My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 357 The Desire to Subei Meeting
Upon hearing his name, Gao Shun looked up in surprise and saw Liu Feng looking at him with admiration.

Gao Shun quickly got up and walked slowly to Liu Feng, where he knelt down.

Liu Feng offered a helping hand and then encouraged him, saying, "Your father was the vanguard for our crossing of the river. With the strength of a small force, he resisted the main force of Sun's army and repelled the attacks of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Song Qian, Rui Liang, and Yuan Xiong's troops many times. He was as solid as a rock and bought time for our army to cross the river, covering the crossing and deployment of the follow-up troops."

Liu Feng picked out a scroll of silk from the table and handed it to Gao Shun.

"This is truly a remarkable feat!"

The generals immediately erupted in uproar.

Although extraordinary merit is second only to primary merit, there can only be one primary merit.

Therefore, extraordinary achievements should be the highest among all achievements under normal circumstances. The fact that Gao Shun was able to achieve extraordinary achievements in this battle truly surprised and envied all the generals.

However, most of the people leading the veterans were experienced, and there were few new recruits.

Thinking about it carefully, Gao Shun's battle was indeed quite dangerous. It can be said that during the four hours he crossed the river, he was almost constantly on the verge of total annihilation.

If at the beginning, Sun Ce still intended to use Gao Shun's troops as bait, and harbored the intention of leaving Gao Shun's troops with a chance to survive.

But once Jia Kui landed, the pressure on Gao Shun's troops was unprecedented.

At that time, from Sun Ce to Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others, they all wanted to first eliminate Gao Shun, and then use Jia Kui as bait to continue fishing.

Even at such a critical moment when Zhao Yun appeared behind Sun Ce's army, Yuan Xiong's force of two thousand men was still participating in the siege of Gao Shun, which shows how dire and severe Gao Shun's situation was.

The generals thought to themselves that even they might not have been able to hold on.

As a result, the generals now looked at Gao Shun with a hint of admiration.

Gao Shun's personality is similar to Zhao Yun's; both are righteous and chivalrous. Gao Shun is not as good as Zhao Yun in martial arts, but they are equally good in strategy. Both of them are very wise.

Gao Shun offered Lü Bu several crucial pieces of advice, and if Lü Bu had heeded even one of them, his situation would have improved considerably. The same was true of Zhao Yun; his two pieces of advice after entering Shu demonstrated his exceptional strategic vision and foresight.

In short, Gao Shun can be seen as a less suitable replacement for Zhao Yun, and one with a very small difference in ability. Especially in terms of loyalty, Gao Shun and Zhao Yun are exactly the same, which is one of the reasons why Liu Feng liked him so much and promoted him so vigorously.

Just like Zhao Yun, Gao Shun also tried to politely decline.

Liu Feng smiled and waved his hand: "Father, are you implying that I, the general, am unfair in my judgment?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shun was greatly alarmed and hurriedly prostrated himself to defend himself, saying, "General, you are wise and insightful, and you are fair and just in handling affairs. This is well known and everyone admires you. I admire you greatly and would never dare to disagree with this."

Gao Shun is now extremely loyal to Liu Feng. As an outside general, he was forced to join Liu Feng halfway through his career. In addition, he is neither from Youzhou in Hebei nor a native of Xuzhou. Logically speaking, Gao Shun should have no future.

Look at the hardships he endured in Lü Bu's group; that's the kind of treatment Gao Shun deserved.

However, since following Liu Feng, Gao Shun has never felt that he has been ostracized or looked down upon. On the contrary, Liu Feng treats him with special respect. He has only followed Liu Feng for a little over a year, and now he is a powerful captain in a department.

In this decisive battle against the Sun family of Jiangdong, Gao Shun was highly valued by Liu Feng, who overruled objections and appointed him as the vanguard. At the same time, Liu Feng specially allocated a batch of precious military equipment, including iron armor, tower shields, and powerful crossbows, solely to help him achieve his goals.

With such a national hero being treated like this, Gao Shun wished he could die for Liu Feng immediately, and would never dare to show him the slightest disrespect.

Therefore, although Liu Feng's tone contained no blame but rather a lot of teasing and joking, Gao Shun still explained with trepidation that his behavior was not for his own future, but because he did not want Liu Feng to be disappointed in him in the slightest.

Gao Shun's actions naturally did not escape Liu Feng's notice. The latter was very pleased, but pretended to be displeased and said, "Since that's the case, why not accept the credit I've earned?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shun remained silent for a moment, then kowtowed and said, "I dare not do so, General. I will obey your command."

Liu Feng then turned his anger into joy, went to the table to help Gao Shun up, and encouraged him, saying, "Good. I have long known of your talent. You should not underestimate yourself."

After Gao Shun stepped down, many people looked thoughtful.

For example, Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Jia Kui, and others.

These were all quick-witted and astute individuals, and Liu Feng's high regard for Gao Shun naturally did not escape their notice.

Liu Feng had already been awarded the first merit and the extraordinary achievement, and none of the generals present had any objections.

Firstly, Liu Feng's prestige was enough to intimidate the generals and make them submit to his orders; secondly, Zhao Yun and Gao Shun's military achievements were indeed enough to convince the public.

However, the generals in the hall still looked at Liu Feng with eager eyes, hoping that he would be awarded another extraordinary merit.

Unfortunately, the highest honor Liu Feng could bestow upon him was only a first-class merit.

Next, Liu Fengding awarded Xu Huang, Gan Ning, and Jia Kui the first-class merit, Taishi Ci, Dong Xi, Zhou Yu, and Zhou Bin the second-class merit, and the rest of the participants who made meritorious contributions were awarded the third-class merit.

No one objected to Liu Feng's assessment.

That evening, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for his generals, who drank heartily and enjoyed themselves all night long before returning home in high spirits.

The following afternoon, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, Zhou Yu, Jia Kui, Lu Xun, Gu Yong, Yu Fan, He Qi, and others were summoned by Liu Feng.

Upon entering the hall, they saw Wang Lang sitting upright beside Liu Feng, and everyone's gaze lingered on him for a moment.

At this time, Wang Lang was still the governor of Kuaiji appointed by the court, possessing the greatest legal authority, and even Liu Feng could not ignore him.

However, Wang Lang was a very talented scholar who paid great attention to the classics, was very knowledgeable, and had good personal ethics, so he deserved to be called a famous scholar.

But this man was actually rather weak-willed. The time he showed the most courage in his life was when, with the support of the powerful clans of Kuaiji, he resisted Sun Ce for more than half a year. After being defeated at Gaoqiantun, he preferred to flee by sea rather than surrender.

The reason for this is essentially that Wang Lang obeyed the system and authority. Wang Lang's loyalty to the Han Dynasty and later to the Wei Dynasty, and even his willingness to watch the Sima family usurp the power of Cao Wei, are essentially the same thing.

Liu Feng naturally didn't think much of Wang Lang, since Liu Feng himself didn't value classics and Wang Lang wasn't a die-hard loyalist, so he naturally didn't meet Liu Feng's standards.

But what can you do when the other party is now the governor of Kuaiji?

Moreover, he was a prefect with great prestige and a good reputation in Kuaiji Commandery.

If Wang Lang expresses his support for Liu Feng, it will undoubtedly greatly reduce the pressure on Liu Feng in the subsequent recapture of various counties and towns, as well as in mobilizing these counties to provide food and supplies.

"Gentlemen, Sun Quan is no longer a threat; he can be overthrown with a flick of the wrist," Liu Feng said. "I have summoned you here today to discuss and investigate this matter."

At this time, Liu Feng had already released Zhu Zhi to go to Shanyin to persuade the Sun family to surrender, on the condition that all members of the Sun family be sent to Luoyang for trial.

If Sun Ce is willing to surrender, this precedent can be followed, but there will only be one chance.

Zhu Zhi accepted the order and left Yuji County three days ago, taking more than thirty personal guards with him to Shanyin.

Ling Cao entrusted Ling Tong to Liu Feng's command and personally protected Zhu Zhi on his way to Shanyin.

Despite Zhu Zhi's earnest attempts to dissuade him, he had no choice but to take him along.

The purpose of Liu Feng's discussion this time was to take over the power in Kuaiji.

Of the fourteen counties in Kuaiji, more than two-thirds were in the north. This time, except for Zhuji County, all of them surrendered to Sun Ce after the fall of Shanyin City.

Now that Liu Feng has won a great victory, he cannot let these people go, whether from the perspective of establishing his authority or from the perspective of practical benefits. Not only will all the county magistrates, county heads, county assistants, and chief clerks be dismissed, but even those who have provided Sun Ce with grain and supplies will be punished.

Liu Feng was determined this time to thoroughly deal with Kuaiji in Wang Lang's name.

“I intend to escort Prefect Wang back to Shanyin, with Yu Zhongxiang as chief clerk and He Qi as commandant, and then assign various generals to temporarily handle affairs in their respective counties, and investigate the remaining members of the Sun family.”

Liu Feng's expression turned cold as he said, "Prefect Wang fought a bloody battle at the front, yet he still held out to the death at Shanyin, awaiting the arrival of the royal army. But what backbone do the noble families and high-ranking officials in Kuaiji Commandery have? They surrendered without a fight, kneeling before the traitor Sun. This general will surely investigate this matter thoroughly and eradicate evil completely!"

"I will obey the general's orders!"

The generals in the hall perked up and immediately bowed down.

On the contrary, Yu Fan and He Qi's expressions changed drastically, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although the He family has been wiped out, He Qi's maternal and paternal families are still unharmed. Moreover, news has spread from Shanyin City that the Zhou family was exterminated for refusing to submit to Sun Ce, while the He family was made an example of because their negotiations with Sun Ce broke down.

As for the Yu family, they were implicated by Yu Fan and were very wronged. The strangest thing is that Yu Fan's main family was safe and sound in Yuyao County, while the Yu family branch in Shanyin suffered the consequences.

This put both Yu Fan and He Qi in an awkward position.

In particular, Yu Fan, whose county of Yuyao was one of those that surrendered without a fight, also supplied Sun Ce with nearly 100,000 shi of grain and other military supplies.

The two of them were somewhat unsure of Liu Feng's attitude.

If Liu Feng didn't think much of them, it's impossible that he would directly appoint them as Wang Lang's right and left arms. One of them could almost replace the prefect in handling affairs in the prefecture, and the other controlled the military power of the entire prefecture and exercised military power in place of the prefect.

It can be said that as long as Yu Fan and He Qi join forces, Wang Lang will truly become a human seal.

However, if they are truly valued, then they can naturally use them to appease and recruit the powerful families of Kuaiji.

Yu Fan and He Qi were willing to stake their lives on it, saying that as long as Liu Feng was willing to speak, there was no need for any formalities like showing courtesy to scholars; the noble families of Kuaiji would be willing to serve him.

The Battle of Qiantang River was truly awe-inspiring.

Yu Fan and He Qi both had a high opinion of themselves, especially in military matters, where they were extremely confident.

Yu Fan quelled the Yue bandits for Wang Lang, and He Qi served as the county magistrate of Kuaiji many times, suppressing rebellions in various places. This proves that they had remarkable military talents.

The Battle of Qiantang River was a battle of gods, completely exceeding the thinking of Yu Fan and He Qi, who had never imagined that war could be fought in such a way.

Although many ships were lost in this battle, all the warships and most of the smaller vessels only suffered scratches and minor damage, and could be put back into service after a little maintenance.

Only a few unlucky boats collided with rocks or other hard objects, resulting in damage to their hulls that required major repairs or had to be abandoned altogether.

However, these costs resulted in victory in the entire battle, which not only greatly reduced the casualties of elite soldiers, but also resulted in an extremely rare annihilation battle.

In fact, throughout the Three Kingdoms period, the most common type of battle was the battle of defeat, while battles of annihilation were extremely rare.

Despite Cao Cao's complete annihilation of most of Yuan Shao's forces at the Battle of Guandu, it was Yuan Shao who essentially delivered the enemy's strength into Cao Cao's hands.

By then, Yuan Shao had already lost his mind, and with Guo Tu continuing to prioritize personal interests over public duty, Yuan Shao's entire army was wiped out.

Otherwise, if the normal decision-making process had been followed, successfully evacuating 70,000 to 80,000 people would have been absolutely no problem.

Liu Feng annihilated Sun Quan's army of 30,000 in a single battle, almost all of whom were combat soldiers. The sheer scale of this victory left Yu Fan and He Qi truly impressed. Especially considering that Liu Feng was a northerner, his ability to command troops to such a high level truly demonstrated, as the Marquis of Huaiyin had said, that he used the heavens, earth, mountains, rivers, and streams as his army.

Yu Fan and He Qi even had a slightly strange thought: if Liu Feng hadn't wiped out all of Sun Ce's elite forces so cleanly and efficiently, he probably wouldn't have been so high-profile in his purge of the counties of Kuaiji.
The current situation is that even if the powerful families and noble clans of Kuaiji County go crazy and fight to the death for Sun Ce, without his elite main force and the officer corps he has built up over the years, Sun Ce will have no chance of turning the tide.

All of this will only make Liu Feng's purge even more ruthless and thorough.

“All county magistrates, county heads, county assistants, and officials of the rank of 100 shi or above were imprisoned, regarded as traitors, and sent to Luoyang to await the emperor’s judgment.”

Liu Feng continued issuing orders: "All their family property shall be sealed up and used to fund the military expenses."

"General!"

Yu Fan and He Qi were really getting restless. The county magistrate, county head, and county assistant were all fine, as they were all officials appointed by the imperial court. Although some of them were locals from Kuaiji, their numbers were relatively small.

But the officials with a salary of 100 shi or more were a different story. Starting from the chief clerk and the merit officer, down to the various clerks, they were all the private domains of local gentry and powerful families.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these officials only have salaries ranging from a few hundred shi to several hundred shi; their power is considerable. Although county magistrates and county heads issue orders, when it comes to actually getting things done, you still have to rely on them.

These people increasingly came from powerful clans and influential families. Their strong backgrounds and backing allowed their power to expand further, and they even dared to oppose their superiors.

The situation in the Central Plains was somewhat better, because there were many aristocratic families and few powerful clans. Moreover, the aristocratic families had access to the emperor's ears and had connections with high-ranking officials in the court, so the powerful clans did not dare to be too presumptuous. Unless they got involved with the eunuchs, they would not dare to show any disrespect to the aristocratic families.

But things are different in Kuaiji. These people not only have powerful backgrounds, but they also collude with the Nanman people of Shanxi. If they are unhappy, they are very likely to start an impromptu rebellion.

At most, they can push all the blame onto the Yue people and the southern barbarians, then hide in the mountains, and no one can do anything about it.

Yu Fan and He Qi understood that this was all ancient history. It might be enough to deal with the Han Dynasty court, but to deal with Liu Feng was just wishful thinking.

(End of this chapter)