My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 38 Liu Gong's Ingenious Plan Leads to the Loss of Xuzhou

Liu Bei couldn't help but have an absurd thought: Am I still not awake?
Liu Bei was, after all, a hero of his time. Although he was still quite inexperienced at the moment, he did not give up easily.

Although he found Liu Feng's words to be very reasonable, with each point linked to the next and the deduction logical and reasonable, he still frowned and stared intently at the map, trying to find the flaws in Liu Feng's words.

To his disappointment, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't find any flaws.

At this moment, Liu Feng deliberately added fuel to the fire, saying, "Father, there are two more terrible things to come, which I haven't told you yet."

Liu Bei was startled. This was not because Liu Bei lacked composure; Xuzhou was the first territory he had acquired, and he had placed all his hopes on it.

To put it bluntly, Liu Bei doesn't even know how he'll survive now that he's lost Xuzhou.

Historically, Liu Bei remained unyielding after losing Xuzhou, which shows his strong ability to adapt, but does not mean he has such an understanding now.

Moreover, after losing Xuzhou, Liu Bei had been stationed in Xiaopei.

Anyone familiar with geography knows that Xiaopei is located at the gateway from Yuzhou to Xuzhou, only 20 kilometers away from Xuzhou.

Afterwards, Big Ears was defeated by Lü Bu several times, but after each defeat, he reorganized his troops and returned to Xiaopei. This was all due to Big Ears' deep longing for Xuzhou.

Finally, he even went so far as to deceive Cao Cao, who had been investing in him, in order to return to Xuzhou and establish himself again.

Although Liu Bei has not yet lost Xuzhou, his emphasis on and love for Xuzhou is no less than it will be in the future.

"What...what other trouble could there be?"

Despite his fear and anxiety, Liu Bei did not shy away from his illness and had the courage to face difficulties head-on.

Since that's the case, Liu Feng didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "Actually, I've already told you about these two troubles before, Father."

The first disaster was caused by Yuan Shu of Huainan.

I had mentioned to my father earlier that Yuan Shu was currently mired in a quagmire, trapped in Yangzhou by Liu Biao, Liu Yao, and the Jiangnan gentry, and had no time to look north.

Although Liu Yao had the support of the Jiangdong gentry and possessed above-average talent, and could gain the loyalty of others, he ultimately lacked power and influence.

At this point, Liu Feng paused, almost blurting out the name of Sun Ce.

At present, Sun Ce is just a young upstart with no outstanding achievements. Even when he went to Danyang to recruit soldiers, he was almost defeated and killed by Zu Lang, the chieftain of the Yue tribes.

Even if Liu Bei were to invoke the names of immortals or ancestors, he would likely find it hard to believe that Liu Yao could defeat him.

"I predict that Liu Yao will probably only be able to hold on until next year at most."

Once Liu Yao falls into a disadvantageous position, Yuan Shu will be free to attack, and his first target will be my Xu Province and my Guangling Commandery.

Liu Feng's attitude was very affirmative, and he also presented evidence: "After all, Yuan Shu had just proclaimed himself the Earl of Xuzhou, and his wolfish ambitions toward Xuzhou were obvious."

"Yuan Gonglu is especially despicable!"

Liu Bei spoke angrily. He had finally found a place to stay, but Yuan Shu was so shameless as to covet Xuzhou. He was determined to be his sworn enemy.

But then I thought, two years later, Yuan Shao will have secured Qingzhou, Cao Cao will have taken over Yanzhou, and Yuan Shu will invade Guangling. Could it be that I can only stay in Xuzhou for two years?

Unaware of his father's sorrow, Liu Feng continued speaking. In fact, even if he knew, he would still continue, after all, he was a filial son, serving his father with sincerity and his ruler with loyalty. Liu Feng was both sincere and loyal, truly a model of filial piety in the world.

"Father, don't forget about Lü Bu." Liu Feng's leisurely words sent a chill down Liu Bei's spine.

"I had previously told my father that if Lü Bu was defeated, he would only have one way to go: to Xuzhou."

At that time, will the father accept or not?

If we don't accept him, Lü Bu, with his wolfish nature, might deeply resent his father and even want to fight to the death with my Xuzhou.

If they accept him, where will his father place Lü Bu?
Could it be Pengcheng?
That would be dangerous.

Liu Bei was completely dumbfounded; his son really was a master strategist.

Long before Liu Feng told him that Lü Bu would definitely come to surrender, he had thought about it for a long time and finally came up with a brilliant plan.

That would be to settle Lü Bu in Pengcheng. Since Pengcheng was already a blank slate, there was no need to worry about Lü Bu taking root there and turning the tables. At the same time, Lü Bu could be used as a vassal to resist Cao Cao's possible attacks. It was killing two birds with one stone and was a stroke of genius.

But listening to his son's words, was there something wrong with his brilliant plan?

Liu Bei asked tremblingly, "Is there something wrong with settling Lü Bu in Pengcheng?"

Liu Feng sighed and asked in return, "Father, Lü Bu is a wolf in sheep's clothing, utterly untrustworthy, and betraying his lord is commonplace for him. You have placed him in Pengcheng today, hoping to use his strength to resist Cao Yanzhou."

But how do you know that Lü Bu, while in Pengcheng, wouldn't covet my Xiapi?
It should be noted that the route from Pengcheng to Xiapi was unobstructed, with flat terrain and rivers that could facilitate the transport of supplies.

Lu Bu's army was a Bingzhou army, mostly cavalry and skilled at running.

If Yuan Shu attacks, and Father marches south to defend against him, but Lü Bu suddenly betrays him and marches straight for Xiapi, what should Father do?

Liu Bei felt a chill in his heart. After all, he had fought for half his life and fought so many battles. How could he not know whether what Liu Feng said was true or false?
Big Ears' confidence plummeted to rock bottom. He recalled Chen Qun's words of advice to him in Yuzhou. Could it be that Chen Qun was right?
Chen Qun earnestly advised Liu Bei not to leave Yuzhou and go to Xuzhou. In short, Yuzhou supports Liu Bei, and staying in Yuzhou to develop is the best choice.

Xuzhou looks wonderful, but the waters there run deep. You, Lao Liu, can't handle it. If you capsize, you'll lose even the territory of Yuzhou.

Seeing his father tumble down from the mountaintop to the valley floor, Liu Feng knew he was a good son and knew he had to encourage his father, letting him know that his son would always stand by him and face all kinds of hardships.

"Although the situation is not optimistic, with the child here, the father has nothing to worry about!"

Liu Feng straightened up, looked directly at Liu Bei, and spoke with a strong sense of confidence that resonated with the anxious Liu Bei.

"Feng'er, do you have any good advice for your father?"

Liu Bei was genuinely terrified by the horrific scene described by Liu Feng. If it were to come true, he would rather be dead than alive.

However, Liu Feng's deduction was extremely reasonable and flawless, making it impossible for Liu Bei to refute it.

Unless Liu Bei burys his head in the sand, but given his unwavering character, how could he possibly do something so foolish?

At this moment, Liu Bei really wanted to hear some good news from Liu Feng to ease his emotions.

Liu Feng also knew that they had hit rock bottom and it was time to rebuild Liu Bei's confidence.

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(End of this chapter)