My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 427 Sun Ce Enters Changsha

One was the ruler of Jiangdong, and the other was a general under Yuan Shu. The difference in their status was obviously huge. Therefore, the Sun family did not have much of a burden after surrendering.

This was partly the reason why Sun Ce dared to volunteer for the mission this time, and even exaggerated his words in an attempt to persuade Changsha to surrender.

Despite his previous exaggerations, Sun Ce was still aware of his true intentions. He had come with two objectives, one higher and one lower. The higher objective, as he had boasted to Liu Feng and others in court, was to persuade Changsha to surrender. The lower objective, however, was to gather more precise and detailed intelligence to ascertain Changsha's true strength for Liu Feng.

For the first two weeks after arriving in Changsha, Sun Ce stayed in the inn, while all his men were sent out to gather intelligence.

Sun Jian served as the governor of Changsha for several years and recommended several candidates for the civil service examination. Judging from the relationship between Huan Jie and Sun Jian, Sun Jian got along very well with the local gentry and powerful families in Changsha.

When Sun Jian first arrived in Changsha, there were many Jingzhou barbarians around Changsha. These Jingzhou barbarians repeatedly came down from the mountains to plunder villages and even robbed and burned the fields of powerful clans, causing great turmoil in the area.

But who is Sun Jian?
Asking him to research classic texts and write articles would be like killing him.

But if you put him on the battlefield, he's absolutely perfect at it.

Sun Jian took over Changsha for only half a year, and he subdued the surrounding barbarian tribes, who no longer dared to harass the Han people's territory.

The elders and folks of Changsha, along with the powerful clans and wealthy families, all benefited immensely from this. With shared interests, harmony naturally developed. In particular, figures like Huan Jie, Liu Pan, and Pan Jun were exceptionally intelligent and talented, foreseeing early on the impending chaos in the world and realizing that the gentry would increasingly rely on military men to protect themselves and their hometowns.

Therefore, the Sun family's reputation in Changsha was even better than in their hometown. You should know that when Sun Jian married Wu, the entire Wu County condemned him for forcibly taking a woman from the people.

After Sun Ce arrived in Changsha, he actually had a considerable number of connections at his disposal, the most important of which were Huan Jie, Pan Jun, and Liu Pan. However, he did not contact any of them. He even instructed his trusted confidants who were gathering information to be discreet and not let the locals of Changsha discover their whereabouts.

This wasn't because Sun Ce didn't want to use his connections; rather, he wanted to use his resources wisely.

After gathering sufficient intelligence, Sun Ce finally made his move, arriving at Huan Jie's residence that very day to request an audience.

Huan Jie was startled when he received Sun Ce's visiting card.

However, Huan Jie quickly calmed down and realized who Sun Ce represented.

Therefore, Huan Jie personally went out of his residence to greet him.

"Bo Fu, it really is you."

Huan Jie walked out of the gate and immediately saw Sun Ce standing there. He strode over to him.

Upon seeing this, Sun Ce quickly bowed and said, "Your younger brother Sun Ce greets my elder brother."

Huan Jie was a protégé of Sun Jian and also a former official of the Sun family. Moreover, when he was recommended as a candidate for the civil service examination, he was only in his early twenties. Naturally, he belonged to the same generation as Sun Ce, so it was not surprising that they addressed each other as brothers.

Huan Jie stepped forward, grabbed Sun Ce, and helped him up. Looking him over, he sighed, "Thinking back to when the enemy was in our county, Bo Fu was just a child. Now he has become a tall and outstanding young man. It truly fills me with emotion."

Sun Ce replied with a smile, "I still vividly remember the days when my senior brother led me through the county, but time flies and it feels like a lifetime ago."

"Come, follow me into the mansion."

Huan Jie was genuinely pleased. He was both grateful to Sun Jian and admired him. Sun Ce now resembled Sun Jian in both reputation and appearance, and even surpassed him in looks. How could he not be happy?

Then Huan Jie took Sun Ce's hand and led him into the backyard. He first led Sun Ce to pay respects to his mother, wife, and children before entering the study.

After entering the study, the two took their seats as host and guest, and after the servants served tea, they were dismissed by Huan Jie.

Once only Huan Jie and Sun Ce remained in the room, Huan Jie asked, "Isn't Bo Fu in Jiangdong? How come he has time to come to my prefecture?"

Sun Ce immediately straightened up and bowed deeply to Huan Jie: "Brother, you may not know this, but I am now under the command of the Left General. I have come to Changsha on the orders of the Left General to gather information."

"To gather information?"

Huan Jie feigned surprise and said, "I wonder what major event has occurred in my prefecture that prompted the Left General to send my worthy brother to investigate?"

Sun Ce sneered inwardly, but put on a serious face and said, "Two months ago, Zhang Mingfu did something really great. How could my lord not be moved?"

Huan Jie's expression turned serious as he explained, "The truth is that Liu Jingzhou has become increasingly arrogant, refusing to heed loyal advice, defying the emperor above, and oppressing the people of Jingnan below. In the first year of Jian'an, the taxes in Jingnan were already 30% higher than before Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, and in the second year of Jian'an, the taxes increased by another 20%. The people of Jingnan are being squeezed dry by the people of Jingbei, and under this heavy burden, they are suffering unspeakably."

Huan Jie had previously served as Sun Jian's chief clerk and was now Zhang Xian's chief secretary, so he was extremely knowledgeable about the administration of Changsha Commandery. Therefore, his words were highly credible. Otherwise, the mere fact that Zhang Xian and Liu Biao were at odds would not have been enough to instigate such a large-scale rebellion.

Sun Ce nodded slightly; in truth, he knew more than Huan Jie thought he did.

At the very least, the most fundamental cause of the Jingnan rebellion was not the tax issue. The economic contradictions that Huan Jie mentioned were actually secondary; the biggest contradiction above them was actually the personnel issue.

After Liu Biao entered Jingzhou, he received the full support of the Kuai, Cai, Pang, and Huang families. It was only natural that the Kuai, Cai, Huang, and Pang families would be rewarded.

However, Liu Biao then introduced the Nanyang gentry to counterbalance Kuai, Cai, Huang, and Pang, which was naturally not a problem in the eyes of Liu Biao and others.

Nanyang was originally the most important prefecture in the country, and at its peak, it was truly comparable to an entire prefecture. Moreover, Nanyang was not only economically prosperous with thriving workshops and fertile land, but also extremely rich in culture and education.

The circle of famous scholars in Nanyang was on par with that of Runan and Yingchuan.

Not to mention that Nanyang was the ancestral home of the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. There were countless noble and duke families in Nanyang. You could throw a stone in Wanxian County and hit a servant of a family of meritorious officials, which shows how prosperous Nanyang was.

Unfortunately, Nanyang itself was devastated by the warlord conflicts, forcing scholars to move south and take refuge in Xiangyang. It is not surprising that Liu Biao invited them to counterbalance Kuai, Cai, Huang, and Pang.

But Huan Jie and other members of the Jingnan gentry were not convinced.

Why should we pay grain and taxes, while all the power is given to those people in Nanyang?
What contributions did the people of Nanyang make to Liu Biao?
They've lost their homes, yet they still dare to act arrogantly towards us?
When Nanyang was at its peak, they rode on our backs and swaggered around.

Even after Nanyang was destroyed, they still rode on our backs and acted arrogantly.

Didn't Dong Zhuo's trip to Luoyang go to waste?
The resentment in the four counties of Jingnan was immense. Liu Biao had little foundation to begin with, and he kept favoring people from Jingbei. He didn't give Jingnan a single share, let alone any pie. How could the powerful clans and gentry of Jingnan accept this?
Especially the powerful clans and gentry of Changsha Commandery, a large number of whom had followed Sun Jian north to fight against Dong Zhuo. These people had witnessed Sun Jian slaughter the governor of Jingzhou and the prefect of Nanyang like chickens. They had also fought alongside Sun Jian in real battles, shedding blood and sweat, to recapture Luoyang.

No matter how capable you, Liu Biao, are you stronger than Dong Zhuo?
Liu Biao had also tested the waters in Jingnan, wanting to marry Cai Mao's sister to Huan Jie, thus becoming Huan Jie's brother-in-law.

Huan Jie looked down on Liu Biao. More importantly, he knew that even if he accepted Liu Biao's overtures, he would still be a nobody in Jingbei.

With a bunch of great figures like Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, Pang Degong, Liu Pan, Han Song, Liu He, and Deng Xian, how could I, a native of Changsha, not be ostracized by them?

Therefore, this rebellion in Jingnan was less about Zhang Xian turning against Liu Biao because of personal grudges, and more about the local gentry and powerful families in Jingnan jointly electing Zhang Xian as their leader, using the official title given to them by Cao Cao to break ties with the gentry and powerful families in Jingbei.

To put it bluntly, Hunanese people are more tender than Hubei people.

Liu Biao and Zhang Xian were merely proxies.

The most interesting part is that Liu Biao, the representative of Jingbei, was not from Jingzhou, while Zhang Xian, the representative of Jingnan, was a native of Nanyang.

Huan Jie and his group were not wrong. We pay so much money and grain every year, but we can't get the political treatment we deserve. If we had no other way out, that would be fine. Now that the court is giving us a chance, why should we put up with Liu Biao and Jingbei's wrath?

Using this money and grain to support the army will not only ensure our own safety, but also allow us to fetch a good price from the imperial court in the future.

Yes, at this stage, the most important client for the powerful clans and gentry of Jingnan is still the imperial court.

Apart from a few shrewd and far-sighted individuals like Huan Jie and Pan Jun, most people still recognized the authority of the Han Dynasty.

Sun Ce merely nodded in response to Huan Jie's complaints, then changed the subject, saying, "I have long heard that Liu Biao has been ruthlessly exploiting our hometown, but brother, the military strength in Jingbei is too great, and they will certainly not tolerate Jingnan's independence. When the army marches south, I fear that Jingnan will become a wasteland."

Huan Jie's face darkened. He could be considered the biggest instigator of this Jingnan Incident. It was he who obtained the imperial edict from the Luoyang court, and he was also the leader of the powerful clans in Changsha. In the end, he was the one who persuaded Zhang Xian to raise an army.

Sun Ce's words were actually a slap in the face to Huan Jie.

Huan Jie remained silent for a moment before tentatively asking, "Has Bo Fu come here to persuade me to surrender to Liu?"

"That is my intention."

Sun Ce chuckled, and as Huan Jie's expression changed, he continued, "But my brother may not be able to make the difficult decision."

Immediately afterward, Sun Ce spoke before Huan Jie could, saying, "Brother, I have some understanding of Liu Biao's troops and would like to give you a brief analysis."

Huan Jie swallowed the words he was about to say and nodded.

Sun Ce then spoke up: "Liu Jingsheng dominates Jingchu, spanning eight commanderies, and commands an army of 100,000. Now he has expanded his army again, and his forces may even reach 150,000. Meanwhile, the area around him is experiencing the most peaceful time in history."

Sun Jian died outside Xiangyang City, though he was killed by Huang Zu's generals. However, Sun Ce had no goodwill towards Liu Biao and it was quite normal for him to directly criticize him.

If it weren't for their own father actually surrounding Liu Biao and beating him for half a year, the Sun brothers might have directly pinned the blame for their father's murder on Liu Biao instead of Huang Zu.

“But in that case, the pressure on you and Prefect Zhang will be much greater.”

Sun Ce analyzed seriously: "In my opinion, if Liu Biao doesn't come, all is well. But if he does come, he will surely bring an army of 100,000, seeking a thunderous strike to quickly pacify Jingnan. Changsha will be the first to bear the brunt and will definitely be the primary target of the Jingbei army. At that time, a great battle will break out in Changsha, and your hometown will suffer."

"impossible!"

Huan Jie's expression changed slightly, and he said decisively, "Liu Jingsheng has strong enemies on the east, west, and north sides. Liu Jiyu of Xichuan deeply hates Liu Biao, and the generals of Guanzhong in the north have been harassing us from the south for many years. As for the east, it is your lord, my brother, so I don't need to say more, do I? Unless Liu Jingsheng doesn't want Jingbei anymore, how can he mobilize 100,000 troops? My brother, you are deceiving me with your words. What exactly do you want?"

"Hahaha."

Sun Ce laughed loudly, shaking his head and saying, "The enmity between Liu Jing and Liu Jiyu is known to all, just as you say, brother. However, you may not know that Liu Jiyu is currently focused entirely on the north, having launched a major campaign against Hanzhong for three consecutive years, intending to reclaim the gateway to Xichuan. As for the east, he is now powerless to do so. The generals of Xiliang in Guanzhong to the north have indeed repeatedly marched south, passing through Wuguan and entering Nanyang, but all they seek is grain. Last summer, Zhang Ji's troops also marched south through Wuguan, but what merit did they achieve besides being stranded beneath fortified cities?"

Huan Jie's expression changed several times, and he couldn't help but interject, "But Liu Jingsheng is extremely unwise in the east. He was originally on good terms with Xuande Gong and General Zuo, but he ruined his friendship because of the traitor Liu Xun and even seized six counties in Guizhou. Can General Zuo just swallow his anger?"

Sun Ce was surprised to hear this, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

From Huan Jie's words, it can be seen that the other party was quite clear about the situation in Yangzhou to the east, which shows that they had put in a lot of effort.

Sun Ce's heart stirred slightly, but he remained outwardly calm, explaining, "Brother, you may not know this, but although General Liu and General Zuo are indignant at Liu Jing's actions, they are reluctant to start a war because they pity the people of Jing and Yang. Otherwise, with Liu Xun's remnants and Liu Jing's ten thousand reinforcements, General Zuo would have swept them out of the country long ago."

"Besides..."

Sun Ce looked at Huan Jie and revealed a strange smile: "Brother, you so wish that my lord would fight against Liu Biao, could it be that you plan to use my lord as an ally?"

Huan Jie shook his head somewhat flusteredly: "How could I have such a thought?"

"Brother, you'd better give up this idea."

Sun Ce, however, spoke with a serious expression.

Seeing Huan Jie's expression change drastically, Sun Ce quickly added, "It's not that my lord has any objection to my elder brother and Prefect Zhang, but rather that my Yangzhou army has important responsibilities at the moment and is truly unable to look westward."

Upon hearing this, Huan Jie immediately became interested and asked, "I wonder what the Yangzhou army is up to? Could you tell me a thing or two? If it is a confidential matter, then you need not say more."

Sun Ce was quite generous: "Actually, it's not a secret. If you want to hear it, I won't hide it from you."

Sun Ce then explained, "The Yangzhou army is currently under the command of the Left General and has been dispatched to various places such as Yuzhang, Kuaiji, and Danyang to suppress the Baiyue people. They are truly unable to venture eastward."

Huan Jie felt a mix of emotions after hearing this.

(End of this chapter)