My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 482 The Battle of Jingzhou Ends
The banquet ended at midnight, and Xi Lu was completely drunk and unconscious. He was sent to the guest quarters to rest.

Liu Feng, slightly drunk, asked, "Do you think what Xi Lu said is true?"

Xi Lu's visit conveyed Cao Cao's acceptance of Liu Feng's proposal to divide Xiangyang and Fancheng equally along the Han River, and expressed his willingness to persuade Cai Mao to open the city gates. He only hoped that Liu Feng would allow Cai Mao to leave Xiangyang with the Cai family's possessions, retainers, and wealth, heading north to Luozhong.

Liu Feng naturally had no objection to this.

"This matter must be true; the General has no reason to deceive us."

Zhuge Liang was exceptionally intelligent and could naturally see that Liu Feng didn't actually doubt the matter, but rather took it too seriously and wanted to gain the approval of those around him.

It should be noted that Liu Feng originally intended to hand over Xiangyang, but now he not only got Xiangyang, but also gained all kinds of money, food and supplies in Xiangyang for free, so he was naturally overjoyed.

"Lord."

Taishi Ci, standing on Liu Feng's other side, cupped his hands and said, "The Cuifeng Army has been resting and preparing for battle for a long time. Should we entrust the task of taking over Xiangyang to my troops?"

Liu Feng glanced at Taishi Ci and chuckled.

Xiangyang is already in our grasp, and there is a very high probability that no battle will take place. It's like a victory delivered right to our doorstep.

However, Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang and others were all proud and arrogant people. They usually looked down on such merits and were worried that they would be seen as sycophants.

The fact that Taishi Ci is now volunteering for battle clearly shows that he has been holding back for a long time.

Because of its strategic location, the Cuifeng Army had been kept under Liu Feng's control and had not been able to move.

Taishi Ci and the others could only watch helplessly as Zhao Yun's Wanlan Army, Zhou Yu's Yuzhang Army, and Jia Kui's Jiangdong Army fought and made great achievements. Even Gao Shun's army, far away in Huinan, would occasionally send in new reports of victory.

Taishi Ci and his men were naturally envious and eager for battle.

Although the victory over Xiangyang was somewhat unfair, they couldn't care less about that now. They were thinking that no matter what, they should take it first.

Unfortunately, although Taishi Ci and other generals of the Cuifeng Army were eager to try, their hopes were destined to be dashed.

Because Liu Feng did not intend to use the Vanguard Army.

As his elite, trusted confidants, Liu Feng naturally had full confidence in the Vanguard Army.

That is why he deliberately concealed his talents.

It is conceivable that Cao Cao would have planted numerous spies in Xiangyang, with a focus on studying the army entering the city.

Under these circumstances, deploying the Vanguard Army would be completely unnecessary.

"No."

Liu Feng shook his head directly, and the originally fiery gazes of Taishi Ci and the others instantly cooled down, and they all looked somewhat gloomy.

Seeing the generals' low spirits, Liu Feng laughed heartily and comforted them, "Why are you acting like children? The reason I refused your requests to fight is that I have a more important task for you."

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Taishi Ci and the others perked up again, looking at Liu Feng with expectant eyes.

Liu Feng did not disappoint them again, saying, "At present, there are still more than 60,000 Kuai Yue troops at the border of Jing and Yi. Although they are already a desperate army, they are still fighting like cornered beasts and have not surrendered. I intend to send the Cui Feng Army south immediately to Jiangling to join forces with the Yu Zhang Army to quell the Kuai Yue forces."

Taishi Ci and the other generals were overjoyed. Although taking over Xiangyang was easy, in terms of merit, it was far less important than annihilating the main force of the Jingzhou army. Moreover, this mission was more to their liking.

"Should we withdraw the Wanlan Army and Jia Kui Army?"

Lu Xun spoke up at the opportune moment and asked.

Liu Feng shook his head decisively: "No need. Let them continue to keep an eye on Zhonglu and Liqiu. They must not let the garrison troops in these two cities escape to Xiangyang."

The cities of Zhonglu and Liqiu originally had only two or three thousand garrison troops each. Later, in order to disperse the Yangzhou army, Cai Mao reinforced these two cities with another two thousand troops, bringing their defensive strength to five thousand.

These two small towns now house tens of thousands of troops.

These troops are now surrounded by the Wanlan Army along with the city. In Liu Feng's view, withdrawing the troops at this time would obviously benefit Cai Mao and Cao Cao.

He didn't believe the other side would obediently hand over the more than 20,000 garrison troops in Xiangyang.

As long as Cao Cao and Cai Mao don't leave him with an empty city, Liu Feng can tolerate anything else.

Lu Xun understood Liu Feng's thoughts and replied, "Then I will immediately draft the military order and issue it as soon as the lord affixes his seal."

"only……"

Lu Xun paused for a moment, then continued, "Our lord still needs to decide on the assignments for Xiangyang as soon as possible."

"Ah."

Liu Feng nodded and immediately gave his answer: "Let Jia Kui and Gan Ning go, and have the Wanlan Army send a detachment to guard Liqiu."

Originally, Wanlan Army was responsible for Zhonglu, Jia Kui Army was responsible for Liqiu, and Gan Ning continued to control the Han River to prevent the Jingzhou Army from moving by water.

There's no need to attack cities now. The Wanlan Army alone is enough to guard both cities, not to mention the naval forces of Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin.

In this way, Jia Kui's troops can be freed up.

The Wanlan Army was modeled after the Cuifeng Army, so there was no need to rush to expose it. Jia Kui's troops had already fought several battles, both large and small, as they had pushed their way through. It was the perfect time to show it to Cao Cao.

After making the arrangements, Lu Xun immediately drafted military orders, which Liu Feng then stamped and were subsequently sent to various military camps by messengers.

Two days later, the Cuifeng Army broke camp and headed south, while a portion of the Wanlan Army took over Liu Feng's army camp below Liqiu City. Jia Kui's troops concentrated and set up camp on the banks of the Han River, waiting for news from Cao Cao and Cai Mao before advancing by water and land to occupy Xiangyang.

Cai Mao's progress was also quite smooth. He held all military power, and Liu Biao's loyal followers had been almost entirely wiped out. The remaining ones were sent by Cai Mao to the cities of Zhonglu and Liqiu. In addition, the Nanyang faction, including Han Song, were almost all surrenderers, and the other factions of powerful clans also had their own agendas. There were still some die-hard loyalists to Liu Biao in Xiangyang, but they lacked a leader, which led to their forces being scattered and unable to form a united front.

Although Liu Biao's health improved day by day, his control over Xiangyang was rapidly declining.

Cai Mao first secretly sent his trusted confidants to take over the defense of Fancheng, then helped Cao Cao's army enter Fancheng, and then, in accordance with the alliance, sent a message to Jia Kui's camp, which was fifty miles south of Xiangyang.

Jia Kui immediately advanced by both water and land, and entered Xiangyang City that very night, while Liu Biao was still caught off guard.

A week later, after receiving news that Xiangyang had surrendered, Kuai Yue in Chanling took the initiative to open the city gates and surrender.

Subsequently, Liu Biao was coerced by Cai Mao into leaving Xiangyang and going to Luoyang to serve as one of the Nine Ministers. At the same time, the entire Nanyang Commandery fell under Cao Cao's control, and he dispatched various generals to take over the city's defenses.

Thus, the Battle of Jingzhou came to an end.

This battle lasted five months. Liu Feng set off from Liyang, went up the Yangtze River, chased Liu Xun, entered Qichun, broke through Xisai, captured Echeng, took over Shaxian, fought a fierce battle on the Yangtze River, won a great victory at Zhouling, and pursued the enemy at Baqiu.

In just one month, Liu Biao's 140,000-strong army in Jingzhou was almost completely wiped out, a speed that can only be described as miraculous.

Although Cao Cao eventually took advantage of the situation and plundered a piece of the pie, Liu Feng's army still gained an extremely rich and astonishing amount of wealth.

There were 100,000 prisoners of war alone, including more than 40,000 captured alive in the Battle of Zhouling. These were all elite veterans, the old guard of the two elite naval forces of Xiangyang and Jiangxia in Jingzhou.

In the Battle of Hanchuan, Zhang Yun also lost 30,000 men in one fell swoop. Of these, only 3,000 or 4,000 died in battle, and the majority of the rest were taken prisoner.

These prisoners were far inferior in quality to those captured in the Battle of Zhouling, and half of them were temporarily recruited and reorganized.

Subsequently, in Zhongxiang, Shanghong, Ruoguo, Qiguo, Yicheng, Jingling and other places, nearly 20,000 prisoners were captured. However, these prisoners were all privately recruited by the locals, and their fighting strength was not comparable to that of veteran soldiers. Even compared with Zhang Yun's troops, they were far inferior.

Finally, when Cai Mao fled with Liu Biao, more than 10,000 prisoners were taken from Zhonglu and Liqiu.

Finally, when Kuai Yue's army surrendered, there were still 60,000 soldiers, of which 30,000 were field troops, including elite troops such as Liu Hu's Jingzhou elite army, whose combat strength was extremely elite.

By this calculation, the total number of prisoners has exceeded 180,000, of which about 90,000 are relatively strong fighters. These are all veterans from Jingzhou, and it is worthwhile for Liu Feng's army to spend time selecting and assessing them before adding them to the elite of his own army.

The remaining 30,000 to 40,000 were newly recruited soldiers who had undergone basic training and now possessed considerable war and combat experience. However, this war experience was not particularly positive, as they were all from the losing side.

These men are considered decent soldiers. How they will be deployed depends on whether Liu Feng intends to continue expanding the army.

The last part consists of the remaining 50,000 men, who are conscripts with very poor combat capabilities. They are young and strong men who have been temporarily mobilized, have not received any training, and have no experience in battle.

These people are not entirely useless; simply disbanding them and sending them back to their respective villages will effectively stabilize the people's hearts.

The Jingzhou army originally numbered 140,000, but Liu Feng's army captured 180,000 prisoners. The numbers seem inconsistent, but in reality, it was because Liu Biao expanded his army while fighting.

This is precisely why the Jingzhou army's combat strength gradually declined, leading to a significant disparity in strength, and it was even used by Liu Feng's army for training.

Immediately after the war, Liu Feng disbanded more than 80,000 men, mainly newly recruited and conscripted men. Of this army of nearly 90,000, except for a very few outstanding soldiers and officers who were selected, the rest were all dismissed, given travel expenses, and sent back to their hometowns.

Of the remaining 90,000-plus men, the most elite officers and soldiers were selected to replenish the losses of both the land and naval forces.

Throughout this series of battles, the Yangzhou army suffered a total of 30,000 casualties, most of whom were wounded, some slightly and some seriously, and the rate of those receiving treatment was quite high. The actual number of those killed in battle and those who suffered irreversible losses was only 6,000.

Therefore, even without considering the return of the lightly wounded to their units, once all the personnel are replenished, there will still be at least 50,000 people who need to be resettled.

After consulting with Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Lu Xun, Zhao Yun, Jia Kui, and others, Liu Feng made a preliminary decision: all the wounded soldiers of the Yangzhou army would be sent east to their temporary garrisons to prepare for the training of a new army. The 30,000 vacancies in each army would be filled by elite troops from the Jingzhou army.

This is actually still based on the idea of ​​splitting up the components for use, but it's obviously done in a more subtle way.

**
Su Fei never imagined that the turning point in his fate would come so suddenly.

At that time, he was pacing sadly along the riverbank, gazing at the surging river, his heart filled with the ups and downs of the past, the current desolation, and the anxiety about his future fate.

He had once been a trusted and beloved general under Huang Zu, enjoying unparalleled favor and privilege. Although his lord Huang Zu had already surrendered, Su Fei felt deeply ashamed that he had failed to repay the emperor's kindness with his life.

His good brother, who had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle but was not given important positions and was even ostracized, eventually fled eastward, had now become his savior. This left Su Fei with mixed feelings and a complex mix of emotions.

Currently, thanks to following Gan Ning, he has gained some military merits, and with Gan Ning's protection, he should be safe. However, Su Fei has no confidence in the future, and often wakes up in the middle of the night, only to come to the riverbank to console himself.

In recent days, Su Fei has lost count of how many times he has sighed and lamented by the river.

He thought this day would be just like yesterday.

Just as Su Fei was lost in thought, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Boyun, are you here looking at the water again?"

Su Fei turned around and saw that the person who came was indeed his sworn brother Gan Ning, Gan Xingba.

Thanks to Gan Ning's rescue, Su Fei regained his freedom, and he was filled with gratitude. However, since Gan Ning didn't like him to talk about it, he could only keep his gratitude deep in his heart.

Su Fei hurriedly went to meet him, replying, "I just had nothing to do, so I was just taking a walk."

Gan Ning, dressed in bright armor, walked with a steady gait, holding a scroll of silk in his hand, and chuckled, "I know my brother is often troubled, so I've come today to relieve your worries."

Su Fei's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Gan Ning recommended me to General Zuo, and General Zuo agreed?
Once this thought arose, it immediately began to grow wildly like weeds.

It's no wonder Su Fei was in such agony. He was only forty years old, the prime of a general's life, so how could he be willing to be sidelined?

Gan Ning walked up to Su Fei, and the glittering gold armor on his body made Su Fei feel a little dizzy.

This set of gleaming gilded armor was personally bestowed upon Gan Ning by Liu Feng.

Gan Ning was immediately delighted upon seeing it, and he rarely wore it, only taking it out to show off when he was happy.

Gan Ning walked up to Su Fei, holding up the silk scroll in his hand, and said, "Brother, I previously reported all your merits to the lord. Now that the lord's reward has been given, can you guess what the reward is?"

Su Fei said somewhat shakily, "Brother, my mind is completely blank right now, and I really can't guess. I hope you can tell me the truth."

His enthusiasm was dampened by Su Fei, and Gan Ning was clearly a little unhappy, but he quickly regained his smile and laughed, revealing his white teeth: "The general appointed my brother as the captain of the Jiangxia Navy, with two battalions of four thousand men under his command, and also specifically instructed that my brother may select and deploy his own trusted men."

Gan Ning's words were like a ray of light piercing through the gloom, surprising and delighting Su Fei.

Su Fei's hands trembled as he took the silk scroll from Gan Ning. The moment he unfolded it, the four characters "Naval Captain" came into view. His eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief, as he repeatedly checked the handwriting.

"This...this is really true?"

Su Fei muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

Before Gan Ning could respond, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes reddening, and took a few steps forward to tightly grasp Gan Ning's hand, his grip so strong it seemed he wanted to convey all his gratitude: "Thank you for General Zuo's kindness and my brother's recommendation, Su Fei will do anything for you!"

Gan Ning laughed heartily, then grasped Su Fei's hand and said, "I am willing to join you in repaying our lord's kindness."

(End of this chapter)