My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 78 Campaign Plan
"In this way, the person who bought the horse can hurry up and set off, and I can finally put my mind at ease."

Zang Ba's furrowed brows relaxed without him even noticing, clearly indicating that he was feeling somewhat relieved.

“Shizheng, since you are on good terms with Mi Feng, you may continue to deepen your friendship with him.”

After relaxing, Zang Ba even had the mind to care about his son's friendships: "The Mi family has lived in Xuzhou for a long time and has connections all over the world. They are among the most wealthy merchants in the world. In addition, they have a family tradition of poetry and literature and act in a low-key manner. They are good friends who can be trusted. If Kaiyang ever needs anything in the future, he can ask the Mi family for help."

"Father, rest assured, I will obey your command."

Zang Ai had always wanted to befriend Liu Feng, and now that he had received his father's approval, he was overjoyed.

"Shulang, I'm sorry to have troubled you this time."

Zang Ba then turned around and began to comfort Sun Yu.

Sun Yu laughed nonchalantly, "Uncle, why do you say that? It was just running an errand for you, nothing serious."

"However, that young man from the Mi family is indeed quite remarkable. When he heard that I was going to steal and sell military rations, he was so angry that he denounced me, but he was full of righteousness."

Although Sun Yu's father, Sun Guan, recognized Zang Ba as his master, he was actually several years older than Zang Ba.

Therefore, Sun Yu addressed Zang Ba as his uncle, while Zang Ai addressed Sun Guan as his elder brother.

Zang Ba's doubts were finally put to rest, and he felt much more relaxed. He chatted with his son and nephew with great interest.

For a time, the Zang family was filled with joy and harmony.

After Liu Feng returned to the inn, he sent another group of people back to report the news, urging them to speed up the grain transport to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Judging from what happened last night, Zang Ba should still be wary.

Although I felt that I had handled the situation very well and had not revealed any flaws.

But it is ultimately a warning, and Liu Feng should be more careful.

No wonder Zang Ba was able to accomplish so much in history, and even rule over Qing and Xu for twenty years, serving as the King of Qing and Xu under Cao Cao for a full twenty years. He was truly extraordinary.

Liu Feng decided to depart tomorrow and leave Kaiyang.

Although this operation was not risky, given Zang Ba's steady and compromising nature, even if the other party discovered his true identity, they would most likely pretend not to know and let him leave.

Detaining him might actually become an opportunity for both sides to break the ice.

However, these are just deductions made by Liu Feng based on Zang Ba's personality; in reality, there may be more unexpected developments.

Liu Feng naturally had no need to stay in Kaiyang City and take unnecessary risks. Knowing when to quit while he was ahead was the best course of action.

As for Zang Ai's regret, I can only apologize. I hope that next time we meet, he can still be my friend.

After leaving Kaiyang City, Liu Feng followed several grain collection teams back and forth a few times, openly scouting the terrain along the way.

After gathering enough intelligence, Liu Feng leisurely returned to Tancheng.

Upon returning home, Liu Feng first went to greet his grandmother and mother.

He kept this trip a secret from them, only saying that he had been sent by Liu Bei to run errands.

Even so, Liu Bei still took the blame for Liu Feng and was scolded by Liu's mother.

Liu Bei leaned against the armchair, seemingly listening to his son's report, but his eyes were constantly scrutinizing Liu Feng's body.

Only after discovering that the other person was neither injured nor had lost weight did they secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

“Zang Ba is not very ambitious. His greatest ambition is nothing more than to control a region and act like a tyrant.”

Liu Feng introduced the intelligence from later generations that he had just verified. "Chang Xi is stationed in Zengguo County, Wu Dun in Jiqiu County, Sun Guan and Sun Kang in Linyi, Yin Li in Yangdu, and Zang Ba himself is stationed in Kaiyang with four thousand of his elite troops. Other bandits range in number from about two thousand, like the Sun brothers, to only a thousand, like Wu Dun."

Liu Feng also tentatively prepared an action plan and presented it to his father for review: "Father, this is the battle plan I have drafted. Please give me your guidance."

In terms of warfare, Liu Bei was already considered a top-tier expert at this point.

Putting aside other matters, in battles with fewer than ten thousand men, Liu Bei was not afraid of any heroes in the world, and he had the kind of confidence that he was certain of victory.

With fewer than 30,000 men, the only ones Liu Bei feared were top-tier warriors of the time, such as Yuan Shao, Meng De, Feng Xian, and Bo Gui.

When his father eventually mastered his skills, broke free from Cao Cao's control, and made a triumphant return to Xuzhou, he even utterly defeated Liu Dai and Wang Zhong in Xiaopei. He arrogantly told the two, "If you send a hundred men, they can do nothing to me; but if Cao Cao comes himself, who knows!"

What does this mean? It means that even if you were a hundred times worse, you would still be completely crushed by me.

Even if Cao Cao came in person, he might not have been able to defeat me now.

Look how arrogant they've become.

But did Liu Bei have the right to be so arrogant?
Indeed there is.

After receiving the intelligence, Cao Cao originally intended to send Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan, but Xun Yu advised against it, and he eventually went himself.

Look, even Xiao He of the Eastern Han Dynasty acknowledged Liu Bei's military prowess. Xun Yu must have known Liu Bei's military strategy better than people of later generations.

Cao Cao agreed, heeded Xun Yu's advice, and personally led the expedition.

The result was quite comical: Big Ears Bro died.

Moreover, it was an avalanche without even a single battle.

That arrogant guy, who thought even Cao Cao might not be able to defeat him, made an absurd reaction when he heard that Cao Cao was coming to conquer him personally.

He initially refused to believe it, saying it was fake, and then went out to investigate with a dozen or so trusted riders.

When they discovered that Cao Cao had actually arrived, Xiaopei had already been surrounded by the swift and decisive Cao Cao.

Not only could he not return to Xiaopei, but Cao Cao had also cut off his escape route to Xiapi.

Left with no other choice, Liu Bei could only flee north in panic to seek refuge with Yuan Shao.

This was the third time Liu Bei had lost his wife and children, and this time he also lost his sworn brother Guan Yu.

Therefore, it's not that Liu Bei was weak or incapable of fighting, but rather that Cao Cao was indeed strong, especially in terms of experience in large-scale military operations, which far surpassed Liu Bei's experience in small-scale battles.

However, Liu Bei can definitely be relied upon this time, because this is Liu Bei's forte: battles with fewer than 10,000 men.

In this campaign against Zang Ba, Liu Feng meticulously prepared an army of nearly 20,000 men for Liu Bei, of which 8,000 were Liu Bei's own troops, half of whom were troops ceded to Liu Bei by Cao Bao.

During the time Liu Feng was away in Kaiyang, Cao Bao had already completed the handover.

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu, along with their trusted followers, have entered the new camp and begun emergency training.

Secondly, Cao Bao's own 6,000 troops will also move together, and he will try his best to bring along the remaining Danyang soldiers, especially Xu Dan's troops.

Liu Feng's idea was for Cao Bao to lead the main force of the Danyang troops straight to the city of Kaiyang and besiege it.

There's no need for Cao Bao and his men to attack the city. Simply cutting off Kaiyang County's connection with the outside world and blocking the exit routes of several city gates would be a great achievement.

The reason for sending Cao Bao and his men was that the Danyang soldiers were currently the most unreliable.

Having them piled up under the walls of Kaiyang City is beneficial for concentrating control over them. Maintaining their loyalty and stability is enough to maximize their effectiveness, and that is the most important thing.

(End of this chapter)