and full of pride.

Not only was he recommended by Zhu Zhi as a candidate for the civil service examination, but he was also recommended by Yan Xiang, the governor of Yangzhou, as a candidate for the civil service examination. At that time, he was very popular in Jiangdong. He later became the magistrate of Yangxian County, and Zhou Binjia came into Sun Quan's sight.

Sun Quan is now in a rather awkward position. Although Sun Ce has won many battles in Jiangdong, his territory has never been able to encompass a single commandery, and he often cannot even fully occupy a single commandery.

Although we have captured most of Kuaiji, we have lost all of Wu Commandery.

"Zhongmou, Shanyin is now in your hands. The fate of the Sun family rests entirely on your shoulders."

Sun Ce's westward journey will certainly leave him unable to attend to Kuaiji, so Shanyin must have a true confidant to oversee it.

Undoubtedly, Sun Quan was the most suitable candidate.

Because he was worried that Sun Quan might not be capable enough, Sun Ce specially left his trusted confidant Lü Fan with three thousand men to assist Sun Quan.

After hearing his brother's words, Sun Quan simply nodded.

The Sun Quan of today has not experienced the trials of history, and his courage and wisdom are far inferior to those of his contemporaries in the original timeline.

However, Sun Quan was Sun Quan after all, and his talent for political maneuvering was quite outstanding. He tentatively asked, "What does my brother want me to do?"

Lü Fan is one of the few people under Sun Ce who is skilled in both civil and military affairs, and he also had a relationship with Sun Quan.

When Sun Quan and his brothers were trapped in Xuzhou with their mother, Lady Wu, it was Lü Fan who risked great danger and used his wisdom to rescue them.

Therefore, Sun Quan had a deep affection and gratitude for Lü Fan, which is probably another reason why Sun Ce specially kept Lü Fan.

Upon hearing Sun Quan's words, Sun Ce smiled, a hint of appreciation in his smile. Sun Ce had four younger brothers, and as the eldest son, he truly treated his younger brothers like fathers. Among these four brothers, Sun Lang was the youngest and born out of wedlock, making him almost invisible and negligible.

The third brother, Sun Yi, resembled Sun Ce in both appearance and personality, and was only two years younger than Sun Quan.

These factors combined have created a rather bizarre piece of trivia.

That is, when Sun Ce died, there were far more important ministers who supported Sun Yi than those who supported Sun Quan. It could even be said that at that time, apart from Sun Ce, almost no one supported Sun Quan.

Zhang Zhao was right next to Sun Ce at the time, but he was a supporter of Sun Yi, bypassing Sun Quan and saying that Ce should hand over his troops to Yan.

Sun Yi, also known as Sun Yan, courtesy name Shubi.

It is evident that Zhang Zhao wholeheartedly supports Sun Yi's succession.

At this time, Zhou Yu was away from home. If Zhang Zhao still had the right to legitimately recommend Sun Yi as his successor, Zhou Yu didn't even have that right, nor did he have the ability to do so.

It wasn't until after Sun Ce died and Sun Quan succeeded him that Zhou Yu led three thousand elite troops back to Wu County, acknowledging Sun Quan as his lord and pledging his loyalty.

Therefore, there is only one reason why Sun Quan was able to succeed him: Sun Ce.

Before his death, Sun Ce defied public opinion and allowed Sun Quan to succeed him.

Not only that, he also forced his trusted generals Zhang Zhao, Lü Fan, and Dong Xi to pledge allegiance to Sun Quan, which gave Sun Quan his first pot of gold and the capital to later maneuver among the ministers and generals.

It must be admitted that Sun Ce's judgment was indeed sharp. If he had chosen Sun Yi to succeed him, the Sun family's rule in Jiangdong probably wouldn't have lasted until Cao Cao marched south.

At this moment, Sun Quan keenly sensed that Sun Ce had ulterior motives, demonstrating his political acumen.

Sun Ce smiled with satisfaction and replied, "Of Lü Fan's three thousand soldiers, five hundred are loyal veterans left by my father, and the rest are loyal elites I have selected over the years. With Lü Fan in charge, I can ensure that my mother and you are safe and sound."

"My journey westward is bound to be a decisive battle with the Southern Expedition. If Heaven blesses my family and allows me to defeat the enemy in one battle, we can pursue our victory and recover Wu County. In this way, we can establish the foundation of the Sun family in Jiangdong."

When Sun Ce said this, his face lit up with excitement, and his eyes shone with hope, showing how much he longed for such a scene.

But then, after a moment of silence, Sun Ce continued, “However, war is a matter of great importance to the state, a matter of life and death, a path to survival or destruction. It is especially unpredictable, and even the wisest cannot foresee it.”

"Therefore, I also left Lin and Jiao's naval forces in Shanyin and appointed Lü Fan to supervise them."

At this point, Sun Ce looked at Sun Quan with pity and said solemnly, "If I win, then there is nothing to fear. But if I lose, then you should protect our elderly mother, set sail and flee far away, perhaps heading south to seek refuge in Jiaozhi."

Upon hearing Sun Ce's words, Sun Quan suddenly realized that his elder brother had already left such a way out for himself, his mother, his brothers, and the Sun family.

After a moment of contemplation, Sun Quan advised, "The Guling line is a battleground for naval forces. Since you have already decided to fight at Qiantang, why leave Lin and Jiao at Shanyin? If you are worried about your rear, there are many ships at Kuaiji, and I can assemble and build them myself."

Sun Quan's words were not entirely untrue. Jiangdong's shipbuilding capabilities had always been second to none during the Han Dynasty. With enough advisors, a navy could be built in just half a month.

Although ocean-going vessels are more difficult to build and require more time, they are still far from the kind of ships that took several years to build, as was the case in the industrial age.

Sun Ce laughed. Sun Quan's advice was essentially to help him increase his chances of winning.

However, Sun Quan was unaware of Sun Ce's overall plan. In this battle, Sun Ce had already determined that he was no match for Liu Feng in naval warfare.

In that case, why not leave the online army to your family as a last resort?

"No need, we shouldn't need to use our navy in this battle."

Sun Ce initially refused with a smile, but then added, "However, your idea is good, Second Brother. We can take this opportunity to build more new ships and recruit sailors."

Although Sun Quan still didn't understand why Sun Ce said the navy was useless, he still respectfully accepted the order.

Three days later, Sun Ce officially launched his campaign, with Han Dang as the vanguard and Cheng Pu as the deputy general, leading more than 27,000 troops to the south bank of the Qiantang River.

Halfway there, Sun Ce received news that Wu Jing had been defeated by Taishi Ci and Zhou Yu in Jiangbei, and two of the three cities in Jiangbei had fallen, leaving only Fuchun still in Sun Xiu's hands.

Sun Ce immediately decided to order Sun Xiu to withdraw his troops, leaving Fuchun County temporarily empty.

Sun Ce initially thought that Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and Zhou Yu's troops would take advantage of the weakened defenses at Guling to cross the river. However, he soon discovered that the enemy had stopped in Yuhang and Qiantang to rest and regroup.

Sun Ce was overjoyed and slowed down his military campaign. After the first batch of 18,000 troops led by Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Song Qian entered Qiantang River and occupied key locations such as Guling, Chaduzhai, Gaoqiantun, and Yuji County, Sun Ce himself remained stationed in Shanyin without making a move.

At this time, Shanyin and even the entire northern Kuaiji had been plundered and exploited by Sun Ce, and a large amount of money, food and supplies were concentrated in Shanyin City.

Taking advantage of the lull in the Southern Expeditionary Army's lack of attack, Sun Ce frantically transported these supplies to the front lines.

Fortunately, the waterway from Shanyin could directly reach Guling City on the south bank of the Qiantang River, which was one of the advantages that Wang Lang had in choosing Guling to block Sun Ce.

However, Sun Ce was the weaker party, and fewer and fewer of the powerful clans and gentry in Jiangdong supported the Sun family, which meant that he had very few sources of intelligence.

Therefore, Sun Ce dared not delay any longer and finally arrived at the front line with the remaining troops six days later, facing Zhao Yun's army across the river.

In the ten days or so since Liu Feng arrived at the front line, Sun Ce's troops have acted quite rationally, taking no further action except for scouts who routinely cross the river to gather intelligence.

Sun Xiu's sudden withdrawal of troops, presumably due to Liu Feng's subsequent orders, meant that Taishi Ci did not march south to capture Fuchun, but remained stationed in Yuhang.

It wasn't until Liu Feng was about to arrive at the front line that Taishi Ci entrusted Yuhang to Xu Huang, while he himself, along with Xu Zhao and Gao Dai, went to Qiantang to meet Liu Feng outside the city with Zhao Yun and Zhou Yu.

Thus, north of the Qiantang River, there were already Zhao Yun (6,000 men), Jia Kui (6,000 men), Taishi Ci (6,000 men), Zhou Yu (6,000 men), Xu Huang (4,000 men), Gao Shun (4,000 men), Fan Neng (4,000 men), Yu Mi (4,000 men), Zhao Fan (2,000 men), Yu Zi (2,000 men), Zhou Dao (1,000 men), Pan Zhang's separate ironclad soldiers (2,000 men), Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Dong Xi, Gan Ning (a total of 8,000 men), more than 4,000 surrendered soldiers from Sun's army, and a total of more than 59,000 men in the Southern Expeditionary Army. At the same time, 20,000 laborers were conscripted along the way to transport grain and supplies by water to Qiantang, forming an army of 200,000 men.

(End of this chapter)