My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 405 Xun You Offers a Strategy

"Therefore, if we do not respond to his request, I think he will most likely rebel."

Liu Ye's guess was actually quite correct.

Liu Bei, Liu Feng, and others truly underestimated Liu Xun's anthropomorphic abilities.

If it were merely a matter of withholding Liu Biao's aid, Li Shu might not have been able to rebel so decisively.

The fundamental reason that forced Li Shu to hastily rebel was that Liu Xun not only refused to provide relief, but also demanded that each county pay its grain tax as usual. It was this anthropomorphic order that forced the entire Wan County to unite as one, with everyone from powerful clans and wealthy families to ordinary people supporting Li Shu's uprising. It's truly baffling what Liu Xun was thinking.

"Since he's going to rebel sooner or later, the young master's concern about the consequences of his rebellion shouldn't be a problem. Besides, persuading Zhang Xian to raise an army is the key to the young master's plan. If Li Shu raises an army now, it will attract Liu Biao's attention and energy. Once Liu Biao is focused on the north, he will definitely relax his attention on Jingnan, making it easier for Zhang Xian to raise his banner."

As Liu Ye shared his thoughts, he secretly kept an eye on Liu Feng's expression out of the corner of his eye.

This is not surprising. Liu Feng is indeed the young master, but he is more than just the young master.

Liu Feng is now a legitimate Left General, Governor of Yangzhou, and Marquis of Wu.

Among the second generation of emperors, who else could surpass Liu Feng?

Moreover, Liu Ye was among the earliest members of Liu Bei's group, so he was well aware of Liu Feng's abilities and reputation. Although he was currently serving under Liu Bei, he had absolutely no intention of offending Liu Feng.

Before speaking, Liu Ye had carefully considered his points and felt that his views were sound. Moreover, in the eyes of Liu Ye and others, Liu Feng's wisdom was no less than theirs, and his vision and perspective were even superior. Furthermore, Liu Feng was a very reasonable person; if someone could prove their opinion to be correct, they might even switch sides and support you.

But the next moment, Liu Ye's heart jumped.

The reason was that Liu Feng actually shook his head.

“What Mr. Ziyang said is indeed correct, but even the most meticulous plans can have oversights.”

Liu Feng shook his head, and everyone's attention turned to him as they listened to his opinion.

"The same thing can have different effects depending on who does it."

Liu Feng explained, "If Li Shu raises his flag alone, Liu Biao won't take him seriously at all. But if he raises a flag claiming to belong to us, then Liu Biao will have to be nervous."

"Perhaps, as Mr. Ziyang said, Liu Jingsheng's energy may be focused on us, making it easier for Zhang Xian to raise an army and increasing the probability of success."

When Liu Feng got to this point, he actually shook his head: "But the biggest problem is that once Zhang Xian raises the banner and the matter succeeds, Liu Biao will be pressured by us and dare not send troops south to quell the rebellion. What should we do then?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye realized that he had misunderstood.

Zhang Xian's uprising and change of allegiance were indeed very important, but the key to its success lay in attracting Liu Biao's army south to quell the rebellion, thus creating an opportunity for Liu Feng to deliver a fatal blow.

If Liu Biao dares not go south, wouldn't Zhang Xian's attempt to gain independence backfire and end up losing more than he gained?
Once Zhang Xian establishes himself in Jingnan, Liu Biao might not be able to do anything about him.

Don't let the unassuming name Zhang Xian fool you; he's a real big shot.

This man came from a prominent family in Nanyang. He was the direct descendant of the Zhang family of Nanyang, and he also had a distant relative named Zhang Zhongjing.

Jingnan has a total of four prefectures. Zhang Xian served as the governor of three of them: Lingling, Guiyang, and Changsha. Because of his good reputation as an official, his status as a famous scholar, and his many practical benefits for the local people, he was deeply loved by the people of Jingnan.

Each of these attributes was quite powerful in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and when combined, they became even more formidable.

In the original timeline, Zhang Xian raised his arm and called for change of all four prefectures in Jingnan overnight, demonstrating his immense influence in Jingnan.

If Zhang Xian hadn't died of illness, Liu Biao might not have been able to suppress him.

Liu Feng noticed that Xun You showed an expression of agreement when he spoke, clearly indicating that he had also thought of this. However, his habit of concealing his abilities prevented him from speaking first; if Liu Feng hadn't noticed, Xun You would probably have revealed these thoughts.

Compared to Xun You, Lu Su was much slower. Although he was also very talented, intelligent and capable, he was indeed inferior to Xun You in terms of quick wit.

Instead, Liu Ye hurriedly explained, "Young Master, you may have misunderstood my intentions. Admittedly, Li Shu's defection will draw the attention of the General of the East to Yangzhou. However, Li Shu is only in a county, and even if it is in a strategic location, it will not help the overall situation. If we simply accept Li Shu's surrender without taking action against Liu Xun, will we give the General of the East a misjudgment? When Zhang Xian of Jingnan rebels, the General of the East may think that Liu Xun can be used to restrain us."

Liu Ye's explanation is actually reasonable and not entirely fabricated.

If Liu Bei accepted Li Shu but only to this extent, it was more of a safety net.

Wan County is indeed strategically located and very important. However, the problem is that Liu Xun has been under Liu Biao's command for more than half a year, but apart from Xunyang where Jingzhou troops have been stationed, no other places have accepted Jingzhou reinforcements.

Liu Bei's restraint gave Liu Xun a false sense of security, which gave him enough confidence to politely refuse Liu Biao's Jingzhou troops.

This matter greatly displeased Liu Biao, but he was helpless. After all, Liu Biao was not a fool. He knew that if he forced Liu Xun, the fellow might immediately defect to Liu Bei again.

While Wan County is indeed a crucial land route between Jing and Yang, it has never fallen into Liu Biao's hands. Moreover, even if the connection with Wan County were severed, as long as Liu Bei did not break ties with Liu Biao, Liu Biao could still send aid to Liu Xun by water.

Therefore, Liu Ye believed that accepting Li Shu would not disrupt the situation southwest of Lujiang, nor would it ignite the peace between Liu Biao and Liu Bei.

Liu Ye's view is that as long as Liu Bei accepts Li Shu and continues to remain inactive and does not target Liu Xun, Liu Biao has absolutely no chance of starting a war with Liu Bei's side because of Li Shu.

Therefore, if Zhang Xian were to raise an army, Liu Biao would still have a high probability of sending his main force south to quell the rebellion.

After all, to the east, there was not only Liu Xun as a shield, but also Huang Zu's important town of Jiangxia, which was a double guarantee.

To be fair, Liu Ye's words made sense, but the problem was that Liu Feng wanted a foolproof plan.

“Brother Ziyang’s words are true, but he has overlooked one point. No matter how important Wan County is, how can it be compared with the entire Jingzhou?”

This time, it was Xun You who spoke.

"What the young master seeks is absolute certainty."

Xun You continued, "Although Ziyang's proposal may gain Li Shu a county, it is hard to guarantee that it will not arouse Liu Biao's suspicion. If it affects the overall situation, what is the point of regretting it later?"

Xun You first pointed out the flaws in Liu Ye's suggestion, and then put forward his own suggestion: "My lord, young master, in my opinion, we should send an envoy to Jingzhou to warn Liu Zhendong not to send troops into Wan. The matter of Wan County should be decided by Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang."

"Brilliant! What a brilliant plan!"

Liu Feng was the first to react and exclaimed in admiration.

Immediately following, Liu Ye also showed surprise, cupping his hands towards Xun You and saying, "Brother Gongda, your plan is indeed far superior to mine. This plan is in perfect harmony with the art of war. It is to show gentleness to meet force, to show weakness to take advantage of strength, to act humbly to respond with flexibility, and to show the east while intending to go west." Lu Su also nodded in agreement: "Indeed, especially the part about prohibiting Liu Zhen from sending troops eastward is brilliant."

Liu Bei suddenly realized that Xun You's plan had almost three layers. The first layer was to put on a show of turning against Liu Biao to force him not to send troops to pacify Wan. In Liu Biao's view, this was obviously because Liu Bei did not want to break off relations with him, so he threatened him with war.

This is easy to understand. After all, if Liu Bei really wanted to seize Jingzhou, Li Shu would be the perfect excuse. Liu Bei would be overjoyed and wouldn't bother sending an envoy to force Liu Biao not to send troops.

As long as Liu Biao doesn't send troops, the matter won't be a big deal, which shows that Liu Bei doesn't really want to go to war with Jingzhou.

Secondly, Liu Bei's seemingly coercive but actually appeasing act would subtly imply to Liu Biao, giving him the illusion that he had the upper hand.

Liu Bei's side is so outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. They clearly have a great opportunity in their hands, yet they still don't think about making progress.

How could Liu Biao not have the illusion that the initiative for war or peace was in his hands?

Third, it also lulled Liu Xun into a false sense of security, echoing the earlier move of transferring the governorship of Lujiang to Liu Xun, which was obviously more likely to make Liu Xun and Liu Biao lower their guard.

As for the minor gains such as secretly sowing discord between Liu Xun and Liu Biao, and putting Li Shu to death, they are not worth mentioning at all.

At this moment, Liu Feng admired Xun You greatly. He had just calculated that Li Shu should never be accepted, and that it was better to give up Li Shu than to let Liu Biao be wary of the east.

However, after hearing Xun You's plan, Liu Feng realized his mistake.

As the art of war says, if you want to take something, you must first give something.

The more completely you try to distance yourself from the situation, the more likely you are to arouse Liu Biao's suspicion.

Liu Biao had a strategist like Kuai Yue under his command, and Liu Biao himself was also quite capable in strategy. Perhaps if he were to compromise too much, it would backfire and arouse the suspicion and doubt of Liu Biao and Kuai Yue.

Xun You's approach was the most suitable, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop, which made Liu Feng admire him greatly.

"My subordinate was momentarily negligent and almost ruined a great undertaking."

Liu Ye's attitude was very good. He immediately left his seat, knelt down, and kowtowed to Liu Feng and Liu Bei to apologize, saying, "This is my fault. I beg you, my lord and young master, to punish me."

"Mr. Ziyang was just in a hurry, it's not a mistake."

Liu Feng glanced at Liu Bei, and seeing his father nod, he reassured Liu Ye, saying, "What's wrong with your suggestions? Besides, it was ultimately Bei's decision that was made, and it has nothing to do with you."

Liu Ye was moved to tears, kowtowed again, and then returned to his seat.

After looking around, Liu Bei saw that his eldest son and his trusted advisors all supported Xun You's plan, so he made a decision: "Let's follow Gongda's plan. We can send Jiang Gan as an envoy to Jingzhou to negotiate and strictly order the Jingzhou troops not to set foot in Wan County."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng's heart sank at first, then he chuckled to himself.

He never expected that Jiang Gan would actually join his father's forces.

Upon closer examination, Jiang Gan was also from Jiujiang, and he was renowned for his unparalleled prowess in the Jianghuai region. Moreover, he was an old acquaintance of Zhou Yu and Liu Ye.

If we're talking about the person who was most unfairly maligned in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it might not be Jiang Gan, but if we add "one of," then Jiang Gan would undoubtedly be the one.

Jiang Gan's reputation for stealing books was so great that Liu Feng couldn't help but feel a chill when he first heard of Jiang Gan's name.

Fortunately, they quickly realized that Jiang Gan was a famous scholar in Jiujiang and the foremost debater in the Jianghuai region, so his mission to Jingzhou was well-deserved.

"Father."

Liu Feng suddenly remembered something: "Liu Yuanying is also a talented person. He is good at water conservancy and can govern the people. He is a useful talent. If we send him back to Wan County, I'm afraid he will be in more danger than he will survive. In that case, we might as well think of a way to keep him here and send his attendants back to report the news."

Liu Feng's desire to keep Liu Fu at this time was genuine. If Liu Fu was Cao Cao's hidden pawn, then keeping him within his sight would naturally be safer, and he could also use this to learn about Cao Cao's movements.

If Liu Fu was not Cao Cao's spy but genuinely came to join his father and son, then Liu Fu was a capable man, more than qualified to be the governor of a prefecture. Moreover, he was skilled in city building and water conservancy, and his domestic administration was at least A-level.

Such talents are always welcome.

It was with this in mind that Liu Feng spoke up to persuade Liu Fu to stay.

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Xun You immediately nodded in agreement: "Young Master's words make a lot of sense. Liu Yuanying is a renowned scholar of Pei State, with a good reputation for virtue and exceptional talent. If we can keep him here, it will enhance the reputation of our lord in seeking out talented individuals."

Since his eldest son and trusted advisor had already expressed their opinions, how could Liu Bei refuse? He immediately replied, "In that case, I will entrust this matter to Gongda. If Mr. Yuan Ying does not mind, I will temporarily offer him the position of military advisor in the General of the Cavalry."

The military advisors in the general's mansion were like the officials in the prefectures and counties, and were one of the best places to temporarily place talented people.

Liu Bei's willingness to offer Liu Fu the position of military advisor was indeed a great favor, considering that Liu Fu was already a General of the Cavalry. This was largely due to the influence of Liu Fu's eldest son and Xun You.

As expected, Xun You was very sensible and expressed his gratitude to Liu Bei on Liu Fu's behalf for his generous treatment.

After the discussion, Liu Feng did not linger in Shouchun. The next day, he led the Zhuge brothers, Pang Tong, Zhang Liao, and others south.

Only after Liu Feng fled did Liu Bei begin to vaguely realize that something was amiss.

Where did my Wenyuan go?

Liu Bei suddenly discovered that Zhang Liao, who was supposed to be under his command, was missing.

Liu Bei was immediately furious. No wonder this brat had never mentioned Wen Yuan when he helped him arrange the expansion of the army. It turned out that he had such a plan all along.

Liu Feng was unaware of Liu Bei's anger and instead leisurely sailed south.

On the way, he revealed his plans for Jingzhou to the Zhuge brothers and Pang Tong. Even though the Zhuge brothers and Pang Tong were all first-rate talents, they were taken aback by Liu Feng's enormous appetite.

Liu Feng hesitated about whether to inform Pang Tong of this plan.

After much consideration, I decided to show them my sincerity.

After all, in this plan, Pang Tong's and even the Pang clan's allegiance was of great importance.

(End of this chapter)