My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 513 Review of the Armies

Jian Yong was clearly in a good mood. Upon hearing Liu Feng's question, he immediately replied with a smile, "Thanks to the concern of General of the Cavalry and General of the Left, the drought in Jiujiang this year has been relieved. Since the beginning of autumn, there have been two or three rains. Although the rainfall was not heavy, it is still a cause for celebration. If there is a good snowfall after winter, it will be enough to announce that the drought is over."

Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction. As long as the Huai and Si Rivers are stable, Runan will be stable, and if Runan is stable, the Central Plains will have the strategic initiative.

It was also thanks to Yuan Shu that he did nothing good in the past two years in Jiangbei. He fought with the local gentry and powerful families for land and water resources, often wiping out entire families.

As a result, Yuan Shu annexed a large amount of land in Jiujiang and Lujiang. Now that Yuan Shu has fallen, all the land, farmland, water sources, shops, workshops and other real estate that he had taken have benefited Liu Feng.

However, some powerful and influential families came to demand that Liu Feng return their ancestral property.

Liu Feng appeared to be very generous, offering to return the full amount to anyone who could produce land ownership certificates for a certain amount of compensation. However, if no land ownership certificates were available, then unfortunately, they would all be considered invalid.

It must be said that Liu Feng's behavior was not very respectable. If this had happened during a time of peace, his reputation would probably have been ruined immediately.

But in this chaotic world of war, even the most foolish of these powerful clansmen, under Yuan Shu's tutelage, had come to understand the power of the sword. Thus, they could only slink away, not even daring to voice their grievances—truly cowardly rats.

Next, Liu Feng spent five days inspecting several armies stationed in Shouchun, including Chen Deng's 20,000 troops, plus local troops from Jiujiang and Lujiang, totaling nearly 110,000 men.

Because the vanguard, the valiant troops, and the new army all needed to be integrated and trained, Liu Feng did not hold a grand military parade, but instead inspected the troops with a small entourage.

The inspection focused on the soldiers' food, clothing, equipment, housing, sanitation, medical care, and logistics.

Liu Feng was quite confident in the training and integration of his soldiers, but he was still worried that Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, and others might neglect the development of these aspects due to their habitual thinking.

Fortunately, this situation did not occur. The Cuifeng Army, Wanlan Army, and the New Army were all well-developed, while Chen Deng's troops were much worse. As for the local troops in Jiujiang and Lujiang, they were even worse, almost non-existent.

Liu Feng did not criticize Chen Deng and Jian Yong. After all, these things are simple to talk about but very troublesome to do. They require not only a lot of manpower and physical resources, but also a huge amount of money and materials.

Putting aside everything else, just taking food as an example, every week hundreds of fishing boats supply fish and shrimp to the troops.

Even though these fish and shrimp are very cheap, costing only two coins per pound of fish and a mere one coin per pound of shrimp, if we calculate based on the 60,000 troops of the Cui Feng and Wan Lan armies, even if the fish and shrimp are split in half, and each person consumes four ounces per day (excluding fish gills, bones, shrimp heads, shells, and other inedible parts), plus the extra allowances for generals and officers, the weekly consumption would still reach 350,000 coins, and the monthly consumption would be 1.4 million coins.

This is the cheapest river seafood consumption; if it were pork, beef, or mutton, the cost would be ten times higher.

During the peaceful period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, pork cost 14 qian per jin, beef cost 18 qian per jin, and mutton cost 20 qian per jin. Now, with the war, pork, beef, and mutton are not like river fish or seafood, which can be caught in large-scale wild fishing. With the productivity of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the supply would be almost inexhaustible, and there would be as much as needed.

Therefore, pork, beef, and mutton prices have increased several times over, naturally making them more than ten times the price of river and seafood.

Therefore, most elites are created by spending money. Although elites can be cultivated without money, in terms of the upper limit, those with money definitely have a higher upper limit.

Liu Feng's standards for Cui Feng and Wan Lan were unparalleled. He had meat almost every day, although most of it consisted of river fish, seafood, salted dried fish, and salted shrimp. His diet was truly the best in the world.

In addition, the military medical system that Liu Feng meticulously built has gradually shown results. Although it is far from comparable to later generations, at least in the first-class military, the ratio of military doctors to nurses has reached 1:200 and the ratio of nurses to doctors is 1:50.

Don't underestimate this ratio. It means that among the 30,000-strong Vanguard Army, there are 150 military doctors and as many as 600 nurses. The supporting equipment, transportation capacity, medicines, and so on are countless.

But Liu Feng was willing to invest, not only because he coveted the fighting power of veteran soldiers, but also because he was deeply influenced by the humanistic ideas of later generations. Liu Feng found it hard to watch these soldiers who fought for him die in pain after being wounded because they could not receive medical treatment.

What pleased Liu Feng was that not only were high-ranking generals such as Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang free from corruption, but the vast majority of middle and lower-ranking officers also performed well under the supervision of the Supervisory Commission. Only a few cases were handled in accordance with the law.

Finally, following Liu Feng's instructions, the Supervisory Committee actively promoted the idea of ​​loyalty to Liu Feng and the Left General's staff among the soldiers.

Of course, the method of popularization was actually quite crude and simple, focusing on the army's food, medical care, welfare and other benefits. Without Liu Feng, there would be no meat and rice every day; without Liu Feng, there would be no army doctor and medicine when sick; without Liu Feng, there would be no accurate distribution of military pay and rewards.

When the plan was first formulated, Liu Feng wanted to promote some ideas, but he later realized that these were complete nonsense. Even if the Supervisory Committee could understand his intentions and not misinterpret them, these illiterate soldiers would not be able to comprehend them at all. Not to mention that there was a high probability that the Supervisory Committee itself had misunderstood the plan.

Forced by circumstances, Liu Feng had no choice but to completely change his mindset. As long as the soldiers knew who treated them well, who gave them generous benefits, and who guaranteed their status and income, it would be enough to eliminate the breeding ground for generals to coerce the soldiers.

In this way, soldiers from all over the country will reach a consensus that they are Liu Feng's soldiers, not soldiers of any of his generals.

This is clearly sufficient at the current stage.

This tactic, cutting off the enemy's supply lines, ensures that as long as Liu Feng remains in power and his benefits don't diminish significantly, his army will remain loyal to him alone. Moreover, Liu Feng himself is a highly respected and invincible commander. Even veteran generals like Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang will not harbor any disloyalty.

With the merit of supporting the emperor so close at hand, who would think of betraying Liu Feng unless they were so ambitious as to want to become emperor themselves?

After a satisfactory inspection of the army, Liu Feng, along with gifts from Jian Yong and Chen Deng, as well as specialties from Jiujiang and Lujiang entrusted to him to take to Xuzhou for Liu Bei, set off again by waterway to Tancheng, Xuzhou.

**
Kuai Yue, who was stationed in Quanling County, the capital of Lingling Prefecture, was flipping through the memorials below.

Lingling Commandery was the only commandery-kingdom in the Han Dynasty where the commandery and county were different from the prefecture. Lingling Commandery included Lingling County, but the commandery capital was not located in Lingling County, but in Quanling County, which was located north of Lingling County and downstream of the Li River.

After reviewing the report, Kuai Yue showed a hint of satisfaction on his face.

Under his command, several key locations in the northern part of Jiaozhou's various prefectures have been brought under his control.

Xie Mu, Feng Cheng, Fu Chuan, Linhe, Fengyang, Lipu, Tanzhong, Kuangpu Pass and other places all surrendered upon hearing the news, took the initiative to send people to make contact, and expressed their willingness to guide the Left General's army.

It's no wonder these people were so easily defeated; the people of Jiaozhou simply didn't want to fight. Moreover, Liu Feng was currently carrying out a mission from the imperial court, making his rule over Jiaozhou legitimate and reasonable. The people of Jiaozhou's reaction was perfectly understandable.

Reports have now been received from various regions that the vanguard has set out and will be able to take control of all key points within the month.

With these key points outlined, the army's southward advance was completely opened, allowing them to reach all the prefectures and counties without hindrance.

Take Kuangpu Pass as an example. The army that marched south from Guiyang County along the Zhen River could reach Panyu, the capital of Nanhai County, without any further obstacles.

Tanzhong is a strategic pass in Yulin County. By capturing this place, the army can use the Tanshui River as a supply line and travel unimpeded to reach Bushan County, the seat of Yulin County.

As for the remaining cities such as Fuchuan and Fengyang, they were all counties in the northern part of Cangwu Commandery, established along the He River, and their final destination was Guangxin County, the capital of Cangwu Commandery. In this way, the capitals of the three commanderies were like ripe fruits, their buds opened, completely exposed to the Kuai Yue army.

Once Kuai Yue's army arrives, the harvest will be ready.

"Uncle, the great undertaking has been accomplished!"

Kuai Qi, standing behind Kuai Yue, looked delighted, his eyes filled with eagerness.

Originally, Liu Feng planned to recruit Kuai Qi into the ranks of literary attendants and later give him a place as a candidate for the civil service examination, in order to win the loyalty of Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, and the Kuai family.

However, considering the current situation, Liu Feng ultimately shelved this idea for the time being.

After all, the Kuai family had just surrendered, and Liu Feng couldn't wait to take Kuai Qi away. To outsiders, this clearly gave the impression that he didn't trust Kuai Yue and that's why he kept setting up hostages.

Although Kuai Yue, with his intelligence, might not have such short-sightedness, Liu Feng wanted to win Kuai Yue's heart and make him useful to him, not just to submit.

Therefore, Kuai Qi still stays by Kuai Yue's side, serving as his scribe.

"Yuanji, this should not be taken lightly."

Kuai Qi, courtesy name Yuanji.

Both Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang regarded this nephew as their successor. Among the next generation, only Kuai Qi was capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility.

Due to the war, Kuai Liang's son may be too young or may not have been born at all, while Kuai Yue has no son yet.

Historical records indicate that before his death, Kuai Yue entrusted his son to Cao Cao, suggesting that even if he had a son, he was likely a minor or even very young. There are no further records of Kuai Yue's descendants in historical documents. In contrast, Kuai Liang, whose relationship with Cao Cao was less favorable than Kuai Yue's, whose status was lower, and who died earlier, had a son who became the governor of Nanyang and married Wang Su's daughter, making him related to Sima Zhao by marriage.

From this perspective, it is very likely that Kuai Yue's son never grew up and died after being entrusted with the care of others.

Therefore, at this point in time, both Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue are over forty years old, but they are unlikely to have any children. This highlights Kuai Qi's position. Now that he is an adult, he is the rightful leader of the new generation.

Even if Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue had a son later, they would still need Kuai Qi, a young and strong man, to protect their offspring and pave the way for them in their old age, without knowing their own lifespan.

It is evident that Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue's view of Kuai Qi as the next leader of the sect was very farsighted and showed great magnanimity, considering that Kuai Qi was not their biological son.

This further demonstrates that Liu Feng's concerns and responses were not unfounded, but rather of practical significance.

Kuai Yue's face was solemn as he loudly instructed, "The reason why the counties of Jiaobei are so obedient now is firstly because the Left General has an imperial decree to oversee all affairs in Jiaozhou; secondly because many virtuous people in Jingnan have contributed greatly and made great contributions; and thirdly, it is naturally because the virtuous people of the counties of Jiaobei are following the will of Heaven, and we are merely achieving things because of them."

Kuai Qi quickly suppressed the joy on his face and replied, "I understand, Uncle."

"Okay, I understand."

Seeing that Kuai Qi's words came from the heart, Kuai Yue nodded in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a staff officer rushed in from outside, holding a document in his hands. Upon seeing Kuai Yue, he quickly bowed and said, "Reporting to the general, a letter has arrived from Yangzhou."

"Show it to me."

Kuai Yue immediately reached out his hand, and Kuai Qi took the document and handed it to him.

After opening the document, Kuai Yue quickly glanced at it, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

Kuai Qi asked quietly from the side, "Uncle, has something good happened?"

Kuai Qi smiled and nodded: "The matter of Jiaozhou is settled!"

Kuai Qi was taken aback, thinking that he had just been scolded by his uncle for saying those words, so why was Kuai Yue talking about them now?

As if seeing through Kuai Qi's thoughts, Kuai Yue handed the document to him and said, "Take a look."

Kuai Qi followed Kuai Yue, ostensibly as a clerk but actually as a training subject. He immediately took the document and began to read it.

It turns out that this document was sent from Yangzhou, and that the Shi family was going to the Left General's headquarters to pay tribute.

The document details how three members of the aristocratic family, including Shi Xie and his four brothers, came to Yangzhou to pay tribute and, on behalf of Shi Xie, requested titles from Liu Feng.

The reason for the tribute and request for investiture was actually just another way of saying surrender. After all, Shi Xie only controlled a region because of its remoteness. He had never rebelled or even defied the court, so he could not be considered a traitor.

Since he is not a traitor, and Liu Feng is now in charge of all affairs in Jiaozhou, Shi Xie, as an important official of the court, should naturally come to pay his respects.

Regardless of the name given on the surface, the essence of the matter is that the Shi family has yielded and is willing to submit.

With even the Shi family submitting, the affairs of Jiaozhou are truly a great undertaking.

"Congratulations, Uncle! Congratulations!"

Kuai Qi immediately realized what was happening, turned around and bowed to Kuai Yue, offering his congratulations repeatedly.

"Yuanji, this is not right."

Kuai Yue waved his hand, signaling the other party to stand up: "This is not my achievement, but rather the great reputation of General Zuo, which is why Shi Weiyan has come from afar to show his respect. However, now that we have avoided a battle, it is truly a great achievement. Shi Weiyan will surely gain General Zuo's favor. When we meet again in the future, you must be even more careful and not be rude."

(End of this chapter)