My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 564: Going with the flow
As Gong Yang spoke, he suddenly became grief-stricken and indignant, bowing deeply twice and weeping as he spoke: "My lord, Zhao Zhonglang, though he knows his forces are weak and isolated, still wishes to exert himself like a mantis trying to save the people. His heart is as bright as the sun and moon, and his will is as clear as heaven and earth! If General Zuo were to show mercy and help us, it would be like rain after a long drought, or water after a dry fish. My lord will surely repay this great kindness with all his might, and the heroes of Shu will also welcome our righteous army with open arms!"

Liu Feng hurriedly got up, walked around the table and down the steps, and personally helped Gong Yang up. Then he looked troubled and said, "Ah... fine, I'll give you a definite answer. If Zhao Zhonglang is willing to open the pass and give me the convenience of the Yangtze River, I will grant your wish and send 5,000 troops to Yizhou to help Zhao Zhonglang."

Gong Yang's face was grim. No matter how elite five thousand men were, what use were they? Not to mention, in Gong Yang's mind, these five thousand men were probably not as useful as Liu Feng's name alone.

However, in Liu Feng's mind, the importance of the pass was probably only worth five thousand elite troops.

Therefore, Gong Yang stopped making excuses and knelt down to beg, "Liu Jiyu, inheriting his father's name, has quite a few soldiers in Shu, numbering five thousand, which is really insufficient. I implore General Zuo to send a large army into Yizhou, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people, to save the people of Bashu from their suffering."

Liu Feng got up to help him up, but Gong Yang wept on the ground, refusing to get up, pleading repeatedly, and touching his head to the ground, which was quite touching.

Before long, Gong Yang's forehead was broken, and blood was flowing out in a steady stream.

Moved by his loyalty, Liu Feng sighed helplessly, "Ziju, why must you do this? Isn't it enough that I've granted your request?"

Gong Yang was overjoyed, but before he could thank him, Liu Feng continued, "However, I also have a request. If Zhao Zhonglang does not agree, then this matter will be dropped."

Gong Yang had clearly thought things through during his conversation with Liu Feng, and immediately replied, "General Zuo, please give your orders, and my lord will obey without question."

Liu Feng nodded and slowly said, "Even if we mobilize all the elite troops from Jing, Yang, and Yu provinces for this expedition into Shu, we can only field about 30,000 to 40,000 elite soldiers. If Liu Jiyu holds the city, it could become a protracted conflict. Therefore, logistics are of paramount importance. My request is not anything else but to request the towns along the riverbanks so that I can transport military supplies from Jing and Yang provinces into Shu. This request is a matter of success or failure; it is the lifeline! If the supply line is lost, all the soldiers of my army will be like fish in a dried-up pond. I cannot but be cautious."

From the Yangtze River into Sichuan, there are many counties, towns, and passes along the way.

Putting aside everything else, there were five counties and two passes before reaching Jiangzhou.

Starting from Wuxian County, the route passes through five counties: Yufu, Quren, Linjiang, Pingdu, and Zhixian, as well as two river passes: Qianguan and Huangshi. Qianguan is only the most dangerous point among them, not the only pass.

With these five counties and two passes, plus Jiangzhou, there are so many dangers along the way. If anything goes wrong at any point, the journey will be greatly affected.

Among them, Qianguan and Jiangzhou are naturally in the top tier. As long as these two places are in the hands of Sichuan, even if the other five counties are all lost, the situation will not be too bad.

Therefore, for Liu Feng, if he only needed to send three to five thousand troops, then securing the pass would be sufficient.

But now Zhao Wei wants to send tens of thousands of troops, and he also wants Liu Feng himself to lead the troops. That would be much more expensive. He must also have the right to share the spoils of Jiangzhou. Otherwise, he would be risking his elite troops.

Moreover, Liu Feng's bold demand for five counties and two passes was actually based on his certainty that Zhao Wei's troops were insufficient.

Once Zhao Wei raises an army, he will inevitably attack Chengdu to the north.

These places will inevitably be undefended by then, and Zhao Wei wouldn't be foolish enough to station heavy troops there. He already has insufficient troops, and if he were to divide his forces further, it would be better not to launch an attack at all.

According to Liu Feng's knowledge, Zhao Wei could only mobilize about 10,000 private soldiers, more than 10,000 Cong soldiers, plus more than 10,000 soldiers from the powerful clans of Ba Commandery.

Among them, Zhao Wei's private army was mainly responsible for guarding Jiangzhou and Qianguan, while at least one-third of the troops of the powerful families in Ba County were deployed in the towns along the river.

This is not only because of the importance of the major towns along the river, but also because these places are prosperous.

The three places of Yufu, Quren, and Linjiang have a large number of salt wells that can produce high-quality well salt, and the salt tax of Ba County is based on this.

Pingdu is famous in Sichuan and Chongqing for its lacquerware, which is known as Shu lacquer. In addition, the area also produces cinnabar and honey, both of which are high-priced and precious commodities.

Zhi County is rich in ramie, and the "Zhi cloth" (a type of fine linen cloth) woven in Zhi County is a distinctive textile product sold in the Jiangnan region.

These five counties are all located on the Yangtze River, with thriving waterway commerce and convenient transportation. They are not only strategically important but also extremely valuable economically, making them incredibly wealthy.

It was after taking all these factors into consideration that Liu Feng feigned candor.

As Sun Tzu said: "Therefore, when you are capable, make yourself appear incapable; when you are active, make yourself appear not to be active; when you are near, make yourself appear far away; when you are far away, make yourself appear near."

Liu Feng's actions were aimed at Zhao Wei and Gong Yang, who were on the opposite side of the game.

Just as Liu Feng had predicted, Gong Yang showed no humiliation in the face of Liu Feng's obviously more outrageous request. Instead, he replied solemnly, "This matter is of great importance, and I am truly unable to make the decision. Please allow me to return and explain the situation to my lord before asking him to make a decision."

While both instances involve a lack of decision-making power, the tone of the latter instance is drastically different from the former.

Last time he was indecisive, but this time he is resolute and composed.

It is clear that he was trying to fob them off before, but now he is being sincere.

"This is the correct argument, so it is acceptable."

Liu Feng readily accepted, and then smiled and said, "Ziju, now that everything is settled, would you like to join me for a feast?"

Gong Yang also laughed, bowed and said, "General Zuo's generous gift is exactly what I desire, I dare not ask for more."

That evening, Liu Feng held a grand banquet in Wu County, inviting many high-ranking officials and dignitaries from his staff, the Yangzhou Prefecture, the Wu County Prefecture, and the Wu County Government to the banquet. For a time, the banquet was filled with officials and dignitaries, and all the talented people and brilliant minds were present.

Gong Yang had a considerable capacity for alcohol, but he could not resist the enthusiasm of the talented people in the Left General's staff. He was already drunk halfway through the banquet.

Although Gong Yang is not well-known in history, Liu Feng did not hesitate to send him back to his bedroom because he had given him the right to enter Shu and the key to the river defense. They slept together that night.

The next morning, Gong Yang woke up to find himself sleeping in Liu Feng's bed. He was immediately filled with fear and trepidation and hurriedly tried to apologize to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng laughed heartily and treated the other party with the courtesy due to a guest. He then personally served hot water for the other party to wash his face.

Gong Yang looked up to the sky and sighed. He had long heard that General Zuo was a man of great respect and humility, treating scholars with utmost sincerity. But now, seeing him in person, he realized that the rumors were wrong. This was not a case of respecting scholars; he was clearly a reincarnation of the Duke of Zhou and a resurrected Emperor Guangwu!

Although Liu Feng had given his permission, Gong Yang had no intention of lingering in Yangzhou and immediately requested to return home. After Liu Feng's earnest persuasion, Gong Yang stayed for two more days before resolutely resigning.

Left with no other choice, Liu Feng prepared many gifts for Gong Yang, all of which were treasures from Xu, Yu, Yang, Jing, Jiao, Yan and even Liaodong. To reassure Gong Yang, Liu Feng specially made two sets, reserving one set to give to Zhao Wei.

Liu Feng personally led the civil and military general Gong Yang to the dock, and then escorted him away in his own boat.

Gong Yang was deeply grateful for Liu Feng's kindness, which was as heavy as Mount Tai. When they parted, he was overcome with tears and could not control himself. Suddenly, he pushed aside a mountain of gold and a jade pillar, knelt down on the ground, and said with tears of blood, "General Zuo's great kindness is something I could not repay even a fraction of, even if I gave my life!"

His voice choked with sobs, tears streaming down his face, soaking his sleeves.

Upon seeing this, the attendants on both sides couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

Liu Feng hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, his eyes red, and earnestly said, "After today's parting, I don't know when I will see Ziju again. I feel a great sense of loss that I cannot receive your personal guidance. I only hope that you will eat well and take good care of yourself."

Gong Yang slowly boarded the ship, glancing back every step of the way, under Liu Feng's watchful gaze.

As the ship sailed away, Gong Yang craned his neck to look back, and even though he was far away, he could still vaguely see Liu Feng waving goodbye on the dock.

Gong Yang had never experienced such favor before. Even his benefactor Zhao Wei had only shown him favor by promoting him in his official career. How could there be such a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject?

Now our lord wants to rely on the military strength of General Zuo, and General Zuo seems to intend to enter Shu.

These two things are not contradictory; he can repay both his lord's kindness and Liu Feng's favor.

Gong Yang stood at the stern of the boat, using the river breeze to suppress his emotions, and secretly made up his mind that he would definitely help Liu Feng enter Shu when he returned this time.

**
Generals Lü Meng and Wen Ping were stationed in Pingyi and Hanyang respectively. While sending messages back to Kuai Yue in Jiaozhou and Liu Feng in Yangzhou, they also actively contacted other groups of people.

The two were not far apart and made contact first. After discovering that the other side was in the same situation as them, they both became even more nervous.

Fortunately, Pingyi and Jianghan counties both had some stored grain, and Lü Meng and Wen Ping also brought a lot of grain with them, enough to last for several months, not to mention that the rear was actively transporting grain forward.

Kuai Yue was the first to react.

As the frontline commander of the campaign against Shu in Jiaozhou, he gathered the latest information on various forces here.

Kuai Yue keenly sensed the abnormality of the situation in Shu. Leaving aside Lu Xun's forces for the time being, Lü Meng and Wen Ping's forces had clearly entered Liu Zhang's traditional sphere of influence. Logically and emotionally, they shouldn't have remained indifferent. Unless Liu Zhang faced even greater trouble and couldn't extricate himself, he would have no choice but to temporarily ignore Lü Meng and Wen Ping's actions.

The trouble was so great that Liu Zhang didn't dare to provoke Liu Feng, so he didn't even bother to protest or negotiate, let alone take military action.

Kuai Yue immediately mobilized his troops, preparing to appoint Bu Zhi as general, leading 3,000 soldiers from Nanhai Commandery, 2,000 soldiers from Hepu Commandery, 2,000 soldiers from Wuling Commandery, and 2,000 soldiers from Changsha Commandery, plus an engineering battalion of 1,000 men directly under Kuai Yue's command, for a total of 10,000 men, to assemble in Tancheng County of Wuling Commandery, and set off along the Yuan River to attack Qielan.

Qielan was located in the northeastern part of Zangke Commandery, very close to Wuling Commandery. It was only about fifty li east of Qielan County to reach the border of Wuling Commandery. Furthermore, the Yuan River connected the two, making their relationship quite close and convenient.

The reason why Kuai Yue ordered Bu Zhi to lead the army to attack Qielan was because Qielan had now become the biggest obstacle to the alliance of the armies in the south.

Once Qielan is captured, Pingyi to the north, Hanyang to the west, and Yelang to the south will be directly connected, not only by waterways but also by the unobstructed Five-Foot Road and Yelang Road.

After taking Qielan, the whole situation immediately improved.

What's most interesting is that Qielan is not difficult to fight. Even in the south, Qielan is not considered a big city. It can't even compare to Dianchi or Zhuti, let alone Weixian.

The reason was simply that there were too few Han Chinese in Zangke Commandery.

After receiving the order, Bu Zhi quickly joined up with the three thousand soldiers from Hepu in the South China Sea, and then headed north. In just over ten days, he arrived at Tancheng, where he joined up with the two thousand soldiers from Wuling County and the two thousand soldiers from Changsha County who were heading south.

The reason why the Changsha troops came together with the Wuling troops was that the Changsha troops took the waterway, arrived at Linyuan first, and then joined the Wuling troops before heading south together.

These county soldiers, in terms of quality, experience, and training, naturally could not compare with the elite troops of Lu Xun and Sun Ce. However, their advantage lay in their sheer numbers, numbering in the tens of thousands. Moreover, those who had trained them were all capable ministers and fierce generals who had made their mark in history, so their combat strength was naturally superior to Zhu Bao's troops and the soldiers of Qielan County.

The Zangke County troops stationed in Qielan County numbered approximately one thousand, mostly under Zhu Bao's control, with half of them originally being Zhu Bao's private soldiers. In addition, the Zhu family had another one thousand eight hundred private soldiers, bringing the total to two thousand eight hundred.

Furthermore, the powerful clans, chieftains, and headmen in Lan County who were close to and supported the Zhu family had a combined force of over 1,600 men.

In addition, there were a large number of Baiyue people in Zangke County, many of whom were allies of Zhu Bao. However, these people were scattered in the mountains, which was not only far away but also extremely inconvenient to access. Mobilizing them would require a lot of time, food, and weapons, and their fighting strength was not promising.

The number of these Baiyue barbarian soldiers is around five or six thousand, but the exact number depends on the time and the resources Zhu Bao invests.

In summary, Zhu Bao's core strength consisted of his own 1,800 private soldiers, 1,000 soldiers from Zangke County, and 1,600 allies supporting him in Qielan County. In addition, there were 5,000 to 6,000 more peripheral and less reliable Baiyue barbarian soldiers.

In terms of troop strength, Bu Zhi far surpasses Zhu Bao in both quantity and quality.

Kuai Yue's military campaign can be described as a powerful strike, aiming to crush Zhu Bao with a single blow.

Just as Kuai Yue and Bu Zhi were full of confidence and planning to conquer Qielan in one fell swoop, Liu Jiyu, the ruler of Yizhou, was frowning in the governor's mansion in Chengdu.

Contrary to the fictional account, Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang had no connection with the Shu palace, nor did they undertake any large-scale construction to build palaces or buildings of royal specifications.

Liu Yan's transgressions were only reflected in his use of carriages and ceremonial regalia when entering and leaving the capital, while there is no record of Liu Zhang actively violating regulations. According to official history, he was gentle and mild-mannered, lacked power and strategy, and did not undertake any large-scale construction projects during his more than ten years of rule in Shu. He always lived in the governor's mansion of Yizhou left by his father, with the front hall for office work and the back courtyard for living.

At this moment, Liu Zhang sat in front of the desk in the main hall, sighing and frowning.

The people in the hall were all Liu Zhang's confidants, including his eldest son Liu Xun, son-in-law Fei Guan, cousins ​​Wu Yi and Wu Ban, Prefect Zhang Song, Chief Clerk Wang Shang, Chief Secretary Xu Jing, Registrar Huang Quan, Yizhou Attendant Zheng Du, Wang Lei, Yizhou Attendant, Protector of the Army Zhang Ren, Liu Gui, Leng Bao, Deng Xian, Yan Yan and others.

(End of this chapter)