My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 466 Shocking News

In stark contrast to the benevolent treatment received by ordinary people, all the gentry, powerful families, clans, and merchants in the city who had contributed to the defense of the city were subjected to confiscation of their property.

The ringleader was beheaded as a warning to others, while the followers and their families were forced to work as miners in harsh conditions to atone for their sins.

This series of swift and decisive actions wiped out almost the entire upper echelons of Jingling City, instantly reducing their former power and wealth to nothing.

Within Jingling City, there were more than ten powerful and influential families.

Among them, the four aristocratic families usually engage in lofty discussions and control the local culture and public opinion; the seven powerful families rely on their wealth and power to run rampant in the city; there are also three wealthy merchant families who are extremely rich and control the commercial lifeline; and two large clans with huge and deep-rooted families.

These sixteen factions, along with their large families, accounted for almost a third of the population of Jingling City, their influence deeply entrenched.

Surprisingly, despite such heavy exploitation, the people of Jingling lived much better lives than those in the war-torn north, simply because the area had long been spared from the ravages of war.

While the people of the north struggled for survival, Jingling enjoyed peace and tranquility, with thriving commerce, fertile farmland, and people living in contentment—a veritable paradise. This stark contrast is truly heartbreaking, highlighting the immense damage war inflicts on people's lives.

The purge of the upper echelons of Jingling City brought an unexpected benefit: the entire city quickly returned to stability.

The county magistrate, registrar, and other officials in Jingling City were all punished. Their tragic fate was like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the lower-level officials, completely shocking them.

These minor officials seemed to have become different people. They no longer dared to play any tricks in front of Liu Fengjun, and they worked honestly, diligently, and conscientiously.

In just a few days, the entire city of Jingling was restored to its former peace, and the people were able to go about their business with peace of mind and resume their stable lives.

Liu Feng ordered two thousand troops to be left in Jingling City, one thousand of whom were stationed in the city to maintain order and protect the safety of Jingling.

The other thousand soldiers were responsible for sweeping through the countryside, confiscating the land, farmland, workshops, and residences of sixteen households in the countryside without affecting farming, and registering all the exploited wealth to be added to the government.

Now that Liu Feng owns a province, his income has naturally increased to an alarming level. Unfortunately, with the expansion of his territory comes a larger army and an explosive increase in expenses, which far outpaces the rise in income.

If it weren't for the steady stream of revenue from trade flowing into the treasury, Liu Feng's finances would have been severely in deficit long ago. Moreover, sometimes, for scholars, military officers, and soldiers, the best reward is not money, silk, or other valuables.

For Chinese people, land is the most coveted gift.

Therefore, Liu Feng naturally believed that the more of this he had, the better.

After arranging these matters, Liu Feng led the brigade to continue upstream, catching up with the vanguard.

The small city of Jingling didn't warrant a full-scale attack; this time, only Pan Zhang's force of 6,000 men and Jia Kui's force of 4,000 men were deployed. The remaining troops continued north to catch up with Gan Ning's forces.

Having finished dealing with the affairs of Jingling, Liu Feng naturally had to catch up with Taishi Ci and the others.

Liu Feng originally thought he could catch up with the enemy in three to five days, but he did not expect the vanguard to be so successful. Gan Ning had already captured that city and was now aiming for Ruocheng County.

Ruoguo County and the northern Qiguo County both belonged to Nanjun, but they were located very close to Xiangyang.

These two counties are only a little over a hundred li away from Xiangyang, and even if you travel along the winding Han River, it's only about two hundred li away.

It can be said that once this place is captured, Xiangyang is just one step away.

**
At this moment, panic gripped Xiangyang City, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

The people in the city were filled with anxiety and fear, and the streets and alleys were permeated with an atmosphere of unease. The soldiers looked solemn as they hurried along the city walls, reinforcing the defenses, but their hurried steps could not hide their inner unease.

It wasn't until the fall of Xiakou that Liu Biao received this devastating news.

After a crushing defeat at Zhouling and another at Hanchuan, the Yangzhou navy surged into the Han River like a tidal wave, advancing with unstoppable momentum. They captured key passes one after another, and their advance reached Zhangshan, like a sharp dagger aimed directly at the heart of Jingzhou.

It's no wonder Liu Biao reacted so slowly; the waterways had been ruthlessly cut off, preventing Zhang Yun from joining forces with Huang Zu and Cai Mao. Forget about coordinated combat; even exchanging messages was impossible via the arduous land route. The once-unobstructed waterway connection had been completely severed by the Yangzhou navy, like severing the lifeline of the Jingzhou army.

During the Battle of Zhouling, Zhang Yun's side received absolutely no news and thus missed the crucial battle that would determine the outcome of the war. Meanwhile, Chen Sheng's troops, who were hiding in the Yu River, although they had also lost contact with Huang Zu, appeared on time as agreed and arrived just in time for the final battle. Although they could not change the course of the war, they had done much better than Zhang Yun's troops.

After Huang Zu and Cai Mao suffered a crushing defeat, Cai Mao, just as Liu Feng had predicted, took a long detour. He passed Baqiu but did not enter, instead detouring to the northwest of Dongting Lake, which is the location of Jianli in Hubei Province in later years. From there, he turned into Yunmengze, headed north to Huarong, then abandoned his boat and went ashore, taking a land route and heading straight for Xiangyang without stopping.

The speed of travel by water and by land is naturally incomparable. In fact, the few who escaped from Zhang Yun's forces were the first to flee back to Xiangyang in a sorry state, and only later did the bad news of the defeat at Zhouling arrive.

Cai Mao, who was the first to flee, was the last to return to Xiangyang in a sorry state, as if even his escape was slow and disheveled.

At this moment, Liu Biao had just received news of the Battle of Hanchuan and was unaware that even greater bad news awaited him.

When Liu Biao received news of the Battle of Hanchuan, he was struck dumb, as if by lightning. He stood there, eyes wide open, his face filled with disbelief.

He couldn't believe that the twenty or thirty thousand men Zhang Yun had brought had vanished overnight, like a dream. But the remnants of Zhang Yun's army swore oaths and solemnly recounted the crushing defeat, taking the opportunity to shift all the blame onto Zhang Yun.

"Thirty thousand troops, all gone in one night?" Liu Biao roared viciously, his piercing gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall like sharp blades. Those whose eyes were fixed on him lowered their eyes in unison, not daring to meet his gaze, as if his eyes contained endless rage and intimidation.

At this moment, Liu Biao was so angry that he completely lost his composure.

This was not just an intense sense of defeat, but a deep-seated pain. You must understand that Zhang Yun's 30,000 reinforcements were a precious mobile force that Liu Biao had painstakingly assembled, even at the cost of weakening the defenses of Xiangyang and the entire Nanyang and Zhangling counties.

Originally, Zhang Yun had hoped to join forces with Huang Zu and Cai Mao to defeat the Yangzhou army, which would be ideal. Even if they couldn't win, they could still resist along the Han River, buying more precious time for Xiangyang. Even if things didn't go as planned, Zhang Yun could calmly retreat to Xiangyang and preserve his strength.

But who could have imagined that Zhang Yun would be so incompetent and so easily defeated? Overnight, the entire army vanished, leaving only a few hundred survivors who managed to escape. If Zhang Yun were still standing before Liu Biao at this moment, the latter would probably have been blinded by rage and stabbed him.

"Useless! Scoundrel! Fool! Mediocre!"

Liu Biao unleashed the raging fire burning in his chest, completely abandoning his usual reserved demeanor, as if he wanted to roar out all his anger, resentment, and even the slightest hint of fear.

After berating Zhang Yun for a full quarter of an hour, Liu Biao finally felt exhausted, and his voice became hoarse. He dragged his heavy steps back to his seat, his chest still heaving violently, showing that the anger in his heart was still burning and could not be calmed for a long time.

"What do you think we should do now?"

I've cursed and raged, but none of that can change the cruel reality.

Liu Feng's Yangzhou army is almost at the city gates, while there are only a little over 10,000 people in Xiangyang at present. Even if a few thousand more can arrive in Xiangyang within five days, that would only amount to 20,000.

Xiangyang City is so large that it can barely muster seven or eight thousand able-bodied men around it. But for a large city like Xiangyang, twenty or thirty thousand men are barely enough to hold the city, and they can't even fully utilize Xiangyang City's powerful defensive capabilities.

Things seemed to have returned to the initial predicament. If Zhang Yun had been able to bring back those 30,000 people, even just half of them, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this point of being so strapped for cash and in such dire straits.

"My lord, the most urgent task is to stall Liu Feng."

Deng Xian was the first to stand up, looking anxious. He cupped his hands to Liu Biao and said earnestly, "We must immediately order Huang Chengde and Cai Degui to harass from the rear. Even if it means a decisive battle with the Yangzhou navy, we must draw Liu Feng's main force back."

At this time, the entire Xiangyang was unaware of the devastating outcome of the Battle of Zhouling, let alone that Huang Zu and Cai Mao's fates were not much better than Zhang Yun's.

Deng Xian and others still believed that Huang Zu and Cai Mao's naval forces were still confronting Liu Feng's Yangzhou navy upstream of Jingzhou, completely unaware that the situation had deteriorated to this extent.

Liu He and others also spoke up, agreeing with Deng Xian's idea. For a time, everyone in the hall was discussing how to deal with the current crisis.

Liu Biao nodded slowly, but his face remained gloomy, clearly not entirely satisfied with Deng Xian and the others' opinions. His gaze swept across everyone's faces, as if hoping someone could offer a better plan.

After a moment, Liu Biao's gaze fell on Han Song. He pondered for a moment, then took the initiative to ask, "Why does Your Excellency remain silent? You possess both virtue and talent, and are full of wisdom and strategy. Why have you offered no advice today?"

Upon hearing this, Han Song remained calm and slowly rose, respectfully cupping his hands towards Liu Biao, and said, "It is not that I am unwilling to offer advice, but that my plans are inferior to others. If I were to speak rashly, I would only be reprimanded by the Prefect."

"Oh?" A hint of displeasure flashed in Liu Biao's eyes, but he suppressed his anger and pressed on, "What plan do you have that you cannot speak of? Please speak frankly and without restraint. Whether you use it or not, I will never blame you."

Hearing Liu Biao's assurance, Han Song slowly spoke up, saying, "What you all said earlier is very reasonable. Our Xiangyang city is high and deeply fortified, and we have no shortage of weapons and provisions, enough to supply us for several years. What we lack now is soldiers who can fight."

A hint of approval flashed in Liu Biao's eyes, clearly indicating his agreement with Han Song's words. Not only Liu Biao, but also Deng Xian, Liu He, Fu Xun, and others nodded in support, expressing their approval of Han Song's analysis.

Han Song continued methodically, "Since you entered Jingzhou alone, many of the brave men of Jingzhou have served you, resulting in over 100,000 elite troops in northern Jingzhou. However, with repeated southward campaigns, all the elite troops have been deployed, leaving Xiangyang so vulnerable. Now, we are at a critical juncture of life and death."

Liu Biao couldn't help but chime in, "Does De Gao have any brilliant plan to help me out of this predicament?" His eyes were full of expectation, as if Han Song was his lifeline at this moment.

"Please send reinforcements!" Han Song immediately uttered two words, his voice not loud, but it resounded like a great bell in the hall.

Liu Biao's expression changed slightly, his gaze sharp as he stared intently at Han Song, seemingly trying to discern deeper meaning from his eyes.

The latter, however, paid no attention and continued, "Although we have many brave warriors in Jingbei, they have all been drawn away. Since we have no usable soldiers, why don't you bring in outside help? This is the key to breaking the current deadlock."

Liu Biao pressed on, "Where are the outside helpers?" His voice carried a hint of urgency, as if he were searching for a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Han Song uttered two words decisively: "Guanzhong!"

"Guanzhong!?" Liu Feng's expression changed drastically, his heart filled with shock and disbelief. Ironically, Guanzhong was much farther from Xiangyang than Jiangling or Xiling. Yet, news from Guanzhong arrived far more quickly and thoroughly than from the south. The biggest difference was simply that Liu Feng focused on blocking information, intercepting and killing messengers from the other side, leaving Jingzhou almost completely unaware of the war in the south.

Liu Biao was well aware that Guanzhong was now occupied by Cao Cao. If it weren't for Zhang Ji and his nephew blocking the way in Shang County, the pressure he would face would actually be much greater.

Liu Biao frowned and asked for confirmation, "You mean, to borrow troops from Zhang Ji?" He hesitated, after all, Zhang Ji's identity and position were somewhat delicate.

Han Song sighed inwardly. He actually wanted to persuade Liu Biao to surrender to the court directly. If Liu Biao submitted a memorial acknowledging his allegiance and then entered the court as an official, the first benefit would be that Liu Feng would lose his official title of being ordered to suppress the rebellion. The second benefit would be the thawing of the nearly ten thousand troops stationed in Nanyang County to defend against Zhang Ji. These were all retainers of powerful families and their fighting strength far surpassed that of new recruits.

The last benefit was to incite conflict between Cao Cao and Liu Feng. Cao Cao, who controlled the central government, probably wouldn't want to see Liu Feng continue to expand his power and seize Jingzhou.

(End of this chapter)