My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 423 Deliberations
"Why is Mr. Zhongyu so late?"

Liu Feng stood by the roadside, and when Xun Yue's oxcart stopped, he bowed and shouted, "I was overjoyed to hear that you had accepted my invitation, and I have been looking forward to your arrival day and night so that I could receive your teachings. Today, my wish has finally come true."

The curtain on the oxcart was pulled back, and a middle-aged scholar stepped out.

This man was calm and composed, with a beautiful appearance; he was truly a handsome man. In later generations, he would definitely be considered an extremely handsome middle-aged man.

This person was Xun Yue, son of Xun Jian, the head of the Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan.

Upon seeing Liu Feng, Xun Yue dared not be presumptuous and immediately returned the greeting, saying, "I am honored to have been summoned by General Zuo, and I dare not be negligent. I have traveled day and night, and it is truly my fault for keeping General Zuo waiting for so long."

Liu Feng took Xun Yue's hand and helped him up, secretly marveling at how good the Xun family's genes were. From Xun Yu to Xun Yue, they were all handsome men. Xun You was a little less so, but he was still good-looking and more than average.

Liu Feng led Xun Yue into the city, and they talked along the way. He found that although Xun Yue's thinking was not as advanced as that of later generations, it was already considered progressive in his time.

However, Xun Yue was inevitably constrained by the times, and many of his theories were limited by his limited perspective and contained significant flaws.

After entering the city, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for Xun Yue, but the latter refused.

"I accepted General Zuo's invitation to come to Tancheng, not for personal honor or disgrace, but for the sake of the people of the world."

Xun Yue's words moved Liu Feng, who immediately ended the banquet and invited him into his study for a talk.

After they were seated, Liu Feng bowed respectfully and asked for guidance: "I have long heard that Master Zhongyu is devoted to his studies and researches the ills of the world. I wish to learn from him."

Xun Yue was not polite either; or rather, the path of scholarship was, in itself, the battlefield for great Confucian scholars like himself.

The struggle for orthodoxy was no less intense than a battlefield battle.

"In this world, the greatest chaos originates in the fields!"

Xun Yue begins by stating clearly: "The powerful and wealthy families own vast tracts of land, while the common people have nowhere to stand. This is the root cause of the great chaos in the world."

Xun Yue did not take the lead in criticizing the evil deeds of the eunuchs, nor did he criticize Emperor Ling's mistakes. Instead, he turned his attention to the fields. What is even more admirable is that his views differed from those of most great Confucian scholars, such as Cui Yan and Zhong Changtong. He did not believe that the well-field system was a panacea.

On the contrary, Xun Yue believed that the well-field system was outdated in the modern world. Not only could it not solve the problem, but its hasty implementation would only bring about greater disasters.

Based on this viewpoint alone, Xun Yue's thinking far surpassed that of most great Confucian scholars of his time, and his breadth and depth of vision were rare at the time.

“The feudal lords do not have exclusive fiefdoms. If a wealthy person owns more land than the limit and is richer than a duke or marquis, this is considered self-enfeoffment. The high officials do not have exclusive land rights; they can buy and sell land at their own discretion, which is considered exclusive land rights.”

Xun Yue meant that he attributed the drawbacks of land annexation to the free sale of land.

Is this summary accurate?
That's definitely wrong, and ridiculously wrong at that; it's a classic case of only seeing the surface of things. But Xun Yue's ability to see this surpasses that of many who are blind to reality and those who are feigning sleep.

Although Xun Yue attributed the cause incorrectly, his criticism of land annexation was correct.

He clearly saw how powerful clans and wealthy families arbitrarily monopolized and annexed land, leaving ordinary people with nowhere to stand. Liu Feng greatly admired this attitude of being flexible and pragmatic based on the actual situation and circumstances, rather than dogmatically following the extremes of the past.

“Mr. Zhongyu, I have a question and would appreciate your clarification.”

Liu Feng bowed politely and began to speak.

Xun Yue naturally had no objections.

So Liu Feng asked, "Sir, you attribute the persistent problem of land annexation to the fact that the court allows private land sales. Do you think that if the court bans private land sales, the problem will be solved?"

Xun Yue opened his mouth as if to answer, but the words wouldn't come out.

Xun Yue himself was well aware that the strong desire of the gentry and powerful families for land enabled them to commit crimes in order to obtain land ownership.

If these people are willing to commit crimes to obtain land, then even if the imperial court bans the private sale of land, will they be afraid of the law and dare not act?
Seeing that Xun Yue remained silent, Liu Feng continued, "I believe you know that even if the court prohibits private land sales, these people will still stop at nothing to get land and disregard the law. What's even more frightening is that, in my humble opinion, they can find ways to legally and legitimately occupy land."

Xun Yue was greatly shocked and asked with some doubt, "What kind of method is it?"

Liu Feng then proceeded to explain the operational methods of "field skin" and "field bone," which were considered the pinnacle of later Ming and Qing dynasty practices. Although these methods were not developed in response to measures prohibiting the sale of private land, they were able to perfectly circumvent the imperial court's ban.

Moreover, banning land sales is not a good thing for ordinary people; it may even be a worse thing.

Human nature is greedy and complex. Never underestimate the selflessness and greatness of the good, nor the ruthlessness and decisiveness of the evil.

If land sales are allowed, perhaps ordinary people can gain some money.

However, if land sales are prohibited, not only will land consolidation not be stopped, but ordinary people may not even have the money they would have from selling their land.

After listening to Liu Feng's explanation of the dismantling of the fields and the bones of the fields, as well as his insights on legislation to prohibit the private sale of land, Xun Yue was greatly impressed and amazed.

Liu Feng concluded: "The root cause of the evil of mergers is not the system, but the greed of people's hearts. The system alone is like water without a source, a branch without roots, and has no successor."

Xun Yue fell silent, clearly pondering Liu Feng's words.

Liu Feng then went a step further and said, "Mr. Zhongyu, I have another question."

This time, Liu Feng continued without waiting for Xun Yue's reply: "Even if we follow your advice and prohibit land sales, and the court, from top to bottom, is loyal and dutiful, with no one violating the law, the population will still increase daily while the land supply will barely grow. Eventually, the land will become insufficient to support the people of the land. What will we do then?"

For the first time, Xun Yue's face showed a look of confusion, and he fell into deep thought.

********
More than ten days had passed since Liu Feng's conversation with Xun Yue. Xun Yue accepted Liu Feng's appointment as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites. However, the content of their conversation continued to trouble him, leaving Xun Yue pondering it without finding a solution.

Liu Feng asked Xun Yue these questions not to make things difficult for him, nor to show off his knowledge. He hoped that Xun Yue could improve his theories so that they could better serve him.

After Xun Yue joined the company, he did not pester Liu Feng. However, Liu Feng could see that Xun Yue had taken his words to heart and was trying to figure them out.

Following Xun Yue's arrival, Wang Xiu, a renowned scholar from Qingzhou, also arrived in Tancheng.

Liu Feng positioned Wang Xiu as an agent.

Wang Xiu achieved many merits in Qingzhou, suppressing lawless powerful families, pacifying the people, and stabilizing the local area. He deserves the praise of being a capable official.

Liu Feng appointed Wang Xiu as the Inspector of the Left General's Office, tasking him with patrolling the four directions, investigating corruption, and suppressing illegal activities. Surprisingly, Wang Xiu was delighted with this position, immediately accepting the appointment and promising Liu Feng that he would not fail the Left General's trust.

Encouraged by Wang Xiu's ambition, Liu Feng immediately wrote a letter and assigned him five hundred elite soldiers, both to ensure his safety and to provide him with support in his endeavors.

Afterwards, Liu Feng stayed in Tancheng, spending some time with his grandmother, father, and mother. Meanwhile, the marriage proposals from Chen Deng and Tao Qian went quite smoothly.

Upon their arrival, both the Mi and Cao families readily complied, especially since Liu Bei and his son Liu Feng had gone to such lengths to select the most suitable candidate. During this time, Liu Feng even made a special trip to Pengcheng to award a medal, title, and reward to a craftsman who had improved the furnace.

After the craftsman improved the furnace, the temperature inside increased by 10%, which in turn increased the production efficiency of armor by 5%. Liu Feng immediately rewarded him handsomely, hoping to achieve the effect of "a thousand pieces of gold for a horse bone".

After staying in Xuzhou for a full month, Liu Feng prepared to bid farewell to his father Liu Bei, his grandmother Wu, and his mother Tian, ​​and head south back to Yangzhou.

Before leaving, Liu Feng had another private talk with Liu Bei. The core content was twofold: first, to ally with Cao Cao against Yuan Shao, but also to remain wary and vigilant against Cao Cao.

Secondly, there are the details of the massive takeover of Jingzhou.

Although Liu Bei was in Yuzhou, it bordered Jingzhou. In particular, Liu Biao was currently stationed in Xiangyang, which was only a few hundred miles from Runan, much closer than by water.

Once Liu Feng launches his attack in the south, Liu Bei, if he has the resources, can naturally coordinate with him in the north as well.

Putting everything else aside, if Liu Bei wanted to launch an attack on Jingzhou from Yuzhou, there were two ready-made routes he could take.

The first route is to openly and legitimately travel southwest from Yingchuan, pass through Fangcheng into the Nanyang Basin, and head straight for Xiangyang.

The second route is to travel along the Huai River, going upstream to the gap between the Dabie Mountains and the Tongbai Mountains, abandoning the boats, going ashore, breaking through three passes, and entering the Suizao Pass. This route could attack Xiling County, the capital of Jiangxia Commandery, or threaten Jiangling, the capital of Nan Commandery.

This path marks the point at the division between the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when Sun Tzu advised the King of Wu and led to a great victory at the Battle of Baiju.

King Wu took this route, bypassing the main force of the Chu army, waiting in comfort to strike the Chu army back, and then capturing the Chu capital, which is now Jiangling.

With such a brilliant example before us, if Liu Feng and Liu Bei were to launch such a joint attack, Jingzhou and Xiangyang would inevitably be thrown into chaos.

When do you plan to launch it?

Liu Bei finally asked, "If Father's cooperation is needed, it should be at least ten days in advance so that I can make preparations."

Nowadays, Liu Bei would never mention that Liu Biao was also a member of the Han imperial family. Firstly, Liu Biao had done Liu Bei no favors; the grain sale he had previously made was a good relationship, but Liu Biao's subsequent actions had ruined it. In particular, Liu Bei was quite annoyed by the matter of Liu Xun, but he swallowed his anger and did not lash out for the sake of the overall situation.

Another important reason is that the relationship between Liu Bei and Cao Cao changed.

In the original timeline, Liu Bei was a staunch opponent of Cao Cao, so he naturally shared the same stance as Liu Biao and even worried that Liu Biao would surrender.

But things are different now. Liu Bei is now the legitimate General of the Cavalry of the Han Dynasty, holding the title of Grand General of the Three Excellencies and the fief of ten thousand households. He is the representative of the court and the emperor.

Liu Biao, this warlord who outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied the emperor and actually colluded with Yuan Shao, was certainly an enemy.

Upon hearing his father's question, Liu Feng immediately replied, "I am not sure about the specific time. However, I have not yet sent anyone to persuade them. Our army has just expanded, and each army needs to replenish its weapons and supplies, adjust its manpower, and refine its formations. Therefore, there should be no action for the next few months."

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction. He also needed time to reorganize and recuperate his troops, and Liu Feng's words resonated with him perfectly.

Afterwards, Liu Bei took the initiative to advise, "At this time, it is better to delay than to rush. If we are not fully prepared, Liu Jingsheng has been cultivating Jingzhou for nearly ten years, so we must not be careless."

"Yes, father."

Liu Feng immediately accepted the order, as that was exactly what he was thinking.

Zhang Xian betrayed Liu Biao only once, and this is the best opportunity Liu Feng can see to break the stalemate between Jing and Yang. Therefore, Liu Feng must seize this opportunity to avoid failing at the last minute.

However, this matter is still quite tricky.

Firstly, Liu Feng did not know exactly when Zhang Xian betrayed Liu Biao, and in fact, no one knew, because this event was not recorded in history and could only be speculated upon.

The most accurate timeframe generally accepted by later generations is during the Battle of Guandu.

It was because of Zhang Xian's rebellion that Liu Biao was unable to cooperate with Yuan Shao to march north and encircle Cao Cao.

Secondly, he was still hesitant about whether to send someone to persuade Zhang Xian and Huan Jie. It wasn't that he didn't want to annex Jingzhou, nor that he didn't want to instigate Zhang Xian to rebel against Liu Biao, but rather that he was worried about making things worse.

In the original timeline, only Huan Jie was recorded as persuading Zhang Xian to raise an army against Liu Biao, based on the greater good of the imperial court.

This put Liu Feng in a rather awkward position.

He didn't know whether to continue waiting for Huan Jie to persuade Zhang Xian to raise an army, or to send someone to persuade the other party.

If Cao Cao had sent someone to persuade Huan Jie in the name of the imperial court and given him an imperial edict, while Liu Feng had not sent anyone, would it have prevented Zhang Xian from rebelling?
There is another possibility: that Liu Feng's persuasion made Huan Jie and Zhang Xian suspicious, and they decided not to rebel.

Liu Feng is now in a dilemma. After careful consideration, he feels that the best course of action is to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

Let's wait and see. If Zhang Xian rebels, that would be great. If he doesn't, then let Jiang Gan take the imperial edict and Sun Ce's letter to Jingnan to contact Huan Jie.

Liu Bei's current advice to him not to rush and to prioritize stability aligns with Liu Feng's current thoughts.

That's why Liu Feng agreed so readily, since he had no intention of acting immediately.

Liu Bei was quite pleased with Liu Feng's submissive demeanor. Worried that his eldest son might still be angry, he reassured him, "As we discussed earlier, Yuanlong's troops are currently stationed on the upper reaches of the Huai River. Once they have rested and reorganized, they will be able to help you succeed."

Liu Feng smiled politely and immediately stood up to thank Liu Bei.

"Father, there's one more thing I almost forgot."

Liu Feng suddenly remembered something and instructed Liu Bei, "Father, Lü Bu is cunning and treacherous by nature. Although he and Yuan Shao are mortal enemies, if Yuan Shao is willing to make sacrifices, Lü Bu may still be able to win him over."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was startled.

In his view, Lü Bu and Yuan Shao were mortal enemies and could never be allowed to associate with each other again.

But Liu Feng knew perfectly well that Lü Bu was a man who only cared about his own interests. He could even ambush Liu Bei, who had taken him in when he was desperate. What could he not bribe?

"Father should associate more with Zhang Miao and Chen Gong."

Liu Feng suggested, "We should have Chen Gong in the open and Zhang Miao in the shadows. We don't expect Zhang Miao to be able to pacify Lü Bu for us, but we do hope that he can secretly inform us, so that we won't be taken advantage of by Lü Bu's betrayal."

Liu Bei felt there was a reason for this, and thought he would ask Xun You, Liu Ye and others about it later.

The father and son talked until late at night and then slept in the same bed.

The following day, Liu Bei, accompanied by his trusted advisors Xun You and others, personally escorted Liu Feng out of Tancheng.

(End of this chapter)