My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 36 Asking Xuzhou
"Is this the right question?"

Liu Bei, who was about to help the other person up, was stunned. What was going on now?
After a moment of hesitation, Liu Bei still got up and pulled Liu Feng up, helping him to his feet.

“Foolish child, if you have something to say, just tell me, your father. What’s the point of doing all this?”

Feeling Liu Bei's warmth, Liu Feng's resolve hardened.

After rising and taking his seat, Liu Feng earnestly requested, "Father, please dismiss everyone else for now. I have something important to report."

Without hesitation, Liu Bei waved his hand, dismissing all his attendants.

"Get out! Close the door and step back five paces. No one is to approach the bedroom without my summons."

The attendants respectfully obeyed and filed out.

"Alright, Feng'er, what do you want to say?"

Liu Bei looked very relaxed, using the bedding as he leaned against the low table.

The pingji was a wonderful thing; it was a magical device that allowed people in the Eastern Han Dynasty to lie on their beds in a relaxed, reclining posture.

Liu Bei's comfortable leaning posture made Liu Feng somewhat itchy to lean against him as well.

Realizing that business was more important, Liu Feng could only straighten his posture and say solemnly, "Father, I have reached an agreement with the Prefect's family. This silk scroll is the preliminary agreement."

Liu Feng took the first silk scroll from the tray beside him, straightened up and handed it to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei took the silk scroll, glanced through it briefly, and then revealed a look of delight: "Mi Zizhong is indeed a generous man, willing to lend so much grain and supplies."

At this point, Liu Bei did some mental calculations and couldn't help but gasp: "This is probably worth tens of millions of coins."

Liu Bei was absolutely right. The supplies that Mi Zhu promised to provide were worth three to four million coins, and the 100,000 shi of grain, even at the lowest current price, would be worth more than 20 million coins.

Mi Zhu agreed without even blinking, which shows how incredibly wealthy the Mi family of Haidong was, and it's no wonder Liu Bei was so impressed.

“Father, the Prefect is very wise and generous, and he has helped our family a lot. We must remember this kindness.”

Liu Feng's words made Liu Bei nod repeatedly. He was also shocked by Mi Zhu's generosity. Although he was kind-hearted and had his cunning moments, he was mostly grateful for kindness.

“Feng’er’s words are indeed correct.”

Liu Bei continued reading the silk scroll, nodding repeatedly: "Mi Zizhong has provided such timely help; my son and I must never forget his kindness to the Mi family, and we will surely repay him handsomely in the future."

After reading it, Liu Bei raised his head with a smile on his face: "Feng'er, with Mi Zizhong's strong support, the matter of garrisoning and farming that you mentioned earlier can finally be put into practice."

Liu Feng nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject: "Father, I have often heard that preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. Now we have the support of the Mi family and abundant resources, but there are still some important matters that have not been decided."

"What important matter is it?"

Liu Bei was startled, thinking he was still half asleep and that something big had suddenly happened.

Liu Feng said solemnly, "Father, please sit down. I will try to explain the current situation to you."

Liu Bei dared not underestimate his precious son, and immediately straightened his posture as if facing a formidable enemy.

Liu Feng began to explain: "Xuzhou has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists. However, it is located on a plain, with roads leading in all directions, and has no natural defenses. It has always been easy to attack but difficult to defend. At present, Xuzhou has five prefectures under its jurisdiction. I have previously briefly analyzed the current situation for you, Father. You can only control one prefecture, Xiapi, and a small part of Donghai Prefecture."

What's even more chilling is that even the Kingdom of Xiapi was only won over by Father through the influence of Chen Gongcao's family. Once Chen Gongcao turns against Father, will the Kingdom of Xiapi still obey Father's orders? I am extremely pessimistic.

If Cao Bao were here, he would definitely shout, "Here they come again!"

Liu Feng's move was another example of first making boastful claims and using his power to bully others, drawing them into his rhythm, and then taking control of them.

Cao Bao was the first victim of this tactic.

But Liu Bei didn't know that, upon careful consideration, he realized that it was exactly the same as what his son had said.

The fact that Xiapi is now obeying his orders and transporting money and grain to the prefecture is truly thanks to Chen Yuanlong.

However, if Chen Yuanlong rebels, given his and the Chen family's influence in Xiapi, wouldn't it be a situation where Yanzhou rebels against Cao Cao in no time?
Thinking of this, Liu Bei, who was lying in a warm and comfortable bedroom, felt a chill run through his body.

According to Liu Feng, even in Donghai Commandery, where Liu Bei was located, it was Chen Yuanlong and Mi Zhu who stabilized the area for him.

Moreover, Cao Bao's 20,000 Danyang soldiers were not his own troops; they were merely feigning submission, and he couldn't possibly subdue them in a short time.

Liu Bei became increasingly bewildered. How could he, the governor of Xu Province, suddenly find himself without a foothold after listening to his son's words?
Liu Feng continued, "Chen Gongcao and Mi Biejia are loyal to Father and are therefore loyal ministers. So the two prefectures of Donghai and Xiapi are not the most urgent matters."

Liu Bei nodded slowly and breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it! Yuanlong and Zizhong are both kind-hearted people. As long as I treat them with sincerity, I don't think they will abandon me. Otherwise, I will be betrayed and abandoned by everyone, and the old story of Yanzhou will repeat itself."

"Father, what do you think is the most urgent task for Xuzhou right now?"

Liu Feng's sudden question made Liu Bei fall into deep thought.

After a long while, Liu Bei finally replied, "Could it be in Guangling County? Guangling is a vast and populous place, and it has not experienced the ravages of war. It can be said to have a large army and abundant supplies. At present, Yuan Sui is acting as the prefectural administrator in place of Zhang Menggao. This man is close to the Yuan family, and I fear that he may collude with Yuan Shu, inviting a wolf into the house and attacking my Xuzhou. This is the most urgent matter at hand."

Although Big Ear Brother's abilities are not top-tier, they are still above average among various warlords.

Therefore, he could see that Yuan Sui's Guangling Commandery was a big problem.

This is not only a malignant tumor, but also a malignant tumor that cannot be easily punctured.

At this time, Zhang Chao and Zhang Menggao were still in Yanzhou helping Zhang Miao and Lü Bu fight against Cao Cao. It was precisely because of the rebellion in Yanzhou that Cao Cao withdrew his troops from Xuzhou.

If we were to take action against Guangling County at this time, not to mention that Zhang Menggao had left behind a legacy of goodwill in Guangling, this behavior would be tantamount to repaying kindness with enmity, which would surely be despised by people and would also be dissuaded by local scholars of Xuzhou such as Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

What's even more frightening is that during the fierce battle in Yanzhou, Cao Cao was so troubled by the war that he even considered turning back to attack Xuzhou.

This was because Lu Bu, Zhang Miao, and others were formidable warriors, and the two sides had their share of victories and defeats, making it far less easy to conquer than Xuzhou.

Cao Cao probably felt that instead of fighting to the death with Lü Bu and Zhang Miao in Yanzhou, it would be better to pick on the weaker party, take over Xuzhou first, and then deal with Lü and Zhang later.

But this idea was utterly foolish, completely failing to consider the deep-seated hatred between him and the local scholars of Xuzhou.

Let alone the fact that Cao Cao mobilized the entire Yan Province and failed to conquer Xu Province twice, he now only has a few counties left, and with powerful enemies like Lü Bu and Zhang Miao at his side, how could he possibly conquer it?
Moreover, even if they were lucky enough to capture it, the Xuzhou gentry could easily cause Cao Cao to collapse completely under Lü Bu's offensive by simply offering a weak resistance and withholding money and supplies.

Fortunately, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and others persuaded him to abandon the foolish act of making enemies on two fronts.

(End of this chapter)