My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 394 The Emperor's Advocate
Man Chong's suspicions turned out to be correct by sheer chance.

When Liu Feng ceded Jiaozhou to Cao Cao, he didn't actually have any good intentions.

Jiaozhou is a very strange place. If you had to choose the most peace-loving prefecture in the Han Dynasty, it would be Jiaozhou.

Everyone in Jiaozhou, from top to bottom, is extremely peace-loving. They would never even consider vying for supremacy, let alone taking advantage of any opportunity.

Several governors and prefects of Jiaozhou died because of this military campaign.

Zhu Fu was killed by powerful clansmen in Jiaozhou because he wanted to raise an army to attack Zuo Rong, who had killed his younger brother Zhu Hao.

Zhang Jin was killed by Qu Jing, a subordinate general who came from a powerful clan in Jiaozhou, because he wanted to raise an army to fight Liu Biao to the death.

Shi Xie, who would later become a native of Jiaozhou, was not qualified to govern Jiaozhou according to the Three Mutuals Law.

The problem is that both Cao Cao and the emperor needed Shi Xie to stabilize Jiaozhou, so they exploited a small loophole and appointed Shi Xie as the General of Suinan, overseeing the seven counties of Jiaozhou, while retaining his position as the Prefect of Jiaozhi.

This was tantamount to being a governor of Jiaozhou without the title. Even more outrageous, Shi Xie later recommended his three younger brothers to serve as governors of the three prefectures.

Jiaozhou comprised nine prefectures, and Shi Xie's family occupied four of them.

Jiaozhou was a huge pitfall; without a large army, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to go there.

The local gentry and powerful families in Jiaozhou were essentially enhanced versions of those in Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou. They had absolutely no intention of expanding and only wanted to protect their own small territory.

It wouldn't matter who Cao Cao sent; they would only be sidelined by Shi Xie and the local powerful clans. If he insisted on pushing forward the "Northern Expedition" in Jiaozhou, then Zhu Fu and Zhang Jin would soon have company.

Even if Cao Cao assigned several thousand elite troops to his trusted confidants, it wouldn't have helped. Unless he assigned them more than ten thousand heavy troops at once, it would only result in slow blood loss and be of no use.

Moreover, the affairs of Jiaozhou are not something that can be resolved by the mere title of governor. On the contrary, the local prefects are quite powerful, especially the Shi family.

Ultimately, even if Liu Feng gained real power in Jiaozhou, he would still need to send a large army south and reshuffle officials on a large scale to completely control the state.

In this process, a rebellion is almost inevitable.

In fact, in the original timeline, Sun Quan also sent a large army to take control of Jiaozhou, but he still couldn't suppress the rebellion in Jiaozhou and almost lost Jiaozhou.

It's quite tragic that Jiaozhou wasn't lost because Eastern Wu was destroyed.

At that time, the entire Eastern Wu only had one capable commander left, and that was Tao Huang.

However, Eastern Wu had two war zones lacking commanders, making it almost impossible for Tao Huang to be in two places at once.

As is well known, Eastern Wu had a total of three war zones: two front-line zones, namely the Jingzhou War Zone and the Jiangdong War Zone, and a rear area that was constantly plagued by rebellions, namely the Jiaozhou War Zone.

The Jiangdong war zone could be concurrently led by the Emperor of Eastern Wu, but the Jingzhou war zone always required a regional commander to lead it.

In the Jingzhou war zone of Eastern Wu, from Zhou Yu to Lu Su, then to Lü Meng, then to Lu Xun, and later Zhuge Ke, Lü Dai, and Bu Zhi took charge of the overall situation. Finally, after Lu Kang's death, the talent pool was depleted, and only Tao Huang was capable of handling the task.

However, at this critical moment, a large-scale rebellion broke out in Jiaozhou. If the Jingzhou war zone was dealt with first, the Jiaozhou war zone would collapse. Without the resource supply from Jiaozhou, Eastern Wu would not be able to hold on.

Tao Huang was overwhelmed with other matters, so Sun Hao could only employ a time-difference tactic, sending him first to pacify Jiaozhou and then turning his attention to Jingzhou.

As a result, the Western Jin Dynasty advanced rapidly, the time difference tactic failed, and Eastern Wu was over.

According to Liu Feng, there were two main reasons why rebellions frequently broke out in Jiaozhou.

The first reason is that Eastern Wu exploited the people too much, making it easy for powerful clans and gentry in Jiaozhou to incite them to rebel.

The second reason was that the local powerful clans in Jiaozhou were too influential, and Eastern Wu only knew how to massacre them, but failed to win the hearts of the people, and ultimately completely lost the support of the people of Jiaozhou.

In general, Liu Feng was confident that he could take Jiaozhou and pacify it. However, Liu Feng estimated that he would need to invest a considerable amount of effort. Although the output was abundant, with Jiaozhou's current population size, producing a million shi of rice annually to supply the north was not a problem.

However, the cost would be 20,000 to 30,000 troops and a large number of talented individuals.

Investing the same resources in Jingzhou would be more cost-effective.

It's not too late to consider Jiaozhou after we've acquired Jingzhou.

Since it's not cost-effective right now, it's better to just give it to Cao Cao, since the other side can't digest it anyway.

In this way, he could both curry favor with Cao Cao, repay the favor of his recommendation for the governorship of Yangzhou, and also dig a pit for Cao Cao, achieving three goals at once.

********
That night, Liu Feng waited at home. At midnight, an oxcart quietly drove into the residence of the General of the Cavalry, and sitting in the oxcart was Zhong Yao, the Commandant of the Capital Region, who was known as the Crouching Tiger.

Liu Feng had a rough idea of ​​Zhong Yao's purpose in coming, suspecting that he might be visiting him on the emperor's orders.

There was no need to listen to the emperor's offer at this point, especially since the emperor was the one who wronged me, Liu Feng, not me, Liu Feng.

After much consideration, Liu Feng did not refuse Zhong Yao's request and decided to meet with him.

Zhong Yao entered the study and, upon seeing Liu Feng and the others, respectfully greeted them, saying, "This humble official greets General Zheng Nan."

The General Who Conquers the South was ranked below the Nine Ministers, but due to the blessing of being granted the title of Grand Master of the Three Offices, he was relegated to a position above the Nine Ministers.

The position of the Commandant of the Capital Region was equivalent to that of the Nine Ministers, therefore Liu Feng's position was above that of Zhong Yao.

Liu Feng nodded: "Yuan Chang, please rise and take a seat for further discussion."

There were quite a few people in the study. Besides Xu Chu, who was serving behind Liu Feng, the Zhuge brothers and Pang Tong were also present, while Ling Tong directed the maids to serve tea.

After Zhong Yao took his seat, he first tasted the tea and then secretly observed Liu Feng's expression.

When he determined that Liu Feng was still in a good mood, he sighed leisurely and said, "The emperor has realized his mistake."

The emperor is the sovereign, so naturally he cannot be wrong.

In that case, the ministers would inevitably be at fault, while the emperor would at most regret having listened to the wrong advice.

Liu Feng thought to himself, "Just as I suspected, Zhong Yao really has come to act as an intermediary for Liu Xie."

It seems that Liu Xie wasn't completely stupid; he realized the situation was very bad and that he had found the right person.

"How can the emperor know to regret? Yuan Chang's words are truly perplexing to me."

Liu Feng replied with a smile.

He was quite dissatisfied with Emperor Liu Xie, though he didn't readily show it. Moreover, Liu Feng had already calculated that the emperor was now an obstacle rather than an ally in restraining Cao Cao. If Cao Cao dealt with the Yang faction and eliminated the emperor, it would actually be a good thing for Liu Feng.

The unification of Sili would actually help Cao Cao's power grow, thus better restraining Yuan Shao, the Hebei overlord who was about to eliminate Gongsun Zan, drink from the Yellow River, and covet Henan. However, although Liu Feng was dissatisfied with the emperor and even more disgusted with Yang Biao, it did not mean that he would betray the emperor or Yang Biao.

If possible, he hoped that Cao Cao would deal with Yang Biao himself and thus sideline the emperor.

If he were to produce the letter from Yang Biao colluding with Yuan Shu, regardless of whether the letter was genuine or not, Cao Cao would definitely implicate Liu Feng. No matter how Liu Feng explained, his hands would be stained with dirt and he would never be able to wash them clean.

The current situation is excellent. Liu Feng stands on the shore, completely innocent and clean, watching Cao Cao take action to deal with Yang Biao and control the emperor. He himself has always been a loyal subject of the emperor, which is exactly the result Liu Feng wanted.

Zhong Yao was speechless after Liu Feng's remark, and could only sigh and say, "The Emperor has always remembered the kindness of Zisheng who traveled thousands of miles to Hedong to protect him. This time, he only hoped to keep Zisheng in the capital to assist him. It was a genuine favor to Zisheng, but people took advantage of it, which led to the misunderstanding."

Liu Feng smiled without saying a word, only staring at Zhong Yao.

Even though Zhong Yao was quite shrewd and had relatively flexible bottom lines, Liu Feng still made him blush.

"Alas, I had earnestly advised the Emperor not to suppress Zisheng, but he wouldn't listen."

Zhong Yao stopped pretending and sighed, his words filled with resentment.

Seeing that Zhong Yao had made his stance clear, Liu Feng stopped hiding his intentions. After all, he admired Zhong Yao and had been trying to win him over to his side.

If we put on an act now, all our efforts to win them over will be in vain.

"Hmph, I went through all the trouble of going south to quell the rebellion, helping him find Yuxi and capture Yuan Shu alive, but he actually wants to use me and then discard me."

Liu Feng sneered, "There's still more than half a warehouse of wheat left, are you in such a hurry to kill the donkey?"

"The emperor is probably jealous."

Zhong Yao sighed again, not to defend the emperor, but because he truly believed it.

“Zisheng, you are only fourteen years old, four years younger than the emperor, yet you have served as a general and prime minister. You lead troops on horseback, pacify the people on foot, restore production, establish laws and regulations, and provide relief to the people. All the gentry and powerful families are in awe of you.”

As Zhong Yao spoke, he felt a pang of envy; Liu Zisheng was just too enviable.

Liu Feng said unhappily, "I have devoted myself to serving the court, and yet it has become my fault?"

Zhong Yao shook his head with a wry smile: "This is not blaming you, it's just that everyone is both surprised and afraid of you."

Liu Feng was even more displeased, his face showing indignation: "That Yuan Shu is a traitor. He has set up many guard posts and imperial carriages in Huaibei, and privately uses the Nine Bestowments system. He is just short of ruling as regent. I am wrong to eliminate such a treacherous minister for the country, for the court, and for the emperor?"

"Of course it's good!"

Zhong Yao straightened his face and praised him highly, saying, "Zisheng's merits are known to all scholars and common people, and everyone applauds and cheers."

Liu Feng said irritably, "I didn't see that."

Zhong Yao sighed again, "Zisheng, you are certainly not wrong, but if we insist that you are wrong, I'm afraid your mistake lies in pacifying Yuan too quickly."

Liu Feng's heart sank, but he feigned a reproach on his face: "Shouldn't such a major matter as suppressing a rebellion be handled as quickly as possible?"

Zhong Yao glared at Liu Feng, clearly seeing through Liu Feng's insincerity, but he explained, "Yuan Shu is the overlord of Huai and Si. Since taking control of Jiangbei, he has invaded Yuzhou in the north, fought for Xuzhou in the east, and entered Jiangdong in the south. He has almost no rivals, and his power and influence are overwhelming. Tao Qian, Liu Yao, Lu Kang, and the Zhou brothers have all been defeated by him."

"Such a behemoth, you conquered its capital in just one season, captured it outside the palace, and then in less than half a year, you swept away Jiangdong and captured Sun Ce's entire clan alive."

Zhong Yao's gaze towards Liu Feng was also somewhat strange, as if he were looking at a monster.

"Even Huaiyin's military campaigns couldn't have been this bad."

Liu Feng was taken aback at first, then thought about it carefully. He had started with his father's one and a half counties and within three years had swept across four provinces and seventeen counties. He had snatched food from the tiger's mouth and forcefully taken half of Qingzhou from Yuan Tan, establishing the vassal counties of Beihai and Donglai.

Hmm, if we look at it this way, it seems that my achievements are not inferior to those of Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin.

After all, Han Xin only acquired three commanderies in Bingzhou, nine commanderies in Jizhou, and six commanderies in Qingzhou, totaling exactly eighteen commanderies and kingdoms.

This comparison instantly amused Liu Feng; he never imagined he'd be making fun of a military genius. What made Liu Feng even more proud was that this comparison was made by Zhong Yao, a famous minister of the Han and Wei dynasties.

Thinking about it this way, Liu Feng felt that he was almost convinced by Zhong Yao that the emperor was right to restrict him.

Unfortunately, it's only almost there, not completely.

"Everyone says that Yuan Chang is sweet-talking and kind-hearted, and today I can see that it is indeed true."

Liu Feng smiled and shook his head, then his smile vanished as he changed the subject, saying, "Yuan Chang, I'm afraid you're no longer capable of serving as the Commandant of the Capital Region. However, I intend to recommend you for the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently Minister. What do you think?"

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Sili Xiaowei held a position equivalent to the Nine Ministers, but in reality, due to his excessive power, his actual status was slightly higher than that of the Nine Ministers.

In comparison, the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary was raised from 1,000 shi to 2,000 shi in the Western Han Dynasty, making him equal to the Nine Ministers, but his status was slightly lower.

As for the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, this position is the most complicated. In terms of status, he is not only lower than the Nine Ministers, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, and the Commandant of the Capital Region, but also lower than the Prefect of a major prefecture in the Central Plains and the Chancellor of the State.

However, in terms of prestige, he was on par with the Commandant of the Capital Region. The so-called "Three Solo Seats" in the Eastern Han Dynasty referred to the Commandant of the Capital Region, the Grand Censor, and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. They had their own exclusive seats in the court, which were directly opposite the Three Dukes, as a sign of respect for their authority, hence the name "Three Solo Seats."

Moreover, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat oversees the Imperial Secretariat and is nominally the permanent head of the Imperial Secretariat.

The reason it was nominal was that the Three Dukes would record the affairs of the Secretariat most of the time, and once they recorded the affairs of the Secretariat, the Chief of the Secretariat would be subject to the jurisdiction of the Three Dukes.

Because the position of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was slightly lower than that of the Attendant-in-Ordinary, equivalent to the Prefect of a large prefecture in the north or the Chancellor of the State, but lower than the Commandant of the Capital Region, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, and the Governor of Henan.

If Liu Feng had directly promoted Zhong Yao to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, it would have been a clear demotion.

In terms of status, prestige, and real power, the Attendant-in-Ordinary is inferior to the Commandant of the Capital Region. Especially now that the Emperor's authority is weak, even the greatest hidden benefit of being close to the Emperor has been abolished.

However, Liu Feng added the title of Minister after he was appointed as Attendant-in-Ordinary, which made all the difference.

Not only could the Attendant-in-Ordinary legally accompany the emperor, but the Minister of State could also participate in state affairs. The combination of these two positions, even if not higher than that of the Commandant of the Capital Region, was still quite formidable.

But Zhong Yao's face darkened upon hearing this.

Liu Feng deliberately changed the subject, avoiding any mention of the emperor, but this was tantamount to telling Zhong Yao his attitude through his actions.

At this point, if Zhong Yao were removed from the position of Commandant of the Capital Region, it wouldn't be difficult for him, given his wisdom, to determine who would be given the vacant position.

Once Cao Cao simultaneously controlled the positions of Commandant of the Capital Region and Governor of Henan, Yang Biao would be no different from a lamb to the slaughter, and Cao Cao would be able to legitimately purge the disobedient officials in the court.

(End of this chapter)