My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 487 Kuai Liang's Submission
Liu Feng's questioning of these two men at this time was naturally intentional. Both Guan Ding's father and Peng Zhongshuang had been prisoners of war, and both had served their new masters after being captured, achieving their goals perfectly.

Kuai Liang was well-versed in the classics and highly talented, so he would naturally know about Guan Dingfu and Peng Zhongshuang, and he would certainly understand Liu Feng's hints.

Kuai Liang was deeply conflicted and torn. He valued unwavering loyalty, but reality forced him to consider his family. Moreover, his current position as Prefect of Nanyang, a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), was a legitimate government post.

This also means that Kuai Liang had two masters: one was Liu Biao, the lord who promoted him, and the other was the emperor.

The title of emperor now naturally rests in the hands of Cao Cao and Liu Bei's father and son.

This also means that Liu Feng was also Kuai Liang's de facto representative of the ruler, which undoubtedly largely negated Liu Biao's status as the ruler.

This is the amazing dual monarchy system of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Kuai Liang had to be loyal to both the emperor and Liu Biao at the same time, and the situation would become very complicated when a conflict arose between the emperor (or a powerful minister who held the title of emperor) and his lord.

Because of the interests of the aristocratic families, there was no unspoken rule that the emperor was necessarily superior to the patron, and instead, specific situations were addressed on a case-by-case basis.

This was also the largest battleground in the struggle between the emperor and the gentry throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty.

It is no exaggeration to say that the first purge of partisans initiated by Emperor Huan of Han was closely related to this issue.

Seeing that Kuai Liang was speechless but also showed no strong reaction, Liu Feng was secretly pleased and pressed his advantage, saying, "Guan Ding's father was a prisoner of the State of Ruo in Chu, yet King Wu of Chu did not despise him because of his status, but used him for his talents, appointing him as a supreme general. Later, he won more than ten major and minor victories for Chu, conquering places like Zhou and Liao, and bringing the states of Sui and Tang under Chu's control, making Chu famous throughout the Central Plains. Within Chu, he also campaigned southward against many barbarians, making great contributions to Chu's expansion. If Guan Ding's father were blindly loyal to the Prince of Ruo and refused King Wu of Chu's invitation because of this, would anyone in the world still know of Guan Ding's father's virtue?"

Guan Ding's father was a native of the State of Ruo, who was captured by the State of Chu. The State of Ruo was located in what is now Ruo County, which is only a hundred miles away from Xiangyang.

Kuai Liang's eyes twitched slightly, clearly indicating that he had taken Liu Feng's words to heart.

“Uncle Liang, Peng Zhongshuang is not a native of Chu. He was a prisoner of Shen. However, he was invited by King Wen of Chu to serve as the Prime Minister and take charge of the Chu court. He helped King Wen of Chu annex Shen and Xi, and coerce Chen and Cai, thus expanding Chu’s influence to the Ru River and shaking the Central Plains.”

Liu Feng continued, “Guan Dingfu and Peng Zhongshuang were not from Chu, yet they were able to display their talents in Chu, shocking the world and leaving their names in history. During the reign of King Hui of Chu, Grand Tutor Zigu used Guan Dingfu and Peng Zhongshuang as examples to explain to him that when appointing talents, one should not care about their social status. This shows that their names in history will last for three hundred years.”

"Uncle, are you really willing to let all your knowledge go to waste?"

When Liu Feng got emotional, he said passionately, "Now is a time of great contention. Not only can the ruler choose his ministers, but the ministers can also choose their rulers! I heard of your virtuous reputation when I was in Xuzhou, Uncle. I only regret that I could not be close to you and give you guidance day and night. Now that I have come to Xiangyang, I have been given this opportunity by Heaven and I really do not want to miss it. I implore you to think it over carefully, Uncle."

After speaking, Liu Feng stood up and bowed to Kuai Liang, as if to say, "If you don't agree, I won't get up."

Liu Feng's words did not explicitly urge Kuai Liang to betray Liu Biao, yet every word subtly hinted at his intentions. He had clearly gone to great lengths and made painstaking efforts.

Kuai Liang wasn't made of stone, nor was he stupid; how could he not understand Liu Feng's thoughts? Adding to this, Liu Feng was displaying a rogue-like demeanor, leaving Kuai Liang somewhat at a loss.

People like Kuai Liang, who are bound by etiquette, are naturally afraid of rule breakers and are easily coerced by others.

Just like Liu Feng right in front of us.

The brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue have very interesting personalities, especially Kuai Yue, who is basically a generic version of Jia Xu.

One thing is enough to prove this point.

When Liu Biao rode into Jingzhou, he received full support from the Kuai brothers and Cai Mao in Yicheng.

At that time, Liu Biao truly only had one person and one horse. Although the Kuai and Cai families were prominent clans in Xiangyang, their followers and wealth were far less abundant than they are today. Meanwhile, the major bandit clans occupying Xiangyang each had thousands of people, with the largest having several thousand followers.

These bandit clans, if combined, numbered as many as thirty to fifty families, which amounted to tens of thousands of soldiers.

Even with the full support of the Kuai and Cai families, Liu Biao dared not say he could defeat these bandits head-on.

Therefore, Liu Biao consulted Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao.

In fact, among the three, Kuai Yue was the most outstanding in terms of wit, intelligence, and strategy.

But Kuai Yue remained silent.

The first person to answer was actually Kuai Liang.

Kuai Liang's answer was quite conventional: "If the people do not follow you, it is because you lack benevolence; if they follow you but you do not govern them, it is because you lack righteousness. If the way of benevolence and righteousness is practiced, the people will flock to you like water flowing downhill. Why worry about them not following you and asking about raising troops and strategies?"

Kuai Liang was telling Liu Biao to cultivate benevolence and virtue to appease the people. If there were more people, would there be any need to worry about wealth, food, and soldiers?
Is what Kuai Liang said correct?
That's definitely right.

But it wasn't appropriate at the time. The surrounding area was full of warlords who had established their own armies, and there was also the super warlord Yuan Shu in Nanyang County to the north. Where would Liu Biao find the time to cultivate benevolence and gather the people?

Liu Biao had secretly come alone, not daring to even display his title as Governor of Jingzhou, so Kuai Liang's words were nothing more than correct but useless rhetoric at the time. Liu Biao's reaction was also quite pragmatic: he consulted Yue.

Kuai Yue replied immediately: “In times of peace, benevolence and righteousness come first; in times of chaos, strategy and tactics come first. The strength of an army does not depend on its numbers, but on the quality of its men. Yuan Shu is brave but indecisive, and Su Dai and Bei Yu are both warriors, not worth worrying about. The rebel leaders of the Zong clan are mostly greedy and tyrannical, causing trouble for the people. I have some people I have cultivated; if I show them the benefits, they will surely come with their troops. You should punish the wicked and then appease and employ them. The people of the entire province have a heart that longs to live in peace. Hearing of your great virtue, they will surely come to you in droves. With troops gathered and people following you, you can hold Jiangling in the south and defend Xiangyang in the north. The eight counties of Jingzhou can be pacified with a single proclamation. Even if Yuan Shu and his men come, they will be powerless.”

Kuai Yue's answer was comprehensive and at the same time provided moral support for Liu Biao's underhanded tactics.

It's not that you, Liu Biao, are bad; it's that you, Liu Biao, want to quell the chaos for the sake of the people of Jingzhou!

Kuai Yue provided a feasible plan, gave Liu Biao a righteous cause, and even offered a strategic analysis, demonstrating utmost thoroughness and leaving no room for error.

As a result, Liu Biao was overjoyed and said, "Zi Rou's words are the same as Yong Ji's argument. Yi Du's plan is the same as Jiu Fan's scheme."

This means that Kuai Liang's strategy is too slow to solve the immediate problem, while Kuai Yue's is the most suitable and ingenious plan for the current situation.

Could Kuai Yue not have imagined Kuai Liang's plan?
Obviously not. Kuai Yue could certainly have thought of that too, but he was even more aware that Kuai Liang's plan was of no use now.

Therefore, Kuai Yue made a completely opposite plan, which shows his strong ability and outstanding wisdom.

If that were all, it wouldn't be enough to say that he and Jia Xu were similar. After all, there are many outstanding strategists. In terms of planning, Xun Yu, Xun You, Xun Chen, Ju Shou, Guo Jia, Fa Zheng, Cheng Yu, Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, Pang Tong, and many others could all do it.

However, Kuai Yue and Liu Biao had an interesting disagreement on the implementation of the plan.

Kuai Yue's plan was to lure these fifty-odd rebels over, then kill the most disrespectful, arrogant, and independent among them, and then bestow favors upon the others to win their hearts and minds and bring them under his control. Liu Biao's choice was, "This is too much trouble. I'll just kill them all."

Yes, that's right. Many people think that Liu Biao, who was soft-hearted, chose to kill all fifty-odd clans that he had tricked into joining him, while Kuai Yue, who was portrayed as a ruthless strategist, strongly advised Liu Biao to only kill the few clans that led the opposition against him.

However, Kuai Yue was more well-rounded than Jia Xu. Both he and Jia Xu had the ability to govern and the wisdom to devise ingenious strategies. In the first aspect, Kuai Yue was better than Jia Xu, while in the second aspect, Kuai Yue was slightly inferior to Jia Xu. But Kuai Yue had a third ability that Jia Xu did not have, which was to serve as a general when he went out to war.

Kuai Yue was a rare and highly capable commander of large armies in Jingzhou. It is very likely that he was the one who pacified Jingnan in history. There were a total of two and a half large army commanders in Jingzhou: Kuai Yue and Huang Zu. The remaining half was Cai Mao.

Unfortunately, Liu Biao feared Kuai Yue's talent and kept him by his side, not daring to let him out easily.

If, after the Battle of Guandu, Xun Yu and his nephew Xun You had failed to dissuade Cao Cao from temporarily abandoning Hebei and turning back to attack Jingzhou, then it might have been possible to witness a peak battle between Kuai Yue and Cao Cao.

"I am deeply honored by your esteemed favor, but I am truly at ease. I am but an old man, not yet proficient in the study of classics and history, and have only a slight reputation in my hometown, which is due to the kindness of my neighbors and the favor of my relatives and friends. Although I enjoy reading and discussing philosophy, I often feel that I am not very talented and have limited knowledge and understanding."

I have long heard that Your Excellency's office is filled with talented individuals, all of whom are pillars of the state.

In comparison, I am but a drop in the ocean, possessing only average talent and virtue, far from the level of a wise and virtuous person, and I fear I am unfit for any important task. Moreover, I am dull-witted, and having accomplished nothing in my life, I am utterly disheartened and only wish to retire to my home and live a life of quiet desperation.

Unexpectedly, Your Excellency showed such great hospitality, personally serving medicine and encouraging us with the words of local sages.

Although Liang was contemptible, he recognized the kindness shown to him.

Although I am of limited talent and knowledge, I am willing to serve you, my lord, and do my utmost to repay your great kindness.

As he spoke, Kuai Liang forced himself to sit up from the couch and bowed to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was overjoyed, but was immediately startled when he saw Kuai Liang's actions. He quickly stepped forward and pinned the man down.

"Uncle Liang, there's no need for such formalities."

Liu Feng comforted him, saying, "Uncle Liang does not look down on me and is willing to serve the people of Jingzhou. This is truly a great fortune for Liu Feng. In that case, Uncle should rest and recuperate, and only when you are fully recovered should you be put to great use."

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Kuai Liang's eyes flickered, but he eventually obediently lay back down.

After receiving Kuai Liang's approval, Liu Feng was overjoyed, and a look of delight appeared on his face.

Even though Kuai Liang knew that Liu Feng had done this on purpose, the fact that someone of Liu Feng's status would go to such lengths for him made it all worthwhile. Why bother to care whether it was true or not?

Liu Feng patiently chatted with Kuai Liang for quite some time until the latter showed signs of fatigue before taking his leave. Before departing, he reminded Kuai Liang to rest well and gave instructions on the arrangements for medicinal herbs and tonics, showing meticulous care.

After Liu Feng left, Kuai Liang, who had closed his eyes, suddenly opened them again.

"Change."

At the service of his maids, Kuai Liang changed his clothes, then went to his desk, dissolved ink, and began to write a secret letter by candlelight.

After finishing writing, Kuai Liang immediately instructed the steward standing behind him: "Arrange reliable people to send it to Yidu in Jiangling immediately. There must be no mistakes whatsoever."

"Here!"

The steward of the Kuai family immediately obeyed, then stepped forward to take the secret letter and turned to leave.

But before leaving, he turned back and advised, “Master, please take care of your health. General Zuo’s kindness in personally attending to your illness is beyond compare, and rarely heard of. This shows how much General Zuo values ​​you. You have met a wise ruler, so you should take good care of your health so that you can make progress in the future, repay General Zuo’s kindness, and bring peace to the people. You must not neglect your health.”

"I see."

Kuai Liang nodded, then urged, "Go quickly."

The butler responded again and hurriedly left.

After watching the other person leave, Kuai Liang breathed a sigh of relief and, with the help of a maid, returned to his bed.

However, compared to before, and perhaps due to psychological reasons, Kuai Liang felt much more comfortable and less uncomfortable than before.

**
The news of Kuai Liang's surrender spread like wildfire, almost overnight, throughout all the large and small families in Xiangyang City.

These families, large and small, had differing opinions on the news due to their attitudes toward Liu Feng, but they all shared one thing in common: they were all secretly relieved.

If Kuai Liang resolutely refuses to serve Liu Feng, no one knows whether Liu Feng will become angry and purge the local powerful families of Xiangyang.

Liu Feng also breathed a sigh of relief, especially after receiving the news that the Kuai family had secretly sent someone south, and they had left as soon as the city gates opened at daybreak.

Although the contents of the secret letter are unknown, since Kuai Liang is already willing to submit, it is highly unlikely that the letter will be detrimental to Liu Feng; in fact, it might even be a helpful assist in the future.

Indeed, after dealing with matters in Xiangyang, Liu Feng planned to travel to Jiangling.

Kuai Yue is still in Jiangling. Although he can go north to Xiangyang, wouldn't that diminish Liu Feng's sincerity for no reason?
Two days later, Liu Feng summoned Pan Jun, Ma Liang, Wei Yan, Fu Tong, Feng Xi, the Xi brothers, and the Huo brothers to his residence.

In terms of ability, among those who remained in Jingzhou, these people were considered to be both virtuous and talented.

Although Pan Jun surrendered to Sun Quan, Liu Feng still thought he was a virtuous man.

The relationship between Pan Jun and Guan Yu was extremely poor; they were practically irreconcilable enemies, and Pan Jun was consequently treated coldly by them. However, Pan Jun did not use this as an excuse to collude with Eastern Wu, nor did he betray Guan Yu.

After Jiangling surrendered, Pan Jun stayed at home and refused to serve Sun Quan. It wasn't until the situation in Jingzhou was settled that Sun Quan visited him and befriended him, thus securing his loyalty.

Therefore, Liu Feng was quite tolerant of Pan Jun, after all, loyalty and talent often cannot coexist.

(End of this chapter)